Unedited*
The moment he arrived, everyone stepped aside, leaving Lucius and Clara alone in the center.
Lucius didn't turn to look at him. He couldn't meet this guy's gaze. He kept his composure and glanced sideways. He knew he couldn't fool this guy.
What he was referring to is the Principle of the Dead Tree, also known as the Principle of Fossilization of Corrupted Mana or Cursed Energy, whichever you prefer to call it.
It is a universal law that occurs under certain circumstances.
The Law implies that Corrupted Mana becomes trapped inside "something" that was once alive and takes on complex forms that can deceive the senses, vision, and even magic and the system itself.
The first part of the Principle is inviolable: It can only occur within something that was alive, that went through a process of fossilization.
Example: A tree trunk—the most common place for this to occur.
