---
Just beneath the beast’s chest, near the rib cage, sothing pulsed. A faint, blue flicker.
John’s eyes narrowed. "No way..."
Fizz tapped his chin. "Maybe it fed on sothing. Like the mana particles. But it couldn’t absorb it."
John knelt and reached out. The system flickered.
[Ding. Mana Particle Detected.
Absorb?
Yes / No ]
He blinked. "This early?"
Fizz shrugged. "Maybe luck’s finally flirting with you."
John chose Yes.
The sa rush hit him. Not as sharp as the first, but still intense. The mana slid into him like smoke being poured into a bottle. Warmth spread through his limbs. This ti, he didn’t stagger. He exhaled slowly.
[Ding. Mission Progress: 2 / 3 Mana Particles Absorbed.]
Fizz did a little jig. "Boom! Two down, one to go. You’re on fire."
John stood slowly. The rain washed blood and mud from his coat.
"Sothing’s waking up," he whispered.
Fizz tilted his head. " Where... Inside you?"
John nodded. "It’s closer now. Like it knows I’m coming."
Fizz didn’t joke this ti. But he wanted to say, it must be your shit. But he knew John would snap if he joked now.
So, he just nodded. "Then let’s get to the third one. Before whatever it is, decide to wake up first."
They turned from the corpse. Behind them, the forest slowly swallowed the body of the Swamp Fang. And the rain kept falling.
Fizz did a sorsault, twirled twice, and hovered dramatically in front of John’s face.
"Because I saved you, I deserve a reward. You must listen to my new song. This one," he whispered, "is dedicated to your sanity. May it rest in peace."
Then, arms flailing like he was directing an invisible orchestra of confused squirrels, he sang:
"My tail caught fire from spicy beans,
I danced away in tangled greens,
A squirrel threw nuts, called king,
Then ran off with my laundry string.
Don’t trust crabs with glowing eyes,
They sell fake maps and pocket pies,
But if you fart beneath a tree,
The wind might na your destiny!"
Fizz struck a final pose midair, wings spread wide, eyes glowing with triumph. A single leaf floated dramatically past his face as if nature itself acknowledged his genius.
He landed squarely on John’s shoulder, looked dead serious, and whispered, "If that doesn’t earn a temple, I don’t know what will."
John replied without blinking, "Wow that’s a great song. I think I need therapy."
Fizz nodded solemnly. "And snacks. Always snacks."
The rain finally began to slow as they crested a ridge of moss covered stone. Patches of light broke through the clouds in narrow columns, illuminating the wet forest floor like golden fingers trying to touch the earth.
John sat on a boulder, breath steady now, clothes soaked, and his dagger sheathed. But his hands trembled faintly. It was not from exhaustion, but from sothing else.
Sothing... humming. It was beneath his skin.
Fizz hovered nearby, drying his wings with rapid little twitches. "So. Two out of three. That’s better than most rookie mages who die before they beco famous."
John flexed his fingers. "I feel... heavier. Like I’m carrying sothing huge inside . But it’s not weight. It’s... pressure. Like sothing’s pushing outward."
Fizz tilted his head. "You ever sit on a teapot while it’s boiling?"
John blinked. "What?"
"That’s you. Right now. You’re the teapot. And the black hole inside you is starting to whistle."
John leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Fizz. What exactly is black hole magic? Do you know anything?"
Fizz zipped into the air, twirling dramatically. "Ah! Finally! A real question. I have waited eons for this mont. To be a teacher."
"You’ve only known for like a week." John replied.
"Shh. Let have this. Don’t interrupt your teacher." Fizz cleared his throat midair, summoned a tiny pair of glasses and a scroll out of nowhere, and put on his best scholar voice.
"Ahem. Black hole magic is not an elent. It’s not a common thing. It’s a cosmic force. The death of light. The bending of reality. The gravitational hunger of collapsed stars given form. It pulls, devours, and compresses Stars until all that remains is silence and nothing."
He paused. "Also, it’s super illegal in about nine zones. That is the place from where I ca."
John raised an eyebrow. "Illegal? Why?"
Fizz shrugged. "Powerful people get nervous when you can erase their land from existence by sneezing wrong. By the way, to do that you need to master your power to the fullest."
John exhaled through his nose, that strange weight still pressing behind his ribs. "So why ? Why would the world give this to soone who didn’t even have mana a week ago?"
Fizz floated slowly around him. "Because the universe doesn’t make mistakes. And sotis... It’s not about who wants power. It’s about who survives it. Or who is the chosen one."
A beat passed. Then John’s vision pulsed.
[Ding! System Notification – Mana Vein Stabilized.
Initializing Core Formation Path...
Core Type: Black Hole
Stage: 0. Initiate Spark
Progress: 2 / 3 Mana Particles Absorbed.]
John rubbed his chest. That pulse... it was getting louder. The black hole wasn’t there yet, but its presence was like a shadow waiting just behind a locked door.
Fizz read the situation, then clapped. "Ohoho! We’re almost there. Just one more particle and your mana core will crystallize. Then you’ll officially be a Circle One Mage."
John nodded. "And then I get to learn how to control it."
Fizz coughed. "Ehh... sort of."
John narrowed his eyes. "What do you an by ’sort of’?"
"Well," Fizz said slowly, "At first, you’ll get or learn one basic skill. Not flashy. Maybe, just the tiny first crack in the dam. But... it’ll still be stupidly dangerous and strong."
John looked down at his palm. "You’re saying I’ll be able to... summon a black hole?"
Fizz nodded. "A very small one. Palm sized. Stable one, if you’re careful. Big enough to suck in a person’s head or rip off a limb. Not big enough to eat a mountain."
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