[50] Mana Potion

What just happened?

Nadia's mind was scrambling. Every part of her still felt like it belonged to the previous few minutes: trembling hands, aching muscles, the rawness in her throat from screaming, and the dull pain spreading through her side.

But in the last few moments, they had escaped from certain death. The two strangers had saved them. They should have been thanking them.

Yet.

With the corpses still scattered across the floor and the heavy smell of blood lingering in the air, no one dared to make conversation.

The silence lingered... until the taller figure finally turned towards them.

They stood only a little over a head taller than Nadia, dressed in a black windbreaker and matching trousers. The clothing was stained with blood from the fight, but none of it seemed to have soaked into the fabric. Instead, it clung to the surface in small droplets, glistening beneath the mall's dim lighting. Looking at it now, Nadia couldn't help but wonder if the clothes had been chosen for exactly this reason.

Drip, drop.

Blood streamed from the folds of the fabric, falling in a steady patter against the floor like rain pelting the ground.

"Are you all right?"

When he finally spoke, his voice was young, calm and surprisingly ordinary.

Silence. ...It was then, Nadia noticed the other had taken a step forward.

The other figure, who wielded the black knuckle guards and a red get-up. The helmet concealed the stranger's face just the same, leaving only the dark visor through which Nadia could not see the eyes. Arms folded across Red's chest, stood with an almost unnerving stillness, attention moving over the group as though she were quietly judging each of them for their silence.

They were shorter and noticeably slimmer than their companion in black, with a narrower frame beneath the burgundy windbreaker. The outfit appeared to be made from the same material as his; the red fabric made the stains harder to notice, but Nadia could still see them when the light caught the droplets.

As the stranger shifted slightly, her folded arms pressed against the front of the windbreaker. The fabric gave ever so slightly beneath them, a small amount of spring that would not have been there if the chest beneath it were completely flat. Nadia's gaze lingered for a moment. The tactical vest and zipped-up jacket concealed most of the shape, but the subtle rise was enough to make her pause.

So the two of them were a boy and a girl.

In any case, nobody answered immediately. Nadia's fingers tightened around the fabric of her clothes, making eye contact with Alan.

With a tense expression, Alan was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah. ...Thanks to you."

The boy gave a small nod. He reached up towards his helmet next, and several of them tensed at the sudden movement. Then the helmet came off, revealing his face for the first time.

"Ah." Maki gasped.

Was that surprise? Or perhaps disappointment? Nadia couldn't quite tell.

As for Nadia herself, she found herself matching gaze with his.

His gaze was careful and measured, carrying the same quiet confidence as when he wore the helmet. Yet, his face betrayed his age. He was young — far younger than Nadia had expected. In fact, they seemed almost the same age. His hair was cut short around the sides, with a longer fringe falling across his forehead, black broken by prominent white highlights running through the strands.

A pair of black-framed glasses rested neatly on his nose, giving him an almost studious appearance that seemed strangely at odds with what Nadia had just witnessed.

"Sorry, I thought it would put everyone more at ease if I showed my face."

The boy glanced between them.

"Was that unnecessary?"

"No, well... It's... kind of you." Alan managed out those words.

"I'm Kai. It's strange circumstances to meet each other, but I'm glad we made it in time. And this is..."

Kai looked towards his companion, who had not spoken a word.

"Oi. Norn."

Norn slowly turned her head at his call.

"You could at least address me with a little more courtesy."

A poised feminine voice answered, smooth and clear, with a slightly husky quality that gave her words a distinct weight.

"Take the helmet off."

"Why?"

She held his gaze for several seconds, then with a faint click, she released the helmet.

"Goodness. Always as demanding."

The girl underneath looked even younger than the first stranger. Her short, straight hair fell around her jaw, with long bangs sweeping across her forehead and two longer sections framing her cheeks. Peach-pink strands faded into white near the roots before returning to their original colour towards the ends. Beneath them, a pair of fierce orange eyes stared back.

"Well? Feeling a little more at ease now, peasants?"

Did she just call them... peasants? Nadia couldn't have misheard.

Before anyone could answer, a distant crash echoed from somewhere below. The sound of something hitting metal travelled through the ruined stairwell, followed by the unmistakable moaning of the dead.

Kai looked towards the collapsed staircase.

"Of course, there's more around here. We've caused quite the scene."

Glancing at the ruined staircase...

"At least they won't make it up here easily."

Ordinary zombies, at least. But... after what they'd just encountered, could they really be sure? Alan's expression tightened at the thought.

"How many... do you see?"

"Does it matter?"

The answer came from Norn.

She had already turned away.

"There will always be more."

She walked towards the railing overlooking the lower floors.

Nadia watched her approach.

The girl stopped at the edge. Then she said, almost casually, "I'll be back."

"Hey, wait— Norn..."

And jumped.

Norn had dropped out of sight.

Ramesh looked at the empty space beyond the railing, then at Kai.

The boy merely sighed.

"Leave her be. She'll be fine."

Yeah. It was hard to imagine Norn being in danger when she'd ploughed through those mutants with nothing but her fists.

"More importantly..."

Attention returned to the group.

Alan had one arm pressed against his side. Teucer's breathing was uneven, and Maki was leaning against the wall with one hand pressed to her leg.

Then Nadia felt her pain return.

"Nnghh!!!" A small, involuntary noise escaped her throat. The pain came suddenly, sharp enough to make her double over. Maki immediately grabbed a towel from their supplies and pushed it towards her.

She bit down, and screamed.

The young stranger turned.

His gaze moved over the five of them with a serious expression. He walked closer, looking from one injured person to another.

"What's wrong? ...Did you get bitten?"

Alan frantically shook his head.

"No, it's not that..."

He struggled to catch his breath before continuing.

"Our mana. We've used too much."

Kai's expression shifted slightly.

"Mana?"

Alan nodded weakly, then looked towards him.

"Doesn't using your abilities like that drain your mana too? You used them so much to save us..."

Kai paused briefly, his gaze flickering with thought before he gave a small shrug.

"I'm fine. They don't take much mana."

"That's... good. But as you can see... we don't have that luxury."

Kai looked at each of them again.

"So you guys are Awakened... too."

Nadia stared incredulously. Did he just notice that? She was so sure that he had been guided too...

Alan looked at Kai intently before giving a small, cautious bow.

"Whatever you need to ask us, we can discuss it later. Time is of the essence."

He pointed towards the dental clinic just to the side of the cinema entrance.

"We need to get in there first. There should be something inside that can help us replenish our mana."

Kai's gaze followed the direction of his hand.

He paused for a moment, seemingly considering their words. Then he gave a small nod.

"Alright. Let's hurry then."

The five of them began making their way towards the clinic, helping one another along the way. Alan kept one arm pressed against his side, while Teucer supported Maki whenever her injured leg threatened to give way. Nadia did what she could to help, though every movement sent another dull ache through her own body.

When they finally reached the clinic, they found the metal shutter pulled completely down.

Kai stopped in front of it.

"Hm..."

He studied the shutter for several seconds, his eyes moving over its surface.

Maki glanced at him before looking at the metal barrier herself.

"I could..."

She had barely finished speaking when Kai raised a hand and stepped forward.

"Everyone, stand back."

Something appeared in his hand.

A black rectangular stick, about the length of a palm. Its dark surface was broken up by precise neon red lines that ran along its edges in an intricate isometric pattern.

Kai aimed it at the centre of the shutter, and a thin red beam traced across the metal.

A laser pointer?

Slowly, he moved the beam along the surface, drawing a rough outline.

No... this was something else. The beam wasn't simply illuminating the metal. Wherever it passed, a faint glow remained behind, marking the path with a razor-thin line of light. A faint sizzling sound followed the beam, accompanied by the soft hiss of metal breaking down. Tiny fragments along the traced line seemed to crumble away, almost as though the material itself were being erased.

The moment he finished, the entire section inside the line gave way.

The metal crumbled inward with a deafening crash, leaving a jagged hole large enough for them to pass through.

What even was that?

Nobody thought to ask.

"...Let's go."

Alan stepped through the opening first, and the others followed.

The clinic was dark.

A small reception counter sat just beyond the entrance, its computer monitor still perched on the desk beneath a thick layer of dust. Several plastic chairs had been arranged along the wall for patients, though a few had been knocked over and left where they fell. Posters advertising dental implants, braces and teeth whitening covered the walls, their once-bright smiles looking almost grotesque beneath the dim emergency lighting.

The air smelled stale.

Dust, old disinfectant and something faintly rotten lingered beneath it all.

Then Nadia noticed the corpse. What remained of a man sat slumped against the wall beside the reception desk, his body shrunken and discoloured from months of decay, his head hanging at an awkward angle. The sight made Nadia freeze for a moment.

There was no sign of a struggle. A small bottle lay on the floor beside him, while his phone rested in his other hand. A piece of paper had been folded and placed between his fingers.

Nadia's eyes caught the handwritten words: I'm sorry.

"...Things like that happen." Nadia turned to the side, and there was Kai, looking at the corpse with a thoughtful frown.

Deaths like these were common. Some people would rather choose their own end than face what the world had become, leaving it on their own terms while they still could.

After a moment, Alan continued deeper into the clinic.

"Yes. This is the place. And there..."

He took the lead through the narrow corridor connecting the reception area to the treatment rooms. His pace was slow, but purposeful. Every few steps, he would stop and look around as though trying to match the clinic to something only he could see.

Then he closed his eyes.

Nadia watched him stand there in silence.

His expression tightened slightly.

"This way."

Alan turned towards a small storage area near the back of the clinic.

There was a cabinet tucked beneath a counter, almost completely hidden behind several boxes of disposable dental supplies.

"This... should be it."

Nobody spoke. Behind him, the others instinctively drew closer, their attention fixed on the cabinet. Teucer's shoulders had tightened, while Maki hovered anxiously beside him. Even Ramesh, who had remained unusually quiet since entering the clinic, leaned forward to get a better look.

Alan crouched down and opened it.

Inside... were four small bottles.

Each was barely larger than a finger, their contents separated into different colours. One contained a pale blue liquid, two in a cloudy orange tint. The fourth held a colourless liquid, though countless tiny black specks seemed to drift within it, appearing and disappearing as the bottle shifted in the light.

Alan carefully removed all four bottles and placed them on the counter.

"This is it."

Maki stared at the bottles for a few seconds.

"...That's it?"

Her voice was weak, almost breathless.

Teucer leaned closer, squinting at the strange collection of liquids.

"So... we're supposed to drink these?"

Alan nodded.

"...Yeah. That's... what I saw."

"They're... suspicious."

Nadia couldn't disagree. Was the solution really to consume these? These tiny bottles of coloured liquid which had been sitting inside an abandoned dental clinic?

Maki gave a tired chuckle.

"Well, if it really restores mana..."

She looked over the bottles.

"It really must be some kind of mana potion."

"Mana potion..."

Nadia shook her head, though even that small movement seemed to exhaust her.

Alan's gaze remained fixed on the bottles.

"Whatever they are, we don't have many other options."

Nobody immediately argued with him.

"Let's trust Mother, one more time."

Maki looked at the four bottles again.

"...Then which one is ours?"

"Ah."

His eyes moved across the bottles, as if searching his memory.

"This one..."

His finger hovered over the pale blue liquid.

"Teucer."

Teucer gave a weak nod.

Alan took one of the orange bottles, and gave Maki the other.

And the final bottle.

"Nadia."

She looked down at it.

The colourless liquid seemed almost completely ordinary at first glance. Only when she looked closely could she see those tiny black specks drifting inside, moving in ways that made the liquid appear strangely alive.

Nadia's nose wrinkled.

The thought of swallowing something filled with those tiny black things made her stomach turn. She glanced at the others and found little comfort there. Maki was staring at her own bottle with the same uneasiness, while Teucer kept turning his between his fingers as though hoping to find some sort of explanation printed on it.

They were just plain prescription bottles, the sort that could have come from any pharmacy.

"How about we do it together?" Alan smiled wryly. "You know, a toast, or something."

Nadia looked up. One by one, her eyes met those of the companions who had stuck with her through countless close calls. They were all just as uncertain as she was, yet none of them were backing down.

With that thought, Nadia tightened her grip on the bottle and steeled herself.

If they were going to do this, they would do it together.

"On three."

Everyone uncapped the bottle caps.

"One..."

They exchanged hesitant glances.

"Two..."

Taking a whiff of the contents, they were met with a faint, sterile smell, almost like antiseptic mixed with something metallic. It was surely not some ordinary cough syrup.

But at this point, they had already come too far to turn back now.

This was the reason they had come.

And so, whatever happened, happened.

"Three."

Gulp.