Spilling the beans

Nearly an hour and a half later, Lisa gracefully entered the living room, only to discover her brother already seated at the chair, immersed in sipping a cup of coffee. As she settled opposite to him, a palpable silence hung in the air, and it was evident from Lisa's expression that all was not well.

Her brother, sensing the tension, met her gaze and discerned the displeasure etched on her face. Choosing the wisdom of silence, he awaited her lead, curious about the impending discourse about secret of reaching silver mana core.

Finally, breaking the silence, Lisa spoke first, her eyes locked onto orions, a silent warning not to weave a tale. "First, enlighten me about your training today. No matter your talent, leaping ahead to yellow core should have taken you at least three more months," she demanded.

Setting his coffee cup down with deliberate calmness, orion turned towards her, meeting her gaze with a resolute demeanor. "As you surmised, the yellow core remained elusive. However, I did indulge in a sip of elixir before my meditation," he admitted.

Lisa's eyes bore into him with intensity. "Are you out of your mind? Elixirs may benefit ordinary mages, but you're not ordinary. Your progress rivals those who rely on elixirs already, even without them," she asserted.

Her gaze narrowed, frustration evident in her voice as she continued, "Have you forgotten the consequences, the last time you had used an elixir? Your very being had begun absorbing mana uncontrollably, threatening to engulf your entire heart. If it weren't for Grandpa's intervention, you would have been a burst of magical energy right then and there."

"Don't remind me of that," he uttered in response, his face contracting with the bitter memories of past mishaps that resurfaced in his mind.

"Ah, but this time, I've devised a solution," he reassured her, meeting her concerns with a calm conviction. "And as you can witness, I stand at the precipice of the yellow stage."

Lisa simply stared at him, amusement laced in her tone as she retorted, "A solution, you say? And here you are, a newly minted yellow core mage." Her words dripped with a hint of sarcasm.

Rather than disputing her acerbic remarks, he merely nodded, exuding an air of unwavering confidence as if she had gotten everything correct.

Observing his confident nod, Lisa's initial amusement contorted into a frown. In a burst of sharp words, she demanded, "Enough theatrics; tell me precisely what transpired... NOW." Her mana surged, permeating the surroundings, accompanied by an unmistakable aura of bloodlust.

She noticed the subtle tremor of his hand, and finally reined in her bloodlust, a testament to her newfound control after achieving the stage of a silver core.

"Alright, alright. I was about to spill the magical beans. No need to unleash the sibling wrath," her brother sighed, his tone carrying a tinge of dejection.

Commencing his revelation, he elaborated, "Upon imbibing the elixir and delving into meditation, a familiar current of overwhelming mana engulfed my entire being instead of just the heart, reminiscent of our past debacle. However, this time, I dispatched a pulse resonating with my unique mana signature into the surroundings—a trick, as Grandpa noted, only I can do. This not only tamed the voracious mana within my body but also allowed me to exert a little bit of influence over it, guiding its tumultuous flow to a different path." Pausing, he cast a glance at his sister and saw her smiling at him, though the sentiment behind it seemed far from jubilant.

Undeterred, he continued his narrative, "As the surging tide of mana threatened to burst forth from my whole body, acting swiftly, I intervened and diverted its trajectory with precision, forcefully guiding its magical torrent toward the heart rather than letting it run amok through my veins."

"Within the sanctum of my heart, under the transformative sway of my distinct mana signature, the influx of mana underwent a purification of extraordinary proportions," he elucidated, tracing the genesis of his newfound prowess.

"After the sudden purification of such a large amount of mana, the catalytic breakthrough transpired within the depths of my mana core, immediately breaking through into the yellow stage," he proclaimed, his words resonating with the weight of accomplishment.

"Yet, the newly ascended yellow core, hungry for more mana, unfurled a potent suction force, drawing in the residual mana within itself. A dance of power ensued, but with the newly advanced core effortlessly storing the excess mana within its expanded capacity," he concluded, his explanation painting a vivid tapestry of his magical mastery.

"So, the key point was sending a shock wave of my own mana signature into the surrounding mana using my unique attribute. It allowed me to influence the wild mana a little. It needed too much focus, of course, and could have gone sideways just as quickly, but it was a calculated risk. And before you say it, I know it wouldn't work again, as the amount of required mana will be too much to break through into the radiant yellow core."

In response to his final words, a wordless fury seized Lisa. Rising abruptly, she delivered a resounding smack to his head, a force that sent both him and his chair sprawling to the ground backward.

"Are you bereft of reason?" she thundered in anger, her voice echoing with frustration.

"Absorbing even a slightly greater quantity of mana could have spelled catastrophe. Your fledgling core might have buckled under the strain, or worse, your mana core could have detonated from the excess amount. And let's not even entertain the notion of your heart succumbing to the explosive aftermath— even if you had achieved success, it would have been a torturous ordeal."

Her tone softened, revealing a rare glimpse of concern, "This indicates you're still in considerable pain, aren't you?" She spoke, pointing at his still trembling hand.

"You can't hide it from me, ori. I've been watching over you since you were a toddler," she said as she looked at him with a soft gaze.

Long before this moment, she had sensed his unease, beginning with the subtle tremor in his hand during her earlier outburst. She knew very well that her brother, who had trained under their grandfather's watchful eye, wasn't the one to be rattled by the bloodlust of a mere silver core mage.

In all her years, she had never witnessed him succumb to fear, not even in the presence of their formidable grandfather— And if there's anything she knew about their grandpa, it's that he was strong, unbelievably so.

"It was too risky. Too many uncertain factors. If even a single thing had gone wrong, you could have.... died." Her last words ebbed into a whisper, the remnants of anger evaporating as her eyes welled with tears.

Lisa pulled him closer, enveloping him in a tight embrace, "Why ori? Why do you persist in risking your life like that? It's not just now; every time, on every one of your training sessions, you exudes an urgency, as if time is slipping away. Why this perpetual haste?" Lisa posed a poignant question as she released him from her hold. Her eyes now locked with his, seeking the answers.