Dailin whistled as he looked upon Mana made Wards. It made those of the Sanctum look like child scribbles in comparison. Dailin studied them, or tried, he knew what formations of symbols did what. But the surfaces were so overlaid and complex that his eyes were having a hard time focusing. There was too much going on. Dailin flinched at the thought of how long it would have taken him or a horde of people to replicate what the Mana did in a matter of minutes. As always, when he studied the work that Mana did, he felt he was cheating in some way. Sure his will was behind the act, guided the Mana into forming what he envisioned. Yet still, it felt wrong how effortless it was. He could feel the countless past versions of himself cried out in protest and what they saw. Phases of ‘It’s not fair’ echoed in his mind.

Though it wasn’t all perfect, his method, even if it brought wondrous results, was dangerous. Mana did things the correct way, or the best that was possible regardless if the individual could afford the effort or not. Dailin rubbed the center of his chest, recalled the spot that laid within. The construct that Mana was willing to complete even if it left him spent.

It did the same for everything, he had recently found out. The flow didn’t stop till the job was done, or he forcefully cut his will from the spell. If not it would keep going, spending lakes worth of itself to bring about what he wanted. Something he was only able to allow because of the River. If not he’d be like everyone else, doing things manually, carving the Wards as best he could into stone.

“Magnificent Father” ones of his sons said to him. When Dailin glanced back he saw his children staring wide-eyed at everything. Some had even lowered themselves to the floor, running fingers across the ever detailed Wards.

“The Giver provides,” he said in a natural manner, he was used to it now, just placing everything as the working of a god. No one ever questioned it or sought answers from him on how he did something. No they took it all at face value, the answer ‘god did it’ was good enough.

Dailin looked back ahead of himself, eyes gliding across the surfaces of the dome, well sphere. The shape of it was cut in the center with a false floor dividing the mountain-sized room. Dailin didn’t know how many people would be coming, his House, that was obvious, but how many more? How many would follow along, when a massive House up and decide as one to leave the safety of a Sanctum. Dailin couldn’t conceive of that not raising questions and alarm. Unless those of his House tried sneaking out, but Dailin wasn’t sure they would do that. His sons, those he’d been forced to send back. Had been clear they were going to get the rest of the House to their new home as soon as possible.

Which for Dailin wasn't soon enough as over a week had passed, and he was worried sick wondering if they made it back. True he’d sent half of the Host to return, all of whom were full of Mana, able to kill Hordes of beasts with ease. Yet he worried, the creatures he’d faced weren’t something to be taken lightly, even if he sent scores of chests with them filled with liquid Mana.

He had wanted the whole Host to return while he remained to guard the River. It wasn’t like anything could threaten him since he had an endless source of power under his control.

Yet his children had, well not refused, nor thrown a tantrum. No, they begged, fell to their knees and pleaded to him that he reconsider. That half of the host would be allowed to stay with him.

Dailin had given in, it was hard to say no to a host of doe-eyed children. Now because of his weakness, he was stuck with a worry that refused to stay away, even after he pushed or smashed it with an act of will and Mana. It always came back as he continued to worry about his children, even though they had Rune skin.

Sighing, he pulled from the reoccurring thoughts and formed a barrier under his feet. Willed it to rise a little off the ground. Then it hovered him forward at a decent speed, near the pace of running if he’d used his legs, and glided towards one of the openings in the floor. It led to a staggered ramp, one that went all the way down to the bottom of the lower half of the sphere. Spanning the length of it was high railings so no one could run the risk of falling off.

The ramp wasn’t really needed, as his children and others could perform the spell he was using and just hover everywhere. Yet he found it a safety measure. Just in case someone or his children ended up spent or unable to use Mana, would still have a way back up to the top layer. He also made it for the Giftless, though he wasn’t sure if he had any in his House. Still, that didn't stop him, since if his new home became flooded with refuges he could see problems popping up. So Dailin had made sure everything had a way people could reach with the use of stairs ramps or ladders. He doubted many would ever be used, but it was nice to have them there.

Dailin breathed out happily as he viewed the sight before him. The bottom floor was just as like the top, every surface covered with masterful Wards. The shell of his home was now safe, the Nightmares no longer a problem. His House would have a place they could relax safety while he tried to figure out what to do.

The River was both a boon and curse, it continued to flow down like an endless stream. It had filled his pools in about three days, forcing him to make more and a lake sizes pool in the Sphere bottom section. Which Dailin could see was already half full again. Even after he’d drain much of it and the others by improving himself.

He even tried to complete the spell within the center of his chest. The spot, however, seemed insatiable, half an hour he dumped a lake worth of Mana into it, and the thing just kept pulling in more. He’d was forced to stop the flow again, even with a seemingly endless supply of Mana. The sheer amount he’d wasted trying to complete that spell had his heart aching at the loss. He would have been better off using the Mana to improve himself, rather than a spot that gave off a trickle of Mana.

Dailin lowered himself down to the basement floor, the area lit up as he neared it. After all his improvements and guiding the Mana to make him a better container. His body had reached the point that it had become a silhouette of light, every portion of his body was glowing. The Runes against his flesh were still visible, those glowed a little brighter than the rest of him.

He’d drank so much Mana that even his hair was light now. Yet instinct still hounded him, dread tried in vain to crush him with its weight. For as he changed, those two annoying emotions let him know the Nightmares were doing the same. Growing to unparalleled size thanks to the never-ending Rivers. Every day he wondered and a very small part of him wished that the flow would stop. That what was causing the tide would eventually run dry. So far it hadn’t, it just kept coming, and this was only one River. There was an untold amount out there doing the same.

‘Doomed’ Dailin thought as instinct kept hammering the truth of it into his skull. Instinct and dread had lessened greatly, the River allowed him to keep up with the Nightmares. Still, that was only him, the rest of the Vail, clueless to what was happening, were going to be slaughtered.

Maybe if they used the Warded armor he’d seen before, they last a little longer. But with monsters the size of mountains, mountains that could unleash spells, could wreck the realm around them with ease. They didn’t have any chance of survival, none he could see anyways. Unless they’d been hiding a secret weapon all along, one that solved all their problems. A flimsy hope, given that Dailin was sure they would have used it by now. Seeing how upset those above were for losing access to the many Mines dotted about this endless maze of a realm.

‘And I sent my kids out there, and asked my whole House to leave loose safety and travel through tunnels that could be infested with improved Nightmares.’ Dailin sighed as worry and anxiety returned and he was forced to remove them or mask them with a layer of other emotions.

Bliss for one, it was odd how easy it was to make it appear, and how it stayed without him concentrating on it. Even now with worry gone, bliss remained, eagerly pressing against him, like instinct. It was nice to have sometimes, before it became annoying, to obsess with its job at keeping lesser emotions from him. Even when it was the correct response to a situation, help him stay focused. Like it was doing now. With an act of will, he dispersed it, and pulled his awareness back to the realm, to his mountain size sphere that was completely empty.

Unlike the Sanctum, which was a hive of towering buildings and weaving halls with walk paths that hung in the air. His home was still one giant empty room, cut in half thanks to the floor in the middle of it. Nothing else, he wasn’t much of an architect, he’d never built anything grand before by himself, let alone a small city. He hoped his Maidens would have a better vision on how to design the layout of their temporally home. He’d like it to be permanent, would be thrilled, he could continue improving the Wards around him. Till he was sure nothing would ever be able to break in effortlessly. But that was only if the River remained. The moment it ran out, or the path it was taking to get down to his level was changed, he’d have to go hunting for it again. Then start all over making a new shell of safety around it. Which wasn’t all that hard, just took a lot of focus on his part. So the Mana made the Wards across all the surfaces he wanted.

Plus the actual making of the space for the Sanctum, but that was child’s play with the amount of mana at his finger times. The realm moved to his will almost effortlessly, if it wasn’t for the Nightmares he could easier turn this place into a paradise. A place no one would have to worry about anything. Mana made things simple, no matter how large the task, or cumbersome. Food was abundant, water could be formed or manifested from the air, housing could be molded from the rock. All the basic things of life could be achieved in less than a minute if he wanted to race to get things done.

‘The problem is maintaining it.’ Dailin thought as he looked upon his work. As long as the Mana flowed down it would be easy, even if it dried up the Mana in the air would still be sufficient to keep things going. It was the Nightmares that were the problem. Given the chance those things would smash everything he’d built and consume everything he held dear.

He wondered how long it would be before Ancients began to probe the surface of his home. He would know, as the Wards would act in the same manner as those of the Sanctum, would change colors to match the force being applied to them.

‘It won’t be too long’ the things had returned a few times. But only on their first resurgence did they try and reclaim the River. Thankfully another Mountain hadn’t shown up, but there had been a sizeable amount of Ancients. Ones that were larger than others he’d seen. If it hadn’t been for the Mountain they would have been the largest he’d laid eyes on.

They all died the same though, the beasts (thank the gods) didn’t know how to pull the Mana towards them. They instead were like everyone else, forced to drink in the substance or have some physical touch. Not something he would ever give them the chance to do. So like before he was able to outlast them. Able to have the River flow into his body as he launched waves of spells at the beasts till they dissolved with the rest of the environment. Wasteful he knew, but that was the way of things. The Runes the beast wore made it so, gone were the days he could blast things away with a small spell of wind.

The beasts after their second colossal defeat never tried to amass again and attack. But he did catch sight of groups of them, Ancients watching from afar, or digging out a tunnel high up so it could see all that went on. After long enough they would leave, but they would always come back to check.

He’d wondered if perhaps the Nightmares were waiting for him to leave, it got a chuckle out of him at the time. ‘As if I would ever leave this River unattended.’ He mused, he would have to be an utter fool to do that. Which was made clear with the constant vigil the Ancients were on, waiting for their chance to reclaim it. Or maybe they were being pulled towards him because he’d stopped the flow. The River had been flowing downwards for a long time. There could have been many other groups of beasts that had been drinking from it, only to find their spots dry up.

“Best I get things done then.” There was still a major part of his home not yet complete. The Wards even with how wonderfully made they were, still needed to be constantly fed Mana. If not the construct would eventually run out and cease functioning. Not that he had any clue how long that would take, Months? Years? It was hard to say, he knew its life span would be rather short if Ancients the size he’d been seeing of late all decided to hammer at it together. Even with it being made by the all-knowing Hands of Mana it would still break like everything else the moment its well ran dry.

So Dailin willed the barrier under his feet to hover him over to the lake that was half full. A Dozen canals and pipes continually poured more Mana into the growing lake, the sight of it was always breathtaking. So much glistening wonder, so much of a substance that made him near the level of a god in some aspects.

Breathing in Dailin concentrated, pulled on the lake which rushed upwards at him, quickly seeping into his body. Dailin directed it, envision a giant Heart. The Mana exited out of him and began swirling about, making the outline of what he wanted. As more left him the image turned into an object. The Mana added itself till a solid heavy looking Heart hovered in front of him. The thing was massive, and he floated it over to one of the dozen pedestals which had been custom made to hold the thing. Naturally, his eye measurements were off, it was still too skinny to clamp into place and not run the risk of slipping out. So he called on the Mana around him and made modifications still it was perfect. Then once it was in place he poured the River into it, filling the crystal to capacity.

It was a glowing gem when the deed was done, bathing his home in a calming glow. Dailin smiled, and hope everything worked correctly. The Wards should be able to pull the Mana from the Heart, allowing them to always remain maintained even without his supervision.

Dailin checked by blasting the floor near him with searing light. The Wards acted, the area glowing red with screaming symbols. He kept his eyes on the Heart, on the more complicated Wards carved into the pedestal. And breathed out as he saw them activate, watched Mana flow out and seep into the nearby Wards. The light emerging from his hand dimmed and vanished as he stopped his spell. The Wards in the affected area slowly returned back to their default color. All the while the Heart was drained until there wasn’t a need anymore.

Dailin was proud of his work, even though he hadn’t done anything to make it happen or function. Mana did that, he only provided the idea. But he didn’t care, as long as it worked Dailin didn’t need to know how or why it did. Turning his gaze from the giant Heart he looked out to the empty mountain room. He floated his way back over to the Lake, there were another eleven pedestals to be filled on the bottom floor alone after all. Then another dozen up top, it seemed excessive, but given there could be more beast the size of mountains, he saw it necessary. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t caught off guard and his home destroyed around him, solely because the Wards had been depleted. He wanted plenty of warning before such a thing could occur, plenty of time to make sure his family was safe before he began fighting. Began destroying the realm around him by the ferocity of the spells he needed to unleash to remove such monsters.

His children floated about, already mimicking his spell, while he formed and fit Hearts into place, something that only took a few minutes. How quickly things went when he could float everything into place, no need for a team of men struggling to move things, while a thug whipped at them.

Dailin shook his head, the revealed vision faded back into the depths of his mind. He floated himself up to the upper floor, most of his children scattered about, still marveling at the details of the Wards, or just milling about. There wasn’t much for any of them to do really. One of the reasons why he wanted all of them to go. He didn’t need help, he was safer than all of them, given the River was by his side and could be called upon it at a moment’s notice. Which he was headed towards. The pools were almost overflowing, the many pipes that funneled it downwards were struggling to keep up with the River.

He helped alleviate the problem, making the twelve Hearts at once, pushing the liquid level back down. His children stared with awe as he floated the Hearts into place, their own eyes sparked like the Hearts, given all the light bouncing around. Dailin breath out satisfied as the final Heart clinked into place. His home now impregnable and would put all Sanctums to shame. Since Dailin never saw them with Hearts of this size before, all filled to the brim with Mana waiting to be used. Not to mention the Wards themselves, he would have been surprised if he ever saw a Sanctum with the same detailed symbols. Given that said symbols were so small and perfectly shaped and spaced he would wonder how anyone would have the skill to do so with their hands.

Looking about Dailin was feeling content, his home was secure enough now that he wouldn’t worry about his family. It would take considerable force to break through his Wards and the Hearts powering them. He could leave his family by themselves while he traced the River upward, securing more of it with a funnel that he was slowly making. The thought had Dailin looking towards the opening the Mana was pouring through. But he shook his head, “Not yet” he spoke before turning his eyes from it.

There was two other task left before he began that project. So Dailin floated himself over to one of the four main Gates, two on each level. He made the doors as imposing as those of the Sanctum, understanding their function now. After the Wards were made, the Vail would open the Gates and float raw supplies in. The realm outside was full of it after all, of stone that could be molded into anything. Dailin planned to do the same as he placed his hand on the Gate connected to the weave of Wards and gave the command to open. He headed a multitude of locks clinking as they moved out of place.

He pushed the Gate open after, but it only opened about half way before it pressed against stone. This door wasn’t connected to any tunnels outside. No only a stone wall was waiting if he’d been able to open it in full. Dailin pushed his hand through the gap forming translucent tendrils and claws on the other side and began to carve away at the obstruction. He pushed again after a minute. The door slowly opening enough for him to begin pulling stone into his home. He stepped to the side and had his phantom limbs get to work. While that took place he split his mind and ordered the cutoff rock to hover and float into mounds not that far from the Gate. Once enough of the stone was removed he open the colossal gate in fully and began the real work. His Mana limbs gorged large chucks from the walls of rock in front of him. All of which hovered by Dailin collecting in ever larger piles.

His children watched but stayed away, so he called out to them. “If your feeling bored you can do this at another gate, at least enough that it will open all the way.” His children nodded to him, spouting “For your will” before heading off towards the other entrances.

Dailin returned his attention back to his work, boring a tunnel that matched the dimensions of the door. He continued till the hills around him were stacked high. As he was readying to close the Gate he noticed movement down the dug tunnel. Though with the lack of light he couldn’t see all that well. So he sent out a small bulb of light that illuminated the path before him. Showed once it reached the end, a swarm of eyes staring him down. His hand pointed out into the tunnel, the whole of it lighting up bright as lightning sparked from his fingertips. The current of which hit the Nightmares the movement it was sprung to life. The many forms popped as the spell wreaked havoc on their bodies. Screeches echoed loudly about and as one the beasts fled back down their own worm-shaped paths they had carved into his own.

Dailin closed the Gate quickly after, his eyes gazing at the mounds of rock around him. Dailin raised himself high up from the floor, he did the same for one of the Hills. He began sifting through them, found to his displeasure Nightmares hidden within. Smaller ones, the Maggots. The Things squeaked when they were found. But not long before he cut them apart.

The call of theirs caused the other mounds to stir, Maggots wormed their way out of them. The Things screeched as they looked up, some even try to jump up towards him, maws napping. Dailin rolled his eyes, the Ancients had sense, were smart enough not to attack something that could kill them was little effort. The Nightmares, however, were still the same clueless beasts. How he wished all of them were like the ones he began killing. Dimwitted, and not a threat, an actual pest more than anything. Dailin would be free then, a life of carefree days awaited him. Rather than the one he was in now. Forced into competition with monsters the size of Mountains in a struggle for survival.

Dailin scattered the mounds of rock, eyes scanning through the rubble for any more hideaways. He didn’t find any, living ones anyway, there were many that had been cut apart mingling with the stone. His phantom limps must have gotten to them, the stone he'd been mining appeared to have been a home for the little ones.

Dailin sighed. ‘I’m going to have to cleanse the area around my estate’ he thought as he turned from the mess he made and headed towards his children. He had been worried for a passing breath before he spotted his first group of kids. Some were blasting spells down the hall they had made, others were playing with the Maggots that had hidden within the rubble the children had brought in. It was the kind of play only children involved themselves with. His kids let the Maggots bite at them, their maws trying in futile attempt to pierce through Rune skin. Children laughed, while Dailin frown. True his children were fine, their clothes on the other hands were getting torn.

Dailin watched as one of his boys laughed and then began pulling the legs off a maggot that was gnawing at his own leg. The boy laughed even louder as the thing shrieked in pain and tried to flee. But his children tackled the thing to the ground, others came other and held it in place. As the boy finished his play and ripped off every one of its limbs. Dailin watched in hidden and disgusted horror, as his children laughed in glee as the thing screech in pain. Others were doing the same, slowly ripping the Maggots apart, and tackling the ones that tried to flee back towards the Gate.

“Enough” Dailin boomed out, his voice engulfing all other sounds. His children flinched, ears going limp, and pressing against the side of their heads. Lowering his voice “Kill them and be done with it, don’t lower yourselves to these beasts level.”

‘Don’t act like monsters yourselves.’ Dailin wanted to add, but his children had gotten the point. For once none looked up at him, their heads remained lowered or avoided his gaze. They acted as he requested, killed the beasts outright before cleaning themselves. Dailin remained hovering and moved himself to peer outside. This Gate actually exited out into an already made tunnel, plant life was abounded helping the Nightmare’s better hide themselves.

That is if the beasts had decided to stay still, the performance of his children had the things rethinking their plan of attack, for now, they were in retreat. Dailin sent an orb of light down the tunnel, which it didn’t take long to reveal an Ancient. The thing hurried back when his eyes locked on it when it realized it had become noticed. The thing retreat back into the maze of tunnels. Dailin didn’t pursue it or blast the Nightmares that removed themselves from his sight. No, he instead sent some wind out and cut large fruit from plants, and hovered them over to himself. It was past time they stopped going out to claim food, his home was done and he had set aside an area for a grand garden. One that was almost the length of his entire home.

Gazing back at his children, who still held their gaze downcast. “You all can continue mining the rock till they reach the size of the ones I made. Then close the gate.” His words were infused with Mana, with soothing warmth. He heard many of them as they relaxed sigh, and Dailin added “I’m proud of all of you, proud of the courage you show against our enemy. But in the future kill them quick. They are filth to be removed, not played with.” He increased the magnitude of his spell, as his request seeped into them deeper, let them know how much it mattered to him.

“For your Will” “For the Light” For you Father” His children chanted off in a dazed state as he put too much will into his words. He waited for them to recover before heading off to the next group. As before he could see they’d been playing with the Nightmares, as some of their clothes were ripped. Something else he would have to fix later after more important problems were dealt with.

This group must have heard him, for they had already stopped, and had removed the Maggots that had snuck in and were back to hauling more rock into their home. He told them how long they were to keep the Gate open before he hovered off to check the last of his children.

He didn’t find any others playing with Nightmares, though they all had some ripped clothing, so they must have stopped on their own. He instructed them on what he wanted before departing heading off to finish his last main task of the day.

Returning to the mounds of stone he’d mined. He hovered them and began cutting them apart into finer and finer chucks. Then smashed them when it became more effective, he continued this till the stone became very fine dirt and gravel. Only then did he hover the reduce mounds of dirt to where he needed them, to his large garden. Which was simply a trough to hold the ground in. He’d made it along the wall and added some groves so the plants would have something to hold on to as they grew upward. With a wave of his hand the mounds of dirt piled into the garden, smoothing out till it was even. Winds cut open the fruit, the many seeds contained within hovered away from Dailin. Spacing out and lowering into the dirt.

Dailin pulled Mana from the environment and some from the River. He spread it out, hovering it over the garden then let it drop like rain. Dailin jerked backward as within second’s plants shot out of the dirt growing in a frenzy, vines going everywhere as they covered every surface reachable. Maybe a minute or more in, and Dailin was left with the image of a garden that looked like it was years old. The plants large and thick fruits already fat and hanging from struggling vines.

‘I would have killed for it to have been this easier in my previous lives.’ Lives where he was either a farmer or slave hand struggling to get crops to grow from overused soil. Accompanied with some form of landlord demanding more than he could ever hope to produce.

Dailin moved further away from the garden as the plants continued to grow in a wild rate, vines slithered their way across the floor. More fat fruit formed within seconds as the plants spread out. He only gave them a small raining, but already he was seeing a problem. The vines were going everywhere if left untended the things were spread across the entire length of his home. Even work their way down to the bottom level. His house would look like an indoor jungle if he didn’t do anything. It would be a rather neat thing to have, greenery everywhere he looked. It would help make the illusion that he was living in a tropical paradise, rather than somewhere miles down under untold amounts of rock.

Dailin sighed ‘Later’ he thought, before trimming the vines back to where the garden was. Once everything was built, the many buildings laid and everyone moved in, he’d let the vines grow out then. But for now, Dailin had to contain it. He looked towards where the nearest group of stone was, and focused on it, willed it to float over to him. The Mana acted, and the stone far away floated upwards and head towards him. Dailin floated nearer to the stone, as he eyed the Garden, deciding on the size he wanted. When everything was ready, he molded the rock into thick sheets which floated themselves over the garden and began constructing a room around it. He was forced to continue trimming the vines as the room was being made, but eventually, the whole length of the garden was encased. He formed many entrances into the surface of the stone, with locks in place so the plants couldn’t push their way out.

Dailin wiped his hands together “Such hard work” he joked to himself as he studied the improvised room. It stood out due to the lack of Wards on it, but for now, it would have to do, maybe someone would come up with a better alternative to the every growing plants. But Dailin was happy, his home was secure, there was an easy supply of building materials, and no chance what’s so ever of his family would go hungry. All that was left to do was securing his hold on the River, or make it harder for the Nightmares to get at it. Which he didn’t really have in clue on how to accomplish.

The easiest answer was to find the direct source, find where the River was flowing down from. But Dailin had to wait for the rest of his family, and there was no telling how far up the River went.

Huffing Dallin floated himself over to the font, where the River was pouring into his pools. He’d made a small door by it, one that led to rooms that went outside to where the River was coming from. Outdoor there was a funnel of sorts that made sure the liquid all flowed into his home. A funnel that Dailin found swarming with Nightmares as he exited the building. There were Nightmares and Ancients all over, a swarm like he found when he’d first arrived in the area. Those that could had their maws pressed into the liquid rushing passed them, drinking it in without end. Well were, before all eyes turned to him, drawn to the abundance of light his body was giving off.

Dailin scowled, and called to the Mana in the area, called it to come to him, to enter and become part of him. The air popped as the Mana surged its way toward his locations. The River deviated from its path and flowed into him as well. The Ancients Dailin saw, rose and ran from him, the Nightmares, however, charged. Screeching in a raged filled tone as they did so, maws open wide displaying their rows of razor shape teeth.

Dailin imagined, and Mana manifest. A maelstrom of wind pushed upward, the coming horde became an expanding mist of gore as the spell worked its way outwards away from him. He launched more attacks out at the enemy, his spells destroyed much where it landed. Boulders of stone crashed from the walls as they were struck. The Nightmares turned into a smear on their surfaces. The cavern he was in became an echo chamber of screeching as the beasts talked to one another. The Ancients calls rang out the loudest, made the charging Nightmares that were head for him, stop. Then retreat in a haste filled manner, so much so that beasts were running on top of each other. All heading for the walls that had been turned into a honeycomb of worm tunnels.

Dailin focused on the clumped up horde ready to render them into pulp. But rough chanting echoed out making his ears stand up straight as he searched for the source. Before he did, the walls at his sides blasted outward as the Ancients spells finished, then struck him. Dailin only felt a slight push from before directions. If he had closed his eyes, he never would have noticed it was an attack. Well besides for the increase of Mana rushing into his Runes. But other than that he would have been obvious to beings trying to kill him. Raising his arms in both directions, Dailin sent his own spells. Light eliminated from him, searing hot that melted all that it touched. It was easier that lightning to use, more direct, no random offshoots. But the cost was greater, but he had the River, he had a body made of it mostly now too, he could be wasteful with the amount he used.

His light beams bored into the tunnels the Ancients had made, the light of his spell went through them within seconds. Their bodies cooked and fell apart after the beasts Runes were spent. The slight pressure pressing against him went away and in turn, Dailin stopped his own chant. He waited for another surprise to strike him. A handful of minutes passed, his heart thumping loud in his chest the whole time as he expected another Mountain to come. Yet nothing happened the screeching of beasts had died down as they fled further away. But he knew some had remained to watch him. He could make out the shine of eyes from tunnels every so often. Ancients were still around, a foolish one stuck its head out peering down at him from above. For its bravely he launched a spell of light at it. The thing didn’t retreat in time before it was struck, the light dissolving its head and its lifeless husk fell and crashed to the floor near him. Another beam dissolved the rest of it and he looked around again. None of those that remained watching him showed themselves anymore, nor released a screech of protest at what he'd done. No, they remained silent and still, not waiting to gain his attention.

Dailin was fine with that, for the moment. He stopped the flow of Mana entering him and redirected the River back to the way it was traveling down into his home. Dailin grunted in frustration as he looked at the River. ‘What can I do about this?’ he considered, as he walked over to it and the funnel it was flowing into. The answer was the same as before, follow the River to its source. Yet he couldn’t act on it, not with his family still separated from him.

Sighing, Dailin instead began warping the ground around him, smoothing it out and forming a channel under the flow of the River. He had the Mana do this as far as he could see the liquid before it disappeared from his sight as rock blocked his view of the nectar rushing down the hole it was coming from. Once that was done, he made the channels cover the liquid, as it turned into tubes, encasing the flow and protecting it from the Nightmares that would drink from it. He placed his hand on a portion of it and closed his eyes. Imagined them encased with Wards, one that connected with the rest of his house. It took minutes of chanting that in his mind before the Mana acted, as was the case with anything complicated. He pulled Mana in from the environment as the cost of his spell began, and only stopped when the spell did.

When he opened his eyes the channels were aglow with elaborate Wards, the liquid within safe for the most part. The Ancients only had to follow the River up higher closer to its source and all his effort would be for nothing. But for now it was all Dailin could think to do. At least it would keep the beasts from being close to his house, which would make things simpler once people began to arrive. Dailin survey the area, the sight of Nightmare actively plain to see. knew he should go about clearing the area around his home of the swarm of beasts that were lying about.

But he didn’t, he’d done enough for today, was ready to begin improving himself more. For even though the monsters around him were easy to handle, his instinct still hounded him. The pressure from dread and it was increasing. Even though it had slowed and at times diminished when he gorged himself on the River. Still the beasts around him remained a threat. There many other Rivers at there, Rivers where the Nightmares were filling themselves every day without being disrupted. Dailin had to do the same if he wanted to keep his family safe. A family he wished would hurry back to him, so he could keep them shelter from the growing dark of this realm.

With that thought in mind Dailin retreated back to the sanctity of his home, as a myriad of eyes watched his every move.