A full week had passed since Arden and Dion went deeper into the forest.

Nothing.

They haven't found the abnormal signs or even a clue connected to the recent awakenings.

By the seventh day, even Arden had to admit it.

"This area is clean," he said quietly.

Dion lay on his back on the grass, one arm behind his head, staring at the leaves above.

"Clean forests are boring forests."

Arden sighed and sat down nearby, carefully setting his notes aside.

"You say that now, but last time you complained about being chased for three days."

"That was different. That one had teeth."

Dion rolled to a sitting position and stretched his shoulders.

His breathing slowed, his expression easing into focus.

The lazy smile didn't disappear, but something sharper sat behind it.

"I'm close," he said.

Arden looked up at him at once. "Close… how close?"

"Really close," Dion replied.

Dion closed his eyes. Mana began to circulate naturally through his body, smooth and steady.

His posture straightened on its own, spine aligned, shoulders relaxed.

Arden hesitated, then spoke carefully.

"You remember what will happen, right?"

Dion opened one eye. "The pain?"

"Yes." Arden's voice lowered.

"It's not normal pain. The twins said it felt like their nerves were being torn apart and stitched back together at the same time."

Dion nodded. "Yeah. I heard."

He exhaled slowly. "They said it's like being pierced by trillions of needles all at once."

Arden nodded once. "That's the description."

Silence settled between them.

Then Dion stood up.

"Well," he said, rolling his neck. "No reason to delay it."

Arden quickly got to his feet. "Wait, at least sit. If you fall..."

"I won't."

Dion planted his feet firmly on the ground and closed his eyes fully this time.

Mana surged.

Violet light spilled out from his body, slowly at first, then stronger.

It wrapped around him like smoke, then thickened, smoothing out as it turned into a rounded cocoon.

The air grew heavy.

Arden stepped back, heart pounding. "Dion… brace yourself."

"I am," Dion replied, voice steady.

The cocoon sealed.

A second later...

"FUCK!"

The scream exploded out of it, sharp and rough, ripping through the quiet forest.

Arden flinched but didn't step back.

He planted his feet and shouted toward the cocoon, "Good. Scream as much as you want."

Another shout came from inside, broken and angry.

"Don't hold it in," Arden continued, voice firm.

"Don't think. Don't control it. The awakening will do its own work."

The cocoon shook again.

Mana rippled wildly as [Mana Core Cell Resonance] surged and clashed inside.

"All you need to do," Arden said, clenching his fists, "is endure it."

Dion's voice cracked through the shell. "You! You're saying that like it's easy!"

Arden shook his head. "It's not. I know."

There was a short, sharp laugh from inside the cocoon... half laughter, half scream.

"Yeah? Never thought you'd gone through something this messed up."

"I did," Arden replied immediately. "Every single second of it."

The cocoon trembled again. Dion cursed loudly, words blurring together as pain tore through him.

"This is insane! My whole body!"

"I know," Arden said, jaw tight. "It feels like your cells are tearing themselves apart and rebuilding wrong."

Dion let out a hoarse laugh. "That's not comforting!"

"It's honest."

Another scream burst out, longer this time. Arden turned his head slightly but didn't move away.

"Endure it," he said again, quieter now. "You're past the point of turning back."

Minutes dragged on. Then more.

The forest stayed silent except for Dion's broken shouting and the dull pulse of mana hitting the cocoon from the inside.

At some point, the screams changed.

They didn't stop, but they grew steadier.

Arden noticed it and let out a slow breath. "Good. You're stabilizing."

"Don't talk like... AH! Like you know everything!" Dion snapped.

Arden almost smiled.

Time passed. Hours slipped by without either of them noticing.

Then...

Crack.

Arden's head snapped up.

Thin lines spread across the cocoon. Violet light leaked out, flickering unsteadily.

Another crack followed. Then another.

The cocoon broke apart piece by piece, dissolving into fading mana.

Dion stumbled forward, dropping to one knee.

His breathing was heavy, sweat dripping from his chin.

Arden rushed over and caught his shoulder. "Easy."

Dion waved him off weakly. "Don't touch me yet."

Arden stopped, hands raised. He looked Dion over carefully.

His hair had changed.

What was once dark now shimmered violet, uneven and wild.

Strange tattoos had appeared across his arms, shoulders, and chest.

Arden straightened slowly. "Looks like it worked."

Dion let out a shaky laugh. "You think?"

He tried to stand, wobbled, then managed it. "How do I look?"

Arden smiled, small and tired. "Like you survived something horrible."

Dion snorted, then winced. "Great. But damn… the pain's still there."

Arden shook his head. "It isn't."

Dion blinked and looked at him. "What?"

"It's just your mind," Arden said calmly. "Your body finished changing. The pain is gone."

Dion stayed silent, breathing slowly, testing himself.

He rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers, then shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"…You're right," he muttered. "It's not pain anymore."

Arden nodded. "It's the memory of it. That part lingers. And honestly, that's the scary part."

Dion swallowed and let out a long breath. "Yeah. I don't want to do that again anytime soon."

They stood there for a moment, letting the forest settle back into quiet.

Then Arden glanced at the faintly glowing tattoos on Dion's arms.

His eyes sharpened with curiosity.

"So," he said, unable to hide it, "what kind of [Unique Physique] did you awaken?"

Dion slowly lifted his head.

The lazy smile returned, but this time it carried something sharper underneath.

"You really want to know?"

"Of course," Arden replied immediately. "I was the one guarding you for hours."

Dion chuckled and straightened fully, stretching his neck. "Alright."

He took a step closer and crooked a finger. "Then come here."

Arden hesitated for half a second, then stepped forward, eyes focused and alert.

Dion's tattoos pulsed once.

Violet mana stirred quietly around him.

"Watch carefully," Dion said, voice low and confident.

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