⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Hayato barely escaped the giant turtle chasing him by diving into a cave. Inside, he met a mysterious being and was shocked to discover he was nothing more than a ghost.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
As I checked myself whether I was alive or not, the flickering flame leapt from its spot, circling me a few times before stopping in front of me. Then it continued.
Voice:
"No, not really, I don't think that's it. You're not in a spirit form either, but I think I understand why…"
Hayato:
"Why?"
Voice:
"I can't sense any presence in you because you lack mana, the essence of being. You have none, and your body isn't made to store it too. That's why the entrance spell didn't affect you… even the tiniest bit of mana would have turned you to ash."
Hayato:
"Whaat!? So… when you say I have no mana, what does that actually mean?"
Voice:
"In simple terms, it means you can't do even the smallest magic. Mana is the life force of this world, in every living thing from ants to beasts. You don't have any trace of it."
I won't lie, it felt way too much when I heard that bit of truth. My eyes filled with tears, and torn between helplessness and despair, I collapsed right where I was.
All the things I had been holding until then, crashed down on me, and I broke, blurting everything out to the spirit-like thing in front of me.
Hayato:
"This is just too much…"
I paused for a moment, struggling to hold back my tears as I tried to gather my thoughts, then I took a deep breath and continued.
Hayato:
"First that goddess throws me here with no blessing or powers, then hands me a shitty book I can't even read, and now some random thing I don't even know is telling me I have no mana and can't even do magic…"
Voice:
"Wait… what do you mean by the goddess sent you? You're not from this world? Or are you one of the heroes she sent? Does she know about me?"
Hayato:
"No, I hadn't even heard of this world or you before I got here. And yes, she summoned me… I'm meant to be the goddess's chosen hero to save the world… but somehow, I'm not. It's… complicated."
Voice:
"I see… so are you also a hero sent to defeat the Demon Lord?"
Hayato:
"Oh no, the Demon Lord's already gone. I was supposed to stop the old hero who went mad… or at least that was the plan. But I got no blessing, no powers, and apparently no mana either. Anyone else could probably do this better..."
Voice:
"You're right, I've never seen anything as pitiful as you. Even the sickliest child is born with a trace of it. But you… you have nothing. No source, no storage, just an empty pot."
Even that flickering flame before me, weak enough to die with a blow, seemed to say it was better off than me. I couldn't help but grimace, but facts were facts, and there wasn't much I could do at the time.
Hayato:
"Thanks for reminding me how hopeless I am. Yeah, that's it, and I have no idea what to do. I don't know this world's language or anything about it, and I don't even know how we are communicating right now…"
Voice:
"It's strange you haven't noticed until now. We're not really speaking, we're sharing thoughts mentally."
Hayato:
"Oh..."
I didn't fully get it, but I nodded anyway. After all, I was talking to a flickering flame in a cave right after being chased by a giant turtle, logic wasn't exactly required that day.
Hayato:
"Well then, not to be rude, but who exactly are you? And… why are you here?"
Voice:
"Long story, but fine. Since you asked, I'll tell you. I am the Demon Lord you mentioned. Or rather, the last fragment of his soul…"
Hayato:
"Excuse me but, you are… whaat!?"
The moment I heard that, I stumbled back in shock. I'd already guessed there might be a strong magician or something inside the cave from the strange magic at the entrance, but this… was way more than I expected.
Demon Lord:
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, I mean, you'd be already dead if I wanted to. As for your other question… I'm almost out of my mana, so after using a spell that turned anyone entering the cave to dust, I withdrew here to spend the last moments of my life."
Hayato:
"Ha, that's why... But the Demon Lord is dead. That's what the goddess said…"
Demon Lord:
"I'm not alive either. I'm just the core of the Demon Lord's soul, freed before his death. I spent years trying to inhabit a body, from the smallest bug to the largest beast, but none could handle my mana. So I gave up, I'm tired of this desperate search…"
Then I guess I got caught up in the story. I felt a strange mix of feelings, and before I knew it, the words just came out.
Hayato:
"I see… so is there anything I can help with?"
Almost immediately, I regretted it. What was I even thinking? Was I really trying to bring a dying Demon Lord back to life? Total nonsense. My head was all over the place.
Demon Lord:
"No, there's nothing you can do. You have nothing to offer... You're, by far, the most desperate thing I've ever seen."
I was sure the Demon Lord wasn't mocking me, he was just stating the truth, but hearing it so plainly still hurt. I frowned and looked down as he spoke.
Demon Lord:
"But wait… trying one more time won't hurt, right? Others failed because they couldn't hold all my mana, and their bodies collapsed. But you… you're different. You have no storage at all, so…"
Suddenly, the air around me grew cold. The spine-chilling feeling made my skin crawl. I tensed up and took a step back, ready to run.
Hayato:
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean their bodies collapsed?! And what is even that trying can't—"
Before I could finish my sentence, the Demon Lord's final fragment, the flickering flame in front of me, shot toward me, entered my body, and I passed out right after.