Adyr decided to leave his family as they were at that table, frozen in his mind as a quiet, unchanged scene, a reminder of his Human side, if any part of it still remained.

In the silent street, alone, the back of his uniform split at the shoulders in two long slits, the fabric peeled away, opening like a controlled tear along the seams.

Bones pushed out from his back with a wet, unsettling sound, forcing their way through skin and cloth. They spread outward in a smooth, organic motion like gigantic deer antlers until their length became wrapped in dense feathers, one wing black and the other white, forming into a pair of unnatural yet perfectly balanced wings.

He pushed lightly off the ground, his body turning weightless for a heartbeat, as though gravity itself had loosened its grip on him. His wings beat once, twice, and he shot upward into the sky like a streak of shadow and light cutting through the air.

As he was climbing higher, the wind whipped past him in harsh bursts.

When he reached an altitude above curious eyes and outside the scanning range of the equipment used for air defense, he shifted into level flight. His rise turned into a steady glide, and his wings opened wide as he caught invisible wind currents with ease, like a bird that is migrating.

The city behind him kept shrinking into a toy-like shape, its buildings reduced to tiny blocks and faint lines, while he flew toward a remote, mountainous stretch of land, far from sight and far from any watchful gaze.

To use Heart of the Blood Palace to turn one of his Rank 4 Sparks into a blood variant, he wanted no witnesses. Not even Humans.

While he was scanning the terrain below, he chose a quiet, secluded spot among tall trees where the canopy blocked most of the view from above, branches interlocking like a natural roof. Then he descended and landed softly on the forest floor, the impact barely disturbing the layer of leaves and soil beneath his boots.

He folded his wings neatly against his back, the feathers settling into place, and raised his hand in front of him. The dark blood-red cube appeared on his palm.

"Now it's the time to choose which one to use you on."

He fell into thought, weighing his options in the stillness between the trees. The muted rustle of leaves and distant forest sounds was fading into the background as he tried to decide between his two Rank 4 Sparks.

Citadelith was a Nether Path, a purely defensive Spark, which would further boost his defense directly if he chose to evolve with it.

Sszhar, on the other hand, was an Aether Path Spark, which, with its space-creating and space-walking skills, could be considered more supportive and versatile, opening paths where none existed and twisting the battlefield around him.

The skill Adyr had received from the serpent after subduing it was Riftwalk. It allowed him to walk between existing dimensions, stepping from one layer of reality to another.

Its disadvantage was that he couldn't use it if there wasn't a dimension on the path he was attempting to walk, so it would be completely useless without its other skill, Rift Maw, which allowed him to create dimensions, though at a high cost.

He understood that evolving with Sszhar would grant him only one skill as an innate ability, and if it happened to be Riftwalk, it would end up being a rather useless gain for him.

The problem was that Adyr had no idea what the two Sparks would gain by becoming blood variants.

Whether their existing skills would receive upgrades and gain new effects, or they would gain entirely new skills, or only their physical traits would improve—these were questions he didn't have answers to.

"I will also need to consider what I would gain after evolving with it," he murmured quietly. His eyes were following the branches above him as they swayed in the light wind, letting the shifting patterns of leaves help steady his thoughts and calm his mind.

The fact that he would gain one physical trait and one innate talent from the Spark was troubling. It felt like choosing which flaw to accept along with which power.

If he could gain Citadelith's tough, stony skin, his defense would increase greatly, turning his body into something close to living armor. At the same time, the skin he gained would turn him into a walking stone, which, as a disadvantage, could hinder his movements.

For Sszhar, its serpent scales were also quite durable, something Adyr wouldn't mind taking as a physical trait. His whole body could be covered with sturdy scales that deflected blades and claws.

Though the defense wouldn't be as high as with the other one, at least he would keep his mobility, staying fast and flexible in battle.

While he stood there thinking, he also ran through the possible innate talents he would get from the two, quickly cataloguing both Sparks' skills in his mind like a list.

For Citadelith, it had four skills Adyr would gain as innate talents after evolving with it, being:

Hospitality, which was a kind of aura, similar to Adyr's positive Presence. It spread its influence through the surroundings, affecting rational minds and making them feel safe, a skill used for deceiving targets by lowering their guard and inviting them to step closer.

Fear Drain was the skill that devoured the target's fears, stripping them of their terror. It would be completely useless for Adyr, who often relied on fear rather than removing it.

Stronghold was something good and beneficial. It would give him the ability to form durable stone walls that could be used both defensively as shields and offensively as crushing barriers or traps.

Exchange ability again would be useless for him. This skill only transferred the damage dealt to the target onto himself, making it a purely team-support skill that was effective in the hands of a guardian but wasteful for someone like him.

As for Sszhar's four skills that he could get as an innate ability, they were:

Dread Shackle was something like a downgraded version of Adyr's Malice, used to instill fear in the target and bind their minds with terror.

Rift Maw was something very useful. If Adyr could get it, he would be able to create dimensions freely without spending any energy, opening and closing them at will. It could be used in many ways and it could even be life-saving in many scenarios, from ambushes to retreats.

However, he still couldn't completely rely on it without Riftwalk, the skill that allowed him to walk between dimensions.

Lastly, there was Mirror Body, a skill that would allow him to create a clone of himself, although it would be a much weaker version. It was useful for distractions, scouting, or bait, yet still questionable in direct confrontations.

Of course, all these skills were in their state before turning into a Blood variant, unaltered by whatever corruption or power the Heart of the Blood Palace would bring.

The two Sparks equally had their advantages and disadvantages for his Rank 4 evolution step. It was very difficult to choose, like weighing two blades that both cut in different ways.

And finally, after some more thinking, Adyr decided.

He raised his hand, and then, in front of him, the massive serpent's black, shining body suddenly appeared. Its weight crashed into reality, splintering the trees and sending dust and debris into the air in a violent burst.

Adyr's choice was Sszhar. He wanted to keep Citadelith in his Sanctuary, as its damage transfer skill was still useful for him like a second armor on his body; it was something he did not want to lose yet.

"I hope you can get some powerful power-ups from this," Adyr said with expectations, looking at the massive serpent in front of him as he summoned the blood cube into his hand.

As soon as Sszhar saw the blood-red cube, it let out a deep hiss that echoed eerily through the forest like low, drawn-out thunder, its slit eyes locking onto it, pupils narrowing with a hungry, starving focus.

"Hm? You want to eat it?" Adyr raised one eyebrow, watching its reaction with clear interest.

He didn't actually know how to use the treasure.

The description did not include any instructions about how to use it.

When he had first found the treasure in Sevrak's Mansion, lying among dust and cracked stones, it had never even crossed his mind that it might be something meant to be consumed; if the Blood Dragon had eaten it, there shouldn't have been anything left behind at all.

But now, while he was watching Sszhar's greedy eyes and the way its body tensed toward the cube, he assumed maybe this was how it was meant to be used.

"Go enjoy it then." He extended the treasure toward the Rank 4 Spark and watched as its long tongue quickly darted out, snatched the cube from his hand with a whip-like motion, and sent it down to its stomach without a second thought.

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