Sometime later Lillia returned to the evolution room with a bowl in hand with a nauseating smell premating from it. "It might smell bad, but that is just because the mana cleaning herb is very nutritional."
Blake could care less about the smell as he took the bowl from Lillia and downed it in one go before she could explain everything. Lillia's hand froze as she looked at the bowl that was now being licked. "Blake, you idiot! You needed to drink it slowly!"
"Huh? Oh…." Blake's whole face turned red as he felt his entire body becoming very hot. The mana within his body was suddenly expelled all at once, followed by a while wind of new mana forming around him.
The mana cleansing herb was just as it said it was. It cleansed the mana in the body to make way for new mana, but it also had the benefit of expanding one's mana pool greatly. How much would depend on how much mana had been expelled. Normally one would drink the medical soup in small portions and allow their mana to be replaced slowly, but Blake actually consumed it all in one go!
Lillia could only stand at the side and watch. She turned and closed the door, locking it from the inside and then putting a barrier around it to keep anyone from being able to enter. She then turned to see Blake now collapsed on the floor, surrounded by a whirlwind of mana. Lillia bit her lip. This process was not as easy as it seemed because when it said it would eject all mana from the body, it meant all the mana, even the mana in the bones and cells of the person taking the soup. So basically, Blake had to temporarily become worthless for a while until his mana was replenished. But the method of using this herb had always been set in stone.
Blake let out a pained cry as he felt like his entire body was being reforged. Blake lay on the floor covered in sweat. He had not felt this much pain since his first evolution, and he knew this was nothing compared to when he evolved for a second time!
Time ticked by, and the whirl of mana around Blake slowly began to die down. A puddle of black liquid spread out around him. Blake slowly opened his eyes to see Lillia standing there with a relieved expression. She walked over and knelt down next to him, and flicked his forehead. "Don't ever do that to me again! You scared me!"
"Sorry…." Blake lowered his head. He knew he was in the wrong this time around. "I was just too excited and wanted to quickly expand my mana pool. Growing stronger is something I must do."
"I know…." Lillia sighed as she waved her hand and flooded the room with water magic before drying it all up, effectively getting rid of the black substance that had come out of Blake. "It really did a job on you. To think taking the medical soup like that would cause such a drastic effect. But I believe only a few people can survive that. Come on, get up and sit on the bed."
Lillia helped Blake up and over to the bed. She then began to strip him of his clothes and placed them to the side. She then hugged him close and said: "Get ready….."
Before Blake could understand what she meant, his whole body suddenly jolted in pain. This time the pain was millions of times worse as he felt as if someone was ripping his bones from his body and playing with the attached nerves like a guitar's strings.
At this point, Blake curled up into a ball as his entire body became soaked in sweat once more. He had not expected to suddenly be undergoing his second evolution. He had not even had a chance to breathe after the mana cleansing!
The second evolution was not like the first, which would only take hours. The second evolution was something that took days to complete. It was enabling the body to expand its mana pool and grow in strength by one hundred times its original form. The first evolution could be said to unlock the ability of mana, while the second was unlocking the body's hidden potential and allowing the mana flow within the body to be smoother than before. This allowed the person who reached the second stage of evolution to cast magic much faster and even more powerful than before.
As the pain began to subside, Blake lay listlessly on the bed, his head in Lillia's lap. His sweat dripped from his body, drenching her skirt. But Lillia did not care. For her, this was a huge step in her man's life. He was slowly reaching his goals. But seeing how painful this current evolution was, she worried about him turning into a drakani because the pain would be a thousand times more intense than this.
Lillia gently caressed Blake's head. "You should take a break. You just evolved, so let your body have time to adjust before drinking the Drakani blood."
Blake raised his head. He was very tired, but he had to continue on. "No…. Before I get too comfortable, Let me drink it now. Otherwise, I might not have the resolve."
"Blake, please take a rest. The evolution process could take months, maybe even a year!" Lillia worried this was a long time! It was not something that could be done in just a few days. He would be reconstructing his entire DNA!
"Then bring the girls and my kids down. I will see them for a few hours before doing it." Blake was sick of being weak. He needed to grow much stronger, so he could only wait for a short time. He still had much to do.
"...." Lillia looked at Blake's tired face, and her eyes began to water up. She lowered her head and kissed his lips. "I wish you were not so stubborn."
"I know…. But for you and for everyone else I love and wish to protect, I have no choice…. Even if I must suffer in pain for months or even years, I will do it for you all." Lillia hugged Blake before gently laying his head down. She knew he would not change his mind, so she could only do as he asked. At least this way, he was taking a small break.
