Inside the courtyard, in the underground bunker, Leon sat cross legged in front of a pool churning with mana.
The air down here was different from the city above. Quieter. Heavier with the specific density of concentrated energy that had nowhere to go except into whatever was sitting at the center of the room.
The method had come from the faceless mercenary company, taught to him long ago under circumstances that felt like another life now. It allowed energy rich medical water to seep into the bones, into the soul, feeding the body at a depth that surface treatments couldn't reach. Slow. Thorough. The kind of process that rewarded patience more than effort.
For most people pushing toward the transcendent stage, flooding the body with as much energy as possible at once would be the instinct.
Leon couldn't do that.
