Reon and Cloudia exchanged a knowing look—this was it. The powerful artifact they had fought tooth and nail to reach, hidden at the heart of the cave, was finally within their grasp.
Blood trickled from a small cut on Reon's cheek, and he absently wiped it away, feeling the dull ache of battle settling into his muscles.
Yet, despite his exhaustion, an invisible force seemed to pull him forward, calling him to the altar ahead.
With a quiet resolve, he pushed aside his weariness and began to approach it, his footsteps steady, each one propelled by the thrumming energy that seemed to saturate the air.
The altar sat upon a raised stone dais, weathered with age and adorned with strange carvings that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light.
At its base, a mist coiled and shifted, moving almost as if it were alive, swirling with hues of green and silver.
As Reon drew closer, the mist parted slowly, as though sensing his approach and giving him passage.
A hum filled the air, low and rhythmic, pulsing with a frequency that resonated within his own chest. It was as if the entire chamber held its breath in anticipation.
Reon's gaze fell on the treasure cradled within a web of twisted roots entwined around the altar—a gemstone, luminous and mesmerizing, polished to a glassy perfection that reflected emerald light with a depth that seemed endless.
The stone's color was unlike anything he had ever seen, a green so deep and rich that it seemed to contain a life of its own.
The energy it exuded was tangible, filling the cavern with a weight that pressed against Reon's senses, brushing against his skin and sinking into his bones.
Cloudia moved forward cautiously, her nose twitching as she sensed the intensity radiating from the gem. Her gaze flicked to Reon, as if to warn him to proceed carefully.
Reon's hand moved forward slowly, almost reverently, and he hesitated, his fingers hovering inches above the gemstone.
His instincts whispered a warning, reminding him of the countless treasures that came with hidden dangers.
Yet, his curiosity and the unyielding pull of the stone won out. He let his fingers brush its surface, and the instant they connected, a surge of energy ripped through him.
Unknown Energy flooded his veins, raw and unfiltered, as if the gemstone held within it a piece of another world.
He staggered slightly, the energy twisting within him, resonating with something deep inside. It felt both foreign and familiar—a connection to something vast, ancient, and boundless.
"Is this... a Mana Stone?" he murmured, astonished.
It matched perfectly the descriptions he remembered from his readings. Yet, how could a Mana Stone, a gemstone from another continent, be hidden here in the heart of the Mystic Evergreen Forest, within Supreme Dao Sect's territory? By all logic, it should have been impossible.
Mana Stones, unlike the Spirit Stones native to this land, were treasured stones of the Rising Flame Continent—a continent within the same world yet distinctly separate, populated not by cultivators, but by mages.
The Rising Flame Continent existed in a parallel reality of sorts, one where mana, rather than Spiritual Qi, governed life and power. It was a land where circles of mana, inscribed upon a mage's heart, determined their strength. The more Circles they possessed, the greater their magical abilities.
The Sleeping Dragon Continent was a place of cultivators, where Spiritual Qi was woven into the fabric of existence.
Here, no one possessed mana, and only Spirit Stones were known to fuel cultivation. In the same way, those from the Rising Flame Continent could not use Spiritual Qi; their lives, their arts, were bound entirely to mana.
And yet... Reon looked down at his hand, feeling the pulse of the Mana Stone in his palm, and he couldn't deny it. Somewhere deep within him, he could feel a sliver of mana.
He had seen it listed in his status screen before, a strange anomaly among cultivators.
He hadn't thought much of it then, but holding the Mana Stone now, that mystery resurfaced in his mind with a newfound urgency.
Could he, unlike any other cultivator, actually wield magic? What did this mean about who—or what—he truly was?
The unknown loomed in front of him, each question growing heavier in his mind. How had he come to possess mana in a continent where it was unheard of? Could his origins lie in the Rising Flame Continent?
Strangely, he also sensed a faint trace of power within himself, something equally foreign, as if it belonged to yet another continent altogether. The truth danced just out of reach, leaving him more uncertain than ever.
Without the memories of Xue Taiyang, however, the answers lay beyond his reach. Each fragment of his past, each elusive detail, haunted him, tantalizingly close yet frustratingly inaccessible. For now, he had to live with the mystery, with the gnawing uncertainty that shadowed his every step.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus. He would uncover his true past in time. But for now, the gemstone was his priority.
He steadied his grip, the fierce green glow of the stone unwavering as it seemed to peer into his very soul.
With a steady breath, Reon activated Identify, his mind sharp and clear, determined to unlock the secrets of this ancient, otherworldly stone.