Mana Corruption
The realization hit Eryndor hard. He had seen it before—an insidious force that twisted the minds of beasts and creatures, turning them into mindless, savage monsters. Ordinary animals couldn't withstand such corruption; it overwhelmed them, driving them to senseless violence.
His jaw tightened. "This is no ordinary hunt," he muttered, rising to his feet. "We're dealing with mana corruption." He looked back at the children, his eyes grim. "Stay alert. These woods are more dangerous than we thought."
Poll's heart raced. Mana corruption... He remembered reading about it in his books—an affliction mostly battled by purifiers.
Mana corruption occurs when mana, the energy that fuels magic, becomes tainted or unstable. Prolonged exposure to corrupted mana affects both the environment and living beings, turning creatures into monsters or causing physical and mental deterioration in people. This corruption spreads like a disease, warping everything it touches, and is often difficult to purify without powerful magic or special purification artifacts.
In simpler terms, it's like an advanced virus or curse that spreads through contact.
Elowen's expression hardened, her usual calm replaced by fierce determination. Mana corruption... This is my calling, she thought. One day, I'll cleanse this corruption, once I have my own purification artifact. Though she wasn't ready yet, the fire inside her burned brighter.
"I'll face this someday," Elowen said quietly, her eyes steady. "But for now, we need to be careful."
Eryndor's eyes scanned the treeline, his mind racing. He instinctively reached for his guild badge, but then paused, remembering how far they were from any signal. They were too deep in the forest to communicate with the guild.
I can't reach them from here, he thought, frustration tightening his chest. If I could inform the guild, they'd send reinforcements, but we're on our own.
I have to end this today, Eryndor resolved, his jaw clenched. If the mana corruption spreads any further, this entire forest could be doomed. The creatures will become uncontrollable, and the land itself may suffer. His eyes hardened.
He turned to the group, his voice steady but urgent. "We can't wait for help. If this corruption spreads, it could destroy the entire forest—and everything in it. We have to deal with this now."
Eryndor turned to the children, his expression serious. "Kaida, Lira, Elowen—take Poll and go inform the guild. Use this communication badge." He handed it to Kaida.
Poll's heart raced. "But Father, this is too dangerous! I can't just leave you here alone!"
Eryndor knelt down and placed a firm hand on Poll's head. "Don't worry, Poll. I've faced worse."
Suddenly, a low growl rumbled from the shadows. Within seconds, a pack of corrupted nightwolves emerged from the dense trees, their glowing, bloodshot eyes fixed on them. The air grew thick with malice.
Poll's eyes widened in shock. "How are they working together? I thought they were mindless creatures!"
Eryndor's face darkened. "You're damn right."
This isn't normal. He thought.
"Huh... this is such a pain," Eryndor muttered, cracking his neck and taking a deep, calming breath. "Now I have to take this fight seriously." He straightened, his demeanor shifting to one of focused determination. "Watch me closely, Poll."
"Kaida, Lira, Elowen!" Eryndor barked. "Get on guard!"
Before he could say more, the nightwolves lunged.
In an instant, chaos erupted. The battle had begun.
Without hesitation, Eryndor and Kaida moved into action.
Eryndor surged forward, his great sword glinting as he cleaved through the first wolf in one devastating motion. The beast didn't even have time to yelp before it crumpled to the ground. Another lunged from the side, claws extended toward his neck. With a sharp pivot, Eryndor's blade met the creature mid-air, piercing its chest. Blood sprayed as he withdrew his sword, his eyes hard and focused.
"They're flanking!" Kaida shouted, her voice sharp as she spun to intercept a wolf leaping at her from the left. Her blade flashed in a clean arc, tearing through its flank. The beast staggered, snarling in pain, but Kaida didn't hesitate. She pressed forward, her strikes sharp and deliberate, creating an opening in their formation.
"Don't let them surround you!" Eryndor barked, parrying another wolf and kicking it aside. His blade came down with crushing force, splitting the creature in half. He glanced at Kaida, who was already moving toward her next target.
"I've got this," she shot back, her tone unwavering as she sidestepped another lunge. Her blade deflected snapping jaws with a metallic clang before driving into the wolf's throat.
The pack seemed endless, their glowing red eyes cutting through the darkness as they closed in. Eryndor and Kaida moved like seasoned partners, their coordination seamless. Kaida's swift, precise strikes created gaps in the wolves' advance, and Eryndor capitalized on them with overwhelming power.
"They're more organized than they should be," Kaida muttered, ducking under a set of claws and slicing upward in one smooth motion.
Suddenly, three wolves lunged simultaneously—two toward Eryndor and one aiming for Kaida's back.
"Kaida, behind you!" Poll shouted urgently from a distance, standing beside Elowen.
Without turning, Kaida twisted her blade backward, catching the wolf mid-air and spinning to slash through its side. She exhaled sharply, her eyes locking with Eryndor's for a fleeting second.
"I told you I've got this," she said with a smirk.
"Heh… Show-off," Poll muttered with an impressed smirk in his face.
Surrounded by snarling beasts, they stood their ground, their movements an intricate dance of survival and skill. The forest echoed with the clash of steel and the howls of the defeated.
A pack of nightwolves approached Poll, their glowing eyes filled with malice.
Elowen quickly raised her trembling hands, channeling her mana as a glowing shield erupted around him. The barrier shimmered with an ethereal light, its surface pulsing faintly as if alive. "Don't worry, Poll," she said softly, her voice quivering but resolute. "I'll protect you."
The nightwolves lunged, their claws and fangs crashing into the shield with a thunderous impact. Sparks of mana flared at every collision, rippling outward like concentric waves, but the barrier held firm. Despite the ferocity of their attacks, it refused to waver—a testament to Elowen's sheer determination.
"I know I don't have an artifact," she whispered under her breath, her gaze unwavering as she focused her energy. "But I've studied enough to know how to stop mana corruption."
Poll, nestled safely within the glowing cocoon, tilted his head, his sharp mind racing to analyze the phenomenon. Incredible, he thought, watching as the force of the wolves' strikes dissipated in dazzling waves across the shield's surface. This isn't just a barrier—it's dynamic, almost reactive. This is definitely unique attribute, with some creativity, it could do more than just defend.
Nearby, Lira stepped forward, her staff blazing with fiery energy. She slammed it into the ground, sending a tremor rippling through the earth. "Oh, you poor mutts," she hissed, her voice laced with unhinged glee. "You've picked the wrong fight today."
Her staff flared to life, glowing with a searing energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. A wicked grin spread across her face as she spun it once, the blazing tip aimed toward the advancing nightwolves. "Let's turn up the heat!"
With a sharp snap of her fingers, a wave of roaring flames erupted forward, crashing into the pack like a fiery tide. The wolves yelped as the mana-infused fire consumed them, their shadows flickering wildly within the inferno. The acrid scent of scorched fur and burning corruption filled the air as the beasts staggered back, snarling in pain.
"Not enough for you? Fine," Lira taunted, spinning her staff with a dramatic flourish as embers danced around her like fireflies. Her laughter rang out, sharp and defiant. "Then let's take this to the next level!" She thrust her staff skyward, summoning a swirling pillar of flames that coiled around her like a living serpent. With a powerful motion, she hurled it at the wolves, the resulting explosion lighting up the forest in hues of gold and red.
The charred remains of the wolves twitched as corrupted mana seeped into the earth. Lira narrowed her eyes, her fiery aura blazing brighter. "Go to hell and tell the devil," she muttered, her tone sharp and cold. "In the human realm, there's a mage you should fear—Lira Wyndall." With a fierce motion, she unleashed another inferno, reducing the remnants to nothing but ash.
From behind his barrier, Poll gawked at the sheer chaos. His mind raced as he took in the dazzling destruction unfolding before him.
Heh… wow…
Now that's what you call a badass wizard, he thought, eyes wide with amazement.
Just as the group began to move, a massive figure emerged from the shadows behind Poll. The nightwolf pack leader, larger and more menacing than the others, appeared almost out of thin air. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Poll as it lunged forward.
Eryndor's heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in shock. "Shadow movement?! They shouldn't be intelligent enough for that!" he muttered, the realization hitting him.
Someone must be controlling it!
Before anyone could react, the pack leader snarled and swiftly grabbed Poll in its massive claws, lifting him off the ground as if he were a mere doll. The wolf growled low, its jagged teeth gleaming in the dim light, threatening Eryndor with a silent message. Poll dangled helplessly in its grip, the terror in his eyes clear.
Eryndor gripped his sword tightly, his knuckles white. "Poll!" he shouted, his voice laced with desperation. The sight of his son in the creature's grasp filled him with dread, but also rage. He knew he couldn't make a rash move—one wrong step, and the wolf might harm Poll.
Kaida, Lira, and Elowen stood frozen for a moment, the shock of the sudden attack hitting them. But Lira's grip on her staff tightened her mind racing. If they're being controlled, we need to stop the source… but how?
Elowen's protective barrier shimmered around her and Kaida, but Poll was beyond its reach. "What do we do?" Elowen asked, her voice shaking but steady.
Time seemed to slow down for Poll as he dangled helplessly in the grip of the nightwolf pack leader. The world around him faded into a blur, the sounds of growls, shouts, and the wind all becoming distant echoes. His heart pounded in his chest as panic flooded his mind.
Soo this is end…!!
What did I do wrong?
Why am I here? Fear gripped him, suffocating his thoughts.
I…. don't want to die.
…!
Flashes of his past life suddenly surged in his mind—glitching, fragmented memories flickering like broken images. Happy moments, sorrowful ones, family, work, and the weight of forgotten knowledge filled his consciousness. Pages of theoretical papers on nuclear reactors and intricate formulas merged with concepts of element theory, mana, and magic. It was as if the wisdom of a forgotten memories struggling to resurface—blurred yet potent, like a tidal wave of unspoken past crashing over him.
In that moment, something clicked.
His breathing slowed, his fear shifting into something else—a deep, instinctual understanding. Words he had never spoken before echoed in his mind, Do it
Rising to his lips almost on their own.
"Nuclear explosion... atomic dismantle," he whispered, his voice trembling as he raised a shaking hand toward the wolf.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. The rapid pounding of his heart echoed in his ears, each beat growing louder, matching the intensity of the moment.
In an instant, raw mana surged from his body. It poured from his hand like a tidal wave, crackling with overwhelming force. The nightwolf leader was hurled into the sky as if struck by an invisible hammer, its form twisting and disintegrating under the sheer pressure. The force continued to build, and then—
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted in the air, lighting up the darkened sky with fiery brilliance. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the treetops and scattering leaves as though a violent storm had passed through. Flames danced across the sky, casting an eerie, flickering glow over the battlefield as the air crackled with residual energy. Ash rained down in a surreal, almost serene contrast to the chaos moments before.
For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath, stunned by the raw display of destructive power. The nightwolf was gone—obliterated entirely by the sheer magnitude of Poll's spell.
Poll stood frozen, his arm still raised, his eyes wide and unseeing. Then, without a word or reaction, he collapsed to the ground, fainting as the energy drained from him completely.
----
.....!!
Where am I…?
As Poll drifted in unconsciousness, the remnants of his spell hung in the air—a testament to his power and potential.