The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 85: Chapter 83 — Bone Reforging

”Your bone didn’t break! Good, good... that means you’re ready for the first layer!”

Those were the last words Zephyrion heard before darkness flooded his vision.

...

In the outside world, Kastor and Garrick stared at the still Zephyrion, deep frowns on both their faces.

”He’s been like that for a while... he’s okay, right?”

Kastor didn’t respond, but the concern in his eyes was plain.

As another moment passed without Zephyrion moving, Garrick turned to Kastor.

”Hey, go touch him.”

Kastor blinked, then looked at him with narrowed eyes.

”...why?”

”We need to know if he’s alright, don’t we? We can’t sense anything from here. If you touch him, we might figure out what’s going on.”

Kastor’s brows furrowed. Zephyrion was supposed to have the privacy to choose whatever weapon or rune art he wanted from the treasury. Meaning, neither of them was meant to be here.

Watching from a distance was one thing, but if he woke while one of them was touching him, then their presence would be exposed at once.

”...you do it.”

”What? No chance. Then he’ll think I’m snooping.”

”...he already thinks that.”

”Still. And besides, isn’t he your son? You’re his father. Aren’t you even a little worried? What if something’s eating him from the inside right now and you’re just standing here?”

”...you...”

Kastor glared at Garrick, but the latter only smiled slyly and gestured lazily toward Zephyrion.

”Well? Go on.”

After shooting Garrick a hard look, Kastor let out a sigh and turned back to Zephyrion.

His fists tightened briefly before loosening again, and after exhaling once, he began to walk toward him.

As he neared, he slowly reached out. If he moved fast enough, even if Zephyrion woke, he could still remain unseen. His hand reached just an inch away...

”Boo.”

Kastor vanished, reappearing at the far end of the room in an instant. His gaze snapped back to Zephyrion, only to find him still unmoving, eyes closed as before.

”Pfff.”

A faint frown creased his brow as Garrick’s laughter broke out the next moment.

”....”

”Come on, don’t tell me you’re scared he’ll catch you.”

As the realization settled in, the chill that entered Kastor’s eyes could have frozen an ocean.

”...I’ll kill you.”

His aura had already begun to bleed outward when a sudden flash of light drew their gazes back to Zephyrion.

The metal rod in his grasp had begun to glow, its light intensifying by the second.

”Ohh, there we go. Something’s finally happening.”

They watched as countless glowing letters peeled away from the rod, coiling around Zephyrion like chains. The symbols flared with a blinding brilliance before sinking into his body all at once.

Zephyrion’s body jerked. Once. Then again. And again, until the movements blurred into a rapid, violent tremor.

”Argh!”

Though his eyes remained shut, a hoarse, pained groan tore from his throat. Blood began to seep from his ears, mouth, eyes, and nose as his flesh split from within.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A piercing scream ripped out of him as his bones began to shatter.

Kastor and Garrick’s gazes narrowed.

”What the hell is that thing doing to him!?”

Garrick moved to help, but Kastor’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him.

”What are you doing? He’s going to die if this keeps up!”

Garrick had always believed in strength through tempering, but even that had its limits.

Zephyrion was someone he had only ever seen react to pain once, when he first wore that relic.

After that, no matter how brutal the training or how vicious the battles, he had remained unmoved. Yet now, that same person was writhing on the ground, screaming as blood pooled beneath him.

Still, Kastor’s gaze only hardened as he gave a firm shake of his head.

”We wait.”

”What are you—”

Kastor’s chin tilted slightly toward Zephyrion.

”Observe.”

Garrick frowned. Every instinct in him screamed to interfere, but the steadiness in Kastor’s gaze made him hesitate. His fists clenched, then slowly loosened as he forced himself to look.

A moment passed... then his eyes widened.

”He’s...”

”Yes.”

Kastor gave a slow nod, his expression grave. At first glance, it looked as though some unseen force was simply shattering Zephyrion’s bones. But looking closer... they were reforming.

Not just reforming... changing.

The newly forming bone was denser, stronger than anything a Vessel rank should possess. It almost felt like... metal. Yet not any metal he could influence.

Kastor’s gaze shifted to the rod, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.

Even from where he stood, he could sense the overwhelming complexity of the runes engraved within it. It was something far beyond what he could currently achieve.

’Demorian Calderalth.’

The greatest genius to ever emerge from Calderalth’s history. And Zephyrion had just laid his hands on something that same man had left behind.

There was no doubt about it.

A massive change was coming.

...

Zephyrion’s mind was the first to wake.

’What happened?’

It felt as though his entire body had been torn apart and barely stitched back together. He felt pain in every inch of him, and without even trying, he knew he couldn’t move.

’Where am I?’

The last place he had been was that pocket dimension. If what Demorian had said had truly happened, then he should have been sprawled across the hard ground of the treasury. Yet what he lay on now was soft.

A faint warmth pressed against his arm, and Zephyrion forced his eyes open.

Lumi was curled up beside him, breathing softly as she slept. Faint tear streaks traced her cheeks. She had clearly been crying.

The emotion that stirred within him was quickly suppressed as he steadied his thoughts.

’I’m in my room.’

He frowned slightly. A moment later, he caught sight of something in the corner of his eyes and turned. Another figure stood by the window.

With only a loincloth draped around his lower half, the greatest genius in history, Demorian, stood there idly scratching his butt while staring outside with wide, stunned eyes.

’What is he doing?’