As the fires in her core solidified, a deep, resonant energy spread outward, engulfing Valeria's body. The air around her shimmered faintly as her mana surged, pressing against the limits of her physical and spiritual form. The breakthrough had begun in earnest.
Valeria's breathing slowed, steady and deliberate, as she reached for the carefully prepared herbs and artifacts beside her. She crushed the herbs into a fine powder, mixing them with a small vial of liquid mana extract, and drank it in one swift motion. The concoction burned as it traveled down her throat, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she focused on the way it augmented the energy swirling through her, stabilizing the wild mana flow.
