Everyone waited.
Kael didn’t.
The very moment the potion entered her body, his senses spread outward like invisible ripples.
His vastly enhanced perception wrapped around his mother’s body, intending to observe every tiny change occurring within her.
Then...
His senses stopped.
It wasn’t because they had reached their limit.
It was as though they had collided with an invisible wall.
Kael frowned.
His perception couldn’t move even a single inch farther.
No matter how he tried to push through, that unseen barrier remained completely unmoved.
His expression gradually became serious.
With ten thousand Intelligence, his senses had already reached an absurd level.
Even S-Rank Awakeners who specialized in stealth couldn’t completely evade his perception unless they had abilities specifically designed to counter detection. Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed. After all, his title and Eye of Judgement made it nearly impossible to fool his senses.
Yet now...
His own mother had blocked it.
His heartbeat slowed.
The strange feeling he had experienced while observing Lyra information surfaced in his mind once more.
Back then, he’d already suspected there was something unusual about their family.
Now...
That suspicion became even stronger.
Without wasting another moment, Kael activated another ability.
Eye of Judgment.
Absolute Verdict.
His pupils shimmered faintly.
Invisible waves spread toward the woman lying on the bed.
Normally, the information screen would appear almost instantly.
Instead...
Nothing happened.
Kael stared quietly.
One second passed.
Then another.
Still nothing.
Not even an error.
No notification.
No failed attempt.
Nothing.
His brows slowly knitted together.
He activated the skill again.
Mana rapidly drained from his body as the ability attempted to analyze its target once more.
The result remained exactly the same.
Silence.
Kael’s breathing became slightly heavier.
It didn’t feel like the skill had failed.
It didn’t even feel as though his Eye of Judgment lacked the authority to inspect the target.
Rather...
Something stood between them.
An invisible barrier.
An existence that completely isolated every form of observation.
Whether it was his spiritual perception...
Or an SSS-Rank skill...
Neither could cross it.
Kael slowly lowered his gaze.
His mind began racing.
Even Varek, a Quasi-Transcendent existence, had been successfully analyzed by Eye of Judgment.
Yet his mother...
An ordinary woman who had never awakened...
Could completely block it.
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
Just what kind of family...
Had he been born into?
Just then, Lyra’s voice broke the silence.
"Did... did it work?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern as they remained fixed on the woman lying on the hospital bed.
Kael snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward his mother once more.
Although his senses couldn’t penetrate the mysterious barrier surrounding her body and even Eye of Judgment had failed to reveal anything, his eyesight remained unaffected. He carefully observed every inch of her frail body, searching for even the slightest sign of change.
Unfortunately...
There wasn’t any.
Or rather, there wasn’t any visible change.
Still, Kael wasn’t disappointed.
He had expected this from the very beginning.
The current version of the potion was simply too weak.
Its mana refinement speed was extremely limited, and judging from the state of his mother’s illness, the amount of mana accumulated inside her body had likely reached an unimaginable level after years of deterioration.
A single dose couldn’t possibly create immediate miracles.
The potion would need time.
Days...
Months...
Perhaps even years.
Just as Kael was about to explain this to Lyra, Dun spoke first.
"The potion definitely worked," he reassured her calmly. "It’s just that mana sickness at this stage isn’t something that disappears overnight."
Lyra frowned slightly before nodding.
"So... how long do you think it’ll take before we start seeing results?" she asked quietly. "At least... how long until Mom wakes up?"
Dun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That’s difficult to estimate."
He stared at the unconscious woman for a few moments before answering.
"If I had to give a rough estimate... around two years."
Lyra’s expression stiffened.
Seeing that, Dun quickly continued.
"But that’s only with the current version of the potion. If I manage to improve its efficiency, that time could be shortened significantly."
He smiled reassuringly.
"The important thing is that her condition has stabilized."
"The disease won’t continue worsening anymore."
"That alone is already a massive victory."
Lyra slowly let out the breath she had unknowingly been holding.
She couldn’t deny that hearing "two years" disappointed her.
She had secretly hoped...
Perhaps today.
Perhaps tomorrow.
Maybe within a few weeks.
But reality wasn’t that kind.
Even so...
She wasn’t greedy.
Their mother had already spent years lying unconscious in this hospital bed.
Compared to that, waiting another two years wasn’t impossible.
Especially now that there was finally hope.
For years she had helplessly watched her mother’s condition worsen bit by bit.
Every visit to the hospital had left her heart feeling heavier than before.
Now...
For the first time...
That terrifying countdown had stopped.
No more watching her slowly fade away.
No more wondering whether the next hospital visit would be the last.
Just that alone was enough.
"I’ll personally monitor her condition every day," Dun continued. "I’ll also make sure she receives the proper dosage without fail."
He smiled warmly.
"So you don’t have to worry anymore, Miss Lyra."
Lyra returned the smile.
"Thank you."
"I really appreciate everything you’ve done."
Dun scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"It wasn’t much."
"I’m just doing what I should."
The three remained inside the ward for a little while longer.
Dun performed another thorough examination, checking every reading from the surrounding medical equipment while carefully observing the potion’s initial reactions.
Only after confirming that everything remained stable did he finally nod in satisfaction.
"It looks good."
"I’ll continue monitoring her."
With that, he turned toward the door.
Kael followed shortly afterward.
"I’ll be back in a bit," he told Lyra.
She nodded.
"I’ll stay with Mom."
The two men left the ward together before making their way toward Dun’s office.
Once inside, Kael got straight to the point.
"I plan on creating a research facility."