Roy was lying in the operating theater in Nenneke’s lab. He was surrounded by crucibles, test tubes and beakers, as well as Lytta. She was caressing his chest gently, but Roy felt goosebumps popping up all over his body. He tried to squirm, but Coral stopped him. “Miss Coral, this feels weird. Can you pick up the pace?”

“You know what they say. Can’t get to Kovir if you’re in too much of a hurry. Be patient. I’m almost done. Almost.”

“You have five minu — Hey, where are you touching? Get your hands off that place! Let me go!”

***

A while later, Lytta put down a test tube that was filled with transparent fluid, and then she stared at a tube of blood with interest. She made a sign in the air, causing it to shine colorfully.

“Blood oxygen levels are normal. Heartbeat rate and blood pressure are excellent. All you took was the preparatory decoction, but you’re already building up some poison resistance.” Her eyes were shining. “Boy, are you really fourteen? Are you sure you didn’t lose your memory? Your body’s better than an adult’s. You can probably kill a bull with your bare hands now.”

Roy was tearing up, lying in the theater numbly. It felt like he had been molested, so he didn’t want to answer. Instead, he asked, “You call this a simple checkup?”

“Yeah.” She patted his cheek as consolation, her fingers warm. “Checking bodily fluids like blood and tears fall within the scope of the checkup.”

“Looks like I have to make things clear.” Roy took a deep breath and sat up. “Don’t do anything as you please, especially not to my body. Or else I’ll have to refuse your help and go through the trial alone.”

Lytta rubbed her chin, looking at him as if he were a guinea pig. All the men she had met would either blush, stammer, or freeze up the moment they met her. Most of them wouldn’t defy her, but Roy was obviously an anomaly. She could see his desire to approach her, but he was also holding it back. “You’re an oddity. Is this your witcher pride getting in the way?”

“No. It’s my own creed.”

“Very well, then. I’ll ask for your permission next time, but I ought to tell you something. You won’t be killing yourself that easily with me around.”

“Um…” Roy felt a chill run up his spine, and he stopped arguing with her. “I’ll hold you to that. Now, let’s talk business. What’s the result of the checkup?”

“The result is…” She stared at Roy’s open jaw, checking his teeth, then she gesticulated. “You’re a fourteen year old boy,” she mumbled. “I have news. Both good and bad.”

“Spill it.”

“You’re older than most disciples, so you’re more stable, but the process is going to be harder and longer.”

“So I’ll have to suffer for six months?”

“Not that long, no.”

“Can you give me an accurate success rate?”

“According to Letho’s data, the success rate has always been less than thirty percent.” Coral crossed her hands. “But you have a fifty-five percent chance of survival.”

“Oh, more than fifty percent, huh?” Roy felt a bit more confident. “Then that’s not much of a risk.”

“My boy, do you know why witchers usually put children through the trial?”

“Because children are easily brainwashed, and are easily controlled.” Roy frowned solemnly. “And don’t call me ‘boy,’ Miss Coral.”

“Just telling the truth.” Lytta came closer to him. “And one more thing. Children are full of vitality, so they heal a lot faster than adults, and it’s easier to steer their mutations in a specific direction.”

“What do you mean?” Roy had a bad feeling about it.

“That’s what we’re going to do next. I’ll inject some hormones to accelerate the growth of your cells and immune system.”

***

Lytta split the trial into three sections: hormone injection, virus infection, and decoction ingestion. Everything was for a successful mutation. For the first part, Roy would have to get injected with adrenaline and many types of hormones. The process would last for a month so he could get used to the increased levels of hormones in his body. At the same time, he would keep taking the preparatory decoctions.

For some reason, Lytta wasn’t going to use any syringe or administer any medicine for the process. Instead, she opted for something more… garish. “I thought we had a deal, Coral. What are you trying to do to me?” Roy covered his body with his hands. Whenever Lytta would approach him, he would take one step back.

They circled the operating theater a couple times, neither side backing down. Roy knew what adrenaline was. It was something used in emergencies, so the patient would have a chance to make it through. Of course, he was curious about it, but Roy was also feeling uneasy, since it was his first time undergoing the mutation.

“Your body’s like an empty vessel. It needs some restructuring before it can accommodate some new parts in it. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle. It won’t hurt at all.”

“Can you stop being so suggestive, Coral? What if someone hears you?”

“You started it. Well, do you want to keep this up?”

Roy smacked his forehead. He knew he had no choice, but he wouldn’t give in just yet. “Explain.”

Lytta’s face turned scarlet, delighted that Roy didn’t give in. “If you wanted to do this the traditional way, your body would expel the hormones after a short while, so the effect wouldn’t last long. That was one of the reasons the trial had such an abysmal success rate. But if we do it my way, the results will be optimal.” 

“What’s the catch?”

“The catch?” She arched  her eyebrow and chuckled coyly. “You’ll be constantly aroused, and you’ll look more grown up after a month.”

That’s magical viagra. Roy wondered if he should take the offer, and in the end, he did. Lytta started chanting the ancient incantations, then a black strand of an unknown substance emerged from the test tube on the table before burying itself into Roy. He felt itchy, but otherwise, everything was fine. 

“That’s it?” Magical injection?

Lytta crossed her arms, looking amused. “What did you expect? That you’d faint? That everything would start to spin?”

Roy started breathing heavily, his face turning scarlet, his heart starting to pound, and his muscles started tensing up. It felt like he was on a track field, just waiting for the signal for him to start his sprint. “I feel… I feel…”

Lytta glanced at him, and she snapped her fingers. “Looks like it went nicely. Do you feel charged with energy? Like you need to vent everything out? Good. Time to go to the front yard.”

“Why?”

“Because Letho will teach you the way to properly channel that excess energy.”

***

Once again, Roy was standing under the tree. “Let’s resume practice, boy.”

Roy nodded, his face still red, his breathing still heavy. After getting injected with the hormones, he was afflicted with the ‘Aroused’ status, as if he had gone berserk. His Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina were raised by one. There was a ball of flame within him, and he was easily agitated.

“You seem agitated. But that won’t do. You can’t let your emotions do the battle.” Letho was being more talkative, but he sounded dark and provocative. There was no warmth in his gaze either. Letho was trying to provoke Roy, but the boy didn’t take the bait.

“Good. At least you have some self-control. Keep that hand up!” Letho patted Roy’s forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, back, lower back, and thigh, adjusting his stance. “I’ll whip your swings into shape today. Of course, you’re still going to hold the sword the right way.”

“Why aren’t you teaching me any footwork?” Roy said, louder than he had expected, much to his surprise. 

“Because that comes after you swing the sword, or the enemy will see through your attacks from the footwork alone.”

***

“Now suck your stomach in. Don’t spread your arm’s strength. Make sure it’s focused on one point. And put your back into it! Literally!” The corrections wouldn’t stop. “Don’t stiffen your arm! You’ll only waste your strength! But don’t relax it fully either! You won’t be killing anything if you don’t tense up! Now feel the strength in your arms. Hold that stance! Lift the hilt with your left hand, and swing the sword down with your right! Alright, now slash! And… stop!”

The sword was about to cut through the ground, but it came to a forced halt halfway through. Roy grunted, his face turning redder.

“If your fingers are trembling, that means you overexerted yourself! Never swing a sword at full strength unless you’re sure you can kill your enemy! If you do that, you’ll leave yourself open for counterattacks! Learn how to save your strength! It’ll save your life someday! In most cases, you’ll have to reserve thirty percent of your strength.”

“Again!”

“Again!”

“Continue!”

***

The training went on until sundown. By then, the hormones had worn off, though Roy had also slashed at the air thousands of times. His arms were so sore, and even lifting a finger was difficult, though he wouldn’t realize that, since he fainted from exhaustion.