Chapter 3 – The Core Within
Alex flipped the page, eyes narrowing as he read the next section.
"Those born with talent possess a mana core—a condensed wellspring of energy within the body. However, a raw core is useless. It is turbulent, chaotic, and must be refined through meditation."
A mana core. A literal chunk of magic buried inside the body. Alex tapped his chest, as if expecting to feel something humming inside. Nothing. No mystical warmth, no sudden burst of enlightenment. Just a regular heartbeat.
He let out a slow breath. "Alright, step one: find out if I actually have one or if I'm just some magicless background character."
The book wasn't much help beyond vague instructions. "Close your eyes, focus inward, and feel the energy that dwells within." Right. That sounded like some nonsense a fake martial arts master would say before getting wrecked.
Still, he sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the bookshelf, and shut his eyes. The world dimmed. No noise except the faint crackling of the fireplace downstairs. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, trying to sense something—anything—inside himself.
At first, there was nothing but silence. His mind wandered. Did Fang Yuan ever have to deal with this kind of crap? No, he probably found some shortcut and exploited it to hell. Klein? He'd probably stumble onto some ancient tome that unlocked everything instantly.
But then, after what felt like an eternity… something stirred.
A faint pulse. A raw, chaotic thrum deep in his core, like a flickering ember buried under ash.
His breath hitched. There you are.
It was wild, untamed. He tried reaching for it with his mind, but the moment he did, it lashed back—like trying to grab a snake by the tail. A sharp pain jolted through his stomach. His eyes snapped open, and he let out a harsh breath.
"Fuck—" He hunched over, clutching his abdomen. It wasn't unbearable, but it was like getting sucker-punched from the inside.
So, the book left that part out. Of course it did.
Alex gritted his teeth. This was just the first step, and he already felt like he was fighting against himself. His core was real, but it was unstable. If he wanted to wield magic freely, he'd have to tame it.
He cracked his neck, exhaling slowly. "Alright, round two, you little bastard. Let's do this again."
Once more, he shut his eyes, steadying his breath. This time, he approached his core differently. Instead of reaching out aggressively, he tried feeling it, observing its flow. It was like a storm trapped in a glass sphere—violent, chaotic, but contained.
Alright… if brute force doesn't work, maybe I need to ease into it.
Slowly, he guided his focus toward the center of that turbulence, attempting to mold it. But the moment he applied pressure—
Pain.
A sudden, crushing force slammed against his mind, like he had been hit in the head with a hammer. His body locked up, his breath caught in his throat, and then—
Darkness.
---
When Alex came to, he wasn't on the floor anymore. He was warm, lying on something soft. His mind was sluggish, thoughts swirling like mud. He blinked, eyes adjusting to the dim candlelight.
His bed. He was in his bed.
Something soft and warm brushed against his forehead. His mother, seated beside him, her gentle hand smoothing back his hair. She let out a sigh, shaking her head.
"You scared me, Alex," she murmured, voice soft yet firm. "I found you collapsed in the library. What were you doing?"
His throat was dry. He swallowed. "…Reading."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Reading until you faint? That's not normal."
Neither is magic, but here we are.
She sighed again, brushing his cheek with her fingers. "Just rest. We'll talk in the morning."
Alex wanted to argue, but his body felt heavy, his eyelids dragging down. His mother's presence was warm, safe. Sleep pulled him under before he could resist.