'Unbelievable…' Zalanderi stood with alert eyes as he witnessed such a feat. 'Mere days ago, this young man hadn't the slightest hint of a Mana Heart.'
Avonso grasped his own shirt. Pain edged his teeth, but he refused to show it. "It worked. Haha! It did. Ugh… I made it work."
"It's a wondrous world, truly. To create a Mana Heart shows great talent." Zalanderi hummed as he concentrated on the hum of Avonso's Mana Heart. "And its frequency... That's my frequency."
Then, a realisation struck him. He smiled, "I see. Whilst the ritual might fail at creating your own Mana Heart, you must've taken precautions and set up a backup ritual to copy a proximal Mana Heart, fixing yours."
"I've devised this whole ritual for four years," Avonso said, exhaling air from his tightened lungs. "Failure was never an option for me."
Zalanderi crossed his arms. "They say with enough gall, any man could achieve heaven. I cannot understate the dangers of what you've done. But I see it as a cause for celebration. A warrior's heart awoke to protect, as duty should be."
A plasma-like orb appeared as soon as Zalanderi began moving a finger. A small but sufficient display of his own control over matter. "Mana Hearts connects us to the spiritual energies, and in turn, we supply that heart with our own energy. That balance creates life itself."
Avonso nodded his head and smirked. "That makes sense. I take it lady luck was on my side?"
"It's seldom luck. Many a time it's the indomitable spirit of one stubborn human. Either way, never lose your way."
Avonso chuckled; he moved half a step before suddenly stopping. His muscles ached and constricted for a fraction of a second. "Gak! What was that?"
'Huh… Northwest. That's where the mountain ranges meet the shores,' Zalanderi mused to himself. He felt 'it' too. He looked back at Avonso, his expression schooled.
"You have my keen senses with your copy-heart. How curious…" Zalanderi stroked his lightly trimmed beard. "A stage 1 with stage 4 senses…"
"That's an unexpected result?" Avonso asked, scratching the back of his head. "Shouldn't it be within reason?"
"If you've studied at the Imperial Academy, you would've known how impossible that is," Zalanderi responded. "More or less, that's not a topic that I've delved into in my studies. I can't offer advice."
"You've offered a lot, Sir." Avonso bowed his head slightly. "Why would a commander like you show interest in a person such as myself?" Avonso gestured around, half-jokingly.
"I understand how you feel. Let's just say I despise making bad impressions. Unlike many, I'd love to be one less person making another's day worse."
Zalanderi clasped his hands behind his back, moving slowly away. "Take care of yourself, young man."
Turning away, Zalanderi's face twisted. 'Northwest. That feeling… Undeniable...'
Avonso waved the noble off. Then, when Zalanderi went out of view, his face turned stone cold.
He felt the trembling of energy in his heart. 'Almost…' he almost mumbled out loud.
"I'll be back, Grandpa," he said with a half-hearted smile as he left the family shop. Walking in the clean air of Kettlesville, Avonso felt the calm aura of the simple life, intermixed with his unease. Simple buildings made of stone and wood. Gravel roads and small gardens. But somehow his gaze was distant.
'I must hurry…' he thought. His pace quickened towards the residential area. Turning a corner, he finally got home.
'Made it…' Click. He opened one locked door inside the house.
Then, his face soured as he observed a figure lying on a bed, in a coma, from what it seemed.
Avonso sat beside the figure, a woman the same age as him, with softer features than his, but undeniably related. Her brown hair silky and smooth, but dishevelled from sleep.
Avonso's hand clenched. He put one hand over her chest and growled in pain. 'Transfer! 'Transfer, damn it!' he shouted mentally.
The Mana Heart was being actively torn apart, and the painful torture of the process never seemed to ease.
But he endured, and the process eased very slowly. Avonso collapsed. Hunched at the edge of the bed, he desperately held his aching stomach back. He took a look at the woman. Despite that torture, he smiled.
"Soon… You'll wake up. Soon, Bruna. Just hold on for dear life. I beg of you," he whispered. He felt her Mana Heart, partially broken like his, but still healing.
Avonso's stomach turned and twisted. Unable to keep it in, he threw up blood on the floor next to the bed. "Two more times," he said in a raspy voice, as he wiped off the blood. "Even if it kills me, I'll do it."
Some days later…
Zalanderi went out for a quiet walk around his estate. He was deep in thought when he noticed 3 cavalry guards approaching the gates of his manor. They wore the purple and gold colours of the imperial couriers.
He grimaced at the sight. 'Those men. Never good news,' he thought. As they approached, he stood straight as he freshened up his beard and tied his hair in a ponytail. Because 'a noble should always look good'. And he did dress the part, wearing black pants, an under-shirt, and a Victorian long jacket laced with gold patterns.
The 3 horsemen neared. Zalanderi could feel the POWER radiating from them. Using his keen eyes, he could discern the normally invisible purple aura around them. They wore the normal courier clothes of their class; white armour with purple stripes.
Zalanderi bowed slightly. "Great couriers. "What do I owe this visit for?" he greeted.
The head of the unit—a bulky man with a scar on his nose—nodded, "Sir. Ernos Zalanderi. You are needed for an urgent summon. All nobles of the central houses are needed."
Zalanderi raised an eyebrow. "What is this about? I've already submitted my leave. I no longer represent House Zalanderi."
"The heiress of House Zalanderi refuses to attend in your stead," the courier said. "Sadly, that leaves you no choice."
"She…" Zalanderi sighed. He looked down and shook his head; he looked almost pitiable when the heiress was mentioned. "I'll attend with the orb, if that's allowed."
The courier nodded, then tossed an orb to Zalanderi. "That concludes business." The courier looked around, taking a breath of the air. He smirked. "You've lost some weight, by the way."
"You've gained some, Jack," Zalanderi replied with a smile. "I almost thought it'd be bad news with you coming here personally."
Jack laughed. "No, no. I've some other business west of this area. Thought you might appreciate the company."
"Whilst I do, I wouldn't keep a busy courier sitting around, would I?"
"Hah! Of course not. I'll be on my way then. And… Nice place."
With the couriers hurrying away, Zalanderi tightened his fist around the orb. 'She's still too ashamed of me,' Zalanderi mused wistfully.
'They never miss a chance to drag a retired man out of his retirement, hmm…'
Zalanderi sat with his chin on his palm, mildly disinterested as he stared at the flickering orb in front. He had this type of call more times than he could care to count. 'The wonder of modern magic refineries: the latest and greatest communication orb.'
Zalanderi began to tap absent-mindedly. Then finally, a clear image appeared before him.
Three thousand seats, and the grandiose council room of Qunulle (commonly pronounced Kon-Yul by the locals). There were many who also chose to commence with the meeting using a communication orb. Four sides of rows of seats surrounded a central stage, each denoting the directions of the empire.
'In these types of meetings, refusal couldn't be accepted. Imperial mandate and all.'
But the person of the show was missing. 'I guess this wasn't big enough for him to care…' Zalanderi began to wonder about the nature of this summit.
Finally, an average-sized man with short ginger beard and long hair stood in the middle of the stage. It looked like as if he had forgone self-care for a week, maybe a month. His beard was already about 3 cm in length and unkempt. Dark circles were under his eyes. He had a light-ish to fair complexion.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the council," he began. "Per usual, I, Hesham Goratti—general secretary of the state—will represent our glorious emperor and his interests."
He moved his hands, and several papers floated in the air. "These are the reports from last week. Golden Coast brigades are engaged in close-POWER combat with their sister nation, Silver Coast, near the east shores of Qadysa. The combat took place on merchant ships, and many of our ships were caught in the middle of that conflict."
'Qadysa… that's too close to Qunulle,' Zalanderi thought.
An out-of-turn noble spoke loudly in disgust. "What were they aiming at, engaging their civil war near our empire?"
Then another, "Our prestige is at risk. We must retaliate posthaste!"
Hesham glared at each one of them and then waved his hand. "Silence!"
A moment of quiet, then he continued. "His majesty has ordered this summit not for war but to resolve this matter quickly."
Hesham waved his hand to the eastern side of the council. "Eastern families, begin to mobilise the legions to defend. Make sure some units board the shipments and protect our interests at sea."
Then, he gestured to the rest. "The rest – there's an urgent matter, if not the most urgent."
Murmurs flooded the hall. Zalanderi—far away in his manor in Kettlesville— could only look at the orb anxiously.
Hesham sighed; his eyes darkened even more than his eye bags. "I hereby declare an emergency state! The Malevolence has returned!"
"What?!"
"Impossible! It should've been exterminated long ago!"
"Legions protect us; this is unbelievable!"
Shouts echoed and echoed to the point of deafening eardrums. Hesham shouted louder, "All families raise your levies. Cooperate with the imperial legions and secure your cities!"
Zalanderi, when he heard, was equally shocked. His face flickered between anger and gloom. 'So much for peace!' he mentally shouted.
His hand slammed the table hard enough for it to bend. His other hand constantly massaging his forehead. "General Secretary, I, Ernos Zalanderi, would like to petition for a temporary position. I need units north!"
Hesham only noticed the orb in the seat of the Zalanderi house on the eastern side. He sighed and said, "Granted. Let us discuss more after the hearing."
Said hearing went by quickly after. There were coordination efforts, and the summit didn't erupt into pure chaos. Thanks to Hesham, of course.
Alone now, Hesham gave the orb his back and spoke in a sorrowful tone. "You're sure about this, Sir. Zalanderi?"
Zalanderi scoffed, "Sure as hell sure."
"Alright. After handling the paperwork, I'll inform you more about the details," Hesham replied. "I see that she hasn't made it…"
"Yes, she hasn't. I don't think she will. That girl discarded her past," Zalanderi said, his voice tighter than normal. "Have you seen her?"
"No, I haven't," Hesham said, looking down at the ground. "I'm truly sorry. But all I can offer is my best wishes for your reunion soon."
Zalanderi could feel an involuntary yet sad smile creeping up his mouth. He had no choice but to lower his sharp tone. "Thank you. I'll… I'll take care of things on my end."
"Good luck then…"