All mages are taught early on about the dangers of the rare mineral called bloodstone. It is found only in underground places such as mines or deep wells. This is a problem because even a few grams of bloodstone dust mixed into the drinking water of a village’s well can make people seriously ill. Since this affliction is more common in miners, some people have taken to calling it ‘miner’s sickness’. It’s not really a disease though because it cannot spread through physical contact like a disease can. Being in close proximity to someone with miner’s sickness is therefore not a problem.

Bloodstone poisoning is often fatal because not everyone can recognize the red-colored mineral at a glance, so exposure is usually accidental. This can have dangerous consequences even in small doses. The reason is that small amounts of bloodstone might not kill you directly, but it will weaken your body to the point where a common cold will send you to an early grave. The worst part is that there is no known cure, or so I thought until I met Nashira.

“There is nothing we can do then…” A dejected Gamo says. “It’s fortunate that only these three were affected. The healers should be able to save the rest.”

“There is a way to stop the effects of bloodstone poisoning. These men’s symptoms suggest that their exposure was relatively small. If the cause is eliminated to prevent further damage, they will be able to recover.” Nashira explains. Her serene voice carries a certain persuasive power which makes everyone focus their attention on her.

She usually avoids attracting attention like this, but it can’t be helped right now.

“You know a cure for bloodstone poisoning?” Inaya asks with a baffled expression.

“There are two ways. The simplest is to create an alchemic potion that neutralizes the poison. However, that would take too long. The man here will not recover by that point. He requires immediate help. In such a case, there is only one option.”

Nashira gently puts both her hands on the dying man’s chest and head. She closes her eyes and slips into a meditative trance as her aura begins to spill out. The atmosphere glows with magic power as waves of blue light begin to spread around. Her long, black hair is tinted blue as well.

“What are you doing!? Casting magic will make it worse!”

“Let her concentrate. She is the only chance this man has right now.”

I rebuke Inaya’s words with a stern voice. Her objection is understandable. After all, this is the first time any of them have seen Nashira’s magic power. If they want to save this man, however, Nashira is the only one who can do anything. She is a very kind person and would never harm someone intentionally. If she says she can do it, then she can do it.

Asher calmly grabs Inaya’s shoulder without saying a word, while looking closely at the exotic magic taking place before his eyes. Inaya understands the meaning and joins him in quietly observing. Gamo does the same. There is nothing to do but watch.

Nashira gradually increases the power of her magic. At the same time, we who are standing nearby are enveloped by the aura that spills out. My own aura can seem dangerous and oppressive, especially when I get angry. Hers, on the other hand, feels like a pleasant summer breeze that gently washes over us. Combined with the dancing waves of blue light, it creates a mesmerizing atmosphere of peace and tranquility. It surprised me the first time I experienced it and now it’s even more potent than before. Even someone like me who isn’t easily impressed has to admit that she looks like a divine being right now. Her already exceptional beauty is enhanced further by the mystical glow of magic power. It’s a sight that makes men and women alike stare with their mouths hanging open.

She pours a continuous stream of mana into her arms and passing it through the patient’s body. It’s enough to exhaust the average mage after a single attempt. By focusing my senses, I can detect the traces bloodstone inside the man’s body. They violently scatter the mana around them upon contact. The result is a phenomenon called a ‘mana vacuum’. In this case, it’s small enough that it would be invisible without Nashira’s spell. This phenomenon would normally be harmful for the human body, but this is only true for ordinary spells. Nashira is using chaos magic which has exotic properties. It can pass through solid objects with ease and perform feats that would otherwise be impossible, such as the instantaneous teleportation of ‘Divine Step’. The tiny shards of poisonous red mineral are slowly eroded by the continuous waves of magic power, causing them to dissolve into nothingness. The signs of mana vacuum disappear and the spell ends.

“… Did that do it?”

“Yes, all traces of the poison are gone. Healing magic should work now.”

Inaya walks beside the unconscious man and chants a small healing spell. The bruises under the man’s skin start to fade.

“Amazing… It really does work!”

The other healers and nurses working in the camp are looking in this direction with faces full of awe.

“Please continue the treatment. I will focus on the remaining two” Nashira suggests.

Inaya and Gamo agree and resume their work. They both know healing magic and can work together to speed up the injured man’s recovery. It seems there is nothing for me to do.

“Should I go help the other injured?”

“It’s fine, we have enough healers in the camp. Actually, there is something else I should ask of you, if you’re willing” Asher says. I answer affirmatively.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

A middle-aged man and an older woman are bowing repeatedly in front of Asher to express their gratitude. They’re wearing pretty cheap clothes, so they’re probably family members of the miners from nearby villages. At the captain’s request, they let Nashira concentrate on her task without any interruption. Magic requires a great deal of focus, especially when it’s something as difficult as chaos magic. The remaining two patients suffered less poisoning than the first, making the curing process faster. After she finishes the last one, Nashira relaxes and sighs with relief.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. It was a bit tiring but I will be fine” she replies.

“You did a splendid job. Captain Asher says he will inquire about the reward. From what I hear, the amber we bought earlier was excavated from this mine. We might be able to obtain a lot more. It seems Tyrin has the biggest supply of amber and other precious gems in the whole kingdom.”

Her eyes briefly widen with excitement, but then she realizes something.

“If the mine is contaminated with bloodstone, it is dangerous for humans to go in.”

As expected, she’s more worried about others. The fact is that both of us can negate the effects of bloodstone poisoning inside our own bodies. Mana circuits are like veins in that they can keep the mana locked inside, protecting it from contact with the poison. In this way I can make my aura disappear entirely and avoid any potential damage to my internal organs. All I would need to do is stop using magic for a few days until my body eliminates the poison. This is all thanks to the ‘Origin’ spell. Nashira has mana circuits too, though hers are like that from birth. She did not need to create them artificially. The ‘Origin’ spell is only necessary for a human like myself.

“About that, the captain was asking me for advice on how to deal with it. In a short while, we are heading down into the mine tunnels to see what is going on and whether the problem can be solved. You can return to the inn and rest if you want, but I thought you might like to come along.”

“I wish to go” she answers decisively. “Because you do not know the method to nullify bloodstone, my aid may be required again.”

True enough, I don’t know the magic she used earlier and I don’t really have the months or years it would take to learn. Chaos magic is special. I can’t simply imitate it after reading a book or just watching someone else. This is a lesson learned from many failures at the Amisos Magic Academy. Maybe after the war is over, I will sit down and set my mind to it. Until then there are other priorities.

After confirming Nashira’s intention, we set out toward the tunnel entrance, leaving the other priests and mages to finish up. The issue we were called for has been resolved. Inaya, Gamo and Asher go along with us.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

“The last time I was in a mine, there were only two or three tunnels. How many have we passed by now? Five? Six?”

The five of us are walking through a damp cave-like area that is sparsely lit by mana-crystals. The tunnels here are twice as wide as the Lapithos mines, which is more than enough for five people to walk side-by-side. The sound of water dripping can be heard in some areas, probably because of the large amount of rain that fell in this region the past few months. Asher tosses a roll of old paper at me which I catch out of the air. I open it to see a complex schematic showing the various caves and tunnels that surround us.

“This mine is the biggest one in Tyrin. It has 7 sections and goes at least 400 meters deep.”

“No wonder it started falling on top of their heads. How do they maintain the structural integrity of such a huge hole in the ground?”

“I would assume they’re using earth magic, but you’ll have to ask the Larkin Mining Company to know for sure.”

“It stinks in here” Inaya says while holding her nose.

“That’s normal in a mine. It’s not that bad though. Look, even Lady Nashira isn’t bothered by it” Gamo remarks.

“Don’t compare me to her…” she whispers in a low voice that is drowned out by the sound of dripping water echoing through the cave.

“What was that? I didn’t hear.”

“It’s nothing!” she replies in a strong tone while taking the hand off her nose. Gamo shrugs and we continue on our way.

We descended several floors and a few thousand steps. On the way we saw levers and pulleys where ropes are used to lift excavated materials through the mine shafts and up to the surface where it can be put to use. In total, it took about 15 minutes to reach the place where the cave-in happened. What lies in front of us is a mountain of dirt and rubble that completely blocks off the rest of the tunnel where it took place. There is a strange atmosphere here that two of us notice immediately.

“Rigel…”

“I noticed too.”

Something isn’t right here. The flow of mana is unnatural in this place. What is this feeling of uneasiness?

“Are you sure this is the right place? This is just a pile of rocks” Inaya says.

“I’m sure. We need to find the source of the contamination and determine how much of it there is. Gamonias, can you do it?”

“Sure.”

He places both hands on the tunnel wall and begins injecting mana in the form of waves. I can see it clearly. The mana leaves behind an echo of sorts that shows which areas are denser than others. This is a simple method to determine if bloodstone is present in the rock since it will have a detectable reaction. Sure enough, there are signs of mana scattering in several spots.

“It’s deep but there is definitely a dangerous amount of bloodstone in this area. We should be cautious with using earth magic.”

“Got it. Rigel and Miss Nashira, the two of you know a lot about the nature of bloodstone. Do you know of a way to move it safely?”

It seems none of them have noticed yet.

“Before that, you should know that a mana vacuum was created here.”

“Mana vacuum?” A couple of confused looks are aimed at me from the other two men in the group.

Neither of them knows what that is?

“Since living creatures contain mana, some of it seeps into the ground wherever they live and die. A vacuum is when that mana has been removed or absorbed by something. The cause is obviously the bloodstone.” Inaya explains with a disinterested tone.

“Yes, bloodstone can scatter mana, but that doesn’t explain what is going on here—”

*crunch*

A dry sound echoes through the tunnel. It’s like the noise of someone stepping on a pile of glass shards with iron boots, only muffled a bit. Silence returns immediately after.

“… The mine was evacuated earlier, wasn’t it?”

“There shouldn’t be anyone left…”

*crunch crunch crunch*

“…”

“Where is that sound coming from?”

“It must be the level below— ”

*CRACK*

Someone said something I couldn’t hear because of the roar of crushed rocks and soil. The ground beneath my feet gave way and I fell into the gaping hole below. My sense of balance warned me that I am in freefall.

“Cyclonic Burst!”

I twist my body around in midair and aim the spell upward. A torrent of compressed air is formed from my mana and envelops me. The precision is bad. I end up flying upward at an angle, unable to control the direction well.

“Ooph!”

I hit a rock wall to my left with a dull thud and then the ground shortly after. The fall was short, but my poor use of magic ended up hurting more than helping. Fortunately I didn’t suffer any serious injury.

“The blessing of the Ancients grants me everlasting vitality.”

I chant the most powerful self-healing magic I know. Self-healing is significantly more effective than healing someone else because magic depends on understanding the process you’re trying to achieve. Since we understand our own bodies better than someone else’s, it’s evident that self-healing is more effective. Any bruises I have received vanish in seconds with some pain as a side-effect. I get up while coughing from the cloud of dust that was raised by my landing. I brush aside any dirt sticking to my robe. The space around me is completely dark. I can’t see a single thing.

“Rigel!”

Nashira’s distressed voice reaches my ears from above. I look up to see her, Gamo and Asher looking through a jagged hole which is a few meters above my head. It seems I’m the only one who fell.

“Be careful! The rest of it could collapse!” I shout back.

“It’s alright, I used magic to prevent that!”

“Wait there if you’re injured, we’re coming down!”

They give a reassuring reply to the warning. I take a moment to activate a simple fire spell on my left hand. The flame levitates a few centimeters above my palm and generates about the same amount of light as a torch. I use it to get a look at the place I landed in.

“What in Hades…”

Behind me is nothing but a rock wall. In front of me is a cavern large enough to contain Tyrin castle. Grey and white stalagmites point down from the ceiling. The cavern contains a pool of water that appears to be knee-deep from which stalagmites protrude. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling can be heard. The light from my flame gives everything an orange tint.

*crunch crunch crunch*

What draws my attention is a dark, hairy shape that stands in the shallow water on four long legs. At first I can’t tell what I’m looking at because of the angle, but then the creature turns around in my direction which gives a clearer view. The creature has a similar form to a horse. It has black, smooth hair that stands up from the body, giving it a spiky look. Its elongated head is more stretched-out and thinner than that of a horse. Instead of eyes, it has two thin slits on the sides of its head that glow in the dark with a violet color. A row of white, terrifyingly sharp teeth stick out like small daggers from its lower jaw that seems to be chewing something. What is this thing? It’s like something was birthed from a nightmare into the real world. I instinctively take two steps back as it stares at me through the slits that purport to be eyes.

“Human…”

Its mouth moves slightly and a low growl that resembles words come out.

It spoke?

Author's Note: I won't have any time to write in the next 2 weeks, so there won't be any updates during that time. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but it's just how the timing turned out. After that, I will be on vacation so you can expect faster updates. Let me know if you see any errors and thank you for reading!