CHAPTER 124: SHATTERED AND REFORGED

Chapter 122: Shattered and Reforged

The light that had swallowed Ethan swirled violently, folding inward like a collapsing star. From within, a new shape began to take form—limbs, spine, chest, face—slowly sculpted out of pure brilliance.

Inside that forming shell, Ethan’s mind screamed.

His body was not yet whole, but his consciousness was intact—too intact. His nerves felt as though they were being peeled out thread by thread, then set ablaze. Every bone shattered, ground into powder, then pressed back together only to be broken again.

It was like being skinned alive while drowning, like fire and ice gnawing his marrow at the same time. His veins burned as if acid replaced blood, while invisible blades carved symbols into his muscles. His very soul was being hammered against an anvil of light.

He tried to grit teeth that didn’t yet exist, to clench a jaw that hadn’t fully formed. Endure it. Bite it down.

But the pain didn’t allow silence.

The moment his half-shaped mouth finally formed, the scream ripped free.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

It was no ordinary cry—it was raw, primal, a heart-shattering sound that cracked through the air like lightning.

Lirael fell to her knees, her hands clutching her ears as tears streamed down her porcelain cheeks. "Ethan!! Stop! Please—it hurts, it hurts just to hear you!"

She reached toward him, but her hand passed through the blazing cracks in his half-built body, as if he were no longer entirely of this world. His scream only grew harsher, his body convulsing as waves of agony wracked him.

On the system window, notifications flooded in.

New Skill Unlocked!

[Pain Tolerance — 1% (Basic)]

[→ 99%]

[Skill Advanced!]

[Pain Tolerance — 43% (Intermediate)]

[→ 57%]

[→ 99%]

[Skill Advanced!] [20% Mastery (Advanced)]

[→ 46%]

[→ 74%]

[→ 92%]

[Skill Perfected!] [100% Mastery (Perfect)]

[→ 3%]

[→ 22%]

The numbers jumped faster than his mind could register, as though his very will was clawing at survival.

He gasped between screams, words tumbling out in broken fragments.

"B-burning alive... f-freezing bones... tearing me... apart—!"

Lirael shook her head furiously, sobbing. "No! Don’t talk, don’t force yourself—just hold on!" Her awakened aura stirred, a faint ocean tide crashing uselessly against the white storm around him. She could do nothing but watch him unravel and reknit again and again.

Hours—or maybe only seconds—bled together in that storm of agony. His voice grew hoarse, then ragged, until at last... silence.

The light stabilized. Ethan’s form was now whole, but his body was still clad in a smooth, seamless shell of white luminescence, like a statue cast in starlight.

The brilliance pulsed faintly, dimming bit by bit. No more screams. Only the sound of Lirael’s trembling breaths as she knelt before him, eyes wide with dread.

"...Ethan?" Her whisper trembled.

The light clung to his skin like a cocoon, refusing to reveal the truth beneath.

And slowly—agonizingly slowly—it began to subside.

The searing brilliance that had consumed everything at last began to fade, peeling away like mist under sunlight.

When the final veil of light subsided, Ethan’s body lay exposed and reborn.

He stood taller now, nearly six foot seven, his form sculpted as though carved by the hands of gods themselves. His physique carried the balance of power and grace: broad shoulders, every line of muscle honed to perfection, not a single imperfection on his porcelain-like skin. His face was sharper than before, high cheekbones and a jawline that could cut steel, crowned by jet-black hair that shimmered faintly in the light.

But it was his eyes that unsettled—no longer just the gaze of a man, but deep, endless, as though one were staring into the vastness of space itself.

Lirael, however, paid no attention to any of that.

The moment his form looked even remotely stable, she thrashed forward, throwing herself into his chest and wrapping her arms around him so tightly it almost hurt. She buried her face into him, sobbing uncontrollably, words spilling out in broken, incomprehensible fragments.

"E-Ethan...don’t...you—never—don’t disappear again!!"

He blinked, still dazed, mind reeling from the brutal reconstruction. But somehow, his arms moved on their own, wrapping around her trembling frame. He rested his chin on her head, one hand brushing through her silken hair, the other patting her back with slow, steady rhythm.

"Hey... hey... it’s alright now," he murmured, his voice still hoarse. "See? I’m still here. Not going anywhere."

She only shook her head harder against his chest, her tears soaking into his bare skin. Ethan let out a faint chuckle despite himself.

"You’re gonna drown me at this rate."

At last, her sobs weakened, softening into hiccups. She pulled back just enough to look up at him, eyes red, lips trembling.

"...What... what just happened to you?"

Ethan sighed, brushing a thumb gently under her eye to wipe away the tear streak. "Honestly? I’m still figuring it out myself. But... I think your evolution triggered mine. Since I didn’t have any foundation for whatever my higher race is supposed to be, it... well, hurt like hell."

"Evolution?" she repeated, confusion knitting her brows.

He tilted his head. "...You haven’t checked your status, have you?"

Her eyes widened faintly. "N-no... I... I was only worried about you."

That old grin returned to Ethan’s lips. "Heh. Then do me a favor and take a look now. You might surprise yourself."

Though still shaken, Lirael nodded and summoned her interface. The moment her eyes landed on it, they went wide, her breath catching in her throat.

"H-High Elf?!" Her voice cracked. "How—! Those people... they’re only in temples, in holy orders. How can my status... say that I’m..."

Her gaze darted further down the screen, her lips stammering as she read.

"...Abyssal Oceania Sovereign High-Elf...? Abyssal... Oceania..." Her eyes unfocused as something stirred deep within memory. "That dream... I saw a figure draw back a bowstring and split the ocean in a single shot... Oceania..."

Her voice faltered, lost between awe and fear. "I don’t... I don’t understand."

Ethan only leaned back slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched her struggle. "Guess the ocean runs deeper than you thought, huh?"

It was then he suddenly noticed something. Or rather, felt something.

He glanced down at himself, realization dawning with a twitch of his lips. He was buck naked. And Lirael was still pressed against him, hugging him tightly, he even felt her impossibly soft breast compressed over him.

A low growl rumbled in his body—no, not his throat. His "dragon" roared awake, throbbing insistently against her soft abdomen.

Lirael froze. Her blue eyes went wide as the heat registered. "E-Ethan!" She yelped, face turning scarlet as she tried to wriggle away. "We can’t—!"

But Ethan’s arm tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His voice was low, husky, the corner of his lips curling into a devilish grin.

"After everything I just went through? Oh no, Lirael... you’re not slipping away from me now. I need my compensations"

She pushed weakly at his chest, but her strength was nothing against his reborn form. Her heart hammered against his, her breath unsteady.

"Y-you..we can’t..here..in the out..."

He leaned close, lips brushing against her ear. "I will claim new you here itself."

Her face burned hotter, but her trembling hands stopped resisting.

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A/N: uhh..guys, the next Chapter is a bit..uhh..steamy...and its all there is to it...so you can skip it all as its a bit long and there is nothing major related to story...its just raw...ahem. So yeah you can directly jump to Chapter 124.