For a brief moment after the explosion within his Soul Vessel, Riven felt nothing at all.
The unimaginable pressure that had relentlessly built over the past two hours vanished completely, replaced by an overwhelming sense of weightlessness that spread throughout his entire body.
Almost immediately afterwards though, the Aether resting inside his newly expanded Soul Vessel began moving once more, however, unlike before, the movement was no longer violent.
The raging whirlpool that had continuously pulled Aether into his Soul Vessel gradually slowed before disappearing altogether, as the enormous quantity of Aether gathered within naturally flowed outwards instead, circulating throughout every part of his body.
It travelled through his muscles, seeped into his bones, flowed through his organs, and reached every tendon, every ligament, every blood vessel, and every single cell that made up his reconstructed body.
As for the very first time since completing the blood refinement procedure, Riven felt as though his body had finally found something it had been searching for all along.
The countless cells that had spent months enduring constant Aether overstimulation no longer rejected the energy flowing through them.
Instead, they eagerly absorbed it, binding the natural Aether into themselves as every passing circulation strengthened them from within.
’Oh this feels good.... This feels very good.’
Riven thought, as the lingering strain hidden throughout his body gradually melted away.
His heartbeat became stronger and steadier.
His lungs drew deeper breaths with noticeably less effort.
And even his senses sharpened until the faint sound of flowing water somewhere beyond the chamber reached his ears with startling clarity.
’So this is what becoming an Ascendant feels like...’
Riven thought, as he quietly experienced the transformation taking place throughout his body.
The sensation was unlike anything he had ever imagined, as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to the violent reconstruction that the Imperial Anatomist had subjected him to over the past several months.
Instead of scalpels carving into his flesh, bones being shattered apart, or unbearable agony tearing through every fibre of his body, a gentle warmth now flowed through him, making it feel as though every part of him had finally stopped fighting against itself.
’This natural Aether feels different from the one the doctor subjected me to.
This feels nourishing rather than pure energy.’
Riven realized, as the last traces of instability gradually disappeared from his body while his newly expanded Soul Vessel settled into its natural state.
At the same time, the Aether circulating throughout his body established a smooth, uninterrupted rhythm between the Soul Vessel and every part of him, as each completed circulation further strengthened that connection until his breathing naturally steadied, his heartbeat settled into a calm rhythm, and the previously violent fluctuations of Aether surrounding him gradually faded into near imperceptibility.
Only then did Riven slowly open his eyes, as the world immediately appeared different.
Every colour seemed slightly richer, every sound noticeably clearer, and even the faint currents of natural Aether drifting throughout the breakthrough chamber had become strangely perceptible, as though he had awakened an entirely new sense that had remained dormant until this very moment.
While across the room, Aldren remained completely speechless.
Although he had witnessed countless Ember Rank breakthroughs throughout his career, never before had he seen someone absorb such an enormous quantity of Aether before completing the process.
As the sheer density of Aether radiating from Riven’s body alone exceeded that of many newly ascended Ember ranks by an astonishing margin.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Anatomist quietly smiled to himself.
Everything he had dedicated his life towards had finally begun bearing fruit.
Years of research, countless sacrifices, and an unimaginable amount of painstaking work had culminated in the young man now standing before him, as for the first time since beginning the Section Carving project, he genuinely believed that his lifelong dream had finally become a reality.
"Congratulations, Young Master.
Your breakthrough was a complete success!"
Aldren announced, as genuine admiration filled his voice while he looked upon the twelve-year-old who had just crossed the threshold into the ranks of Ascendants.
Riven slowly rose to his feet before gently clenching his right hand into a fist.
There was no overwhelming surge of strength or explosive rush of power waiting to greet him.
Instead, he felt something far subtler.
Every movement carried an effortless precision that had never existed before, as though every muscle in his body now responded exactly as he intended without the slightest delay or resistance.
The disconnect he had unconsciously lived with ever since awakening upon the Imperial Anatomist’s operating table had finally disappeared, as he finally felt as though his reconstruction was now complete, and a thing of the past.
"Thank-you, mister Aldren, I could not have done it without you."
Riven said respectfully, as after wiping away the traces of sweat that had beaded along his forehead, he followed the flame rank Ascendant out of the meditation room, and back into the main lobby.
"Huh? What happened here?" the Imperial Anatomist muttered, as soon as they stepped out of the room, as the sight that unfolded before them was nothing like what they had walked into.
The once spotless lobby had become a complete mess.
Several inches of muddy rainwater covered the stone floor while overturned chairs, soaked carpets, scattered registration slips, and broken flower pots lay strewn across the entrance hall, as three exhausted workers struggled to push the floodwater back outside using long wooden squeegees.
The moment they noticed the trio emerging from Breakthrough Chamber Two, all three workers froze simultaneously.
"...You’re finally out?" one of them asked, as he stared at the group with an expression that was equal parts disbelief and frustration.
"Just how long were you people in there for?" another worker complained, as he leaned against his broom while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"We closed the communal hall over an hour ago.... You’re lucky we kept the runes running still, because otherwise your breakthrough would have been ruined."
The first worker explained, as he pointed towards the rune power lines embedded in the walls.
"We knocked several times, but none of you responded.
Did you seriously not hear the storm raging outside?"
"The storm?" Aldren repeated, as confusion immediately spread across his face.
The workers looked at one another before collectively nodding.
"It came out of nowhere," the oldest among them replied, as he gestured towards the shattered entrance.
"The wind was so strong that it ripped tiles clean off nearby rooftops.
Trees were uprooted, signboards went flying through the streets, and the rain poured so heavily that the drains couldn’t keep up.
Half this lobby ended up underwater before we finally managed to stop the flooding."
A strange silence immediately fell over the three of them.
None of them had heard so much as a single raindrop while inside the breakthrough chamber.
As without another word, they hurried towards the entrance.
The instant they stepped outside, every single one of them stopped in their tracks.
The surrounding district looked as though it had survived the wrath of nature itself.
Tree branches littered the streets.
Broken roof tiles lay scattered across the stone roads.
Market stalls had been overturned, shattered timber was piled against building walls, and puddles deep enough to reach a man’s ankles stretched across nearly every street.
Water continuously dripped from rooftops while torn banners fluttered weakly in the lingering wind, bearing silent testimony to the violence that had swept across Stoneville only moments earlier.
Citizens slowly emerged from their homes and shops with stunned expressions, surveying the destruction around them as neighbours helped one another clear fallen debris from the roads.
It no longer resembled the lively district they had entered earlier that afternoon.
Instead, it looked like a town struggling to recover after enduring the fiercest storm it had seen in many months.
Aldren slowly lifted his eyes towards the dark clouds still hanging overhead before instinctively turning back to look at Riven.
The Imperial Anatomist did exactly the same.
Neither of them spoke a single word.
Yet both men found themselves wondering the very same thing.
Was it merely an unbelievable coincidence...
Or had the heavens themselves responded to the birth of the young Ascendant standing quietly beside them?