Chapter 256 - 249. The Dim Corner of The Light
Bassena Vaski’s outrageously large mana core was already common knowledge ever since his first trial’s clear, and only became more cemented with his rapid tower climbing.
For espers, mana was like a battery. The bigger their mana core, the more mana they had, the longer they could fight. It translated to power, and then...misery.
Proportionate to their prowess was the disadvantage. The larger their mana core, the longer it took to clean the corrosion inside. And with Bassena, there was an added bonus.
His darkness.
The power bestowed upon him by the Snake Bearer, the power that brought him to the highest height, to become the youngest Saint-class. That power, which kept so many people safe, had kept many guides in nightmares.
Before, when he was still in the Golden Viper, this fact hadn’t been revealed. After all, the guild and the family never let their internal affair come to public. But once Bassena was active as a solo esper, and then later as Trinity, he had to start using regular guides. Guides with the freedom to talk.
And they talked. Whispers among guides who had experienced guiding Bassena. It was scary, it was exhausting, it was dreadful. Sure, the esper paid them higher than the usual rate, sometimes even double--but it came with nightmares, with them dreaming about drowning in vast darkness.
It was a natural side effect. When the esper’s soul was too strong, it would affect the guide, since their soul were practically connected during the guiding. The perpetual darkness inside Bassena’s mana core was bleeding into this guide’s soul, and it manifested through their dream.
They saw what Bassena dreamt about every night.
Soon, most regular guides were unable to keep up with the mental burden, and the rest were reluctant to experience it. The only person who could, unfortunately, was an unnamed guide he met in the middle of nowhere, who was so hard to find even while deploying the power and influence of the Mallarcs.
There was only one place left for him; the Temple.