The Mages' Tower. Evening.
Mirena sat alone in her study.
The mana stones were spread across the table before her—dark, smooth, warm. They pulsed faintly, like heartbeats, like the creatures they had been cut from.
She had been studying them for days. They were different from the ones Lira used—darker, warmer, pulsing with a strange energy. The power within them was immense. Too immense.
She picked one up. Held it in her palm.
The stone pulsed. Warmth spread through her fingers, up her arm, into her chest.
She set it down.
---
She examined them under a lens.
The structure was different from regular mana stones. The crystals were denser, the energy more concentrated. Each stone contained enough power to make three regular mana stones.
Three.
She sat back. Stared at them.
The creatures were not just producing mana. They were producing it in quantities no one had ever seen. The implications were staggering—and terrifying.
If the mages could learn to replicate this process, they could have more magic than they knew what to do with.
But if the creatures kept breeding, kept spreading, kept producing—the mana concentration would keep growing. The veil would keep thickening. And something worse might come through.
She picked up her quill. Made a note.
Creature mana stones: 1 stone = 3 regular stones. Implication: creatures are absorbing power from the void. Converting it. Concentrating it. The portal didn't just open a doorway—it changed the rules.
---
The door opened. Aldus entered.
"You're still here," he said.
Mirena nodded. "I'm still here."
Aldus walked to the table. Looked at the stones. "Have you learned anything?"
Mirena was quiet for a moment. "Each stone contains enough power to make three regular mana stones."
Aldus's eyes widened. "That's—"
"Impossible. I know." Mirena met his eyes. "But it's true."
Aldus studied the stones. "The creatures?"
"Are producing more mana than we thought. The portal didn't just open a doorway—it changed something. The rules of magic are different now."
Aldus was silent for a long moment. "What does that mean for us?"
Mirena shook her head. "I don't know. But we need to find out."
---
She spent the rest of the evening in the archives.
The room was cold, dusty, lit by a single candle. Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with books and scrolls and old journals. She had been here before, searching for references to the portal, to the void, to the creatures.
Now she was searching for something else.
A ritual. A way to stabilize a portal. A way to open a controlled doorway between worlds.
She found it in an old text—a book so fragile she had to turn its pages with tweezers. The writing was faded, the language archaic, the diagrams barely visible.
But the words were there.
The Rite of Anchoring. To bind a doorway between worlds. To open a path where no path exists.
She read on.
The ritual required immense power. More than a single mage could provide. More than a circle of mages could provide. It required a source—a concentrated source of energy that could bridge the gap between worlds.
She sat back. Stared at the page.
The mana stones.
The creatures' stones were powerful. Too powerful. They could be used to fuel the ritual.
But the ritual was untested. Dangerous. If it failed—if something went wrong—the portal could open to the wrong place. Or it could explode. Or it could tear a hole in reality that couldn't be closed.
She closed the book. Blew out the candle.
She needed to think.
---
The next morning, she went to the guild hall.
Grog was in the yard, training the recruits. His sword moved through the air, dark metal that drank the light. His face was stone. His body was calm.
Lira sat on the bench, her bow across her knees, her eyes on Grog.
Mirena walked to her.
"He's pushing them hard," Mirena said.
Lira nodded. "He's pushing himself harder."
Mirena was quiet for a moment. "I found something."
Lira looked at her. "The portal?"
"A way to stabilize one. To open a controlled doorway." Mirena paused. "It requires immense power. More than we have."
Lira's eyes narrowed. "The mana stones?"
Mirena nodded. "The creatures' stones are powerful enough. But the ritual is untested. Dangerous."
Lira stood. Walked to the edge of the yard. Watched Grog destroy another dummy.
"Does he know?"
Mirena shook her head. "Not yet."
Lira was quiet for a moment. "He'll want to do it. Immediately."
Mirena nodded. "I know."
"Are you ready?"
Mirena met her eyes. "No. But I will be."
---
Mirena found Grog in the yard after the recruits had gone.
He was alone, his sword in his hand, his chest heaving. The dummies were destroyed—splintered, scattered, broken. He stood in the center of the destruction, staring at nothing.
"Grog."
He turned. "Mirena."
She walked to him. "I found something. A way to stabilize a portal."
Grog's eyes sharpened. "To find Aldric?"
"To open a controlled doorway. To go where he went." She paused. "It's dangerous. Untested. The ritual could fail."
Grog was quiet for a moment. "What do you need?"
Mirena met his eyes. "The mana stones. All of them."
Grog nodded slowly. "They're yours." He said, " And I'll get more".