---
John approached slowly, his heartbeat matching the soft pulse of the mana particle. He knelt before it, hesitating for a moment. His hands trembled slightly. This was it… the final step to unlocking his Black Hole Core, to officially becoming a Circle One mage.
He reached out.
The particle shivered, then rose gently from the stone, drifting into his palm as if it had been waiting for him all along. Cold energy pierced his skin, racing up his arm in a shock of sensation that stole his breath.
[Ding! Mana Particle Detected.
Do you want to Absorb?
Yes / No]
"Yes," John whispered.
The world seemed to slow down. John stood before the stone cradle, his heart hammering against his ribs. The third and final mana particle floated within its rocky nest, pulsing softly in hues of deep sapphire and violet. Its glow painted the mist in an otherworldly sheen, like a star that had fallen from a silent night sky.
