Caelen's POV
I stood in a small clearing behind the Town Hall just after dawn.
The soil beneath my boots had grown softer, darker. It had life in it now. Days ago, this land was dust and ruin. Now, green moss had begun to creep over the stones like timid explorers testing new ground.
Elowen circled me silently.
She wore a long green tunic now, her bow strapped to her back, her silver hair tied behind her head. She didn't look like a maid anymore.
She looked like what she was.
An Elven princess.
"Close your eyes," she said softly. "Feel the mana."
"I always feel it," I muttered. "It's like... a tide. Endless. Pushing against me."
"That's because you don't know how to listen to it. Mana isn't just a tool. It's alive."
I sighed but obeyed.
Eyes closed. Breath steady.
I reached inside.
There it was—the ocean. Deep, immeasurable, always moving. It was beautiful, terrifying, powerful beyond words. I had never lacked mana, not since the day I arrived in this body. But Elowen was right. I had never really understood it.
"Mana has memory," she said. "It wants to be used, yes—but it also wants purpose. If you force it, it resists. Guide it."
"Alright," I whispered. "Let's try something simple."
She handed me a small dried seed.
"Bury it," she said.
I did.
"Now," she continued, stepping back. "Call to the mana in the soil. Whisper to it. Ask it to awaken the life inside."
I exhaled slowly. Focused.
Mana flowed through my arm like warm liquid light. I reached into the earth with it—not to push, but to invite.
Grow, I thought. You don't have to be dead anymore.
The seed pulsed.
And then—
A green shoot burst upward from the dirt, curling toward the light. It grew in seconds—leaves unfolding, roots digging deep.
Elowen clapped once.
"Well done."
"I didn't even use a chant," I whispered.
"You didn't need one," she replied. "You spoke with your will. That's older than any spell."
I looked at the little plant, still swaying in the morning air.
"Will it survive?"
"If you care for it," she said. "Like the people here. Like the land."
Later that day, I returned to the old stone ruins near the spring.
Something about them had bothered me since the beginning. Their shape. Their layout. They weren't random. And when I'd claimed the land through the system, the pulse of mana had been strongest right here.
I knelt and pressed my hand to the center stone.
[Hidden Structure Detected: Sealed Chamber Below][Unlocking requires 1 Mana Crystal and a Blood Key]
I frowned.
"I have Mana Crystals," I murmured. "But what's a—"
Elowen appeared beside me. "A Blood Key," she said, holding a small obsidian dagger. "You'll need to offer a drop of your own blood."
"That sounds... ominous."
"It's symbolic," she explained. "Blood means ownership. Sacrifice. It proves your right to open what's hidden."
I sighed. "You had that ready too?"
"I always carry one," she said, smirking.
I pricked my palm and let a drop fall onto the stone. Then I placed one Mana Crystal beside it.
The ground rumbled.
Stones slid aside as a circle in the floor opened downward, revealing a spiral staircase lit by faint, blue glyphs.
[Sealed Chamber Unlocked: Vault of the Forgotten][Warning: Presence of ancient artifact detected. Caution advised.]
We descended slowly.
The air was colder here. Older. Every step echoed like we were walking inside a memory. At the base of the stairs was a round chamber filled with runes and stone platforms. In the center sat a pedestal, and upon it—a blade.
Long, silver, marked with symbols I didn't recognize. Its surface shimmered slightly, like it wasn't made entirely of metal.
[Item Detected: Blade of Origin]– Type: Artifact– Attribute: Mana Conductor– Passive: Boosts spell clarity and reduces casting time by 30%– Bound Owner: Unknown– Bond Available: Yes
Elowen stepped back.
"Artifacts don't just respond to power," she warned. "They choose their wielders."
I stepped forward, breathing slow.
As I gripped the hilt, the blade pulsed once, then—
[Artifact Bond Initiated][Blade of Origin has accepted you][System Sync: +5% Spell Efficiency Globally][New Skill Unlocked: Mana Channeling (Basic)]
It didn't feel like holding a sword.
It felt like holding language. Like the blade wanted to sing every time I moved it. It hummed quietly in my hand, resonating with the mana in my core.
I looked at Elowen.
"This wasn't just waiting here," I said. "It was left here. For me."
She nodded.
"Yes. And now you must decide how to use it."
We weren't alone long.
That evening, while organizing supplies near the main hall, I heard shouting near the gate. I ran out to see a group of five rough-looking men arguing with Aira, the young girl we'd rescued.
Elowen was already moving, bow in hand.
"Mercenaries," she said. "And not the good kind."
They spotted me and straightened. The leader, a broad man with a jagged scar across his lip, stepped forward.
"This land doesn't belong to you," he growled. "We've hunted in these hills for years. We'll give you a day to leave."
I raised my hand.
"I don't negotiate with scavengers," I said. "Leave now. Or stay and serve."
He spat. "Serve you? The Fallen Prince?"
I stepped forward and let my mana rise around me—slowly, like a tide. The wind shifted. Dust swirled. Light bent.
They froze.
"You're welcome to join us," I said. "But you don't get to make demands. Only a choice."
One of them—a younger man—stepped forward and knelt.
"I want the contract," he said.
Elowen blinked. "He knows?"
I nodded. "Some do. The legend is buried, but it lingers."
I summoned the spell from within me, feeling it twist around my soul.
[Soulbind Contract Activated]– Target: Reilan, Human (Mercenary)– Benefits: Talent +1, Strength +10%, Loyalty Locked– Condition: Lasts until Caelen's death
[Contract Formed]
A white glow surged from my palm to his chest. He gasped and clutched his side—but when he stood, his eyes had changed. Sharper. Clearer. He was stronger now.
The others stared in awe.
"You're serious," the leader whispered.
I pointed at the hills behind them.
"Take your time," I said. "Come back when you're ready to serve something greater."
They left without another word.
That night, the fire was warmer.
Elowen sat beside me, watching the flames dance.
"You were meant to be more than a prince," she said. "You were meant to reshape the world."
I didn't answer.
But I believed her.
Because today, for the first time, I saw it too.