Light of Kothrishard's Orphanage

Eladreas picked up Runaan from the hollow like a lion would pick up her cub, around his torso, cradling his body. Much to what Runaan's instincts were telling him at this moment was he may as well think this man was a lion himself. As the silhouette of the hand came crashing towards him, the hand began to glow.

Eladreas began to focus his mind to use healing magic, to which he had reached a decent level of proficiency. He hasn't yet reached the level to reattach limbs, or even heal internal wounds, but he was proficient enough to heal any form of external wounds so long as it wasn't a life-threatening injury.

Eladreas offered a short prayer for this begotten child, "head my call oh spirits of light, may your power use me as a vessel to heal this poor soul."

A beaming translucent white light flowed from Eladreas' hands and fell upon Runaan's small, writhing body. As the light began hitting his body, the scraps and bruises that covered his body were being closed and removed from his body.

'What's happening?' Eladreas thought inwardly. To Eladreas' surprise, the mana he was using from his surroundings seemed to want to refuse him, it felt to him almost as if the mana was telling him he was using the wrong spell.

Though the use of mana and magic didn't require the use of chants or prayers, using them would often assist in the manifestation of the proper spell someone wanted to cast. However, many within the Holy orders often made frivolous and flowery incantations in hopes to please their worshiped deity.

The gods, however, did not care for the flowery words of humans, they had long since ignored their qualms and misgivings. By the common folk of was believed to be by the masses because they had already given them free will to do with what they wanted.

The mana that the gods created for the universe had been spread through everything, it was their gift that they offered to their creations. It was meant to allow them to express their will as they saw fit. If they used it to help others or themselves, it mattered not.

As such many found themselves devoting themselves to the gods in ways many would deem to be zealots throughout Alterra. Of these people, Eladreas was a member. His overly flowered words often brought people to scoff and ignore him. Though this didn't matter to Eladreas, his words weren't meant for them.

After Eladreas had come back to his senses after the mana he used seemed to try and revolt against his methods of healing, Runaan had already been healed, though there were still traces of the Krosis tree's mana corruption.

Underneath Runaan's skin, it looked as though there were burns trying to make its way through his body. Healing the corruption was beyond Eladreas' capabilities, however he got to Runaan fast enough for the corruption to not take root into Runaan's blood. When mana corruption takes root into the blood of living beings, they would transform into something wicked. Creatures that would often mutate and destroy their surroundings once they become corrupted.

Mana corruption was a devastating disease for those below the Light rank, it would often times kill those who had succumbed to its effects. Those who were lucky would still live but live a forgotten life. The corruption would remove their progress and cause them to become mundane, less than that of a novice tier human. Their worth was seen as less than the dirt one would walk on, for even dirt held a purpose.

Mana corruption was the main cause of impurities that accumulated within living beings, those unable to expel or suppress those impurities were those who would end up dying or transforming into the denizens of chaos.

Humans were born with both zero ability to cultivate and limitless potential. As was the will of chaos, but it was the universe's prerogative to birth creatures who rebel against its chaos. The creation of mana from the gods was the direct opposite of chaos. Though mana was birth from chaos, it is not chaos.

The power humans held within their worlds was what caused the upheaval of the universe as they rebelled against the cosmos. Though, the gods cared not for their existences, only their capabilities as creatures. This was the reasoning humans have been able to survive on Alterra.

The strife's of the world were in place to see the advancements of Alterra's creatures, to see them grow, struggle, and persevere. Some had harsher beginnings than others, though that is how fate works. Those given the hardest of tasks, are those seen favored by fate.

….

"Let's bring you back to the orphanage and have you thoroughly looked at by the church," Eladreas said, "we need to get you some proper garments don't we." He planned to take Runaan to the church of The Holy order of Kothrishard after their arrival at the orphanage.

Before departing though, "we should give you a proper burial, so that your little one may visit you when he's older," Eladreas spoke towards Saris' body. He then quickly stored her body within his spatial ring made of a krosis pine's branch.

The ring looked rather intricate with numerous symbols and sigils of the Holy Order's makings; glowing with the unmistakable shimmer krosis pines gave off., only members of rather high ranks of the orders would dare to wear such rings. It signified their status, and even their capabilities as mages.

On their return, Eladreas didn't forget to retrieve the other krosis branches he originally meant to retrieve from the forgotten woodlands. With Runaan swaddled between the cloth that Eladreas wrapped him in, they emerged from the woodlands to see a vast ocean of grasslands, that seemed to roll on forever.

The grasslands billowed with the wind, if one had exceptional sight, or if one had a high enough ability, they could see the coursing of wind mana flowing through the rolling hills. It shimmered in a faint verdant hue. After emerging from the woodlands, Eladreas drew in a deep breath, filling himself with the fresh air.

"Now we should be safe little one, we should be…" speaking to Runaan who was now asleep, Eladreas paused, not wanting to wake the newborn swaddled around his neck. He began to look back towards the woodlands, a perplexed expression washed over Eladreas. Only now did he begin to wonder, where in the world did Runaan's origins come from.

Eladreas quickly turned his head back towards Runaan, as he saw the remnants of the mana corruption on his skin, he thought to himself, 'we need to hurry and get you proper treatment,' as he began to feel the mana in him begin to circulate towards his legs and feet. Eladrease quickly stormed through the plains

It took Eladreas nearly two hours to run from the woodland's border to a rather small building extending from the outside wall of an expansively large cathedral. The main hall of the cathedral spanned more than 10000 square meters, while the walls towered a staggering 60 meters high before they began to arch towards the domed ceiling.

The small outbuilding was the orphanage. The building didn't look nearly as beautifully crafted as the cathedral, though it was built masterfully to blend into the back wall of the cathedral, hidden from view, but not as to become an eyesore to the splendor the cathedral exuded.

This orphanage had no more than 1000 square meters for the entire building to hold the orphans within, and a few administrative and maintenance rooms. The orphanage looked to be a hovel next to the cathedral.

"We're here little one, we need to quickly clean you up and change you into proper clothing before we head to see the head priest" Eladreas speaking to Runaan as they were entering the orphanage.

"Draw me a large basin of warmed water and fetch me some clean garments for a newborn!" Eladreas yelled through the orphanage's main room towards two young decans of the church. The two were tasked with managing the orphanage whenever Eladreas was away.

The two decans quickly rose from their desks when they noticed that Eladreas had returned, one was quick to respond saying "Welcome back Father! Right away sir" as the other was slightly slower to respond asked "why do we need clothing for a newborn Father? I understand the water but not the-"

The decan quickly shut himself up as he noticed Eladreas was swaddling a newborn child in his arms, when he then noticed that there were remnants of mana corruption on its skin, he shuddered, then quickly ran to a back room that contained various set of clothing.

The two decans returned promptly to Eladreas, where they began to clean and cloth Runaan with the clothes they had on hand. The clothes were slightly too large for a newborn, but would suffice for now.

"Inform the head priest, I need his healing ability to cleanse this child of the mana corruption" Eladreas ordered the youngest decan who had shuddered when seeing Runaan around Eladreas moments ago. "You'll be safe now child, don't you worry," Eladreas said towards Runaan who was now fighting against being cleaned forcefully by Eladreas.