Within seconds, the cut closed completely.
Not even a scar remained.
Saber's eyes widened.
"That's actually amazing."
Aqua proudly crossed her arms.
"I know."
Saber looked at his own hands.
Then he focused inward, trying to feel any changes within himself.
Now that Aqua mentioned it, he could indeed sense something new.
Something that hadn't existed before.
A strange energy flowed through his body.
It felt natural.
Like breathing.
Like swimming.
As if it had always been there.
Instinctively, he raised one clawed hand.
A Cyan red glow appeared around it.
The nearby mana immediately became restless.
Aqua looked at it curiously.
"What is that?"
"I don't know."
Saber frowned.
Then he swung his claw through the air.
Five cyan slashes shot forward, cutting through the water of the lake for dozens of meters before slowly dissolving into mana.
"Hmm, it seems this is my bloodline ability, though I don't know what to call it," Saber said.
Aqua shrugged as she swam around gracefully.
"It's your ability. Name it whatever you want."
Saber nodded and looked at the cyan glow surrounding his claws. The color perfectly matched his mana core.
After thinking for a few moments, he eventually gave up.
"I'll just ask the kid."
Aqua rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.
"Very well. You should go sleep now. Evolution is really taxing on the body."
Saber nodded.
"You're right."
The two parted ways.
Aqua returned to the deeper parts of the lake while Saber headed back toward his lair.
However, after entering the water, he quickly frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Or rather, uncomfortable.
He shifted around several times but couldn't find a comfortable position.
The water that had always felt natural now felt strangely restrictive.
Saber blinked.
"What is this?"
He tried again.
A few minutes later, he climbed back out of the lake.
The large Kroxy sat on the shore and stared at the water.
Then he looked at his newly evolved body.
His wings.
His larger frame.
His draconic features.
" Did I turn land creature from water creature?" He mumbled confused.
Saber scratched his chin.
Then he simply lay down on the shore.
The warm ground felt surprisingly comfortable.
A few moments later, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Much better."
For the first time in his life, the Kroxy slept outside the water.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the lake, Aqua opened one eye and looked toward the sleeping Kroxy.
"It seems I was right. He really did turn into a land creature after his evolution," she mumbled.
She shook her head and drifted back to sleep.
Not far away, members of her clan watched her in amazement.
From her energy signature, they knew this was their matriarch.
Yet she had changed so much that many of them barely recognized her.
The adults kept their distance out of respect.
The younger Koa, however, were far less restrained.
Several children swam over and gathered around her.
Some played with her long aqua-blue hair, which hadn't existed before her evolution.
Others gently touched her new pink-and-blue scales.
Aqua was too tired to care.
For once, she simply let them do whatever they wanted.
Soon the lake became quiet again.
The next day.
After helping Myra with the clinic for the morning, Ash made his way toward the lake as usual.
The moment he arrived, he noticed something different.
Aqua was there.
And beside her stood another figure.
The creature was over three meters tall.
Dark cyan scales covered his body.
A pair of powerful wings rested on his back.
Two horns curved from his head.
His claws looked sharp enough to tear through steel.
Most importantly, the creature carried a familiar energy signature.
Ash immediately recognized him.
A grin spread across his face.
"You evolved too, Saber!"
Saber crossed his arms proudly.
"Of course I did."
Ash laughed.
"Good. So, how does it feel to be Awakened?" Ash asked.
Both of them nodded.
Aqua was the first to answer.
"Great. I've never felt so alive before."
Ash noticed that her voice had become even smoother and more pleasant than before.
Aqua herself seemed far more energetic and confident after her evolution.
Saber nodded in agreement.
"And I feel like I was missing a piece of myself my whole life."
He looked at his clawed hands and flexed them.
"Everything feels clearer now."
"I can feel the mana around me more easily."
"It feels... natural."
Ash nodded.
He understood exactly what they meant.
The difference between an active mana core and a dormant one was enormous.
For beings who had spent their entire lives with static mana cores, awakening must have felt like discovering a new sense they never knew they possessed.
Looking at the two of them, Ash could tell they were genuinely happy.
Not just because they had become stronger.
But because they felt more complete.
As if they had finally unlocked a part of themselves that had always been there.
Aqua smiled.
"Honestly, I still can't believe it worked."
Saber snorted.
"It worked because the kid knows strange things."
Ash rolled his eyes.
"You're welcome."
"We never thanked you properly, did we?" Aqua suddenly asked.
Ash blinked.
Before he could answer, both Aqua and Saber lowered their heads slightly.
"Thank you, Ash."
"For showing us this path."
Ash was caught off guard.
Then he smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
"Besides, you two did all the hard work yourselves."
Saber shook his head.
"No."
"We trained."
"But you were the one who showed us where to walk."
For a moment, the three friends stood quietly by the lake.
Then Saber suddenly grinned.
"Now enough talking."
He pointed at Ash.
"Let's fight."
Aqua rolled her eyes and smacked the back of Saber's head.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.
Saber looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
Aqua stared at him.
"By the Great Mother, this guy's brain remained the same size. And dragons are supposed to be smart."
She smacked him again.
This time harder.
"Ow!"
Saber rubbed the back of his head.