As the timeless dance of the particles continued, Felix's awareness deepened. He began to discern subtle patterns and harmonies within the movements of these minuscule entities. It was as if they were engaged in a delicate symphony, an intricate ballet that defied the limitations of the physical world.
Felix's connection to these ethereal particles grew stronger with each passing moment. He felt as though he was beginning to decipher their unspoken language. It was a language of life, of potential, of the very essence of existence itself.
His consciousness reached out to the particles, seeking to understand their nature and purpose. With each interaction, he gleaned a greater sense of their power and significance. The particles seemed to respond to his presence, moving with more purpose and intention in response to his probing.
Finally, Felix attempted to pull the particles closer to him. Surprisingly, he felt the closest mana particles gradually drift toward him, their slow and ethereal movements drawing them nearer. He concentrated them near his body, focusing on the left side of his chest, where he believed his heart would be located.
As the first of the particles entered his body, he experienced a faint, almost imperceptible sensation welling up within his chest. It began as a mild tickling, which soon evolved into a more pronounced, uncomfortable feeling. However, Felix persevered, determined to follow the God's instructions to harness this power. He couldn't afford to fall behind the other Heroes on this crucial journey.
Felix's control over the mana particles gradually expanded as the time passed. He found himself able to influence their movements over a larger distance, even accelerating their compression. Yet, as the discomfort intensified, the tickling grew into a painful, burning sensation that seared through his body.
With every moment, the pain threatened to overcome his determination. His progress slowed to a crawl, and Felix's will began to wane. Just as he contemplated giving up, a sudden surge of agony coursed through his body. He felt as if his very being was engulfed in flames, and in that moment, something was expelled from him. He felt lighter, his mind clearer, and he realized that the process had reached a critical point.
The expulsion of the painful energy brought an unexpected sense of relief to Felix. It was as if a dark cloud had lifted, revealing a brighter, clearer mental landscape.
As Felix adjusted to the change, he sensed an invisible barrier dissolving. He could feel the mana particles circulating freely within the womb, creating an intricate network of life force. The pain had subsided, replaced by a subtle warmth that emanated from the compressed mana near his heart.
'I did it! I actually did it!' Felix was shocked, he thought it would take longer. He thought he still had some time to go. Suddenly Felix thought of something insane.'
As the voice reverberated through the void, Felix's entire being resonated with a blend of shock and excitement. The sudden declaration of his achievement, the formation of a mana core, left him grappling with the magnitude of the moment.
"I did it! I actually did it!" Felix was shocked, he thought it would take longer. He had expected that he would have a long way to go. Suddenly Felix thought of something insane. 'Does that mean...I created my core before I was even bor-', cutting Felix from his thoughts a cold and lifeless voice resounded.
[Congratulations to the host for forming the mana core!]
[Voice of Mangera awakened. Host can now access the Status Screen!]
[You have received a Blessing!]
Felix believed himself to be intimately familiar with pain. From the moment of his demise by a fatal stab wound in his previous life to the excruciating process of forming his mana core, he thought he had tasted the spectrum of agony.
However, the torment he experienced in his eyes surpassed any previous ordeal, plunging him into an abyss of suffering he had never envisioned.
It was as if a multitude of searing needles had been ruthlessly thrust into his eyes, each puncture sending waves of unbearable pain coursing through his being. The desire to unleash a primal scream clawed at his throat, yet an oppressive silence gripped him.
The thought of ending this torment by ending his own life flitted across his anguished mind, but the cruel irony persisted – he was rendered incapable of self-inflicted release.
The sheer intensity of the pain gradually overwhelmed Felix's resolve. As he teetered on the precipice of consciousness, a desperate longing to escape this unrelenting agony seized him. His vision blurred, and the world faded into an obsidian void as he succumbed to the merciless onslaught, relinquishing consciousness to the all-encompassing darkness.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, Felix stirred back into awareness. In the wake of such excruciating pain, an ordinary mind might have crumbled, leaving behind a shattered husk of existence. However, Felix, in a twist of fate that bordered on both fortune and perhaps misfortune, bore the blessing of [Indomitable Mind]. It was this divine gift that anchored his consciousness, preventing the total dissolution that such torment might have otherwise wrought.
A shudder ran through Felix's being as he grappled with the realization of how perilously close he had come to the brink of death, even before laying his eyes upon the mysterious new world. The echoes of the searing pain lingered, a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the resilience bestowed upon him by the enigmatic blessing that had, in this instance, spared him from an untimely demise.
Contemplating the agony he had endured, Felix felt the impulse to curse the very deity responsible for reincarnating him. However, a discerning thought arrested his anger. The God of Life, it occurred to him, might not have foreseen the intensity of the experience. After all, he had not yet drawn his first breath, and here he was, having already formed a core.
A speculative notion wove its way through Felix's consciousness. 'Perhaps the formation of the core is the precise trigger for that mysterious voice in my mind,' he pondered, as if attempting to dissect the enigma that unfolded within him. "And the reason for the excruciating pain," he continued, the pieces of this divine puzzle clicking into place within the recesses of his evolving understanding.
Felix's ruminations reverberated within the silent corridors of his consciousness. 'Hello? Voice? I demand an apology!' he mentally queried, attempting to draw out a response from the ethereal presence that had stirred within him moments earlier. Yet, only an enigmatic silence met his mental inquiry.
Unfazed by the lack of response, Felix thought back to the peculiar revelations the mysterious voice had imparted. 'System?' he mused, as if extending the tendrils of his thoughts.
To his amazement, intricate runes materialized in the recesses of his mind, a visual manifestation conveying information in a script foreign yet comprehensible. The arcane symbols wove together, offering insights that transcended the boundaries of linguistic barriers, and Felix found himself deciphering a unique lexicon of knowledge inscribed upon the canvas of his consciousness.
Name:
Titles: [Hero of Life] [???]
Blessings: [Living Library] [Magus Body] [Indomitable Mind] [[Sage's Eyes]]
Core: 1st Stage White
'Isn't this... akin to a videogame?' Felix pondered 'How....convenient'
'My name is blanked out, presumably because I haven't been named in this life yet... But why do I have two titles, and one of them is even hidden?' A momentary curiosity flickered in Felix's mind, yet it was quickly eclipsed as his attention fixated on the latest addition to his arsenal: [[Sage's Eyes]].
'At least now I know why the pain originated in my eyes...'
As he concentrated on the new blessing, the runes within his mind shifted, the Status Screen undergoing a transformation that unraveled the description of this intriguing divine gift. The ethereal script now bore the elucidation of [[Sage's Eyes]], unfurling its secrets before Felix's eager consciousness.
[[Sage's Eyes]]
Description: Mangera, in its discerning wisdom, bestows the [[Sage's Eyes]] upon those who have captured its intrigue – individuals who accomplish the extraordinary, bear the weight of destiny, and defy the boundaries of the possible. The wearer of this blessing is gifted with the profound ability to peer into the secrets intricately woven into the fabric of Mangera.
'Strange. It doesn't really specify its use.' Felix thought as he finished reading the Description. Felix read on, eager to learn the Limitation, however Felix was surprised again. Instead of a limitation there was a string of words, "Destiny".
Destiny: ...However Mangera does not bestow its gifts without a price. It holds expectations and expectations must be fulfilled. The unlikely becomes likely, the impossible becomes possible.
Felix pondered over the cryptic message about destiny, his thoughts echoing in the mysterious chamber of his mind. 'Expectations? What does Mangera expect of me? Am I bound by some unseen force to fulfill a destiny I know nothing about?' The words lingered, leaving an enigmatic air that clung to his consciousness.
Anxiety crept into Felix's mind as he grappled with the uncertainty of these expectations. The weight of the unknown bore down on him, creating a sense of unease. 'What if I fail to meet Mangera's expectations? What if I'm not capable of whatever destiny it has in mind?'
[Then, you die] the cold voice resounded in Felix's mind again as if to answer his question, shocking him.
Then, he felt a shudder run down his back as he thought of something insane, recalling the words of the God of Life, when he asked him why the Gods don't directly influence the world.
He said, "Mangera is a world with its own rules and balance," but there was another phrase he spoke, something he had dismissed.
'It has its own will.' Suddenly, it made sense why this mysterious voice was called the "Voice of Mangera."
'So that's how it is then,' Felix resigned to his fate.