Chapter 110 The First Awakening

A second after the AI’s warning, the first barrier around her mana core flickered away, releasing a rush of potent mana. The turbulent mana burned its way through her body, creating new mana veins. All Evernya could do was silently cry and scream in her head as unimaginable pain descended upon her until she blacked out a few seconds later.

Two hours later, she regained consciousness just-in-time for the second barrier to release more mana into her body. This time, she endured it, allowing her to watch what was going on. Inside her body, the second rush of mana smoothed out and widened her newly re-created mana veins as it cycled throughout her body until all mana depleted after several minutes.

By the end of the second rush, her mana veins were already wider and more complex than before she touched her father’s mana core. Drained, she entered an exhausted half-sleep state for a few hours before the third barrier released an even larger rush of mana, yet again expanding her mana veins, but this time hardening them as well. The mana continued to cycle for hours, getting less painful with each cycle.

“Please tell me that’s the end of it. I don’t I can take much more of this,” Evernya begged.

“Unfortunately, my lady, that was just the beginning. Those phases only lay the groundwork for the rest. You destroyed your mana system to the point you must reawaken. Your father’s mana was too potent, wiping away everything. To help accommodate your overcharged mana core, you are going through an accelerated development of your mana system. Normally, this would happen over years, if not decades, but you will complete this part in a few days. You have two cycles left today, one hard one to establish your mana nodes and another to solidify your system before your first awakening.” The AI explained.

“Mana nodes? I thought the mana system only had mana veins and a mana core.” Evernya inquired.

The AI fell silent for several seconds before replying in surprise, “Wow, that explains why I didn’t receive in mention of mana nodes from your memories. To answer your question, Mana nodes are major junction points in the mana vein network. Mana nodes are a mini branch mana core storing mana, allowing for faster usage and more efficient routing of mana. I’m not sure how a mana system can function without mana nodes, maybe my knowledge is out of date.”

“Cool, so I’ll receive some forgotten organ?” Evernya commented.

“Yes, for your body to handle the strain of your new capabilities, Mana nodes are mandatory.” The AI replied.

“So, after that, I reawaken my magic classes? Do I awaken multiple times? Your wording hints at more than one.” Evernya questioned, wanting to prepare herself for what’s to come.

“Yes, my lady, my readings show two awakenings before the end. The first, as you know, is a magic class awakening, but the second is a coming of age evolution.” The AI replied.

“Coming of age? So I’m going to find out what type of shifter I am? Most tests only read me as a feline shifter.” Evernya inquired.

“Is that what the current technology reads?” The AI commented.

“Well, the results from a more extensive scan showed feline shifter, vampiric, and draconic parts, but most scans readme as just feline shifter,” Evernya replied.

After taking a moment to process through her knowledge databases, the AI explained., “Interesting. The test got some parts right your race has relation to all three but at the same time its different. For example, you don’t have direct relation to a catkin nor a vampire but to their extinct predecessors. Vampires weren’t always an infected human. There used to be a standalone race, but from my limited knowledge, they died out, unable to reproduce fast enough compared to their infected cousins. The predecessor to catkin died out because they lacked the intelligence to adapt despite being more powerful than modern catkin. Now dragons have changed little for hundreds of thousands of years besides spawning different types over the years. But Draecath is none of these three. You are not a mixed breed, but your own race. It is unclear how your race came to be, but it is not a product of breeding between races. Draecath just happens to have the traits of those three races, along with a few other subtle traits melded into one race. You don’t truly become a Draecath until the second awakening, also known as your first evolution. Which you will experience in around 36 hours.”

Evernya’s curious side piques at the mention of a new race prompting her to ask, “So, I am a sort of super race called Draecath?”

“I wouldn’t say a super race, while Draecath is more powerful than most, you still have issues with silver, though to a lesser degree than most shifters, plus there is the dependency on mana. You also seem to have a range issue which is common among your race, though yours seems to be stricter than it should be. Your father, for example, had a max range of twenty-five meters while your mother has a seemingly unlimited range.” The AI replied.

They put their conversation on hold as the fourth barrier dissipated, pushing more potent mana through her newly created mana vein network. At first, the rush of mana was relatively mild, but with each pass, some mana stayed behind at six points one at each shoulder, one above each hip, one at the throat, and one at the pubic mound creating a rectangle with the mana core at the center. As more and more mana gathers at these points, the pain increased until it rivaled the formation of her mana veins. Unable to move or even think, Evernya entered a pain-induced trance, enduring the formation of six mini mana nodes less than a tenth the size of her mana core.

Several hours passed before the mana dissipated, leaving behind the mana nodes embedded into her muscles and mana vein network. Unfortunately, just as Evernya’s consciousness returned from its trance, the fifth barrier broke, pushing even more mana through her newly created mana system. The mana cycled through her mana system, forcing it to its limit, increasing her fragile mana system’s resilience with her cycle. Mercifully, as her mana system toughened, the pain lessened to an uncomfortable strain. After four hours passed, Evernya fell asleep just as the last bit of mana cycled through her body.

A few hours later, the sixth barrier awoke her, releasing filtered mana into her veins directly from her mana core this time. This high filtered mana measured at only grade one or two at most, but it allowed her body to return to semi-normal functions. Over the next hour, the paralysis wore off, allowing her sluggish movement, but being stretched out spread eagle in thick liquid didn’t allow for much freedom of movement.

Exhausted, she fell back to sleep, this time for almost ten hours, only to awaken to the start of her first awakening. At first, it wasn’t too bad. She felt the return of her Psionic abilities at a weakened state. Then without warning, mana more potent than she had felt yet rushed through her mana veins, causing her to scream muffled by the liquid she inhaled. Strangely, the liquid didn’t cause her to choke. She just breathed it like it was thick air. Over the next two hours, her mana system idled down from extremely painful to mildly painful, then finally evened out at an uncomfortable but tolerable intensity.

After her mana system evened out, Evernya regained enough awareness to ask, “Why is it still uncomfortable when the awakening seems to be over?”

After a quick scan of her host’s condition, her AI replied, “Your mana system is still tender, plus you are running at a higher mana grade than before. Typically, a human needs a week to recover from a normal awakening, but of course, you heal much faster. I would say you should be fine in a day, just-in-time for your first evolution.”

With a sarcastic tone, Evernya commented, “Oh, goody, more pain. Any hints on what is in store for me for the first evolution?”

“Lots of pain this time from more than your mana system.” The AI replied with no sugarcoating.

“Am I going to grow something weird like a third eye or something?” Evernya questioned with a worried expression.

“There will be some noticeable physical changes. You will have to wait and see.” The AI replied vaguely, enjoying keeping her host guessing.

“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?” Evernya questioned.

“I’m sorry, my lady, but no, all I will say is everything happening is natural and worth the pain.” The AI replied without a hint of apology in her tone.

“How do you know it will happen? My mana core is looking a lot calmer now, hardly the raging torrent it once was.” Evernya inquired, grasping at straws, hoping to escape more pain.

This time with a genuinely apologetic tone, the AI explained squashing her hosts hope, “I’m sorry, my lady but, you are already showing early signs of the evolution into a Draecath, it has nothing to do with your mana core stability. Your mana core will not stabilize for a long time, not until all the barriers release. The pain you’ve experienced so far is nothing compared to what is lurking in your mana core. Even after your first evolution, you will only have access to approximately ten percent of your mana potency. Those barriers are keeping you alive, if for whatever reason, those barriers break before you are ready, you will go boom. Even if by some miracle you survived the release, the resulting damage would stunt your potential.”

Evernya visibly shivered, immersed in the warm tank, as she questioned in worry, “So, I am a ticking time bomb?”

The Ai quickly assured her host but not without an almost motherly judgmental tone, “No, he did a good job at sealing your mana core to only release layers when your body can handle it. There is still always a chance though. Think of it as a reminder not to absorb something thousands of times stronger than you.”

“Hey, I didn’t do it on purpose! It just went in after I picked it up.” Evernya defended.

Without mercy, the AI killed her host’s weak defense. “You should have known better not to touch something as dangerous as a mana core from someone you knew was beyond powerful ahead of time. If you had stayed here until my implantation, which from my data was only a week longer, you would have known that touching a parent’s mana core is all it takes.”

Defeated, Evernya conceded as she commented, “You and Meira would get along. I will try to avoid touching things dangerous, but I have a feeling it will happen again just hopefully not to this extreme.”

“Impulse control is always weak with Draecath, and it does not improve with age. I will have to thank that elf for putting up with you when she didn’t have to.” The AI commented, having expected her host’s response.

“I’m not that bad. I just make questionable decisions every once in a while.” Evernya said.

The AI raised a virtual eyebrow, commenting, “Once in a while? How many times have you injured yourself in the last couple of months? I’m honestly surprised you have lived this long.”

Evernya slumped against her restraints, defeated. “Okay, you have a point. I have spent a lot of time injured lately.”

The AI nodded her nonexistent head, lacking any humility before suggesting, “Of course I do. Now get some sleep, you will need it. Your restraints are there for a reason. The Draecath evolution can get quite violent and tiring. By the end, those shackles will be the only thing holding you up.”

Not needing to be told twice, being beyond exhausted, she passed out within seconds.