The sharp crack echoed across the room, causing every servant to freeze in their tracks. Startled expressions spread across their faces as they instinctively turned towards the platform. A shared thought coursed through the group: the subject had broken.
An unsettling quiet settled in, broken only by the steady hum of the arrays beneath the platform.
Morgan's gaze sharpened, his attention focused intently. Boulder remained still beside him, their expressions calm despite the tension in the air, which surprised the servants around them.
Then came another crack.
And another.
The sound rapidly transformed into a relentless series of sharp echoes, resonating through Shawn's body as if unleashing an invisible chain reaction. Morgan quickly withdrew his hands from the blood circulation array, the azure glow surrounding his palms fading instantly.
Boulder raised a hand and commanded, "Stop."
Immediately, the servants sprang into action. The tendrils, which had been pulling blood, halted, and the crimson runes flickered but didn't disappear. The golden platform beneath Shawn pulsed steadily, preventing his battered form from collapsing.
Shawn, lost in a haze of pain, barely registered what was happening around him. His consciousness swayed between sharp agony and consuming darkness. It felt as though he had lost all control over his body. He couldn't tell if his heart was still beating, and every breath felt borrowed. The one thing he was aware of was that the pain had shifted. It no longer felt like it was tearing him apart; instead, it seemed like something deep within him was on the brink of breaking. Perhaps it was his very humanity, inching closer to a monstrous transformation.
Boulder moved closer to examine the situation. "This shouldn't be happening..." he murmured, letting his divine sense expand outward. Invisible waves emanated toward Shawn, but the moment they made contact...
Boulder's pupils widened in shock.
An immense, overwhelming force pushed back against him, not with violence but with an undeniable authority, as if a silent proclamation echoed: You do not belong here.
He staggered back, blood trickling from his nose and down the side of his mouth.
"Grandmaster!" Morgan reached out instinctively to steady him, while a servant rushed forward with a chair, but Boulder waved them off, wiping the blood away.
"I'm fine," he insisted, his attention never wavered from Shawn.
Another crack resonated throughout the chamber, causing the platform to tremble beneath them. The crimson runes flickered violently, and even the liquid in the crystal tanks rippled without anyone making contact.
Morgan surveyed the room, noting that nothing seemed to have changed. The servants remained still, and the arrays were intact. Yet, he felt an unsettling chill creeping up his spine. "What is happening?"
Boulder remained silent for several moments, his gaze locked onto Shawn. Gradually, a look of realization crossed his features. "No..."
Morgan leaned in closer, concern etching his face. "Grandmaster?"
Boulder's voice grew grave. "It isn't resisting us."
Another crack sounded, and Boulder continued, "It's continuing the process."
Morgan's eyes widened in disbelief. "The inheritance..."
Boulder nodded slowly. "It has taken over."
An oppressive silence enveloped the room, leaving everyone breathless. Morgan looked back at Shawn, trying to comprehend what had just been revealed.
"But that's impossible."
Boulder moved closer once more, refraining from attempting to use his divine sense again. Whatever had pushed him away would likely do so again.
"The process we began..." he trailed off, "was somehow incomplete."
He narrowed his gaze. "The inheritance is completing it itself."
Morgan remained silent, processing years of research, countless failed trials, and a vast accumulation of knowledge that had clearly prepared them for nothing like this.
"So..." he finally said, "we stop."
Boulder wasted no time agreeing. "We have no choice. If we interfere now, we risk losing everything."
A servant hesitated, the fear evident on his face. "My... my Lords... the arrays…"
Everyone turned their attention back to the platform. The crimson runes were shifting unexpectedly, rearranging themselves without anyone's intervention, creating patterns that both Morgan and Boulder found unfamiliar.
Morgan's breathing slowed as he took it all in. "Are they adapting …"
"No," Boulder shook his head firmly. "They're responding."
"To what?"
Boulder's gaze shifted back to Shawn. "To him."
A chill washed over the room, leaving everyone in stunned silence. The platform continued its steady hum, the golden glow brightening, enveloping Shawn's battered body like a protective shell. The crimson runes steadied, and the tendrils hung motionless, as if waiting for commands they would never again receive from those in the room.
Morgan lowered his hands, realizing their control over the experiment had slipped away. "The experiment..."
"...is no longer ours," Boulder affirmed with a slight nod. "Monitor his condition. Don't intervene unless his life is at risk."
Morgan quickly relayed the directive, and the servants sprang into action, checking energy crystals, replenishing the nearly empty tanks, and ensuring the stability of the arrays. None dared approach Shawn or touch the platform. For the first time since this experiment began, everyone in the room stood as mere spectators.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Shawn's mind, darkness enveloped everything.
Eva sat beneath the soft, violet glow that had always been her solace. She had been waiting, calling Shawn's name time and again without any response.
Then she felt a tremor.
She looked up, startled, as the darkness shivered around her.
The faint violet light flickered nervously, shrinking as if it sensed an impending threat.
"Shawn?" she called out, but silence met her plea.
Instead, an overwhelming surge of emotions flooded her mindscape, raw, unfiltered pain, hatred, and desperation crashed into her like relentless waves. For the first time, she felt Shawn's suffering in its most potent form, leaving her reeling.
She instinctively covered her ears, even though she knew it wouldn't help; these emotions were not sounds but feelings that pierced her heart. Tears filled her eyes as she pleaded, "Shawn... what are they doing to you?"
Desperate to reach him, Eva spread her small wings and shot into the darkness. But brilliant golden chains erupted, ensnaring her waist and arms, dragging her back.
"No!" she cried out, struggling against the hold. Each attempt to flee met the same fate, pulling her back into the shadows again and again until she fell, exhausted.
"...Please... Shawn needs me..." she whispered.
The chains remained unyielding. Lowering her head, she clenched her small fists.
"No..."
She rose once more, not to escape, but to press on.
She flew straight toward the nearest chain. Her small body lit up in a bright violet glow. With all her strength, she threw her fist forward. Bang! The chain stood still. A ripple of violet energy danced across it, but then it faded into the golden links. Eva blinked in surprise; her attack had done nothing.
Determined, she punched again. And again. Each time, a burst of violet light shot out, but each pulse vanished into the chain. As she continued, her breath grew heavier, and her arms started to shake with fatigue. But she wasn't about to give up.
"If…" Bang! "…you…" Bang! "…won't…" Bang! "…let me…"
With each strike, her tiny form began to vanish a little more, her violet glow dimming with every hit. Whether she noticed or didn't care, it didn't stop her.
"Then…"
Another punch. Nothing. One more time. Nothing. Then, she saw it. A tiny crack appeared. Eva froze, her heart racing as hope seeped into her despair. Without hesitation, she launched herself forward again, landing punch after punch until the cracks began to multiply.
One crack turned into ten, ten into hundreds. Then—she heard the first chain shatter. One after another, the chains broke, their sound echoing through the mindscape until finally, there was silence. Nothing was left to hold her back.