I awoke with a start, my senses slowly reorienting to the dimly lit room.
The evening sky outside painted the room with hues of amber and purple.
The soft murmur of a breeze slipping through the slightly open window mingled with the distant hum of the city below.
My head felt heavy, and there was an unusual but comforting pressure in my chest.
I groaned softly as I sat up, feeling a strange thrill coursing through me.
The memory of what had happened before I passed out came back in fleeting flashes.
I had been immersed in intense magical energy, trying to harness it in a final, desperate push.
My last coherent thought was of the notification I saw just before the darkness took me:
[Congratulations]
[You have acquired 1000 mana points]
[Forming second mana ring]
The excitement that notification sparked now surged through me once more.
