With the atmosphere in the forest undergoing a massive change, Noah’s companions were oblivious to the turmoil caused by Noah’s actions; the events transpiring around Noah were too eye-catching to turn their eyes away.
The heart that was once in Noah’s palm began to levitate on its own, hovering at Noah’s eye level, inches away from his face. Although Noah was no longer holding the artifact to continue injecting his mana into, even outside spectators could note the massive vortex of mana being drained from both Noah’s body and the mounds of cores laid on his side. Normally, mana couldn’t be perceived by others without special traits or abilities. However, that was only in the case when mana wasn’t condensed enough; the scene spoke volumes of how much mana was being drained from both Noah and the cores alone.
And it wasn’t just Noah and the cores that were being affected. An invisible force was felt being pulled from every direction of the forest. The force was seemingly endless, generating wind that was constantly being pulled towards the heart.
The vortex of mana grew in intensity, the violet mana mixed with the mana of the cores, gaining different shades of intense colors from the energies contained within. But when the pressure generated through the forest picked up, hues of green seeped into the mix, giving the vortex filled with darker hues a colorful dynamic.
A shift was triggered the moment the green energy began to gather. A shift in the ground came soon after, generating large quakes throughout the vicinity of the area around the heart with the heart at its center.
"Everyone, get closer!" Despite the intensity of Noah’s concentration being focused on the heart, he still managed to call out to his companions.
The seriousness in his voice was mixed with an underlying urgency that quickly spurred the others to unhesitantly move without verbally questioning his orders. Only Dummy was oblivious to the matter at hand.
"Stay close to the tree," Noah voiced once more after noticing their confusion. The situation around him was preventing any of them from drawing too close. If they were to draw too near, a heavy pressure pressed down on them, a pull generated from within their chest, threatening to exert the mana within them, using their cores as fuels for the process.
For the first time, the awe inspiring scene gave them a sense of trepidation for what was about to happen. Their gaze didn’t just observe with curiosity anymore, but with vigilance towards Noah’s situation. The earlier sensation was surprisingly painful. The pain simulated directed from the source of their mana, their chest felt an explicable sense of unease.
They were unaware that the transaction between Noah and the heart was one of resonation. Being the owner of the artifact, and also the one that triggered its transformation, the heart and Noah’s body were working in tandem, Noah’s body openly allowing for the heart to draw out the mana from his being. However, when it came to anything else, the heart treated them as if they were mere resources just like the pile of cores.
Seeing the others responding so quickly, Noah was able to breathe out in relief. His body was in a precarious state. He wasn’t just aware of himself, but his perspective was also now part of the artifact itself. There was a sense of control that he had over the process occurring. This sense was followed by an instinctive feeling being driven into his body, giving him a general impression of all that he could do, allowing him to also understand the dangers of what could’ve happened if anyone else were to draw too close.
Despite his so-called control, Noah understood that his control was more of willed directives. So, if his creatures had the misfortune of being drawn into the artifacts range, he could only watch as their entire core was completely drained of any mana without being able to do anything. It wouldn’t be as simple as someone misusing all of their mana, entering in a state of mana fatigued, potentially losing their consciousness. Their mana that linked their spirit to their body would be completely deprived, resulting in the collapse of their spirit and mind.
His worries made him realize an important fact, he wasn’t able to stop the process now that it started, making him realize that the heart wasn’t just a mere tool, but was also becoming something self-dependent, maybe even alive.
"This is beyond what I thought was going to happen...this is amazing..." Noah noted to himself. Now that his companions’ safety was guaranteed, he was able to focus on the artifacts function, the creation of his dungeon.
"The range is ginormous!" He exclaimed as the feedback he received from the artifact allowed him to "see" the extension of the range the artifact reached. His territory reached from his current location to almost a half a mile radius on all fronts. It wasn’t enough to reach the forest’s borders, but it was more than enough for him.
His emotions spiked when he focused on the next process. He could feel that he had ample control of the environment under the artifacts range. The trees and wildlife in the area were excluded from the list of things that he could affect, but when it came to the land itself, he felt that he wasn’t that different from a god.
He felt that if he wanted to, he could change the entire layout of his territory. Creating an elaborate labyrinth under the ground or even shifting the ground to rise above its original threshold, reaching to the same height as the trees, uplifting the trees along with it; potentially reshaping the raised land to form a castle of pure earth. He was enticed to fully go all out with either option he chose, but then he realized the limitations of the artifact. The moment he tried to move the land within his "grasp" he understood the reason for the artifacts’ massive drawing of mana that was seemingly endless and insatiable.
"Just to move an area this small uses up so much mana..." Noah lamented to himself as he realized the fantastical ideas of creativity, he had for his dungeon were extinguished before they could fester.
The idea he had in mind was going to be a grand castle, using the depths of the earth’s soil as the exterior of the construct, while intricately layering out the foundation so it could protect against potential attacks while also giving both him and his creatures ample space to have their own areas. But now he realized his ambitions were too grand. Just the mana and the mana gathered from all of his cores weren’t enough to accomplish such a feat. Even if he were to gather 10x the same amount of mana, it still wouldn’t be enough. He once believed that the amount of mana was worthy of praise, only to realize that his mana reserves were only enough to jumpstart the artifacts process.
Peering at the vortex of mana, he immediately understood that his mana was just a drop in the bucket when compared to the mana being generated by the forest within the artifact’s radius.
’I’ll just have to go with something simple for now. I can add on to it as time goes by.’
With his mind set, the vibrations around them grew stronger as the forest began to respond to his will. The ground shifted abruptly as earth shot up into the sky. It wasn’t the entire ground itself, but a thick, layered wall that rose around them in a circle. The wall was at least a foot thick, and though the mana he used was limited, it managed to raise the wall to nearly ten meters high. Within the boundaries of this earthen barrier, the space felt almost twice as tall as the wall itself.
Considering the size of his companions, Noah made sure there was enough room to accommodate them all, though he knew they wouldn’t share the same space forever.
For now, he left the ceiling open to let sunlight filter through. He didn’t want their home to feel stifling. He reshaped the walls, creating small indentations to form makeshift windows. At the same time, he left a large opening to serve as a door, big enough for Fenrir to pass through freely.
He wanted to do more, but as he focused, his thoughts began to feel restricted. Focusing on the artifact before him, he noticed the vortex that had once been visible was now gone, invisible to the naked eye. Mana continued to flow, but the amount was minimal.
If this keeps up, it’ll take days before I can do anything else. Even then, I’m not sure if it’ll be enough... Noah thought, deep in contemplation. He began to consider other alternatives for generating more mana. If left undisturbed, he would likely remain lost in thought until he found a solution.
"Noah? Is it still not done?" Ailetta’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked and looked up, realizing she had approached. The distance between them remained, the wary caution still lingering in her gaze. With the moments of stillness, she must have thought it was safe to move closer.
Noah sighed and rubbed his temples, disappointment creeping into his voice. "For now, it’s done...the changes all require mana to do and just this alone used all of it. I don’t know how else to get the mana we need to do more.