Luca rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I see. That makes sense. The horses in my world don't have mana, so they wear horseshoes to prevent damage. They receive regular care and treatment. But here..."
He looked at Riley's hoof again. "Because mana was always there, you never developed those practices. And now that the mana is gone..."
"Now our hooves have degraded to a more primitive state." Claudia finished. "Like normal horses."
"Worse than normal horses." Luca corrected quietly. "Riley's hooves are far more brittle than any horse I've ever examined. The depletion of mana has hit her harder than most."
Riley's face contorted with fear.
"What...What are you saying?" Her voice trembled. "Are you telling me I won't be able to walk anymore? That I won't be able to run?"
She grabbed Luca's arm with desperate strength.
"Please, Hero—please don't tell me that's true! I can't...I can't be like the elders! I can't be confined to a house for the rest of my life! I can't!"
