A large window allowed soft daylight to enter, filtered through traces of interwoven leaves and vines that had been carefully woven together to form a delicate curtain, casting the entire room in a gentle, slight greenish hue that danced subtly with every faint breeze.

"Uh... This place resembles Verdant Spire..." Benjamin asked aloud, his voice still carrying a touch of sleepiness as he tilted his head slightly, "but where am I exactly?"

"You see, you see," Grey Ivy started the gossip with eager excitement, her small body shifting closer on the bed as she leaned in conspiratorially, her golden pupils sparkling. "Some people took Papa to this place and covered him carefully with this strange skin there!"

She pointed dramatically at the soft bed covers that still draped partially over Benjamin’s legs, then continued speaking proudly, her voice rising with innocent satisfaction.

"Grey Ivy, just like you told her to do, did not speak to any strangers at all. So she kept completely silent the whole time..."

Then, almost imperceptibly at first, the atmosphere in the room began to dampen and grow heavier, thick with the palpable lust of blood that started radiating outward from the small grey girl like an lingering wave.

Her once-bright smile gradually went crooked, as if she was trying hard to maintain a cheerful expression while simultaneously struggling with deep discomfort and rising hunger.

Her teeth slowly became jagged and slimy, glistening unnaturally as they extended.

Her claws slid upward, scratching lightly at the side of her neck in restless motions, while her other hand gripped the fabric of her black dress tightly, twisting the material between her small fingers.

Her entire body began vibrating slightly with barely contained energy as she continued speaking in a voice that grew lower and more strained.

"Grey Ivy... stayed quiet... WITHHOLDING THE URGE TO EAT ANYONE UNTIL PAPA WOKE UP... GREY IVY... REALLY HUNGRY NOW, PAPA..."

"Eep!" Benjamin quickly looked around the room with wide eyes, his posture tensing as he hoped her dreadful bloodlust would not draw unwanted attention from outside. "Fine, fine, take a large chunk off me! Just calm down right now, okay?"

Hearing this permission, Grey Ivy immediately lunged forward toward Benjamin with surprising speed, her small form leaping onto him as her sharp teeth sank deeply into his neck.

Her hands firmly held the back of his head and his upper back to keep him steady while she fed with urgent need.

Not long after, a sudden blackish fog began to swirl and materialize in the middle of the room, and from within that dark mist, five figures of horror emerged one after another.

They likewise lunged straight at Benjamin’s body without hesitation, biting and sinking their teeth into different parts of his arms, shoulders, and torso with ravenous intensity.

"Hey, slow down, you guys!" He nagged at them with a mix of exasperation and reluctant affection, though he allowed them to continue feeding without resistance, his body shifting slightly under the combined weight. "Ugh, I feel like a breastfeeding mother right now... So sorry I haven’t been feeding you guys for days..."

Ordinarily, on default, Benjamin supplied steady life force to the titans to keep them calm and well fed at all times.

But for several days now he had been completely unconscious, his entire body shut down during the evolution process.

Naturally, the others had been quietly alerted by their elder sister to come and feast here...

...Lest they lose control and feast on someone else entirely, which would surely anger their father.

When they had finally finished drinking from Benjamin to their heart’s content, their movements gradually slowed.

They then began to lick him tenderly all over the bitten areas, their tongues moving in slow, careful strokes as if trying to bathe and clean him the way affectionate cats might groom one another.

"Hey! What are you all doing?!" He shrieked in surprise, his voice rising sharply while his body jerked slightly under the unexpected sensations, though they completely ignored his protest and continued their gentle licking. "Stop licking me like that! And Silver Moss, you’re entering incest territory with those hands right now!"

As they continued their tender licking without saying a single word, paying no attention to his complaints, the curtain made of interwoven leaves and vines at the doorway was suddenly pushed aside.

A sharp yelp of surprise escaped from the person standing there.

When Benjamin looked toward the door, still half-dazed, he saw Heka standing frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock at the bizarre scene unfolding before her.

"Ah, I can totally explain what’s happening here..." Benjamin began weakly, his voice trailing off as his eyes started to droop heavily from the sudden massive loss of blood and energy. "These guys were hungry so I breastfed them... No, that’s not it at all! That came out completely wrong!"

Nevertheless, despite the highly confusing imagery of Benjamin being licked all over by five strange, beautiful figures and the familiar grey-skinned girl still clinging to him, Heka rushed forward without hesitation and threw her arms around him in a tight, emotional hug.

"I... missed you so much... I thought I would die from the worry..." A single tear ran slowly down her cheek as she confessed her feelings openly, her hands gently trailing along Benjamin’s cheek with trembling tenderness while she held him close.

"Heh... Sorry about that. I’m here now," Benjamin pushed his head into her warmth.

Briar was not pleased at all by the interruption.

Her cheeks puffed up noticeably in clear displeasure, and her eyes narrowed into sharp, jealous slits as she watched the scene.

[Ara? Sys, I’m still feeling really dizzy... Is this from the evolution too?] Benjamin thought internally, his mental tone carrying a note of confusion.

{Negative. Master has been drained of several hundred liters of blood and several villages’ worth of magic power...}

[...Haaaahhhh?!?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Or stop them somehow?! That explains the horrible feeling I’m having! My heart isn’t beating too!]

{Worry not, Master’s Regeneration abilities will fix this issue completely in a matter of minutes!}

[At least say sorry!]

{Apologies, Master.}

[By the way, what is this tense aura I feel coming from that end...?]

He finally noticed the powerful clash of monumental powers colliding together somewhere in the surrounding area, the heavy pressure of it pressing against his senses like an invisible storm gathering on the horizon.