Friya’s Dragon Eyes cracked the cloaking runes with ease, and the mind link with Faluel filled the few blanks left by her limited understanding of high-level Forgemastering.
The Hydra waited for Friya’s life force to stabilize before repeating the process for a third time. The image of Leegaain Eyes formed on Faluel’s life force for a few seconds before it was absorbed under the flaming star’s surface, and more imperfections emerged.
Nalrond’s eyes widened in amazement as he saw the Hydra’s stumpy body elongating in a slightly slenderer form. The lengths of her necks didn’t change, but the thickness and number of scales covering them increased.
Her short forelegs extended slightly, and a claw moved to the side in an atrophied thumb. Her hind legs, instead, grew even longer, but her toes remained in their place.
"Step two completed." Ajatar said. "Only step three remains. Proceed with caution."
"Copy that." Faluel replied. "How do you feel, Friya?"
The Hydra and her Harbinger had never stopped communicating through their bond. Faluel was talking out loud for Nalrond’s sake.
"I feel weird, but not in an unpleasant way." She replied. "My mouth is full of fangs now."
"This is interesting." Ajatar took a closer look at the diagnostic instrument’s readings.
"Interesting, my ass! What about my children?" Nalrond snarled.
"They are fine." The Drake zoomed in as much as he could. "Sort of. They are experiencing the same changes as the m-"
Morok slammed Ajatar’s foot with Grimnir. The difference in size and mass made it the closest thing to a nudge the Tyrant could do.
"I mean, Friya. They show no adverse reaction to the process."
"The same changes?" Faluel, Friya, and Nalrond said in unison.
"Gods, this really is Lith all over again." The Drake groaned. "Yes, you heard me. Also, I have no idea what this will mean in the future. Stop wasting time and complete the procedure."
"Copy that." Faluel ignored the auxiliary bubbles and sunspots that surrounded her newborn mana organs and flooded a small indentation in her life force with world energy.
The indentation turned into a bump, then a bubble, and it kept growing until it floated off the violet star of Faluel’s life force.
’Phase three.’ Friya heard the emotion in Faluel’s thoughts and knew that tears now diluted the nutrient’s liquid. ’The first auxiliary star of the constellation that one day my life force will become.’
Friya felt an itch and a sting on her back and head. Small bone protuberances poked at her skin, forming proto-wings and horns. The same happened to Faluel, and her body elongated further into an outline of her future ribcage, hips, arms, and legs.
"That’s enough." Ajatar said. "I don’t know if it’s because of closeness, but the Harbinger experiences the changes in real time while the infants take a bit longer. What worries me is the strain."
"What strain?" Nalrond asked in worry.
"Faluel is a healthy Awakened adult, just like Friya." The Drake explained. "The transformation is slow enough to drain their vitality at an acceptable rate. Your twins, however, are weak, non-Awakened beings.
"Even with Friya’s support, such a dramatic transformation might be too much for them. We need to increase the concentration of nutrients in Friya’s tank and slow the procedure until the babies can keep up with the mother."
The Agni just nodded, not knowing what to say.
"What will happen when Faluel reverts to Hydra?" Morok took the words out of Nalrond’s fears.
"Don’t worry. That’s fast and painless." Ajatar said. "We’ll test my theory right now."
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