Chapter 38: A SEED TAKES ROOT

A crimson warning flashed across Aether's mind: "[WARNING: SPLIT MENTAL SEPARATION MAY CAUSE ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS]". Lumi's voice, devoid of inflection, held a hint of caution before she attempted to take control.But Aether didn't flinch. "Do it now," he rasped, his voice laced with a steely resolve. This was his gamble – to wield Lumi's power, a foreign magic that didn't belong in this world. Yet, he knew the chilling consequence of failure. The dragon's death meant his own, consumed by the cavern's relentless cold.The final confirmation echoed in his mind: "[Separate bio-mana integration initiated]." A jolt of pain lanced through him as Lumi's power surged, but his consciousness held firm. He wouldn't surrender his mind.Squeezing his eyes shut, Aether braced himself. The sight of the dying dragon was replaced by a swirling vortex of darkness. But within this darkness, a different scene unfolded. In the heart of the forgotten citadel, his body became a beacon of power. A golden circle, shimmering with authority and determination, bloomed beneath him. Intricate lines, like veins of celestial energy, flowed and merged, culminating in a stunning formation – a sun surrounded by a constellation of stars.Above him, a breathtaking construct of luminous blue magic manifested. A lone strand of this magic, drawn from the pouch he clutched, formed a bridge between the two formations. The blue mana, a tranquil flow in contrast to the raging torrent of his own golden power, mirrored the magic circle above. Both forces enveloped him, bathing him in shimmering light.Suddenly, a vibrant green light erupted from Aether's core. Powerful yet soothing, it pulsed with a newfound confidence. "We can do this!" he roared internally, a primal defiance against the odds.Lumi, now in control of his body, maneuvered him closer to the dragon's head. The creature's eyelids flickered, revealing inky depths with a hint of pinkish hue. Its horns, imbued with a mystical earth color, whispered tales of ancient power.Lumi, with practiced efficiency, extended Aether's free hand and placed it against the dragon's side. The green aura, surging from Aether's core, began to spread, bathing the colossal creature in its restorative warmth. It was a desperate plea, a bridge of combined mana, aimed at reviving the magnificent being and saving them both from the icy grip of the forgotten citadel.As the green aura washed over the dragon's body, a discordant note pierced the fragile determination that had bloomed within Aether. A power, alien and unsettling, emanated from the dragon's core – not from its heart, but from a pulsating mana pool nestled within its chest.Aether's breath hitched. "The seal!" he gasped, a horrifying realization dawning on him. There, etched onto the dragon's very essence, writhed a symbol of pure malice – an energy-devouring encryption, its strange markings pulsating with a malevolent glow."[Analyzing...]," Lumi's voice echoed in his mind, a hollow shell of its usual monotone. Moments later, the analysis concluded. "[Seal identified as a devouring attribute.]""Attribute?!" Aether's mind reeled. While the people of this world wielded elemental magic, he discovered that any element could be refined into a terrifyingly potent attribute. But to encounter such a power here, in this desolate cavern, defied comprehension. The one who had bound the dragon was undeniably powerful.Despair threatened to engulf him, but Aether refused to yield. He channeled all his focus back to the ongoing mana circulation. As his combined mana essence bathed the devouring seal, the pulsating markings flickered, almost welcoming the challenge. It was as if the seal itself sensed the audacity of a mere human attempting to break its hold.Aether gritted his teeth. This was not just about weakening the seal anymore. This was a battle of wills, a desperate struggle against an ancient and malevolent force. He poured every ounce of his determination into the mana circulation, the golden and blue energies swirling with renewed fervor. The air crackled with raw power, the very fabric of the citadel straining under the pressure.In the heart of the citadel, a brutal tug-of-war raged. Aether and the devouring seal locked horns, neither willing to yield. Yet, a bitter truth gnawed at him – his body, even with Lumi's assistance, was a fragile vessel straining at the seams. Exhaustion, a relentless tide, threatened to pull him under.A guttural cry escaped his lips, a desperate plea more for the dragon than himself. "Why are you giving up?" It wasn't directed at Lumi, but at the magnificent creature itself. Even amidst the war of wills, a foreign sensation bloomed within Aether – a potent cocktail of emotions that didn't belong to him. Anger, raw and primal, surged through him. A tide of pain, an echoing abyss of loss, threatened to consume him.This wasn't his pain. It was the dragon's, laid bare in this agonizing struggle. How could he, a mere human, feel such depths of despair? The answer chilled him. Reaching for the dragon's mana pool was akin to touching its very soul, a connection forged in desperation.Suddenly, a memory surfaced from the depths of his own despair. "I lost everything, I know that feeling very damn well," he whispered, the past clawing at him with fresh agony. But then, defiance ignited within him. What difference did his own suffering make now? Surrender wasn't an option. They had met, two souls adrift in this desolate world, and that connection was all that mattered.With a ragged breath, Aether roared a primal battle cry. "Fight!" he bellowed, his voice hoarse but laced with a ferocious determination. "Fight until you have nothing left! Until your very bones crack and your roar fades into silence!" He squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek. Images of his own lost home, his stolen love, flooded his vision. He wouldn't let them be forgotten. He wouldn't let the cruelty of fate win. So he fought.This battle wasn't just about saving the dragon, it was about defying the very forces that had inflicted so much pain. With a renewed surge of power, Aether channeled all his grief, his frustration, his unyielding will into the mana circulation. He would fight alongside the dragon, a human and a magnificent creature bound by shared loss, until their combined strength brought the ancient seal crashing down. The cavern walls pulsed with their combined effort, a testament to a fight fueled by a desperate hope and a shared refusal to surrender.The battle hung in the balance, a knife's edge between triumph and utter despair. The seal, a malevolent entity pulsating with devouring power, seemed on the verge of victory. Its tendrils of darkness constricted, threatening to snuff out the flickering light of Aether's combined mana.But then, a spark. A primal fire, ignited by a desperate plea and a shared history of loss, erupted within the dragon's core. This wasn't just Aether pushing against the seal; it was an ancient creature, roused from its forced slumber, fighting for its own freedom.The clash was brutal. The seal, designed to withstand brute force, found itself confronted with two adversaries united against it. Aether, fueled by his own grief and the dragon's raw anguish, channeled every last ounce of his strength into the mana circulation. The dragon, its essence entangled with the seal, roared a primal challenge, a defiance that resonated through the very stone of the citadel.But the battle raged on, a relentless tug-of-war that threatened to consume them both. Exhaustion, a suffocating shroud, began to pull Aether under. His vision blurred, the once vibrant magic circles fading into swirling shadows. He fought to maintain his grip, a desperate swimmer against a relentless current.Then, just as darkness threatened to claim him, a flicker of change. The seal's malevolent glow, once arrogant in its dominance, dimmed. Cracks, like spiderwebs, began to mar its surface. Aether's heart hammered against his ribs .His strength waned, his body a spent vessel. But the seal, weakened by the combined assault, pulsed with a waning hunger. With a final, desperate surge, Aether poured the remnants of his will into the mana circulation.The world dissolved around him. Darkness claimed him, a silent embrace as his eyelids fluttered closed. Yet, even in the abyss of unconsciousness, a sliver of defiance remained, a faint ember of hope flickering in the aftermath of their desperate struggle.