CHAPTER 485: CHAPTER 485 - A COST

As Taufik stepped through the portal, the familiar scent of Earth’s air filled his lungs, faint traces of dust, smoke, and something hollow, as if the planet itself had gone quiet.

He turned to Elaria and Thalia. "Give me some space," he said calmly.

Thalia tilted her head, brow furrowing. "...What do you want to do, Fik?"

"Scan the Earth." Taufik knelt, placing his palm against the ground as if greeting an old friend.

Elaria raised an eyebrow. "You can do that? And what are you trying to achieve by scanning the Earth?"

"I’m not trying to achieve anything," he replied casually. "I just want to check if the Earth’s core can withstand the change once Mana returns"

Elaria folded her arms, her voice thoughtful. "I’ve been wanting to ask, how exactly do you plan to bring Mana back to Midgard if the Æsir already severed the connection?"

With his eyes closed, Taufik answered, "If the core can withstand it, I’ll do it directly, forcefully reactivate the flow of Mana. But if it can’t, I’ll create something that can slowly release Mana into the world, while also healing the core..." He inhaled deeply. "Now, give me some time"

The air grew still.

Taufik pressed his hand deeper into the soil. His Mana spread outward in invisible waves, rippling across the planet. The vibration started small, a tremor, then a shudder. Within seconds, the ground rumbled violently, splitting stones and toppling trees.

The earthquake spread across continents, yet at its center, Taufik remained unmoving, eyes closed, expression calm. His Mana pierced through the crust, diving into the mantle, and finally reached the planet’s molten heart.

The Earth’s core lay silent, a dying ember. Taufik poured more Mana into it, coaxing it to stir, but no matter how much he channeled, the core refused to respond. It had been dormant for too long, forgotten its own pulse.

When Taufik finally withdrew his hand, the tremors ceased. The world fell silent again.

He opened his eyes, exhaling softly. "...It’s more severe than I thought"

Standing up, he noticed Elaria and Thalia sprawled on the ground, pale and trembling.

"Huh? What happened to you two?"

Elaria glared up at him, still catching her breath. Thalia’s voice trembled slightly as she added, "Next time... please tell us beforehand if something like that is going to happen. It was terrifying"

Taufik blinked, looking genuinely puzzled for a moment, then smirked faintly. "Right. My bad"

Elaria exhaled deeply and pushed herself back to her feet, dusting off her hands. Her golden eyes beneath the veil studied him intently. "...So?"

Taufik shook his head slowly. "...The core’s condition is worse than I expected. It wouldn’t respond, no matter how much Mana I poured into it. If I force it any further, it’ll collapse completely"

Thalia frowned. "...What would happen if it did collapse?"

"Simple," Taufik said, his tone disturbingly casual. "Earth would explode. Midgard would vanish, and the Nine Realms would become Eight"

Thalia’s mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. She didn’t want to imagine what that would look like. The silence that followed felt heavier than the earthquake had been.

Elaria finally broke it. "So what now? You’ll make something... like a substitute for the core? A new source?"

"That’s the plan," Taufik replied, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "But the question is... what should I create?"

He turned to look at Elaria and Thalia, as if expecting inspiration.

Thalia immediately raised both hands. "Don’t look at us. We don’t even understand how your power works, how could we possibly give advice?"

Taufik sighed, rubbing his chin. "... Should I just make a new Aboriginal Being for Earth?"

Elaria’s eyes widened slightly.

"You mean... like a primordial guardian?" she asked, though she didn’t even bother to question how Taufik planned to create something like that, or if he even could.

"Yeah," Taufik murmured. Then he shook his head. "No. Too risky. If I leave this realm, I won’t know what it’ll become in my absence. It could turn against everything... It’s too risky and dangerous"

He fell silent, eyes drifting toward the horizon.

"Something that symbolizes life, a new beginning... a change..." he muttered to himself. "Fire, maybe? An Eternal Fire... one that burns endlessly, emitting Mana until its purpose is fulfilled..."

Thalia tilted her head, intrigued. "Eternal Fire, huh? That doesn’t sound bad"

Elaria crossed her arms, thinking aloud. "Then call it The First Fire"

Taufik blinked. "...The First Fire?"

Elaria nodded. "The first source of life... the flame that restarts the flow of Mana, like the dawn after endless night"

Thalia smiled faintly. "That’s a good name"

Taufik stared at the ground, the faint trace of a grin forming on his face. "The First Fire... Yeah. I like that"

"You’ve already decided what you want to do, then what now?" Thalia asked.

"Of course, find someone to take care of it," Taufik replied. "And I found something interesting when I scanned Earth earlier"

"What is it?"

"...There’s a faint trace, very faint. Maybe from an artifact, or something created back when Mana still existed on Earth. But I could feel it," Taufik said, his tone thoughtful. "Like I guessed, there’s still a group out there that remembers what happened in the past"

"So, you plan to entrust the First Fire to them?" Elaria asked.

"I’ll check them first before deciding," Taufik said.

He raised his hand, and a portal shimmered open before them. Turning to Thalia and Elaria, he added quietly, "...Now, let’s go"

And with that, they vanished into the light.

--------

Deep within an underground facility, relics from another age lined the walls, swords, wands, and countless mysterious artifacts sealed behind glass and runic barriers.

A small group had gathered, tension thick in the air. The recent earthquake had caused something impossible, the artifacts had reacted.

"What happened?" one of them asked, his voice low but urgent.

"We’re still checking," replied another, carefully examining one of the wands with gloved hands.

"Do you think the earthquake had something to do with it?" a third person spoke up. "It’s the first time these artifacts have reacted in years... They shouldn’t be responding at all, not unless they’ve come into contact with Mana"

The examiner frowned, hesitating for a moment before removing his gloves. He placed his bare hand on the wand.

A sharp jolt ran through him, not pain, but energy, alive and flowing.

He gasped, eyes widening.

"Is this... Mana?" he breathed out, disbelief and awe mixing in his voice. "I... I can feel Mana"

One of the older men stepped forward and took the wand from his hands. The moment his skin touched it, his eyes widened.

"...So this is Mana... Amazing," he whispered. "Then all the records from the past were true. My ancestor wasn’t a liar! They spoke the truth-"

Before they could revel in their discovery, the air itself began to shudder.

A sharp crack split the space before them, not sound, but reality itself. The group stumbled back, watching in terror as the fracture widened, light spilling through its jagged edges.

Then, from the rift, three hooded figures stepped out.

The one in front surveyed the room, his gaze lingering on the shocked group.

"W-Who are you?!" someone stammered. "Are you... from Æsir?!"

"Æsir?" the hooded figure echoed with a faint chuckle. "No. We’re here to give you all a chance. The question is, will you take it, or not?"

"A chance? What kind of chance?"

"A chance to wield the power of Mana once again," he said simply. "To hold your own destiny in your hands"

The oldest among them stepped forward cautiously. "...At what cost?"

"Cost?" The front figure repeated, tilting his head slightly. He turned to the two behind him. "Wait, give me a second"

He lowered his voice so only they could hear. "...What should I say? I didn’t expect them to ask about the cost. Shouldn’t they just accept it with open arms?"

Elaria sighed softly. "They’re just being cautious. There’s no such thing as something for free, you know? Just say anything. They’ll probably accept it. No one turns down power"

"She’s right, Fik," Thalia added lightly. "Honestly, even if you asked for their souls, they’d still agree"

Taufik blinked once. "...I see"

Then, turning back to the group, he cleared his throat dramatically. "Ahem! I shall grant you the chance to wield Mana once more, but at a cost..."

The room fell silent.

"...The cost of a brighter future"

Silence followed. Long, uneasy, stretching into seconds that felt like minutes. None of them seemed to understand what he meant, even Elaria and Thalia exchanged uncertain glances.

"...A brighter future... sir?" one of the group finally asked.

"Yes," Taufik replied, his tone steady but not unkind. "The cost I ask is a promise. If I grant you the chance to wield Mana again, then you must swear to create a brighter future, for your descendants, and for all of humanity in Midgard"

The group hesitated, exchanging wary looks.

"If... if we can’t?" one of them ventured cautiously.

Taufik’s faint smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"If you can’t..." He paused, letting the silence fill the space between them. "Then forget it. You can imagine what will happen"

....

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..

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