Mack opened his eyes as his conscious came back.

A high pitch tinnitus assaulted his ears while pain came from all parts of his body.

So much pain he could barely breathe.

Mack recited the mantra in his head.

And after one minute, the high-pitched noise stopped.

Mack mustered all his will and strength and turned his own head on the bloody ground.

His head turned to west, from where he was hearing battle noises.

Then Mack saw..

Raz fighting several mages. Alone.

Mack tried to stand up, but his broken body and the pressure of Essence didn’t let him.

He didn’t move a single inch.

‘For how long I was unconscious?’

[For 90 hours already]

Said the familiar voice of the Arcane Legacy in his head.

Mack kept looking at the fight in front of him and wondered where the other warlocks went.

‘Did they die? Only Raz is alive?’

[Unfortunately, it seems to be the case]

‘Why the hell I was unconscious for so many hours? Last time was way faster. Did the Essence density was not enough? It was all for nothing?’

[Depends on what you believe is nothing]

Mack, incapable of moving, could only keep looking at the fight while talked with the Arcane.

This time it took way more hours than the last one for him to evolve his blood marrow cells.

And he was still there, inside the circle, with broken body parts and barely able to breathe.

‘Spit it out. If I’m out for 90 hours, I don’t have that much time to lose.’

[Direct as always. Then let me tell you the good news first]

[You evolved your body constitution to level 3]

‘And the bad news?’

[The Essence Density of the rune circuit was several more times stronger than you anticipated and that’s why you can’t move yet. You can be considered luck to still be alive]

‘I see. Thanks’

[I’m not finished yet]

‘What? there is more?’

[All bad luck comes with an opportunity. A human once said that. And because the Essence density was too strong, your body triggered another evolution. Currently, your marrow cells are already adapting to this new density and that’s why you could regain consciousness]

‘I am evolving twice?’

[Correct. In a few more hours your constitution will be upgraded to level 4]

‘How many hours?’

[It’s hard to say. As the human body is full of flaws. But around 10 hours]

‘The same limit of the rune circuit?’

[Correct]

‘Will it stop before?’

[As I said. Is hard to predict, consider 10 hours a rounded estimation. It can be 9 or 11 hours for the process to finish]

‘Shit’

Mack looked at the battle in front of him. Raz seemed to be fighting them for not a long time.

‘Hang in there brother. I will leave this jail in ten hours. Then we will make them pay for all they have done.’

Mack himself sometimes forgot that he was in a tower and that Raz was a light construct. Even with all the oddities, everything seemed to real.

Mack closed his eyes again and started to chant again in his mind all the phases from the book he memorized.

It always helped him focus. And he knew it would indirectly affect his body in a positive way.

That was all he could do for now.

THREE HOURS LATER

~boom~

Mack heard a deafening sound and opened his eyes.

In front of him, 2 meters only, Mack saw Raz. His clothes were charred and his body had darkened in a few places while smoke rose from the ground around him and a few grass burned.

He had blocked an attack coming for Mack with his own body.

Raz looked behind to see if Mack was fine, and their eyes met.

In the gaze of Mack, Raz could see guilt and pain. And inside Raz’s eyes, Mack could see joy.

Raz smiled. His life would not be for nothing. Because now he saw that Mack was alive.

It was only a glimpse of hope but was enough for Raz.

Enough for him to bet his life for it.

Raz turned his head back to the fight. He was holding back all the time to not attract more mages with the battle noises. But now that those mages used fireballs, they sealed their own fate.

Raz raised his hand, and all mages stopped moving. Essence locked them in place.

Raz didn’t delay and snapped his fingers.

In the next second, only broken body parts could be seen where the mages once stood.

Raz fell to his knees.

The damage he took to hold all those fireballs earlier was too much for his body.

His sword lunged on the ground as he tried to stay standing.

Mack’s heart arched seeing all this.

Mack could not understand why they pushed so far for him. Him. A stranger.

From thousands to forty warlocks.

From forty to seven.

And now.

Only Raz.

The true last warlock.

Mack didn’t considered himself a warlock, he didn’t follow his traditions, didn’t have that charming arrogant pride that seemed to be engraved in their blood. Mack was weak and felt that was all too undeserving for him.

He was a fake.

That’s what Mack thought from himself after seeing all of them fight and live and die for him.

Undeserving.

Raz raised one knee and stood with one foot on the ground while still using the sword as support.

‘Thank god he is still ok’

Thought Mack, seeing Raz raising again.

But in the next second.

Mages came from the woods. Not only one or two, dozens of them.

Mack could only pray that Raz still had strength to fight them.

But even so, blamed himself for all the suffering he made Raz pass.

Mack knew, that for Raz, the warlocks that came with him were more than soldiers. And losing all of them to save a stranger must have been the most difficult decision he made in his entire life.

‘Hang in there, brother. I’m coming’

Thought Mack, starting to chanting the eerie mantra in his mind.

Now with open eyes.