– A hooded figure wrapped head to toe in ragged clothing, sprinting through the 'forest of thunder' with open wounds on both her abdomen as well as arms, rendering it completely useless. On the other arm, she held her crying baby tight with teary eyes.
"AFTER THEM!" shouted in the distance, bandits, armed with dulled rusted blades. They give chase, leaving no witnesses behind from their pillage.
Wind gathers, and thunder roars, lightning strikes down in the forest and the wind creates cries of thunder with each passing moment. Luckily the hooded figure lost them in the chaos thanks to 'Zeus's rage', her speed gradually slows down, her face, pale as white and dark circles evident from the blood loss could be seen from a distance, her once reputation as being the flower of the village is nearing its end.
But, knowing that her child would not survive in the middle of nowhere, she mustered her last strength with adrenaline coursing through her veins, soon leaving the eerie forest. Limping with one leg and one arm carrying the baby, finally calming down from the silence of the night. 10 minutes of tranquility later, the skies were painted in color with an aurora as it led the mother… to the doorsteps of the Aurora horsehold.
"Hold right there" the guard pointed with his spear.
"Please… tak-" as she falls over, blood splats on the ground. with one last look to assure her baby's safety, she closes her eyes. –
…
*ba-dum*
Nero woke up… the room was bright, light's hanging from the ceiling providing light in all directions preventing shadows from blocking the surgical area. A surgical room, a battlefield against time, surgeons quick yet calm steady hands operate on wounds that could be classified as fatal. Lying on the table, a grown man with his skull cut open, a brain surgeon… Nero's quick movements with clear cuts and tying stitches could only be described as inhuman. A heart monitor a few feet away beeps every so often…
"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
"SHIT! He's going into cardiac arrest! Go get the defibrillator, I'll give CPR, hurry!" Turning his body, he leaps onto the body to quickly give controlled CPR.
"Here." the assistant handed over the defibrillator, and slaps the pads on his heart.
"CLEAR!"
*ZAP*
*ba-dum…*
"Shit! again, turn it up!"
"ZAP"
"...Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
"...ha… time of death… date:12/29/2024, time:04:01…"
"You bastard! How could you let him die!" Screamed the dead man's relative, she swung her hand at him grieving of losing her relative.
"Do you know how I feel-?!" Nero caught her hand mid sentence.
"With all respect, Miss Karen. My assistant and I tried our best in keeping him alive, he knew full well of the risk in the surgery, and also I couldn't care less about how you feel about your loss. I never had them in the first place" Nero scoffed while he cleaned his glasses with his coat.
"Well I guess you're someone that's becoming closer to me now" Nero lamented with judging eyes before leaving the woman to his office.
…
*Gasps!*
"...What's with me waking up in an unknown places?" waking up from his dream as he looked around the dark room, distinctly remembering he consumed an elemental mana core… an unknown one at that.
Creatures that ate elemental mana cores and became continent guardians within the 5 kingdoms. Only 4 continent guardians have made an appearance in the novel, which means only 4 cores were ever found, now Nero found one himself… the fifth core and an lightening element as well.
There has only ever been 4 elements that've been commonly used, which were the elements the 4 continent guardians used. But now… Nero found a new one… in the kingdom where no such thing as a guardian exists.
The most prosperous kingdom where the main novel takes place, the lunar empire: Celestia. Situated in the middle of 4 continents, they have no physical contact with the ocean nor do they possess any futile or rich land and most critical of all they do not have the blessing of a continent guardian.
However, their immense wealth is earned from their trade route which connects all the kingdoms, somewhat uniting the kingdoms in a neutral standing. With the benefit of having their gates open, wealth, knowledge, and sustenance have been solved automatically.
Ruled by the royal family, Silcrest for generations. With the resources at hand, constructing the most notorious, best institution and learning place, The Pantheon academy. Obtaining special techniques from all kingdoms, modified for generation after generation to suit their royal descendants and most terrifying of all, created an element of magic devoid of any aspect regarding the 4 continent guardians, moonlight magic. It's been known that the royal family of the lunar empire holds the strongest individual might and power compared to all kingdoms through sheer skill alone, nothing is known to the public regarding the secrets of their techniques, however one thing's for certain… they are not to be underestimated.
"Well. I know it at least…" shrugged Nero.
Thankfully upon waking up in this unknown place, Nero's body has been fully regenerated from lost wings, to feathers, and even nerve endings. Disregarding the magic at hand, he calmed his nerves and prepared wind magic under his wings to fly around in the empty space.
Upon reaching a certain height, maybe hundreds of meters above, Nero saw from a distance, a particular purple hue, black lighting. Upon realizing this matter, he flew full speed ahead, finally reaching the source of the light… the hexagonal prism, elemental mana core, pulsing rapidly with black lighting, to the degree that it's basically a mini flash bomb.
Beside this core, Nero found a rough looking crystal, smaller in size and has aspects of cloudiness within, the shape is uncertain and every so often it would illuminate once with a dim blue hue.
Nero realized 'I see.. This is my mana core. If that's that case this must be… my heart'.
Within living creatures, even animals contain mana cores within their hearts that produce mana regularly around the clock, but all mana generation speed is fixed, with 2 exceptions being the elves and continent guardians. Knowing what to do, Nero steps towards his mana core and uses his beak to break it.
*crack*
With one peck, Nero's mana core turns to dust and the lightning elemental core shines brightly, fully releasing the stored energy, mana within, illuminating the entire empty space. Feeling a rush of mana within his body, fully confirmed that he's obtained the elemental mana core. As the light reaches the walls, Nero could see the walls pulsing with red veins clinging to the wall.
A world class surgeon like Nero recognized this in an instant, a heart, albeit a crow's heart. Upon further illumination, flowing in mid air Nero saw something he didn't expect, blood cells 10 times his size and with even closer inspection, Nero found something significantly smaller and unfamiliar…
"What is this? These aren't white blood cells since they're too small… it can't be platelets either…" Nero questioned. Flying closer, a familiar yet foreign sensation reminded him what it was.
"It's mana??? I-i mean it makes sense now that i think about it being in the blood… but in cell form? And why is it so small? The quantity of it sure is impressive but it's a laughable size…" realizing what that means… 'i have low mana density don't i…' feeling depressed, Nero decided a name for this particular cell.
'Mana cell. a concise yet clear name, if I do say so myself' patting himself on the back.