unknownking

Author note about theory stuff:

The circulatory system of a person consists of magic and blood vessels, and both systems are adjacent to each other and both flow into the same places. The only two differences are that in one blood flows from the heart and in the other mana flows from the mana core.

The main difference between a human and a mage is that the mage has a second active circulation system. Every human gets born with two circulation systems with at least one mana core. But there is only one small problem if they haven't awakened their mana core no mana will flow through their mana circulation system and the longer the body goes without magic, the more the mana circulatory system of the person degenerates.

Luz awakened while he was 18 and that's a bit late for mages. The awakening hurt him so much that he needed to be treated for a week. For example, if Luz were 23 years old at the time of awakening, he would die due to the bursting of his mana veins.

There are a lot of advantages as well as disadvantages. The disadvantages are you are now counted as a mage and monsters will hunt you from the moment not only for fun but also for hunger and you own a "second heart". Your mana core is the second heart, but you will die in the beginning levels as a mage if only one of your hearts is destroyed.

The advantages are that you will now age slower and your mana will physically affect your body in the long run. Better reflexes, stamina, and more can be expected. The earlier you awaken the greater the influence of mana will be.  Think of it this way, if Luz (18) and Az (14) awaken on the same day then Mana will affect Az's body with a greater multiplier than Luz.

Luz would still be physically stronger because Luz is simply older (positive influence of hormones on your body). (Think of it this way Luz power is 18 and has a multiplier of 1.2 per year. Az on the other hand has a strength of 12 and a multiplier of 1.3. After one year, Luz's strength would be 21.6, while Az's strength would be at 15.6. This only holds true if their bodies don't degenerate or if they don't start training. The mana density in the air also influences how high the multiplier is.

The mana core on the other hand is like a magnet and a pump at the same time. A magnet, because it has a tendency to attract mana to itself and won't give it back. A pump, because once you manage a circulation without fainting, the mana core accelerates the circulation to a certain speed before remaining on that speed level.

Normally I would have to go into how mage levels differ from each other and what the talent is all about, as well as how one actually awakens as a mage, but that would be too much theory and we don't want it to be too boring for the reader at the beginning.

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Luz's head was pounding and his vision was blurry after gradually regaining consciousness. A parrot seemed to be sitting on Luz's chest and his screeching of Luz being awake echoed through his head.

'Why can't I have a moment of peace?' were the only thoughts that ran through his mind before uttering: "Could you please be quiet for a moment?"

But the parrot ignored him, and it didn't take long for someone to approach him.  Simon sat down across from Luz and opened a few graphs.

"What do the images represent? I don't understand them," Luz asked.

"That there is your mana core. A full recovery of your mana core is highly unlikely, however, we may have a plan on how to help you," Simon told Luz while pointing to several graphs.

"In summary, the problem with a broken mana core is that first, the mana absorption rate decreases over time, and second, your body has a difficult time retaining absorbed mana. If you are unlucky, it comes to the point where your mana desorption rate becomes greater than your mana absorption rate. At that point, there is no difference between you and a normal person," Simon explained while pointing at the zoomed-in cracks on his mana core.

The desperate expression Luz had on his face was reason enough to give him a moment to internalize what awaits him. Simon sighed before continuing with: "But it could end up much worse. If you continue to use mana, it could cause you to overexert your mana core and cause it to break. If it comes to that, your death is guaranteed."

"Could you please tell me about your plan?" Luz asked dejectedly as he gripped his armrest tightly.

'I have lost almost everything I had except magic. That's the only thing that sets me apart from the rest... and if... and if I lose that one as well, I'll never be able to find my siblings. It would even be hard to move out of this place. Without magic, I am nothing more than a talentless man...'

Luz's expression worsened and Jodoc smiled at the sight of it.

Telepathically, Jodoc told Simon, "You see. His look reveals everything. He's willing to sacrifice everything he has just to save his talent."

Simon sighed out of pity before presenting the two possible options that were available.

"Option 1 you won't use any mana from today and we will try to rehab your mana core slowly. This is the safest method, but your mage career would be as good as over," Simon explained before adding "But, your life would be guaranteed."

Luz only shook his head before asking: "What would be the other option?"

Simon smiled before continuing with: "Option 2 would be to force a symbiosis with another parasite-like organism, which has high regeneration abilities. Your body will regularly fight with it for control of your body, but this organism would also be forced to heal you, otherwise, it would die with you."

"If it gains control of my body then what is the difference with dying?" Luz asked.

Simon shook his head before stating: "You aren't the first one. Several mages use this type of cooperation with a symbiote, but I have never been able to reproduce this result, let alone force a symbiosis. The secrets behind how they managed it, as well as long-term studies and drawbacks, are kept top secret."

Simon paused for a second and flipped to a different page on his notes before continuing with: "The risk of failure is high, and even if a symbiosis works, I'm not sure if it's the ideal parasite, let alone how such a symbiosis will affect the advancement to a higher mage rank."

Luz was lost in his thoughts.

'To be honest, I don't want to take the risk. If I die, I will never find my siblings. But on the other hand, if I can't be a mage, then traveling around the world to find my siblings will be relatively difficult.' Luz sighed before replying with "I wish I had more choices but I would be willing to take that risk".

"Are you sure?" asked Jodoc the parrot, climbing up on Luz's shoulder.

"Yes, I am," Luz gave in with a sight.

"The young always tend to take risks," murmured Simon who led Luz up a few floors to where a large water tank was located.

The tank was slightly murky and it looked as if it were filled with just dirty water. Simon made Luz faint by hitting him on the neck with his hand.

"Let's pray that we'll succeed with him," Simon sighed while slowly attaching several tubes onto Luz. These tubs would regularly pump nutrients into his body, as well as mana, anesthetics, and even oxygen into his body.

Several measuring devices that record the values of pulse, blood sugar, mana, and nutrient levels every second were also attached to Luz's body. After everything was linked, Luz's lifeless body was dropped into the tank and one could see how the tank became clearer and clearer with time.

The graphs, which Simon the Mage as well as Jodoc the Parrot saw after a few minutes, looked grim.

The longer it lasted the more and more all of the measurements, which were recorded, were plummeting. It would not take much longer before critical levels would be reached.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all," whispered Jodoc the Parrot.

"Let's pray that it was a good idea," Simon whispered back.