Chapter 218 – Full Recovery [1]
"One last time," Mallory said, her hair now properly combed into large chignons held together by a pair of jade needles, looking intently at Cassius, "are you sure about what you’re doing?"
Cassius wasn’t quite listening.
His single eye was entirely focused on the set of ingredients spread marvellously across the desk. Some erupted with intense power, others were quite tame, yet coated in a subtle aura that made them feel special.
It took longer than necessary for his brain to register that his master was talking to him, and longer still to realise an answer was required of him.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I’m pretty sure." He finally responded, his eye finding Mallory’s annoyed, impatient ones.
"I hope you truly are." She whispered. "Because if you drag me into your ridiculous actions, even if I have to bear some pain, you will feel my wrath."
"I certainly hope we won’t reach that point, master." Cassius replied as he walked forward, now standing directly in front of the ingredients.
He looked at a vial holding the blood of a Dragon Saint. The blood was silver with a hint of gold, shimmering with starlight brightness.
"I’ve never heard of a Dragon Saint." Cassius tilted his head toward Mallory. "What, or who, is that?"
"A dragon who reached the Fifth rank." She replied curtly. "A dragon who ascended. They are named Dragon Saints by their traditions."
"Ascended?" Cassius narrowed his eyes, instantly recalling the fact that the gods would attack his family if any of them reached the fifth rank.
Now he asked himself why the Ascended rank, and not any other.
What happened at that rank that finally made the gods willing to act?
’Is that the realm where gods can attack mortals without consequence? Or is there some other reason behind it? Like that rank being powerful enough to make the gods wary?’
His white brows furrowed deeper.
No, it couldn’t be only that.
’Maybe... maybe at that rank we’re no longer mortals?’
It was intriguing, and Cassius felt he was quite close to the truth. The name of the rank itself spoke of a concept of ascension, after all.
In any case, he didn’t think now was the time to ponder it.
’Not when my dear master is glaring at me.’
He smiled sheepishly. "Where did you find this blood?"
"Somewhere that’s probably none of your concern."
The tone of her voice told Cassius that one more useless word and he’d regret it.
And that was quite the torture, because when he saw the two eyes of the Fire Spirit, their pupils still glowing like white fire and dripping blood, he wanted to ask where she got them.
In fact, he could already guess where and how.
But Cassius loved small talk.
Not today, though.
After making sure everything was ready, he gathered himself, his face now resolute and serious.
"I’m ready." He said to Mallory. "I’ll proceed inside the Testing Ground. At the same time, I’ll search for my eyepatch once I’m done."
’And obtain the Echo, and see what it’s all about.’
"You can go ahead." Mallory replied, raising her index finger and sweeping it down before her, leaving a silver line in its wake.
When her finger dropped, the line pulsed like a breathing, living thing, then opened wide like a mouth, revealing an entirely new environment on the other side.
"You won’t come with me?" Cassius asked, having expected her presence.
"I planned to. But something happened in the House of Sanctions that needs my attention."
"The House of Sanctions? Is it about my aunt? Did she do something?"
"No." Mallory spoke, taking the black gloves from the table and putting them on. "It’s about people who think my Academy is a playground for their wicked goals."
She lifted her head again, and her silver eyes were dead cold.
Cassius didn’t quite understand what she meant, and couldn’t afford to spare it any thought either.
Not at that moment.
So he nodded in understanding, winking at her playfully. "If you need help, master, don’t hesitate. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you Cassius is an exceptionally resourceful man."
"And insufferably talkative?" Mallory added dryly.
Cassius snapped his mouth shut, looked at her with a theatrically wronged expression, then let out a small hmph.
Mallory smiled at him mockingly.
Wordlessly, Cassius gathered all the ingredients and, without a single glance or nod at his master, stepped into the portal, entering the realm of Mountains and Rivers once more.
The portal closed soon after, and Mallory chuckled before her silver eyes hardened even further.
She disappeared soon after, heading toward the deeper part of the Academy, more precisely, toward the House of Sanctions.
...
Thud!
Cassius reappeared in the Testing Ground. Just like last time, he could hear his Innate hissing with excitement, urging him to walk in one specific direction.
He did none of that.
’Stop hissing in my head already.’ He snapped at his Innate, which fell silent instantly.
Cassius still hadn’t forgotten how his Innate had failed to adapt to Emrys’s lightning. It was true he had learned something important from that failure, but the very fact that he couldn’t adapt left a sour taste in his mouth.
The Snake nervously, timidly coiled in on itself in shyness, then let out a small hiss, seeking Cassius’s forgiveness.
He ignored it completely.
[Your Innate is truly something.] Ananke said with amusement, observing Cassius’s petty side. [I have rarely witnessed an Innate with its own consciousness. It’s very rare.]
"True enough." He said, walking toward the river just a few metres away. "Emrys’s Innate certainly doesn’t have one. I wonder why mine does, though. And what’s the use of it?"
[The problem with rare things is that we barely know anything about them. The same goes for an Innate with consciousness. We’ll only learn more as you progress.]
He nodded, finding it quite reasonable.
He arrived at the beautiful clear-water river and sat cross-legged on a lump of black, weathered rock nestled in the middle of it.
He took out all the ingredients, placing them in front of him.
Once everything was done, Cassius closed his eyes, recalling again the steps he needed to take for it all to work.
He sank his mind inward, examining his body more clearly. There, his lips pulled into a smile when he saw, beside his heart...
CRACKLE—!
...a lone bolt of golden lightning with immense, volatile power crackling sporadically.
His smile turned into a devilish grin.
This was the one lightning bolt he had stored inside himself while being wrecked by it during the battle, expelling the others.
Despite his inability to manipulate it, Cassius would be an idiot not to use this opportunity.
’Now let’s see what I can do with you.’
He didn’t stop there. Cassius also took out the Tier Four Frozen Heart his mother had given him, which looked like a human heart, threaded with veins pulsing with power.
’I need to be careful with the process so I don’t mess it up.’
Reminding himself of that, he whispered under his breath.
"Queen, you with me?"
[As always.]
He smiled, snapping his eye open. "Then shall we?"
Cassius began the process. He cut deep into his heart, his face wincing and paling rapidly, and drew out his Origin blood.
He used that blood and mixed it with the Dragon Saint blood inside the vial. He then took the sickly-looking bones of the Bloodelven Flat-Faced Fish, which had been mixed with the heart-blood of a snake walking the Shadow Path.
The bones of the Bloodelven Flat-Faced Fish visually transformed into a drop of shadow that looked like ink.
That ink fell onto the blood of the Dragon Saint mixed with his own, creating a mesmerising sight of silver, black, crimson and gold coexisting together perfectly.
The power emitting from it was phenomenal, with smoke, small explosions, and bubbling within the vial.
Cassius then took another drop of his Origin blood and mixed it with the eyes of the Fire Spirit, severing the link between the eyes and their original owner completely, making them his own.
Without pause, his body sweating greatly, Cassius grabbed the Tier Four Frozen Heart and transformed it, with Ananke’s help, into nothing but concentrated magical fuel of the Blood Path, to make his heart far stronger with the aspect of regeneration.
Now it was strong enough to bear Emrys’s golden lightning, which still held the divinity of his god.
But Ananke was a jealous and protective Goddess. So she killed the hint of awareness that naturally lingered when a god leaves something behind.
Now the lightning, though still tainted by divinity, was harmless.
With everything done, all that remained was to drink the potion and welcome his new eyes.
’Here we go.’
Cassius took a deep, costly breath, steadying himself, then scooped up the vial of blood.
He drank it all in one shot, before letting the two eyes shoot into his own, taking their place, and letting the golden lightning enter his now-enhanced heart.
The wind around Cassius froze completely; even the water beneath him went still.
One second passed, and Cassius’s mouth snapped wide, letting out a deep, profound, agonised scream that shook the world itself, making him fall into the water, writhing in agony.
The process had begun.
—End of Chapter 218—