The Evolution of Mana Echoes

Ch 4 - Pt 1 The Boy Without Mana

The three great spirits floated high above the castle once again.

They were enormous. Each stood nearly five times taller than a normal human. Their forms shimmered against the darkening sky, looking ancient and full of power. Just their presence alone made the whole hall feel different, as if even the pull of gravity had changed.

More than a hundred examinees stared upward, too amazed to blink.

Then it began.

A wave of warm, powerful energy flowed down from the spirits. It spread across the whole room like a soft tide, touching every person at once. It brushed against their skin, sank deep into their bones, and settled somewhere right in the center of their chests.

Tyda felt it immediately.

A strange, lively current moved through his whole body. The air around him suddenly rushed upward. His dark blue hair flew wildly in the wind, and his clothes flapped as if invisible hands were tugging at them toward the sky.

The same thing happened to Bren, Maya, Judy, Glendo, Rona, Bram, and Bigolo. All around them, hundreds of other young people felt the same pull. The whole hall looked as if it had been caught inside a giant, gentle storm.

Yet no one moved. No one wanted to miss a single second of this moment.

This was the event that would decide their entire future.

Tyda’s heart beat faster and faster. His grin slowly grew wider.

This is it.

Come on already. I’ve waited years for this day.

His hands slowly clenched into fists. Then he pointed straight up toward the spirits above.

“Go ahead,” he said, his face lighting up with excitement. “Mana, you’ll be in good hands with me.”

A few people standing nearby glanced over at him, but Tyda paid them no attention at all.

“Just give it to me already.”

Then, all at once…

Everything stopped.

The wind died down. The flowing energy vanished. The hall went completely quiet.

Tyda blinked in confusion. Everyone else did the same. For a moment, no one understood what had just happened.

Then—

BOOM!

Mana exploded out all across the room.

Bright blue light burst from some examinees. Others were surrounded by soft white light. Excited shouts and cheers immediately filled the castle.

“I got Terra Mana!” A young man laughed out loud, watching as blue energy swirled around his arms like flowing water.

Not far away, a girl stared at her own hands in disbelief. “I have Virtue Mana!” White light danced between her fingers.

Several people cheered out loud. Others smiled calmly, as if they had known all along that this was what they would get.

Tyda quickly looked around. Blue light, white light, more blue, more white. Mana was appearing everywhere. The atmosphere turned lively and loud, with shouts, laughter, and gasps of surprise echoing off the stone walls.

But deep down, Tyda felt something was wrong.

Something was still missing.

Suddenly, the whole hall went still.

Every examinee felt it. The guild members felt it too. Several of them stood up right away. Their movement caught everyone’s attention.

Uloyd from Daeda Guild rose from his chair. The large man narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, and his usual calm expression disappeared. Beside him, Jaime Thermo also stood up, looking serious.

Across the room, leaders and members of Encore, Gaijin, Midnight Mayhem, Holy Grail, and even Aurora Guild all reacted, shifting in their seats or standing to get a better view.

Tyda looked around, confused.

What is going on? Why are they all acting like this?

Only one person stayed seated. Julius, the leader of Encore Guild, simply watched quietly. His eyes stayed fixed on the group of examinees.

Hmm. Very interesting.

Not far away, Raylight kept drinking from his bottle. He rested one leg over the arm of his chair, looking completely relaxed and unbothered.

Then—

A brilliant golden light exploded across the center of the hall.

It was so bright it lit up every corner of the room. Gasps burst out from every direction. Tyda spun around to look.

The young noble with messy blond hair stood right in the middle of that golden glow. His hair swayed gently, and his red tunic seemed to shine as if it was made of fire itself. Streams of golden mana swirled around his whole body.

Divine Mana.

The entire hall erupted into noise.

“DIVINE MANA!”

“No way, that’s impossible!”

“Is this really happening?!”

People stared in total shock. Whispers turned into loud shouts. That golden light was impossible to mistake for anything else.

Before the excitement could even settle…

Another golden light appeared.

Tyda turned again. The woman with long brown hair and the loose white tunic stood surrounded by the exact same bright golden glow. A slow smile spread across her face. It wasn’t a normal smile. It felt strange, almost as if she had expected this result all along.

The noise in the room grew even louder.

“WHOA!”

“Another one?!”

“Two people with Divine Mana?!”

“Are you kidding me?!”

Even several of the guild members looked surprised. Tyda stared at both of them. The blond boy stood tall and confident, arms crossed and chin raised. The brown-haired woman covered half her mouth with her hand, smiling quietly.

Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared…

The three great spirits vanished. They were gone in an instant.

The hall fell silent once more.