Theo's body lay motionless on the bed of dry leaves, eerily still after being ejected by the Archive. Celia had just finished her initial examination, perplexed by an intact body that had survived a fatal impact. But this calm was merely a thin mask, one that was about to be violently torn away.
His body began to convulse. It wasn't a mere tremor, but a violent spasm that arched his entire back, ripping a sharp, strangled gasp from his throat. His unconscious eyes flew wide open as mana began to erupt from his body in chaotic, uncontrolled waves, as if an internal reactor had just melted down.
"Dammit!" Celia realized in horror. "Not now! Not here!"
It had begun. The Fifth-Rank Breakthrough. The Archive's strange energy had forced his body to prematurely start the reforging process, without any preparation or conditioning. It was like throwing a piece of raw iron into a volcano and expecting a sword to form. The most likely outcome was just a burnt lump of slag.
Celia wasted no time. She surged forward, her hand glowing with a cold, blue light. She didn't try to stop the process; she knew that was impossible and would cause his body to detonate from within. Instead, she began to draw complex seals in the air—rings of compressed wind that settled on and around Theo's body. They weren't meant to restrain him, but to contain the coming explosion, to serve as the walls of an anvil while the internal hammer fell mercilessly.
In that moment, she felt another presence, warm and as unyielding as steel, emerge from the depths of Theo's soul. Kyle… Celia knew. You've awakened. Now, everything depends on you.
Pain exploded in Theo's consciousness. It wasn't ordinary pain, not a break or a cut. It was a fire ignited in the marrow of his bones, a liquid flame that made his blood boil beneath his skin. He felt every muscle fiber tear, every tendon snap from its anchor.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
It wasn't a human scream, but a torn, animalistic roar that erupted from the depths of his lungs and shredded his throat. He couldn't stop it; he couldn't control anything. He was just a vessel for absolute agony.
Hallucinations bled into reality, twisting it into a personal hell. He saw his village burn again, but this time, he could feel the flames consuming his own skin. He heard his mother's screams, but they were coming from his own mouth. The blind old man's face laughed in the darkness as Theo's bones audibly cracked and popped, a sound so loud that even Celia, standing outside with a pale face as she reinforced the seals, could hear it.
Blood began to seep from everywhere. From his eyes, his ears, and from the pores of his skin, which had burst open to ooze a sticky, crimson sweat. The blood soaked his bedding, its heavy, metallic scent filling the chamber. I'm going to die... This is death... It was the only thought his shattered mind could form amidst the storm.
"Get up!" The voice came like a thunderclap, cutting through the din of pain. It wasn't a gentle voice; it was a harsh command, one he knew well. Kyle? Theo's soul trembled. No... you're dead. You're just another hallucination, a part of this torment.
"Is this how I raised you? To whine and give up at the first sign of real pain?" Kyle's voice roared in his mind. "This isn't torment, boy, this is the forge! This is the hammer that makes weapons! Will you remain a piece of raw iron, or will you become a blade?!"
Theo wept. Not just from the pain, but from a mixture of grief, anger, and a desperate relief. "You're dead... I saw you die!"
"Then make my death mean something!" Kyle bellowed. "Stop fighting the pain. Don't let it control you. Use it. Make it your fuel. The pill I left for you—use it now! Summon it! Burn everything with this pain! Burn your weakness, burn your fear, and emerge from this fire as something new!"
Theo clung to his master's voice; it was his only lifeline in this ocean of madness. He stopped trying to escape the pain. Instead, he dove into it. He found that warm point in his soul.
He reached for his pocket, trying to pull out a small box. It was one of the most precious things he owned, though he didn't know what it was. Now, he quickly took out the unknown pill and crushed it in his mouth.
The pain multiplied a thousandfold. He felt his skin split and peel away completely, revealing raw flesh that was regenerating at a feeble pace. He heard the sound of his own spine recreating its vertebrae, a sound that made him vomit blood. Every cell in his body was dying and being reborn in the same instant.
Celia watched in horrified silence. The seals she had placed were cracking under the pressure; the energy radiating from Theo's body was enough to level a building. The chamber was now completely covered in blood and the steam rising from his feverish body.
She began to remove the seals one by one after noticing that Kyle's soul had vanished. She had been trying to delay the process, but now that Kyle had done his part, the remaining seals had to be removed so they wouldn't impede Theo.
The monsters outside were in a frenzy, trying to follow the delectable scent that had suddenly appeared. Soon, the area was swarming with beasts killing each other, and Celia contented herself with killing only those that tried to approach Theo.
Theo, for his part, could no longer scream. Barely a few of his bones remained.
Terrifyingly, the process lasted for an entire week.
Then, after what felt like an eternity of screaming and suffering, it all reached a crescendo. A silent explosion of aura shook the building's walls, and then... stillness. Theo's body collapsed onto the blood-soaked bedding, panting, steam rising from him into the cold air.
The beasts outside quickly began to flee, and Celia was in a difficult state, now panting and utterly exhausted. It had been manageable when it was just ordinary beasts or their young, as it was at the beginning. The hard part was the presence of a few Demonic Manticores, though thankfully they weren't fully grown.
Long minutes of absolute silence passed. There was only the sound of Theo's deep, labored breaths. His body was different. Denser, more solid. The old scars were gone, replaced by new, tough skin. There was a weight to his presence that hadn't been there before.
He slowly opened his eyes. The boyish confusion was gone. They were clear, deep, and as cold as the bottom of a well. He looked at his hands, then slowly clenched them into fists, feeling the immense power coiled beneath his new skin. Celia looked at him, exhausted, her eyes asking the question she didn't dare speak.
Theo turned his head towards her. He was utterly drained, but when he spoke, only a single word came out, in a hoarse, barely audible voice that nonetheless carried a world of recognition, pain, and gratitude.
"Kyle..."