Phoenix stared into Diana's eyes, feeling the weight of her power pressing down on his chest. He wanted to give even more excuses, but he wasn't sure if he could, given the frightening aura she was giving off. So he gave it to her straight.
"Yes," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. 'Well, mostly yes anyway, half-truths count as truths, right?'
Just as the air seemed about to collapse around him, an upstairs window slid open and all pressure vanished instantly. Elena peeked out, with messy red hair, and completely naked save for the way moonlight curved on her frame. She looked down with sleepy eyes, her breasts swaying gently as she propped herself up on her elbows on the window.
"Why are you two making so much racket so early in the morning?" she called in exasperation.
Phoenix's brain promptly shut down after taking a look at her. His face turned red, and his mouth suddenly felt very dry; his gaze was unable to get past Elena's breasts, which were resting on the open windowsill.
Diana gave a nervous smile and said hurriedly, "Nothing, dear!! Just showing our son how strong he can get if he trains like me. Don't worry, it's all under control."
Elena's eyes narrowed and her lips twisted into a sceptical smile. "I don't care what you guys are doing; I am too sleepy to care about it. Just don't disturb my sleep. And Phoenix dear, do close your mouth, you'll catch flies at this rate." She made no move to cover herself, just yawned and disappeared from the sill, her silhouette lingering in Phoenix's vision even after she closed the window.
Diana eyed him for another long moment, her sternness melting into a half-smile laced with mischief. "You know that you are terrible at lying, right? New memories, a legacy technique, some galactic wandering grandpa. It actually sounds like something out of some ancient isekai novels I used to read secretly in school. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt- at least for now. I will be waiting for the day when you are ready to tell me the truth."
Phoenix could only nod, still processing both the scrutiny and the window scene above. Diana shot him a wink that made it clear she noticed. "Alright, now stop drolling, she has gone inside already. You know, sometimes I feel like you are telling the truth after all."
He managed a sheepish smile, forcing himself back into the moment. "I am?"
Diana nodded with an amused smile. "Yes, you were never interested in our bodies at all, but recently you have been having more.....reactions, you can say." Diana pointed at his shorts, which were already popping an obvious boner.
Phoenix blushed and covered his lower body with both hands, steam coming off his head.
Diana's eyes flickered over her holo display, the diagrams he'd drawn, and back to him. "Alright, let's get back to work for now. From what I can see, the technique looks perfect. I can't find any obvious risks or qi backlash, or parts that will let someone take over your body if you practice it. If it really improves the body by drawing from cosmic flows, you might be one of the luckiest people in the world.
"But I want to make sure of it myself," Diana continued, her tone shifting back to business. "I'll watch as you start. If anything weird happens, I'll intervene."
She stepped closer, eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Off with your shirt now. If something goes wrong, I need to be in contact with you to act at the fastest speed."
Hearing this, Phoenix started hesitating. He felt embarrassed taking off his shirt. He already knew the technique was fine from practising it yesterday. But to assure his mother in the end, he did as asked and took off his shirt.
"Sit," she instructed, her voice going soft.
He crossed his legs, settling on the cool grass. Diana knelt in front of him, her knees pressing into his, their faces close enough that he could smell the subtle, clean scent of her skin mixed with the faint smell of sweat earned from doing morning stretches.
She placed her hands on his chest, one directly above his heart. Her rough, calloused hand sent a shiver straight through him, and for a moment, he couldn't remember what language he was supposed to be thinking in.
"You're going to start the technique. Practice it just as you remember. I'll feel every change and help if possible. Don't rush and take your time with it."
Phoenix nodded and took a deep breath to calm down, but his gaze accidentally fell onto the deep ravine in front of his eyes. Looking at it, he started shifting uncomfortably in place, but couldn't quite stop himself from sneaking a glance at the cleavage that was directly at his eye level.
"Phoenix, Focus!!" Diana admonished, her lips quirking in an amused smile that did nothing to help.
Having caught staring, he quickly closed his eyes and gathered himself, recalling the mantra, letting each syllable echo in the air. The rhythm was slow, like a slow heartbeat. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, beneath Diana's hands, a faint tingle began, like someone running an electric current through his veins.
Her hand pressed a little harder. "That's it," she murmured under her breath.
The pressure in his body built gradually, starting at his spine and spreading outward. Every inhale fed the energy, every exhale pushed it to his skin, where her touch seemed to catch and amplify it. Her eyes flickered down his torso, checking for tremors or discolouration, her thumb trailing along his collarbone.
"Tell me if anything hurts," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
Phoenix nodded, barely able to hear her. He felt like the world was disappearing from his senses, and the technique was the only thing that seemed to occupy his mind.
His heart started beating louder and louder, loud enough for her to hear it outside the body. Unbeknownst to them, a star light-years away from them started shining again, its energy radiating outwards into the unknown space.
Phoenix, who was now cut off from the world, started feeling pain just like yesterday. The only difference was that the pain was limited to his spine yesterday, but today the whole body started paining badly.
He did not give up, though, as he felt that his body was transforming, becoming stronger and robust, and felt that this step was very necessary for him, and he should not interrupt it halfway.
When the pain finally ended, he felt his body was filled with endless energy. Phoenix opened his eyes and was surprised to see that dawn already broke and the sun was shining directly on top of his head instead of three moons.
Diana, who was sitting with him the entire time, smiled in fascination. "Not bad for a first time. You have already achieved Level 1: Spark-class. I have never seen anyone do it so fast in their life. But I think you should go take a bath first."
Hearing her words, Phoenix was surprised before he looked down and saw a lot of black waste sticking to his body, and it smelled worse than anything he had ever smelled.
After taking a few whiffs, he quickly turned to the side and puked....