That made Lia hesitate.
"…Now?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. "You said you'd never tell."
Ashan reached for a nearby towel, wiping away the moisture still clinging to her arms and shoulders with steady, controlled movements, grounding the moment before answering.
"I did say that," he admitted. "But the situation has changed. You already know one of my secrets, but I have two. Since I want to earn your trust, I've decided to make us even. Besides, I might need your help in the future."
"You're trying to use me even more?" she said bitterly. "Never."
"Why not? I'm not going to ask you to kill anyone. Don't overthink it. You'll probably end up doing it willingly once you understand."
Ashan stood up while still carrying her, then carefully set her down on a different chair. He draped her white coat over her shoulders to cover her.
"Well then…"
He dragged another chair closer and sat right in front of her.
"Before I explain," he said, his tone steady now, "tell me something."
He leaned forward slightly.
"How do you think I created that fake core?"
Lia stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes, forcing herself to think past the emotional weight of everything.
"…There's only one possibility," she said slowly. "You would need an absurd amount of mana… something close to infinite."
Ashan snapped his fingers, a small smile forming on his lips.
"That's it. That is exactly my secret."
Lia looked at him, completely dumbfounded.
"…What?"
"You said it yourself. I have near-infinite mana. That's how I was able to do it."
Lia's face twisted. "If you don't want to tell me the truth, then don't. There's no need to lie."
Ashan didn't flinch under her gaze; instead, he held it calmly, his expression steady in a way that only made her more irritated, because it felt like he had already expected this reaction and wasn't bothered by it at all.
"I'm not lying," he said in a firm but controlled tone, as if he was simply stating a fact that didn't need to be argued.
"That's the truth. I can absorb as much mana as I want, and if you don't believe me, then tell me how you want me to prove it."
Lia didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to study him in silence, her sharp mind trying to pick apart his words while her instincts kept telling her that what he claimed should be impossible, yet something about his calm confidence made it hard to dismiss him outright.
"…If you can really handle a huge amount of mana," she finally said, narrowing her eyes slightly as if testing him, "then I'll believe you."
A small smile appeared on Ashan's lips, not mocking this time, but confident in a quiet way that made her feel slightly uneasy.
"Alright," he replied, stepping forward without hesitation. "Then let's keep it simple. I'll absorb all the mana from your core. That should be enough proof."
For a moment, Lia just blinked at him, clearly caught off guard by how casually he suggested something so extreme, and then she let out a short, disbelieving breath.
"…That's a bold thing to say," she muttered, though her tone had softened into cautious curiosity.
"It would have worked, but I can't do that right now. My mana pathways are still recovering… you almost damaged them earlier."
Ashan scratched the back of his head, looking slightly apologetic.
"Yeah… about that," he admitted. "Sorry. I'm still getting used to controlling it. It's something I figured out myself after studying mana pathways, so it's not perfect yet."
Even as he said that, he didn't step back, and instead moved closer, slowly raising his hand before placing it against her chest, right above where her mana core was, the touch firm but controlled, enough to make Lia stiffen slightly at the sudden contact.
"I'll just take it directly," he added.
Her expression sharpened right away, a hint of irritation returning as she raised an eyebrow, though there was now a faint unease underneath it.
"Are you trying to show off?" she asked.
"You don't have that kind of ability. To forcefully take mana from an S-ranker's core, your absorption rate would need to be higher than mine, and that's not something someone at your level should be capable of."
Ashan's smile deepened just a little, not arrogant, but certain.
"Then watch," he said.
The change came so suddenly that Lia didn't even get the chance to react properly.
At first, it was just a strange feeling, like something inside her core had loosened slightly, unfamiliar enough that she didn't immediately recognize it as a problem, but in the very next moment, that faint sensation became clear as her mana started to move on its own.
Her breath caught.
She could feel it clearly.
Her mana was leaking.
Thin streams of energy slipped out from her core and were pulled toward his hand, as if something was dragging them out by force, and before she could even try to stop it, those streams disappeared into him completely.
Her eyes widened.
"…What…?"
The word came out faintly, almost without her realizing it.
What started as a small trickle quickly turned into a steady flow, and then into something much stronger, as if something inside her had been opened, letting her mana pour out continuously.
Her body tensed, fingers tightening slightly as she tried to understand what was happening, but she couldn't stop it.
'He's… actually absorbing it…'
The thought hit her hard.
'Not redirecting it… not dispersing it… he's taking it… completely.'
Her heartbeat sped up, not just from shock, but from how impossible this was.
'How is his absorption rate higher than mine…?'
The flow only increased.
To Ashan, it looked controlled and effortless, but to Lia, it felt overwhelming, like watching everything she believed in break apart right in front of her.
Mana poured out faster and faster, until it felt like everything inside her was being pulled away, leaving nothing behind.
"…Impossible…" she whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "This… this has to be some kind of trick… where is it even going…?"
But there was no trick.
Within seconds, it stopped.
Not because he slowed down, but because there was nothing left.
Her core was empty.
The sudden absence felt strange, almost unsettling, as if something that had always been there was suddenly gone, and for a brief moment, her mind struggled to accept it.
Then she moved.
Almost without thinking, Lia stepped forward and grabbed his hands tightly, her body still unsteady but driven by urgency.
"I can feel it…" she said, her voice no longer calm. "My mana is inside you… but something's wrong…"
Her eyes moved across him, trying to understand.
"It's not flowing properly… it's just… everywhere… and you're not leaking anything…"
Confusion filled her expression.
"I don't understand this…"
Ashan didn't pull away.
Instead, he gently guided her hand back to his chest and pressed it there.
"Then look properly," he said.
She hesitated for a moment, then activated her mana sensing again despite her empty core.
And what she found, or didn't find, made her freeze.
His core was empty.
Completely empty.
Not even a trace of mana remained inside it.
Her lips parted as she tried to speak, but for a second, nothing came out.
"…How…?" she finally whispered. "I can feel my mana inside your body… but your core is empty… then where is it stored…?"
Ashan raised his arms slightly.
"In here," he said.
Her gaze followed his movement, settling on his arms, and for a moment she just stared, unable to process what he meant.
"…In your arms?" she repeated slowly. "In your… cells…?"
She let out a small, disbelieving breath.
"That's not possible… mana is stored in the core. That's how it has always worked. No other part of the body can hold it like that…"
Ashan simply nodded.
"Exactly," he said. "That's why I'm different."
He flexed his arm slightly.
"I can store mana anywhere in my body; cells, muscles, even blood. My whole body works like a core."
Lia stepped back slowly, her legs trembling, before dropping into the chair behind her, still staring at him.
"…If that's true…" she said quietly, "then you're not just strong…"
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"You're something else."
She paused, thoughts connecting.
"…Now I understand why Nori reacted like that…"
Ashan lowered himself in front of her, his expression serious now.
"Do you understand the difference?" he asked.
She didn't reply, but her silence said enough.
"As an S-ranker, your core is strong, and your mana reserves are large," he continued, "but they're still limited. No matter how much you have, it will run out eventually."
He looked straight at her.
"You can't absorb and use mana at the same time without limits."
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"But I can."
Her chest tightened at the certainty in his voice.
"I haven't even found my limit yet," he said. "I can absorb and use mana at the same time without slowing down."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"In simple terms…"
He paused briefly.
"I'm no longer bound by the same rules as other awakeners."