Watcher of Fate

Elara trudged through the desert sands, the moon casting a silver sheen over the vast expanse. The cool night air was a sharp contrast to the relentless heat of the day, and the shifting sands seemed to stretch on endlessly. Elara’s gaze was fixed on the horizon, but her mind was focused inward on the task she was grappling with.

“This feels stupid,” Elara grumbled, wiping sweat from her brow despite the coolness of the night. “Here I am, walking in the desert with the moon overhead, trying to form my mana core.”

Lily, walking beside her, chuckled softly. “Well, the first step of forming your core is tedious. You need to remove the unaffiliated mana from your existing pool. Your mana is mostly composed of that neutral, clear mana with only small portions of affinity-specific mana.”

Elara sighed, trying to maintain her focus on the process. “And how exactly does that help?”

“Once you start removing the clear mana,” Lily explained, her tone patient and knowledgeable, “your mana pool will shrink. It’ll continue to shrink until the amount of clear mana equals the amount of your affinity-specific mana. This is why most people do this in a secure place at a young age. At that point, your mana pool will grow again, but only with the affinities you’ve retained. So, you’ll effectively have a core that reflects your chosen affinities.”

Elara nodded, following along with the explanation. “And what happens when I get to that stage?”

Lily’s eyes sparkled with the reflection of the moonlight. “When you reach that point, your total mana pool will be the same size as your original pool, divided by the number of affinities you have. The performance of your spells will improve as they become more aligned with your chosen affinities. From there, you can refine your core by removing any affinities you no longer need.”

Elara considered this, her mind working through the implications. “So, I’ll have to manage which affinities I keep and discard based on what I find most useful.”

“Exactly,” Lily confirmed. “And once you get down to your last few affinities, I’ll teach you how to make one of them the primary driver of your mana. This will cause your mana to gain even more efficiency, and you’ll be able to adjust your status screen to show either your effective mana pool size or your actual mana pool size. Thanks to the increased efficiency, the effective size will be significantly higher than before.”

Elara looked at Lily with a mix of curiosity and determination. “That sounds like it could make a big difference in how I manage my mana.”

Lily nodded, her eyes reflecting the moonlight. “It will. The more streamlined and focused your mana core becomes, the more powerful and efficient your spells will be. It’s a process, but it’s worth the effort.”

Total Energy: 18,364 > 17,912

Completion: 2.8%

---

As the sun descended toward the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, the desert around Elara and Lily started to cool. The harsh heat of the day gradually gave way to a more comfortable warmth, but the landscape remained just as unforgiving. The sands, once glowing under the sun's relentless gaze, now began to take on a softer, more muted tone.

Elara walked beside Lily, her steps measured as she concentrated on the process of forming her mana core. She could feel the mana within her shifting and swirling, the unaffiliated mana slowly being siphoned off, leaving behind the strands of mana tied to her chosen affinities. It was a delicate process, one that required intense focus and control. The effort was strenuous, a constant pressure that weighed on her as she moved.

Beside her, Lily was alert, her gaze scanning the surrounding dunes with sharp precision. She had summoned several [Foxfire] puppets, each one patrolling the perimeter around them. The puppets moved with eerie grace, their forms flickering slightly as they hunted down and eliminated any small monsters that dared to approach. Now and then, a faint flicker of blue flame would light up the dusk as one of the puppets dispatched a creature, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke and the faint scent of charred air.

Elara could feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere, the way the land seemed to hold its breath as the day transitioned into night. She kept her focus inward, feeling the diminishing pool of clear mana and the corresponding growth of her affinity-tied mana. The balance was shifting, and she could sense that she was nearing a critical point in the formation of her core.

“I feel like I’m getting close,” Elara murmured, her voice laced with anticipation and exhaustion. The process had been slow, a steady drain on her energy, but she could feel the progress, the narrowing gap between the clear and affinity mana.

Total Energy: 18,364 > 3,482

Completion: 92.6%

Lily, who had been glancing out at the horizon, turned her full attention to Elara. Her gaze was intense, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she were peering through Elara’s very being. For a long moment, she said nothing, simply studying Elara with an unreadable expression.

Finally, Lily’s lips curled into a small, approving smile. “You’re right,” she said, her tone quiet but firm. “You’re close. I can see it. The balance is almost there. Keep going, and you’ll have your core fully formed soon.”

Elara nodded, a surge of determination rushing through her. Lily’s confidence in her bolstered her resolve, and she focused once more on the task at hand. The setting sun cast long shadows across the dunes, but Elara hardly noticed. Her world had narrowed to the delicate dance of mana within her, the shifting of elements as she worked to finalize her core.

As the last rays of sunlight began to fade, Elara felt the final remnants of clear mana dissipate, leaving behind the pure, vibrant threads of her chosen affinities. She was almost there, and she could feel the power of the forming core, pulsing softly within her like a heartbeat. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the final push, knowing that once this stage was complete, her magic would never be the same.

Lily continued to observe her with a look of quiet satisfaction, her sharp eyes taking in every detail of Elara's progress. After a few more moments, she spoke again, her tone carrying a hint of admiration. “You’re doing a good job, Elara,” Lily said, her voice softening with a rare touch of warmth. “For just a few days of work, you’re moving along faster than I expected. It often takes young demons a few weeks to accomplish what you’ve done in such a short time.”

Elara looked up at Lily, surprised by the compliment. “Really? I thought this was taking forever.”

Lily shook her head, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “No, trust me. You’re doing exceptionally well. Forming a core isn’t easy. It’s like reshaping the very foundation of your power. The fact that you’re so close in just a few days speaks volumes about your potential and determination.”

Elara felt a flicker of pride at Lily’s words, and the weight of her task seemed a little lighter. “Thanks, Lily. That means a lot.”

Their moment of camaraderie was abruptly interrupted when both of them caught something on the periphery of their senses. Lily's fox ears twitched, angling slightly in the direction of the disturbance. At the same time, Elara’s heightened perception through [Cognizance] alerted her to a faint shift in the air, a distant rumble of hoofbeats and the clash of steel, faint but unmistakable in the stillness of the desert dusk.

Both of them immediately stopped talking. Without exchanging a word, they began moving toward the source of the disturbance, keeping their footsteps light on the cooling sands. Lily’s sharp gaze scanned the horizon, her [Foxfire] puppets continuing to fan out around them, while Elara focused her senses further, allowing her awareness to stretch out like a web.

Elara held up a hand as they crested the next dune, signaling Lily to hold back for a moment. She wove the threads of [Greater Invisibility] around herself, becoming completely undetectable to sight and sound. She moved silently, carefully peering over the dune.

Below, she saw a chaotic scene unfolding. Several humans on horseback were engaged in combat with a group of large, snake-like creatures, half-human, half-serpent, their scaled lower bodies coiling and twisting with fluid agility. The creatures wielded long curved swords and spears, their upper bodies covered in intricate armor that glinted in the fading light. The way they moved was almost mesmerizing, each swing and lunge a calculated effort to fend off the horsemen that circled them.

Elara frowned, her heart quickening as she tried to piece together what was happening. From her vantage point, it was difficult to tell who was the aggressor. The humans on horseback were shouting commands, their voices carried on the wind, but the words were indistinct. One of the riders swung a sword down at a snake creature, who blocked it with a hiss and retaliated with a powerful swipe of its tail, knocking the rider from his horse.

Elara focused on one of the snake-like defenders to try to get a better idea of what she was dealing with, and an information box appeared in her vision:

[Lvl 23 Lamia Guard (Uncommon:362)]

“Lamia,” Elara murmured, mentally noting the name. Depending on who was telling the tale, she had heard vague stories about them, dangerous desert guardians or raiders. Her unease grew as she watched the Lamia fight, their expressions fierce and almost desperate. Their scaled tails whipped through the air, their weapons flashing in the twilight.

She then turned her attention to one of the humans on horseback, who was brandishing a curved sword and shouting to his comrades. He looked like a seasoned warrior, his movements strong and confident as he tried to rally the others. Another information box appeared:

[Lvl 27 Human Warrior (Common:195)]

Elara’s mind raced, trying to piece together the story from the scattered clues. Were the Lamia the aggressors, or were the humans the ones who had started this fight? She couldn’t tell who was in the right or wrong; the scene was too chaotic. Another horseman rode forward, slashing at a Lamia who was guarding something behind it, something she couldn’t quite see. The Lamia hissed and swung its blade with a speed that forced the attacker to retreat, blood dripping from a fresh wound on the rider’s arm.

Elara’s eyes darted around, looking for more context. The Lamia seemed to be forming a defensive ring around something. She squinted, trying to see what they were protecting, but the fallen bodies of camels and the dust kicked up by the horses clouded her vision.

Suddenly, she caught sight of movement, a group of people huddled low behind the carcasses of camels, desperately trying to stay out of sight. She hadn’t noticed them before amidst the confusion of battle. Elara’s heart skipped a beat as she realized they were human. She focused on one of them, and another information box popped up:

[Lvl 11 Human Trader (Common:68)]

Everything clicked into place. These were traders, hiding and terrified. The Lamia weren’t attacking; they were defending these people, forming a protective barrier against the mounted bandits who circled them like vultures. The riders weren't simply warriors but bandits intent on slaughter and theft.

Her breath quickened as the realization settled in. The Lamia, often feared or misunderstood, were the ones standing between the traders and certain death. And from what she could tell, if it weren’t for being so heavily outnumbered, the Lamia would have been able to hold their own.

Without wasting another second, Elara sprinted back to where Lily was waiting, the invisibility spell dropping as she approached. Her breath came quickly, but her tone was urgent and focused. “Lily, we have to move! There’s a caravan being attacked over that dune. The snake people, Lamia, they’re the good guys! They’re guards protecting a group of human traders, and the ones on horseback are bandits!”

Lily's eyes narrowed, her body immediately tensing with readiness. She gave a sharp nod, already directing her [Foxfire] puppets. “Got it. Let’s go save a caravan, then.”

They both turned, adrenaline coursing through them and began moving swiftly and silently toward the battle, ready to tip the scales in favor of the Lamia and the beleaguered traders.