CHAPTER 19

Today was supposed to be a normal day, but somehow it wasn't. I'm currently sitting in front of a group of grey-haired old men and women, watching a video of my fight with Rose. Unsurprisingly, the video seemed to focus on the parts where I used the abilities of my new transformation. One of the old men snapped his fingers, and the video paused.

"I suppose you already have an idea of the reason you were summoned before the council," he said.

"Yes," I replied "You have questions about my transformation ability

"You're wrong," he continued. "The reason we summoned you here today is to warn you against using that ability."

"..."

"May I ask the reason?" I asked unable to figure out his thoughts from his blank face.

"You don't need to," the old man replied, folding his arms. "Just minimize the usage of the ability, or preferably, just seal it away."

A deafening smack echoed throughout the chamber. I jumped in my seat, my eyes wide with shock.

"What kind of a disciple are you?" an old woman asked the man "Do not mind this unruly disciple of mine young man" she said

I nodded, trying to imagine myself in the old man's shoes. How on earth was he still sitting there, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened?

The old woman continued speaking. "Have you ever heard of the term 'forbidden spell,' young man?" she asked.

I shook my head, and she continued. "While powerful spells are a good thing, there are some spells that are too powerful for the average mage - or even some archmages - to handle, causing them to have adverse effects on the caster.

She glanced at me, and seeing the thoughtful look on my face, she continued. "Some of these spells are discovered or created by mages themselves, but without proper knowledge, things can go wrong. Some of these spells are too complex for normal mana to handle, causing them to draw on something else."

She went on to explain how most forbidden spells tend to run on lifeforce rather than mana. There are different types of mana in existence, normal everyday mana being the most basic one. There's also immortal mana, divine energy, and many others.

Most forbidden spells require immortal mana, which doesn't exist in most dimensions. Because of the lack of immortal mana, the spells begin to absorb the purest form of mana around them - which, in most cases, is lifeforce.

"So that means..."

"Yes, you're lucky though. Fragments are almost immortal, they won't die a natural death nor would they die from losing lifeforce no matter how much it is. But what if the spell decides to take something else, something like soul energy? What do you think would happen?" she asked, and I frowned at the thought.

"That's not all," she said. "Just because you weren't killed by the spell doesn't mean there's no bad news." Her gaze turned solemn."Due to your long-term usage of the ability, the mana veins in your body were strained from carrying more energy than they're able to." Her words filled me with dread. "What are the side effects?" I asked

"It would also lead to an inability to cast large-scale spells and you won't be able to use mana continuously for a long period of time," she continued. "It would even affect your cast speed and the effectiveness of your spells, also keep in mind that overusing the already damaged mana veins may cause temporary or permanent loss of magic affinity."

I felt my heart sink at her words. "Is there any cure?" I asked

She paused for a moment, then spoke. "For normal mages, yes. But for fragments... well, see for yourself." she smiled wryly

DING!!

[NEW QUEST ISSUED]

[COMPLETELY FUSE WITH A PUPPET]

[OBJECTIVE ONE: FIND TWO SOUL STABILIZING FLOWERS]