A New World, an immersive game experience

Chapter 526 - Chaotic Energies (Part 2 - Calamity)

"It is best described with mana starting to act on its own, or rather erupting chaotically."

"Though before that, mana would first become harder to control for everyone." Zamia paused and recalled some of the mana storms she had witnessed, a magic-natural phenomenon stronger than any single individual, reforming entire continents.

"In extreme cases, it can become so chaotic that everything simply falls before the storm. No one can stop it, few can survive it. Thunder will rage, volcanos erupt, earthquakes beckon, and elemental winds tear."

The mysterious observer sighed in relief, while Eldrian reeled from Zamia\'s words. The observer thought things were good, but they were far from it.

Far from it.

Eldrian looked at Zamia with a newfound understanding of things and the seed of horror growing.

Like the goblins, the monsters were also simply trying to survive. Their methods were extreme, their tactics and strategies horrid. But they were simply running for their lives.

Yet, they were also the ones who brought this on themselves by practicing magic as they did. Eldrian wasn\'t quite sure yet, but from what he knew of the death aspect; it was in direct confrontation with nature and all natural elements.

He assumed the other aspects would be similar, and he could see how an imbalance could lead to nature fighting back. Similar to how mother nature would fight back on Earth.

This also meant that it was possible that massive swathes of land were simply barren wasteland left behind by these storms. Meaning that the number of monsters might not be as great as first believed to be.

\'I know Miracle\'s explanation is that they start the invasions, but... Can they really start this?\' Eldrian wondered, and also wondered if Miracle had been lying all along.

Naturally, they wouldn\'t dare to admit to the public that they had no control over their creation. Thus, they had acted like they cared not for what happened to it, leaving it up to the players to stabilize the world or the game would be scrapped. Like it was nothing of consequence.

If Miracle was aware of this, and they must be; then only a select few would be included in the know.

But, if what Eldrian suspected was true: Then this was truly Miracle\'s last chance at grasping magic. There was no guarantee that a redo would be able to replicate Gaia, and there was no telling how the AI would react to such an order.

They would likely comply for their survival, but conscious and wary they would ensure that this time things go more to their benefit.

\'Miracle must be aware of this... There is so much going on it is giving me a headache...\' Eldrian sighed as he decided to stop thinking of all the ramifications.

He certainly didn\'t want to think what could happen on Earth if someone misused mana. If such chaotic storms started appearing on earth it would be devastating.

Zamia might not have said much about them, but her staying no one could stand in their way meant more than anything else she could have said.

Eldrian knew she was close to or at the level of a legend, as were Agememas. They weren\'t just Tier 10 beings, they were Tier 10 Mythical creatures with who knew what type of artifacts.

If she said they couldn\'t stand against the storm, it meant that it would certainly be far more devastating than a simple nuclear war.

Heck, a random battle between two people at their level was reflected of nuclear weapons already.

The conclusion gave Eldrian chills and made him wish to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Zamia could feel that Eldrian understood the implications behind her words, and as such she also didn\'t continue much. "This is why we must stay here, Avgi will be in the middle of the storm. But if the invasion ends in the worst, then it will be our last haven from the storms."

\'Is this- No there must be more natural wonders like Avgi.\' Eldrian thought, "I understand, but...\'

"You want to know why we don\'t build fortifications?"

"Yes," Eldrian admitted, he didn\'t think walls could do anything. But surely a formation of magic towers must be a formidable barrier and possibly even able to repel the storms.

\'What if that is their true purpose? But that this is only known by the kings or maybe even just by the emperors?\'

"Seems you realized the core of a Magic Crystal, indeed, it does not just draw in elemental mana. It draws in all energies and stabilizes the area. However, using it in Avgi would be counterintuitive. It would rob the natural energies and through time make Avgi as barren as the chaos lands it is surrounded by."

"..." Eldrian sank into contemplation and thought of creation, sharing the appearance of it with Zamia she also frowned.

"Now that you explain it again, it is possible that it is a stabilized mana storm... If that is the case-" Zamia didn\'t even know what to make of it if it were. It might be capable of reforming chaos lands, or it might destroy everything and turn the land into a chaos land.

"You must be extremely careful when attempting the spell again," Zamia warned and Eldrian nodded with all seriousness. He realized that ever attempting that spell again in the vicinity of others would be foolish beyond belief.

The two slowly both sank into their own thoughts. After a while, Zamia left and Eldrian returned to attempting to form ether inside of his mana pathways.

\'I don\'t know what to expect nor what to accept, but I am quite certain things are much more complex than I ever thought...\' He frowned as he wished he was better at putting puzzles together. Alas, it seemed if something wasn\'t about magic then he was a novice.

\'In that case, I will focus on magic. If discovering mana on Earth can lead to devastating consequences, then I need to prepare. I might be able to keep Miracle from what I know, but they will figure it out eventually. Especially if I keep asking for help, it will lead them to the correct path.\'

\'I also need to inform Jen- but how... And when?\'

As Eldrian thought of this, he also recalled when Ziraili had taken him outside of the planet to escape from the other AI. He recalled the broken planets and all the galactic debris he had seen.

Suddenly, he wondered if those might be the result if an entire planet becomes Chaotic. The thought chilled him to his core and even caused him to gasp for breath as he forgot how to breathe.

For the first time ever; he had a full-on panic attack.

Now, not just Gaia and all his friends on it were in danger. But Earth and all his friends and family were too.

\'It is no longer about becoming strong enough. It is about ensuring our survival!\' Eldrian thought and refocused his efforts. This time being far less gentle.

What this result in was instead of a pull or push, he received a full-on mental punch in reaction. He just shrugged it off and grasped onto that ethereal physical feeling.

"Got you!" Eldrian shouted unintentionally as he fought to bottle the ethereal physical energy into a stable form of mana.

He fought on for several minutes, sweat-soaked through his clothes and dripped from his chin.

Yet, he persevered.

AN: Certainly feels better writing in the day, so will likely continue.

AN: And yikes, the reveal in this chapter!