Chapter 25: Deprecating Mantra

It was a round chamber, in the middle there was a giant magical circle containing runes, sigils, and symbols. On the walls, there are glowing lamps shining in blue. On top of the lamps were rotating sigils. The brick walls had a slight gray glow. Arden stood facing the circle podium in the middle of the chamber. Behind his back was the door leading outside the chamber.

Two men wearing hooded robes stands near him. One has a black robe while the other wore white. The eyes of the two could not be seen. They clasp their hands together near their stomach as if making a prayer. Around the circle lie runes emitting light. They gave a teal color as they dance around inside the circular chamber.

He stood there in wait. Arden’s turn would be soon after the rough haired magus who went first finishes. Currently, he was meditating on his mantra. Arden could not hear the voice of the Magus. Being near the door along with the robed men was the cause. But even so, he wouldn’t be able to hear with the barrier protecting the rough haired magus.

Arden sees the mana coating the magus. It shines. It flickers. There was a beauty to it that Arden could appreciate. The dots of light around the Magus made for quite a show. The ritual takes long to complete. Arden has been waiting for an entire hour just for the magus to finish. He wasn’t in a hurry to do the ritual. Not to mention the two hooded men near him would punish him if he does something. Arden had a blank face. His mouth was frowning and his eyes were looking a thousand yards away.

He could only hear the murmur of the people behind his back. There were others like him that was allowed to take part in the ritual. This ritual was a gift to them. A gift for the glorious Mesh-taught Magus’s of the Academy. A magus can cast magic; anyone can cast magic as long as they harness the power of the world. But the difference between a self-taught magus and an Academy-taught Magus is huge.

Unlike a self-taught magus, the magus could never have that much control in their magic. They would recite long chants but will not ever truly own their magic. While an Academy-taught Magus can be allowed to wield his magic as his own using his magus mantra. A magus-mantra differentiates. It is a mantra that allows those were taught to truly own their magic. They can still chant but their magic will have their origin on it. If one has the origin of fire then they will have more powerful fire-based spells.

Basically, the ritual chamber that Arden is being led to allows him to have his mantra, which would then allow him to put his origin into his magic. Normal self-taught magicians could not afford to have such chambers that are directly connected to the pore of the world. The pore of the world is a spot where mana gathers. Gaia, the world as they call it, is just like a human body.

The soil is flesh. The core of the world is the heart. The roots are the veins where blood flows. The organ then acts as a pore where the sweat of the world flows out. This chamber is where a ‘pore’ can found. It reeks of the sweat of the world where energy is released. The chamber is a tool that acts as a ‘needle’ that sucks the blood of the world instead of the sweat.

Hence why the Magus here can have their origin merged with their magic. For this ritual not only allows them to be with the world. It also allows them to be contracted by Gaia, where they would have Gaia’s embrace. An embrace that would make a Magus have their origins returned.

Self-taught Magicians could never have their origins merged without possessing such chamber where the blood of the world flows. They could, however, risk their life and go into one of the pores and wait there until they can do the ritual that would allow them to have their origins mixed with them.

Mesh City is located in one of the biggest pores of the world. Hence a Magic Academy can be found in this spot and this chamber can be built to extract the blood of the world. This Academy is rather lucky to have a pore chamber. Due to this that many Magus can have their origins mixed.

The old way is to venture out of the world and find pores. But now, they just need to line up in the chamber and have the ritual done in less than two hours. If they were to find a pore outside the overworld then they would have to wait a day to have their origins mixed while at the same time. Have someone defend them long enough to complete the ritual. Not only humans are allowed on the pores after all. Magical beasts feed on the pores to supply their mana. In fact, like the humans, they are contracted by Gaia.

To Gaia everyone is equal. Whether human, demihuman, monster, beast or colored skins or even abominations, Gaia will embrace them.

Gaia is said to be the loving mother of everyone. Most of the believers of the God of Light believe in the Light. But even with that, they believe in the world who is Gaia as the mother. While the God of Light as the father. And the beings living in the world is Gaia’s children.

So how can the loving mother ever hate her children?

Hence everyone can interact with the pore as Gaia’s children. Interacting with the pore allows Gaia to embrace her children, allowing them to be whole again by having their origins mixed.

But even though Gaia treats everyone equal. It doesn’t mean that everyone can act the same. The difference between the children of Gaia is a lot. They cannot understand each other unless they are the same.

...

It was finally Arden’s turn.

He stood in the middle of the chamber.

At first, he felt nothing. But suddenly a waterfall of mana barraged inside him. It was overwhelming that he felt like was being drowned. Arden struggled to control the gushing of mana. He tried to take control but only felt his mana veins being cleansed by the pure mana being poured inside him. Arden looks like he was going to lose his mind. But suddenly a gentle embrace. Arden then opened his eyes only to see blue veins surrounding his body. The blue veins felt comforting to him.

It allowed Arden to stabilize himself. Allowing him to calm his mana down and let it flow like a calm river on every part of his body. Doing this allowed him to carefully look at where he was. To the others, he looked like he was just standing in the middle of the chamber. But to Arden, he felt like was in a world of endless blue. He could see roots colored blue around. He was floating. And while floating he could see nothing but the veins and the roots of the blue-like world he is in.

He noticed the blue sphere located above. Seeing this, his eyes widen, the blue sphere released energy veins that soon wrapped around Arden. This blue veins slowly dig into his veins and mana veins. Arden did not feel pain as the veins merged inside him. Instead, he felt euphoric as if he was lying on the softest thing in the world. He felt happy and comfortable.

Then he heard a booming voice.

Hearing this unintelligible voice he could not understand. Arden remembered the words of the two hooded men. He needs to think about what his origin is. What he liked the most and everything that he desires. Arden felt wary since he lost his memory on that day.

He thought about what he was before that day. He thought of the memories of the garden. He saw the beautiful blonde girl wearing a white dress. It was a great memory he recently made. It reminded him of the desire that he had before ‘dying’ on the fire.

Arden opened his eyes after pondering about what he liked and desired the most.

Then a second booming voice thundered on his head.

This voice, according to the two robed men was what his flaws are. Being unable to accept his flaws, would mean that they truly not what they are. Thus Arden thought of his flaws. The flaws that made him what he is now. Thinking about the flaws he had. Arden smiled. He knows himself better than everyone.

People call Arden a fool. But Arden, knew that he is doing is foolish. He knew that helping without asking for anything is foolish. He knows it is all foolish but because of that day that he inherited it all without thinking. He inherited a purpose in life to keep himself alive.

Arden then opened his eyes once again knowing what his true flaws are.

Knowing all of this, he prayed in self-deprecation:

“This body of mine that wished for a wander, it burnt, died, forged, tempered and turned into dulled steel. It knows its flaws, empty, hollowed, and unable to feel joy, only through one’s smile, only through one’s joy that this dulled steel could turn sharp, it knowing beyond that, it can feel nothing but that. Borrowed, molded, this body is a counterfeit.”

He prayed, as the blue veins on his body then slowly turned red. Arden then slowly condensed all of his flaws, turning it into his own mantra:

“This body is made of dulled wrought steel. Hollowed in the inside, yet burning on the outside, counterfeited, this body light only for those who roars in cry!”

A boom happened.

Arden then felt the red veins coating his body merging with! Violent streaks of energy, it slowly buried, and merge with Arden.

The two men who saw him struggling raise their brows. They thought that something must have gone wrong and was prepared to help only for the barrier to break, leaving Arden standing on his feet. They saw the red veins on Arden, it spread like lines all over his body.

The two robed men asked.

“What is origin young man?”

“Hollow.”

“What?”

“My origin is Hollow.”

The two robed men look at Arden perplexed. They have never heard such origin and even though most of the origins they saw so far are natural elements like fire, water, ice, or lightning. It was the first time at least for a while that someone has an origin that is ‘hollow’.

“I see.”

The two can only say that.

“You may leave now Magus of ‘Hollow’ origin.”

“Thank you, Meister’s.”

Arden bowed his head and exited the chamber. He then went out of the Academy where the snow is falling. Standing as snow falls on top his head. Arden looked at his palm. He could see the magic crest of his and that of his foster father. His foster father had a bone-like cross for a crest. Arden could see his own crest. It is a transparent bone shield with a cross-like sword in the middle.

The cross-like sword was rather wrought. The bone shield was rather hollowed and transparent as if it was empty. He gazes into his palm with cloudy eyes.

“A body that is made of dulled wrought steel, Hollowed in the inside, yet burning on the outside...huh.”

He murmurs to himself. His gaze obscenely looked at his palm. He then clenches his fist tightly. Arden then turned to the horizon as he casually chants:

“This body is made of dulled wrought steel.”

He felt the magic crest on his palm burn.

“Hollowed in the inside, yet burning on the outside.”

Then suddenly an iron egg that has a circular tail appeared on Arden’s palm. Looking at this football-sized iron egg, Arden thought the word of his foster father. That once the magic crest of his foster father mixes with his own, he would construct this iron egg.

To Arden’s foster father, this egg was called as a ‘peacemaker’. And once Arden sees this egg, he would then take a vow. An oath, that unless necessary, Arden shall never use it. The iron egg, after all, is the cause why the world that his foster father knew, utter in an age of peace.

Arden vowed to this iron egg.

After vowing his dispersed the iron egg as mana.

With that done, he then went back to the Inn to rest.