The next two months became a continuous dance of work.
Arthur set up a laboratory for himself and the Healer units to operate in.
First came the structural phase: creating a biological mold from scratch.
Synthesized tissues, cells following specific patterns, muscle fibers responding to artificial impulses long before the brain even existed.
This wasn't exactly Arthur's field of expertise — but it didn't take him long to learn.
And White followed every step with obsessive focus.
She stood beside him at all times, watching every movement of his hands, every murmured instruction, every delicate adjustment.
Whenever Arthur touched the forming body's surface, White felt something stir inside her.
It wasn't jealousy… but it wasn't exactly anticipation either.
Something warm, gentle, wrapping softly around her core.
2B and A2 also began frequenting the laboratory.
At first, it was out of curiosity.
Later, for emotional reasons none of them would ever admit aloud.
2B asked dozens of questions, always leaning far too close whenever Arthur explained the details of the skeletal structure.
A2 pretended not to care, arms crossed, leaning against the wall — yet she stayed until the very end of every night, her gaze fixed on him as if she were evaluating not the process but Arthur himself.
Days, and nights, and endless dawns passed like that.
And eventually, White admitted — though not in words — that she wanted the body finished.
She expressed it through actions.
She stayed close for longer than necessary, watched his expression every time he adjusted the exact shape of her new eyes, her new lips, her new skin.
And when she finally asked — in a soft whisper — to be the first, Arthur simply nodded, smiling gently at her.
The consciousness transfer was the decisive moment.
The body was ready: perfect, harmonious, strong yet delicate.
The Healer units prepared the transfer capsule as White stood before it, silent and almost nervous — an emotion she hadn't known she was capable of.
"Are you ready?" Arthur asked.
White stepped forward, held his hand with quiet grace, and answered:
"If you're the one doing this… then I'm ready for anything."
A2 looked away, and 2B swallowed hard.
The main processor began to hum, White's core pulsed one last time, and then her consciousness was projected directly into the newly crafted neural cavity.
Arthur caught her in his arms the moment she opened her eyes for the first time.
And White… smiled.
She leaned forward until her forehead touched his.
"So this is… what it really means to feel?" she whispered, her lips almost brushing his — though she didn't cross the line. Not yet.
Arthur took a deep breath and smiled in a way she immediately copied, delighted by the sensation of oxygen filling her lungs.
"You haven't seen anything yet…" he replied, running his hand along the side of her freshly created face.
---xXx---
White spent the first few minutes in absolute silence, feeling her new body respond to commands that were no longer digital.
Each movement was a revelation.
She lifted her hand slowly, watching her fingers flex, the skin stretch, the tiny muscles shifting beneath the surface.
Then she touched her own face.
"It's so… warm…" White murmured, awestruck, pressing her palm against her chest and feeling her heart beating steadily.
"This is really part of me?"
"All of this is you," Arthur said, smiling as he gestured toward her.
White looked up at him, took a step closer, and — guided by instinct — reached out and rested her hand on his chest, feeling his warmth radiate through her new skin.
Then she said, voice soft and filled with raw emotion:
"Arthur… thank you."
He took her hand gently, as if receiving something precious.
"You don't need to thank me. I wanted to do this."
White closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing his words as if they were a physical sensation.
And then, to everyone's surprise, she leaned forward — her face just inches from his — but stopped at the very last moment.
She didn't cross the line.
But she made very clear that she had thought about doing so.
Arthur smiled and took the initiative, kissing her lips.
2B bit her lip.
A2 turned her head away, irritated at her own reaction.
After a few minutes, Arthur pulled back, struggling to regain focus.
"Alright. Now… it's your turn," he said, looking at 2B and A2.
White, still dazzled, stepped aside to watch.
2B was the first to approach.
She walked slowly, almost hesitantly, but her eyes never left Arthur's for a single second.
"I want…" she said plainly, though her voice was softer than usual.
"I want to feel… all of this too."
Arthur nodded.
"It's going to take some time. Unlike White's body, yours will need a few specific adjustments."
"How long?" she asked.
Arthur cupped his chin, thinking for a few seconds.
"Maybe three weeks…" he replied.
A2 let out a quiet grumble.
"And me?" she asked, arms crossed, doing a terrible job at hiding her nerves.
"And I'm warning you now — I don't want any 'stupid aesthetic customizations.'"
Arthur laughed, walked up to her, and — without asking permission — held her hand.
A2 froze, caught off guard by his boldness.
"If everything goes well… you'll be the strongest of all," Arthur said.
A2 snatched her hand back with a sharp motion, turning her face to the side.
"I don't care about that," she muttered — clearly lying.
"Just… hurry up."
Arthur stepped back, smiling, satisfied.
"It'll take about a month."
A2 bit the inside of her cheek.
She wanted it faster.
She wanted it now.
She wanted — though she'd never admit it — to feel what White had just felt.
White, still observing them all, walked back to Arthur.
"So…" she said with a gentle smile, "we have about two and a half months of work ahead of us."
"Don't blame me for getting ahead of you two," she added with a laugh.
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."