I carefully examine the infected before me; most have surface-level infections that can easily be cut away and healed. The problem is those that suffered injuries and have corruption deeper inside their bodies. The ones with limb injuries can have their arms or legs amputated and regrown, but that is not ideal. The healers aren’t so strong that they can restore limbs in a few hours; it takes weeks to fully restore limbs.

Internal organ damage is the same way. With next to zero actual medical knowledge of the body, even with my eyewraps making them see where the corruption is, more damage can be done. Thankfully vitality can keep people “alive” even when the body is dead, but the longer the body is dead, the faster the vitality drain is, and we don’t have enough healers to keep everybody alive, especially considering all the infected from all the villages.

The infection spread is slow but not slow enough that they can wait until one person is treated to a stable, non-life-threatening point. No matter how I look at it, some people are dying, and there’s potential for more to be infected since any flesh cut off will spawn more eldritch offshoots.

What about Klaman? The thought rises to the surface of my mind. Klaman is powerful enough to slay the offshoots, and with his void Bond he can surgically remove the flesh in a way that no offshoots will spawn.

However, there are a few complications and unknowns. One, I can ask him for help in return to accept his duel; win or lose, I’d ask for his help anyway so he can pay it before the duel. He may even straight up ask for me to become empress, but if it’s to save my family and people, that is a price I am willing to pay.

The real problem lies in the time needed to get him. Even if I can use his tracking abilities to lead him here, I doubt he can teleport so far; he is a low-tier legendary being, probably one of the weakest. Plus, he still doesn’t solve the issue of people dying from not being healed in time. Lanya is out of the question, we’d have to get her with the Entylamo, and that’d take too long.

I still don’t know if enhancing a cursed skill is safe or not, I don’t think it will turn me into a cursed being, but that is a possibility. The most likely case is that the point, which is a large packet of experience, or, as my memories show, aether, will neutralize the miasma before enhancing my skill, resulting in a weak enhancement.

The problem lies in the fact that in order to make my skill safe, I need to incorporate it into a class or race; the race takes time to adjust my body, and the longer we wait to start treatment, the more people will die.

Then there’s the problem that if I don’t incorporate it into my race, more miasma will build up, and the curse will take effect in an enhanced skill; there’s no telling how dangerous that will be to me.

I can still safely manipulate this alien mana because it’s normally unstable in the layer, my curse doesn’t copy the magical stabilizing effect, but the enhanced version may do so.

The stabilizing effect also isn’t from the First Inscription since it stabilizes spells due to a lack of range control, not layer instability, but just to be safe, I’ll send a clone to turn it off.

So what are my options? Surgery? We don’t have the heals to save everyone. Klaman? Same problem and other issues. Enhance my [Manipulate Mana]? Takes too long or is too risky to me. Lanya? Takes too long too.

No matter what I consider, nothing works!

What about the Mana Arc? Another thought surfaces.

It’s incomplete. It was made to redirect the torrent of mana entering the Nexus, not for fine control. Plus, I don’t know if I can use it to heal everyone and have it do its normal job at the same time. It’s a risk that can potentially kill many more people.

However, if I free Kayafe, she can heal everyone in a safe way that won’t create more eldritch offshoots; only Kayafe can save everyone. However, I don’t have any way to free her; I can’t just break the Mana Arc, and I can’t make a new one yet, nor do I have time to but don’t I already have an idea to free her? By pushing her out of the nexus and replacing her with something of equal power, I should be able to free her.

However, I don’t have anything equal to her power in [Manipulate Magic]; I have no way to free her… Except, do I need something of her level? There is a way to not only free Kayafe and keep the Mana Arc but also improve it; it just takes a sacrifice.

I place a hand on my necklace Kyhosa, the symbolic representation of my life. It has been with me all my life. It has grown with me, helped me overcome great tribulations, and been with me through the best and worst times of my life. It is a gift from my parents; it’s only natural that I use it to help heal them.

A life for a life.

To free Kayafe.

To save my people.

To save my family.

I push the twins off me, bending down to their level, and pat them on the head.

“I’ll be right back,” I say. “Your big sister will make sure everyone has a happy ending to this scary day” I give them one last hug and step outside, conjure my wings and fly to Temple Island.

Once there, I see Safyr and Yrania sitting next to the temple entrance. Safyr gives me a knowing nod without saying anything. I suspect Safyr didn’t enlighten her granddaughter on anything.

I fly over them to the top of the Temple, standing before the familiar gemlike Mana Arc. I study the thing once more, seeing how Kayafe had built the thing with my learned insight.

Mana Arc of Kayafe's Final Will:

(Legendary) (Ancient) (Legacy)

Created by a true master of mana, Kayafe in an attempt to save her people and give them a land free of tyranny and a place they can truly call home, sealed her body to provide a catalyst for the Mana Arc. With the capabilities of drawing in vast amounts of mana, storing it, and redirecting it. This Mana Arc has transformed a hellish wasteland into a paradise free of monsters.

Monster Inhibitor, Battery (10B), Mana Draw, Mana Redirection, Mana Liquification.

It’s made with super-solid mana with veins of liquid mana flowing as if pushed around by a beating heart.

I now understand why she did it this way, magic items utilize symbolism and meanings to help direct their transformation, but there’s a better way to do it, have the liquid mana form the mana gathering inscription.

One thing that I never thought to consider, the Mana Arc, never actually has the [Manipulate Magic] skill; it has always been borrowing that from Kayafe, truly incomplete.

I examine my Kyhosa one last time before I lose it forever.

Alysara's Celestial Storm Kyhosa:

(Exalted) (Relic) (Set)

This Relic set: Amulet, left bracelet, right bracelet, is made from Nexus gems and Myrou gold blessed by Myrou herself and filled to the brim with beauty and creativity essence, was given as a Kyhosa to Alysara during her Kyholo. She has learned from an ancient ancestor and even survived storms conjured by a dragon to train her resistance to them. Alysara has proven herself a master of mana, able to conjure the storms that once threatened her village. Her knowledge and mastery of mana have grown so great no secrets are beyond her reach. This set has followed Alysara through a multitude of trials and tribulations, always helping her when she needs it most. Now blessed under the union of the moons and sun, this Relic can channel all of its stored mana into a single devastating attack to form a protective barrier or to conjure a whirling storm of the heavens.

When worn, it Enhances Beauty, Creativity, and Elemental spells by 2000% and boosts intelligence and wisdom by 75%. Grants the Skill: Manipulate Mana 550/550, Celestial Spear, Celestial Shield, Celestial Storm, Linked, Battery (300,000).

Magic items that grow with someone are often far more powerful than those that don’t. If anything, they have more history to them.

I never had the chance to use its celestial abilities, I suppose it’s fortunate that I never needed to until recently, but even then, it wouldn’t have helped against the legendary beings.

My Kyhosa has the inscription of Kayafe’s [Manipulate Magic] on it. It’s now decorative, but the hope was that it would give my Kyhosa the [Manipulate Magic] skill. Now I can only hope it works this time. In any case, the Mana Arc can’t get any worse, and even if it can’t handle the same amount of mana, an increase in ambient mana won’t immediately kill everyone. Plus, Kayafe can support the Mana Arc until we make a better one if the worst is to happen.

It is finally time. I take off my bracelets and the necklace with a heavy heart. This has to be done. My people have gone through enough disasters; I won’t have another end in tragedy.

I start by drawing out some of my own vitality for Kayafe’s soul to latch onto, she will have to do the rest, but she won’t have a normal body to live in.

I steady my emotions as I raise my Kyhosa up to the Mana Arc. I don’t want to lose it; I want to be selfish just this once so I don’t lose the one thing that matters to me most, aside from my family, but is that fair to the people who would die? What about their family? Who will have to grieve? What about Kayafe, who has already suffered enough, and who has made a greater sacrifice that would eventually grant me this peaceful life?

It wouldn’t be fair. In the end, my Kyhosa is just a jewel.

I push my Kyhosa into the Mana Arc, the surface of it rippling as it accepts my offer.

The world stands still as if all time has frozen; all the mana stands still, even defying the Mana Arc. A strange presence washes over me like the gentle waves of the sea flow returns to the world as Kayafe’s soul is ejected from the Mana Arc.

I catch her with the vitality and instantly lose control over it as more and more condenses around her soul, transforming into more vitality, becoming denser and denser, forming a solid and somehow living structure of pure vitality!

“A-Alysara?” Kayafe’s feminine voice tickles my ears as her body forms a skin of light mana, and mana silk clothes forms around her.

However, before I can answer, our attention is drawn to the Mana Arc as its new transformation takes place.

It didn’t take long, which isn’t surprising since there’s so much mana here; all of its mana needs are satisfied within ten seconds, which is honestly surprising that it needed that much. It would have taken weeks to months outside the Nexus and probably days inside it.

Outwardly the Mana Arc barely changed at all, but on the inside, it becomes so much more. Circular lines of liquid mana begin to flow, carving new paths as the old close up. More and more circles are drawn until a sphere is formed under the hard exterior. More lines form inside the thin liquid mana sphere until a three-dimensional version of the [Manipulate Magic] magic framework is formed.

Mana Arc of the Saintess’:

(Legendary) (Ancient) (Legacy)

Created by the Saintess of the Runalymo, Kayafe, and perfected by the Saintess of Mana and Magic, Alysara, through their sacrifices, they have made a true Mana Arc. With Kayafe spending 10,000 years inside it to protect her people and Alysara giving up her Kyhosa to save her people and family, this Mana Arc is born out of the altruistic and selfless nature of its creators. This Mana Arc will defend its people, the Runalymo, from all threats with its endless supply of mana.

Monster Inhibitor, Battery (100B), Total Mana Control: 1000/1000, Manipulate Magic: 800/1200. Nexus Spear, Nexus Shield, Nexus Storm.

Ting! The Saintess of Mana and Magic, Alysara, the Runalymo, has freed the Saintess of the Runalymo, Kayafe, the Runalymo, and completed the Mana Arc!