**#238. Lake of Memory (3)**
—
As the massive fist sliced through the water with crushing force, the boy harbored an old question in his mind.
*Does mana possess life?*
He had always thought—*to some extent, yes*.
The color and whispers of mana.
The texture and scent of mana.
To the boy, mana was a substance that could be seen, heard, felt, and smelled.
But if asked whether it radiated vitality like plants or animals, he could not be certain.
Until now.
─────!
Until the moment he felt the fierce, wrathful emotion radiating from the mana of the two gemstones.
In that instant, the boy became absolutely certain that mana was a being with consciousness and emotion.
And more than ever before, he felt deeply and spiritually connected to it.
*Be enraged.*
*Your searing breath and the fervent beat of my heart are one and the same.*
The fury burning simultaneously in the boy and the two gemstones resonated, producing an intense synergistic effect.
*Wooooong──!*
The mana emitted from the two gemstones surged through the boy’s entire body.
Its first destination was the Circle.
Three Circles, layered with yellow and green auras, were gently embraced.
The mana of the Circles responded in sympathy to the gemstones’ fury.
Like an engine coming to life, they began to tremble all at once.
And the point of mana forming the fourth circle began to orbit madly, leaving a burning sensation in his chest.
Next, the mana of the spirits, dormant within the boy’s body, was awakened by the gemstones’ mana.
Refined countless times to near-purity, the spirits’ mana also resonated with the anger.
*Wooooooong───!!*
Heated by the fervor and energy released from the gemstones’ mana, it too surged through the boy’s body.
It was then that ancient, ominous letters flickered into view before his eyes.
**[Vanish from this place.]**
A crimson-black fist, imbued with malice and fury, was already at arm’s reach.
In that instant, every strand of mana within the boy aligned into one unified will.
───────!
A blinding light flooded the lake in every hue imaginable.
When that fleeting moment passed and the light faded, a massive hand appeared, clutching the crimson-black fist.
Strictly speaking—
One could not say the light had *faded*.
Because—
The owner of that massive hand was a giant whose entire body was made of radiant light.
Distorted shades of green and yellow formed the core of its being.
All other existing colors sparkled across its body like starlight, each in its own proportion.
Though it matched the crimson-black giant in size, it stood as its complete opposite—like light to shadow.
**[……!]**
The mana forming the crimson-black giant rippled, revealing its agitation.
**[Struggle all you like…!]**
The giant flung its unrestrained fist with violent force.
But the light giant caught that one too with its opposite hand.
The crimson-black giant tried to wrench itself free with all its might, but the luminous hands wouldn’t budge.
In fact—
*Fwaaah──!*
The multicolored light transferred over and began devouring the crimson-black mana in an instant.
**[What the—!]**
Startled, confused, afraid—
Mana in hues representing shrinking emotions clouded around the heart of the dark giant.
But all those feelings were swiftly swallowed up again by an overwhelming flood of crimson-black mana.
**[How dare you! How dare you! There is no place left for you to return to!]**
The hatred and rage spat out were intense enough to numb the mind.
The entire body of the crimson-black giant grew darker, more poisonous.
In response, all the crimson-black mana spread across the lake began to draw inward rapidly—
Toward the giant’s heart.
─*Gloop! Gloop! Gloop!*
As it absorbed mana, the crimson-black giant’s body expanded.
Its face rose so high the boy had to crane his neck to see.
Its fists also swelled, beginning to break free from the light’s grip.
But only for a moment.
**[You’re not the only one with power.]**
All the other colors of mana in the lake—save the crimson-black—began to stream into the light giant’s body.
In an instant, it grew large enough to match the crimson-black giant’s height.
The fists that had begun slipping free were seized again by glowing hands.
And the growth didn’t stop there.
Centered around the two giants growing endlessly, the lake water erupted into a violent whirlpool.
**[Gooooooo──!]**
The mana within the vortex surged wildly.
Crashing, rebounding, thrashing, scattering, shattering, screaming.
Amid this chaos and tumult, the two giants wrestled for dominance.
The crimson-black giant tried to thrust its restrained fists forward.
The light giant poured all its might into gripping them tightly.
**[Why do you interfere with me?]**
**[Because I feel fury toward you.]**
Spheres of multicolored light surged back and forth between the fists and hands.
Light sought to erase the dark.
Darkness fought to drive out the light.
Ancient crimson letters spun along the wild current.
**[Return. This is a warning.]**
**[Your struggle is meaningless.]**
**[You cannot stop me.]**
**[Do not ascend any farther.]**
The light giant tried to respond, to assert its will.
But then—an image flickered faintly through its mind.
A scene.
A translucent spirit named Rockdeer, made of water, flying through the sky, searching for someone.
As mana from the lake was absorbed into the giant, Blue’s memories began to replay.
The light giant focused, tracing the chain of memories.
In a flash, it traveled through countless moments of memory.
And at the end—
─*Search every corner! That blue gem was definitely smuggled here!*
─*Show no mercy! Destroy the cores of any annoying spirits!*
Red-robed mages attacking a forest of spirits.
Not the final forest of the elves—but an ancient one, from a forgotten time.
The light giant instinctively knew: this was a memory located at the lake’s deepest depths, next to the stone tablet.
The image shifted again.
This time, from the perspective of a young Rockdeer.
A woman in a violet robe extended a blue gemstone toward him.
Under her hood, her delicate lips moved with desperate resolve.
**[Protect it. Make sure to deliver it… to the one who will return someday.]**
With trembling hands, she placed the blue gemstone on young Rockdeer’s forehead.
Then she turned and vanished toward the forest, where screams and shouts rang out.
Next moment—
*Kugugugugu──!*
Part of the forest where young Rockdeer stood began to rise in the form of an island.
Under the fierce protection of older spirits, the island ascended safely.
In the eyes of the young spirits on board, the forest below grew smaller and smaller.
And the first Blue saw it.
At the forest’s center clearing—
The woman in the violet robe, surrounded by red-cloaked mages.
From among them stepped a massive man, wielding a staff adorned with a gem red as blood.
─*Redran.*
**[Redran.]**
The woman of the past and the lips of the present giant moved in unison.
**[Doctor… So you were the Guardian of Red all along. You joined forces with the others to seal the Navy Guardian—then sowed discord among the rest and reignited the war.]**
*
*
*
The spirits around the lake looked up at the sky.
Mana was pouring down like rain from the dark crimson sphere beyond the clouds, outside the island.
[That is…!]
[The blue horn’s protective barrier surrounding the island is gone…!]
There had been attacks from the crimson sphere before, but never had they penetrated the blue horn’s barrier.
But now, with the blue horn—the barrier’s guardian—unconscious, the situation had changed.
Plop! Drip! Plop! Drip-drip!
The sticky raindrops fell indiscriminately upon the lake and the land beyond.
…It was endlessly ominous and disturbing.
It gave off a feeling completely opposite to the mana of the boy who instinctively drew them in.
The crimson mana that fell to the ground began to imitate the spirits’ forms, taking on the shapes of animals.
[Those things…!]
[Are they… mimicking our forms?]
Though the spirits were seething with rage, they didn’t charge in immediately.
There were simply too many enemies appearing all at once.
[Those who are swift, run to the forest and summon all the spirits—immediately.]
[For now, gather in one place! Prepare for battle! Protect the blue horn and the children here with your lives!]
Under the command of the strongest leader spirits, their actions became swift and orderly.
Some raced into the forest with all their might, while the rest gathered around the unconscious blue horn and the fox cubs.
And when the crimson animals finally completed their forms—
*Rumble!*
The battle began.
Spirits, transformed into vibrant mana bodies, dashed across the battlefield.
*Fwoosh!* *Crackle!*
Flames burst forth, and sparks flew.
*Whoosh!*
A blade of wind carrying icy chill swept through the air.
It was, perhaps, a small mercy.
The combat power of the crimson beasts was not that high.
With every blow from the spirits, they dissolved into sticky mana and splattered onto the ground.
The problem, however, was their endless numbers.
Philip, the fox spirit whose entire body was made of orange mana, dodged the crimson raindrops as he ascended high into the air.
He stared at the small, distant crimson sphere beyond the clouds.
‘That huge orb… it’s too far away for us to strike.’
The source of the mana composing the crimson beasts was the sphere beyond the clouds.
The spirits were fighting by absorbing the island’s mana and replenishing their depleted strength.
In other words—
The outcome of the battle hinged on whether the island’s mana or the sphere’s mana would be exhausted first.
Philip turned his head.
He looked down at the murky lake.
If there was one factor that could change the current situation—
‘……!’
It was just then that something strange happened in the lake, where ripples had been spreading from the raindrops.
A vortex suddenly began to form at the center of the lake.
*Rooooar──!*
In an instant, it spread across the entire lake.
The massive swirling waters spun so violently that anything caught in them seemed like it would be torn apart like paper.
‘This is…’
Philip, forgetting even the urgency of the situation, trembled with awe.
He had prided himself on having more memories than any other spirit besides the blue horn. But he had never seen anything like this in any of them.
Then, as the waters began to recede, the center of the vortex was laid bare.
There, revealed, were two giants locked in a contest of strength, their hands clasped, fists clashing.
[Redran. That is your name, isn’t it.]
[I don’t know how much you’ve figured out, but it’s all pointless. My research is already near completion.]
Mana within the vortex was drawn into the air in powerful currents, being sucked into the bodies of both giants.
At the same time, the heat and vibrations radiating from the giants rapidly evaporated the vortex.
The giants grew endlessly until their upper bodies filled the lake, fully visible above the surface.
The giant of light was gaining the upper hand in the power struggle.
However, as the crimson raindrops fell upon the crimson giant’s body and were absorbed, the balance quickly began to shift.
Then the crimson beasts all ceased their fighting and began rushing through the air toward the crimson giant.
At this rate, the outcome was obvious.
The orange tail racked his brain desperately, searching for a solution.
───.
That was when a fragment of memory, passed down from ancient times, suddenly flared with sharp brilliance.
With clarity on what needed to be done, the orange tail made his decision.
*Wooooong──!*
The mana around him followed the path of his will and drew a pattern, and every spirit that sensed the energy raised their heads and received the message from the orange tail.
They turned to each other, and the message was transmitted instantly.
Even to those too worn from battle to look at the sky.
Even to those who had just arrived at the lake and had not yet grasped the situation.
It did not take long for the spirits’ collective will to become one.
And so the spirits began charging through the air toward the giant of light.
