As night continued to pass, the victorious Morpho managed to stay awake.
With much help from Cyril, she even managed to memorize a single magic circle.
As a result, Morpho was now on the floor in the middle of the room.
Cyril turned around in his chair, guiding her spell as best he could.
"Move the mana carefully. The more precise your pattern is, the more likely the spell is to succeed." He commented, observing a childlike drawing gradually form in front of the butterfly.
Using her insect antennae, Morpho finished building the circle, and a vague light appeared at the center of it. It flickered for a few moments before disappearing.
"...!"
Morpho fluttered her wings in place and flew upwards, celebrating.
"You managed to do it on your third try. Not bad." Cyril nodded, outstretching his hand.
Making a wobbly path, Morpho landed on his finger.
"You are tired right now from a lack of mana. Have some rest." He walked towards the terrarium and gently dropped her on top of a plant.
Morpho climbed up a little higher and took a comfortable position on a leaf.
Though she didn't go to sleep just yet, her compound eyes kept staring at the awake Cyril.
He only lightly smiled and sat back down in his chair.
She is capable of magic as expected... however, her mana reserves are way too low. It will be hard for her to cast spells effectively.
He sighed and began turning the chair around to face the desk.
In the process his gaze went over the bed, and he froze.
There sat Rhamn, wagging her feet. On her face, a gentle smile.
Cyril exhaled after a second, putting a palm over his face. "There you are."
"Of course I am here." Rhamn replied with her smile widening. "I will not be disappearing any time soon. You need me."
Morpho stiffly fluttered her wings, too weak to fly. But she did twitch her antennae a few times, to which Rhamn waved her hand.
"Sorry for scaring you," she whispered.
I was just being cautious. Who knows what consuming Ambrosia did to my already unusual body?
Cyril leaned into the chair, his gaze lingering on Rhamn.
"If you say so." She casually got from the bed and walked all the way to Cyril.
"But I also mean that in a more literal way." Rhamn sat on the table in front of him, crossing her tights-wearing legs.
Cyril followed her actions with a frown soon forming on his face.
That I need you? I can keep my first-place position even without your help.
With the same smile on her face, Rhamn leaned closer and silently poked Cyril in the chest.
At this moment, two distinct sounds in quick succession rang rhythmically in his ears, gradually getting louder.
Two familiar booms, the first soft, the second sharp. Cyril heard this sound every day, particularly during combat training, where the other students made it the loudest.
A heartbeat?
"Your heartbeat," Rhamn said, her smile becoming softer.
I guess it is.
Cyril replied with a blank stare, not too impressed. But that wasn't for long.
Rhamn moved her hand, now placing her whole palm against his chest.
"…!"
Cyril stiffly lowered his head, staring at her slender fingers with widened eyes.
How is this possible? At this moment he vividly felt a peculiar sensation of someone caressing his chest.
Slowly he moved his hand and tried to grasp hers, though it passed right through, as it was supposed to.
Rhamn removed her palm and shrugged helplessly.
"I am not actually touching you. I am just simulating your body's response to being touched."
…What?
"It will be easier to show you. Grab a mana potion and come with me to the bathroom~"
Rhamn strolled away, humming some tune she thought up, leaving Cyril confused in his chair.
Exchanging one look with Morpho, he stood up, grabbed a single potion from his bag, and entered his bathroom.
There he joined Rhamn in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection with some questions.
Before he could ask them, Rhamn pointed at him, her red eyes shining.
"Remove your shirt!"
"…"
"Oh come on! Like I haven't seen everything already. In fact, I am more aware of your body than you could possibly imagine!"
Giving her one frown, Cyril silently took off his shirt, standing in front of the mirror bare-chested.
Rhamn nodded with satisfaction at the sight. The sparkle in her red eyes gave him a slight impression of having been cheated.
"No, no! It's necessary. Hold on, I am about to begin! Keep the mana potion close."
Morpho landed on the sink, staring at his chest, her antennae twitching in curiosity.
Cyril, too, observed his own reflection, feeling an ominous premonition.
Soon, as silence settled between them, something changed.
A vertical red line appeared in the middle of his chest. It gradually grew, reaching from his collarbone down to his stomach.
Huh.
He grabbed onto the sink, blankly staring at his chest.
"Let me focus!"
With Rhamn's voice, the line opened up.
Skin parted, followed by muscle and tissue. As if the maw of some terrible beast, the middle of his chest opened up, revealing the red beneath.
Cyril stood there frozen, a single thought in his mind.
…Alright.
No blood dropping. It's going to be easy to clean.
And it's not painful.
"Of course it's not painful with me here!" Rhamn gave him a thumbs-up, a proud smile on her face.
What are you doing?
"I am getting us to meet! You wanted to know who I am from the beginning, right?"
She pointed at his reflection, right at the maw of the beast.
"There, look to the center and slightly to the left."
Cyril followed the direction her slender finger pointed, trying to ignore the gore. Past the skin, past the muscle, past the rib-formed teeth, at his very core, a single thing pulsed with energy.
A scarlet heart beat rhythmically, pumping life through the rest of his body.
"That's me!"
The heart quivered with Rhamn's voice. He got a peculiar impression that someone was waving to him.
On the sink, Morpho fluttered her wings to wave back.
Uh-huh.
Cyril stood still for a few moments more, taking in the sight.
…And how are you doing this?
Rhamn shrugged.
"I just can. I can morph your body in whatever way we wish."
Finally a frown appeared on Cyril's face.
"Don't be so pessimistic. I am your heart. Why should I harm you? Have some trust in me."
Change me back first.
"Fine~"
Much quicker than it appeared, the maw retreated. The ribs recovered, and then muscle grew around them, followed by skin.
In no time at all, there was only a blond-haired, blue-eyed student standing in front of the mirror with not a scar on his bare chest.
Cyril carefully felt his body but found himself feeling just the same.
Or not. A certain emptiness was beginning to gnaw at him. It was a rather uncomfortable feeling.
"It's the lack of mana! Just drink the potion!"
With her reminder, Cyril realized the whole ordeal had spent his mana a good deal. He didn't even notice because of the shock.
He quickly grabbed the bottle on the sink and gulped it down.
With that, he recovered back to how he was before entering the bathroom.
Or not. He felt better than before.
It's easier to move…?
"Hehe, no need for thanks. It's simple for me to do."
Cyril turned to look at Rhamn, wariness in his eyes. He never expected his body to be capable of such monstrous things. It didn't look like anything good.
Rhamn awkwardly scratched her cheek, her eyes wandering about.
"I think it's a very useful ability. It only needs a little bit of mana."
"While I can't change your body too drastically yet, we can adapt to any situation at a moment's notice. I can even heal your wounds in the middle of the battle through it. I can even do something like this-"
She dramatically snapped her fingers.
Cyril quickly lowered his head to observe his body, but it appeared unchanged.
Then, suddenly, the heaviness of staying up late completely disappeared, as he felt a small dip in his mana.
"I removed fatigue toxins and mended your muscles. Using only mana, I changed your body to its peak state!" Rhamn explained with a smug.
It's certainly useful. Cyril's frown eased a level. So you can also end my life in an instant then?
Rhamn tilted her head, staring at him with a blank face. "Like any heart can."
Then, under his complaining eyes, she leaned over the sink, giving Morpho a doting look.
"Go to sleep, Morpho. Unfortunately, I can't help you how I helped Cyril yet."
The butterfly stiffly fluttered her wings in return, then, as if a worker clocking out after a grueling day, immediately flew back to her terrarium.
Cyril observed their actions, the frown on his face disappearing completely.
He walked back towards his bed, where he lay down.
Letting out a slow breath, he relaxed completely, his head turning to face the wooden ceiling.
What a day...
...
In the beginning I had many theories about you.
Cyril mused with his whole body relaxed.
I thought you might be a soul attached to me, or maybe even a split personality. But I didn't expect this.
He sighed, turning to look at Rhamn lying on the same bed.
"I also didn't know at the time I was replacing the heart in your chest cavity~"
So, who are you? Is my heart another living organism? Are you a parasite of some kind? Am I even a human?
He struggled to call what he saw in that mirror human.
Rhamn shot him a glance and shrugged, "I don't know."
"I am in the same boat as you. But if I had to guess..." She tilted her head and thought for a few seconds before replying. "I am not 'another organism.'"
"I am a part of you, but you are not a part of me, or are we the same? No, that can't be right..."
Rhamn gave a sheepish smile.
"It's a bit confusing~"
I see... And what about my visit to the healer?If my heart is so special, then why was nothing discovered?
Rhamn's smile became more pronounced as her nose was raised higher. "As if their weak magic can reveal us."
"Your heart- I don't look any different from a normal human heart. No matter how hard they look, if I don't allow it, they won't see anything unusual."
So, you've fooled them even before you had the knowledge of who you really were.
Rhamn's smile turned into a sneer as she looked somewhere in the distance. "'Fooled' is the wrong word. It implies a conscious attempt to deceive from me."
Her eyes narrowed in contempt. "But it's impossible. Deceit is a luxury I won't show their feeble, inferior minds. They are simply incapable of seeing us for who we really are."
Cyril observed her movements with a blank face.
Why are you always so theatrical...?
Rhamn's expression froze, soon turning into another sheepish smile.
"It's just how I am. We definitely have the qualifications for that."
She patted herself on the chest.
If you say so.
Cyril shook his head and looked outside the window.
Through the gaps in the curtains, a hint of light could be seen, gradually intensifying.
I stayed awake the whole night...
Cyril rubbed his temples.
It is what it is. This weekend we'll be visiting the Tower. I'll use that opportunity to go home and ask father about this. He should know something.
The principal, or whoever sent me that letter, do they know about this too?
...Doesn't matter for now. I will not let this interfere with my studies. The lessons are going to begin soon. I should prepare.
Rhamn energetically nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit! I agree!"
"..."
Cyril cautiously got up from the bed to start preparing for his day. He moved quietly, apprehensive of disturbing Morpho's sleep.
Sorry, Morpho.