"Are you ready?" Levi asked, his crimson eyes holding depths of ancient power that made the dojo's peaceful atmosphere feel suddenly charged with dangerous potential.
Fenix nodded, though his enhanced senses detected the tremor in his own hands that betrayed nervousness he was trying to suppress. "As ready as someone can be for experimental constitutional surgery performed by a dead ancestor."
Levi's laugh carried genuine warmth despite the gravity of what they were about to attempt. "That's the spirit. Remember, once we begin, there's no stopping midway. The purification process has to run its complete course, or the damage could be permanent."
He stood from his seated position with fluid grace, moving to a position directly across from Fenix. The casual humor that had marked their entire conversation faded as his expression shifted to something approaching reverence for the forces they were about to invoke.
