Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Catalyst

When I woke up, something was blocking my vision.

It took me a second to not panic before I realized Umara was wrapped around me, sound asleep. Her arm lay across my face, soft breaths and a little bit of drool tickling my neck.

I was being used as a body pillow. It was a good thing I slept like a log.

But it made me smile as I shifted a little, turning toward her.

I was glad to see her all over me. I couldn’t really gauge how Umara had been feeling after our conversation last night, which is why I gave her some space to think. She even came to bed a bit later than normal; we didn’t even have a chance to cuddle.

Despite a few small worries that persisted, things seemed alright now, so I pushed those to the back of my mind.

It was rather difficult to think of anything else when I knew my Crown would be ready today, and the operation tomorrow. Part of me wanted it to happen now and be over with it, but another part didn’t feel ready. What would the process even be like? From what I’d learned from Maxwell, it would be similar to a surgery in procedure, but I didn’t even know if they’d use anesthesia. Hell, maybe I was misinterpreting everything; maybe it would just be a potion I’d have to down. Whatever it was, I knew it would be dangerous and still felt anxious, even if the chance of me dying was incredibly low.

I decided I could take a break from training, so after getting out of bed, I ordered some breakfast.

When the room was filled with the aroma of breakfast meats and pancake-equivalents, Umara stumbled from our room, half-awake.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Our greetings were succinct. Neither of us were very cheery when it was bright and early, so our mornings were usually spent in silence for the first hour or so while we cast off what remained of our grogginess.

We both ate and cleaned up before I got a call from Vetsmon.

“He wants to take us on a tour of the city. The school as well. I guess the Holy See has something like the Magsiterium.”

“Mm, they do. It’s called the Ark.”

“So why didn’t Vetsmon go there?”

“Not sure. Maybe it's a relational thing. A way to forge ties between the Church and Kingdom.”

She muttered while stuffing some bread into her mouth, making me hum.

“Well, since we have nothing to do, we can go.”

I smiled a bit before heading to the room and dressing myself.

However, that’s when I got another message from Maxwell, my face falling a bit.

“Shit.”

“What?”

Umara asked from around the corner.

“I’m getting called out. Maxwell needs to see me.”

“Oh. Well, do what you need to do. You’re here on business, after all.”

“Sorry about this. We’ll have more time after the operation.”

I pulled down my collar before walking up to her, looking down into her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine.”

“Hm. Well, just let me know if there’s anything on your mind. I thrust a lot onto you and want to make sure you don’t have any lingering concerns. I did that so you could trust me — full transparency.”

I suddenly looked down at my Aerial after I said that, seeing another message.

“Tsk, he’s being impatient. Alright, I need to go. Have fun with Vetsmon.”

I kissed her forehead before leaving the room, heading for the place Maxwell wanted me to meet him.

……

…

“Where’s John?”

“He’s got business. It’s just us for now.”

“Alright then.”

Vetsmon nodded as Umara walked to his side, the two leaving the Walk of Saints.

From there they took a carriage to explore the city. Vetsmon showed off some of his favorite places including military training grounds where he would practice the sword as a child. Being the son of a Tower Lord, he naturally had an equally impressive upbringing.

Umara didn’t really have her mind on any of it though. Other than the fact that it was based around a religion, the Holy See wasn’t much more impressive than the Whetted City. Nothing could quite compare to the wealth of the Church, not even the Capital, but it wasn’t like its majesty was so awe-inspiring it dwarfed that of the rest.

Instead, her mind swirled with thoughts of John and the news he had broken to her. It was difficult to think about much else, especially with a clearer head.

All the little details about what it meant for him to do that with someone else kept tugging at her mind, nevermind the other complications.

Well, he wasn’t an innocent boy, that much was certain. The only issue was how okay she was with it.

He was at least right in that it didn’t change anything. Umara already knew that even if she didn’t like it, that changed nothing about how much she loved him. And she was pretty certain that he felt the same. It was also fortunate that he never saw much of that girl anymore, saving her some anxiety.

But it was still a bit shocking. It was a blight on the perfect image she had of the two, even if she previously harbored some suspicions. There was a lot about John that she didn’t know, so she was naturally curious. The only solace was that he was open about the fact that he had some secrets, and he wasn’t hesitant to reveal them over time.

This just happened to be one she didn’t quite like.

As such, she was actually rather happy that John had to go for a while; she could ask Vetsmon for a second opinion.

As the big man talked, she suddenly tapped his arm.

“Vetsmon.”

“Hm?”

“I have some to ask about. Or, perhaps get your opinion on. John and I had talked last night and he gave me some news.”

“Alright. What about?”

“Turns out, he’s quite far from being a virgin.”

“O-Oh…”

Vetsmon’s eyes widened, though not out of surprise. It was more so the embarrassing topic that caught him off guard.

But it only took a few seconds for the information to sink in, and he realized where Umara was coming from.

“So I assume you didn’t find that very settling.”

“No. He gave me the details and I know I can’t really blame him. The place he came from is far different from the Kingdom. He told me he first had sex when he was 15.”

“That young?!”

“That’s how I reacted.”

She smirked a bit. It was nice to see someone else with her sensibilities. John was just so strange sometimes…

“Anyway, apparently he had a complicated relationship with a friend from his work several months ago. He hasn’t talked to her in a long time, so I at least don’t have anything to worry about. But… It’s still vexing. I don’t like it.”

“Well, I can understand. You won’t be his first…”

“...”

Vetsmon drifted off in thought, Umara lowering her head in silence.

That was the crux of the issue. She wouldn’t be his first. If the only times were when he was young, then she wouldn’t care so much. He was just a kid and kids made bad decisions all the time. It was difficult to blame any of them at that stage in their life. So it didn’t really matter either way.

But that wasn’t the case with Rayla. Although she understood the complicated circumstances, that didn’t mean she felt any better about it.

It was difficult to think about how your partner had been so intimate with someone else, and to know that you weren’t as special as you initially thought.

Umara sighed, combing back her ashy gray hair.

“Am I just overthinking things? I don’t want to be mad about it, but it’s hard not to be.”

“...I would say that you’re not in the wrong. It’s okay to be mad, but I wouldn’t direct that towards him. As you said, he comes from a place very different from here. Although he’s not the person he was when he was young, that doesn’t mean he didn’t carry certain ideals over. Besides, he’s crazy about you. I can’t possibly fathom the idea of him being unfaithful to you. And that’s despite him getting a whole lot of attention from other girls.”

“Attention? How?”

“Hah, you guys don’t see it, but I constantly have girls come talk to me in order to ask about John. It’s honestly getting annoying. Feiden is dealing with the same thing. I heard his girlfriend had to start chasing them off.”

“Oh…”

Umara’s smiled a bit, making Vetsmon chuckle.

“You two are always in your own little world. But at least you know that there’s no possible way John has anyone else in his eyes but you. So I don’t think it matters all that much that he’s not a virgin. And why should you let those other girls make you mad? It only hurts you.”

“That’s true…”

“The only thing you have to worry about then is the Inception.”

“Well… I may not have to, but we’ll see.”

“What sparked the conversation anyway?”

Vetsmon glanced over at her, watching her shrug.

“He wanted to know how anybody would know if we, as he sometimes calls it, did the dance with no pants.”

“Heh.”

“Anyway, he didn’t even know that Inception was a thing since he came from a place with no magic, and thankfully, has never experienced it. That gives me hope, but neither of us can be completely sure until the day.”

“You’re waiting until marriage?”

“Mm. But only because we have to.”

“Hm, I can’t imagine what you guys would be doing without all the nobility to hold you back.”

Vetsmon smiled at her, causing her to smirk as they continued walking.

She punched his sturdy arm.

“Thanks big guy.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yea. I think I just needed someone to talk to. Besides, I’m going to have bigger things to worry about soon enough. John’s operation is tomorrow.”

“Maybe he told you about that now because of that.”

“...Really?”

She looked at him with raised brows.

Vetsmon just shrugged.

“I don’t know. Just a thought.”

“...Alright.”

Umara shook her head, deciding to clear her mind of the subject and move on.

……

…

The day of the operation came.

Umara and I met with Maxwell at the bottom of the Franks Tower, taking the elevator up to the top where we met with Terrace.

The day before, I had done nothing other than drink some odd potions Maxwell gave me. Their effects varied greatly from making my skin tingle to making my entire body boil with heat. Some of it was incredibly uncomfortable, while some of them made me feel great.

Then all I had to do was wait. He didn’t want me doing anything, not even eat. I could at most drink tons of water, and along with the potions, it all served to cleanse my body.

As a result I was positively starving, but the feeling of anticipation far outstripped it as we arrived at a special wing of the tower.

It was a large medical facility, white stone hallways leading to different subsections teeming with medical personnel and patients, labeled with terms I was familiar with: Emergency, Quarantine, Hospice, and where I was headed, Surgery.

I was about to become one of those many patients.

Maxwell took us to a large room, the entire place relatively clean, but not nearly sterile enough for my liking. I know I wouldn’t be going under the knife, but it wasn’t comforting to think that the people operating on me couldn’t practice basic sanitation.

But then again, they all used magic, so what the hell did I know.

The room we entered had a bed in the middle and some odd devices on a table next to it. Several contraptions also hung around the table, for purposes I couldn’t possibly guess.

Finally, there was a separate tray to the side, on top of which were several large vials and syringes. It felt menacing.

I took a deep breath as Terrace motioned to the bed.

“Take off your shirt and lie on the bed. Once my assistant gets back, we’ll begin.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and stripped off my coat and shirt, sending them into my spatial sack before climbing onto the hard bed.

There was no noticeable cushion, but I was too anxious to worry about that. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I looked around at the vials and syringes again. I never had a phobia, but needles and the like still had me antsy. Especially when they were so damn big.

I turned my head, watching Terrace make some final preparations.

“Is there going to be any numbing?”

“Partially. I’ll explain the process so you understand what’s going on.”

He lifted a vial and scanned it with a magic spell before nodding.

“Crowns are no mere medicine or potion. They are deep modifications to the human body, requiring extensive and invasive procedures to impart. They are dangerous, painful, and can take quite some time to apply. What we are going to do today is inject a liquified solution of White Crystal into your blood, using that as the catalyst to apply the Crown. Once your body is sufficiently saturated, the Crown itself will be applied via an ocular injection.”

“A fucking what?”

“An ocular injection. You wanted to enhance your eyes. Well, we need to get straight into the eyeball.”

“...I’m gonna lose my eyes.”

I felt my neck go limp. Terrace smirked at my discomfort.

“Yes, in a way, you will lose your eyes. Most of your eyes will be destroyed in the process before getting regenerated in their new form. This is the part we will numb you for, because the process is notoriously agonizing.”

“Why don’t you just knock me out? I’m not sure I want to be awake for any of this.”

“We can’t. A side effect of injecting you with liquified White Crystal is the effect it has on your Psyka. Let’s just say that it makes it impossible for summoners to fall unconscious. Your mind will become incredibly overactive, so much so that the only thing that would sedate you is an overdose. And from past experience, sedating you first only worsens the experience when you inevitably wake up. It’s enough to send the body into shock, potentially killing you.”

“Fuck…”

I cursed with a long sigh.

“Am I even going to survive this?”

“Of course. Just because it's painful doesn’t mean it’s going to kill you. Don’t worry so much though. We can’t sedate you, but we can paralyze you. It’ll keep you from making this more difficult for me.”

“That’s not comforting.”

“Then take comfort in the fact that you won’t have a choice, and that you’re in my hands. There’s nobody better than me.”

“...Umara, I’m ready to write my will.”

“Little brat.”

Terrace clicked his tongue. At the same time, I established a telepathic connection with Umara.

She looked at me worriedly from the side.

(Are you okay?)

(I’ll be fine. Probably.)

(Well, just keep in mind why you’re doing this. You’re going to get through it. There’s a lot of people who have sacrificed for you to be here. Don’t let them down.)

(Don’t worry. Momma ain’t raise no bitch.)

I smiled before suddenly hearing the doors swing open.

I looked up to find the assistant, another man who looked to be a bit younger than Terrace.

“Ah, Barron. You’re here.”

“Yes sir. This is John? Pleasure to meet you. You’re in good hands.”

“Thank you.”

I shook the man’s hand with a smile. Then, he prepared some gloves.

Terrace grabbed a vial, flicking it with his fingernail and drawing the fluid inside into the first syringe.

“Very well. Time to begin. We’ll start by injecting the White Crystal. Just relax. This is the easy part.”

He said that while filling a syringe. Then, he placed it up against my arm.

I took a few long breaths.

And so it began.