Chapter 5
Ash followed her flawlessly, his feet adjusting, his torso moving with a grounded grace that surprised even her. His muscles responded eagerly, and when he slipped up, she immediately corrected with small touches—a hand to his spine, a tap to his shoulder, a shift to his stance. The dojo air had warmed further, the room now quiet except for the sound of fists striking the air and Colleen's steady instructions. The students no longer practiced, watching silently as Ash and Colleen moved like dance partners locked in form and focus.
When they were finally done, the warmth of the sun dimmed slightly through the windows as clouds drifted overhead. Colleen took a step back, her breathing steady as she wiped her palms down her pants. "Take a break," she said, nodding at Ash. "I have other students to check on." Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, thoughtful. "You copy fast… and you stay calm. That's rare." She stepped around him slowly, scanning his face for signs of strain, but saw none. "Most people get frustrated, even offended, when I correct them this much."
Ash simply gave a slight nod, sipping from his water bottle without a word, gaze lowered. "But not you," she continued, more to herself than to him, "No bruised ego, no complaints, no tension… You're just watching and learning." She paused, crossing her arms. "You're like a perfect student." Her voice was calm, thoughtful, and she looked at him a moment longer before turning. Her boots tapped lightly against the wood as she walked off. Her eyes scanned the rest of the dojo and her brow furrowed slightly.
All of the students had stopped practicing, their wooden swords lowered, eyes quietly watching her and Ash from a distance. "Get back to training!" she snapped, voice sharp and cutting through the silence. The students quickly jolted and returned to their drills. Colleen sighed, rubbing her temple, then turned back to Ash—and paused again. He was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the dojo, hands on his knees, his breathing slow and deliberate.
A flicker of surprise passed over her face. "He's meditating?" she thought, taking a step forward. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Is he also from K'un-Lun… like Danny?" The thought made her heartbeat tick just a bit faster, but her logic pushed back. "No… he didn't even know basic stances. Danny was better than me when we met." She shook her head with a faint frown, dismissing the idea. The dojo air had grown quiet again, save for the sound of wooden swords hitting the air as she turned away, going back to the other students as Ash quietly recovered.
-scene change-
Ash blinked as his vision cleared, the familiar scent of sweat and wood filling his senses. The dojo's ambient light cast soft shadows on the three figures standing nearby. The first woman caught his attention immediately. She was of medium height, her skin a warm, rich brown, glistening with perspiration. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly, revealing high cheekbones and a strong jawline.
She wore a white tank top clinging to her toned frame, and brown trousers that bore the marks of rigorous training. Her eyes, though focused elsewhere. Beside her stood Colleen Wing, and the third figure was a man, taller than the two women, with tousled blond curls framing a face that seemed both youthful and weary. He wore a suit, the jacket unbuttoned and the tie loosened, as if he had just stepped out of a boardroom. Despite the formal attire, his stance was grounded, and his gaze sharp, scanning the room with a quiet intensity.
Ash took a deep breath, the reality of the moment settling in as he observed the trio. It was the man who noticed him awake as he watched him with interest. Ash got up and Colleen got up. "Thank you for letting me meditate peacefully," he said as Colleen dismissed it. "It's fine, I'm just surprised that you could stay in a meditative state despite the noise we're making." She pointed to the woman next to her as the man spoke. "It takes a great amount of willpower to stay focused on meditating for that long despite the noise," he said as he cupped his hand and bowed a little, which Ash, despite being weirded out, followed suit.
"I'm guessing you are busy, so I will come back tomorrow after my shift," he said as he picked up his backpack and retrieved the lesson tuition and handed it to Colleen, who accepted. Ash then gave the man another bow before waving at the other woman, who seemed to be a student, as he left. The man next to Colleen said, "Who is he?" Colleen then answered, "His name is Ash, a beginner. He's got a great constitution for martial arts and a calm mind. He also picks up on things quickly—quicker than you, Claire," Colleen said to the woman beside her, who gave a raised brow as Danny said, "A beginner, huh." Meanwhile, Ash, who actually only worked early in the morning and then took the evening off, was heading to his usual noodle place as he was hungry.
When suddenly, all dormant mana in his body, which was a lot, started to vibrate, which churned his stomach as he felt the movement in mana, which dilated his pupils and made his heart throb as he thought, "What is happening?" And as he walked forward, the sensation grew stronger. "This, why is it stirring my dormant mana?" Despite him not activating his mana, it was moving wildly, reacting to something, moving towards something. And when he moved towards the direction, he eventually arrived at a location, which was in between buildings underneath a fire escape. And when he saw it, he was shocked, as in front of him was an extremely dense mana particle that swirled and spun like a moon orbiting something.
And he could feel it. Mana was condensing. "This… this is an opportunity." With mana particles gathered this dense, Ash immediately recognized the opportunity that was in front of him as he sat down and meditated while using his special method. And immediately, he could see it—mana was being drawn from the surrounding into this point. Something was happening, but he didn't care as he got to absorbing the gathered mana. And despite his intense regime which he subjected himself to for the past month, what he was absorbing from this strange phenomenon was a lot more. Mana was gushing toward him like a raging river, and he was drinking all of it, absorbing dormant mana into his body as they traveled through his circulatory system.
They settled in his body. He had already gathered a lot of dormant mana into his body, and he was close to reaching the second stage. He was at the top, and all he had to do was jump. And this phenomenon just pushed him over the edge, as mana overflowed from his body and was excreted from his body. But instead of fading, it clung to his body, and the more mana was pushed out by his body, the more it clung to his body, gradually forming a thin transparent white film over his body, completely covering his body. This was it—Ash had officially reached the second stage of his power. But he didn't stop, no, instead, as more mana was pushed out from his body, the excreted mana joined the white film, making the protective shell even denser.
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A/N so ash has officially stepped into the second stage, ash as the title states is the god of mana, of course he cant have access to all of his powers at once, hence why its divided into stages, there are 10 and ?. the first and second stage are:
the first stage is called internal enhancement. in this stage, the user draws in mana from the surroundings through breathing method. the mana in the world exists as floating white particles that are invisible to most, but the user's body becomes a vessel to collect them. once absorbed, the mana travels through the circulatory system, anchoring itself in muscles, nerves, and tissues. while dormant, it passively enhances physical traits like strength, agility, reflexes, endurance, and perception. when activated, it floods the body with energy, heightening all those traits to a noticeable degree. the more dormant mana stored, the greater the boost when it's awakened.
the second stage is called the outer shell. as the user continues to absorb more mana beyond what the body can hold internally, the excess begins to seep out through the skin. instead of dispersing, the mana clings to the body, forming a protective coating. this shell is semi-transparent and white, with a faint glow. it moves with the user, forming like a second skin. the more mana secreted, the thicker and more durable the shell becomes, protecting the user from physical harm and amplifying physical force. it serves both as armor and amplifier.