All Form, No Substance

Well, not completely empty, the concentration of Mana inside the Crystal was greater than outside, but it was quickly draining. It was understandable, of course. Pure Ether Crystals weren't something that held onto Mana, instead, it simply let it flow through.

It was like an old bucket full of holes. As long as you keep filling it up fast enough, the water level inside would rise. But, as soon as you stopped adding, it would quickly drain most, if not all the liquid you put in.

For it to be of any use, first the bucked had to be patched up.

"The solution is easy! Even a child could figure that out," Gerald murmured, but his expression carried no joy. That's because…he had no idea how to do it!

"I can try a few things, but…" Gerald hesitated. He knew a few Runes that were made for containing Mana in magic scrolls, but this was completely different.

The ink for scrolls was made by mixing Elemental Crystals and blood, making it a substance that loved to hold onto Mana.

The pure stuff, not so much.

He tried writing a few runes directly to the Crystal, but that didn't work. The blood immediately became over-saturated and burst into flames.

Perhaps using silver or gold to draw runes instead of blood would do the trick, but the molten metal was difficult to work with, and Gerald had no experience with it.

But then, just as he was musing over it, he remembered the Flame Barrier. That thing originated from the wall and somehow the stone could hold onto Mana and turn it semi-solid? It was definitely something to be examined up close.

***

Gerald stood on the wall in front of the Flame Barrier.

His eyes, glowing with the enhancement of magic, were staring intently into the pulsing reddish curtain of fire.

Seemingly unaware of his surroundings he struck any monster that came his way, beating it into a pulp. Soon the beasts realized the futility of their attacks and avoided coming anywhere near him.

As time went on and the peculiarities of the barrier became clear to him, Gerald stuck his silver hand inside. He was especially careful at observing it growing stronger, more solid, and hotter with each pulse.

In the beginning, he felt like sticking his hand in honey, but now he felt the Flame Barrier gripping him like a vice. His hand also started to glow from the heat produced by it.

A few moments and his hand would surely melt and be cut in half.

"Hmph!" Gerald exerted some mental pressure and created a small but powerful disruption in the flow of Mana. The barrier around his hand immediately degraded, turning first into mist before returning to its incorporeal form.

His hand was free.

He froze the glowing metal and then rubbed his hand where the barrier gripped him. A small deformity was left on the surface.

He stared at it for a few moments as he contemplated the significance. He then sat down and closed his eyes, completely immersing himself in the fresh memories, the feeling of magic he just experienced.

Having become stronger, he realized many things he previously didn't even know existed, and after looking at them from another angle, he decided to mull them over.

He just sat there in deep meditation while the war was going all around him. Many soldiers were surprised at the sight, how the monsters avoided him, but they didn't have the leisure to investigate as they fought for their lives.

Slowly Gerald spread his hands and pointed his palms forward. Swirls of Mana formed at his fingertips and gradually increased in size, forming a gray misty circle.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he concentrated on increasing Mana density on his creation. He was going slowly, advancing by millimeters, all in hope of not making any mistakes.

He opened his eyes and gave an even stronger push with his mind. The swirl stabilized and slowed down while becoming increasingly solid and real-looking.

It had some similarity to a round shield, being the thickest in the middle and gradually thinning towards the edge, where it transitioned back into thin mist.

This Mana Shield, or whatever it was, carried a lot of similarities to the Flame Barrier. And it took all Gerald's power and concentration to make it.

As for its defensive capabilities… Well, there was only one way to find out!

****

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Gerald?! Where have you been?"

Suddenly appearing before them after being gone for an entire day clearly didn't sit well with some members of his team. Specifically, the female half.

Blum with his broken hand wasn't able to help much, so he just found a safe place to read a few of Gerald's books.

Warren, on the other hand, fought like mad, only retreating when he couldn't lift his sword anymore. He was already full of fresh scars and the only thing keeping him going was the great amount of potions they had.

Nobody seemed concerned with his excessive use of 'drugs, stimulants, and steroids' so Gerald also didn't say anything. The guy seemed in good health anyway.

"I was just...helping other places," Gerald responded. "It's not like you need my help here, right? It seems the beasts are avoiding this place."

"Well, yes, we are fine, but-" Xilia started and got immediately interrupted.

"Excellent! Then you can give me a hand to test something!"

Gerald started forming the Mana Shield again. It took a while and he was clearly struggling, but upon completion, he grinned and beckoned her to come closer.

"Alright," he said. "Now punch me as strong as you can!"

"Huh?" Xilia stared blankly at him.

"Come on, this thing is extremely tiring to control," he urged her. He wasn't kidding, it was much more difficult to sustain it than it appeared.

"Okay…?"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, fine!" She eventually gathered her strength and punched right in the middle of the Mana Shield.

"Ha!"

Bam!

"Ow, my arm!" Xilia screamed and held her hand, clearly in pain. "What is your chest made of? It's like punching stone!"

"Um," Gerald looked under his shirt where she punched the black crystal growing out of his chest. "Well, technically you are not wrong… Wait, the shield!"

The shield was gone, broken apart the instant her fist touched it. It broke into shards like glass and then disappeared like a puff of smoke.

"Tell me, how did it feel?"

"What?" Xilia held her hand, wincing in pain. "I think I broke something."

Gerald took a Health Potion and handed it to her, "Yes, it's a common boxer's fracture, nothing dangerous. We'll fix it in no time. Now, tell me, how did it feel breaking my Mana Shield?"

"It… It didn't feel much of anything," she said. In all honesty, if he didn't remind her she would have completely forgotten she punched anything other than Gerald's chest.

That was not a satisfying answer.

"Come on, you have to be more precise than that. Think! Was it perhaps like punching through paper? Or maybe wet paper?"

"Um…" Xilia furrowed her brows and thought deeply about it.

"Oh, I got it!" she suddenly exclaimed. "You know how in winter when water starts freezing for the first time, a thin layer of ice forms at the surface?"

"Yes?"

"It felt like breaking that!"

"It felt like breaking a millimeter of ice?"

"Mhm!" Xilia nodded like a proper bobblehead.

"Fuuuuuu-"