___ A Month Later ___
Ka'z's eyes were shut tightly as he sat in a crosslegged position, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees while crimson steam escaped through the gaps between his scales.
His brows were twisted together in discomfort, and sweat poured down his entire body despite the relatively cool temperature inside the cave. Every muscle in his body remained tense as he struggled to maintain his concentration, resisting the instinct to stop the process entirely.
He could feel something completely different from the usual flow of mana moving through his mana circuits. Instead of mana, it was his blood that was rushing through them, following the same pathways before spreading throughout every part of his body.
