Intrigued by the energy he had absorbed from the beetles, William raised his hand and conjured a fireball. The explosion was as potent as ever, though its impact radius notably expanded, a clear reflection of his recent ascent to a Level 2 Mage Apprentice.
Wanting to experint, he prepared the sa spell again, but this ti attempting to use the energy stored in his heart. With his hand extended, he remained silent, concentrating for nearly an hour. He made no sound, not even a sigh, as if he had beco part of the somber landscape surrounding him.
Finally, he succeeded.
A dark current, deep gray in color, surged from his chest and coursed through his body, combining with the usual mana circulating through his internal channels. When this energy reached his hand, the fla-shaped ring began to glow with increasing intensity. Sothing was happening.
Without losing focus, William maintained the spell.
The fireball exploded with fury, faster than before, and its impact was colossal: twice the original radius. The dark energy he had used, however, was halved in his heart.
Disconcerted by the result, William stood motionless, observing the smoking crater before him, processing what he had just done. At that instant, he heard Angel’s voice resonate in his mind:
"I can finally co out..."
"Where were you?" William asked, surprised. "Why did you suddenly disappear?"
"When the moon shattered like glass, a terrifying force compelled to return inside you. I couldn’t resist... and it wasn’t until now that I managed to free myself." She paused, her tone growing more serious. "William... the mask. I felt it again."
He instinctively raised a hand to his face, uneasy.
"Do I have sothing on my face? Can you see it?"
"No... right now there’s nothing. But for a mont, it appeared... it was fleeting, like a flash. I don’t know if it’s only visible when those beasts are near or if there’s another reason... perhaps sothing deeper."
William tried to summon the mask. He called to it ntally, wished for it, even tried to tear it off with his hands, but it was useless. He couldn’t feel it, nor touch it. He finally gave up, frustrated.
"Angel... did you see how that fireball doubled in size? What do you think this energy in my heart is?"
"According to the data I’ve collected, the beetle energy currently stored in your heart is similar to mana, though its structure is different. Right now, that energy continues to slowly flow from the ring into your heart. According to my calculations, it will take approximately four hours to recover half of what you just used... aning you would need about eight hours to fully recharge the energy you absorbed from the beetles."
"And there’s no way to speed up the process?" William asked, hopeful.
"Unlike the mana breathing thod Master Aurus taught you, we don’t yet have an adequate technique to manipulate this new form of energy. It’s as if we’re dealing with a living substance that follows different rules..."
William clenched his fist and observed the red-tinged horizon.
A new source of power, a new mystery... and with it, new questions.
This energy stored in his heart... was it a gift from this world, or a curse? And what was that creature in beetle armor?
Despite not having seen its face, William could feel with absolute certainty that this beast was not human. The energy it emanated was suffocating, imnse, completely alien to anything he had felt before. Even Master Aurus seed weak in comparison. Even the Kraken seed like a re fish in its presence; there was no doubt, the Scarab Knight was in another category... one of those beings that defy the rules of the world by their re existence.
But not everything was enigma or terror.
For the first ti since arriving in this place, William felt no fear of the beetles. This ant he could explore this world freely, without the constant threat of paralyzing fear. This idea profoundly excited him. He could finally move forward.
It was then that a slight stinging pain in his finger pulled him from his thoughts.
Looking down, the ring’s design on his hand flickered, as if trying to warn him of sothing, as if it wanted to communicate.
Intrigued, he placed his other hand over the ring. The instant his fingers touched it, an image struck him with the force of a divine vision.
A desolate battlefield.
The mask floated in the air, suspended, with hundreds of cracks running across its surface. It was on the verge of breaking; two of the cracks looked like tear lines running down its cheeks, making the mask appear in profound pain... as if that mask had a soul.
Behind it, a colossal Monster lood.
A creature of indescribable size, so vast that its shadow could cover the sun. Though imposing, the colossus was wounded, its body torn, as if it had fought a thousand battles. Despite these injuries, it didn’t stop. It moved slowly, exhausted, on the brink of death, but with a conviction as firm as steel: it had to finish what it had started.
The colossus lifted the mask with one hand and deposited it with palpable fear and respect onto a gigantic rock pillar. Then it extended its other hand and placed it on top while reciting an indecipherable chant... sealing it completely.
The scene shifted. The mask’s fractures began to close, one by one, as if ti itself were healing it, and then... the landscape changed again.
Now it was the day William had arrived in that world. He saw his own face, young, confused, as the mask floated before him... and slowly adhered to his skin. For a mont, he again felt the screws perforating his brain.
The vision stopped. A crunch, like glass breaking, shattered the image into a thousand pieces.
William gasped as he opened his eyes.
"I can’t believe that... that mask was so powerful," he whispered, still breathing heavily. "And that giant... what in the world was that colossus that could seal it like that?"
Silence. Only his voice echoed in the vast solitude of the nightmare world. William felt his destiny was connected to sothing far more ancient... and far more dangerous.
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