As I concentrate on keeping the flow of mana steady, I glance nervously at Eris.
"A-and… what color is it?" I ask hesitantly.
Eris studies for a mont before answering. "It's red," she says.
"Oh! So it's fire, then…" I blurt out, feeling a mild disappointnt.
While I love the color red—it's my favorite—I've never been particularly fond of fire magic. It's the most basic, the least cool magic out of the bunch. Fire is so… aggressive, so unsubtle. Totally unfitting for a cute, little catgirl like ! I need sothing more mysterious! Sothing like darkness or space-ti magic!
But… well, it's not like I get to choose.
For now, I'm just happy that I can use magic at all.
When it cos to attribute colors, the eight main elents each have their own signature hue:
Fire – Red
Water – Blue
Earth – Brown
Wind – Green
Space – Silver
Ti – Purple
Light – Bright Yellow
Darkness – Black
But then… Eris frowns. She tilts her head slightly, as if trying to make sense of what she's seeing.
"No… it's red, but not the red of fire," she says slowly. "It's… the red of blood."
"Eh?"
Hearing the word blood, a chill creeps down my spine.
Blood-red?
Is this so kind of blood attribute? Am I… a vampire or sothing? Or maybe… a demon?!
I gulp.
I used to fantasize about becoming a demon lord in another world, but I definitely don't anymore!
What if Eris finds my magic creepy? What if she starts avoiding because of my weird, ominous mana color?
No, no, no, that would be a catastrophe!
"I-is it bad?" I ask in a small voice, feeling my ears droop.
But Eris simply shakes her head, as if sensing my worries.
"Of course not, silly," she says with a soft smile. "It's just unique, that's all. And honestly? It's kinda cool."
PHEWWWW!!!
Hearing Eris say that, I exhale in relief, my tail flicking behind .
Yeah… now that I think about it, didn't the book ntion that new attributes are discovered all the ti?
I guess I'm just one of those rare cases!
That reminds … there's a word for people whose mana core color doesn't match their attribute color.
"Sonder… err… sothing… sothing…" I mumble, trying to recall.
Eris chuckles. "Oh, you an Sondezgeist? A unique mana bearer?"
"Yeah! Sondezgeist!" I repeat.
Or, well… try to repeat.
The word trips off my tongue like it was specifically designed to be impossible to pronounce. Seriously, who ca up with that? It's like a cursed jumble of letters!
But then, sothing clicks in my mind.
"That reminds —your mana, Eris… it's really darkness, right?"
"Yup, a hundred percent," Eris nods.
"Then… are you a Sondezgeist, too?"
"Yep!" she grins.
Aha! I knew it!
Normally, purple mana represents the Ti attribute. But Eris's shade of purple is sothing darker, deeper—a shade I'd describe as the color of midnight shadows.
It's proof that mana doesn't exist in rigid categories. Just like colors, it exists on a spectrum.
A deep purple could be interpreted as black or violet, aning it could belong to either Darkness or Ti.
So… given that my mana is the color of blood… what does that an for ?
Is it fire? Or sothing else entirely?
"Aaaah, Eris, let see your magic!" I plead, bouncing excitedly.
"Haha, nope!"
"But—!"
She refuses again.
So I pout.
I pout as hard as I can, tail flicking in frustration, ears drooping for maximum cuteness effect.
But it doesn't work.
This girl—she's completely immune to my kitty eyes!
"Hmph!" I huff, crossing my arms.
Eris just chuckles, clearly enjoying herself.
"Anyway," she says, bringing the conversation back on track, "based on your unique mana signature, there's a good chance Guildmaster Karlogen might be able to find sothing."
"Oh, right!" I perk up.
He ntioned earlier about the magic signature database. If we test mine, there's a chance we might uncover sothing about my origins.
Maybe this blood-colored mana isn't just rare… maybe it's sothing important.
—————————-
As if on cue, the door creaks open, and Karlogen steps in, his timing impeccable.
"Oh, is it ti already?" Eris asks, glancing up.
"Yup, business hours are over. We can proceed with the young lady's ID now," Karlogen replies with a nod.
"Great!" Eris grins. "And by the way, did you know Felicia here shattered a world record?"
"Huh? What world record?" Karlogen raises a scaly brow in surprise.
"Hehe," I beam, unable to hide my pride.
Eris eagerly fills him in on my progress—how I managed to sense mana and forge my own mana core within just an hour.
"Ohooo! That's amazing!" Karlogen exclaims. "Ah, too bad we can't reveal your identity right now; you'd be famous!"
Oh right.
DAMN IT!
If only I had an ID—then I could actually be recognized!
Maybe I'd even get a huge cash prize!
Eris nudges playfully. "Maybe next ti, huh?"
I sigh, shaking my head.
"Anyway," Karlogen says, shifting gears. "Could you show your mana core? I may be able to sense sothing unique about it."
I blink. "Oh! Sure!"
Settling into a ditative position, I focus inward, channeling my mana again. The familiar warmth spreads through my chest, the energy within humming softly.
Karlogen steps closer.
Being a Lizard Furren, his way of sensing mana is… well, unique. He doesn't use sight or sound.
Instead, he tastes it.
Which ans—
Wait.
Does that an he's going to lick or sothing?!
My mind races, but before I can spiral further, Karlogen flicks his tongue out, tasting the air. His expression remains neutral, his gaze steady.
A mont passes in silence.
Then, his brow furrows.
"Strange…" he mutters.
Eris leans forward. "What is it?"
Karlogen's golden eyes narrow slightly.
"It tastes like… blood."
A chill runs down my spine.
Blood?
Before I can process what that ans—
A sharp, piercing pain erupts in my chest.
Like a blade stabbing straight through my heart.
"NYAAARGHHH!" I cry out, clutching my chest as my vision blurs.
The pain is unbearable, like sothing deep inside is tearing apart.
"Felicia!"
I barely hear Eris's voice before I feel myself falling.
But before I hit the ground, warmth envelops .
Eris.
She catches just in ti, her arms strong and steady as she holds up.
"Young lady, are you alright?" Karlogen asks, his voice laced with concern.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to breathe through the lingering pain. My chest still feels heavy, like sothing inside was ripped open and hasn't fully settled.
But slowly… the sharpness begins to fade.
My breathing evens out.
The ache dulls into a lingering discomfort, but it's manageable now.
"I-I'm fine…" I murmur, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
Eris doesn't look convinced.
Her grip on tightens.
Just… what the heck was that?
Did I just have a heart attack?!
Is it all the cholesterol built up from eating too much at?!
No—no way!
I'm young, I'm a catgirl, and catgirls don't get heart disease!
…Right?
No… this wasn't normal.
It wasn't my body.
It was my mana.
I'm sure of it.
Sothing about my mana just went berserk.
"Felicia, what happened?" Eris's voice is tense, her grip on my hand tightening, her blue eyes filled with concern.
I take a shaky breath.
"Everything felt normal at first," I explain. "But then… out of nowhere, my mana just—lost control. It felt like my heart was exploding."
Karlogen frowns, silent for a mont, deep in thought.
"Hmmm… it could be a rare side effect of awakening your mana sense and forming your core for the first ti," he finally says. "Regardless, young lady, if this ever happens again, please see a cleric imdiately."
I nod weakly. "Y-yeah… I will."
Eris, however, still seems extrely worried.
She's watching closely, her brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.
The room falls into a brief, heavy silence.
But I refuse to let the mood stay this way.
"Anyway, I feel better now!" I say, forcing a bright smile. "Should we… proceed with my ID now?"
Karlogen blinks before nodding. "Right. My apologies—I almost forgot."
"No, it's fine," I reassure him, though my heart still feels unsettled.
Sothing about this doesn't sit right.
But for now… I'll let it go.
With that, we follow Guildmaster Karlogen upstairs to the main floor, down a quiet hallway, until we finally stop in front of a grand door.
A sign hangs above it.
PHYSICAL ASSESSNT ROOM.
"Before registering a new ID, everyone must go through an evaluation," Karlogen explains. "This assesses their physical and magical abilities as an adventurer."
"Ohhh…" I nod.
"Of course," he adds, "we can skip this step if you'd like. But… aren't you curious about your personal stats?"
"Huh? Stats?" I echo, blinking in surprise.
Wait…
Stats?
STATUS???
Is this like… a ga interface or sothing?
Like a LitRPG novel?!
HECK YEAHHH!!!
I turn to Karlogen with stars in my eyes. "No, please don't skip! I want to do the evaluation, please!"
Eris chuckles. "Yeah, I'm curious too. And for so reason… I feel like knowing Felicia's stats might give us insight on what just happened earlier."
"Right," Karlogen agrees.
He pushes open the door—
And we step inside.
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