The man was still laying down on the floor, passed out. Alex, after calming himself down, called 911 and reported the incident. While waiting for emergency services to arrive, Alex began focusing on his lung. At his lung's meridian, a rotating black void with blue and red dots scattered around was seen.

What is this?

In all the time Alex had spent studying about mana, he had never once heard of such a thing. Alex again tried forming a mana shield, but instead of a black energy traveling, two mana streams formed again. Alex noticed that the orb began spinning much faster when he attempted to cast the mana shield, and that his tiredness was going away much quicker than it should have.

As Alex began pondering about the orb, the police and ambulances’ arrived. After the ambulance took the man to the hospital, the police began questioning Alex. Alex explained the situation, leaving out the orb at his lung’s meridian. After the police left, Alex went back into his house and started making dinner.

I still have no idea what this orb is, but I can worry about that later, he thought to himself.

After eating, Alex noticed that the orb was no longer spinning and the red and blue dots were glowing brightly. Alex decided that now was a good time to try casting a mana shield again. Alex focused on his mana core and lung’s meridian, and guided the black mana towards his brain and the mana towards his fingertips. When the black mana reached his brain, Alex began forming runes out of the mana. Normally when forming runes, it takes a certain level of control that varies depending on the amount of runes and their shape. Forming the runes is the most critical part of casting a spell, as the runes give commands to your mana.

After the runes were formed, Alex shot the mana in his fingertips outwards, the entire process taking no more than 2 seconds. A similarly black barrier formed in front of Alex, and the orb at his lung’s meridian began spinning again.

So when the orb is spinning, it gathers this black mana, he realized.

Alex tried hitting the mana shield, and a loud bang was heard.

“This shield is so tough, it’s much stronger than my classmates!” Alex exclaimed.

At the same time, Alex noticed that the orb had grown dimmer and was spinning faster. Soon after, the shield collapsed.

I still have around 75% of my mana, but I seem to have emptied out this black mana, he thought, while out of breath.

A few minutes later, the orb was now glowing brightly again, and Alex was no longer as tired.

Alex began forming a shield again, but instead of guiding one mana stream and black mana stream, he tried forming two streams from the orb. However, once the black mana reached his brain and he tried forming the runes, nothing happened.

Does the black mana mix with my normal mana when it passes by my mana core? That would explain why the mana cost didn’t change, he thought to himself.

Alex then tried forming a normal mana shield this time, with no black mana. A couple seconds later, a thin mana shield formed in front of Alex. But unlike his previous attempts, the mana shield did not crumble immediately.

“My concentration seems much better, what exactly is this orb?”

Alex spent the next few hours practicing and training with the orb before going to bed.

The total capacity of the orb seems to go up the more I use it, and simultaneously increases my stamina. The black mana is useless unless it merges with my normal mana, and the infused mana seems to function better, he thought to himself before falling asleep.