Walking into the lab, Lucas' tendrils waved at the familiar hum of Spirit energy. He immediately saw Katlyn interacting with one of the caged creatures. It looked like a scaly sunflower.

Unlike a regular flower, it moved in sync with Katlyn's hovering palm which fed it Spirit energy. Noticing Lucas' presence, Katlyn got to her feet as she resealed the specimen before turning to Lucas.

"Hmm… your injuries seem somewhat aggravated. What happened?"

She asked neutrally.

"I just played with Sasha and Evélyne. I went a little overboard though, hence I have some internal bleeding now."

Katlyn looked at Lucas in mild surprise as she asked,

"Why would you go that far?"

Lucas titled his head, a tendril cupped his chin as he thought about it. It didn't take long for him to say with a smile.

"It was fun."

Unable to sense any falsehood, Katlyn thought to herself,

'It seems Evélyne got herself a rather odd friend.'

With a soft smile, she said.

"I'm glad."

She moved on to the reason she called him. When she spoke next, her eyes glowed with a deep fascination.

"Your cells are quite special. Their resourcefulness and tenacity is something I have never seen before. I created a prototype for a new recovery serum based on them. It should be able to heal your injuries. Unfortunately the serum is quite volatile, so I can't create a lot of it."

Lucas felt elated as he said,

"That's perfectly fine. Can I take the serum now..?"

Watching as Lucas nervously asked, Katlyn just chuckled to herself as she said,

"Of course."

She opened her hand, conjuring a syringe from thin air. The needle of the syringe was a dull silver coated in innumerable crimson Runes. The barrel was filled with a viscous black liquid that glowed with a red light. She walked over to Lucas and said,

"Please take off your shirt. I have to inject the doze directly into your heart."

Unphased by the needle, Lucas he took of his top, as he asked curiously,

"Would it not work if I didn't have a heart?

Steadying him with a soft hand on his shoulder, Evélyne explained,

"It would but it would take much more conscious effort to circulate it throughout your body. Given your current state, that would be extremely painful."

"Ohh."

Placing the syringe millimeters away from Lucas heart, Katlyn's eyes glowed a faint but exquisite crimson as she said,

Stolen story; please report.

"This might pinch a bit."

And she wasn't kidding. The moment the black goo was injected into Lucas, he almost dropped to a knee. It felt like boiling lava had been injected into his heart, each beat growing heavier and more painful by the second.

"Arrgghhh!!"

Watching Lucas wail as he turned as red as a lobster Katlyn looked apologetic as she tried to console him,

"It seems I overdid it on the energy density… but this should help you recover much faster."

Lucas could barely hear her as his senses blur, tears and snot flowing freely. These fluids slowly taken a dark red color. After fifteen minutes or so, he finally pulled himself together. The blood oozing from his body cleaned by the lab's omnipresent energy. During this time, Katlyn had sent away the syringe and gave him some breathing room.

As she watched on quietly, her expression showed concern as she sensed the serum flow throughout his blood stream and interacted with his core. Due to her enhanced senses, she could see the complex patterns the serum forced Lucas Spirit energy to flow in. But something else truly caught her attention.

'What an adaptive body. His Physique is somehow making the serum more efficient after just a few minutes.'

As she watched on, she was surprised even more when Lucas stood back to his full height. Wiping at his face, he asked,

"Why didn't you tell me it would be that painful?"

Anger could be seen from Lucas' features as veins pulsed across his head. Katlyn bit back her laughter as she said,

"I'm sorry about that. As I said, it was just a prototype and I did overcharge it. Now, let me take a closer look at your condition. I have to document the effects of the serum."

Lucas exhaled as he obliged. Katlyn's gaze on him sharpened for a moment before going back to normal. She then looked at him with a slight smile as she said,

"Check your Attributes."

Lucas' heart skipped a beat in anticipation. He hastily opened it to see,

———

Attributes:

•Physique: 4(5)

•Spirit: 4(5)

•Mind: 3(4)

———

Unable to believe it, Lucas immediately checked his core. It had gone back to its usual vibrant and ever changing ways. Even though it didn't glow as brightly as before and carried less than a 4th of its usual energy, its energy flowed much more smoothly.

Lucas grinned as he extended his hand. He willed it to change shape without his Spirit energy. It followed his intent with little latency, but most importantly, there was just a dull ache in the limb.

"I can transform again!"

He yelled excitedly and rushed over to Katlyn.

"Thank you very much."

Even though Lucas was still cautious against the Lifeblood's in general, he was also rational enough to know they could end him at any moment. Getting arrogant now that he had begun recovering, was not a smart move.

'I wonder just how much potential his cells have…'

Katlyn dismissed the thought as she said,

"It's my duty Lucas, you're a citizen of my kingdom. You should be able to fully recover in a few days now."

Lucas thanked her once more and took his leave. Rather than heading to his room, he went to the pleasant view Katlyn brought him to on the first day.

With gratitude buzzing in his chest, Lucas took a slow walk towards his destination. On his way, he passed by some maids talking as they floated up to a chandelier. Their faint laughter reached him as they worked on the chandelier with floating Runes. For some reason, watching their friendly interactions brought him some deep sadness.

When he finally made his way through the stone path to the view, he found a quiet patch of grass and sat comfortably. Gazing down at the lush plant life being illuminated by the setting sun, he felt at peace.

"Not sure I will ever get used to this sight."

Lucas said to himself in awe. He sat quietly for a few minutes, breathing in the floral air as he took it all in.

"… would have been really nice if you guys could see this…"

He finally said as he laid on the bluish grass. His gaze carried a heavy melancholy. He finally had time to relax and process everything that had happened. But ironically, he didn't know where to start or how to feel. With his body working against his emotions as well, he felt quite trapped in this moment. His thoughts spiraled towards his shortcomings.

'Be free…? Is that even possible? Let's say I do escape from here, does it really change much? I still have no clue on how to recreate my universe. Fuck, I don't even know how to keep myself alive. How can I ever—'

Chirp.

A distant bird call brought him back to the present moment. As he refocused, he felt something wet yet warm on his face streaking down both his eyes. Wiping his face off, he rose to his feet.

'I… I have to move forward. I can think about this later.'

With these thoughts, he rushed off to his room. Like a man chased by swarms of ghosts. With his injuries healed, he sprinted through the manor at extreme speeds. Each turn and adjustment helped him forget his inner turmoil.

Before he knew it, he was in his room once more. With the door shutting behind him, he walked towards his bed and laid down. After laying there for many minutes, he finally forced himself to sleep, falling into dreamless slumber.

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