The heat was no longer just a sensation; it was an executioner.
Inside my chest, the newly opened Muladhara Chakra was spinning like a runaway turbine, flooding my system with raw, ancient Prana. But my Western mana circuits—the "veins" this world uses to move energy—were too thin and brittle. They were literally tearing apart under the pressure.
I fell to the floor, my fingers clawing at the stone. I could hear the sickening sound of my own skin cracking, the heat turning my sweat into a localized fog.
"Focus... Aryan, focus..." I tried to reach for my memories, but the pain was a wall of white noise. I was losing consciousness. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Just as the darkness began to pull at the edges of my vision, a cold, mechanical chime echoed directly in my skull.
[WARNING: Internal Mana Circuits failing.]
[EMERGENCY MEASURE: Initiating Vajra Body Synthesis.]
[Trial of the First Gate: ENDED.]
Suddenly, the exploding heat didn't vanish, but it changed. It stopped trying to push out of my skin and started sinking into my bones. I felt my marrow vibrate. The tearing sensation in my veins stopped as the gold energy began to "coat" the inside of my mana paths, reinforcing them like steel pipes replacing old clay ones.
[Vajra Body Synthesis: 5% Complete.]
[Status: Stabilizing...]
The red glow on my skin faded to a dull, healthy bronze. I lay there on the cold floor for a long time, gasping for air, the steam still rising from my damp clothes.
"Calm... the mind is the mountain..." I crawled toward the stone washbasin in the corner of my room. My hands were no longer glowing, but they felt heavy. I grabbed the pitcher and poured the freezing well-water directly over my head.
Ssssssss!
Steam exploded into the room, thick and white. The sudden cold didn't fix the pain, but it gave me a moment of clarity. I sat back down, dripping wet, and began the Sheetali Pranayama—the cooling breath.
I curled my tongue into a tube and inhaled deeply, feeling the cool air travel down my throat like a river of ice. Slowly, the violent heat settled. The molten lead in my veins cooled into a dense, powerful liquid.
[DING!]
[Path of the Mahayogi: Initialized.]
[Power Level: Equivalent to 1.5 Mana Stars.]
I stood up. In this world, an average Mage needed 4 Stars to even sit for the Academy exams. I was only at 1.5, and the trial had nearly killed me. But I had something they didn't—the Vajra foundation.
I checked my reflection in the water. My skin was clear, but my eyes... the pupils had a faint, golden ring around them.
I grabbed the old practice sword from the iron chest. I couldn't stay in this room. If the "Synthesis" was only at 5%, I needed to move, to test the limits, and to feed this new hunger in my veins.
I slipped out of the manor through the servant's entrance before the sun was fully up. I headed toward the Whispering Woods, a dense forest at the edge of the Aurelia Highlands. It was a place the villagers avoided because of the "Mana-Beasts"—wild animals mutated by the leaking mana of the old Demon War.
I found a clearing where a small waterfall hit a stone pool. The air was thick with natural energy
I began to move. I didn't use the stiff, heavy stances of the Solari Knights. Instead, I moved in the circular, flowing patterns of Kalaripayattu —the ancient martial art of India.
Every time I swung the sword, I chanted a single syllable: "फट्" (Phat). It was the "Weapon Mantra," used to shatter obstacles.
Every strike of my wooden sword was timed with a deep, guttural breath. I wasn't just swinging a weapon; I was trying to force that 5% synthesis to grow.
Swish. Crack. Swish.
Suddenly, the birds in the trees went silent. The air grew cold—colder than the morning frost. From the shadows of a massive pine tree, a pair of glowing blue eyes locked onto mine. A Mana-Wolf. It was a 2-Star monster, its fur matted with sharp mana-crystals. To the old Theodore, this was certain death.
I raised my sword, my heart beating in sync with the Muladhara Chakra.
"5 percent," I whispered, a sharp, Delhi-boy grin cutting across my face. "Let's see if that's enough to skin a wolf."
The beast lunged, a blur of silver and blue.