Dylan's house, the same day.

"Is it normal for beastmen?"

Orion asked with a serious expression.

"Definitely not. Something is happening to him, but we don't know what."

Looking very anxious, Dylan pressed his forehead on his hands.

(Agh! Rhaaah!)

Muffled screams of pain echoed through the house.

(It's alright! Nylon, close your eyes!)

Hearing the agitated and concerned voice of Eliza, Orion frowned.

"How long has it been going on?"

"Two days ago... I dismissed his warning a few times, thinking it was aftereffects of his journey south, but I was wrong."

"What did he say?"

Dylan glanced at him, before leaning on his chair.

"Before returning, after he had defeated the last corrupted, a strange sensation built in his chest. After taking the time to do a check, we've confirmed that nothing was wrong with him."

"Yet, his complexion kept deteriorating, leading to our current situation."

The beastmen were unable to find anything wrong with him, and yet, Nylon was in pain.

'I will need to look at it. There's no way I'm letting him suffer on my watch.'

Determined to find the reason for this happening, Orion stood up.

"Let's start by bringing Eliza out. I'm going to thoroughly check his state."

"A mother's distress is something I would like to avoid at all cost, so focus on calming your nerves, and then appease your wife's anguish."

"Orion?"

Dylan opened his mouth in disbelief.

"Until I say so, nothing bad is currently happening. You heard me, right? So stop worrying, and take her outside."

With a smile, he held his hand toward Dylan.

The old beastman grabbed it with a firm grip, and nodded.

"Right. You're right. I'll leave him in your hands."

"Of course."

...

"Dylan... are you sure?"

Outside of Nylon's room, Eliza was being hugged by her husband while being explained the situation.

"Yes, we'll leave it to Orion. You don't have to worry, he should know what's happening and resolve it."

"If you say so."

She glanced at Orion, showing some hesitation to let her son alone.

"There's no reason to doubt. I would never do something that could hurt him, or you two. If anything, I'll do my best to ease his pain."

But, she shook her head.

"I know. That's not what's on my mind."

"Oh?"

Orion showed curiosity, he placed his hand on the door handle, and waited.

"Don't force yourself."

"I will accept your concern. Now, please think about something else, and enjoy your time outside."

"Thank you."

Both Dylan and Eliza stared at his back until Orion closed the door. Suddenly, Nylon's screams stopped echoing from his room, creating a disturbing silence.

"Let's go."

Dylan pulled Eliza alongside him, before they both left the house.

...

*Snap*

Snapping his finger the moment he entered the dimly lit bedroom, Orion created a soundproof barrier to avoid worrying about the screams, be it Dylan and Eliza, or the beastmen living around their house.

'Alright.'

Confirming the barrier was working correctly, he approached Nylon, who was grabbing his chest in pain, lying on his bed.

"Nylon, are you conscious?"

With a piercing glare, Orion forced a bloodthirsty aura out of his body, thrown directly at his brother.

"Ah!"

Nylon opened his eyes suddenly, inhaling and exhaling at a high pace.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Do you think you can talk to me?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"I should..."

"Good. Still, take your time. I know your suffering, but you are in no rush. Talk slowly, and manage your breathing."

Rapidly, Nylon's breathing stabilized, as if he had remembered how to do it. Being in front of Orion, he found the strength to listen to his words, and successfully controlled his hurting body.

The only things he couldn't control were the thumbing in his chest, and the groans coming out of his mouth.

"Are you healing me?"

"I am. Does it make it more bearable?"

Nylon noticed Orion's hand on his shoulder, glowing a faint white light.

"It does... thank you."

"No problem."

The two brothers glanced at each other for a moment, before Orion became serious.

"So, tell me what you are feeling in detail. Don't leave anything."

"Right."

...

Nylon explained what Orion had already heard, but with more detail, as asked.

At first, the pain was barely noticeable. In fact, he ignored it at first.

But as the days past, it grew stronger and stronger. No one could find the problem, before it became unbearable.

What was new, was that Nylon guessed what the issue was. It wasn't a physical anomaly, but something deep inside his being.

Something was growing inside his core, but he couldn't do anything about it. His muscles, organs, and blood were all working fine, so the only answer was:

"Your soul..."

"I think so."

Orion placed his finger on his chin, and switched forms in front of an astonished Nylon.

"That's..."

"Oh, I never showed you before. It is my demon form. The blood flowing in me is cut in half between angel and demon, making me able to draw out the traits of both factions."

"Incredible."

In his demon form, Orion's eyes focused on Nylon's chest. He peered deep inside it, searching for the reason of his pain.

'I can't find it like this...'

"It's going to be slightly unpleasant, but bear with it for now."

He placed his left hand high above Nylon, and pointed his palm toward him. From his fingers, five tendrils slithered down and tapped on his body in various places.

"..."

Quietly observing what was happening, Nylon was marveling over Orion's power.

"!"

"This is the same scenario..."

Absorbing the dark matter back into him, Orion glared at Nylon.

"Same scenario?"

"Nylon. Have you come into contact with a powerful being?"

"..."

Recalling his journey with Elliott, nothing of such came to mind.

"No. Until the very end, it was only Elliott and me."

"I see... Then how? Or when did you contact it?"

"What are you talking about?"

With a frown, Orion looked at him.

"You're not quite becoming one, though. I think you're evolving into something new."

"I don't follow you."

Nylon was unable to understand anything Orion was saying. Seeing the confusion on his face, Orion snapped back to reality, and smiled dryly.

"Sorry. Something happened similar to your situation last week. I thought it was the same, but it is not."

"One of us became a Remnant. You'll notice the next time you will visit."

His eyes opened wide in shock.

"Are you serious?"

"Am I the type to joke about something that important?"

"No... You're not. So, you said it's not the same, which means I'm not becoming a Remnant? I'm evolving?"

Orion nodded.

"That's the most plausible explanation. I think you've attained the limits of what a beastman can accomplish. The Remnant who created your faction might have included something like this in your genes. You're stronger than Dylan now."

"Eh?"

The reality was difficult to accept.

"Because I killed a few giants?"

"Because you 'killed' a few giants. Do you know many people who managed that feat?"

Slowly, he shook his head from left to right.

"There you have it. You've exceeded the amount of strength your body is capable of holding, and it wants to evolve. It aims to progress further."

Light shone inside his eyes as he listened.

"I can open the floodgate. The problem with you is that your internal circuit is completely blocked."

"Magic? Will I be able to use magic?!"

"It's a big 'maybe'. Don't expect too much. As far as I understand you, your circuit will only spread that strength equally. That pain you're feeling is that energy accumulating with no place to flow in."

Orion switched form, as large white wings stretched behind him.

"..."

"Close your eyes. This might cause tremendous pain to you, the moment that energy permeates into every fiber of your being. The moment it dies down, you will begin showing signs of changes."

Nylon, trusting Orion with his life, prepared himself.

"Alright. One..."

"Two..."

"Three."

Orion placed his hand above him, forcing the circuit inside Nylon's body to open with his light magic.

Suddenly, Nylon opened his eyes wide. He clenched his chest even harder than before, and opened his mouth.

But the pain became so intense his voice couldn't even form. A silent scream, that was all he could do.

He felt his muscles being pulled, tore apart, and ripped to shreds. His organs began to burn, as if they were ignited by the most intense fire existing.

His brain began to freeze from the intense pain, as his eyes rolled up. Foam formed around his mouth from the tearing pain.

Orion looked calmly at this scene. After what happened with Deveralna, this was nothing for him. Still, the awful feeling in his hurt forced him to act.

A white halo formed behind his back, bathing Nylon into it bright light. Particles of light magic traveled toward him, before being sprinkled like sand on him.

"Aagh! Gak!"

Nylon recovered his consciousness, and felt the pain all over his body lose its intensity.

He struggled to catch his breath, as saliva dripped down the corner of his mouth.

"That... fucking hurt."

"I believe you."

With a sneaky smile, Nylon glared at Orion, while Orion nodded with a faint smile of his own.

"Focus. Don't let the pain take over you."

"I've been... badly injured a few... times already. Easy... thing."

"Don't act cocky now. It's a little too late."

"You... guessed it?"

"How could I not?"

They both laughed gently, before the second wave of suffering arrived to make Nylon ask for the release of death itself.

Audible sounds of breaking bones echoed in the room, loud enough that even Orion found it disturbing.

"Kh! Nnnnh!"

Nylon clenched his teeth as hard as possible. He endured everything with the help of Orion's healing magic, or otherwise, fainting wouldn't be avoidable.

*Crack*

Nylon's neck suddenly snapped loudly. It clouded his vision for a moment, before he bit his lower lip to keep his consciousness working. Blood dripped down his cheek, as he glared at the ceiling.

"I... swear... If I don't make it... out! I'll curse... our creator!"

"Even if you survive, you'll probably curse him."

"You're not... wrong!"

Lying in his bed powerlessly, Nylon couldn't do much besides waiting for the torture to end.

"It should be almost done. Your body is adjusting to the flow."

Orion began to observe the changes.

'His limbs are nimbler than before, yet, they show great muscle strength. His muscles aren't as big as mine, but they are definitely powerful enough to crush someone's skull.'

'Physically, he probably became as tall as me, too. And he is quite handsome, even more than before.'

Noticing that Nylon became the opposite of Orion in terms of body type, he smiled lightly.

Suddenly, Nylon's stopped holding his chest. His breathing stabilized, and he wiped the drool and blood off his mouth.

He sat on his bed, and looked at his hands.

"Am I thinner?"

"You sure are. You're also going to have quite a lot of trouble with women."

"Hah?! What does that mean? I'm not you!"

"Look at yourself in the mirror before dismissing my claim."

Nylon stood up and walked to the mirror in his room.

"Wait... What?!"

He touched his face, which had become more pronounced.

His thin and silky white hair glistened with vitality. Glistening dark eyes, akin to two onyx jewels, and a healthy skin color, entirely changing the air emanating from him.

With a toned body, streamlined to its peak, strong but springy, and a build which would obviously make him stand out around his peers.

While looking at himself, Nylon suddenly felt a magic signature inside his core.

Feeling a pulse inside him, he opened his right hand, and turned to Orion slowly.

"Is that... normal?"

Orion stared at the power surging from it.

"Well. That's new."