The Glorious Evolution

”What do you mean, perfect?”

Baffled, Shia studied the wide smile that refused to leave his face.

Levi took a moment to collect himself.

”I honestly don’t know what just happened,” he admitted. ”But that combination... I can’t even imagine a better taste.”

He ran his forked tongue over his lips, chasing the lingering sensation... even recalling it made him want another sample.

”So these are the right ingredients?” Shia’s heart skipped a beat.

”Yes, but...” Levi paused, then reached for the record of his last attempt. ”I think it’s telling me more than that.”

He compared the final proportions with the previous ones.

The ingredients matched... he had only reduced the Bloodvein Vine by a tiny amount, yet that change had sent him from mild satisfaction to ridiculous bliss.

His attention settled on the quantities.

”The amounts matter too,” he murmured.

Levi picked up the compartment containing Redmarrow Coral.

”I used very little of this compared to the other ingredients... that means the formula should follow the same balance to increase the likelihood of concocting a perfect evolutionary formula.”

”You can even tell how much of each ingredient to use?”

Shia stared at him, struggling to believe what she just heard... his tongue could even judge the proportions?

Ash’Kral had already told him his tongue could judge properties, but Levi expected that only for individual materials tasted separately, not during the combination period for a formula!

Now, he figured out that combining the right materials gave him a decent taste, even when their proportions still needed work... but matching the balance required for the actual concoction produced something far better!

The tiny portions on his tongue represented the larger quantities that would eventually enter the cauldron.

They couldn’t tell him the exact weight of every ingredient, but their proportions gave him a guide... how much of one material the formula needed compared to the others.

This explained why adding more of a useful ingredient sometimes made the taste worse.

Compatibility alone wasn’t enough.

The materials also needed to support each other in the right amounts, and his tongue judged both!

That heavenly taste marked the point where he finally satisfied those requirements!

”Your alchemist still needs to determine the proper quantities for a full concoction.”

He lowered the compartment and noted the findings down... after he was done, he handed the record over to her and added solemnly:

”No matter what he does with the chosen materials, make sure he understands the coral stays the smallest portion in the concoction... It’s non-negotiable.”

Shia nodded in understanding as she checked the record once more... beside her, Levi’s tongue brushed against his lips again.

She noticed.

”Are you thinking about trying it again?”

”...For confirmation.” He coughed.

”You’re becoming a junkie with one hit; I am getting curious about how good it felt.”

Shia chuckled at his response and watched him combine the same samples in the recorded quantities... however, when he tasted them, the euphoric rush never came.

The combination still tasted wonderful, easily surpassing everything else he tried, but it came nowhere close to that heavenly experience.

Levi returned to his notes, wondering whether he measured something incorrectly, only for Ash’Kral to interrupt his thoughts.

’If you want that sensation again, you’ll have to discover another perfect combination. Repeating the same one won’t give it to you.’

’...It only happens once?’ Levi raised a brow.

’For each discovery,’ Ash’Kral clarified calmly. ’Your tongue still tells you whether the combination is perfect. But that pleasure you’re trying so desperately to squeeze out of it? That’s your reward for finding something new.’

Levi reluctantly put the samples down, somewhat disappointed.

From what he understood, he needed to experiment with different materials and combinations until he discovered another perfect synchronization.

This left him considering the unopened sample packages in storage with renewed interest.

Until now, they promised more information for his growing library and plenty of miserable tastes... suddenly, the possibility of finding another perfect combination made those unpleasant attempts much easier to accept.

Ash’Kral recognized his interest at once, as it reminded him of his brother.

’Careful, boy... that feeling is addictive... dangerously so.’

’You could’ve mentioned that before I tasted it.’ Levi’s lips twitched, already feeling anxious.

His leg bounced under the workstation, and he rubbed his palms against his thighs, struggling to sit still... his body craved nothing more than another wave of that pleasure.

Even the wonderful taste lingering on his tongue frustrated him now.

It reminded him of what he wanted without giving him any of it, leaving him restless and increasingly irritated.

He knew tasting the same combination again wouldn’t work... yet the urge persisted, tempting him to try anyway.

Just once more.

Perhaps he could make it last a little longer this time...

Levi caught himself considering it and finally understood Ash’Kral’s warning.

Only moments had passed since the sensation faded, and he already struggled to think about anything except getting it back.

’My brother traveled across the universe looking for materials he never tasted before,’ Ash’Kral scoffed. ’The idiot would go halfway across a realm over a rumor, hoping whatever he found would lead him to another discovery... all to feel that pleasure again.’

Levi understood the temptation better than he wanted to admit.

After experiencing it just once, he already tried to recreate it with the excuse of confirming his findings... he couldn’t entirely blame his brother.

’Was it really that much of a problem?’

’You’re asking while reaching for another sample.’ Ash’Kral rolled his eyes.

Levi withdrew his hand while coughing.

’...I was putting it away.’

Jokes aside, Levi disliked this withdrawal-like sensation that tore his concentration between another hit and continuing his research.

’Can’t I suppress it before it takes over?’ he asked. ’Some ability, an array... even weakening it would help.’

’Almost impossible at your level,’ Ash’Kral replied. ’You would need to master the Sense of Taste to control something like this... and you’re nowhere near that.’

’Why? It’s a sensation in my own body. Surely there’s a way to block it?’

’You feel the reward through your body, but the universe itself bestows it upon you through the array on your tongue,’ Ash’Kral explained. ’Why do you think it flashed when you discovered the combination?’

Levi recalled the array’s activity during that overwhelming rush of pleasure.

Until now, he simply assumed it was part of his mutation assessing the materials.

’That array grants the reward,’ Ash’Kral continued. ’Your own arrays can neither suppress it nor remove it. You’ll need a much deeper understanding of Taste before you can do anything about what it makes you experience.’

Levi fell silent, troubled by the explanation.

He hoped to find a way to separate the pleasure from the useful information... apparently, his current abilities gave him little chance of doing so.

And judging by how desperately his body already craved another taste, allowing that sensation to dictate his research could eventually cost him everything else.

His goals, his friends, his own life... he could imagine neglecting all of them just to chase another discovery.

The possibility scared him more than he wanted to admit.

’I have to pace myself.’

Levi grew serious, refusing to let his tongue’s pleasures control him.

He planned to help Dominic, the High Chancellor, Feng Ling, Idriss, Tyrese, Evangeline, and any other decent Daywalker from Earth evolve beyond the planet’s limitations and strengthen its defenses.

But now... he needed to understand how long the cravings lasted after each heavenly taste and give himself enough time to recover between discoveries.

In simpler terms, he couldn’t pursue another Perfect evolutionary combination while his mind still obsessed over the previous one.

He needed to let the craving pass before returning to that part of his research.

If he didn’t respect it, he could already picture himself slumped in a ditch, his clothes filthy and his cheeks sunken... his forked tongue scraping the inside of an empty vial, desperately searching for one last trace of that heavenly taste.

”Levi?”

Shia’s questioning tone pulled him out of that depressing image.

”Yes?” Levi replied.

”Could you please check your network for the materials?” Shia requested. ”I will pay for the materials; I just want to start the concoction process faster.”

”Of course.”

Levi dismissed the miserable future his imagination conjured and contacted a few people from his network to help her locate larger portions of the four materials.

Since Shia used a Shadowlife Seed, her formula required less elusive ingredients than his own, making the search much easier.

Shia paid for the order while Levi finalized his notes for her alchemists in case he missed something.

Once the delivery arrived, she gathered the materials in one hand and his records in the other, then hooked an arm around him and squeezed him tightly against her side.

”Thank you, Levi! You’re the best!”

Before he could respond, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and bolted out of the laboratory, eager to meet her alchemist.

”...”

Levi lightly scratched his cheek, unsure what to do with himself.

He was still a virgin, with no experience of kissing anyone... until recently; even kisses on the cheek came exclusively from his mother.

Now, he had received two in less than seven days.

The intentions behind them differed, and he understood that perfectly well... still, he quietly added both to his empty personal record.

”I am on a roll.” Levi mumured with a faint chuckle.