"One more thing. You should strip." Lith said.
"Say what?" Phloria blushed from head to toes and so did Nalrond.
"The Skinwalker armor can shapeshift, but your body is about to get turned inside out, then unraveled and woven back multiple times so fast that the armor can't keep up. Taking your clothes off will spare you a lot of pain and make the body refining easier."
"And you will watch? Like the whole time?" Phloria asked.
"I'm a Healer." Lith felt slightly offended. "I helped Tista Awaken, I've treated countless women, and I've seen you naked in the past, so why so shy?"
"What about them?" She pointed at the others.
"Fair point." Lith brought everyone but Phloria back to the Mirror Hall.
"Hey, it's nothing we haven't seen countless times and I want to make sure Phloria is alright." Quylla said.
"Then, you should ask her permission. Otherwise, only Solus and I will keep Phloria company." Lith said.
"Can I at least keep my panties?" Phloria was already ashamed for not needing a bra and the idea of Lith drawing comparisons with his girlfriend didn't excite her much.
Even though she was now alone, Phloria still blushed up to her ears.
"No." Lith replied with the flat tone he would've used if someone had just asked him if he wanted milk in his tea. "Now listen well because I'm about to explain the cause of your condition and how we're going to fix it."
Phloria cursed and did as instructed.
"A normal human body is filled with what I call 'impurities'. They are a double-edged sword since the body produces them to protect itself from the power of the mana core at the cost of serious side effects." Lith said.
"On one hand, impurities hinder a person's body development and enhance the signs of aging, but on the other hand, they are a natural inhibitor of the mana flow. Without them, non-Awakened people would die the moment their bodies are not strong enough to bear the power of their own cores."
"When someone gets close to self-Awakening, impurities move toward the mana core because the closer they get, the more effective they are and once the core rejects the impurities, the body is forced to evolve or die.
"Back when Tista was a kid, I removed her impurities to improve her health. Because of that, while she grew up the lack of impurities made her develop a body that's similar to that of an Awakened and doesn't need to break down as much as a normal person's would to be refined.
"At the same time, however, because she has too few impurities, the process is more violent and quick than it should, so Tista risked her life as well when she Awakened and so does every time her core evolves.
"To help her survive her next breakthrough, we hurt her body on purpose, to force it to produce more impurities that will slow down the destruction process enough for the natural regeneration to keep up as it happens for me.
"Phloria, you and Tista are two sides of the same coin. You have the opposite problem. You have too many impurities and your body is too imperfect. Without my help, your mana core will produce mana waves so strong that they will expel your organs along with the impurities, causing your death.
"During Phase one, we will remove part of your impurities and force your body to rearrange itself enough so that it won't break beyond repair when the Awakening process reaches full speed. Is it clear?" Lith asked.
"So that's why all women in your house are so gorgeous? Do you know how insecure they made me feel whenever I visited your home?" Phloria sounded a bit pissed off.
"Tista sure benefitted from it a lot, but Mom is gifted by nature and so is Rena. Mom was fully developed when I started the treatments, so they just enhanced her natural beauty, just like when your mother underwent cosmetic magic.
"Rena had already started her growth spurt, so my treatments had limited effects." The fact that Phloria managed to not focus on her impending death or the incoming shitload of pain made Lith glad.
"Now I'm about to lower the mana pressure around your body. It will hurt quite a bit and it will allow me to start your Awakening in a controlled way. I'm going to let the mana waves slowly affect your body and I'll help them by removing the excess impurities when necessary. Are you ready?"
"I'll never be ready. Just start." Phloria almost regretted sending everyone away.
The tower's Heart was empty, making her feel scared and alone. The light of the magic circle started to progressively dim and Phloria could feel again the fire that burned within her.
The pain radiated from the area between her navel and stomach to the entirety of her body, as if someone added hot oil to her blood. Phloria could still control herself by clenching her teeth.
Her almost deep blue mana core sent one burst of mana after the other, trying to get free from the impurities that prevented it from further evolving. Phloria's body was like a pressure cooker on the verge of exploding, but the external counter-pressure of the magic circle had kept it stable until that moment.
Lith followed the waves with Invigoration and used his breathing technique to thin the biggest clots on their path until the impurities started to move along with the mana.
Phloria's pain intensified and tar-black patches covered her tanned skin, making her look like a sickly dalmatian.
"Is this normal? Can someone please keep me company?" She said while watching the patches grow until her skin turned pitch-black.
"Yes to both your questions." Lith sat on a chair and drank another tonic.
Quylla and Solus appeared beside Phloria, holding her hands to reassure her.
"Don't worry. Those are just the impurities leaving your body. It means everything is going according to plan." Solus said.
Meanwhile, in the Mirror Hall, Friya was outraged by Lith's composure and wanted to beat the crap out of him.
"How can you be so calm while Phloria is risking her life? You sit here and drink your potions as if it's just another day's work. Don't you have a heart?" She asked.
"What do you expect me to do? To scream around in panic or to run in circles like a headless chicken?" Lith replied. "Of course I'm scared. I didn't cross half a Kingdom and fight two armies for fun.
"Yet doing that had a price and now I need to focus on recovering before things get serious. Phloria is already scared and losing our cool will not do her any good. I need to keep calm and regain my strength, or she will die." Lith had another potion appear beside Phloria.
Quylla helped her to remove the cork and to drink it.
"What is this pain?" Phloria asked.
"As the impurities get removed, your body reshapes itself in a manner suitable to contain the powerful mana flow that now floods your system. The pain comes from the constant destruction and regeneration process you're experiencing.
"The potions will provide you with the nutrients you need and the first phase will allow your body to evolve at a cyan core level without putting too much stress on your organs." Lith explained.
