A New World, an immersive game experience

Chapter 346: Because the world does not wait...

"On top of being a danger, it can also be used similar to a mana crystal... I think." Eldrian replied, adding that it will likely be limited to the mana undead had access to, and likewise their magic.

"I see. That actually makes sense," Thesolis replied and Pelaros agreed.

"Yes, it is like certain parts of beasts. Having a limited usage in crafts, though generally a really good effect if used right."

"That means it is no use to us, should we finally destroy it?" Katania asked.

Eldrian panicked and quickly mentioned the last part, that he might be able to absorb the mana and possibly even more. Turning to him as if they saw a crazy person, they all quickly denied it.

"Are you insane, you just mentioned that the heart can try to turn a person into a host. Now you want to try and absorb it?" Katania could not understand what Eldrian thought, Pelaros however had an inkling.

"How certain are you of being able to pull this off?"

"I have no idea." Eldrian paused as he considered all he had gone through, knowing that this most certainly would be something to do with souls again. Part of him wanted to confer with the system, wishing that he had a master who could actually show him the way.

"Then let's destroy it or store it. We are not going to risk it. A soul is something I believe is very important to even you Chosen. I feel certain damage to it would not be easy to repair."

"You are right," Eldrian did not plan on arguing, he did not even know if he really wanted to do this. The temptation was big, but so was the risk. "My soul is in fact damaged, or it was."

"What!?" Everyone echoed in shock, knowing that some of the stronger people might survive an encounter leaving their souls weakened. Never someone below Tier 5, mostly those above Tier 7.

"It happened when I went on a mission to save a friend. I still don't know what exactly happened, but I know I fought through death to help them even just once more."

No one said a word, for they had none. It was not unknown of this happening. Generally, it was followed by the person becoming an undead.

"I also have two auras, not just one." This again took everyone by surprise, especially Pelaros who had questioned Eldrian before on his aura. He also knew the most of souls, and he knew nothing of someone having two.

"Impossible!" Pelaros shouted once his mind managed to form the words.

"It isn't. I have the Aura of Tranquility and the Aura of Wrath."

"The sage and the berserker..." Pelaros mumbled in disbelief, "That is impossible, one is for keeping a calm mind and the other for losing one's sanity."

Shrugging Eldrian continued, "I don't really know much about either. I hope this might allow me to learn more about auras, especially on how to access them."

"No, it is far too soon." Pelaros shook his head as he tried to recall all he knew of auras, "Normally an aura only arrives after Tier 5, at least according to the legends. There is no record of those with this special talent being anything truly special before that point."

"Most of them were certainly geniuses. Not all, some had shown no talent till they breached this barrier, or even a higher one."

"But those are just from the fairy tales," Katania countered, Pelaros throwing back that every story was rooted in some truth. What the truth was just needed to be found.

"Clearly it is true that people can either be born or gain an aura. But there is no story of someone with two, nor of someone with one before Tier 5. That must be significant."

"Even if it is," Eldrian interrupted what he felt was going to become a debate on if the stories were true or not. "It does not matter. I am not looking to follow in the footsteps of someone, I was already told long ago that it is not possible."

"I brought it up not because I want a debate, but to tell you why I think I can do this." Eldrian had finally managed to clear his thoughts and think it through while the others had talked.

"Auras aren't like magic. Magic is cold, it is memorizing a spell module and filling it with mana. Moving mana feels strange at first, but it now feels natural to me. It is like forming a concrete thought. Thinking just a bit harder than normal on something magical."

"Auras instead are emotions, and I have had my fair share of them since I arrived in this world." Eldrian paused as he pushed down the sadness and anger popping up from his memories coming and going, "I even know what this is going to feel like."

"How can you?" Katania asked in slight disbelief.

"Because I had entered Kydone's soul when I messed up trying to heal her wound. Back when she came to me injured by a ghoul. I had not known what to do so I had done something insane, and it had worked."

Once again they were left with no words. They all knew that Eldrian had somehow stabilized Kydone back then, but this was far crazier than anything they had come up with. What Ayden had shared was not what Eldrian just said, mostly because Eldrian had not even known what that had been back then.

"I had faced what had invaded her, and I had also encountered the aura of a revenant before. The two are similar. This one however is far weaker than a ghoul's."

"But we aren't talking about just being affected by it-"

"I know!" Eldrian stopped Katania before she could say more, "I know it is dangerous and I do not even know if this is the right thing to do. However! I need to improve, I need to become useful. This is the quickest way I can see."

"A quick way means nothing if you do not succeed. It means even less if it kills you."

"I know that," Eldrian paused as he wondered if the system would come to him again, if she might save him if things go awry. "If you suspect something is going wrong you can store the heart away. How does that sound?"

Pelaros nodded, Katania followed and Thesolis challenging, "What if that does not stop the connection?"

"Then it doesn't. Then I will have to survive on my own."

"Why would you risk this?"

Eldrian paused, taking time to find an answer. "I-I... Because... Life. No... Because the world does not wait for you to become ready. We are in a war whether we like it or not. The demons and undead have not been aggressive against Taurus... Other kingdoms have not been so lucky."

Eldrian's voice became softer and sadder as he continued, "I want to be able to make a difference." This came out as little more than a whisper yet no one struggled to hear it.

Nodding Thesolis agreed to this, "How? What do you need?"

"Quiet and time. I have no idea how long this will take. When I first entered my soul it took days, I needed to repair it and fight through the turmoil of my auras. You should remember."

Thesolis and Katania nodded, clearly remembering how Eldiran had been unresponsive for more than two days. This memory causing them to doubt this plan even more than they already were.

"Are you sure?" Katania asked, finding that the Chosen's name might truly be for a reason. She knew very few people who would willingly take such a risk. Even fewer who would do so if they were basically immortal as the Chosen seemed to be.

Eldrian nodded and took the heart from her. Sitting down against one of the tent poles and closing his eyes. He found himself arriving in his soul far faster than ever before, skipping the magic abyss completely as the heart seemed to guide his mind.

[Stop! Eldrian you are about to perform an extremely dangerous act! Please, don't do it!]

He arrived at his soul before the beating heart almost immediately, completely missing the system warning. The blue and fiery orange auroras combatting a literal sea of black miasme. The two colors were doing well for themselves, covering his heart completely and keeping the black miasma at least a meter from it.

Eldrian took a minute to regain his composure, not having expected to arrive here so easily. He also had not thought the invasive force would be so much. The first thing he tried upon getting his bearings was to try and exit, finding as predicted that he couldn't.

'Right, that makes sense. It literally pulled me here so the curse must be trying to take me over.' Eldrian mentally sighed as he currently was just a floating thought inside of an abyss with just a heart, two colorful auroras, and another that absorbed the light let out by his auras.

'I should have sent a message to Joren and the others.' Eldrian thought, certain that they must already be rushing to his room once he started his conversation with the others about doing this. He was more than certain they had someone personally watching his feed every minute of every day.

'They are going to be pissed,' Eldrian felt slightly amused by this, also realizing that his action had been in haste. Possibly influenced by his anger, 'That's no good. Can't have anger be my guide...'

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