The fire crackled softly at the center of the cavern.
It was not large, but it was clean, protected by simple seals and filled with the faint scent of calming herbs. César sat with his back straight, eyes closed, breathing in a steady rhythm.
After long preparation, César was ready to begin forming his Mana Core.
In front of him, Asia watched with absolute focus.
"Don't force the mana," the dark elf said quietly.
"Let it rotate. If you pressure it now, it will fracture."
César nodded slowly.
Around him, the other two remained silent.
Sasha, the beautiful Gnoll, sat to his left. Her body resembled that of a hyena more than a person's: strong legs, a slightly hunched posture, a powerful jaw, and upright ears that reacted to every sound. Her tail swayed back and forth with restrained energy, softly striking the ground whenever she grew nervous.
Her yellow eyes never left César.
To her, he was not just her leader.
He was her boyfriend, the love of her life.
Lina, the only goblin present, sat on his other side. Her hands were pressed against the ground, her body leaning toward him, as if she feared something might go wrong if she moved even a single step away.
"You can do it," Lina whispered to herself. "Everything will be fine."
César felt the mana respond.
Not with violence.
With stability.
Asia knelt in front of him.
Her long fingers, dark-skinned and careful, rested gently against his chest, right where the Arcane Center was beginning to take shape.
"Your body can already withstand the flow," Asia said as she narrowed her blue eyes and began to instruct him.
Asia channeled a thin thread of mana from her own reserves—not to give him energy, but to mark the rhythm. A guide. An invisible metronome.
"Now," she ordered softly.
"Condense."
The mana began to rotate.
From gas to vortex.
From vortex to sphere.
Sasha's body tensed instinctively, her fangs showing slightly without her noticing. It wasn't aggression. It was pure anxiety, like a hyena watching the exact moment to leap.
Lina clenched her fists.
The air vibrated.
One heartbeat.
Then another.
The Mana Core took form.
It did not explode.
It did not overflow.
It stabilized.
César opened his eyes.
For an instant, something ancient crossed his gaze. Something that did not belong to that world… yet dominated it completely.
Asia slowly withdrew her hand and let out a relieved breath as she felt the tension fade, then said happily and with pride:
"It's done. Your Mana Core has formed."
Sasha couldn't hold herself back.
She rushed forward, wrapping her arms and body around him, resting her forehead against his chest. Her tail lashed excitedly, and a deep sound—almost a rough purr—escaped her throat.
"You did it," she said with a wide smile, showing her fangs.
"I knew you would."
Lina hesitated for only a second before approaching as well. She didn't hug him. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder, with a quiet, almost shy trust.
"You're stronger now," she murmured.
"But I'll catch up to you soon."
César raised one hand and gently ran his fingers through Lina's hair. Then he placed the other on Sasha's head, scratching between her ears instinctively. She froze completely, enjoying the gesture as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I'm not interested in being strong alone," César said.
"I care about us being strong, so I expect you to form your cores soon."
Asia watched them and clenched her fists—not out of jealousy for their closeness, but out of determination. She felt she couldn't afford to fall behind, even as she was happy that her man had succeeded in forming his Mana Core. She was astonished by César's speed in opening his mana veins and forming his core. That speed proved he was a prodigy.
And it wasn't only him. Though the two girls didn't possess César's monstrous pace, they weren't far behind. They were already close to being ready to begin forming their own Mana Cores. If she didn't want to be left behind, she would have to train just as hard.
The fire continued to burn.
The core rotated, stable and silent.
And in that small cavern, far from gods, races, and future wars, a mortal future was taking shape—one whose name would one day echo across the world.