Chapter 231: Closest to the Truth
Yerin raised one finger.
"The first theory is called the Mana Density Shift Theory," she paused for a moment, recalling what she had read. "Over the years, many mages and researchers have visited Vazrun Island to study its strange nights. They recorded the ambient mana at different times of the day and found something unusual."
She looked around at the group.
"Every time night falls, the mana surrounding the island undergoes a dramatic shift. It doesn’t simply become denser. Its composition, how would I say it, changes."
Horren frowned.
"...Composition?"
Yerin nodded.
"Ordinary mana, or what we called it Raw mana is stable and naturally resonates with the environment. But the mana here begins exhibiting properties unlike anything found elsewhere during night time. It becomes heavy, denser, radiates unsettling pressure, and inert or unstable to magical observation, almost... almost as though another type of mana is gradually replacing it."
She continued,
"And this corresponds to the records that describe something similar. Several texts from before the Second Demon-Human War mention a substance called Dark Mana. But Magus Spire researchers dismiss those records as myths that Demons created to intimidate humans, still the similarities are difficult to ignore."
"So, because of that, the researchers proposed that Vazrun Island may contain some kind of natural mana nexus deep beneath the island. They believe this mana nexus influences the flow of mana across the island."
"When night arrives, the balance shifts. The underground mana begins resonating with the surrounding environment, drawing in or transforming ambient mana into this Dark Mana. As its concentration rises, it becomes more toxic and distorts magical perception, eventually turning the entire island unnaturally dark."
Yerin shrugged.
"Of course, that’s only a theory," she gently stirred the simmering soup before continuing. "Despite decades of research, no one has ever been able to prove it."
She glanced toward the pitch-black opening above.
"Mainly because the problem is consistency. If the island really contained a mana nexus capable of transforming ambient mana every night, researchers should have been able to locate its source or at least reproduce the phenomenon under controlled conditions."
She shook her head.
"But they couldn’t."
"Mana fluctuations have been detected, yes, but never enough to conclusively prove that the island itself is creating those Dark Mana, since every expedition returned with different measurements."
Yerin gave a helpless smile.
"In the end, the theory explains what people observed, but not why it happens. Without direct evidence, the Magus Spire classifies it as an interesting hypothesis rather than an accepted explanation."
Ruvian almost laughed.
’Those bastards really went to great lengths to bury the truth. They did everything they could to keep Dark Mana — and their own existence — from ever coming to light.’
Yerin lowered her hand, bringing the explanation to an end.
Arlok scratched the side of his head with a helpless grin.
"...I’ll be honest, I understood maybe half of that."
Horren immediately nodded in agreement.
Arlok waved his hand dismissively. "But whatever it is, those smart researchers can argue about it later. So, what’s the second theory?"
Yerin opened her mouth to answer, only for the simmering pot to release a rich, savory aroma.
She blinked before laughing softly.
"Sure... but wait, I almost forgot."
She leaned over the stove.
"I think dinner’s ready."
The fragrant scent of the Crestbeak Fowl soup immediately filled the shelter, pushing aside the heavy atmosphere that had settled moments earlier.
"Ruvian, could you pass me the wooden bowls?"
Ruvian reached into the unfolded Stove Cube and handed her a stack of neatly carved wooden bowls.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Yerin carefully ladled the steaming soup into each bowl, making sure every serving contained a generous portion of meat and vegetables before passing them around one by one.
"And yours."
She handed the last bowl to Ruvian before taking one for herself.
"Be careful," she said with a smile. "It’s still hot."
Everyone waited a moment for the steam to settle before taking their first cautious sip. Only then did Yerin raise two fingers.
"Now then... the second theory."
Her expression gradually became more serious.
"....It is called the Calamity Voidspawn Theory."
The moment those words left her lips, the atmosphere inside the shelter turned deathly still.
Horren’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth.
Shima’s eyes widened.
Even Arlok’s relaxed smile vanished. "You mean... a Calamity-Ranked Voidspawn?" he whispered, almost in disbelief.
Yerin slowly nodded.
A Calamity-Ranked Voidspawn...
Even uttering those words felt strangely taboo.
Since ancient times, people believed speaking of such creatures invited misfortune, as if merely giving them voice was enough to draw their gaze.
Whether the superstition held any truth no one knew, but few...
Very few were willing to test it.
They were horrors beyond ordinary imagination, abominations that existed only to bring ruin wherever they appeared. Entire lands had vanished beneath their wake. And countless lives disappeared because of them in the ancient days.
Fortunately, such creatures had long since disappeared from human civilization.
At least, that was what history recorded.
Some believed a small, minor number still wandered the uncharted depths of the Dead Man Lands, a forgotten frontier where humanity had long since surrendered any hope of reclaiming the land. Those territories were so hostile that even the greatest mages rarely dared to venture there.
But some also believed, over a thousand years ago, after the Demons had finally been exterminated, the legendary Seven Virtuous Paragons refused to lay down their arms.
Instead, they launched another great campaign, sweeping across the continent to hunt every high-ranked Voidspawn they could find.
For decades they fought, eradicating one monstrous nest after another until the greatest threats to humanity had all but vanished. It was because of that relentless crusade that later generations inherited an era far safer than the one their ancestors had endured.
Yerin continued.
"According to this theory..." she said quietly, "a dormant Calamity-Ranked Voidspawn lies beneath Vazrun Island, and this darkness is merely one of its abilities."
Silence fell over the shelter as everyone stared at Yerin in stunned disbelief.
Everyone except Ruvian, who calmly took another spoonful of soup.
The warm broth spread across his tongue, carrying the savory flavor of the Crestbeak Fowl along with the sweetness of the vegetables.
’Oh ho... the taste isn’t bad!’
He took another sip.
’It’s a nice, balanced flavor.’
Across from him, Horren was nowhere near as composed. He swallowed hard — gulped — the wooden bowl still clutched in both hands.
"...Well... there goes my appetite."
Shima let out a long sigh.
"Haaa... hold on a second."
She frowned as if she had recalled something. "I think I’ve heard this before. Wasn’t this one of the stories the seniors told us during orientation?"
Yerin let out a soft, almost sheepish giggle before nodding.
"Yeah."
She smiled.
"It’s mostly treated as a superstition. I just thought it was interesting enough to include."
Shima sighed even more.
Ruvian, meanwhile, quietly continued eating. This, however, was the first time he had heard the story. Then again, that wasn’t particularly surprising.
’Ah... right. I skipped the entire orientation during enrollment, after all.’
But missing a few spoky tales was hardly much of a loss.
Besides...
’If a Calamity-Ranked Voidspawn were really sleeping beneath this island, none of us or the first-year scholars would be making it out alive.’
His gaze remained fixed on the steaming soup.
’And the academy staff wouldn’t fare much better either...’
A brief image surfaced in his mind.
’...Perhaps with the sole exception of Ophelia Dumblelore, of course.’
Even that was merely a possibility.
The shelter gradually fell quiet again.
After giving everyone a moment to finish digesting both the food and the unsettling tale, Yerin raised a third finger.
"Now..."
A faint smile returned to her face.
"The third theory."
She paused for a second.
"And personally, I think this one is the—
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[Chapter 231: Closest to the Truth]
