’An evolved race...’
Their discussion ended there, with Cross simply yawning before spawning a rock platform. Once he stepped onto it, the platform carried him toward the temple roof, which nearly met the seal’s crystal ceiling.
The prince’s intention was obvious. After three long days, Cross was finally going to get some proper sleep — or perhaps he simply needed a break from Ash.
Ash sighed as Cross drifted over the edge of the temple roof and disappeared from view.
’I hope he has a nightmare.’
Ash had little sympathy for someone who cared so little about ’the truth’, though it was clear something he’d said had forced Cross to question his choices.
Either way...
’I wonder if he knows my trick.’
That was why Ash had proposed fighting the wolf one-on-one.
As much as it pained him to admit it, he stood little to no chance...
Under typical circumstances, that was.
However, Demitra couldn’t afford to kill him. If she did, Cross would kill her without hesitation. She needed Ash alive until Cross died.
That still didn’t solve everything, but it opened a path to victory.
And no matter how narrow that path was, Ash believed he could follow it to the end.
But... how?
How was he supposed to defeat her when even Idolan, a man who moved faster than Ash’s eyes could follow, couldn’t?
Sure, she was immensely weakened, but even a dying elephant could still crush an ant.
’I’m going to exploit what I’ve learned...’
Cross had, after all, given him some leverage.
Perhaps Cross had already recognized the wolf’s inability to kill Ash and simply hadn’t cared, believing it would somehow benefit him, but...
Desperation.
Ash had reclaimed his desperation; no method was off-limits.
’I’ve identified enough variables. Now that they’re laid before me, I need only declare and act upon my will.’
***
The next day passed in merciful boredom.
Cross remained out of sight, while Ash settled in the shadow of one of the fallen chains and eventually drifted off to sleep.
When he awoke, Ash ate and drank his fill before returning to the temple’s upper steps, where Cross was already waiting.
As Ash emerged from the shadows and trekked up the stairs, he gazed down at the fallen chain stretching toward the magma sea. Entire sections had vanished beneath the molten surface, leaving gaps where the connecting links had melted away.
Ash didn’t know how long Vera and Demitra would take — one day, two, three, or more — but he clearly wouldn’t reach them in time to confront them at the final chain.
With Cross, he might have a chance, but even after a full day’s rest, the prince remained worse for wear. He would need at least another day to recover even half his former strength, much less adapt to missing a limb.
He had clearly gained some competence fighting without it, having defeated the Seal Sentry, but his overall strength had yet to recover.
Not that Ash was the best judge of someone’s strength, he had come before Cross specifically to learn how to sense it, but even he could see that the prince still moved awkwardly. While standing still, Cross placed nearly all his weight on one leg, leaving him visibly off-balance.
As Ash climbed the final few stairs, Cross scoffed.
"Are you ready for your first lesson?"
Ash sneered, looking Cross up and down while studying his new attire. He wore even less armor than before, having cast away the thin leather and kept only the black tunic, pants, combat boots, and sable scarf — the same strip of cloth he’d worn around his head when they’d first met.
’I wonder if that’s an item.’
Ash sighed.
"Are you seriously that scared of me?"
Cross clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Have I not made that clear? I need to be as light as possible so I can get the hell away from you when needed."
Ash studied Cross with irreverent curiosity.
’How can one be so prideless... yet so prideful?’
"..."
"Stop looking at me like that, ingrate. Be thankful I’m spending my time teaching you when you’re already a dead man walking."
"Whatever. Let’s get on with it."
Shaking his head, Cross backed away as Ash stepped onto the level platform.
"Fine, then... Tell me what you know."
Ash brought a hand to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully.
"Mana... is a ubiquitous source of power found throughout the environment and within living beings. Each person possesses a limited amount, which they can cultivate and replenish over time."
"Good start... What about spirit?"
"Uh... the soul of a being, in a sense..."
Cross brought his own hand to his chin, mockingly mirroring Ash’s thoughtful pose.
"Not a good start."
Ash had some choice words in response but kept them to himself rather than allowing himself to be dragged into another needless exchange of ’pleasantries.’
Sighing, Cross continued:
"Seeing as we don’t know whether you even have the aptitude to sense spirit, let’s focus on mana."
Cross stepped away as a stone throne formed behind him, then sat upon it. After settling into the chair, which looked anything but comfortable, he began:
"You can think of mana as a gas. You were right to assume it exists everywhere, but you should also know that it is constantly flowing. It also behaves like oxygen. All living things breathe it in to sustain themselves."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
’Oxygen...? How in the world does he know what that is?’
"Why is that important?"
"I was getting there, chimera." Cross cleared his throat before continuing. "To begin sensing the mana inside yourself, you must first sense the mana you breathe in. To that end... sit down and close your eyes."
Ash silently glared at Cross for a few moments but eventually did as instructed.
"What now?"
Cross clasped his hands together.
"Breathe. With each breath, analyze the rush of air. As long as you aren’t completely inept, you’ll eventually be able to feel the mana within it. Once you do, focus on that sensation and continue breathing at a steady pace."
Ash was skeptical that breathing was the answer he’d been missing, but he listened anyway. He took a deep breath and focused on the rush of air entering his mouth, traveling down his throat, and filling his lungs.
"Just keep doing that... Given how deeply your body is intertwined with mana, it shouldn’t take long."
After a few breaths, Ash paused.
"What do you mean by that...?"
As Ash resumed his rhythmic breathing, Cross stammered slightly.
"Seriously...?" Cross sighed. "Do I really have to teach you about your own body?"
Unconcerned that the question could be taken as an insult, Ash nodded.
"Yes."
"Wow... you must have been one hell of an outcast among your people. Either that, or your kind is incredibly stupid."
Ash’s eyes snapped open.
He flinched forward as if preparing to charge Cross.
The Silver Prince screamed something incomprehensible as he launched himself from the chair and flipped backward over it.
"Abudagh!"
Ash laughed at his reaction before settling back down and closing his eyes.
After several moments of silence, Cross spoke as if nothing happened:
"I guess I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out about you... As you should have known, your kind evolved from typical humans. Whether due to the immense mana density of your homeland or interbreeding, however, your race eventually developed those characteristics of yours..."
’Interbreeding...’
’I hope he means with other humanoids.’
If not, Ash had some choice words for his likely nonexistent ancestors.
Cross continued:
"In any case, unlike typical humans, your body has adapted to absorb mana from the environment with ease. A human’s mana core — the place where mana is stored within the body — is typically located somewhere in the thoracic cavity..."
’How does he know that word as well?’
"Yours, however, appears to be divided among three cores within your added extremities."
’Wait...’
Ash broke his long silence.
"If that’s more efficient, then why are human cores located inside the body?"
Cross huffed.
"We can’t control how we evolved, but..."
’Technically, we can.’
"A person’s mana core is like a second heart. If it is depleted or destroyed, they will die, just as they would if their heart were skewered. Humans and many other lifeforms couldn’t afford to leave something so vital exposed. Besides, we wouldn’t even reap the benefits... Ultimately, humans are weak. To survive, my ancestors sought areas of low mana density where powerful beasts were scarce."
Ash had expected some arbitrary fantasy logic, but...
’That actually makes quite a bit of sense.’
Cross added:
"Anyway, having your cores exposed does make them vulnerable, but it also allows you to absorb and replenish mana much faster than usual. In fact... perhaps your body doesn’t even need to breathe it in, which would mean we have to alter our methods. But that’s one thing I can’t learn just by looking at you."
Ash clicked his tongue and muttered:
"Useless."
"You say that while I’m teaching you...? What is wrong with you?"
Ignoring Cross, Ash fell silent for a while.
’I finally understand...’
It explained why his tail hurt the most. And why it was covered in scales.
’It’s like one gigantic exposed nerve. One that was never meant to be touched.’
Yet Ash had allowed it to be injured far too carelessly.
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