She Lived Once More

7. Mana Beast

Serene.

I swivel my head slightly from side to side to examine my current surroundings. After realizing where I am, I let out a deep breath of distress. As a result of my pursuit of the Kivrye, I seem to have become separated from my teammates and ended up astray. I was being reckless. Now, I couldn't sense my companion's existence any longer. And what is more unnerving than being lost is this strong and familiar presence emanating from somewhere.

After that incident, this presence vanished from my radar, and our search in recent years has also been fruitless. It never crossed my mind that I would feel it here. Why now? We're still in the thick of the hunt. I'm salivating at the prospect of exacting my revenge. However, regardless of how fantastic this chance is, the timing is bad.

Nakaalerto lang ang aking pakiramdam at paningin sa paligid kahit na wala akong imaheng napapansin sa abot ng aking mga tanaw. This was the case five years ago. Tanging ang kakaibang sensasyon lamang ang naririto.

Napakagat ako sa labi. "Makakaya ba natin Elise?" I spoke with a little shakiness in my voice, which obscures the words that come out of my mouth.

'Mm.'

Ramdam ko ang pagdadalawang-isip ng mana beast ko sa kabila ng pagsang-ayon niya. Maging ako rin naman ay nag-aalangan kung tama ba ang desisyon ko na harapin ito. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull this off. I'm not sure if if this is the right course of action or if I'll be able to carry out my revenge successfully. I shouldn't be afraid, though, because doing so will give my opponent an advantage and make it easier for me to lose.

My chest tightened as the air became denser and denser. The strange magical energy has polluted the air in my vicinity, causing me to breathe heavily every time I take a breath of oxygen. This odd mana lingers on the tip of my nose and gives me a dizzy feeling. I feel heavy as if I'm going to sink into the ground—deep further down, to the underground.

Now, it's not just the wild and dangerous mana beasts who may turn me into their supper that I have to worry about. Kailangan ko pang magmatyag dahil baka anumang oras ay lalamunin ako ng kakaibang kapangyarihang ito.

'Mama, are you okay?'

Wala sa sarili akong tumango habang hindi parin iniaalis ang tingin sa paligid. Maaaring napapansin ni Elise ang panginginig ko kahit na ginagawa ko naman ang lahat para labanan ito. I just couldn't help myself, no matter how hard I tried. I feel like the blood in my body is leaving my body as I'm being dragged under by this magic. It's as if thousands of invisible hands of dead spirits arise from the ground and drag the living through it.

'Mama!'

Mataas akong tumalon mula sa kinatatayuan ko papunta sa gilid na ilang hakbang lang din ang layo. Bago pa sumigaw si Elise ay naramdaman ko na agad ang malakas na mahika na bumubulusok papunta sa direksiyon ko kaya nagawa ko itong iwasan ilang segundo bago ito tumama.

Every awakened individual is capable of perceiving the flow of magical energy around them. As a result, we can detect and feel our opponents' attacks. However, how sensible a mage is is usually determined by their class or rank. Because I am an A-class mage, I could feel the flow of mana from a great distance away. Surprise attacks like these rarely work when you have a strong sense of magical power, as I do. Nevertheless, some worked regardless of how strong you are.

Sandali akong nagulantang matapos mapansin ang naging epekto ng tumamang atake sa lupa pero agad din akong bumalik sa pagramdam ko sa paligid. Hindi iyon isang simpleng atake lamang. Nagkaroon ng mababaw at kasing laki ng bola na butas ang lupa dahil doon. Mapapansin rin ang kakaunti pang kulay itim na likido sa gilid ng pinagtamaan ng atake at tinutunaw nito ang mga damo na siyang gumagawa naman ng usok.