The exhilaration of the previous night, the lingering warmth of Kaelen's touch, had indeed unlocked a new level of clarity for Elias. He returned to his research chamber in the Nexus Spire, not with his usual calculated determination, but with a vibrant, almost eager energy. The problem of sustaining his Perpetual Ascension Technique was no longer a logistical hurdle; it was a fascinating design challenge, one for which the solution had become brilliantly clear: the Stellar Devourer Furnace.
He immediately summoned the holographic schematics, his fingers flying across the ethereal interfaces, conjuring complex mathematical models and energy flow diagrams. Kaelen, having settled Lumie into a cozy corner of her room and fed him a synthesized, nutrient-rich nectar, soon joined him, drawn by the intense, yet distinctly joyful, aura radiating from him.
"Elias, you're practically glowing," she observed, a soft smile on her face. "Did our date inspire a breakthrough?"
