"Do you know what aura is?" Noctharion's voice rumbled, calm yet heavy with expectation.
I nodded slowly. "Yes… Aura is the force born from one's core. It's the body's raw power, drawn out and refined. Unlike mana, which flows outward to shape spells, aura turns inward first—circulating through the body, hardening flesh, sharpening speed, amplifying strength. It is the will of the core, made tangible."
"So why are you not using it correctly?" Noctharion's voice cut through the silence, calm yet sharp.
I frowned. "You're saying I'm not using it correctly?"
"Yes," he said simply.
"Aura and mana… what most people believe are two separate things—they are not. They come from the same source. The only difference is in how you wield them."
My eyes narrowed. "So you're saying aura and mana are the same?"
"Exactly," Noctharion replied. His gaze pierced me, ancient and knowing. "What I see is this: the body. That frail, mortal vessel of yours. It cannot endure both forces at once. That is why your kind split the usage—training your flesh to handle only one path. It became tradition, then inheritance. Over generations, bloodlines molded themselves to accept only one form, passing that weakness to their descendants from birth."
"So you're saying… theoretically it is possible to use both aura and mana at the same time? The only reason we can't is because of our weak constitution."
"Yes," Noctharion replied.
"But in history, there are mentions of two people who could use both."
"They must have been the ones who overcame the limits placed on them," Noctharion said.
"I see…" I narrowed my eyes. "So how do I do it? Can my body really handle both simultaneously?"
"You don't have to worry about it," Noctharion's voice rumbled, calm yet heavy, like stone grinding against stone. "As I said before… You are an anomaly in this world. Your soul is stronger than any mortal I have ever seen. And after you absorbed that core back then, your own has already surpassed most people walking this land."
His words carried a strange reassurance, but there was no warmth in them—only truth.
"Be warned, though," he continued, his eyes like shards of midnight. "The method I will teach you… It was never meant for mortals. Even for you, the chance of surviving it is slim. The pain will be unlike anything you've endured before."
I drew in a breath, steadying myself. "What exactly is this method?"
Noctharion's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "It is my own creation. A path to wield both mana and aura simultaneously. With a single core—your core—both forces will be stored, refined, and expanded together. You will not separate them as the world dictates. Instead, they will become one."
His words echoed in my chest like a tolling bell.
"But…" he said, and the air seemed to thicken, "to achieve this, your entire constitution must be broken and remade. Every mandarine in your body will be forcefully expanded, reshaped, to channel both mana and aura. They will flow together through your veins—intertwined, inseparable."
My fingers curled into fists. "And the result?"
"The result," Noctharion's voice dropped lower, almost reverent, "is immense. Your capacity for mana and aura will grow beyond measure. Any increase in one… will fuel the other. They will rise as one flame, burning higher than the heavens—or consuming you whole."
"Okay then… do it," I said to Noctharion.
.......
AUTHOR NOTE....
Read the remaining chapter on my other webnovel with the same name and cover..
I'll be continuing this story on my other novel (same name and cover). This version will be deleted soon, so please head over there to keep following the journey. Thank you for your support!