A cloudy and cold morning greets Zatu.
Looking around he sees that Arbo has yet to come back.
'The discussions in the tower must be quite heated huh.'
An idea that wasn't surprising considering the topic of discussion.
Plus since members of the council were at least tier 4 they could easily go days without food, water or sleep.
Luckily Zatu's training for a while would not involve sparring so Arbo's absence shouldn't affect much.
In theory at least.
Walking to the backyard Zatu holds a magical device in his hands.
Made of blue jade and shaped like a book, this had been delivered by an employee of Schalt.
With it came a small note that read.
+----+
Greeting Zatu!
Your meditation is ready.
The Archwizard responsible has a bit of a reputation for… experimental ideas.
He shot a few of them back at me and one of them seemed pretty useful for you.
Apparently they discovered how to create a core that self cultivates.
Since it seemed like your focus wasn't really on mana I told them to go ahead.
It is a cutting edge type of meditation, so be careful with first use.
But since The Wizard Guild approved it, it should be safe.
To receive the meditation touch the jade to your forehead to receive the contents.
If after seeing it you feel it's too risky just send it back to me and I'll get you a more standard meditation.
Wish you good training!
Blue Dream - Schalt Goldentongue.
+----+
'Self cultivates? Worth each platinum!'
He thought to himself satisfied with Schalt's services.
His mind not worrying for even a second about the risk mentioned, after all it was indeed approved by the Wizard Guild.
Sitting down on the ground Zatu brings the jade book to his forehead.
As the smooth and cool surface touches his skin a multitude of images pour in his mind.
Images of his body, filled with shining lines of purple light, his mana veins.
Images of a breathing rhythm, built from the ground up to absorb the mana from the world.
Images of a mental visualisation, of clouds covering the sky with lightning crawling over them.
An Image of his own heart, silently filled with mana.
Fusing and changing with it.
Being reborn in lightning into a new thing that was both physical and magical.
An organ that would surge with mana like raindrops during monsoon.
In a matter of seconds the process on how to create his mana core engraved itself in his mind.
With it also came a brief introduction from the Archwizard that created it.
{Start of Introduction}
[Personalized Lightning Meditation (SRMC/N-07)]:
- A top of line project theorized, tested and built by division C of the Wizard Guild, under the command of Archwizard Hans, the Odd One.
[Effects]:
- Automatic cultivation of mana core
- Extreme mana regeneration (Eventually)
[Cultivated Core details]:
(Type) - Experimental - Self Reinforcing
(Element) - Lightning
(Physical connection) - Heart
(Focus) - Lightning Mana Regeneration
[Cons/Warning]:
- The Core cultivated by this technique will eventually generate COPIOUS amounts of mana. DO NOT spend more than a week without using your mana.
- After Core is formed DO NOT start any other core cultivation technique.
- Results of ignoring warnings may include, uncontrolled lightning discharge, run away mana reaction, core explosion, core implosion, mana taint, heart failure, blood failure, blindness, death and others.
[Recommendations]:
-Supervision during core formation is advised. (though not necessary.)
- Repeating the core formation meditation will work as a normal(-ish) meditation technique after first use.
-And most importantly, Enjoy! You will be one of the first humans to experience the incredible breakthrough that is a Self Reinforcing Mana Core.
-Wish you the best, HANS!-
{End of introduction}
Reading the introduction he raises an eyebrow at the serious warnings.
Thankfully the instructions were just not to use other core formation techniques and use mana at least once a week.
Both easy as pie.
Reaching the recommendations he pauses for a second.
'Should I wait for grandpa Arbo to come home?'
He chuckles at the idea.
'Naaaaaah, it's not necessary.'
He dismisses it, eager to form this experimental cutting edge mana core.
Confident Zatu starts the first step of core formation, to saturate his body with worldly mana.
Seated in a lotus pose, sword on his lap and eyes shut. He started to follow the steps to form his core.
He breathes in, his focus calling forth the mana control skill.
Connected with the world's mana Zatu commands it to enter his body.
Carefully, slowly and in small amounts the world mana follows his will.
Entering his skin and lungs, reaching his muscles and veins.
Once his body had enough mana, his will changed according to the method. Now commanding the mana to intertwine itself with his blood.
At first the mana unevenly, clumping at some points and lacking in others.
Inside his body he feels his blood slow down, obstructed by the clumps of mana.
In his chest he feels his heart pump faster, struggling to compensate for it.
Feeling this he slows down the infusion, letting the already formed clumps spread and even out throughout his body.
Breath by breath minutes pass, and he feels careful as the mana spreads out and his heart rate returns to normal.
With his body saturated with worlds mana, the first of three steps in forming his core is complete.
Now it's time to start the second step, mental image.
Opening his eyes he looks at the cloudy morning.
Taking it as inspiration for the image that he would form.
It's cold and gray, with few sun rays peeking through here and there.
Closing his eyes back up, he recalls the scene just now while tweaking the details.
The gray darkens to black, the sunrays are cut of by the clouds.
A low rumbling echoes within them and small arcs of lightning crawling over their surface.
'Purple.' he notices their color, the same one his blade had shinned when he imbued it with his lightning intent.
Influenced by the image the mana rumbles inside him.
As the clouds in his mind grow louder the resonance in his body grows stronger, his blood vibrating together with his mana.
Then.
Inside his mind a lightning jump out of the dark clouds, striking him down instantly.
The lightning is not real in a physical way and yet his body reacts, shaking out of his control as the mana inside him pulses with that purple color.
Electric arcs crawl all over his skin as lightning strikes down again and again, transforming his mana completely from the world's mixed and neutral mana into lightning mana, his lightning mana.
When the thunder storm calms down and his body brims with static, he knows he has finished the second step.
Now comes the final step where he has to condense the lightning mana from his body into his heart.
Feeling his body he will's his lightning mana to speed up his blood flow.
Slowly at first, than faster it faster the mana responds.
As the flow picks up speed his heart slows down, trying to compensate for his manual pumping of blood.
Second by second his heart beat goes down, from 6 beats per breath to 5.
Then 4.
Then 3, 2, 1.
His heart stops completely and a sharp pain blooms from his chest.
Drops of sweat form on Zatu's forehead as a bit of panic creeps to the back of his mind.
Still he keeps speeding the cycling the mana infused blood throughout his body according to the core formation method.
Substituting his heartbeat a low hum spreads from within his body.
Holding the hilt of his sword tightly Zatu starts to regret doing this alone.
The question, 'Maybe I should stop for now?' Appears in his mind before he dismisses the idea.
The method has how to finalize this step but it doesn't have a way to stop it.
Once he feels the speed is enough his focus changes, now commanding the mana in his blood to condense into his heart.
For a while his blood keeps flowing vigorously, but as the mana in it weakens so does Zatu's control over the process.
Cycle by cycle, the flow slows down as mana pools faster and faster inside his heart.
And then silence, no more hums from his now manaless blood, no beats for his pain ridden heart, just pure stillness.
The panic in his mind grows louder as his heart doesn't pick back up its job.
'Did I just fucking kill myself?' He cusses mentally as a small tear slides down his cheek.
Manually he takes deep breaths despite the pain in his chest or the dread clawing up from his stomach.
In his eyes his life starts to flash by.
A warm childhood.
Raised by a strong and heroic father that read him books near the fireplace.
His favorite book, an encyclopedia of beasts written by a mother he couldn't recall.
Drawings and scribbles doting the walls of beasts playing with him in the backyard.
Then…
A casket, a sword and tears.
Love, loss, hurt.
He was lost, and yet he knew what should be done.
In his despair an old man appears.
Powerfull, respected, carrying a sword taller than the world in his back.
Grasping for help he reaches for the old man and the old man takes him.
At that time his body struggled to even hold his father's legacy.
But the old man doesn't look down or leave him.
Encouraged, his will strengthens.
Days turn weeks and weeks into months, each easier than the next, each closer to the day were he would be so strong all his problems would go away.
The sword once heavy grows light, yet his shoulders still barely hold its weight.
A decade of lessons and growth, the old man taught him everything…
Even if Zatu's eyes glazed over a lot of those lessons.
One thing though he never took lightly, he has a mission to grow stronger and a duty to protect others like him.
As his life flashes before his eyes, the dark clouds inside his mental image start to rumble once more.
Without either notice or control from the pain ridden life revisiting Zatu.
Guided by the method, purple lightning shivers inside those dark clouds.
And the lightning mana in his heart vibrates in response.
Inside Zatu's mind revisits the last few days.
Hopeful about the future.
Worried about beast waves.
Confident he will reach his goal.
And now, one fuck up, and it all... seems to have been so... so fast.... so short...
Suddenly lightning falls down in his mental image and purple arcs explode out from his chest.
Sharp pain floods his system.
His breath stops in his throat.
And then...
*thump*
His heart beats once more.
Once, twice, thrice.
Zatu hears it beat strongly in his ears, pulling him out of his death flashback.
Opening his eyes he gasps for air hungryly.
His hands hold his neck and as his palms feel his pulse.
"AAAAAAAAHAHAHAAHahahaha...." He screams and laughs at the cloudy sky.
Brimming with relief and a delight he never felt before.
Laying on the ground he savors the air, feeling the wind caress his skin as he watches the fluffy clouds in the sky.
The world has never felt as alive as it did at this very moment.
In this glee time passes by as he calms down on the ground.
Once calmed he feels his body and notices his heart has changed.
It's stronger and he can feel it really clearly in his mind.
It is completely under his control, and most important pumping a minute amount of lightning mana into his blood.
"I guess supervision wasn't really necessary." Zatu chuckles to himself, feeling his newly formed mana core and thinking on what step he should take next.