After some scouting, we decided to divebomb a particular peak emerald-category. I quickly attacked from the shadows, empowering my attacks with Moksha, which seemed to increase my general power by around fifteen per cent more when fighting up. After that, we basically rushed in, attacks blazing, to use sheer force. I stayed back, though knowing it wasn't a good idea.

"Rot away, dead body. Bleed to death. Rot away, dead body. Sweet sleep of death, step forth. Death is inevitable, but for thou, it shall come faster. You will die."

The emerald-category responded. "Arcane power of the end, the final death. It churns inside. Power. Arcane, deathly power. True POWER!"

I sensed a power churn within the emerald-category. I tried to stop the flow with my aura, to no avail.

"Arbiter of Death, creep forth."

A projectile... A flash... A deathly pain..., I tried to do anything, anything, but I couldn't. I couldn't even circulate my mana. A Moksha Forest of Death was locking me down. I forced my Moksha to circulate. The only thing that wasn't affected was my head. I tried forcing my aura out, but my normal strength was my weakness. I forced everything I had into something.

Back when I was doing normal things, there were always guardrails, a high category making sure nothing happened. This time, it was different. It was war. I forced my mana into my body. I felt something faint. It should have been there, but it wasn't.

Mana pathways.

This was no time to make inroads on mana circulation. Struggling wouldn't do any good. I only then noticed. It was a curse. I forced the curse into a cage with my Moksha, then quickly opened a house into my soul world.