#079. The Vortex of Desire (5)
“……!”
His chest burned.
Breathing grew labored.
The pain dwarfed what he’d felt while forming his first circle—a torment so intense it threatened to tear his consciousness away.
Graham’s words flashed through his mind.
『The first circle can be built by anyone with enough effort, provided they can sense and manipulate mana. But the second circle? That’s different.』
The method seemed simple:
Draw atmospheric mana.
Rotate it around the heart.
Each revolution leaves a trail.
Solidify that trail into a circle.
Reach the required number of rotations, and the circle forms.
That worked for the first.
The second demanded more.
『The rotations needed to stabilize the trail become astronomical. Ordinary training couldn’t complete it in ten lifetimes. Hence—enlightenment.』
During enlightenment, orbital velocity skyrockets.
A speed so blinding it renders all prior practice meaningless.
『No scholar can predict when enlightenment strikes. Its forms vary too wildly between individuals to categorize.』
Enlightenment might arrive through magical theory.
Through emotional upheaval.
Through philosophical revelation or religious epiphany.
Its manifestations defied classification—yet one truth remained:
『…All enlightenment stems from mental exertion.』
Graham’s voice crackled through Ray’s thoughts.
『That’s why magic is called the study of self-excavation.』
『Yet most mages never experience true enlightenment.』
『Recall? Mana greets those honest with themselves.』
But few received that greeting.
Self-knowledge proved too arduous.
Most mages lived without establishing identities, let alone exploring their inner worlds.
No—this applied to all humans.
『I…』
Ray’s mind staggered under the pain’s weight.
『I…』
Who am I?
『I…』
Why do I live?
『I… Ray…』
How many walk this world with defined selves?
『I must find the rainbow…』
How many cling to unwavering purpose?
A vanishing minority.
But the boy stood apart.
『…Can’t fall here.』
His selfhood and resolve outshone all others.
As darkness encroached, his hand moved—lightning drawing a knife.
Thunk!
The blade buried itself in his thigh.
Distracted pain granted him a breath.
Ray seized that sliver of clarity to anchor his crumbling mind.
『Endure.』
Agony in his chest crescendoed endlessly.
Seconds stretched into eons.
By his knowledge, this was enlightenment’s crucible.
Whooooom—!
Crimson mana whirled furiously around his heart.
Accelerating orbits etched clearer trails as a new ring’s outline emerged—
One-third complete, yet sufficient to trigger changes.
Whoosh—!
Mana from the first ring migrated to the nascent one.
Atmospheric mana flooded the vacated space, dominated by radiant violet.
The influx refined instantly while excess mana clung to the ring’s exterior like a magnetic film.
『…Filling speed multiplied.』
Normal rates paled in comparison—this was the accelerated orbit’s doing.
The vortex of forming mana devoured ambient energy.
『…Pain’s easing.』
Total mana surged alongside elemental diversity.
Vitality flooded his veins.
Blood roared. His heart thundered.
This power promised limitless potential—and imminent explosion if unused.
“……”
When the pain receded enough to move, his body dripped with cold sweat.
He raised his head, refreshed, and spotted mercenaries aiming firearms afar.
He’d detected them before entering the clearing.
Original plan: Lure John and Skyle into combat while handling stragglers alone.
Unforeseen variables—the Rockdeers’ rampage—delayed stealing John’s card, leaving him stranded.
『Faster response than expected.』
No panic. Boarding Veronica’s armored vehicle could close the distance rapidly.
Specialized in defensive magic, her shields could endure cannon fire. Once near, he’d handle the rest.
But now—
Hummm!
Ray summoned violet mana from his ring.
It streamed up his forearm, coalescing into a fist-sized orb.
But this was just the start.
The violet mana’s departure left vacancies.
Reserve mana clinging to the ring’s perimeter rushed in, refined itself, and raced back to his palm.
This cycle repeated at ferocious speeds—
A perpetual motion machine of mana, achievable only during enlightenment’s accelerated orbit.
WHOOOOOM—!
The violet sphere expanded to the size of a man’s head.
And kept growing.
"Wh—what...!"
Michael groaned.
Though he lacked Ray's ability to see mana, he could still sense it.
'What in the world...!'
A high-purity elemental crystal grew limitlessly on his palm, swelling in size.
Michael couldn't help his astonishment.
This wasn't merely due to witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon after decades of magical study.
The elemental composition and bonds within the crystal precisely mirrored the summoning magic formula he'd taught days earlier.
Goosebumps prickled his skin.
'Th-this can't be! Did they copy my summoning magic—something I spent ten years mastering—just by observing it once?'
"Please teach me the principles of summoning magic."
When he'd heard those words, he'd harbored doubts.
After seeing Ray replicate concealment magic instantly, part of him had wondered.
But summoning magic was leagues beyond basic academy spells like concealment.
And executing it at such magnitude—
'...Impossible.'
Amplifying magical output wasn't as simple as increasing elemental quantities through formula ratios.
More elements meant managing greater volumes simultaneously—
Demanding innate elemental affinity rather than learned skill.
Particularly with elements infamous for their volatility.
Not even Professor Leg Volter, the summoning magic authority, could achieve this scale at full power.
As Michael stood frozen, the crystal ballooned to human torso-size.
Then—
Whooosh!
A hundred violet mana chains erupted from the crystal, piercing both the barrier and nearby Rockdeers.
Kkulk!
Kkuruk!
The charging Rockdeers halted mid-step.
In unison, they wheeled toward mercenaries positioned beyond the battlefield.
Boom!
Kwang!
Panicked mercenaries fired artillery, but shells only gouged craters in the earth.
Their aim wasn't poor—the Rockdeers moved like they could read minds.
Through the interlinked chains, Ray monitored every turret's trajectory, puppeteering each beast with precision.
Fear etched itself across every mercenary's face, palpable even from afar.
The blood-scented wind coiled through the silent clearing.
Long after the barrier's collapse, the Rockdeers made no further attacks.
They nudged fallen comrades with their snouts,
wandered aimlessly with mournful cries,
their head-shaking gestures radiating inscrutable grief.
At the epicenter stood four humans:
Ray, Veronica,
Michael cradling John as the old man rasped his final breaths—
the sole survivors in this deep canyon.
"Sorry... Michael... Never imagined... ending like this..."
Confessions spilled from John's withered lips:
Kernel Water's corruption,
schemes to eliminate rival mercenary bands,
the poisoned gift meant for Ray,
and his true motive for seeking the legendary Rockdeer—
not gratitude, but greed.
"Wanted... to capture... research... rebuild company..."
He coughed violently.
The blue Rockdeer had been his obsession—
a delusion that seizing it could spawn new water sources.
"But... futile... Maybe... faulty memory..."
John strained to turn his head toward two azure Rockdeers—
Fran and its presumed mother nuzzling nearby.
All present now knew the truth:
no mystical beings, just pigment-mutated specimens.
"No," Michael murmured, gripping John's hand tighter.
"Your memory's sound. You don't mistake what you see."
A ghostly smile touched John's lips.
Death's proximity had scrubbed his aura clean of avarice.
"Thank... Sorry... leaving..."
His speech fragmented into incoherence.
"Leave where? I'm staying."
Michael's calm voice belied his whitening knuckles.
"My coat... inside..."
Michael retrieved a black Bank Ignis card from the indicated pocket.
"Yours... saved... Password... our first meeting..."
John's breathing shallowed as Michael stared numbly at the card.
"Grateful... For... everything..."
Their clasped hands tightened in final acknowledgment.
As John's eyelids fluttered shut,
Ray's gaze snapped upward—
A radiant blue speck pierced the distant sky,
streaking toward them.
