I Devour the Multiverses and Collect Worlds, Beauties, and Trophies

Mana Core Creation

So, it sounds like I should devour little holes in the metal plates so mana can enter. Since I have a manual on how to form a mana core and have to do it, I may as well help this kid do it too. After all, she seems to know more about mana than I do currently, so maybe she can help.

"Can you sense mana?" I have no idea what mana feels like, but I'm hoping she can sense it even though her core is broken.

She nodded, "But there isn't any here."

I gave a smirk and started devouring little holes in the roof, much to her shock, then excitement. It was slow going; whatever this metal stuff is, it's a bit slow to devour with my current energy, however, it seems to be pretty energy-dense. I wasn't sure where the symbols written on the metal were, so I ended up with lots of little holes before I finally heard an excited voice.

"Mana!" She was taking in deep breaths and smiling.

Then she opened her eyes and looked disappointed; her shoulders slumped, "but it's useless with broken cores."

I looked through one of the holes and saw a wood roof above the metal sheets as I spoke, "I once heard a story of a guy who reformed his core, and I memorized the instructions; it's just a little complicated."

It seems like the structure is made of wood, and the metal is fastened inside it. This effectively transformed a shed into a prison cell.

I looked back at Lila and saw a doubtful expression.

"I'm gonna try it, and if it works, I'll help you do it too. And, what is this stuff?" I pointed at the metal.

She nodded but looked extremely doubtful. "It's a metal forged with basic mana crystals, so it's almost unbreakable."

I decided to see what was in the crates and started taking the lids off that were nailed down. Inside were many books, old weapons, some decorations, and other miscellaneous little things.

"Can you read?"

She held her fingers together and looked a little shy, "Not really, can you tell me how?"

I nodded, "Sure."

I set all the books in a stack to the side; there were some on magic that I also wanted to read to get a better understanding of the power. Most of the books were for fun reading, including fantasy, mystery, history, romance, etc. I can teach Lila to read, and she can read these when she wants.

The old beat-up weapons were probably long forgotten spares, thrown in storage in case there was a big war. Since weapons must be made with mana stones they are good materials for devouring.

I'm kind of surprised Lila never opened the crates, seeing as though they're all still sealed. "Why didn't you open the crates?"

"I couldn't. it was too hard."

I never asked how long she'd been in here or if we need to leave soon. I'm kind of hoping we can stay a while; after all, it's a shelter and there are plenty of things to devour while learning about magic and trying to form my mana core.

"How long have you been here?"

She got an ugly expression, "Just over 2 years."

I was shocked; I knew it must have been a while, but living in these conditions for 2 years, I don't know if I could do it.

"How old are you?"

She held out 7 little fingers and said, "7."

This much determination at 7, no 5, staying alive just to spite someone. Still, she never lost her kindness as shown when she gave me some of her bread. My admiration for this little girl grew, and I wanted to show her the outside world sometime.