The old man looked at Astaroth, seeing his eyes tear up, and his anger washed away.
"Aye. It is good to see you too, Astaroth."
Astaroth got up, with some difficulty, and hugged the old man tightly. But not long after he did, he suddenly felt a huge drain on his mana, his legs becoming weak again.
Astaroth used Mana Siphon, which he rarely used, just to sustain the sudden immense draw on his mana. He could feel the mana all rushing into his ring, and even Aberon felt it.
The old man frowned at Astaroth, wondering why he was suddenly sending all his mana to the ring on his hand.
"What are you doing, young man?"
"It's not me. Something is wresting control of my mana from me."
Astaroth felt that the mana he had just siphoned was still not enough, and used Mana Siphon a second time, already feeling his stomach churn. He hated using that skill for this exact reason.