The deep-sea bells of the Iron Isle rang out in a frantic, dissonant rhythm. It was a sound every student feared: the Abyssal Surge.
Unlike a standard rift, a surge was a localized thinning of reality. For Eli, it happened during a midnight patrol on the sea walls. The ocean didn't just waves; it boiled. A Grade-B Sea Horror, a mass of tentacles and barnacled plates the size of a lighthouse, had dragged its bulk onto the blackened rocks.
"Fall back! This isn't a drill!" the senior cadets screamed, but the Horror's psychic wail had already paralyzed half the squad.
Eli stood her ground at the edge of the rampart. Her [Ignition Blade] was flickering. She had been fighting the Horror's spawn for two hours, and her mana pool was a dry well.
'Dammit...' she bit her lip, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. 'I can't move my arms. Just one more [Nova Burst]... if I had just one more...'
She closed her eyes, preparing for the crushing weight of a tentacle the size of a tree trunk.
At that exact moment, three hundred miles away, Sam was sitting in the quiet luxury of the Headmaster's private study. He was supposed to be translating ancient Gaean scripts, but his chest felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand.
The [Exp Bind] was humming, but it wasn't sending experience. It was sending distress.
'Eli?'
Sam stood up, his chair clattering to the floor. Through the invisible tether, he felt her emptiness. He felt the terrifying void where her mana should be.
He closed his eyes and focused. He didn't look at the books or the stone walls. He looked inward, at the swirling, endless ocean of blue light that was his Tier 2 [MP Recovery].
MP: 450/450
[Mana Gift] Initializing...
Target: Elizabeth Storm.
Transfer Rate: 20 MP per 10 seconds (Limited by User Tier).
'Take it, Eli,' Sam whispered into the void. 'Burn it all.'
On the sea wall, Eli felt the cold breath of death. The Shadow Horror's tentacle was inches from her face, the stench of rotting kelp overwhelming.
Then, it happened.
It didn't feel like a breeze or a surge. It felt like someone had shoved a sun into her chest.
A violent, rushing torrent of pure, refined mana slammed into her core. It was so potent, so clean, that her physical fatigue was momentarily vaporized.
[Warning: External Mana Influx Detected]
Current MP: 5/150 -> 25 -> 45 -> 65...
Eli's eyes snapped open. They weren't just red anymore; they were glowing with a white-hot intensity that illuminated the entire bay.
"I don't know who... or how..." Eli growled, her voice vibrating with power.
She didn't just ignite her blade; she transformed it. The orange flames turned a brilliant, searing blue—the color of Sam's mana.
"[MAXIMUM OUTPUT: HEAVEN'S FIRE]!"
She leaped. To the cadets watching, she looked like a falling star. She didn't just cut the Sea Horror; she passed through it. The heat was so intense the seawater turned to steam instantly, creating a localized fog bank.
The Horror didn't even scream. It disintegrated into ash and boiled mist.
Back in the study, Sam slumped back into his chair. His MP was ticking down, feeding the girl on the coast.
MP: 120/450... 140... 160...
The 2% recovery rate was working overtime. He was a biological reactor, pumping power across the continent.
"Samuel?" Headmaster Barnaby peered over his spectacles, looking at the boy who was sweating despite the cool room. "You look like you've just run a marathon while sitting perfectly still."
"Just... a sudden bout of inspiration, Headmaster," Sam panted, a lopsided grin on his face.
The next morning, the Iron Isle was in a state of shock. The "Miracle of the Sea Wall" was all anyone could talk about. Eli sat on the edge of the pier, staring at her hands.
She felt it now. The tether. It wasn't just a one-way street anymore. At the very edge of her consciousness, she could feel a calm, rhythmic pulse. Thump-tick. Thump-tick. Every ten seconds, a tiny wave of warmth reached her.
She looked north, toward the mountains where the Magus Academy lay hidden.
"You're a cheating bastard, Sam Light," she whispered, a tear finally escaping and rolling down her soot-stained cheek. She started to laugh, a tired, relieved sound. "A 'Battery-boy' indeed. You better keep that energy coming, because I'm going to become a god at this rate."
In her status window, a new condition had appeared:
Status: [Gaea's Proxy - Linked]
Effect: Mana recovery increased by 10% of the Source's rate.
The "Silent Leech" had finally started to give back, and the Blue Planet would never be the same.