But first, Theon needed to figure out what happened when he touched the tablet earlier.
Alone in the dimly lit study, his hands pressed against the rough, yellowed pages of the notes left behind by the deceased researcher. The flickering glow of mana lamps overhead cast shifting shadows across the wooden desk, their soft hum the only sound breaking the heavy silence.
He had spent the last day dissecting the old scholar’s findings, cross-referencing them with the fragmented memories from the soul he had consumed. The moment he had touched that ancient tablet, something had awakened within him—a knowledge that was not his own, yet familiar, as if he had lived another life within that brief contact.
The notes were extensive but scattered, full of erratic handwriting and diagrams sketched in haste. The researcher had clearly been on the verge of something monumental before his untimely death. Theon’s eyes traced over the delicate etchings of runes and formulas, trying to piece together the mystery that had eluded the man for so long.
One phrase repeated itself throughout the pages:
The key lies in the conversion of energy into mana.
Theon could feel his pulse quicken as he reread the same phrase again and again. He had seen similar theories in the libraries of the academy, dismissed as nothing more than alchemist delusions. Mana was a force intrinsic to the world, drawn from the body or the environment. It wasn’t something that could be synthesized—at least, not by conventional means. And yet, the researcher had been obsessed with it, sketching runes in various formations, attempting to create an artificial source of mana where none should exist.
" Insane work" he said. As he turned the page the bottom of the next sheet, there was a single rune—a circular symbol, its lines sharp and jagged, forming an intricate web of intersecting shapes. It was unlike any rune Theon had seen before, a design so complex it made his head spin. Beneath the rune, a single word was scribbled hastily:
Transmutation.
This was it. This was the breakthrough the researcher had been searching for. But there was more. Theon now understood that the researcher had missed something crucial. The Rune of Transmutation wasn’t merely theoretical; it was the key to artificial mana generation but the missing part was the energy needed to transform into mana...
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Sleep eluded him that night...
The hours blurred together as he pored over the researcher’s notes, comparing them against the stolen knowledge seared into his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, the visions returned—the world on the brink of destruction, earthquakes A tremor shook the ground beneath his feet. No—not just a tremor. The very foundation of the world was collapsing. Towers crumbled, dragged into the depths by unseen forces. The sky itself seemed to crack, splintering into jagged fragments as a deafening roar filled the air
Theon gasped, ripping himself free from the vision.
The room spun. His hands trembled as he clutched at the desk, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Cold sweat slicked his skin. He was here. Not there. But the memories—no, the warnings—lingered.
By morning, he had a hypothesis.
The Rune of Transmutation alone wasn’t enough. It had to be paired with an array—one that could pull in an external power source and refine it into mana. Electricity, thermal energy, even kinetic force—all had potential. The key was conversion. Stabilization. Control.
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He spread out several sheets of parchment, each marked with different configurations of runes. Some were familiar—basic enchantments or energy storage glyphs.
Others were more complex, derived from the researcher’s incomplete work. Slowly, methodically, he sketched out an arrangement that could, in theory, facilitate the process:
He stared at the completed design, his pulse quickening. If this worked, it would change everything.
Clearing a section of his lab, Theon carefully etched the rune formations onto a small testing slab. He would start with a controlled energy source—a small enchanted crystal designed to generate a weak electrical charge. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough for a proof of concept.
He placed the crystal at the center of the array and activated the formation.
At first, nothing.
Then..... the crystal hummed faintly at the center of the rune array. Theon held his breath, eyes fixed on the flickering glow. For a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath with him. Then, the runes began to pulse—weakly at first, but then stronger, with a faint crackle of blue light that danced along the edges of the array.
The runes flickered, responding to the energy but failing to convert it. Theon frowned,
Then, for the briefest moment, it worked.
A flicker of blue light danced along the edges of the formation. The air thickened, charged with the unmistakable presence of mana. It was unstable, fleeting, but it was there.
And then, with a sudden surge, the crystal cracked, the light flickering wildly before it shattered with a sharp, violent pop. The energy field collapsed, leaving only the faintest wisp of mana hanging in the air.
Theon staggered back, a sharp exhale of frustration escaping his lips. His pulse pounded in his ears. It hadn’t worked, not completely. But it was close. Very close.
The theory was sound.
The old researcher had been desperate, grasping at concepts beyond his understanding.
In his final experiments, he had misidentified the nature of electricity, using a crude method—summoning raw lightning from a scroll, mistaking it for controlled electrical energy. Theon had seen it in the notes, the frantic scribbles detailing how the researcher had tried to force mana conversion using sheer power. But lightning wasn’t just electricity—it was chaos, uncontrolled, destructive. No wonder the experiment had failed.
Electricity, unlike lightning, was an energy source that could be manipulated, controlled, even stored—qualities essential for successful mana conversion. In contrast, lightning was chaotic, raw power—destructive and erratic, making it ill-suited for the delicate transmutation he was attempting. Thermal energy could be harnessed too, but it required specific catalysts to be refined into a usable form of mana. Kinetic force, similarly, had potential, but it needed to be stabilized before it could safely be converted. Mana wasn''t like other energies—it was a product of intent and control. Without that, conversion was impossible
The mana stone he had etched his runes into was a magical insulator—something that could contain mana but not conduct electricity
Theon exhaled, setting down the last of his parchments. The remnants of his successfully failed experiment still crackled faintly in the air, but he paid them no mind. There was no need to dwell—he had learned what he needed. The next step would require proper materials, but for now, there were other matters to attend to.
Without looking up, he spoke. “How long have you been in here?”
A ripple of darkness stirred in the far corner of the room, and a figure stepped forward. Cloaked in black, the shadow knelt before him, lowering his head slightly.
“Three days,” Valdor his shadow replied. His voice was steady, yet laced with the exhaustion of long travel.
Theon finally turned to face him, fingers steepled beneath his chin. “And?”
“I found it,” the shadow said. “The best auction house on the continent is in the Central Republic. It has the broadest selection of rare artifacts, materials, and restricted items. If you want something truly valuable, that is where you’ll find it.”
Theon nodded, absorbing the information before the shadow continued.
“One more thing—your grandfather returned yesterday. He is asking for your presence.”
Theon didn’t react immediately. His thoughts briefly drifted elsewhere before he returned to the conversation. " I’ll handle that soon." His gaze sharpened. "And remember this, whatever you saw here today—you don’t speak of it. Understand?"
The shadow bowed his head lower, his voice steady. "Understood, young master."
“Good.” Theon rose from his chair, stretching slightly. “Now, tell me everything about this auction house.”