The Titan doubled down as he watched Levi's back arch off the ground, his heels digging into the floor reflexively... his bones were the ones moving him now, and all he could do was struggle through the burning line that traveled up his spine, from his lower back to the base of his skull.
Not even the Harmonic Spine was spared from evolution... Usually, the three seeds didn't interfere with each other when it came to mutations. However, Levi's spine and the rest of his bones were still human even when the Harmonic Spine integrated itself with them.
The Sun Seed was reforging his entire skeleton, and it wouldn't work if it left the Harmonic Spine untouched.
Levi didn't even seem to notice or care... all he did was scream and pray for the process to end faster as he was slowly finding himself on the brink of losing his consciousness.
Sweat gathered on his forehead and evaporated an instant later... his breath felt as hot as a metal-burning furnace.
The only reason Levi was still maintaining his sanity was due to his experience... he was burned twice in a row in less than a month.
Although it didn't lessen the pain, it meant that Levi knew how to mentally stay awake through it.
'I did it twice... argh... I will do it again!'
Levi's Harmonic Spine vision turned everything into a spinning mess... in that colorful mess, Levi started hallucinating scenes of his family's trip to the central garden around Willow Grove.
Memories, mixed with pain and intense heat, gave birth to a future he wished dearly to see again... although Levi knew that was an impossible dream to fulfill anymore, he didn't care. He just kept watching his mother's gentle smile, his father's loud laughter, his little brother getting chased by a dog... and him, rushing to save him with a stick while laughing at his misery.
This simple and ordinary life, which many took for granted, was everything to Levi... and every time he imagined it, he remembered what was stolen from him and his reasoning for putting up with everything he went through.
A simple reminder, and yet... it was enough to push him through the agony of having his skeleton melted and reconstructed... over, and over again... Even his Harmonic Spine had been reconstructed while integrating with the new spine.
Only when his bones turned into one of the densest materials in the universe and had billions of tiny illuminating inscriptions written on them did the process slow down immensely.
As the heat died off and the pain gradually lessened, Levi's bones began cracking into place, sending a heavy wave of relief through his system.
No more pain, no more torture... his body was still illuminated and as hot as a furnace. Yet, Levi didn't seem to feel any of it.
Slowly, he tried to stand up, feeling his legs trembling beneath him... His body moved, but every motion he made dragged a new weight with it, like his bones felt heavier than steel.
Levi gritted his teeth and pushed harder until his spine straightened with a loud series of cracks, resounding like wood snapping under pressure. His knees buckled for a moment, but he caught himself, panting through a clenched jaw.
The faint golden light shining from his bones leaked through his skin, glowing in thin lines along his arms, ribs, spine, and neck, awakening the dormant Sun Skin's tattoos for a brief moment.
His hair remained short and ethereal green, but when mixed with the golden light, it changed to faint chartreuse... the new color lasted for no less than a second before the golden light faded away, leaving Levi to stare at his own hands in disbelief.
"What kind of strength is this... my entire body feels thick, unbreakable, like it is made from stone."
Following his stunned voice, Levi finally stood up upright; the floor beneath him groaned under his weight... not a lot, but enough for him to notice.
"Star-Forged Skeleton..." Ash'Kral smiled in satisfaction. "Sun Seed has mutated your skeleton to a Divine Grade, matching the skeletons of Radians' Royalty... It's the same grade as your Sun Skin with its own perks."
Levi tightened his hands into fists and felt like he was holding weapons of mass destruction... the force coursing through them made him feel like he could punch an entire building down with a single strike!
Though he could feel that his muscles were left behind, and if he were to go for it, it might not end well for his flesh.
"Congratulations..." The Titan smiled. "Your physical strength is slowly catching up to your spiritual prowess... now, you can take more hits without needing any defensive ability."
"Don't bait him to an early death." Ash'Kral chided. "Ignore his comments... your bones have indeed been enhanced immensely, but unless the rest catches up to its level, it's best to be careful how to utilize them."
Levi nodded in agreement... he could feel that his muscles were lagging, and if he relied on his skeleton alone, his flesh and organs might turn to mush while his bones remained unbroken.
"Still... this is amazing."
Levi's smile widened, completely forgetting about the agony from before... he used his Harmonic Spine to look through his skin and flesh until his entire skeleton was painted in his vision.
What he saw left him utterly mesmerized... his skeleton remained white, as no mutation occurred. However, the billions of golden inscriptions written across it in triangle-like formations told a different story.
They shimmered faintly, making his bones appear as if they were crafted from pure gold. But then... his mesmerized expression turned to dread when he noticed the light never faded.
"Shit... won't this get me in trouble?" Levi swiftly asked Ash'Kral. "Is there a way to turn them off?"
"Just do the same you did with the Sun Skin." Ash'Kral reminded. "Divine mutations can stay dormant and be awakened through your will."
Once he heard this, Levi immediately willed the inscriptions to turn off... as expected, they dimmed rapidly until his bones returned to their original state, showing no abnormalities.
He was surprised to feel lighter again, as if he had shed a suit weighing tons. He jumped a couple of times, then performed a perfect backflip, landing on a single toe... and yet, his stability was unmatched!
"Holy... I feel like I am made of liquid metal."
Levi exclaimed as he dropped into a split, his legs stretching in a straight line on the floor without him feeling any struggle or pain.
"Star-Forged Skeleton gives you access to both extremities of having one," Ash'Kral explained. "Once the inscriptions are dormant, the bones become extremely light but still tough, giving you full access to your skeleton's structure. You can move it in any direction you desire, and it will still twist in a manner to make it work."
Hearing this, Levi extended his arm forward, grasped his hand, and began bending it toward his elbow... usually, an average person would feel like they were pushing against their body's limits, but in Levi's case? His arm bent backward as if the bones were made of jelly!
"Woaaah... this is freaky, but insane."
Levi laughed in delight as he began messing with his own body's structure, eager to discover its limits.
"The other extreme shows only if you activate the inscriptions, turning your bones as heavy as your body can handle... of course, if you activate them under sunlight, the enhancements will be a league of their own due to your Sun Skin enhancing your overall body's physique."
Ash'Kral continued explaining, his lips twitching, while Levi had already twisted himself into a spider-like form, walking across the studio on his fingers alone... laughing with delight like a child granted full access to his skeleton for the first time.
"This won't do; I have to test the enhancements the right way!"
The third chapter will come around two hours later! Stay tuned!
MidGard