I stayed there on the ground gripping the moist grass until my eyes were puffy and could no longer produce tears. I'm not quite sure how much time has passed since I arrived, but I got back to my feet.
I can't stay here lying on the ground, crying after everything that Angel... Mother did for me. Wiping the snot and tears off of my face with my forearm, I began to gather mana toward my mana core and slowly began to walk.
I have no idea where I am but for now I have to try to find someone to point me to the nearest town. Hopefully wherever I ended up will be quite some distance away from the orphanage.
Although I have already developed my mana core using the ambient mana, I don't really know how to apply that to magic or spells. I'd rather not run into Alisha again before I can properly defend myself.
I could feel my blood begin to boil as recalled the events from over a year ago. How I was abandoned and left for dead by the only mother figure I had ever known up until that point.
"Be safe. Pursue your strength. Do not be filled with hatred." Angel's final words echoed through my mind for a moment soothing my rage.
I turned to look back at the location I first arrived at. Part of me wanted to try and make it back to Angel some how, but I don't know how I ended up in the underground cavern in the first place.
One day when I am stronger I will definitely find a way to return back to that cavern for answers. I will see for myself if her pursuers showed up or not.
The thought of what I might find when I return caused a knot to form in my chest. I clenched my fists while staring up at the sky that was
I took a deep breath and proceeded forward.
Taking a look around the area, there are mostly flat lands and fields. In the far distance, foggy mountain peaks could be seen hidden behind large frothy clouds.
Thankfully there was a paved road parting the plains in two. It's most likely been used by travelers or merchants.There are multiple carriage tracks which means people often traverse this path.
I followed the paved road until the blinding rays of the sun were replaced with the listless shimmers drifting off the porcelain moon. There wasn't exactly a cozy place to get some rest, but after a year of sleeping on a cavern floor I should be fine outside.
I drifted off the path and headed toward the edge of the forest. It could potentially be dangerous if I wonder aimlessly through the woods so for now it's best if I stick to the outskirts.
After about five minutes I was able to find a particularly tall tree. I rested my back against it and began to focus on my mana core.
There was no time to do a proper inspection of the core due to suddenly being thrown into a portal. It was slightly depressing realizing that its awakening was also what caused the abrupt separation in the first place.
Focusing my attention on my mana core, its image was displayed within my mind. It was a small cylindrical pitch-black orb.
On the orb were golden brown specs that hummed with faint iridescent light. Crawling across the orb were strange markings that resembled the runes that crawled across my body when Angel was passing down her will.
Knowing that a part of her would always be with me caused a tiny smile to creep across my face. Noticing the flow of ambient mana around me I could feel that the density was significantly worse than when I was in the cavern.
In the cavern it felt like all the ambient mana in the vicinity would heed to my call, albeit very slowly. On the surface, however, the density was lower and there was a clear distinction between the mana affinities.
Although I can discern the differences between the elemental affinities that distinguish mana, the earth mana particles will provide the most sustenance to my mana core. Focusing on the ephemeral golden brown lights that seemed to float aimlessly, I noticed that the forest behind me was abundant in earth affiliated mana particles.
I was curious to know if that was due to the earth element being more abundant while out in nature, or due to some external factor. For now, it's best to take the opportunity to cultivate my mana core in an optimized environment.
As the aloof golden brown particles began to converge around me I could feel myself becoming slightly refreshed. As the particles approached my mana core they seemed to be sucked in by an unknown force.
The particles seemed to liquify as they entered the core, slowly rising the meniscus.
It was hard to tell but it seemed like the more ambient earth mana that was absorbed, the lighter the pitch black orb became.
I must have fallen asleep because at some point the god rays projected from the shining marigold orange sun began to seep through the leaves. Before getting up to stretch, I focused my attention back toward my mana core.
I'm not sure how long I spent cultivating last night because I fell asleep, but was excited to see it's progress none the less. After inspecting my core I could only let out a gasp.
The once pitch black orb now shone a glossy indigo. The golden brown specs became slightly larger, resembling tiny drops of paint.
The ephemeral runes that crawled across the mana core shifted like shadows trying to avert my gaze. According to mother, the mana core can be separated into multiple stages, or colors.
The stages are as follows, black core, indigo core, violet core, scarlet core , tiger core, cadmium core, pistachio core, and divine core.
When the mana core is first formed using indiscernible ambient mana it is chaotic. It is pitch black as the mana circulates within the core, purging itself of impurities or mana particles with contrasting affinities.
Each core level is also broken down into three stages. The liquid stage, gaseous stage, and solid stage. On average it should take at least a year to purify the mana rotating in the mana core to reach the indigo level.
Condensing the mana with the core and eventually reaching the solid stage is the bottleneck that will cause the mana core to elevate to the next stage. The higher the level of the core, the more arduous of a task it is to ascend and reach the next level.
After inspecting the mana core, I turned my attention toward the forest behind me.
The boost in cultivation speed must be due to whatever is boasting such a high density of earth affiliated mana. It is truly a waste to leave such a suitable cultivation spot, but my primary objective right now is returning to town.
Although my element may be the most unpopular, the fact that I've already formed an indigo mana core should get be some form of recognition. There has to be something I can do even with the earth element!
I stretched, letting out all the knots that formed from staying in a meditative position for the entire night. I made a mental note in a futile attempt to remember the forests location. Hopefully I can return here later.
Staring at the paved road, I set back on the path in search of a town.
After a few hours of cultivation walking, I stumbled upon a carriage being attacked by what could only be described as bandits. The carriage was not as grand as the one that was sent from the royal magistrate, but there was a sense of sophistication to it.
The carriage appeared to be carved from tarara canary wood, plated with some type of metallic alloy. There were doors on both sides, but this carriage had no windows.
On the doors intricate circular designs of various sizes were carved deep into the wood. The circular patterns oscillated at various speeds, making it impossible to perceive more than one at a time.
There seems to be a mage outside battling against them as I could see a variety of spells being launched in all directions. The mage must have been a water mage because the surroundings were getting soaked even with the sun shining brought above us.
Watch the mage dominate the battle field in such a manner made me wish I had a chance to learn how to use my mana in such a fashion as well. Now that I think about it, I also have no idea what a sea of soul is.
Loud screams and the gritty clanging of metal brought me back to the gruesome scene at hand. The battle, however, didn't last very long once the mage started firing off wide range spells.
Seeing his comrades being decimated, one of the bandits tried to escape and began running in my direction. The road went down hill, so I was slightly above the battlefield at the time.
"Crap!" I blurted out in surprise. I was too invested in watching the mage and didn't notice him fleeing fast enough.
I panicked and stumbled back as the bandit approached me.
"Shit ! This was supposed to be an easy job! No one said anything about a god damn mage!" The bandit grumbled as he dashed in my direction.
As the bandit got closer he noticed me and a disgusting smile creeped across his face.
"It's your lucky day kid. You get to be killed by me so I can vent some stress after this shitty job!"
The man pounced on me before I could get back to my feet. I tried to push him off but he stabbed a dagger through the palm of my right hand, pinning it to the ground.
A sharp burning sensation ran through my arm as I let out a blood curdling scream. I kicked and flailed my legs trying to disrupt the bandits balance.
"No ! No ! No ! Get off of me!"
I tried to break free from his grip but I couldn't move, and the scorching sensation in my right palm was getting worse and worse by the second. Tears started streaming down my face as I felt his rough hand touch my abdomen.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Everything started to become fuzzy as I felt a sinister sensation jolt down my spine. The man's hand was grabbing at what remained of my trousers as I felt the crawling sensation from when mother passed on her will wash over me.
Everything was beginning to turn fuzzy in my panic and I began to slightly convulse as the shadowy runes began to coil around my body.
"What the hell is that ?!"
I could hear the bandits muffled screams but all I could fathom was the disgust I felt toward him and the feeling of thousands of insects crawling across my skin.
Sharp white spikes burst from out of my body piercing right through the bandit that was pinning me down. As drops of blood rained down on my face I started to come back to my senses.
At this point the bandit was bleeding out on top of me, riddled with holes. I kicked him off and scurried back in revulsion, realizing that he was still alive.
"What… what the hell are you ?!"
This crawling sensation was gone and replaced with a pounding heart riddled with confusion. As the bandit attempted to crawl toward me I could see the mage that was battling earlier running toward us.
Suddenly, the temperature in the surroundings began to drop sharply. I could see each cloud of breath as I hyperventilated.
Before the bandit could reach out, a sharp block of ice pierced the hand, pinning it down to the ground. As I watched the mage approach, countless ice shards began to form above the bandit.
The mage narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at the already half dead bandit. Slamming his arm down, the ice shards mimic'd his actions, carving through the bandit.
I could hear the mage utter one last word before losing consciousness.
"Disgusting…"