Chapter 203: Big step

Three more names were added to the pillar today. Two women, and one man, bringing the total number of volunteers down to ten. The man that died was also a knight. I attempted the same thing that I did with Rolus, and tried to get the mana to interact with his brain... It exploded.

The two female volunteers died in similar ways. By the time the third volunteer, a young man that was barely in his early twenties walked up to the platform, it was already time for the sun to set.

I glanced at him without any expectations but still asked for his name, nonetheless.

"My name is Jon Light, and my life is yours, my lord!" He gave me what seemed to be a military salute before he approached.

"Jon Light," I nodded before I continued, "I'll remember that."

Jon quickly sat down with his back straight and closed his eyes as he awaited for the mana to come. I inwardly nodded and gently sent a whisp into his body. To my immediate surprise, his body did not seem to reject it. At least not instantly.

This gave me the faint glimmer of hope I'd been searching for. I didn't rush anything, nor did I guide the mana to head toward his heart or brain; instead I allowed it to continue circling his body in search of a suitable place.

One circle, two circles, three circles, by the time tha mana was about to complete its fourth circle, small beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. This made me nervous as I silently cheered on the man. This was the closest we've ever gotten!

By the fifth circle, the mana slowly began to gather right under his heart. It created a sphere that surrounded the strange aura protecting his heart. The problem was that the process was agonizingly slow, and Jon was having a hard time holding on.

"Hang in there! It's almost over!" I couldn't help by call out when I saw that he was about to lose control.

His brows frowned as he gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating ordeal. The people standing at the bottom of the platform held their breath as they watched small strands of "visible" mana materialize around Jon's body.

Light gasps escaped their mouths as they began to whisper amongst themselves in disbelief. The tension continued until finally, it was done. Jon's brows eased as the small strand of mana settled around the aura protecting his heart.

It didn't interfere with it and instead seemed to be satisfied with hanging around a distance over it. The young man did not stand up immediately, he remained seated with his eyes closed as he sensed the changes within his body.

After a few minutes, he finally opened his eyes and glanced at me with a joyful expression. "I-I did it?" He asked hesitantly. A wide grin extended across my face as I nodded.

"That you did."

His face was flushed as he bowed his head down.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Strange, it feels like there's something new inside of me, I can feel a connection. It's hard to explain..."

"That's good. That means you can sense the mana stream," I explained.

I could see his new 'mana core' though I wasn't sure if it was correct to call it that. It had a strand that extended from It all the way to the stream above. The connection was created as soon as his core solidified.

'Interesting. It's different from what I expected it to be."

"W-What do I do, my lord?" Jon asked with bated breath. He could hardly hold back his excitement.

"Calm down first. Steady your breathing, and try to better sense the changes in your body. Feel the mana as It breaths inside of you."

He closed his eyes and followed my instructions diligently. I could instantly feel his mood calm down. I waited for a few more minutes as his shoulders relaxed before he let out a long exhale and opened his eyes once again.

"I'm ready!" He said with a resolute face.

I nodded and spoke;

"First, try to talk to the mana. Reach out to it, treat it as a friend, a companion, a lover if you must. Do not command it, simply ask it for help. Do you think you can do that?"

"I-I can try!" The young man hesitated for a second before he quickly regained his composure.

He then closed his eyes and frowned his brows in concentration. I watched in interest as the mana particles inside his body began to squirm and turn. The mana used to create his core was water mana, but with the link, he had to the stream, I was able to see different elements float about.

The water mana that initially made his core had already left and joined the stream, replacing it was earth mana, then after a while, it was wind mana, then fire mana. All four elements kept rotating inside his core. It was truly a fascinating scene.

'Does that mean he can use all elements?' I wondered. If so, didn't that make him truly overpowered?

My answer came soon after;

"My lord; I-I can sense the different elements! But they refuse to heed my call. Only the earth mana is responding, albeit even that is too weak."

I nodded. That made more sense. So the link allows the various elements to fill his core, but that does not mean he could use them as he, pleases.

'So in the end, it comes down to affinity?'

"Since you said that earth mana responded to your call, that means that you have an affinity with it. Try to use it."

Jon nodded before he began his attempt. It took him a few minutes before he was able to conjure a single tiny rock. Meanwhile, I kept an eye on his core with interest. The second he began reaching out to the earth's mana, all of the other elements scrambled away and flew back to the stream leaving behind only the earth's mana.

It was from that where Jon was able to successfully wield it.

"I did it!" He cried out in shock. The rock barely materialized before he lost control over the mana, which sent the floating tiny rock down to the ground.

"Haha, you did." I couldn't help but chuckle. It didn't look like much, but It was a huge step in the right direction.