~~~
Deep within the inner zone a group of soldiers had just entered a grand Hall. Before them stood a high throne on it sat a young man with flowing red hair and red eyes.
"Sir!" They all saluted before him.
"Go on, what's the report this time around?" The guy said lazily picking a red round fruit from a large bowl resting on the arms of his chair.
"Sir! The zombies, we noticed had begun heading towards the border of the middle zone. With our calculations it would take a week before they finally breach the border."
"The zombies, those hideous witty creatures," he said with a sigh escaping his lips. Slowly he brought the fruit which he held towards his mouth and then bit into the fleshy part causing red juice to spill out.
"Well, that's the middle zone problem, I believe they are strong enough to take care of themselves." He said to them without much thought.
"Sir! We fear that the zombie force is quite large and they won't be able to handle it themselves." The leader of the group voiced out.
"About the other mission, where you able to retrieve it." He asked the soldiers lazily casting his gaze on them.
"I... we..."
"Speak!" He said with a dreary voice causing the hair on their nape to rise.
"I'm sorry, sir but we were unable to recover it." He said bowing his head.
"Those stones are really precious you know that right?"
"Yes sir." The leader answered.
"Without those I won't be able to complete my staff, y'all are also aware about that, right?"
They gulped down as they could feel the hall had become hot all of a sudden and they found it difficult to breathe.
"Now listen carefully, don't come back here if you don't get it," he said with seething rage. "Now, out! Morons! I wouldn't hesitate to cut off your tongues and feed it to my pets if you fail to return with it."
The soldiers quickly stumbled outside the hall fear evident on their faces. They quickly walked outside the grand castle and onto their horses riding out of the city.
"The zombies, huh? Of all time they chose to start a problem now. I'm afraid the orphanage would have to be sacrificed for the greater cause," he said to himself walking out of the hall into a grand room filled with various antiques.
~~~~
Another day had begun, a day which Alex had been waiting for. Senior Fen was currently setting the stuff and also preparing some other stuff for precaution.
Alex sat beside the window, staring at the field. Surprisingly his mind was calm as if ready to accept whatever that was going to occur.
"Alright, everything has been prepared. You still have a chance to back out before it's too late," Senior Fen tried to convince him once more but by the look on Alex face he knew nothing was going to change his mind.
"You've been a great teacher to me, I'll always remember that," Alex said with eyes full of gratitude before heading towards the little bed.
Sigh*
"I don't plan to die here, not when I still have a lot to accomplish and have a sister to cater for." He added, looking up at Fen.
"Alright since your decision has been made, I hope it's a success. Now I would inject a mana fluid straight to your heart and assist you in forming your core. The element you would awaken depends on your body." He said tightening the contraptions.
Tapping his index finger a glowing tube had appeared out of the thin air along with a syringe, the special type. With everything set, he walked towards Alex.
"Be prepared, this is going to hurt badly," he stated and stabbed the syringe right into his chest. The little armour from the brazen bracelet had crept back to his shoulders enabling the needle to pass through his chest effortlessly.
Alex felt pain like never before, even his evolved body was unable to bear the pain. He squeal and squirmed underneath fighting against the pain.
"ARGHH!" He screamed out as the fluid began entering into his chest. His heart had began to beat faster, with the mana and his blood beginning to mix. Thanks to the previous process of injecting mana to his bloodstream there wasn't any resistance has both mixed successfully.
His heart began to pump mana faster, sending it to all parts of his body. The process was going smoothly until he felt a stabbing pain at the pit of his stomach. He could feel a wave of qi energy surging from his dantian clashing with the mana.
A clash of both energies had begun with his organs and cells receiving the effects from their clash. Coughing out blood, he struggled through hoping for the pain to end.
"Try controlling your qi energy, I'll do my best and make sure everything goes well on my part."
Alex heard Senior Fen's voice amidst the ravaging pain. Heeding his words, he tried controlling his qi energy, directing it back to the put of his stomach.
The process continued as he felt Fen placed his hands on his chest and slowly began to chant some strange words. Alex could feel it, a core was beginning to form in his heart with mana coalescing and enshrouding his heart.
Getting distracted by the process, the qi energy had moved with a single strike towards the forming core. It had pierced through causing a little explosion of energy within.
The impact had left quite a toll on him, shredding his insides, everything to pieces.
"Sh*t! This isn't going right!" Fen thought as he tried his possible best but nothing had happened. His heartbeat began to die down, with a large hole on his chest.
"No! You idiot! Dont give up on me," Fen said slapping him hard across the face. Alas! The situation remained the same, no change till his heartbeat eventually stopped.
"No! There have to be a way," he thought. "ARGHH!" With a loud scream, he pulled at his hair trying to come up with a solution.
Suddenly he place his hands on his chest casting a healing spell but all to no avail. The brazen bracelet slowly crept back to his wrist taking the shape of a dragon and coiling round his wrist.
"Yes! His bloodline! That's right!" Placing his hand on the bracelet it retracted back to him.
He stood for some moment watching him yet no change. Sending a surge of mana into him again, he tried whatever way possible and was beginning to lose it.
Just when all hope seems lost, he began to feel a rising energy from Alex. A blinding flash of red light shot from the hole in his chest enveloping him. His chest had began to heal rapidly along with his destroyed heart.
Fen could feel his heart began to beat once again, steadily increasing by the moment, sending a wave of blood within. His body had fully healed within minutes and Alex was beginning to breathe once more.
"He's asleep," he thought after checking him. Fen had sat not far from him as he was aware the strange energy was still active.
"No way!" He muttered suddenly as he began to feel the energy separating, both heading towards their seperate way. One had moved towards his heart while the other heading towards his broken dantian.
A resonating glow occurred as the red energy merged with his dantian and fully healed it back to its normal state.
The one heading to his heart had enveloped his heart once again causing a soft red glow to occur.
"It's happening! He's on the verge of forming a magic core!"