Chapter 7: Fourth Resonance
Theron lay in bed shirtless. A necklace hung from his neck, taking the shape of an inconspicuous sword. Every time he took a breath, a frosty energy would be sucked into it.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a cold sweat forming a thin layer over him.
I will let you live. Stoke that hatred. Become the fuel for my Karma.
Theron sat up on his elbows, his core muscles softening and solidifying beneath his heavy breathing. His delicate skin reddened considerably, a spike of rage twisting his immature features.
Every night, the same dream, again and again.
It was certainly not natural. It acted as a reminder—a brand on his soul to stoke his hatred. There wouldn't be a moment of peace until one of them died.
Mancers were separated into four categories: Spirit Mancers, Soul Mancers, Flux Mancers, and Elemental Mancers. Most were born with a strong affinity for one, though depending on your starting Mancy, it was possible to transition to one of the others with time and effort.
The man whose tribulation killed his family and most of his town was a Spirit Mancer. This path of Mancy was most simply defined as the ability to use Mana as a proxy to absorb the resultant Mana of others. This was the textbook definition—vague and hard to understand for most. Only an Imperial Scholar like Theron would know it as such. Most others would know it in vague terms.
If a layman were asked, they might say it was the rarest Mancy, that it allowed one to read minds and control the soul, or complete acts of divination. Or, in Theron's experience...