"I've been saving my ability with holograms for the next time you told the kids a story, to both give you a hand and a scare." Quylla would have chuckled if not for Phloria's gruesome state. "I think she could use another potion."
"And you're right." Solus conjured a third one, but this time Quylla spilled the flask.
Instead of falling, the purple liquid stopped in mi-air and slowly seeped inside Phloria's body reaching directly her bloodstream.
"How did you do it?" Lith and Solus said in unison. They had tried and failed many times to create a magical IV line.
"I'm that good that's how." Quylla replied. "I developed this method to boost the effects of body enhancing potions and tonics as well. Not only does passing through the stomach take time, but it also reduces their potency.
"This way, instead, her body will receive 100% of the nutrients in just a few heartbeats."
"And that makes what I'm about to say even harder for me." Lith sighed.
"I already asked Faluel to give you a chance, but she said no. First, your core is too powerful even for her. She doesn't know a way to safely Awaken you and as long as you are a fake mage, you are competition. She firmly refused to teach you."
"Fake mage?" Both Friya and Quylla echoed in outrage.
The word sounded like an insult to all the years and efforts they had painstakingly spent training to their utmost limit.
"Okay, fine. Then just set me up for an interview with this Faluel. I want an opportunity to show her my worth. If after that she still refuses, I'll have no regrets." Quylla said.
"I'll do what I can." Lith sighed at all that trouble.
"Hey, what about me?" Friya repeating the same phrase as the others got on Lith's nerves and made him wish it was just the tower having an echo.
"Phloria gets longevity, secret magic lessons, and a lifelong beauty treatment while Quylla gets her job interview on top of her godly talent. Did you ask Faluel about me as well, at least?"
"No, I didn't. You are a Healer, yes, but you stopped practicing after the Academy. As far as I know, you're no Forgemaster but a Dimensional Mage. The only Dimensional Mage I know is an ass and the father of the Wyvern who tried to kill me years ago.
"I can ask him if you want, but in your shoes, I would stay away from Wyverns." Lith said.
"I've been hearing about those mana cores all day, but until now I had more important things to worry about. What's our respective level?" Friya drew a circle in the air with her forefinger to emphasize that she wanted information about everyone in the room.
"Lith has a blue core, just like Protector. Nalrond has two deep blue cores, Tista reached bright cyan, I'm at deep cyan, Quylla has a blue turning violet core, Phloria should reach deep blue once we're done, and you have a bright cyan core, Friya." Solus said.
"Which means I'm the weakest of the group despite the fact that I worked my ass off as much as anyone else! You Awakened are a bunch of cheaters." Friya snarled.
"Well, technically I'm the weakest, but mine is only a temporary condition. I'm still recovering from centuries of starvation." Solus shrugged.
"Well, that's rich! I…"
"Sorry to interrupt your righteous rant, sis, but I feel weird again and I'm afraid I might die." Phloria cut her short. "Lith, Solus, the pain has gone. Is it a good or a bad sign?
Before answering, they performed a thorough check-up of her body, comparing her status with Lith's previous refinement stages. During the first phase, her body had slowly turned into that of a yellow cored Awakened, while the second phase had covered the stronger green and cyan levels.
Thanks to the counter mana pressure the tower produced and Phloria's now enhanced body, the mana waves from her core were no longer able to force the Awakening process.
"It's a good sign. Quylla, inject another potion into her bloodstream. It's time for the final phase." Lith said while Warping to Phloria's side.
During that time, he had rested enough and wanted to be there for the critical step, avoiding relying on the tower's senses so that Solus could give her 100% as well.
"Looking good." Lith couldn't avoid checking Phloria out, giving a thumbs up to her fully naked body.
Despite the pained face and the fatigued expression, Phloria's olive-colored skin was smoother than a baby's, emphasizing her slender limbs. Her waist-long hair was now naturally straight, silky, and so black that they almost looked blue under the tower's lights.
Body refining didn't enhance her curves nor compensated for their lack thereof, but perfectly harmonized her muscles with her physique. It made them stand out less and gave her a more feminine appearance.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Phloria instinctively covered her breast and crotch, turning to a shade of purple.
"There no point covering up. As I said at the beginning, I never took my eyes off you for a second, otherwise you would be dead. I'm here only for medical reasons and you know it. Is this my perverted face?" Lith asked.
"Yes, no, sort of. I don't know." Phloria had trouble looking him in the eyes.
"Step, aside, Quylla. We need space." Lith ignored her and took Solus's hands in his, forming a circle that encompassed Phloria.
"In your shoes, I'd sit down and clench my teeth." Solus said. "This is going to hurt so much that the rest will pale in comparison, but the good news is that the process will last much less.
"We're going to let your core go wild and we'll intervene only if something goes wrong."
"How long, exactly?" During the last few hours, Phloria had felt as if someone had butchered and healed her non-stop.
The idea that was the easy part and seeing the Immortal Body array, along with many others, surrounding her, made her Phloria swallow several times.
"Based on Lith's experience, no more than a few minutes. Are you ready?" Solus asked.
"No, but let's get this started anyway." Phloria followed Solus's advice and braced for impact.
"Whatever happens, do not lose consciousness. Mind and body must fight together." Lith said before cutting off the power.
The moment the magic circle disappeared, the mana waves produced by her core forced the impurities that had been stuck deep inside her bones, tissues, and organs for years to be forcefully expelled.
Some of them were easy to remove, but most of them had become an integral part of her body over time. Her muscles ripped to shreds, her bones fractured to splinters, and part of her skin burst into a bloody mist.
Phloria screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling as if her entire body had been dipped into boiling oil. Friya and Quylla puked their guts out at the gruesome sight. Suddenly, the idea of becoming Awakened had lost much of its luster.
When everything seemed to be over, before Phloria could take a single sigh of relief, her organs started to break apart one by one. This time she didn't scream, but only because the pain was so intense that she needed sheer willpower to not faint.
