William's bedroom,
William was lying down on his bed, his body covered in bandages like a mummy. His wounds have been healed, and his body has returned to its normal state.
Beside him was Gaia, who had arrived when Ophiscus called her, screaming that something had happened to William.
"This is the best I can do, William." She muttered, caressing his cheeks. Her eyes moistened as she looked at him. The fire mana and the ice mana had stopped fighting in his body.
'Even though it looks like they have stopped fighting, they are still battling in his core.' She thought as she bit her lips in frustration.
A core is a sensitive organ in a living being, and any outside intervention might cause his core to explode, resulting in William's death.
"I am sorry for being useless, little one. It's all up to you now." She mumbled, her voice breaking as she walked out of his room.
Outside, Ophiscus and the rest of the family waited anxiously, hoping that Gaia might have some answers about his condition.
"Husband, what happened?" Carina asked; her bright golden hair was disheveled, and her eyes, which were usually as bright as the sun, had turned dim and damp.
"I-I don't know. After I left William and Lyra, she asked me to leave since William might experience pain. She thought that I would intervene in the process."
At the mention of Lyra, everyone's expression turned downtrodden. Aquila's face teared up, and Ophiscus clenched his fists.
Lyra did not wake up even now. She was still unconscious, and her body trembled once in a while due to the shock.
"When I received the call from Lyra, I thought it was over, but Lyra screamed, telling me something had happened. I rushed there only to see William like that and Lyra on the verge of a mental breakdown." Ophiscus continued; his heart was beating wildly, and his fists were clenched tightly in agony.
Just then, Gaia came out of William's room. She turned towards the family and said, "William's body has been healed."
Everyone's mood brightened after hearing Gaia.
"Then, is he awake?" Ara asked, eager to see her son.
When she saw William in that state, her heart broke to pieces. The entire time she had been waiting outside, her jaws were clenched and her hands trembled in fear for William's health.
But Gaia shook her head.
SIGH
She sighed, as she didn't know how to tell the family about the danger William was facing.
"William is not out of danger." She said, pouring cold water on the family's shoulders.
"W-What?"
"What do you mean, Lady Gaia? Didn't you say that he was healed?" Ophiscus asked.
"No, I said that his body is healed," she answered while shaking her head. "However, the ice and fire mana seeped inside his core and are battling with each other," she answered.
When Ara heard Gaia's words, her legs gave out, and she collapsed where she stood. Tears started to flow out of her eyes like a river as images of William running around flashed in front of her.
The rest of the family's faces went pale when they heard Gaia. They know how sensitive the core is and what happens when others try to poke around it.
"Lady Gaia, Isn't there something you can do?" Orion asked, hoping that Gaia would have an answer.
But much to his dismay, "No, even I cannot recklessly act around one's core. Especially William's." Gaia replied.
"T-Then what happens to him?" Vela questioned. Her hands were curled into fists and were clenched so hard that blood seeped out of her palms.
"I don't know. Although his body is healed, there is a war going on in his core, and the only one who can save him is himself." Gaia answered.
"How?"
"By stopping the fight between the ice and fire mana, he has to control both the ice and fire mana and stop them from rampaging inside his core."
"But William never learned to control mana; he could only see mana since yesterday."
"I know….." Gaia said as she bit her lips in frustration. "Even if that's the case, there is nothing we can do. If we do anything more, then there is a chance we might kill him." She added.
............…
William, after passing out, felt his consciousness being pulled into the void. He returned to the pitch-black emptiness, which is not empty right now.
William slowly opened his eyes, only to see the fire mana and the ice mana raging against each other, trying to eradicate the other.
William's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the scene unfolding right in front of his eyes. The fire mana turned itself into a tornado and swirled towards the ice mana, which transformed into a blitz storm.
BOOM
The two clashed against each other with a bang, sending waves of residue mana.
'Wh-What's happening? How do I make them stop?' He wondered as fear began to grip his heart.
He panicked as he looked at the battle of manas'. His hands began to tremble, and sweat poured down his forehead due to the heat and the cold.
He thought about how to stop them for a while before an idea came to his mind.
'Should I…step in between them?' he pondered. Thinking it might make them stop.
He gulped his fear down and clenched his trembling hands as he slowly took his first step.
William steadily walked towards the two manas' and stood in between them. He closed his eyes, raised his hands parallel to the ground, and shouted, "Hey! Stop Fighting!"
The two mana stopped going at each other, and William slowly opened his eyes, not feeling the intense cold and heat.
He then stared at the fire tornado in front of him, and a proud smile bloomed on his face for his accomplishment.
"Now-"
Just as he was about to speak to the mana, as if having a sentience of their own. The ice and fire mana stepped to his side and attacked each other once again with much more ferocity.
"Eh?" William was dumbfounded by this. 'I thought I stopped their fight'
He then turned to his side, observing their fight. 'I am not giving up,' he thought while gritting his teeth.
William then ran to the middle, raised his hands, and shouted to stop their fights. Just like before, the mana stopped for a while, then stepped aside and fought each other again.
This continued for a long time. William didn't know how much time had passed. He tried and tried to stop their fights. But the ice and fire mana ignored him and fought each other with increasing ferocity each time William tried to stop them.
"Hah! I don't care anymore." William muttered to himself. He gave up on trying to stop them from fighting and crouched down in a fetal position. His skin began to sizzle and freeze at the same time.
'It hurts!' William mumbled to himself. 'I want to be with mommy'. He began to sob, remembering his mother and his family.
The battle, as if mocking William, raged on with more intensity.
" STOP!" William screamed in desperation. "Please… just stop," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. His skin had already burned to the point where his muscles were now visible, but William shivered terribly, unable to bear the cold.
"Mommy…" He called out, his voice hoarse due to screaming, his eyes dried out. William slowly closed his eyes. 'I want to sleep,' he thought as he gave up.
Just then, when he thought all was lost, a vision flashed in his mind. In it, a man was standing in front of a tree. He was shrouded in mist, but his silhouette was visible.
'Where am I?' William thought, he looked at the man. But there was no fear or surprise on his face. His eyes were lifeless and were sunk deep into his face.
The man turned around and gazed at William; he was 8 feet tall, with his hands behind his back. He exuded a calm aura that made even the most violent person turn into a saint.
The man slowly raised his left hand, and an ice shard gradually formed in his hand. It emitted brilliant, deep blue light and a cold so powerful that the cold emitted by the blitz storm would pale in comparison.
Then the man raised his right hand, and a golden fireball materialized. It emitted so much heat that it would melt even the sun itself.
The ice shard and the fireball exuded waves of power so that a single clash between them would erase the world itself. Yet they were not clashing; they just…stayed still not minding each other.
William's lifeless eyes gained a little light as he observed the man. 'How is that possible?' he was perplexed. He recalled the scene where the fire and ice mana clashed the moment they were in contact with each other.
The man then slightly pushed his hands upward, making the ice shard and the fireball float in the air.
William watched the scene with interest as he observed the fireball and the ice shard turn into fire and ice mana.
The mana then gathered around itself, making a sphere of ice and fire mana.
The man, shrouded in mist, opened his mouth for the first time since William saw him and said,
"Watch"