Blood Magic
Nathan kept back the jar on the floor after Amy left the room.
He wondered if there were any other secret effects of the technique he was unaware of, however going through the entire manual would take weeks.. even months.
The manual explained that mana imbued into the blood would prevent it from coagulating and spoiling.
"Time to do some magic", he muttered with a wry grin and opened the lid of the jar.
The stench of the beast's blood quickly spread throughout the entire room.
However, to Nathan, it seemed as if someone had opened a jar of honey.
Nathan dipped his hand into the jar, feeling the thick, warm liquid coat his fingers. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the mana around him.
Nathan focused intently, trying to sense the subtle currents of mana around him. As he concentrated, he began to feel a faint, tingling sensation where the blood touched his skin. It was as if the mana itself was pulsing and alive.
He took a deep breath, his lips curling upward. Gradually, he felt the mana responding to his intent, swirling gently around his fingers.
The sensation was … oddly exhilarating to Nathan.
He could feel a sense of tiredness growing the longer he tried to control the mana.
It was known as mana fatigue, caused by the excessive use of mental strength in controlling mana.
But Nathan persevered, feeling he could go further.
He moved onto the next step of the technique, where he had to imbue this mana into the blood. Concentrating harder, Nathan tried to channel the mana from his fingers into the blood in the jar. He felt a surge of energy as the blood began to shudder and turn into a darker hue of red.
Suddenly, Nathan lost control. The mana's intensity grew too rapidly, and before he could react, the jar shattered with a loud crack. Blood splattered everywhere, covering the floor, walls, and even Nathan himself.
Startled, Nathan stood frozen for a moment, dripping with the sticky, red liquid. "Well, that could've gone better," he muttered to himself, wiping blood from his face and looking at the mess he had created.
***
"Wow, these showers are good," Nathan muttered as he stepped out of the bathroom, looking clean and handsome as ever. He had managed to wash off the sticky blood from his body, feeling refreshed.
While he had been cleaning himself up, the servants had efficiently cleaned the room. Nathan was amazed to find it spotless and back to normal, with no trace of the earlier mess.
"They must have used some dope cleaning magic!" Nathan murmured to himself. He decided that next time, he would watch the servants clean the room to see their impressive magic in action.
Still feeling exhausted from his earlier maneuvers, he jumped onto the soft bed and began to relax.
"What should I do now?"
Killian had done nothing his entire life. He spent his time lazing around and spending his father's money, and Nathan knew he could do the same.
Or he could learn magic, and become a mage strong enough to defend himself.
"I've already wasted one life confined to a sickbed," Nathan muttered. "I refuse to let this chance slip away the same way."
The first step for Nathan to grow strong was to create a mana circle.
A mana circle is a crucial element in a mage's progression. At each stage of their development, mages acquire a new circle, enhancing their ability to produce and control mana.
Each additional circle not only amplifies the mage's power but also increases the amount of mana they can produce without succumbing to mana fatigue.
The circle necessitated the creation of mana enhanced by the mage's specific technique, allowing the mage to generate their own mana instead of relying on the ambient mana in the environment.
The technique "Song of Blood" relied on absorbing the blood of beasts to progress as a mage, meaning Nathan would have to learn spells and defeat beasts.
It was necessary for Nathan to create a mana circle to achieve the status of a rank 5 mage, the lowest of them all.
Nathan sighed, knowing it will be some time before he gets the first circle.
He slowly got up and took another look at himself in the mirror before leaving the room.
Damn I am handsome.
With a confident stride, he approached the door and swung it open, only to find that the room was attached to a rather long hallway.
"Well, so much for confidence"
Nathan picked up the pace and jogged through the hallway, his footsteps echoing against the polished floors.
As he reached the end of the corridor, he pushed open the door and stepped into the grand lobby it was connected to, where he found several workers dressed similarly to George moving about.
"Hey!" he muttered, catching the attention of a female butler who was about to leave the lobby. "Do you know where I can find George?"
"M-master Killian!" the butler stuttered. "How can I be of your service?"
"I need to talk to George," Nathan replied.
"Aah! Sir George? He would be in the ancestral hall along with the patriarch and other members of the family."
"Where is the hall?" Nathan inquired. Despite his reluctance to meet the Bloodgrave family, he knew it was something he had to do sooner or later.
The butler didn't reply; instead, she simply raised her finger, indicating the stairs leading to the dining hall.
"Okay thanks!" Nathan smiled and strode towards the Ancestral hall, ready to meet his family for the first time.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone