The grace kept pushing, elevating Rattan until he reached the peak of the fifth stage, with even more power left to bestow. However, seeing that this was the limit Rattan could currently withstand, the Abyss's will shifted its attention to Rattan's cube. It blessed the remaining grace upon the artifact.
The cube began to swell, rapidly increasing in size until it was the size of a boulder. Its material purified, its internal functions strengthened far beyond anything Rattan could have accomplished in his current state. The cube was soon upgraded, transforming from a mere tool into a genuine artifact.
The Abyss hummed with a weird satisfaction. Even as parts of its very nature had been irrevocably altered, rendered into vast, shimmering icescapes by Lyra's relentless assault, it found a strange delight in the unfolding drama.
