Chapter 201: Tragedy

I closed my eyes and reached out to the water mana once again. It quickly gathered around me in a bright blue hue. The people gathered at the bottom of the platform watched the scene with amazement.

"You can see the mana's manifestation. How incredible," Lana mumbled in awe.

I ignored them and instead focused my attention on guiding it toward Odenne's body. This time my goal was to attempt building a core of sorts that would act as a soul space to house the mana inside Odenne's body.

I watched in curiosity as large amounts of water mana suddenly flooded her body. It sank in from all her pores, causing her face to turn pale in an instant. A frown quickly made its way to my face.

Although I had ordered the mana to create a core inside Odenne's body, it seemed like my order was not very specific as the water mana circled through her blood vessels, almost as if searching for a suitable place to settle in.

A loud grunt escaped from Odenne's body which suddenly broke me out of my trance. I was too busy studying the pattern the water mana with, to notice that the girl could barely handle it any longer. I was about to cut off her connection with it and recall the mana when suddenly, she collapsed like a doll that had her strings cut.

Confused, I slowly approached the girl only to see the mana seep out of her body and fade away. Odenne was dead... It took me a second to realize what had just happened as I looked at her lifeless body. Blood was oozing out of her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

The sudden increase in mana was too much for her to handle. She was unable to endure it, as it circled inside her body. 'She died? Just like that?'

The people standing at the bottom of the platform suddenly realized what had just transpired. They quickly cupped their palms together and lowered their heads in a praying gesture.

"May her soul find eternal rest." They all spoke in unison.

"May her soul find eternal rest..." Lana muttered lightly with a complicated expression before she grabbed her notebook and began to write down something in it.

I, on the other hand, was still confused by the absurdity of it all. I knew it was risky, but I truly did not expect them to be so...weak. All it took was for the mana to circle her body a few times, and she was gone.

I did not mean to kill her, so her death left a bad taste in my mouth. I was aware of the dangers, and they were too, but it still did not feel good.

A long sigh escaped my mouth as I turned to glance at the space between the platform and the church. I closed my eyes and willed the earth mana to raise a large pillar. There, I carved out her name;

"Odenne Reef. Died honorably for the sake of all humanity." The bald priest read out loud. He glanced at the pillar in surprise and then turned to stare at me.

Although he tried not to show it, I could tell he was hurt by her loss. I used my mana to gently lift her body and set it in front of them before I spoke;

"Take her to be buried. She deserves to be honored, her bravery and sacrifice will not be forgotten. No one's sacrifice will be forgotten."

The group of people stared at the dead Odenne with complicated gazes before they all bowed at me with respectful expressions.

"Thank you, my lord." The priest was the one to speak.

He motioned for a few people to help him, as he personally carried Odenne's corpse back to the church. I waited for them to come back before the third volunteer made his way to the platform. I did not need to speak as he introduced himself.

"My name is Aaron Miner, and it is my honor to be of assistance, my lord." He said and gave me a deep bow. Aaron was a strong man in his thirties. He had a well-kept short black beard with equally short black hair.

I nodded again and repeated his name; "Aaron Miner, I'll remember that. Come, sit down, and try to relax."

"I will guide the mana inside your body. I need you to tell me when you can't handle it any longer, do you understand?" I asked, to which Aaron hurriedly nodded his head.

"I do, my lord."

"Good. Remember, it's extremely important for you to tell me when you reach your limit, don't try to push past it, that is not the purpose of this experiment." I reminded him just in case he tried to endure it longer than he could.

"I understand, please start, my lord."

Seeing as the man was ready, I nodded and closed my eyes. Water mana began to gather around me once again, only this time, I tried to send an even smaller whisp inside Aaron's body. He shuddered as the small string invaded his body, but otherwise remained unmoving.

The same situation repeated itself, the mana began to circle his body in an attempt to search for a suitable place. His arms, his legs, his chest, his groin. It went everywhere except for two places, his heart, and his brain.

Just as I was trying to see why that was, Aaron suddenly grunted and struggled to speak.

"I-I c-can't-"

Seeing that he was struggling, I decisively cut off his connection with the mana and forced it to dissipate. Aaron collapsed on his back but was thankfully still breathing. Sweat covered his face as he struggled to breathe. His organs were damaged after three circles.

'Three. Is that the limit for everyone, or is it the limit just for him?' I inwardly wondered.

I quickly waved my claw sending a whisp of my own mana to heal his damaged organs before I sent him down the platform.

My brows frowned as I began to think about the two places the mana couldn't reach. 'Does it perhaps have something to do with that mysterious power? Does it exist to protect the heart and brain?'