Levi's confidence didn't stem from the great success he had today alone... it was because he knew that tomorrow, he was going to evolve the Void Seed as well, and bestow upon himself powers and mutations just as potent as the Sun Seed.
Although he experienced today a pain like no other, Levi still wanted to commit to the void evolution tomorrow... not because the Void Seed was going to start throwing a tantrum the more he prolonged it, but mostly, to get as strong as possible for the day he hunted down the Hound and reclaimed Seraphis's Pride Fruit.
For he had realized... he was slowly, slowly getting to the point of strength, where he could win inside an enemy's Dominion and stand an actual fighting chance even without a Dominion!
"If I managed to reach Pathfinder's third stage with all of my seeds, my chances of defeating the Hound as a Blazewarden will be around 40%..." Levi showed an icy expression, "And I like those odds."
***
The Next Morning...
Levi lay on the floor of his studio, unmoving, his heartbeat barely a whisper... he was half naked, and covered in black sweat. There were no major changes in his appearance besides the slight increase in muscle mass.
"I can't believe he pulled it off... I genuinely thought he was a goner."
The Titan remarked solemnly, having some nasty flashbacks about Levi's latest evolution.
"Me too..." Ash'Kral frowned, "I never had such a situation happen before with my ex-partners... they obtained mutations, but they were mostly external... not internal modifications... also, they weren't as tormenting as this."
"Ash'Kral... the boy is tough, but the human mind can only take so many hits... if Levi kept going at this evolutionary pace, he is bound to collapse once during it... No amount of will, conviction, or grit is going to save him."
"I know... he needs to pace himself."
Ash'Kral usually would be the first to attack anything that could affect Levi's evolutionary pace... for he desired his goal to be achieved as fast as possible, knowing that he was already left behind by 'them'.
However, even he had to admit that Levi was nearing his mental limit, and if it cracked, there was nothing going to restore it again... He would be done for.
It made sense... what Levi went through during those evolutions was something no ordinary man could handle. The notion of having your bones melted and reforged, your skin peeled off and restored, your soul getting burnt and splitting at the same time of an ongoing mutation's birth... hell, even his spine wasn't spared twice... no one could simply fathom it.
Especially when no pain relief or drugs were used... it was just Levi, going through one of the most torturous experiences a human could endure, and surviving through all of it with nothing but unshaken resolve.
If other Daywalkers were to witness what he went through in a timeframe of a month, they would honestly consider changing occupations... it was a hell only few dared to step into.
"The boy was peeled, burnt, skinned, pierced, altered, melted, shattered, and sliced... whatever way of pain there was, he felt it." The Titan shook his head, "And now... not even his Spleen was spared."
The Titan went silent for a moment and then sighed.
"Sometimes I wonder if I was getting too soft."
"Do get soft on me now, Old Bark..." Ash'Kral's tone turned cold, "Remember what they have done to us... Remember that your realm and people have almost gone extinct, barely a few races left to keep the diversity alive. What we are going against isn't just a nightmare of the worst kind; it is our cursed fate that made us this way... it is the destiny that altered our paths from ones of greatness and happiness into paths of hardships and unwavering quest for vengeance."
Ash'Kral paused, allowing the silence to settle… his indifferent eyes fixed on Levi, who lay on the verge of collapse, barely breathing, barely conscious. Then he turned to the Titan and said,
"The boy made his choice, even when he claimed he was forced. If he hadn't already been set on avenging his parents at any cost, he would have died during the first evolution. His sense of justice and his obsession with knowledge are as unwavering as mine. That conviction is the only reason he's still alive… the same reason I continue my own quest, even after hundreds of setbacks."
"You assume that he is going to stop and live a happy life if I void our contracts and took my seeds?" Ash'Kral sneered, "Don't be naive, Old Bark... Levi is in this until the very end, and he isn't going to stop until he sees the light at the end of the tunnel... with our help or not."
After he finished, Ash'Kral summoned himself as a staff and reached out to the prepared recovery totems on the side of the bed... then, he uttered an incantation and fed him the medicine gently, taking great care of him.
Meanwhile, the Titan watched the way Ash'Kral took care of Levi, and his look when he did it... he couldn't help but smile bitterly. 'Ash... for how long are you going to keep the mask?'
...
Sometime later... Levi woke up with a nasty headache, smashing against his temple nonstop... he growled in annoyance as he used his Harmonic Spine to release a soothing frequency.
The headache was gone in almost an instant, and the painful throbbing turned into a gentle massage.
"If only you could use this technique during your evolutions." The Titan expressed with a gentle smile, "Welcome back, kiddo."
"Tell me about it."
Levi massaged his brows while slowly getting up from the bed, knowing that the pain from evolutions couldn't be avoided or relieved until the end of it... before he could ask his tenants how it went, he smelled a nasty stench coming from him.
"Damn... did I shit myself?" Levi's nose twitched, noticing the black goo covering his entire body.
"Well, it was more like every cell in your body has shat itself of useless waste." Ash'Kral shared.
"What do you mean?"
It was no wonder Levi felt confused. All he could recall was seeing the Void Seed successfully grow its branches without touching the others, using the Alignment method. Then, amidst a brief commotion, a sudden, sharp stabbing pain shot through the back of his stomach.
It came in an instant, making him collapse on the ground with foam spilling out of his mouth... This time, he was silent. Not because he refused to, but he simply couldn't. As Levi remembered his lungs collapsing, the air barely coming in... his blood flow going cold... and a pain so severe it made him consider a quick death to end it, the only thought that coursed through his mind was:
'I almost died, and I didn't even know it.'
Such a chilling thought made him reconsider whether he was really getting strong or gambling with his life... but at the same time, he knew... he couldn't stop.
If he stopped going at this pace... a pace that the three Seeds greatly appreciate, he wouldn't have gotten any of their rewards... his future wouldn't be as welcoming.
'The stronger the foundation, the stronger the building...'