Draven continued walking through the streets.
The little cat remained tucked comfortably inside his cloak, with only its head poking out. Its eyes moved from one side of the street to the other, following the passing merchants and observing the activity around them.
People moved through the busy streets, some carrying goods while others stopped in front of nearby stalls to examine the merchandise. The occasional raised voice of a merchant advertising their products blended with the surrounding chatter.
The little cat watched everything with quiet curiosity.
Draven, however, paid little attention to the activity around him. He simply continued walking, making his way back toward the hotel.
---
A short while later—
Draven returned to the hotel.
He entered the building and made his way toward the elevator. After stepping inside, he pressed the appropriate floor button and waited as the doors slowly closed.
The elevator began moving.
Draven lowered his gaze toward the black blade.
Then—
he reached for it.
**SHING.**
The blade appeared in his hand as he drew it from his spatial ring. He held it briefly, examining its dark surface before shifting his attention toward the scabbard hanging from his waist.
He positioned the blade against its opening.
**SHKRRK.**
The sword slid inside, though not without a little resistance.
Draven looked down.
*Not a perfect fit.*
He adjusted it slightly, checking how comfortably the blade sat inside the scabbard.
*It's a little too long... and a bit too wide.*
He stared at it for another moment, considering whether the difference was enough to cause a problem.
Eventually, he shrugged.
*Well, it'll do.*
It wasn't exactly what he had wanted, but it was still better than carrying the blade around without a proper scabbard.
A voice suddenly came from inside his cloak.
"Papa."
The little cat poked its head out a little farther.
"Your sword finally has a home."
Its eyes shifted toward the scabbard hanging from his waist.
"A scabbard."
Draven glanced down at it.
"Yeah."
The cat smiled.
"That's nice."
Then—
it leaned forward and licked his cheek.
Draven stared at it.
"..."
He remained silent for a moment before slowly looking away.
The little cat seemed perfectly satisfied with itself, while Draven simply waited for the elevator to reach his floor.
---
Inside the hotel room—
Nia's fingers suddenly twitched.
It was a small movement, barely noticeable at first.
Her eyelids flickered.
Then—
slowly—
her eyes opened.
For several moments, she simply stared at the ceiling.
Her vision was still slightly blurry, and she blinked a few times as she gradually became aware of her surroundings. The unfamiliar sensation of waking up after being unconscious left her momentarily disoriented.
She didn't immediately move.
Instead, she remained lying down, allowing her eyes to adjust as she tried to understand where she was.
Then—
a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Nia?"
Vaelith immediately leaned closer.
"You're awake."
Nia's eyes shifted toward her.
She stared at Vaelith for a moment, recognizing her face before slowly pushing herself upright.
Vaelith watched her carefully, paying close attention to her movements.
Aldric's voice suddenly came from nearby.
"Oh?"
He glanced over.
"You're awake."
He paused, looking her over.
"And you seem to be doing fine."
Vaelith turned her attention back to Nia.
"Are you alright?"
Nia remained silent for a moment.
Then—
she gave a small nod.
"Hmm... yes."
Vaelith continued watching her.
"How do you feel?"
Nia lowered her gaze toward her hands.
She slowly opened and closed her fingers, examining them as though expecting to notice something unusual. However, nothing immediately stood out to her.
She considered the question for a while.
Silence filled the room.
Aldric eventually spoke again.
"Well?"
He leaned back slightly.
"Do you feel any different in any way?"
Nia looked toward him.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I feel normal."
Aldric raised an eyebrow.
"So you don't feel any different?"
He examined her from head to toe, looking for any visible changes.
"And you don't look any different either."
He paused.
"At least, not on the outside."
Aldric scratched his chin.
"Can't really say whether that experiment was a success or a failure."
His gaze returned to Nia.
"But it definitely did something."
Vaelith nodded slightly.
"Yes."
She looked at Nia with a more thoughtful expression.
"There's a noticeable change in your essence."
Nia listened quietly.
Once again, she looked down at her hands.
She couldn't understand what they were referring to. As far as she could tell, her body felt the same as it had before she fell asleep.
There was no obvious difference in her movements, nor did she feel any particular sensation that would tell her something had changed.
But Vaelith could sense it.
And judging by Aldric's reaction, he had also noticed something.
Still, Nia couldn't tell what they were talking about.
---
**CLICK.**
The door suddenly opened.
Draven stepped inside.
The black cat was still tucked inside his cloak, its head poking out as he entered the room.
"Papa."
Its voice sounded inside his head.
"You're mean."
Draven continued walking.
*What now?*
The cat's ears drooped slightly.
*You hate me.*
Draven sighed inwardly.
*I never said that.*
*You said I should shut up or you'd throw me away.*
*Yeah. Because you can't stop yapping in my damn head.*
He glanced down at the cat.
*I didn't know you talked this much. When I couldn't hear you, you looked just like a normal cat.*
The little cat stared at him.
*So Papa doesn't like me?*
Draven's expression remained unchanged.
*Yeah. That'll soon be the case if you don't stop yapping.*
The cat's ears drooped even further.
*So it's true...*
Draven didn't bother responding.
He had already stopped paying attention to the cat.
His gaze had shifted toward the bed.
More specifically—
toward Nia.
"Nia."
He walked closer.
"You've woken up."
Nia looked at him and nodded.
Draven stopped in front of her, examining her appearance.
There were no obvious changes to her outward appearance. She looked much the same as before, and nothing about her physical features immediately suggested that anything had happened.
However, appearances weren't everything.
He could sense that something about her was different.
"The potion was effective."
He paused.
"But I wouldn't call that a success just yet."
His eyes remained on her.
"Tell me. Do you feel any difference in your body compared to before?"
Nia thought for a moment.
She considered how she felt, trying to identify anything that might have changed.
Then—
she shook her head.
"I don't know."
Draven stared at her briefly.
"Alright."
He straightened.
"Then let's try something."
He glanced at her.
"Can you use magic?"
Nia shook her head.
"No, I can't."
Draven nodded.
"Get up."
Nia slowly moved her legs over the edge of the bed.
She placed her feet on the floor before carefully pushing herself upright. For a moment, she stood still, seemingly waiting for him to explain what he wanted her to do.
Draven watched her.
"Now, attack me."
Nia stared at him.
"Without using mana."
She hesitated for a moment.
Then—
she nodded.
**WHOOSH!**
Nia suddenly lunged forward.
Her fist shot toward Draven, moving with considerably more speed than her earlier movements had suggested.
Draven raised his arm and blocked the attack with ease.
**THUMP!**
But—
the moment his arm moved—
Nia's body suddenly shifted.
She twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding his movement.
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
He hadn't expected her to react that quickly.
Aldric's voice immediately came from behind them.
"Hey."
His expression was irritated.
"Make sure to tear down the entire room."
He glanced around.
"And while you're at it, try not to draw attention to us."
Draven ignored him.
His attention remained fixed on Nia.
*Her physical abilities are strong.*
He watched her stance, taking note of how she positioned herself after the attack.
*And her instincts aren't bad either.*
Nia remained standing before him, waiting for his next instruction.
She didn't seem particularly surprised by what had just happened. She simply watched Draven, waiting to see what he wanted her to do next.
Draven continued examining her.
*But that alone isn't enough.*
His gaze shifted slightly.
*If that were all the potion had done, there wouldn't be much of a difference.*
He could sense it.
Something had changed within her.
Although Nia herself couldn't recognize it, the difference was becoming increasingly obvious to him.
*Her mana...*
Draven's eyes narrowed.
*It's not just more powerful.*
He paused, focusing on what he could sense from her.
*It's denser.*
His expression became thoughtful.
*Much denser than before.*
He continued staring at Nia, silently considering the change.
The improvement in her physical abilities was one thing, but the alteration in her mana was something else entirely.
It wasn't simply a matter of having more power.
There was a noticeable difference in its density, something he hadn't overlooked.
*Now that's interesting.*