Kael's breath came in ragged gasps as he lay sprawled on the cold stone floor of his study. His body was still adjusting to the immense surge of power from the Earth Dragon's mana core, a process that had nearly drained him completely. His limbs felt heavy, his muscles sore, yet beneath the exhaustion, exhilaration pulsed through him. He had succeeded. He now had a total of five mana cores.
Only Alice remained in the room with him. The soft glow of the arcane lamps cast flickering shadows across the walls, the silence between them filled only by the sound of Kael's labored breathing. He turned his head slightly to look at her.
"Alice," he murmured, still catching his breath, "where's Keira? I didn't see her when everyone gathered earlier."
