Chapter 21: Lunar witch, The Celestial being (2)
While Naoki was deep in communion with the celestial being within the created realm, his physical body stood still in the vault room
"Young Master Aether..."
"My lord..."
The Vice Patriarch and the Left Guardian called out to him, but Naoki didn't respond.
He just stood there, staring blankly. His eyes were dull, lifeless.
The two men looked at each other, worry growing in their faces.
"What's going on?" the Vice Patriarch muttered.
When calling out to him didn't work, the Vice Patriarch naturally stepped forward and reached out to shake Naoki's body.
But just as he got close, a shadow moved beneath Naoki's feet.
A small black figure leapt out from it, it was the little dragon, Sol.
The Vice Patriarch's eyes widened in shock.
'So the rumors were true...'
He had dismissed the stories as wild gossip. After all, dragons were rare in this land, almost never seen.
"Grrrrrr..."
Sol bared her teeth, growling softly, warning them not to come any closer.
As Naoki's familiar, she could feel his emotions. She didn't understand what was happening to him but she knew he wasn't in danger. Still, her instincts told her to protect him.
The Left Guardian, noticing the dragon's reaction, spoke calmly.
"Wait, She's guarding him. I think we should..."
Swooosh
Before the Left Guardian could finish his sentence, a sudden shift occurred.
Cold air swept through the vault room.
Icy energy began to gather around Naoki's body
swirling and condensing.
Then, slowly, he began to rise, floating into the air in a sitting position, legs crossed, eyes still blank.
"!!"
Both the Vice Patriarch and the Left Guardian stepped back in shock. Their eyes widened, stunned by what they were witnessing.
"This... this is a phenomenon only mages experience!" the Vice Patriarch muttered, unable to believe it.
Swoooosh
The white-blue aura flowed around Naoki like mist. It seeped into his chest, and in the center of his body, just over his heart, a glowing ring of mana began to form.
"A mana heart" the Vice Patriarch whispered, awe thick in his voice.
In the world of mages, power was divided into nine stages. Each stage was represented by a circle formed within the heart, the core of a mage's mana.
When a mage broke into a new stage, they would float briefly as their body synchronized with their mana. This moment signaled the creation of a new circle.
And now Naoki was forming his first.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
The Noctvain family had no ties to magic. They were a swordsman bloodline through and through. Every generation trained in the blade, not the arcane.
In fact, swordsmen and mages used entirely different mana systems.
While swordsmen gathered mana in their abdomen to strengthen the body, mages stored and refined it in the heart, forging mana circles.
These two paths (body and heart) could not coexist.
The mana flow, structure, and circulation were fundamentally different. Trying to use both would normally tear a person apart from the inside.
And yet Naoki was now creating his first mana circle.
A boy born into the sword was now a mage.
Meanwhile, The Left Guardian, witnessing the impossible unfold before his eyes, could no longer remain standing.
Without a word, he dropped to both knees and slammed his head against the stone floor.
Crack
A loud sound echoed. Cracks appeared on the stone, and blood started dripping from his forehead.
"O my Lord…" he whispered.
The Vice Patriarch stared, stunned not at Naoki, but at the Left Guardian.
Out of everyone in the Noctvain family, the Left Guardian was always calm, quiet, and full of pride. He never lost his dignity.
This man had never bowed to anyone.
Not even to the current Patriarch.
He was so loyal that, after the Patriarch went missing, he spent three years leading a team to search for him...relentlessly, without rest.
That's how loyal he was.
And yet… now he bowed.
Not to the Patriarch.
But to his son.
he was bowing. Deeply. Like a servant.
'Why is he bowing to him?' the Vice Patriarch thought, confused.
Clicking his tongue, he looked away, frustration growing on his face.
He didn't understand what was going on.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the realm created by the Celestial being, Lunar witch.
-I am a Celestial Being… the Lunar Witch.
'Lunar Witch…'
The name echoed in Naoki's mind, lingering like the glow of a distant moon.
All Naoki could think was that the name sounded majestic.
"You have a beautiful name, Your Highness Lunar Witch. But why do I feel pain in my head and heart?"
Because she mentioned his brother's relics, Naoki thought she might be connected to him. He showed proper respect, following the empire's etiquette.
-You can just call me Lunar Witch. As for the pain in your heart, it's because you're forming a mana heart.
"What?" Naoki blinked.
-It's exactly as you heard, I've opened up your mana pathways. Once you return, continue cultivating... and you'll reach your first circle.
"...But I heard it's impossible to practice both magic and swordsmanship together," he said, confused.
The Lunar Witch paused. Her expression turned still.
-You know nothing of Julius von Legolant.
At her cold voice Naoki lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised his head with resolve.
"Even if I don't know… I'm the one he entrusted everything to."
The Lunar Witch stared at him, stunned by his unexpected resolve.
Then, suddenly, she laughed.
-I'll be watching you closely. O forsaken existence.
The space around them began to crack like glass. Light poured in through the cracks and in the next moment, Naoki returned to reality.
Cold energy overflowed from his body, covering him like a mist of frost.
Without hesitation, he began circulating the mana within him. His breathing slowed, focused.
And then it happened.
A ring of mana formed in his heart.
The mana heart was complete.
Time passed.
Naoki slowly opened his eyes… and what he saw left him speechless.
The sword room was frozen.
Ice covered the ground and walls. The air was freezing cold, like the North Pole itself.
In front of him, the Left Guardian remained kneeling, head lowered in a deep bow.
Beside him, the Vice Patriarch stood still, eyes wide, completely captivated by the cold energy flowing from Naoki's body.
.
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.
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To be continued.....