After Jonathan woke up, he stepped outside to clear his head. Sam followed him, but her clouded expression suggested she wasn't quite ready to talk. Despite this, she still went after him, a deep frown furrowing her brow as she hurried to catch up with his retreating form.

Mark, noticing the tension, decided to give them some privacy. He stayed in the living room, focusing his efforts on drawing as much Prana as he could. Carefully, he funneled the energy toward Wesley and Jason, who had retreated to their separate rooms. Wesley seemed to be relaxing, while Jason was likely checking his weapons.

Mark, however, immersed himself in the now familiar routine of working on his Prana core. He repeatedly arranged and rearranged sections of it, making incremental progress wherever he could. Although forcing the countless points of Prana into a permanent configuration remained as challenging as ever, he found himself growing more adept at exerting control over larger portions of it.

His Prana core gave no outward indication that his efforts were making any difference, but that had never dissuaded Mark. On a subconscious level, he felt certain that the path he pursued was uniquely suited to him. Sam may have given him the idea, but this was something all his own, and if he could get it right it would go a long way to making him more powerful.

Mark snorted at the passing thought.

He'd never been one to desire power to an insane degree, but after the fall he realized that if he didn't he'd die.

Everything they had been through, they had only just overcome through sheer luck or a raw contest of power.

Tactical and teamwork helped to an extent but at every turn, Mark could see just how important it was to keep themselves at the peak of their game.

And now the strange happenings with both Sam and Jonathan had opened Mark's eyes. Their new forms were complete against what he had expected. To an extent, Mark had always thought they would become less and less human. The system's interference almost guaranteed that, but what did that mean for the human race?

If everyone started to change in order to survive, should they be forced to throw off what was human about themselves?

For instance, if Jonathan had transformed into that creature and been unable to change back, but kept his personality, how would that affect things down on the ground?

Would people be able to accept Jonathan in his frighteningly alien body?

Mark's mind whirled as his idea of the world grew more and more out of focus. What could he do if everyone was not willing to change what they were in order to survive?

He knew what his answer would be but for others, it was a very different story.

Even just looking at Aiyana had been a hard pill to swallow. These were all thoughts that flashed through Mark's head as he continued to meditate on the problem.

Soon enough though his process was interrupted when Sam arrived back in the lounge.

Mark didn't open his eyes but he spoke.

"How is he?"

Sam hummed and fell down beside Mark.

"He's strong, he'll get over this, but I think he feels guilty for attacking us. Normally, I'd make a joke and keep moving, but this time it doesn't seem that easy."

Mark pressed his lips together and opened his eyes, letting the surrounding Prana go.

"You got any idea why?" Mark asked.

Sam shrugged.

"He won't let me in. But if I had to guess it was because he couldn't control it this time."

Mark sighed and glanced at the door.

"Come inside, don't just hang around out there."

The door opened and Jonathan stepped inside.

"Look you two, I just-" he started but Mark held up a hand.

"Come now. I know how you feel, We have all gone through it at this stage. Just because you're you, does not mean you're somehow immune to your circumstances."

The edges of Jonathan's mouth tugged downward.

"I get that, I haven't got that big of a head, I just feel stupid for edging it on in such a dangerous situation."

Mark shrugged.

"You followed your gut and it turned out okay. Don't sweat it. If you feel that back you can make the same deal Sam and I have made, but the honest answer is that what's happened has happened. The only way to fix this now is to fully explore your abilities, and that means testing their limits and downsides."

Jonathan glances between the two of them.

"Even after I attacked everyone? If you weren't paying attention, I was not in control there."

Sam shook her head.

"But you were though. Sure you attacked us but, you stopped in the end."

Jonathan shot her a dirty glare.

"Thats not what happened and you guys know it."

Mark glanced down at his thumb and index fingers as he rubbed them together.

"Well, you sound kind of scared to me."

Jonathan shot Mark an agitated glower.

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"I'm not scared. I'm just being cautious."

That's when Mark nodded.

"Good. Then how about letting us help? I can observe what's happening in your body and Sam can deal with you if anything gets out of hand."

Jonathan's eyes narrowed.

"You guys can't be serious, here?"

Sam nodded playing off Mark's comment.

"He's right you know. We all have things we need to figure out but how about you go first? The two of us will make sure you don't go overboard."

Jonathan opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. When he closed it a thoughtful expression had appeared on his face as he scratched the top of his head.

"I dunno, it might not be that easy," he said.

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Or, it might be just that easy. You don't know until you try. We can call the others to watch if you're scared."

"I told you guys I'm not scared "Jonathan growled.

Sam nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Then trust us."

Jonathan stared into her eyes and let his breath escape out his nostrils.

"Just so you guys don't get big heads, I know what you're doing but… fuck it."

Jonathan rose and headed for the door he had entered just moments ago. Sam and Mark followed him into the courtyard, where an old tree stood in a raised flowerbed, its gnarled roots breaking through the earth like weathered veins.

Mark veered off toward a redbrick wall, leaping onto it in one fluid motion. He perched there, his legs dangling over the edge, while Jonathan settled to his right. Sam, breathing deeply now that they were outside, took a spot on Jonathan's other side. The tension between them seemed to ebb in the open air.

"Okay, just give me a second," Jonathan said, his voice calm but heavy as he closed his eyes and sank into meditation.

Mark activated his [Meditation] skill, the energy humming faintly around him. He began channeling excess Aura and Mana toward both Jonathan and Sam, the steady flow connecting them like unseen threads. The proximity made a full link unnecessary—Mark could already sense the subtle rhythms of their energy. Jonathan's presence, in particular, pulsed vividly in his awareness, his Aura strangely receptive to the intrusion.

Minutes passed, and Mark felt the shift. Jonathan's Aura stirred as he reached inward, searching for something buried deep within. When his energy responded, it drew in the natural levels of Corruption from outside himself, like a whirlpool tugging at a tide. But this Corruption was different—more basic, more focused. It lacked the chaotic tangles Mark had come to expect, almost as though it opposed Jonathan's Aura in a perfect counterbalance.

As the two energies clashed, the transformation began. The change swept through Jonathan like a tidal wave, swift and absolute. His body expanded in moments, muscles hardening, sinews stretching, his form tripling in size. The cracking of stone beneath him shattered the quiet as the wall groaned under his new weight.

Mark's breath caught as he observed the change in detail. This wasn't just Corruption—it was something far rarer. Two-thirds of the usual twisted energies were absent, leaving behind a force the system labeled as Chaos. It mirrored Aura in its purity, yet Jonathan's body seemed to filter out the darker, more malevolent components of Corruption. The result was a transformation unlike any Mark had ever seen.

Jonathan's form solidified into the titanic creature they knew, his tall frame dwarfing the old tree. Sam watched in stunned silence, her eyes flicking between Jonathan's unmoving figure and the cracks spreading beneath him.

Though his body was still, Mark could feel the battle raging within. Jonathan's mind wrestled with the Corruption, fighting to stay in control. The clash of energies churned like a storm, his determination holding him afloat amidst the swirling pool of energies.

How is this even possible? Mark wondered, his gaze fixed on Jonathan. By all rights, the system should have punished him for using Corruption in this way. The longer Mark observed, the more the pieces refused to align. Then it struck him—Jonathan wasn't wielding Corruption. He was fighting it.

Mark narrowed his eyes, studying the swirling energies surrounding Jonathan. Unlike his own Prana, which sought balance by canceling opposing forces, the energies coursing through Jonathan didn't negate one another. Instead, they fed into the transformation, sustaining and amplifying it.

If Mark's theory was correct, Jonathan's Aura was acting as a stabilizing force. As long as his Aura held strong, he could maintain this monstrous form without provoking the system's wrath. But the implications made Mark's stomach churn.

This wasn't without cost. The problem was twofold: first, Jonathan had to retain control over the Chaos surging through his body, an energy that pulsed with relentless ferocity. Second, he needed to end this transformation before his Aura was depleted. If he failed—if his Aura gave out—the Corruption would overwhelm him, drowning him in its invasive tide.

Mark's jaw tightened as he watched the titanic figure on the collapsing flowerbed. Jonathan's body was steady, but the Chaos and Aura clashed in a storm of opposing forces, each vying for dominance.

Time was not on Jonathan's side. Every second spent in this form brought him closer to the edge of no return and he didn't have a lot of Aura left.

"Jon, listen to me. You need to gain control and close this connection or it will consume you." Mark said.

Sam's eyes flicked over to Mark and then to Jonathan.

"Did you hear him? Get your shit together. You can do this!" she growled.

Jonathan remained motionless as his mind trembled above the vortex like a man on a swaying tightrope.

Mark frowned as was about to step in, but then Jonathan stabilized. His mind found the balance between the two cycling energies.

Suddenly Jonathan looked around, his large form looking down at his open hand in a very human-like gesture.

Mark sighed and then Jonathan began to shrink back to his normal size. The metallic chitin receding into his skin.

A large smile appeared on Jonathan's face as a surreal expression remained.

"Holy shit."

Sam laughed.

"There. Easy, right?"

Jonathan shook his head.

"Far from it, but…manageable."

Once they were finished they moved from the broken flowerbed and Mark fixed it so that they could continue to mediate some more. It was the fastest way to gather energy, so they all spent the night out in the quart yard. By the time the first light touched the rooftops, they were ready to leave.

Everyone gathered and Mark lifted them all into the air and out of Aiyana's settlement.

She waved them off, wishing them good luck.

The direction they had to travel was a little out of the way but it was still in the general direction of the city.

Mark got the feeling that the Corrupted humans were staying just out of range of their most powerful detection abilities.

On the way there Mark tried his best to mask their leaking power, even going so far as to cloak them with [Light control]. While he did this Sam guided them from memory.

The journey took over a full day, and their energy reserves gradually wore thin. By the time they reached the designated area, exhaustion had settled into their bones. Mark descended onto a nearby rooftop, setting them down gently. The group crouched low, their eyes scanning the terrain ahead.

The sight stopped them cold.

The area was densely built, rows of gray, worn buildings stretching as far as the eye could see. But amidst the urban sprawl, something unnatural loomed—a grotesque dome of freshly raised earth, unmistakably shaped by magic. Its surface was encrusted with irregular mounds of ichor, thick and glistening, each one exhaling a low, unsettling moan that echoed across the area.

From their vantage point, they could see the Corrupted clinging to the structure like parasites, their warped bodies plastered against the dome's surface. The creatures shifted and growled, their guttural sounds rising to a frenzied crescendo whenever something passed too close. The air felt heavy with the oppressive stench of decay and the cloying tang of Corruption.

Mark's stomach churned. From the way Chloe had spoken about the place, he had expected their target to be hidden, difficult to locate. But this… this abomination defied all expectations. The vile structure stood brazenly in the open, a festering wound in the heart of the cityscape.

His gaze hardened as he whispered, "They want to be seen."

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