Today I came early.

Usually I’ll feel a bit cranky at the sudden notice but I’m feeling good. I feel good because the senior called us to witness today’s experiment. We can postpone any work until the experiment is over.

The senior made a new discovery with their project. They found the correct method of siphoning large amount of mana from the Rune Array they created. This doesn’t seem much but it’s the biggest progress we made yet after 1 month.

I am riding mana-powered machine together with around 40 people. I saw the giant gate pumping saturated mana afar closing behind us.

We passed the guardsmen at the checkpoint.

This is the main entrance of the research base. A tunnel with runic lamps installed with Class-1 Construct for the logistics and transportation. It was guarded by several Pentamagi at each checkpoint.

You wouldn’t mess around with the guardsmen here. They were straight elites from Moonlight Kingdom’s military force. They are a group of powerful casters which were looked up even from the many geniuses of our academy.

They were picked from the best of their squad and received intensive training. They were adrenaline junkies—thriving with the training they received.

I still feel a bit of my hair trickling every time I saw them standing aside the track.

The Construct made it to the last checkpoint. Around 15 people came out as the same time including me.

Many people gathered on the research site. I saw a boy waving at me. He was Louis, Elle was there too. Raising my hand, I walk towards them.

Steel platform on a higher level were installed with mithril constructs—researchers were setting it up.

Mana Siphon.

A multi-structure Artifact forged from mithril, designed by the seniors. It used a highly condensed mana in form of crystal called Aegis as the siphon. It was only small in size compared to the mana it contained. Make no mistake because of its appearances, it was a legendary existence in and of itself

It was a hexagonal-shaped structure—a bit taller than me—with glass and mithril overlapping with the many conduits attached into it. The mithril indicator float as it was obtaining a steady amount of energy.

“In the hands of mortal, it enhances the user’s magic to the level of Legends. A slight gust turns into a tornado, a trickle of water into a flood, and a simple ember into a blazing inferno.” – Durran Paper, page 173.

Aegis can only be found in the dungeon. It was theorized that Aegis forms naturally from hundreds of years of mana cycle in the dungeon. It is a dangerous weapon capable of annihilating mountains, yet a trustworthy guardian of the kingdom.

It acts as the center of our kingdom’s wards. It enabled us to erect barrier covering the whole capital city—making the capital city immune to sieges.

‘Once, a child waltzed in a ruin,

Struggling he seeks. Riches he seeks.

He found a prism in the buried,

Now he’s a king! Now he’s a king!’

—as the nursery rhyme in sang by the children said it.

Aegis is the perfect solution to the problem of Runes. Sadly it is too rare for even us. We only discovered one of it from the countless voyages in the dungeon since the founding of this institution.

The Aegis floats in a pedestal located in the center of the Construct. There shine the color turquoise from it, while it's radiating constantly.

I can feel it, the boundless mana inside firmer than the mountains. The familiar feeling I got made me feel strange—familiar yet unfamiliar.

Together with the mana extraction method, they are activating it for the second time.

With the Wards now disappeared, they were draining the mana contained in the Ark. Tremendous amounts of it, many times greater than the already absurd contained in the Wards.

Giant piping systems were attached on the siphoning nodes installed in the last layer of the defense of the ships.

“Oh. It’s starting! It’s starting!” Louis said.

The look of anticipation can be found on the faces of the senior. The mana began to visibly move.

Blue streams enveloped the conduits before they gather at the siphon. Mechanical parts started to move as the more mana flow into it, the more life-like they became.

At that moment, something strange occurred.

“Rrrrrreaaaa!”

The machine pumping the mana stopped. The flow inside the conduits stopped. Even the gently rotating Aegis became immobilized.

“What happened!?” Agris shouted,

The engineers immediately check the Mana Siphon.

“The conduits are available, incomplete parts undetected. We don’t see any abnormality in the siphon. The flow charts are normal until it-”

*SkreeeaACH!!!*

Ear deafening screech resonates in the research site. I immediately hold my hands on my ears.

“Unbelievable…” I muttered.

The gentle blue streams started to flow back into the ship. Cogs and the auxiliary siphon started to move in reverse. Even the pivot of the Construct started to move in reverse.

“Stop the machine!” Agris exclaimed.

The team nearby the vicinity rushes into the panel but nothing happened. The construct doesn’t stop. They went at the pedestal to disable it. But the mana was too strong, even Agris can’t handle being near it. The other researchers were repelled by a good distance the moment they try touching it.

Standing there, I saw it clearly. The Runes were moving as if someone was willing it. No system or design of Runes can move this fluently. The veined pattern of the mana flow, the subtle movement of the various parts of the ship, and the vibrating air it lets out. As if it was—

“Breathing… like it's alive?” I muttered—Louis glanced at me.

“Correct, it is alive.”

I was too focused at what was happening. I didn’t pay attention to him or anything else in the site until I see red light illuminates all that I see.

*RIEEEEE! RIEEEEE! RIEEEEE!*

Alarms started to go off. It’s a crescendo of a low frequency sound escalating higher and higher until it repeats itself. It was followed by a low rumbling of the vibrating earth which shook everything for a moment.  

*RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*

I can feel it from the main entrance.

“Threat level: Red, High priority order. All personel must immediately evacuate. Repeat-”

—As the voice in the siren said.

“Everyone, immediately evacuate! We are under attack!” Senior Agris said. She started floating from the ground. She led the people towards the back entrance as she flew. I have never seen her take action so seriously.

“No… He’s coming. We need to go!”

“W-what, Who?” I replied. He grabbed my hand.

“Damn, just when it gets good,” he said grumpily—gazing at the ship.

All of the researchers immediately started shambling towards the back entrance, but Louis and Elle led me to the pedestal.

“Hey! Don’t you dare touch that!” Agris shouted from afar.

Louis let go of my hand. He climbs the pedestal, unfazed with the raging energy concentrated within.

Senior Agris flew back at us faster than she went.

Louis threw the crystal at me faster than my eyes can see. I raised my hands unconsciously.

But instead Elle caught it from behind me with a very accurate timing. Almost as if they were both telepathic.

.-.-.-.-.-.

“He’s at the back. We’ll go for the main entrance,” I said. We immediately ran towards the Construct at the main entrance.

“Sure.”

“The Aegis! W-wait, what did you do to senior Agris!?”

I glanced back at the girl floating in the air.

“She’ll be okay after a couple of seconds. No time for that, we need to leave the building!”

Although my spells were very effective, it got some serious flaws. I don’t have the balls of facing that monster with no spells ready. We need to get out of here quickly.

I adjusted my red scarf.

The door closes behind us. We went inside the Construct. Not a single soul could be seen inside.

Elle put her arms at the access panel right beside the door. The interface instantly turns into a different color when she got the access. The huge steel gate opened up.

The Construct rumbled.

“Back on the line, we’re going.”

Nice one Elle! Always reliable even when you’re grumpier than a Piegull!

She glared at me as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

“What? I was just thinking about Piegulls!”

“Hmph” She sneered, “That smile is up to no good.”

“Hey watch your wrinkly mouth! My smile is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

“My what!? Listen you-” Elle exclaimed further.  I grinned. Her cranky rant is more pleasing than the sound of a seven string Harpea to my ear.

The Construct moves in an escalated pace while we were bickering. We went pass the gate as it’s slowly closing behind us.

“Stop right there!”

I turned my back. I saw the girl flying at a high speed towards us. She already broke free from my ability?

I glance at Elle. She knew exactly what to do. She put her hand on the control panel.

Before the girl get near the gate, it suddenly closes at a faster pace until it is shut tight. I let a sigh of relieve.

“Just what the hell is happening!”

I finally noticed the anger from the girl standing beside me.

“Why did you steal the crystal? Explain to me!”

She threw my hand off from hers.

“Calm down. Hear me first,” I readjusted my red scarf.

“Your kingdom is in danger. You’re right, hell is happening.”