8 Absolute

"Mother..?" Avan's expression lit up. "Mother, look at this! My hard work paid off... I was so sick of you worrying because of me... but now, you don't have to worry about anything. We'll finally be able to live a normal life like we always wanted." Avan stretched his hands out to his mother but the barrier that was put around him prevented it from doing so.

"Stay back Carpei! That's not your son anymore!" Atez then pulled her back to them.

"No! He's still there! I can hear him!" Carpei was trying to break free of Atez's grip on her.

"Carpei, you know this is because of his father! His body will break soon. He can't handle that mana in his body!"

"Let me go Atez! I can still hear his words! He can still be sa-" She then began to spat out blood from her body.

"Carpei!" Atez then noticed something unusual, "You... you're running out of mana! Barrier!"

"Atez! What's happening to her! Tell me!" Avan was banging the barrier that was casted around him, yet he couldn't escape nor break it at all.

"I'm... alright Avan." Carpei then walked up to the barrier and placed her hand on it.

"Avan! Stop this right now! You're ki-" Atez suddenly stopped talking.

Carpei turned around to look at him.

"Mother..?" Avan then called out to her.

"Stay out of this Atez." And a sudden bright red light illuminated the whole area. It was a mysterious power that Avan couldn't see.

"...Yes." Atez then stood back and the mages that were behind him.

Carpei's mysterious power suddenly disappeared and she turned around to face Avan. "You're still there right?"

"Yes, I'm still here." Avan then replied.

"I know. I'm the only one that can hear you Avan." She then felt her knees weaken and fell to the ground coughing.

"Mother!" Avan then began to lash around and began hitting the barrier that was around him. "ATEZ! LET ME OUT!"

"Avan, you need to stop this transformation of yours... your body will br-" Her weakened body made her cough blood.

"ATEEEEEZ!" Avan began to unleash his power on the barrier causing it to appear cracks everywhere. A single slash was a simple burst of mana wave coated in multiple elements.

"Avan... no..!" Carpei's stomach began to glow with a bright blue color with the shape of a circle. A straight line of a black light then appeared as if sucking away the blue light that was on Carpei's stomach.

That black light slowly connected with Avan's body. And soon followed, the sky began to turn completely dark.

"What in the hell..." Atez looked up and it was completely pitch black.

But suddenly, the sky looked like it split into thousands of tentacles and latched themselves onto Avan's body.

The tentacles began to pulse as blue streaks of light can be seen each pulse. Atez realized what it was, "Each of these tentacles are carrying... mana? Then... Avan's body-!"

Avan's single swing of his sword broke a single barrier.

"WHAT!?" The mages suddenly shouted. They then began to focus their mana to create new barriers.

But Avan simply lifted his hand and placed it onto the barrier. And slowly grabbed it and twisted it with his pure strength. "ATEZ!" His rage inside him manifested within his form. The dark aura that was surrounding the armor that he was wearing grew larger and larger until it took the form of a demon. A smiling demon jester.

"AVAN! STOP! Look at what you're doing! Look at Carpei! Your mother!" Atez shouted.

"...What?" His rage calmed down within hearing the name of his mother.

"Those power that's latched on to you, those are absorbing mana everywhere. Even Carpei's!"

Avan looked behind him and saw the thousands of lophophore that were attached behind his back. He felt his whole body pulsing and his nerves feeling the large current of mana. It was like an endless surge of mana and power that were flowing. "This..?"

"I don't know if you can hear me Avan, but you're killing everyone by sucking out their mana, you're killing your mother Avan!"