At some point, the rhythm within him shifted.
The steady cycling of breath, the flow of mana, and the pulse of his Knight's aura no longer clashed. They moved together, weaving into one steady current. Mana no longer resisted aura, and aura no longer pushed against mana, they resonated, each strengthening the other.
This was it.
The Concordant State.
When Lumberling's eyes opened, the night looked sharper, more vivid. The stars above shimmered as if closer, and he could feel the faint streams of mana threading through the air around him.
His chest rose and fell in calm rhythm, every breath carrying a sense of balance he had never known.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He felt as though both paths, the mage's and the knight's were truly his to walk.
"Two or three months," he whispered to himself, "and the mana heart will be ready."
