After a day of rest, Cirrus left Ukhara.

“You sure you don’t wanna take another day to recover?” Jane asked.

“I am sure. Thank you for picking me up.” Cirrus said, nodding his head.

“Have to say I didn’t think this one had that much more firepower,” Bann said, looking at Nox.

Nox, who was on Cirrus’s shoulder, nodded.

“Take care Cirrus,” Al-Kutba said. “We actually found you a ride back to Melen.”

Walking up to him was another person from his past.

“You… Your that merchant I met back!”

“Ay! My name is Ihsan! Let’s cut the chitchat and let's get going! I know you are a very busy man!”

This was the first time Cirrus knew his name. Before he kept interactions minimal for their own safety.

“Ihsan? Alright! Let's see if you got a better wagon these days!”

Sure enough, he did.

“So how’s the ride back there?” said Ihsan.

“It’s good, and it seems you really improved your wagon.”

“Of course! I’ve been making a good living, thanks to your help! It is still a surprise to have learned of your rather… um, uniqueness, shall we say?”

“I guess so, sorry, but I’m still a bit tired.”

“No problem! I holler if any monsters show up! With our pace, we should arrive at the city within a few days!”

“Got it!”

Cirrus got comfortable in the wagon, and Nox, along with Circe, slept in his bag next to him.

 

As he closed his eyes and went to sleep, he returned to his mindscape.

“Hello, master.” Said Hecton.

“Hey-yo! So how is she?”

“Look towards that cave in the hillside and you will learn.”

Cirrus looks to see a hole in the mountain where he made his mine on Circe’s island.

He walked over there to hear familiar sounds.

‘These sounds? Tv?’

He walked in to see a girl with grey hair with red circuit-like veins in there as well. Her wings were all folded up. She turned to look at Cirrus and her eyes now were stuffed into her eye sockets. It was giving off a creepy and sinister look. Her attire was like a certain altered Saint of Orleans.

“Ah, Master! You’re here!” she said, getting up. "Oh I found this thing hidden in this cave!" She holds out a white material.

“Yeah I had Hecton put that somewhere safe, well more safe than this place."

"Oh. I'll just put that back." She folds it up and tucks it away deep within the cave. "It does smell like spirits and Nox."

"Yeah... So you… Hmm seem to have picked a distinct look.”

“You don’t like it?” she said, looking sad.

“No, I think it makes you stand out is all… though I never saw one like you before? Your eyes are… very striking. You can see well, right?”

“Hmph! So am I as unique as Nox!”

“So, have you settled in well?”

“Ah yes! I have! I have just been going through your memories!”

“… I hope they have been curated by Hecton. There are a few I rather not share.”

“Oh yes! He methodically went through as much as he can but some are kinda how he puts it ‘out of pocket.’. Like what I am watching right now.”

On the tv, she was watching an anime he had watched in his last life.

“Ah… That well, don’t worry about that!”

“Very well Master! But um it’s odd but I feel a connection to you but it's… vague?”

“I need to update my status before it becomes clear to you.”

“Oh… very well! I guess I can tell you the name I settled on then,” she said, sitting back down and watching some shows.

‘I feel like she’s going to be… a special case.’

 

Two days later, he arrives in Melen.

“It was nice to catch up to you, kid!” said Ihsan.

“I as well, I hope to see you again.” Cirrus nods and heads off.

Cirrus quickly arrived back at the tower.

“Your back!!” said Ai jumping at him.

“Oof!” Cirrus catches her. “Hello Ai, Art.” Cirrus puts Ai down.

“Record timing as well,” Artemis said. “W-whoa! Whoa!!”

Cirrus took his gear and clothes off.

“W-why are you taking off your clothes!” said Ai. “Did you miss us that much!” Ai said, also slowly taking her clothes off.

“It’s for other reasons,” Cirrus said, walking into the bathroom.

“It’s not for your benefit.” Nox said following Cirrus.

“It’s for his.” Said Circe entering as well. “Put your clothes back on Ai. You will not be joining him.”

Ai and Artemis followed them in to see the tub was filled with normal and high potions.

“Hecton.” Cirrus said.

They placed several Sound Eaters around the bath.

“C-Cirrus, what is going on?” Ai asked, a bit scared.

“Artemis update my status; I rather get it done now than later.”

“… What will happen when I do?” Artemis asked worriedly.

“… an insufferable amount of pain on the likes. I wish I wouldn’t dare put it on any enemy, so please.” He gets his feet in the tub. “Do it and leave the room.”

“Is there no way to avoid this? O-or even how?”

Cirrus could see the look of deep worry in her eyes.

“It results from Nox’s magic. It’s the main reason I ordered her to never use it unless it was by my command and nothing else. Up till now she has used it three times. Once to show me how it works, but back then our contract wasn’t solidified and so the effects were nil then when I fought Hecton, I felt the effects when Astraea updated my status here and now…”

“The Corrupted Spirit…” Ai said, remembering the fight with Hecton. The sky turned white and Hecton was erased. Or at least at the time she thought so.

“… Very well.” Artemis walks over, and Ai drew her blade and Artemis pricked her finger on the point and dropped it on Cirrus’s back.

‘This… now I understand this skill fully!’ she took a quick glance at Nox, but she simply looked on with a neutral expression.

“… It’s done.” She said, stepping away.

“Good, it should star—!!!!”

An intense pain fills Cirrus’s body equal to the 2nd hour of Gram’s test. Heat begins to come off Cirrus as he grabs the center of his body.

“M-my fucking soul is on fire!?!?” he shouted as he dunked himself into the potions.

“(A myriad vapors obscure the light.) [Atéleio̱tos Voyage]!!”

Circe’s eyes glowed to see several things connecting with his soul. It was by far extremely disfigured, as if someone had haphazardly stuffed them together.

“Cirrus!!!” Artemis and Ai shouted as they rushed to see the once soft green of the potion-filled tub turn pitch dark with only the bubbles of the screams and heat coming out from Cirrus to know he was there.

“Don’t touch him. This happened before, and unless you wanna get your hands burned, you let him cool off here for a bit. Circe turn on the cold water.” Nox said.

 

Cirrus’s mind.

“This!!! This is it!! true unification!” Xuanlong said.

“So you going to tell me your name or what? I’m really feeling like shit out there.” Cirrus said with his legs crossed.

“Right! right—?!” she was cut off as her body begins to shift and change again. “Hm? I feel a bit different?”

Her appearance changed slightly, her face looked more refined and mature, as did her body losing a bit of the look she had before for a more grown-up look to her. The most distinguishing feature was her eyes. Her eyes gained a set of rings with six small colored slit pupils and irises in them, three vertical and three horizontal. The main eye was normal aside from being ringed and having no color in her iris. Her hair was now as ink, both in pigmentation and in appearance as it blended with the darkness and her clothes.

‘Looks like the Sharingan and Rinnegan.’ Cirrus thought.

“… Now you really stand out.”

“Is that so?” She turned to Hecton. Her eyes rotated as if it was auto-focusing. “Hecton, how would you describe me?”

One of Hecton’s heads turned to her.

“One of a kind, but your eyes… They are really unique.”

“I blame *****…. huh? W-why can’t remember her name? Or even **********. M-master, I am sorry, but it seems my memories are—“

“Heavily modified, now I see, whatever made you, made sure something like this should it ever occur, information wouldn’t leak… but that leaves more questions than answers? Regardless of what is your name? You said you settled on one, right?”

“Right! right! so I decided on the name Fafnir! I watched your memories, and that dragon seemed to fit me pretty well! I am a black dragon as well!”

“Fafnir… alright then.” Cirrus extends his hand.

“It’s good to finally serve under you, Master.” She extends her arms and shakes it.

 

Cirrus opens his eyes to see darkness and feel the water in his lungs.

“!?!?”

He burst from the water, gasping for air.

“Huff! huff! huff! huff! Gah!!!”

“Cirrus!!!” Shouted Ai and Artemis.

“Water!! Water!!” he said as he gets out of the tub and trips onto the floor.

Ai quickly runs and gets a bunch of water and hands it to him.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

Glug! Glug! Glug!

As they watch him drink, they could see a change in his body. His muscles were now far leaner. Before they looked more naturally bulky, as if his body just was built that way. Now his body looked far, far more toned, refined, and agile.

“Ahhhhh….fuck I feel better.”

“Cirrus… you look like you lost weight?” Said Artemis.

“Yeah, it looks like you lost 20 pounds of mass,” Ai said, looking at him carefully. “But… you look more defined?”

“Yes… somehow you look like you were sculpted out of marble with strong yet soft features…” Artemis said as she touches his body. “Like a work of art.”

“T-thank I guess?” he said with a small smile.

He still is one who is weak towards compliments, especially from his loved ones.

“Hm! Hm! You, Nox, and Circe could really pass for siblings now!” Ai said as she compares the three.

“Huh? He does a bit now? But it’s really subtle. Any other person wouldn’t really notice, but seeing as we all been around him for so long, we noticed it rather quickly.”

Nox, Circe, and Cirrus look at one another, but they don’t see the similarities.

“Hmm… well, I need to check to see what changed, the last time my strength was drastically raised,” Cirrus said.

“Then a good spar then!” Ai said with a big smile.

“…Sure.”

"Master."

From Cirrus's shadow, Fafnir emerged wearing sunglasses.

"Fafnir." Cirrus said.

"My, you look better from the last time we met." Nox said.

"Ooh! You have a very odd vibe to you!" Circe said, examining Fafnir.

"Hmm..." Artemis and Ai look at Fafnir closely.

"Tell me Fafnir," Artemis said. "How are you feeling?" Artemis could tell she was a oddity, even more than Hecton.

"I am feeling well. My mind is still a bit... anyway. Master, may I be allowed to face Lady Ai? I wish to know what I am capable of and to let Lady Ai and Artemis get to know their husband's new shadow."

"Sure, but why are you wearing sunglasses?" asked Ai.

"I saw my eyes and... Well, I know master and Hecton were being nice but they are very off-putting, I can admit that."

"Could we see!" Circe said curiously.

"I wanna see it too! It can't be that bad!" Nox said.

"... Very well. I told you." Fafnir slowly removed her sunglasses to show her eyes.

"!!" Their eyes immediately widen.

"Wow..." Nox said.

"Well... They certainly are... unique." Artemis said, a bit stunned by her eyes.

They could see her slit vertical and horizontal eyes rotating and moving.

"How good is your vision?" Ai asked.

"I am going to put on clothes," Cirrus said. "Then I'm taking a nap."

Cirrus left the bathroom.

"Okay, have a nice nap, Cirrus! We will have a spar later! So is your vision like 40/20? 60 even! Can you process visual information better than well!!" Ai came up to her now, having got used to Fafnir's eyes.

"Why not have a spar then?" Fafnir put her sunglasses back on.

"Let's!"

 

---

Cirrus Zephyr

Lv. 8

Strength: F341→ B761         Endurance: C693→ 699

Dexterity: F344→ D513       Agility: D532→ A800

Magic: C669→ A880            Mage: A

Immunity: B                            Martial Arts: E

Crush: E→ D                          Blacksmith: F

Chain Attack: H                       Luck: F

<Skill>

[Skiés Voí̱theia: Diplásios]

• Able to summon the versatility of The Hecatoncheires (Hecton), and The 6-Winged Black Dragon Spirit (Fafnir).
• When engaged in battle user thoughts will be accelerated.
• Reaction Speed as has been increased while in danger.
• Grants user Development Ability Metal Working, Mixing, and Mystery. Strength is proportional to users level.
• Their essence empower you.