Chapter 49

Flames of Hope

Who were the real demons? Who were the actual incarnations of evil and destruction? These were the questions that flooded Katarina’s mind as Kaleb’s figure carefully drew Vlanca’s magical energy. The older woman had to be patient. She fully understood that while everything in this world possessed magic, the power that came with it came with great risks.

Everyone needed mana. Their lives revolved around this power. Now that she barely had any left, her body became greedy for it. More than she wanted to admit, Katarina reached the point that if she directly took or received mana from the girl, there’s no guarantee that she wouldn't unconsciously suck her dry.

It was true that demons possessed the ability to extract mana from drinking their victim’s blood, but humans weren’t any different or any magical being for that matter. Like a selfish defense mechanism to protect one’s life, any creature possessed a latent power to draw magical power from others. Of course, the process was far too hard and the risks were far too high that most of the time, they were better off dead.

Yes… perhaps Pasifae is better off dead. The ominous thought crept through her mind. From the faint signatures of different magic used in the area, she had a vague idea of how the boy fell to depravity. Her heart clenched at the idea. The old woman then snapped her attention between Kasheda and Arthur, occasionally glancing at the frozen woman. She could only pray Dupulu's name in silence.

Even without any resistance and Kasheda’s expertise in wave magic, it was nevertheless arduous extracting Vlanca’s power. After all, the two were from different races, and the wavelength of their mana was too distinct.

In this world, taking was so much harder than giving. God, perhaps, wanted them to give more - and to take things they only needed. Katarina wanted to laugh at the thought despite the anxiety. Still, she couldn’t brush off the irony. A god, who was seemingly trying to nurture giving, did nothing but take everything dear to her. Was it the retribution for the blatant trespass in the cycle of existence? Who knew? Or maybe, was the Priestdom of Dupulu lying concerning the will of the Supreme Deity all along? Most likely.

The older woman wanted to look at the silver lining from all of these like she always did. Yet, she couldn’t. The stake was far too high - Arthur. He was the only reason she’d been holding on to her fading life. Whatever the case, she won’t yield the boy, not even to the supposed god of this world.

Slowly the lady sat beside Arthur. Kasheda would take some time to draw the demon’s power, she knew. She then caressed his forehead as he helplessly rocked his arms and legs. His face still showed no emotion. The blue flames that enveloped his body seeped through her skin. She didn’t pull her hand away. More than pain for herself, her irises reflected a melancholic rue.

Mana Deficiency occurs when a person’s mana falls below a certain threshold. Unless supplied with mana immediately, the internal organs of the person began to fail which usually resulted in a self-induced coma to avoid further damage. Somertrom was so much more severe than that. Many called it the fall to depravity or the corruption, while in the Democratic Kingdom of Grail, they called it the Dream Disease.

Lack of mana might cause life-threatening scenarios, but the other way around was also true. When one’s life became endangered, their mana might fall low because the body overreacted, worsening the situation. In both cases, the body ceased all the essential bodily functions to preserve energy. Thus, the body falls into a coma to prevent more damage. In rare cases, this might ultimately result in one's magical core, usually the heart, to rupture, causing the early crystallization of the heart. Usually, it caused early deaths since from a soul’s point of view, the crystallization of the heart was a signal to detach itself from the body.

And then there’s Somertrom. Rarely in these rare situations, the body refused to die. To prevent the soul from slipping away, the body used its memories to trap the soul inside a never-ending dream. As a consequence, the body loses its intellect and reasoning, causing it to go insane and releasing all its raw power. In other words, as the soul wandered in the dream, the body would go on a rampage until it died or was killed.

The research of this disease five hundred years ago revealed so much to their current understanding of magic. During the fifth world war, also known as the Human-Demon Great War, humans aimed to use the same dream disease as a biological weapon. Even though many things went downhill when they used it, the truths and knowledge it unveiled outweighed the damages for the following centuries. Its causes, the spells it produced, both known and forbidden, and even the understanding that it’s not as rare as previously thought, Katarina could only wonder who were the real demons at the time.

She was thinking about such things when the boy’s struggle started to weaken. And the flame, from where she touched, died. It died, didn’t it? The old woman didn’t waste any time and touched his heart. The fire on his forehead rekindled and the flames on his chest vanished.

Hope… this is hope! The statement that constantly repeated inside her head. Despite discovering that his heart had begun to crystallize, a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. Only the second Leva’Yosey was broken, the first was still intact. Somertrom hadn’t released all his power. Not to mention that the boy was only in the third phase of the disease. He hadn’t fully fallen yet.

Yet, at least.

Instantly her arms wrapped around his small stature. She carried him, with utmost care and strength. The strong pull of the earth still affected the boy. Katarina turned around and gave Kasheda a hopeful stare. “Kaleb?” she called out. “How much more time would it take?”

“A few more minutes,” Daedalus answered. “And they’ll be done.”

She nodded, a half-smile curving her mouth. “We’re still in luck, Daedalus. It seems that Dupulu’s blessing hasn’t left us yet.”

The man raised an eyebrow, not saying a word.

“It’s a long story. But to make it short, I cast two Yosey Enchantments on the boy three years ago which slowed down the corruption.”

The creases on his forehead increased. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Tell me, Daedalus.” Her eyes met his, conviction marked her gaze. “What’s the color of my fire?”

The man scoffed. “Red? Crimson? Scarlet?” He narrated sarcastically as he sat beside the old lady. “How could I forget?” He then watched as the boy’s bluish flames disappeared as it came in contact with Katarina.

“Strange, isn’t it? All of us inherited the primary elements of our parents. I received my red flames and earthen magic from my mother and father respectively. Your ice magic, on the other hand, originated from both your par-”

Daedalus’s stare sharpened, his sword suddenly swung under Katarina’s neck.

The lady laughed humorlessly. “Whether you,” she emphasized, “like it or not, Daedalus, these elements are deeply rooted in our souls. You cannot change that. Arthur inherited his father’s white lightning. And yet, his fire was strangely different from his mother-”

The blade pressed harder on her skin. “Get to the point already, old lady.”

“We all know what Somertrom is, Daedalus. History taught us well.” Gently she thrust the sword away with her staff. “A disease that releases someone’s power all at once. That’s why when I saw Arthur in this state, I thought that Somertrom had broken all the enchantments on him. Otherwise, his fire would have been red, like-”

“Leva’Yosey? Wait…” Daedalus’s throat dried. There was a moment of silence before he responded. “This is unbelievable…”

“I know.”

“The legend? I thought you never believed them.”

“They say that all stories have some truths in them. Sadly, I have to learn it the hard way.” Her voice quivered. She took a deep breath. “I won’t let anyone take nor harm Arthur. You,” her eyes narrowed, “or Somertrom or the legendary curse will never take the boy from me.”

Daedalus scoffed. “You’re being too nostalgic, Katarina. Age must have been getting into you.”

“It’s not age, young man. I know you very well. Leon... What would you have given up to save Leon? What would you have done if you have-”

“Anything…” His eyes sharpened still. “Everything-”

“I feel the same way towards the boy.” Katarina looked at him with an empty smile. “I could give up everything for him. Even if my all will never be enough, at least…” She laughed mockingly. “I’m not trying to hide the pain behind my anger, Daedalus. Please do not use Arthur as your scapegoat.”

“Preach later, old lady.” The man stood up and looked at Kasheda and Vlanca, who recently finished the mana extraction. He briefly glanced at Katarina with the corner of his eyes. “You got to save the boy first.”

The old woman nodded in resignation. Indeed, in this world, giving was so much easier than taking. The process of taking mana from Vlanca, which dragged for almost half of an hour, only took half a minute for Kasheda to give it to Katarina.

The trivial things are over, she whispered to herself. For the important and difficult part, failure isn’t an option.