Chapter 450

'Until now, my priority was saving Kishiar and preventing the calamities I remembered from my previous life, rather than finding out why I returned or how to recover my lost memories. But from now on, both will be of equal priority.'

Yuder recalled the image of Kishiar in the last dream he had. Even the certainty of his death was now shrouded in uncertainty; he couldn't keep fearing the unknown.

His eyes gleamed with a newfound determination.

"Well, shall we begin anew?"

Kishiar emerged in a robe, laid down on the bed with a cheerful expression, and Yuder sat in a chair next to him, looking down at his exposed chest and stomach.

The warmth still lingering from a recent bath, the scent of the same soap they used wafted from his damp, golden hair—just looking at him was enough to unsettle Yuder's mind.

"How should I position myself? Is this okay?"

Observing the man with his hands clasped on his upper chest, showing no signs of tension, Yuder frowned. Though graceful, the posture felt rather awkward.

'It looks like a pose one takes in a coffin.'

It was not a good pose to adopt, especially in front of someone who had seen him lying in a coffin in exactly that position.

"Just lie down as you usually would when sleeping. There's no need to change your posture."

"Alright."

Kishiar obediently lowered his hands.

Yuder took a deep breath, feeling Kishiar's gaze on him. After several deep breaths to calm his racing heart, he placed his hand on the lower part of Kishiar's abdomen and felt the warmth of a living being. It strangely touched a deep part of his soul.

The dark red mark on the back of Yuder's right hand remained unresponsive.

"Based on previous experiences, the power of the red stone within me seems to manifest not when I want something vaguely, but when I desire it with clear intent."

"So, was it the same earlier?"

"At that time..."

Though his thoughts had been somewhat hazy, he distinctly remembered what he had wished for. He had wanted to know Kishiar deeper, more completely. The sensation of their bodies meeting had been overtaken by that overwhelming desire, and red light had flowed from his hand.

When he had previously looked into Kishiar, he had initially wanted to gauge the extent of the Awakener's power within him. Though not exactly the same, the core desire—to know more about Kishiar—was similar.

If that had been the key to invoking the power of the red stone within him, then it should work this time as well.

"...Yes, well, it's somewhat different, but it seems the power within me responds in a similar fashion."

"Is that so..."

Kishiar's expression changed, teetering on the edge of a smile. Yuder closed his eyes, focusing on the hand he had placed on Kishiar's body. As before, he decided to begin by attempting to see the Awakener's power within him.

"If it hurts, let me know."

Kishiar responded not to worry, but Yuder remained cautious.

Carefully exhaling, he focused on a single thought: wanting to look deep into the power within Kishiar. How long had he focused, concentrating every nerve on the sensations in his right hand?

The dark red mark on the back of his hand slowly began to swell and pulse.

Yuder's eyes snapped open, and in that instant, a light flared as if timed to his movement.

It was a success.

Of course, it wasn't as quick and effortless as when he had briefly glimpsed Kishiar's inner workings earlier. The moment the light emanated from Yuder's hand, a considerable resistance arose within Kishiar, attempting to push the light away.

Yuder immediately seized his momentarily faltering right hand with his left, pressing it down. The expression on the face of the reclining Kishiar also changed.

'Still, compared to the first time I saw inside Kishiar... the resistance is much weaker.'

As he strained to maintain control, the skin within the area touched by the red light gradually began to turn oddly transparent. One of Yuder's eyes took on a golden hue as a breeze stirred, but he was so intensely focused that he didn't notice.

Moments later, the taut resistance finally began to wane. Alongside this, various colorful energies slowly emerged within Kishiar as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Bright, clear divine power, an aura that moved like blue wind, golden magic energy that branched out like a tree, and finally, the red energy of an Awakener that enveloped them all.

The four types of energy seemed almost sentient as they moved, each following its own path.

'The condition doesn't seem to have changed much from before. Some tangled parts remain... has the amount of magic energy decreased a bit?'

Yuder's gaze moved toward the point where the entangled energies were flowing and converging. Near that final destination, the life point, there existed a massive bundle of energy, pulsing strongly, as if a second heart.

Wrapped in transparent red energy, it was an indescribable something that exuded an overwhelming power just by being looked upon. That, right there, was Kishiar's 'Vessel.'

Even after all this time, the sight still filled Yuder with an intense sense of power. Unlike before, he felt considerably better this time. The eyes that used to hurt just from seeing this direct manifestation of energy were less painful, and he felt less drained.

And because he wasn't in pain, he could naturally scrutinize it more clearly and in greater detail. Yuder waited until he felt that all the energies were fully revealed before cautiously speaking.

"...Can you see it?"

"Yes. Astonishing."

As before, the power revealed by Yuder's touch was visible to Kishiar. Whether it was only visible to him, or to third parties as well, remained uncertain, but it was still a significant discovery.

The man who had been scrutinizing his own inner workings for the first time looked up to meet Yuder's gaze.

"Is there any discomfort or pain?"

"I'm fine. However..."

Kishiar, who had been staring intently at his assistant without even blinking, maintaining a sharp tension behind his emotionless eyes, quietly asked,

"Did your eye turn golden again?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Yuder blinked.

"Pardon?"

"The light is very strong. Looking up at it, it's like a star in the night sky."

Yuder turned his head to look into a small mirror beside the bed. The sight of one eye shining in the dim room was rather eerie. No matter how he looked at it, it was no star.

'Wasn't like this when it flashed briefly earlier... is it because I'm actively using the power of the red stone now?'

Enon's description of that eye as a "window to wisdom" or something of that sort came to mind. He felt that it had become easier to exert his power here; perhaps that eye had something to do with it.

Yuder quickly averted his gaze from the mirror and changed the topic.

"The red energy among these four types is the energy of the Awakener. That was the only power I could interact with before. And the largest mass enveloped by that power is probably... what I think is your vessel, Commander."

"I suspected as much, but it's not particularly pleasant to see. I suppose I should be grateful to have at least one ugly part."

Kishiar chuckled, making a joke. Yuder did not smile, not even a little.

"Before, when I touched one of the tangled areas, it was absorbed into me... This time, I won't recklessly touch it."

"Good. Proving that it can be controlled by will is what's important for now. Let's stop here and withdraw your power."

Yuder nodded and closed his eyes again. A dull pain ran through the back of his hand as his energy waned. The light that had brightened the inside of his eyes also disappeared.

"Are you alright?"

Kishiar immediately grabbed Yuder's hand and helped him sit up. Despite lying down, beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

"...I'm fine."

Only after assessing Yuder's complexion did the man let go of his hand. Yuder looked down at his own hand before speaking.

"The power seems to be following my will much better than before. With this, I think I can safely inspect His Majesty's body very soon."

There was no more reason for Kishiar to object, now that it was proven it could be done. The man, lost in thought and looking down at his body, slowly nodded.

"Let's discuss this in more detail after we get to the capital."

Afterward, Kishiar and Yuder exchanged a few words about the flow and position of the energy existing within his body. Most of it was asking whether the state of the power had been the same when they had seen it before, but even that was enough to gather ample information.

"It's quite interesting that the Awakener's power envelops the vessel. I haven't been able to see the inside of Levlin Shand Apeto, so I can't be certain, but perhaps his insides are similar to mine."

Revlin, the third son of the Apeto Duchy, was inherently frail due to a hereditary disease, but became healthy upon awakening, which made him similar to Kishiar.

"This is just my speculation, but I believe the power of the Awakener may share intrinsic properties with all other types of power," Yuder added.

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