Regaleon was uncomfortable.

This wasn’t because of the strange evolution his Soul Essence had undergone; instead, it was because of the way Veyrath kept staring at him.

The failed Alchemist’s eyes burned with a terrifying intensity, as though Regaleon had ceased being a person and had somehow transformed into a rare specimen he would like to dissect and study.

Every few seconds, veyrath’s gaze would flick toward the Halberd, then toward the Armour, them back to Regaleon again, as if his mind was desperately trying to for impossible pieces into a logical pattern.

Frankly, it was disturbing.

Regaleon had fought monstrous creatures which he thinks are less unsettling than the expression on Veyrath’s face... 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Hold on..." This time, it was Vaelorin who spoke.

The failed Pyromancer had been unusually quiet after the Veyrath and Valmyr’s banter, as his eyes strangely studied Regaleon carefully.

Now, he was frowned slightly as though he had finally noticed a piece of the puzzle that was out of place...

"Regaleon, if your Halberd evolved..." He began slowly. "...then why didn’t your Armour evolve with it?"

The cavern quited as everyone blinked...

Then realization dawned across their faces simultaneously.

He was right. They had all seen that strange phenomenon clearly...

When Regaleon shattered the Aether Core earlier, the amber wisp had flowed into both Soul Essences, the Halberd and the Armour. Yet only the Halberd had changed.

What was that?

The question hung heavily in the air as they turned towards him...

And for the first time since they met him, Regaleon scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

The motion looked strangely unnatural coming from him because the usually composed Knight suddenly resembled someone who was dragged into an examination he had forgotten to study for.

"I... I really don’t know." He admitted honestly. Then his brows furrowed. "And if you are asking me, who exactly am I supposed to ask...?"

Caelestra stared at him strangely.

"Aren’t they your Soul Essence?" She asked flatly. "How can you not understand what’s happening to them?"

Regaleon opened his mouth... Then closed it again.

He has no reply; because annoyingly enough... She was right.

They were his Soul Essences.

But did that automatically mean he understood everything about them?

Gods above, he has only awakened just yesterday morning. He was still even trying to process the fact that his supposedly useless Halberd had become a Viscount Tier on its own.

How was he supposed to suddenly understand mysterious evolution mechanics on top of all that?

Before he could think of a witty response, Veyrath abruptly snapped his fingers...

Then the failed Alchemist straightened dramatically, as though enlightenment itself had descended upon him.

"You know what?!" He declared loudly. "I know exactly how to settle this dilemma."

Everyone turned toward him...

Seeing he had their attention, Veyrath immediately assumed a grandiose posture worthy of some ancient sage from a forgotten painting.

He folded a hand behind his back while pointing the other at Regaleon with theatrical elegance...

"It is quite simple, really." He said with a smug smile. "All we need to do... Is make Regaleon break another core to confirm it."

Silence hadn’t even descended yet when...

"Are you insane?!"

Valmyr practically barked the question...

The failed Vanguard looked personally offended by the suggestion. Perhaps the trauma of watching his own Aether Core dissolve into useless smoke was still fresh in his mind.

Veyrath’s glanced at him with the calm superiority of someone addressing a lesser mind.

"Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

"Yes!" Veyrath exploded. "Everything is wrong with what you said! How can you suggest wasting another core over a thing we aren’t even sure will work?!"

Veyrath placed a hand on his chin and said calmly. "...I call it experimentation."

Valmyr’s face twisted as he spat. "...I call it stupidity..."

"...Then you know nothing..."

Valmyr looked moments away from violence...

Then, Kaeloris quietly adjusted his spectacles and said. "It might work..."

The group turned toward him immediate.

The failed Gnost pushed his glasses upward before continuing.

"If the phenomenon occured once already, then statically speaking, there is a considerable probability that it can occur again."

Valmyr stared at him as though betrayed by intelligence itself...

"When did you suddenly became so smart?" He asked weirdly, then he continued. "Don’t answer that. Are you really leaving all this to probability now?!"

Kaeloris blinked once, then replied. "I was always this smart, thank you very much."

He then adjusted his spectatcles. "Besides, this is generally how experimentation works."

Valmyr replied sardonically. "That is not ro comforting!"

With that, another argument ensued immediately as voices rose...

Veyrath insisted that they needed to confirm whether it would happen again...

Valmyr argued that they were trying to destroy valuable cultivation resources...

Kaeloris kept attempting to apply logic to a situation that clearly hated logic...

Meanwhile, Regaleon already felt a migraine forming...

"Enough."

His voice wasn’t loud but it was sharp enough to cut cleanly through the noise.

The trio quieted and looked at him...

"We are not destroying another core." Regaleon said firmly. "Also, I think it is about time we leave this forsaken cavern."

Hearing that, Valmyr immediately exhaled in relief. "Thank you..."

But the failed Alchemist wasn’t satisfied at all.

Veyrath stepped forward, obsession openly burning within his narrowed gaze...

"I disagree." He objected.

Regaleon frowned at him...

Then Veyrath pointed dramatically toward him and continued.

"We can leave later. First, we need to confirm whether that strange evolution will repeat itself again..."

The group collectively groaned at his insistence. Even Regaleon was close to rubbing his temples out of frustration.

Before he could speak up, Veyrath suddenly straightened, his expression turning oddly serious.

"Do this..." He said solemnly. "...and I will forgive you for what happened earlier."

This statement made Regaleon pause.

Normally, he could have ignored the offer entirely if he wished to but he didn’t; not because veyrath’s offer mattered, but because his honour as a Knight did...

Besides, there was also a faint desire in him to know more about that strange resonance... And evolution.

A long silence followed...

Then Regaleon sighed. "...Fine."

Immediately, Veyrath’s eyes lit up. Like a kid whose mother finally agreed he could have candy.

But Valmyr on the other hand looked the opposite; like a man witnessing all of his hardwork go down the drain.

Regaleon turned towards Aureleah. "Uhm... The core with you..." He asked awkwardly.

For a brief moment, Aureleah simply looked at him silently.

The amber light from the Core reflected faintly within her silver eye. There was no hesitation in her expression, only something thoughtful and quiet.

Then she extended her hand and placed the Aether Core in his palm.

Their fingers brushed lightly; a fleeting contact. Yet somehow, Regaleon became strangely aware of it.

And judging from the way Veyrath’s eyes narrowed briefly, it seems the failed Alchemist also saw it.

Though whether he was analyzing the Soul Essences or the hidden chemistry at this point, no one could tell anymore.

Grasping the core, Regaleon inhaled slowly and crushed it.

CRACK!

The sound echoed sharply through the cavern as everyone watched intently.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, a thin amber wisp emerged from the shattered fragments, rising slowly into the air like smoke born from sunlight.

The cohort tracked it’s movement with absolute focus as the wisp drifted upward...

Then it flowed toward Regaleon....

It touched the Armour first... Then disappeared inside.

They waited with bated breath...

One second!

Three seconds!!!

Five seconds....!!!

Nothing happened.

There was no burst of silver or golden radiance; also, there was neither trembling or a miraculous evolution.

Veyrath blinked confusingly. "...Why didn’t it work?"

Even Regaleon frowned slightly. He could feel the energy; the Armour had clearly absorbed it, but the sensation was... Negligible.

Like someone pouring a cup of water into a lake; the energy had simply vanished into his Soul Essences without producing any visible change.

Kaeloris adjusted his spectatcles again. "Perhaps, the energy was insufficient..." He thoughtfully said.

Then he explained further. "The Halberd was Baron Tier before evolving; however, the Armour is a Count Tier. That’s two entire Tiers above it..."

Understanding slowly dawned across the group.

"So you mean that the Armour requires more energy to push it further?" Vaelorin asked.

Kaeloris nodded. "Yes. Substantially more."

Immediately, Veyrath turned toward Caelestra with frightening speed and demanded.

"The Aether Core with you..."

Caelestra sighed deeply before handing over her Core...

Regaleon accepted the crystal and crushed it.

It was the same process but this time, the group watched with an even greater anticipation.

The energy flowed directly into the Armour and then... Nothing.

Absolutely nothing!

The armour remained still as though it was mocking them with its silence.

Veyrath already looked like a man who is personally offended by reality as his face crumbled...

Then Vaelorin stepped forward instantly. "Here, take mine too."

Before anyone could object, he tossed over his Aether Core.

Seeing this, Valmyr nearly looked ready to faint on the spot...

Regaleon caught it carefully. But this time, he hesitated. Even he was beginning to feel guilty about this.

These Aether Cores were valuable and useful; but they were actually destroying them based on assumptions and experimentations.

Still... He crushed it.

CRACK!

The amber wisp rose once more... And flowed into his Armour.

There was a dreadful silence as they all watched intently. Them...

Ting!

Everyone froze, heart pounding rapidly in their chest.

Ting!!

A sharper sound followed.

Ting!!!

The Armour rattled lightly around Regaleon’s body...

Veyrath’s eyes narrowed to the point that it looked like they might fold inward into his eyes sockets...

The group watched as the rust coating the Soul Essence trembled. Then slowly... Pieces began fallinh away.

They were tiny flakes at first... Then larger fragments.

Rust cracked and slid from the Armour piece by piece, clattering softly against the gory cavern floor.

The process continued for several seconds before stopping.

Silence returned as the Armour finally settled.

It still looked old and ancient; but it now seem cleaner and sharper. As though parts of its age had been peeled away.

Veyrath stared blankly at it.

"...Is that it?"

His voice sounded like a man who had prepared for divine revelation and instead received a tease.

Regaleon scratched the back of his head again before replying. "I think so."

Veyrath slowly looked upward, into Regaleon’s golden eyes.

"All of that.." He gestured wildly. "...for rust removal?!"

Regaleon frowned. "Have you forgotten you were the one who pushed for this?"

Valmyr suddenly cursed loudly. "FUCK!"

The failed Vanguard looked genuinely heartbroken. He groaned bitterly as he complained. "We could have kept those Cores for cultivation later..."

Then, he pointed at Veyrath. "But no. You just had to sacrifice them for Armour polishing!"

Veyrath pointed at himself in disbelief. "Me?! How is it my fault?!"

Without thinking further, he pointed at Regaleon. "He is the one who doesn’t even understand his own Soul Essences!"

Regaleon’s face was deadpan as he replied. "You were literally begging me to crush the Cores..."

Before the argument could escalate further, Sylveris suddenly stopped forward and defended her Knight.

Her cheeks puffed slightly as she folded her arms.

"It’s not Regaleon’s fault." She declared firmly.

Everyone paused as they watched the girl glare at Veyrath disdainfully.

"You are just too embarrassed to admit you were wrong."

Veyrath almost choke on his breath. He then placed a hand on his chest dramatically...

"Me? Embarrassed?!"

Sylveris nodded. "Yes, you are."

Veyrath retorted. "No, I’m not. I was merely trying to help him evolve his Soul Essences."

Sylveris rolled her eyes cutely. "Tell that to the Aether Cores you shattered."

Veyrath looked genuinely wounded as he defend his honour. "That is a cruel interpretation of what happened."

Before another catastrophic argument could begin, Caelestra finally snapped.

"Enough!"

Then she rubbed her temples tiredly. "Since you’ve confirmed whatever madness it is you wanted to confirm, can we please leave now?"

That finally brought everyone back to reality as they remembered where they were instantly...

And worst of all... Their exhaustion was back.

The excitement surrounding the Aether Cores had temporarily distracted them from the fatigue crushing their bodies.

But now that the Cores had literally been shattered into dust... That exhaustion returned with a brutal force.

Slowly, the group nodded and no one argued this time.

Then without another word, they gathered themselves and began walking to the exit tunnel...

Behind them, fragments of shattered Cores and fallen rust remained scattered across the gory floor as a silent remnants of mystery none of them truly understood yet.