The Evolution of Mana Echoes

Ch 5 - Pt 2 The Sage Throne

The hall stayed quiet.

Some guild members frowned in confusion. Others narrowed their eyes, studying Tyda carefully. One representative spoke in a low voice.

“Impossible.”

Another nodded. “Someone without mana should not be able to stand right now.”

A third member watched closely. “Yet here he is.”

At the back of the room, Raylight remained seated. He rested one leg over the arm of his chair, the other foot on the floor. Unlike everyone else, he looked more amused than anything else. A smile stayed on his face, and his silver hair moved slightly as he watched the scene.

“Hehehe…” A quiet laugh escaped him.

Interesting. Very interesting indeed.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared—

The pressure vanished.

The Great Sage’s golden mana faded away. One by one, the guild members also pulled their power back inside. The heavy weight that had pressed down on everyone disappeared completely.

Everyone gasped for air. Several examinees collapsed fully onto the floor. Others stayed on their knees, coughing and shaking. The silence lasted only a few seconds.

Then—

“Hahahaha!”

A loud, clear laugh rang out through the castle. Everyone froze in surprise.

“Hahahaha!”

It went on, loud and unrestrained.

And the source shocked every single person in the room.

The Great Sage.

The old man sitting on the throne was actually laughing. His thin shoulders shook, and his eyes crinkled with amusement. The sound filled every corner of the hall.

Even the guild leaders looked stunned. The examinees stared, not sure what to do or think.

The laughter went on for a short while before finally slowing down. The Great Sage wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, then turned his gaze directly to Tyda.

“What is your name, boy?”

Tyda straightened his back. His legs still trembled, but he stood tall and proud.

“Tyda.”

The old man nodded slowly. “Tyda.” He said the name as if testing it, then smiled.

“I will remember that.”

Tyda grinned right back. “You better, old man.”

Several examinees nearly fainted on the spot. Bren covered his face with both hands. Maya looked like she was about to cry. Judy whispered, “That boy really has lost his mind.”

But the Great Sage just laughed again.

Then his expression changed.

The old man slowly stood up from his throne. The moment he rose, the whole feeling in the room shifted. Everyone grew serious at once. The air went still and quiet.

The Great Sage looked out across the hall. His eyes moved over every examinee and every guild member present.

Then he spoke.

“Let me introduce myself properly.” His voice echoed clearly through the castle. “My name is Grandfol.”

The hall went completely silent.

“I am the one and only Great Sage of Earth.”

Many of the examinees immediately lowered their heads in respect.

Then Grandfol continued.

His next words made everyone’s blood run cold.

“I was also once a General under King Xeno himself.”

Silence.

Total, absolute silence.

No one moved. No one breathed. No one dared speak.

Tyda blinked in surprise. The other examinees stared, and slowly the meaning of those words sank in. One second passed. Then two. Then three.

Suddenly, the whole hall erupted in shock.

“WHAT?!”

“A former General?!”

“Under King Xeno?!”

“That can’t be true!”

Reactions came from every direction. Even the guild members looked frozen in place. Julius stared at the old man, and for the first time since he arrived, real surprise showed on his face.

Nearby, Raylight’s smile disappeared. The bottle in his hand dropped a little lower. Many of the guild representatives looked completely speechless.

No one had expected to hear that. No one at all.

Then something strange happened.

One by one, people began to kneel. Not because of pressure, and not because of fear. It was out of deep respect, and disbelief. Examinees knelt. Guild members knelt. Even powerful adventurers bowed their heads.

The movement spread like a wave across the room. Soon, almost everyone in the hall was on one knee.

Except for one person.

Tyda.

He stayed standing. The boy stared at the old man, and slowly a wide grin spread across his face.

There was no fear in it, and no blind worship. It was pure excitement. The same feeling he got every time he faced something difficult or impossible.

The Great Sage noticed. So did everyone else watching.

Tyda just smiled.

And for the first time since he had arrived at Sigil Mountain, the distance between a boy with no mana and the greatest legends of the world suddenly didn’t feel so far away anymore.