Ray realized that the things happening to him were not so unusual after all. His body sent being controlled by an unnatural power and not was the bloodline altering his ambitions.
Rather, the bloodline gave him a few different tendencies that were to remain forever. Just like they said,
'Nothing in this world was ever free,'
And it was the same with the bloodline. Strong as it might be, it came with it's own sets of caveats and the biggest one being the will of the origin passing down to the wielder.
Since Ray was the wielder and the origin being the creator of the bloodline. Ray had to deal with some part of his will and even though he could have gotten worse, what he got was nothing less than that.
He got to know that the person of origin was someone who thought good of his people and as nice as it may sound, it was what killed the man. The man simply thought too much about other, especially his loved ones and partially turned into a Saint.
Due to it, not only did he fight so many useless battles but his adversaries were always stronger than him. Though, the man's tenacious endurance resulted in him coming on top; it still didn't deter the fact that he stumbled across much worse and in the end, he succumbed to his tendencies.
Also, the man was a good leader and always hoped-for the best. This was the quantity that was very useful for Ray but not to his liking at all. Ray loved commanding a small group that acted more like a family unit that functioned ceaselessly without any commands but until recently, he somehow got his hands full with hundreds of students to lead and take care of.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtRay just shook his head. The will wasn't that strong anyway and had more benefits than it's counterpart. Ray turned around as he looked at the two mythical creatures standing in front of him.
"Thank you," Ray nodded and bowed slightly to show his gratitude.
"No worries, just take good care of us and do find our bodies so we could help you best," FengFeng spoke on behalf of both of them.
Ray nodded and turned around. Even though Mag'ladroth remained shut, he knew that the Void Dragon intended the same. As for why he stood silently, Ray couldn't make of anything other than the blush on the Void Dragon's pale face and FengFeng's hand in his pockets.
Ray was too tired to connect the dots and pay any attention to it. From what he guessed, he would have to rest for a day or two to assess his condition and stabilize the new surge of power.
Though, before falling into his slumber; Ray had to thank Aurora. Thinking of her, a blush crept up his cheeks as he felt his heart beat faster.
He had been with Aurora for months now and she was an indispensable to him. She was like a part of him, a family member whom he cared for from the depths of his heart and trusted deeply.
Yet, the recent events made the bond he had with her grow only stronger. The kiss and intimacy they shared felt far from uncomfortable and rather stimulating.
Ray wasn't sure of what it was but he knew for sure that it was special.
"Well, I guess we will have to talk it out and then see. Though, it was still very nice," He thought as the feeling of Aurora's lips still lingered on his lips.
He could practically feel her lips pressing onto his and just remembering it made his blush even more fiercely.
While Ray walked in his consciousness to search for Aurora, his body already showed signs of recovery.
The strange phenomenon happening in his blood stopped as everything went back to normal. Rather it seemed like that as his core, albeit larger than before; was not in the best of conditions.
Thin cracks ran upon it's surface as they formed a whole web of cracks. As the mana core pulsed with energy, some of it seeped out of the cracks and into his body.
His body absorbed that energy and used it to strengthen itself but it wasn't all good. His mana core was cracked and it was no less than being crippled. A cracked or broken mana core posed a lot of problems with the biggest being that the mana core was unable to store mana.
Hence, for the person whose mana core was cracked, their mana reserves would be awfully low and they won't be able to employ stronger spells or technique and nor will they be able to channel more mana through their bodies without threatening to damage the mana core even more.
Not just that, but a cracked mana core also meant that it would be harder for the person to refine it further and evolve. This in all made it harder for Ray as strength was his foremost priority and this was just the start of the list.
After all, the mana core was the most essential part of someone's body. They had to treat it like any other organ as it was directly their source and connection to the intangible existence of mana and it was only the Celestials and beyond them that freed themselves from the limits of a mana core. Though that was also to some extent and not fully.
However, Ray was ignorant of his physical condition as of yet. While on the other hand, the situation outside changed drastically. The strange pagodas that had erupted from the ground started to glow as they deployed some sort of force field around them.
The force field wasn't something technologically advance, rather it was purely magical. The force field seemed like a mana barrier of sorts but on a different level than that employed by humans of Earth. It was bigger, better and sturdier. It had anti stealth properties as not anyone could probe beyond it and if someone wanted to, they would have to do so forcefully.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAlso, Ray's mother and the others noticed some sort of activity around the pagodas. Slowly but surely, a camp was being set around the pagoda and walls were being built as well.
Not only that but a variety of humanoid creatures seemed to roam around the pagodas in an orderly manner. This clearly implied that the invaders contained sentience to a good extent and we're very intelligent.
It added another burden on the whole team as they sat down and assessed their current options. Ray's mother headed the meeting as she asked directly for someone to go forth and scout.
"I will scout. My abilities allow me to do so efficiently without being caught. Also, I am almost untraceable at night," Sirius raised his hand and volunteered.
Even though his actions drew some eyes from everyone present, no one objected his proposal. They knew that he was the best man for the job and that if anything even went south, he had enough strength flee back in time.
"You sure?" Ray's mother confirmed as Sirius nodded in affirmation.
"Well, what can I do then? Also, you are our best option for information. So I hope you return safely," She said and nodded at him. She has grown accustomed to her son's team and found every single member of the team to be very close to her son and that they were completely loyal to Ray. As if bound together by some invisible strength.
"There is also the issue of the base," She raised her voice as the chatter around the hall stopped. Everyone concentrated to the next problem which was of great importance.
It was the safety of the base. Right now, the base was safe because of the countermeasures Ray had taken before hand and the handful of times the mansion was attacked, the attacked weren't severe enough to cause any sort of damage.
But it still remained a face that the mansion wasn't fully protected and that various measures were to be taken to ensure safety. Therefore, Ray's mother brought up the issue at the meeting. She wanted to enlist some help from the survivors and use their expertise to help remodel the defenses of the mansion.
"Okay, we will gather the required people and form an action plan. We will make schematics and get to work immediately. It is something we couldn't delay," Ray's mother commented as everyone nodded. They knew that the mansion was their only stronghold and they had to cherish it and strengthen it further to be protected all the time.