---
As the tense silence in the dimly lit room stretched on, Loira finally broke it.
Her voice was calm but heavy with the weight of countless years of history.
"The enemy… they are ancient," she began. "They have lived longer than any other race, longer than you could imagine.
They were the first to discover mana.
Long before anyone else understood its potential, they had already mastered it, shaping its raw energy to bend reality itself.
They created the very foundation of what we now call magic."
Dabi and Elder Wanka exchanged glances. Loira's tone, usually guarded, was now revealing a hidden depth.
She continued, "They were the first to teach others how to channel mana through their bodies. But they didn't share their knowledge out of kindness or altruism. No.
They did it to make servants, to create followers out of the younger races humans, elves, dwarves, all of them.
