The Evolution of Mana Echoes

Ch 3 - Pt 2 The Great Sage's Castle

Back in the section for guild representatives, everyone stayed seated and calm.

At the very front sat members of Daeda Guild, currently the strongest guild on the Eastern Continent. A large man named Uloyd sat there with his arms crossed. He had broad shoulders and sharp eyes behind his glasses, looking like someone who saw people as pieces on a strategy board. Beside him sat Jaime, also watching the crowd quietly.

Not far away was the leader of Encore Guild, the second strongest. His name was Julius. He looked relaxed, but his eyes never stopped moving. He watched every examinee like a hunter checking which animal was worth chasing.

The third-ranked guild was Gaijin, followed by Midnight Mayhem in fourth place, Holy Grail in fifth, and Aurora Guild in sixth.

Two young men standing nearby started whispering.

“Wait a minute,” one said. “I thought Aurora Guild was almost gone.”

His friend nodded. “Same here. I heard they barely have any members left.”

“All that is left is their Guild Master, Raylight. And everyone says he is drunk more often than not.”

Right at that exact moment—

“Hic.”

A lazy sound came from the Aurora Guild seats. A man with messy silver hair leaned far back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other. He held a half-empty bottle in one hand. This was Raylight.

“Come on,” he said, yawning loudly. “Can we just start already? I’m getting bored sitting here.”

Several of the other guild members ignored him. Raylight pointed toward Julius.

“Hey, Julius!”

Julius turned his head, looking annoyed. “What do you want?”

“I still have some good sake left here.” Raylight shook the bottle. “Come over and have a drink with me.”

The hall went quiet.

“Not here, you idiot,” Julius said, rubbing his forehead.

Raylight suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh? Are you embarrassed? Last night you came to my place and drank until you were red in the face, talking about some girl you like!”

The whole room froze.

Then—

“Hahahahaha!” Raylight laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair.

Julius stood up in one sharp motion.

Blue mana exploded from his body.

The whole hall shook. A heavy pressure rolled out like a giant wave, crashing over everyone in the room. Several examinees nearly fell to their knees. Others grabbed their chests, struggling just to breathe.

Tyda felt it too.

His whole body stiffened. The grin slowly faded from his face.

What in the world is this?

The feeling was overwhelming. It felt like standing right in front of a huge monster that could crush him without even trying. His legs felt weak, and his chest felt tight.

Raylight immediately raised both hands in surrender, though his smile never left. “Alright, alright! I was just joking, relax.”

The heavy pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Julius sat back down, looking grumpy. Everyone in the hall let out a long breath at the same time. Dozens of examinees gasped for air, their faces pale.

Raylight laughed softly. Then his gaze drifted across the crowd.

And landed right on Tyda.

For some reason, the drunk guild master kept staring. Tyda noticed it, and their eyes met across the room.

For a split second, something felt strange.

Tyda couldn’t explain it. Raylight’s smile looked just as casual as before, but there was something deeper behind it. It felt like the man was seeing something no one else could see.

Then Tyda felt it.

Not mana, but something else. A quiet, soft presence. It was subtle, but impossible to miss.

The feeling lasted only a moment. Raylight smiled wider. Tyda stared back, unable to look away.

Then Raylight chuckled quietly. “Hehe.”

His eyes stayed fixed on the blue-haired boy.

This one…

Tyda didn’t know why, but a chill ran up his spine that had nothing to do with fear.

After a while, the hall naturally fell completely silent.

Everyone’s eyes moved upward.

The castle was already huge, but one detail stood out above everything else. It had no ceiling. The whole upper part was open straight to the sky. Clouds drifted slowly above the walls, moving across the wide blue expanse. It looked like it had been built that way on purpose, just for what was about to happen.

In the center stood the throne. The Great Sage slowly rose to his feet. His thin back straightened, and even with his age, he stood tall and steady.

No one spoke. No one moved.

On either side of the throne stood two figures. Both wore white coats covered by hooded robes, their faces hidden deep in shadow. They hadn’t moved an inch since Tyda first walked in. They looked like statues carved from stone.

The Great Sage lifted his tall wooden staff.

Then—

BOOM.

The bottom of the staff struck the stone floor.

The whole castle shook. The sky above turned dark instantly. Thunder rumbled like a warning from the heavens themselves.

Gasps spread through the crowd. Tyda’s eyes went wide.

Dark clouds gathered fast over the open hall. Jagged lines of lightning flashed through them. The wind picked up, swirling down into the room and brushing against everyone’s faces.

The Great Sage began to speak. The words sounded old and powerful, in a language Tyda had never heard before. Each sentence echoed through the hall as if the walls themselves were listening.

“O Prana, Goddess of Earth, eternal mother who feeds life and holds the world steady, hear our call.”

Thunder answered from above, and the sky flashed bright white.

“O Xeno, our greatest King, whose wisdom guides the ages and whose strength unites all lands, watch over this sacred rite.”

The air grew heavier. Every examinee stood still, watching closely.

“By your grace and power, we ask for your blessing.”

The clouds swirled faster and faster, forming a spinning vortex right above the hall.

“Grant these young ones the mana meant for their path.”

Lightning tore across the sky.

“Give them Divine Mana to show them the truth.”

A warm, golden light appeared high above the castle. It was bright and ancient, like sunlight from thousands of years ago.

“Give them Terra Mana to give them strength and steady will.”

A second light appeared, deep and blue. It looked endless, like staring into the deepest parts of the ocean.

“And give them Virtue Mana to stand for what is right and good.”

A third light joined the others, shining pure and clean white.

The three lights grew brighter and brighter until they filled the whole sky.

Then the clouds parted.

Every examinee froze. Tyda stopped breathing.

Three huge figures appeared above the castle. Their forms towered over everything, stretching across the sky like gods coming down from another world. One looked like the image of Goddess Prana herself. The other two glowed with such power that it made the whole world feel small and quiet.

No one spoke.

No one could.

The three figures watched from above. Silent. Timeless. Waiting.

Beneath them, more than a hundred young people stood frozen in place.

Tyda’s heart pounded hard against his ribs. His hands shook at his sides. The excitement and jokes were gone. All that remained was the overwhelming feeling of the presence above and one clear thought burning in his mind.

This is it.

This is where everything truly begins.

The three figures started to lower themselves toward the ground.

And fate reached down to meet them all.