Witch's Blood

Chapter 13

Art by (I think) Raspcherry on DeviantArt

I awoke to a sudden burst of energy. The prince groaned on my shoulder as I looked around in panic. "Kirishima?" I called out.

"You felt that too?" I heard Kirishima ask. I gently moved the prince's head off my shoulder.

"What could be causing this great burst of mana?"

"As much as I don't want to divert our attention from our path, I have a feeling we should check on it."

I started patting the prince's shoulder to wake him up. "Wake up, your highness. Something's going on." He grumbled but nodded as he rubbed his eyes. I stepped to the front of the wagon with Kirishima. We were on a dirt road surrounded by forest. It would seem calm to a normal person, but for those who could sense magic, it was tragic. I shook Kirishima. "Kiri, we have to go! We have to help them! This is a mana burst! Someone could die without help!"

"Alright. Bakugo, go with her, I'll stay with the wagon and the horses." Bakugo nodded and I dragged him out of the wagon and into the forest.

I was worried about this person. I never experienced a mana burst, but I've seen how much pain it has caused others. I've even seen someone die because they didn't get the proper care in time. If ignore this I knew I wouldn't let it go, it would eat me from the inside out no matter how many others I helped after.

The forest was thick and full of life. The prince got annoyed by the plants in our way and started swishing his sword around to clear the path. He couldn't sense the mana release as well as I could, but he had a general idea.

Step after step through the thicket we made it to a small clearing. A small pond of fish and flower Lillies with a man gasping for air as he gripped his chest. I rushed to his side and laid the man down. He furrowed his purple eyebrows and squinted his tired yet wide purple eyes.

I held one of his hands and brought it to my stomach as I placed another on the ground. I closed my eyes to concentrate. I didn't have much experience with mana bursts, but I have handled them before. You just need to locate the spillage and safely remove all the mana out of the person. Although I did not have magic, I had very little mana. Everyone has at least some mana, unfortunately, some less than others.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" the prince growled. I ignored him.

I take in some air and calmly hold it in as I felt the mana from this man's body exit from his chest. This process is dangerous for everyone involved, so you need to act slowly and diligently. I slowly take his mana into my body, slowly create a circle of mana in my abdomen then release it out of my fingertips the hand on the ground. The mana released then disperses underground. This man will not have any mana left, but he will regain it in full once time passes. I would rather be alive and not be able to use magic for a while than die a painful death by a mana burst.

The mana entering my body is powerful and since his mana was a different type it disturbed mine. Foreign mana in large amounts to someone like me with little mana is painful. My insides were burning. Mostly my hands and chest. It was burning. Focus, stop trembling. Regain control. I felt a hand on mine and had to force myself to not open my eyes.

"Let go," I warned. Bakugo let go of me and stepped away. 

I twitched my head when the burning increased. I started to pant. I could feel my skin starting to sweat and stick to my clothes. I wasn't sure how much longer I had to do this. I wanted to fan off my body, but I can't leave the process unfinished. 

The mana started to thin so I was finished. I opened my eyes and saw the man passed out on the ground. This process is both tiring and taxing on the body, so I expected this. I wiped my forehead and neck. I hadn't had to deal with a manaburst this fierce. He's not normal...