At some point, my Aura projection faded into darkness with my consciousness. The pain had eventually subsided and I was so exhausted I didn’t really have a choice.

I didn’t know how long I slept, but when I finally woke up, I realized I had my senses back.

Yet I couldn’t quite use the one I was most eager to test since my entire face was wrapped up.

Even my body felt as tender as my face, every touch with the bed and sheer sheets they laid over me overstimulating my nerves.

Not only that, but when I tried moving my limbs, they didn’t feel like my own body parts. Mere twitches of the fingers came with such mechanical ease, clarity, and precision they felt completely alien.

And my movements didn’t go unnoticed. I heard a voice not long after.

“John? He’s awake!”

“Seems so. Time to finish this up then.”

I heard Terrace’s voice before feeling a hand grab my own. It was Umara’s.

“Can you hear me John?”

I nodded slowly in response to her question, feeling the muscles in my neck move with unerring responses to my subconscious desires.

At the same time I could tell just how unbelievably sensitive my hearing was. Every tremor in the room sounded like it was right next to me, every breath, even their very heartbeats. Their voices rang in my ears like they were yelling, yet it didn’t feel like too much to handle.

Like that, I felt the wrap around my head get taken off. It wasn’t long before I was able to see again.

And what appeared in my vision was quite the… sight.

Umara was the first person I saw, and yet I almost thought I was looking at a whole different person. The image of her was so clear that I thought I could see the cells that composed her skin.

And the colors all around me were so vivid. The color depth that I was experiencing had to have exponentially increased. In fact, I soon realized that I was seeing more than just colors. Dare I say, I could actually just barely see the Magika in the atmosphere, something that could only be sensed by my Aura before.

It felt like a whole new world had opened up to me, as if I had been looking through an unfocused lens all this time and suddenly got upgraded to the best.

My field of view was widened, the range of light I could see expanded, the resolution multiplied, and even magical power became somewhat visible.

Once my nose was uncovered, A whole host of smells slammed into me like I had gotten the nose of a dog, though the amplification was quite subdued compared to my vision or hearing.

My mouth was already uncovered, and I didn’t immediately taste or sense anything different. All my teeth were there and my tongue still functioned as normal.

Or, at least I thought it did. But then I felt something odd and stuck my tongue out.

I could swear it wrapped under my chin, Umara recoiling from the sight in front of me.

“...Why the hell did you make my tongue so long?”

“That’s the first thing you say when you wake up? Every sense of yours has been enhanced. You should be thanking me.”

Maxwell scoffed from the side, my tongue slithering around before getting pulled back into my mouth.

I suddenly smiled at Umara.

“You’re going to enjoy that later.”

“O-Okay?”

“Tsk, kids.”

Terrace clicked his tongue, walking up to me and handing me a mirror.

“Here. Your eyes are different. You should know what they look like.”

“Oh. Wow.”

My brows raised when I saw myself.

My eyes used to be hazel, but now, they were a bold golden color. Not only that, but they seemed to be a bit larger as well.

The pupil and iris filled a much larger area, so the eyeball wasn’t necessarily bigger. There was just less visible sclera. If my memory served me right, these eyes were identical to the Royal’s, at least in appearance.

Functionally, I could dilate and contract my pupil if I really focused. I could kind of feel the muscles in the eye, and by manipulating that feeling, I could focus in on something.

I looked off toward a wall of the room, focusing my eye and watching as my vision effectively zoomed in. I focused on a seam of the stone wall, able to see even the tiniest details of its surface and variations in the coloration. I even noticed that we were in a different room.

And that was just from a casual glance. I suddenly wanted to go outside and see for myself the extent of this enhancement.

But when I tried to get up, I found that my body was far more sensitive than I initially thought. Controlling my own limbs felt difficult, and the slightest change in touch made me so uncomfortable that it was painful.

Terrace put his hand on my shoulder.

“Relax. Your body needs time to adjust. I want you in bed for at least the next day. After that you can start moving around. At that time you’ll need assistance until you can function on your own, so if necessary, I can give you a doctor.”

“Maybe. We’ll see how I feel.”

“Mm. You did well, getting through that. You seem to be fine, but take a week to wind down. It can be a traumatic experience, especially what you went through.”

“Yeah, especially when there’s no numbing agent.”

“Sorry about that.”

Terrace looked apologetic.

“Some people outright refuse to get the operation done due to expectations of pain. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I could’ve given you to dull that beyond what the paralytic solution gave. So I felt like it was better if I didn’t tell you at all.”

“...Whatever.”

I let out a breath and looked away.

If I was being honest, that pissed me off. Fighting through all that pain while paralyzed was something I never wanted to experience again. Thankfully, I would never have to as this was the only modification to sensory organs I would ever get for the rest of my life.

But I felt so mentally drained, and it wasn’t from the operation. That level of pain seemed to age me a few decades, and he was right in that it would take time to get over it.

Maybe my attitude was just bad because of it all, but I didn’t really feel like I could look at him. And refusing to thank him would temporarily be my way of expressing my anger.

I raised my hand to my face, touching it and feeling all the odd sensations. It would take time to get used to this.

“Well, with that, the operation is complete. You’re free now, but since you’ll be staying here, I’ll have someone bring you food. Just make sure not to bite your tongue. Seriously. I’ve done tongue enhancements before and all of them bit theirs. One girl even bit off the end of hers. So just take it slow.”

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“Hm.”

I nodded as Terrace left.

That’s when Maxwell spoke in explanation.

“The enhancements you got are obvious, but I should notify you about the one I added. The injections we did across your spine and limbs consisted of the spinal fluid of a Shrike. These beasts are known for their agility and are incredibly difficult to catch because of it. Anyway, that has given you greater agility and fine movements, especially in your hands where I thought you could use it most. You will find that your dexterity has become a magnitude better, and thus your capacities to utilize the time dilation effects of your coat are much more thorough. The Crown was effectively time dilation but for your body instead of your mind. However, you will need to figure out how to use it. It may be a while before you can even sense the ability.”

“I see.”

I lifted the hand that wasn’t holding Umara’s, waving around my fingers. They still felt foreign, but I was already adapting.

“Thank you, sir. This honestly is a great enhancement. I appreciate you helping me.”

“Don’t worry, you earned it. Your next Crown won’t come for a long time, because now, the only ones that will afford you any significant enhancements are the ones with great strength and vitality. Those will be valuable since they will increase your odds of survival, but even that is limited. You will want to become as powerful as possible and go through as many temperings as you can, because your level of Vigor will determine how strong of a Crown you can receive of that nature. Another type of Crown will be one that enhances your mental faculties, but those that will be able to meet your future standards are extremely rare and even more difficult to acquire. So from now on, just focus on your summoning.”

“I will. Thanks.”

My nod was accompanied by a smile. My strength had been advancing rapidly, and if I was being honest, the operation actually helped me a bit with advancing.

I was filled with so much Psyka from the White Crystal that a huge chunk of my cultivation had been done for me. Now, I just needed to comprehend the rest of the formation and I would become an Authority 5. I didn’t think that would take very long.

At that moment, an attendant walked into the room with some food.

This room was one of the normal ones within the medical wing of the building, the bed being far softer and comforting than the operating table. There were also some nice facilities, including an incredibly opulent chair that I guessed was Maxwell’s.

I took the tray of food, finding some small but tender chunks of meat in a broth and some other bite sized treats.

My two guests let me take some bites in silence, and that was when I finally got to appreciate the enhanced taste. I savored each bite by wrapping my tongue around everything that entered my mouth.

Talk about an unnecessary enhancement, though I wasn’t complaining; neither would Umara.

At some point, Maxwell stood.

“I’ll leave you alone for now. Tomorrow I’ll head back to the Capital. Just focus on recovering.”

“Mm. Thank you.”

“You keep thanking me.”

“Because I’m thankful for what you’re doing for me.”

“Hm.”

He hummed while retrieving the chair, leaving the room.

Umara watched his back as the door closed before looking at me.

“He’s not a very expressive man, is he?”

“Eh, he’s just got his own way of doing things.”

“Right. So, how are you doing?”

She scooted to my side, leaning against my shoulder all cutely.

I smiled.

“I’m alright. I think I’m distracted enough by the new sensations to not focus too much on the lingering terror.”

I felt the vivid memories resurface for a moment. Honestly, the ocular injection itself wasn’t a fraction as bad as what came after.

“I’ve been through a lot of pain in my life, both things I’ve forced myself through as well as things that were inflicted onto me. But that was something else entirely. And being paralyzed like that only made it worse. It's hard to describe, but I sincerely hope I never go through something like that again.”

“Mm. I hope so as well. If I’m honest, I got a bit scared watching you go through all that. Your face was bleeding a lot. I could only imagine how agonizing it all must’ve been. I just hope you find it worth the pain.”

“Time will tell.”

I let out a long breath. I didn’t want to act like temporary pain would suddenly make a permanent benefit less valuable, but that temporary pain was horrendous enough for the thought to cross my mind.

Perhaps it was a good thing that I wasn’t told about it, and that I was paralyzed. As Terrace said, it wasn’t really my choice at that point. It made me feel a tiny bit better. Only a tiny bit though.

After some silence, Umara muttered.

“I’d like to apologize.”

“For?”

“I was a bit mad at you for what you said earlier, about your history. I have to admit that I really didn’t like it. But I spoke with Vetsmon and he helped me realize that something like that has no bearing on us. So I apologize for ever thinking that it did.”

“...Well, I suppose I’ll accept that apology.”

I smiled a bit and licked my spoon clean.

“I’ve never been so in love and so heavily invested in anyone else that I’d talked about marrying them like with you. I’m going to trust you intrinsically, and love you unconditionally. And so long as I’m able to continue doing that, then I will be marrying you in the future. You got that?”

“Y-Yes.”

She nodded, her Aura giving away her feelings of joy and erratic heartbeat.

That felt good to see, and is also when I noticed how unbelievably sharp my Aura was. But that was an analysis for another time.

I chuckled a bit.

“Good. Now, I’d pin you down and test out this new tongue of mine, but I’m kind of immobile right now and want to eat my food.”

“I can help with that.”

“But I want to eat my food.”

“Hm, the food isn’t going anywhere.”

She suddenly grabbed my tray and set it aside, straddling me from the front.

“If I understand this situation correctly, I can do whatever I want to you, and there’s nothing you can do right now to stop me?”

“Something like that.”

“Hmm, then I think I’m going to enjoy you for a little while.”

She leaned in, but at that moment, we heard a noise.

*Knock Knock*

“...Dammit.”

She cursed before letting out a long sigh, making me smile.

“Who’s that?”

“I forgot that I asked Vetsmon to come. Tana is here too.”

“How long was I out?”

“From the start of the operation, about three days have passed.”

She responded while walking to the door and opening it, letting Vetsmon and Tana.

Surprisingly, Feiden was with them.

“Hello!”

“Hey guys.”

“How’s the bossman doing?”

“Getting better.”

Feiden and I clasped hands before giving a quick hug.

I recoiled a bit from it, not to mention the weakness pervading my body.

“Careful guys. He’s sensitive.”

Umara chuckled while handing me back my tray of food. I ate the rest of what was left while watching the others.

Vetsmon’s brows raised.

“Your eyes. They’re golden now.”

“Mm. Just like the Royal.”

“How much better are they?”

“Just from the couple hours I’ve been awake, they’re already a few magnitudes better. I’m basically a Scout now.”

“Hm, I can’t imagine what you’re going to be able to do now. I’m a bit excited for the next time we deploy to the frontlines.”

Vetsmon rubbed his chin in thought, Feiden tilting his head.

“We have the tournament first.”

“Oh yeah, forgot about that.”

“What’s the deal with that anyway?”

I asked, prompting an explanation.

“The tournament is just that. The entire school competes in a few different categories. There’s the Warlock, Knight, and Summoner divisions to determine the best in each one. Then there’s the Champion Tournament where everyone regardless of type shoots for the crowned title.”

“It already started a day ago, but the Elites are exempt from the preliminaries, going straight to the semi-finals for the division tournaments. We’ll need to be back in a week in order to compete. The Champion Tournament happens after all of those conclude.”

“Do you think you’re going to compete?”

Vetsmon asked me, causing me to shake my head with a baffled look on my face.

“Are you kidding? Hell no. I’m not trying to accidentally kill someone.”

“I guess. It would be pretty cool though. You’d probably be able to take the Crowned Title if you didn’t hold back.”

“I just need to get through the rest of this year. I don’t care about some school game. Besides, I’d rather train. I’m really close to Authority 5.”

“Already?”

Umara asked in surprise.

“Yeah. That operation packed me full of Psyka, and I had a dream while I was sleeping, though I can’t really remember it. Give me a week or so and I’ll advance.”

“You should focus on recovery.”

“I know. I factored that in.”

“Just making sure.”

We nudged each other before Feiden asked.

“When are you going to recover?”

“Mentally, not for a while. Physically, I should be good to move around normally in a day. Until then I can’t really move though, so unfortunately I can’t go anywhere with you guys.”

“That’s alright. We’ll just have some fun here.”

“A medical room isn’t very fun.”

“No reason we can’t make it work.”

He smiled before grabbing a seat, the others following suit.

I smiled and relaxed. It was nice having good friends.