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    [A Quiet Island, Day 8, Late Morning]


    So, something about the ambient mana on this island that I''ve noticed is that it''s a lot denser than it used to be. Also I''ve claimed it all. But that leaves a lot of room for me to make cool shapes in the mana to test if the lady can actually see mana or if she''s just faking being blind for some reason. Something I noticed is that I can''t move the mana near them, but it doesn''t stop being mine. It''s just that the closer my mana gets to the humans, the less control I have over it. I''ve noticed it begins about 100 feet away, and by the time I''m at 10 feet I have barely any control, only able to make the mana float gently towards them.


    I can still move mana underground and through animals, even able to shape stuff underground, but I can''t move it around in the air. Good thing to know that I''m defenseless against the biggest threat to my safety and wellbeing. Either way, I''ll wait until after these guys eat lunch to mess with them. For now, I''m just going to tell my ants to get ready for potential intruders. Ooo, they''re quick! I''ll have to tell them not to take first blood though. I don''t want a reputation as a dangerous dungeon. I take a peek back at the special group, and they seem to have finished early and started gearing up to explore. I still can''t understand them, so I''ll have to name them myself.


    Hmmm… Armored guy will be Tank, rogue lady will be Perry, scholar nerd is Johmmy with two M’s, and the mana sight lady will be Miss Witch. Yeah, that''ll work. Oh look, they''re already walking towards the mountain. Quite quickly. But they aren''t heading in my direction. Alright, now the fun begins.


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    [A Quiet Island, Day 8, Just After Noon]


    Anya was still uncomfortable as the group walked through the dense jungle. The dense mana in the air made it a bit harder to breathe, and it also limited the range of her vision by creating a hellish purple fog covering the whole island. She couldn''t escape the color, even looking to the sky, and every time she looked up she felt woozy again at the sight of the mana tornado.


    Hopefully they''ll be able to find out what''s causing it. Suddenly, she notices some movement in the corner of her eye, but it quickly disappears. There''s nothing but a tree, filled with that odd purple. She can''t even see through it. Then again, in the corner of her other eye. Anya’s head whips around, trying to catch whatever''s moving but finding nothing.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    “Anya? What''s wrong?”


    “Well, I just thought I saw something, but… I guess it''s nothing.”


    Eva paused for a second at Anya''s words. “Maybe it''s a wild animal or something. The air here is full of mana, so everything is bigger than normal.” Another flash of movement, this time a bit more visible.


    “Ok, there''s definitely something here.” Anya says in a hushed voice. She grabs Freddy and Harold''s arms, causing them to stumble a bit before turning around. Well, Harold stumbled. Freddy was fine. “Wh-” Harold almost says before Anya puts her finger to her lips.


    “We''re being followed.” Silence falls over the group as they realize why Anya stopped them. “Let''s just continue for now. I''ll pretend I can''t see anything, and you all just act normal.” With that, the group starts walking again, this time with a tense atmosphere surrounding them.


    Nothing happens for a good while after that. The suspense grows as they walk through the jungle, until Anya sees another movement. But this one is slow. Anya’s eyes widen under her blindfold as she stops, barely able to believe what she was seeing. A robed figure made entirely out of mana stood a small distance from her, its face and body hidden from her. Its arms met in the middle of its chest, hands hidden under the robes sleeves.


    The figure raised its arms in a beckoning motion, still not allowing anything to be revealed under the robes, and then began briskly walking away from Anya in a different direction. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Something like that shouldn''t exist. There were such things as mana beings, like spirits and sprites, but nothing like this. The others in the group couldn''t see it, and the figure didn''t seem to have a physical form, nor did it resemble anything Anya could remember reading about during her studies.


    She darted after the thing, running as fast as she could to follow it but never seeming to get any closer. “W- Anya!” Freddy cried out before gritting his teeth and chasing after her. The other two follow quickly, and the group run through the dense jungle as fast as they can, following right behind Anya.


    The figure is too fast for Anya to catch up, and it bobs and weaves through the trees like second nature. The rest of the forest becomes a blur as Anya sped up, trying harder to close the gap between her and the figure. But it matched her pace and after a while running, the figure started moving even faster. It ran faster and faster until it finally disappeared past the point where Anya could see, but she kept running. The trees started getting even denser before suddenly disappearing and opening into a clearing.


    A second after Anya, the rest of the group bursts through the foliage behind her. “Anya, what…” Freddy trails off as he slows down and looks around the clearing. He often remained silent because it was too much of a bother to talk, but this time it was because of the awe he felt at the scene before him.


    A crumbling building covered in vines was pushed up against a cliff, and though he couldn''t see very far into it, he knew the construct was hiding something. The building resembled some kind of antiquated temple, large pillars holding up a massive stone roof to shield any idols or statues from the elements. There were stone walls a bit behind the pillars, cutting off the light and sound of the jungle.


    Anya stepped forward, her blind eyes unhampered by the darkness inside the temple. Eva, as just in awe of the ancient temple as everyone else, was the first to break the silence. “W- Wait, Anya! How did you find this place?” Anya turned to face Eva, a wide grin on her face.


    “Eva. There''s a door in there. I think we found our dungeon.”