Lidien's laughter ended as he deactivated his transformation, still smiling at his reflection beneath him.
"Since it's not Demon Form anymore, I'll just call it... hmmm, Blood Form? I think that would do..."
He laughed at his own words, till it died when the realization that he was not a Demon anymore sank in.
"Should I keep it a secret? or tell Mother... damn it... I got carried away with fighting Azer that I haven't realized I was purifying the old Lidien's shard... the good thing is, my Blood Form looks like Demon Form, if not... It'll be hard to hide."
Lidien then focused at the shards.
The Hell Stage demonic power was gone, replaced by three swirling Essences on the Crimson Shard's engraved runes... a potent Blood Essence, a corrosive Necrotic Essence, and the peak-stage Soul Essence he'd stolen from the ghost.
Together, they made him something new... a Dawn Stage Blessed of Death.
"The problem is, no matter how many times I use Incite of Blood, I can't understand why it's not advancing... like how I could absorb Soul Essence from a ghost in its peak stage... I need it to be able to use as an ability to make a Blood Essence to revive Lily..."
Lidien sat in lotus position and stared at the Crimson Shard silently absorbing Essences from the stars.
He was trying to understand the meaning of Blood, based on the texts he read in his previous life in scientific research.
However, he couldn't remember some of the details pertaining to blood, as all he could remember was his own blood type... the Donator... blood type O.
Smiling helplessly, he lay on the verve ocean and stared at the starry sky above.
"I wish I could read more books... but it seems like, knowledge here in this world is so precious that you can only read specific information based on your own status..."
Lidien waited peacefully, because being inside the Dreamflow was the only time he could relax in its tranquility... until he felt a suction force, pulling him out of it.
As his consciousness returned to his outside body, Lidien forcefully opened his eyes and saw Azer smirking at him.
"Seems like you heal fast enough..."
Lidien tried to move, but he couldn't even feel his own limbs, like he was just a consciousness attached to a dead body.
"Idiot Lidien, you will not be able to move after what you've done to your body... good thing your Sparkline didn't burst killing you on the spot."
Lidien could only move his eyes, even moving his face seemed impossible.
"Don't worry Lidien, I heard you always go to Knowledge Spire finding someone who could read for you... well, I found someone who could do that for you here, for the rest of your life as you lie..."
Lidien's eyes seemed to protest as they enlarged mixed with his muffled voice.
Azer left the room, and a maid bowed before entering.
"M-My Prince... P-Please forgive me for entering your room without your a-approval..." said the Maid still shaking just from being near Lidien.
Lidien remembered her face, she was the one who tried to seduce him when she was tasked to help him change for his breakfast with his family.
Lidien blinked once, slowly... hoping the maid could understand its meaning.
Then, the maid pulled out plenty of different books, from history to literature... and forcefully tried to read a random book that she had placed at the top of the pile.
'I'd rather be dead than be paralyzed like this forever...' Lidien thought as he watched the maid randomly saying words.
***
A week passed,
Lidien realized that his paralysis wasn't solely because he overused his Sparkline, but also because of his transition from Demon to a Blessed, making the effect much worse leaving him completely immobilized.
Still, after a few days... the only thing he could move was his fingers and mouth, making him able to at least talk...
Especially to the maid that kept shivering, asking her to keep calm, because he couldn't do anything to her being paralyzed.
For the long time the maid stayed with Lidien, he learned her name.
Nyomi, a slave from a tribe that was captured by the Blood Rose Clan soldiers... her parents were long gone fighting their captors... however, she did everything to survive, enduring to be a maid of their slavers, just to help her younger brother still outside of the Rift of the Shattered Mirrors, learning to be a soldier.
And once her younger brother becomes a soldier, their status as a slave will be gone and they will become just like normal residents in the Blood Rose Clan.
Though at first meeting, Lidien was harsh to her for trying to seduce him, but realizing that she only did it to survive, to escape the life she was born into, he couldn't help but relate himself to her.
Because she, was just like him, doing everything to live.
"Nyomi... help me sit up, I want to drink some Tea..."
Kyer visited Lidien just three days into his paralysis... bringing him a two thousand merit slip worth of Xocoatl in a different space ring, saying that their plan to hoard the commodity became a success, as they sold it for almost ten times the original price selling it to Azer, and all high ranking officials of Blood Rose Clan, saying that it was so special that only the rich could afford it.
Using his sly tongue, and the pride that exists hidden in someone's heart... Kyer became the most prominent scammer, no... a Merchant in the Blood Rose Clan, still, he asked Lidien for his next move to become more successful as his greed couldn't be tamed... and Lidien, just told him to standby... as he was planning to build a business empire with him.
Nyomi assisted Lidien to sit up as she prepared the Xocoatl, gently blowing on the hot teacup and helping Lidien to drink it.
As the Xocoatl flooded Lidien's throat, the overused sparkline seemed to cool down.
"I think regularly drinking this will make my Sparkline sturdy..."