'Have the spots faded?'

He thought it might be an illusion, but it wasn't. His hand, which had been so deeply dyed it almost appeared black, had noticeably lightened to a faint purple hue.

Yuder flipped his hand back and forth, examining it, then once again pulled down the collar of his shirt to peer inside.

'The area hasn't shrunk.'

The spots that had spread from his shoulder to his chest hadn't significantly reduced in size. However, it too had faded considerably. Yuder stared at it for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

'Let's think this through.'

What had changed between the time he received divine healing and now?

'Back then, every time I used the Awakener's power, the stain spread and the pain increased. Healing was painful too. After the second gender manifestation and the basement incident, things improved... but now...'

He hadn't used the Awakener's power in the usual way, but rather, during the process of examining Kishiar, a red energy suddenly burst from his hand and wrapped around his arm, causing the stain to spread. Despite the discoloration area increasing significantly, the pain was less than expected, and when he used his inherent Awakener power, the color faded. Unlike when he received divine healing, there was no pain, and the most distinct change was not a reduction in area, but a lightening of color.

'The lack of pain is understandable, considering my body has been like that since it manifested the second gender. But how should I interpret this red power that flowed from my hand?'

Yuder speculated that the cause of this strange situation was the red power that had flowed from his hand. The Awakener's power he usually used didn't have that color. Like other Awakeners, it was barely visible, like a faint shimmering haze, only when he concentrated intensely.

'Except for when it glowed while connected to the power of the Red Stone in the basement, and today...'

Various events he had seen and heard about passed through his cluttered mind.

The similarity of the red power that flowed from his hand when connected to the Red Stone.

The gradual changes in his body related to the spots.

The hypotheses and speculations of Thais Yulman. The metaphor of poison that Enon had mentioned.

The amplified power after removing the tangled mass of energy inside Kishiar.

And the medium.

Yuder stopped the repetitive motion of clenching and unclenching his fist.

'The medium.'

Enon had previously speculated that if his body had successfully absorbed some of the power of the Red Stone that had infiltrated his body, he might have become a living medium, indistinguishable from the Red Stone itself. In that case, the original power he possessed might have been enhanced by the addition of the raw power of the Red Stone.

'After hearing that, I thought that the power of the Red Stone, which had infiltrated and merged like the stain, might have transformed to enhance the Awakener's power I originally possessed... But could it be that it's not transformed, but able to move in its original form?'

He didn't know why it was flowing out, but once it did, it could be controlled to some extent by his will.

'If the reason for the increase in my spots is the absorption of power different from my own, then the increase this time... maybe it's because when I untangled Kishiar's tangled powers, I absorbed some of it in the process. I recall hearing that mediums have a nature of drawing in power...'

Even though he had done it, the sensations from that time felt hazy, like something that happened in a dream. However, the sensation of firmly grabbing and moving an invisible force, and the burning tension of the moment when the two forces were tightly connected, were still relatively clear.

Yuder looked down at his hand, recalling Kishiar's power mass that had gradually welled up and then decreased within it. At the time, he hadn't given it much thought, but now, looking back, didn't it seem similar to something being sucked in?

He couldn't be sure if that was the right answer. Perhaps all his guesses could be wrong, but it seemed to be the best fit for the current situation. Yuder frowned, feeling a sudden strangeness in his own body, which had previously moved so familiarly.

'It's creepy... but there's a possibility. If I've really become similar to a living medium...'

Thais Yulman had said that a medium containing the power of the Red Stone, despite not emitting any magic, absorbs the power of the Awakener, amplifies it, and then outputs it. The power that Yuder had just used was also displayed in a much amplified form than the amount used.

'After using it, the power of the Red Stone in the medium was said to decrease slightly, and my spots also faded.'

Could this be interpreted as a sign that his guess was right?

Feeling an inexplicable dryness in his throat, Yuder swallowed and sighed deeply.

'I was already considered non-human because of being too strong, I wonder what will happen if this fact becomes known.'

Becoming stronger was good. However, Yuder preferred getting stronger through training rather than gaining an unknown power in this way. More than anything, the hazy feeling when the red energy wrapped around or connected with his body was not to his liking.

The strange sensation of knowing the essence of things he didn't know or understanding how to move next just by looking.

'But, thanks to the red power popping out at the right moment, I was able to see the state of Kishiar's body. Should I be thankful, then?'

He was a little worried about how the mass of energy, which he wasn't sure whether he had properly removed or absorbed, would affect Kishiar when he woke up later. But seeing his much more relaxed breathing and expression, his instinct seemed to tell him that it wouldn't lead to a bad outcome.

"Huff..."

Once he had somewhat organized his thoughts, his eyes felt gritty as if he hadn't slept for days, and fatigue rushed over him. Yuder sat down on the chair and looked at Kishiar's face.

He had a truly handsome face. The golden eyelashes that sparkled in the faint light coming through the curtain, and the alluring lips that caught the eye with their returned vitality were all delicate and beautiful.

However, Yuder thought that it was far better to see things with his eyes open than with them shut.

'I can't believe I'm having these thoughts in this situation.'

He let out a sigh of hollow amusement, finding it ridiculous that he was even capable of such thoughts in his terribly exhausted and chaotic state.

'First, I cannot walk around looking like this, so let's put in some more effort to eliminate the spots as much as possible. I don't know how much they will disappear, so I should check that too And what else am I checking?'

In all honesty, he wanted to simply sit and close his eyes for a moment. However, Yuder shook off such desire, gathering his strength. After doing several calculations considering the amplifying situation, he moved his hand slightly, and a flame of appropriate size flared up over the dying lamp.

Even after accomplishing what would have made his struggling comrades fall to their knees in despair, not a trace of pride showed on Yuder's face. While maintaining the flame, he alternated his tired gaze between the gradually fading spots and Kishiar's face, mentally calculating the time.

His head was beginning to grow fuzzy.

Suddenly, someone touched his body, which had fallen into a sleep so deep it was as if he were dead, without even dreaming.

'Oh dear.'

A low muttering filled with complicated emotions echoed in his ear, and shortly after, another hand cautiously crept under his legs, lightly lifting him into their arms.

The scent that flooded his nostrils from the chest his face was pressed against was very familiar. It was strange as it was definitely a scent that shouldn't exist in this world. As he furrowed his brows at its strangeness, he thought he could hear a chuckle from above his head.

'Why is it that my body feels so light? I wonder if its a fairy.'

The arm that gently lowered Yuder onto a soft place didn't leave immediately, instead lingering around for quite a while. Each time the hand gently brushed his tousled hair away from his forehead, the cool warmth strangely lifted his spirits.

This pleasant and drowsy sensation couldn't possibly be real. After all, such a reality couldn't exist for him. With a simple conclusion, his consciousness once again sank deep beneath the surface.

It couldn't have been anything but a strange dream

Yuder suddenly woke from his sleep, opening his eyes. He was in the middle of keeping watch over the lamp flame, intending to confirm the fading spots till the end, but he couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep.

Baffled, he raised his hand to see his skin had completely transformed. It appeared he had fallen asleep only after all the spots had faded. As he let out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze, he noticed the room was empty. Kishiar was gone, and Yuder himself was unexpectedly lying down on the bed.

'When did I lie down?'

He blankly turned his head towards the window which was shrouded in darkness due to the firmly closed curtain. Faint noises came from beyond, indicating that he hadn't been asleep for too long.

Yuder managed to lift his languid body. Something fell from on top of him even before the blanket did. He looked down to find it was the edge of someone's overcoat.

An overcoat much larger than any ordinary person's and far too luxurious to be worn by anyone less than nobility. He didn't need to see it to immediately know to whom it belonged.

'Why is this here?'