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In the end, ice would work perfectly fine, Eldrian concluded. He simply had to keep the shield from touching him, thus preventing a direct line from forming between him and his shield. Which he felt would be true in all cases when facing lightning—or electricity.

"We are here." Zaphreal said, pulling Eldrian from his thoughts on what would be a better shield.

"And what is here?" Eldrian asked.

"The place where we monitor the company, and the world." Zaphreal replied. "One of our magic observatories."

"Magic observatories?"

"Indeed. Thanks to some recent breakthroughs, we\'ve separated magic from ourselves." Zaphreal smiled and indicated towards Qiren. "We finally managed to create a method to observe mana without requiring magic."

\'Oh?\' Intrigued, Eldrian listened on. However, it wasn\'t that interesting. \'They basically made something like Mana Examination, but slapped it onto a telescope.\'

It really wasn\'t all that impressive. Especially considering all the limitations Zaphreal was listing. However, the man seemed convinced this was a great step forward.

"You see, we\'ve always been limited in how we can approach magic. Miracle is backed by a few key families, mine included. And in most of these families, magical affinity is relatively high. However, our magic isn\'t as versatile as you might think."

"I\'m sure you\'ve already guessed, or at least speculated. Indeed, we rarely managed to use mana. Those who can channel it are considered prodigies, geniuses. Because the cost of relying on our powers is too great, it drains us and, if overused, it diminishes our life. It can even lead to death."

"Thus, Miracle was formed." Zaphreal said, his tone proud but melancholic at the same time. "Its name was aptly chosen, because we wanted to bring a miracle to the world. Bring magic to it."

Zaphreal paused, "However, over time, our goals became obscured."

Eldrian waited for Zaphreal to continue.

"Regardless, at our core, we all still wish for the same thing. Some have taken rather problematic approaches to our goal, however." Zaphreal continued. "Around half of the families now want to keep magic as something only a select few should be allowed to wield. It was one of this faction who was previously in command of ANW."

"However, with all the complaints growing against our lackluster approach to what is now one of the most played games in the world, he was forced to step down. And I came forth to fix things."

"Alright, but what does that have to do with why you wanted me to come here?" Eldrian asked.

He still clearly recalled that Zaphreal had said, "they finally did it." Eldrian was far more concerned with what someone in the company had done; than what their original motives were. No matter how pure they were at the start, clearly the company was now filled with corruption.

"Right. I was getting to it. But I\'ll speed things up. With the ANW department\'s success at bridging the gap between science and magic, some others became more desperate."

"For now, I\'ve stopped them from going too crazy, but it\'s hard to know what they\'ll do in time. After all, the company is one rife with competition. Funding isn\'t allocated equally." Now in what appeared like a meeting room, Zaphreal turned to Qiren. "Please start the presentation."

Nodding, she fiddled a bit and summoned a hologram in the center of the room. A technological marvel still only in the hands of Miracle.

"There are two approached we are taking regarding magic. Biological, and material." Zaphreal said, the hologram showing things from ANW to link what he was saying with concepts Eldrian was familiar with.

"Biological is simple, and the aims are often times self-centered. The search for eternal life is one of its strongest backers. But there are many others too, such as evolution, creation, perfectionism, healing, curing... and so forth."

"Material focus, in contrast, is supported by a more objective approached in general. For example, wishing to understand magic, searching for the truth of the universe, wishing to create a utopia... and sadly, wishing for an ultimate weapon, a way to control society, and others..."

"I can\'t state that either is better than the other. However, the motivations behind the biological approach tend to be more human." Zaphreal paused. "You have become their beacon."

"Me?"

"Indeed."

"Why?"

"Because, somehow, you changed. You evolved." Zaphreal paused again, allowing Eldrian to take in the events when that had happened. He had gained control over it, to some degree. He could morph his appearance into what he used to be like. But his ears remained slightly more pointed and his skin a fair deal fairer.

Seeing the recording, however, Eldrian had to admit he had changed in a real sense. He wasn\'t sure if he would call it evolving, but he could see why others might.

"Well, I don\'t want to touch on this too much. It was a rather dark time for you and us. I believe."

​ Eldrian had to nod in agreement. After all, they had taken him to an underground lab while he was recovering and unconscious. When he woke, well... suffice to say he would prefer to forget those moments.

"In any case, since then, many of the more crazed scientist have taken to self-modification. It is... rather disturbing."

Zaphreal flinched, seeming to recall a nasty incident. "Those with more restraint, or fear, turned to animal experimentation. And those who lacked proper forethought, they turned to microbial."

"That is what they did." Zaphreal concluded.

"Do you mean?" Eldrian asked, half in disbelief. "Did they make some type of super powered magical pathogen?"

"Luckily, their experiments did not reach that level. However, their attempts are dangerous regardless. We cannot anticipate the mutations such a thing might undergo when released."

Zaphreal continued. "Their goals are quite respectable themselves, but that is not enough. Their first goal is to create a type of airborne microbe that feeds on mana."

"What? Why?"

"Simple. The key difference between Earth and Gaia in ANW is our lack of mana. The AI refuses to tell us how Gaia is capable of holding so much mana." Zaphreal replied.

"We suspect it might even be artificial and not something we can replicate. Which, if it is true, explains why they are so adamant in refusing to cooperate. If it is something like that, then they suddenly lose much of their importance to the company."

"But I digress. The idea of these scientists is simple. Mana is everywhere. Thanks to our magic observatories, we\'ve confirmed its presence in space. Our problem is rather simple. It does not interact with Earth. It simply fades through everything."

\'Uh... I think I get what their plan is,\' Eldrian thought, and he did not like it. It was too drastic.

"Their idea is simple. Create microbes that rely on mana in this raw, neutral state. Have it consume the mana as it passed through the world. And turn it into elemental mana, or any aspect that can\'t fade through Earth without interacting with anything."

\'Right. That is actually not a bad idea, but...\'

"As I said, their goal is respectable." Zaphreal nodded, understanding Eldrian\'s concerns. "However, the problem is if something goes awry. If the microbes mutate, it can mean the end of life as we know it. Yet, despite these risks, there are some who are in favor of starting tests."

"You have to be kidding me."

"Sadly, it is the truth. For now, I\'ve slowed things down and limit their experimentations to secure labs. But... it might not be enough."

Eldrian shuddered. Realizing that this was just one of the crazy things that was being done in the background.

"Why did you call me here?" Eldrian asked once again. Zaphreal must clearly want his help with something.