What would happen to a young child who was abandoned on the battlefield? A young child who was forced to swallow the harshness of life and was forced to end someone’s life at the age of 14.
It would definitely depend on the person in the question, but there is one thing that would be clear.
It is a fact that the child would not be like a normal person.
“Master…..This addiction to killing….I may never be able to forget it…”
Lucavion stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving with each breath. The thrill of battle still buzzed in his veins, and the smile on his face betrayed the dark satisfaction he felt.
The battlefield around him was littered with the bodies of the fallen—eight pairs of humans and earth hounds and thirteen chimpanzees, their lifeless forms scattered across the bloodstained ground. The air was thick with the scent of blood and death.
His body ached from the exertion, muscles protesting with every movement. Lucavion could feel the sting of several wounds, the deeper ones reminding him of how close he had come to death multiple times during the fight. The chimpanzees, feral and relentless, had fought with a wild fury, but they were no match for his skill and precision.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a low-rank potion, uncorking it with a quick twist of his hand. The liquid inside glowed faintly, a pale blue light that promised relief.
“Gulp.”
Without hesitation, he downed the potion in one gulp, grimacing at the bitter taste as it slid down his throat. Almost immediately, he felt the effects—his wounds began to close, the pain receding as the potion worked its magic.
Lucavion wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze drifting over the battlefield. The carcasses of the fallen beasts and men lay strewn about, a reminder of the carnage that had just taken place.
He walked among the fallen, his expression unreadable once more. The thrill of the killing still lingered, but now it was tempered by a growing exhaustion.
“This place…..No one should come to this place for a while.”
Now that he had dealt with the pursuit team, he was in a state where he could finally relax a little bit. At least, he needed to, since while he was smiling at the end of the fight, that did not mean that he was in a good condition.
No, that was completely in reverse. He had also exerted himself. At some point, the chimpanzees also realized that he was the real target here. Thus, they also attacked him. The soldiers’ target was already him from the start. Thus, the battlefield turned into all versus him.
And that was taxing for him in the end. No matter the difference between the strengths, a bunch of people attacking one at the same time was bound to be taxing.
‘Now, I should mediate a little.’
As he reached the center of the battlefield, Lucavion sank to the ground, crossing his legs and settling into a lotus position. The silence of the forest enveloped him, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.
Closing his eyes, he began to meditate, drawing his focus inward. He needed to recover, to regain the strength he had expended in the fight.
As he breathed deeply, centering himself, he felt it again—that same cold, eerie mana rising around him.
Lucavion opened his eyes slightly, peering through his lashes at the nearest carcass—a chimpanzee, its body still and lifeless. The cold mana seemed to seep from the dead creature, tendrils of it snaking toward him, drawn to his presence like moths to a flame.
‘So, it wasn’t just the Shadow Stalker,’ he thought, his mind piecing together the puzzle. The cold mana wasn’t unique to that one beast. It was a byproduct of death itself, a residual energy that clung to the bodies of the fallen.
‘The mana of the death…..I see….’ He thought. Before, he had attributed the mana that he felt to Shadow Stalker, but now he realized.
That was not the case.
‘But how….’
And he had never heard of someone normal using the mana of death. Even necromancers did not use such mana. While they meddled with death and souls, it was not in this form. The man they used was Dark Mana, something that was still in the category of fundamental mana structures.
While the Dark Mages were mostly associated with evil and dangerous organizations, he had never heard of them utilizing the mana from the ones who died.
‘Something…..It must be something unique to me….’
Then he realized.
‘Is it because of my condition? Because my mana meridians were reversed?’
Just as he asked himself this question, he suddenly realized. That could really have been the case, as he was unable to sense the normal orthodox mana on his own. He needed a medium for that.
But, then, why did he have meridians?
For which reason did he have such things? If he would not be able to use mana, then why?
‘It was because of this.’
Rather than allowing him to sense and use orthodox mana, his body had adapted—or been forced to adapt—to something far more sinister and unique: the mana of death. His reversed meridians, far from being a hindrance, were, in fact, perfectly attuned to this energy. The realization sent a shiver down his spine.
‘I see.’
Lucavion had never been able to see this before because he had never meditated in the presence of death, not like this. The energy had always been there, lurking beneath the surface, but only now did he have the opportunity to tap into it.
But then another question arose, one that gnawed at the edge of his consciousness: if this was truly the mana of death, how was the [Serpent Flame Art] able to coexist with it?
He closed his eyes again, focusing on his core. The energies within him were not exactly coexisting in harmony as he had first thought. The fire-attributed mana of the [Serpent Flame Art] was not blending with the death mana—it was keeping it in check like a cage of fire holding back the cold darkness. The fire served as a counterbalance, preventing the death mana from overwhelming his system.
‘But that means…’
If the black mana truly was the mana of death, then its corresponding opposite must be the mana of life. His body, with its reversed meridians, was naturally attuned to death, but for balance, he would need to introduce the opposite—mana that was warm, vibrant, and life-affirming.
‘I need to adjust the mana flow… and the circulation…’
The idea began to take shape in his mind. If his body was naturally aligned with death mana, then to control it effectively, he would need to create a flow of life mana in the reverse direction of his own meridians. The two opposing forces could stabilize each other, much like how fire and death were interacting now.
Since he already knew how to draw in fire-mana, he could use that as a starting point. Fire was associated with life and destruction, but it still carried the warmth and vitality that life mana embodied.
He would have to reverse his thinking, channeling the fire mana in such a way that it flowed counter to the death mana’s natural path, balancing the energies within his core.
Lucavion began to mentally map out the new circulation path, imagining how the two energies would flow within him. It was a delicate balance—one wrong move, and the energies could clash violently, but if he could get it right, he would gain unprecedented control over both forms of mana.
Slowly, cautiously, he began to apply the theory. He focused on drawing in the fire mana, channeling it through his meridians in the opposite direction of the death mana’s flow. The sensation was strange, almost disorienting as if he were rewiring his own body’s natural instincts.
At first, the process was difficult; the fire mana was reluctant to move against the flow it was used to. But Lucavion persisted, guiding it carefully, adjusting the flow bit by bit. He could feel the death mana reacting, pushing back slightly, but not with the same violent resistance as before. The two energies began to settle into a tenuous balance, each keeping the other in check.
Sweat dripped down Lucavion’s brow as he concentrated, his entire focus on maintaining the equilibrium within him. It was exhausting, but he could feel it working. The fire mana, though still not perfect, was starting to stabilize the death mana, preventing it from spiraling out of control.
‘I’m getting closer,’ he thought, his determination renewed.
But he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. This was only the first step. He still needed to refine the process to perfect the balance between life and death within him.
But at least now, he had a direction—a way forward.
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