About the question Jorghan had asked her, she still hadn't come to any conclusion.

And watching everyone fuss over him while he slept only made the decision harder. She felt jealous of the women around her and especially Sigora. Jorghan seemed to care greatly about her, and the way he looked at her made her think of the days back in their world before he died.

But she just dismissed them and lived silently, waiting for the day to return back.

Hopefully.

Korreth, the stern Nor'vack patriarch who'd questioned Jorghan's worthiness and challenged his place among the clans, was notably absent from the residence.

He'd watched the battle from the observation point, seen every moment of the carnage, and witnessed what the Sol'vur heir was truly capable of when pushed. And something in him had broken, not his spirit exactly, but his confidence, his certainty in his own judgments.

He'd called Jorghan arrogant, unproven, and a half-blood trying to claim status he hadn't earned.

He'd been catastrophically wrong.

When asked about Jorghan now, Korreth would simply shake his head and change the subject. His earlier dismissiveness was gone, replaced by something that looked uncomfortably like fear. Not fear that Jorghan would harm him specifically, but fear of what it meant that such power existed in the world, that one person could stand against armies and win.

He no longer dared to question the Sol'vur heir's place among the clans.

None of them did.

*

On the morning of the fifteenth day, Jorghan's eyes opened.

The first thing he saw was the ceiling of Sigora's residence, sunlight streaming through gaps in the construction, dust motes dancing in the beams.

The second thing he registered was the bone-deep exhaustion still permeating his body, not the immediate collapse of complete depletion, but the lingering weariness of someone who'd pushed far beyond their limits and was still recovering.

The third thing was that he was back in his human form.

He raised one hand, examining it in the sunlight. Normal skin tone, normal size, normal proportions. The transformation had fully reversed while he slept, his body returning to its baseline state.

[Host Stabilized]

[Ancestral Bloodline Progress: 92% Progressed]

[New Attribute had unlocked.]

[Negative energy now absorbed will be converted to Blood Essence]

[Mana Reserves: 840% ]

[Mana Efficiency: 449% — Divine-Tier Control]

[Note: Host maintains stable output despite overflow]

Jorghan took in the information with a slight headache. It seems a lot of energy had been expended while he was asleep.

92%, huh.

Jorghan thought to himself. He knew that the progression was taking a lot longer than he thought. During the initial days, whenever the mana got absorbed, it went up fast. But not now.

Though "baseline" felt different now. Stronger somehow, more efficient, as if the massive power expenditure had refined something fundamental in his physiology.

"You're awake."

Jorghan turned his head, the movement sending minor aches through his neck muscles, to find Sigora sitting in a chair beside the bed. She looked tired, worry lines evident around her eyes, but she was smiling.

"How long?" he asked, his voice rough from disuse.

"Two weeks and two days," Sigora replied.

"Your body needed the rest. You pushed yourself to the absolute limit out there."

"Did it work? Are the settlements safe?"

"See for yourself."

She helped him sit up, his muscles protesting the movement but cooperating, and guided him to the window.

Outside, the desert stretched in peaceful quiet. Children played between dwellings. Warriors trained in practiced forms. Life continuing as if a massive battle hadn't been fought within view of these settlements.

"The Empire hasn't sent any follow-up forces," Sigora explained.

"Whatever that woman reported back, assuming she made it, seems to have convinced them that this area isn't worth the cost.

We're safe.

Because of you."

Jorghan nodded slowly, processing this.

"And the clans? How did they react?"

Before Sigora could answer, the door opened and the residence began filling with people.

Swana and Sik'ra entered first, their faces lighting up when they saw Jorghan sitting upright. Katisana followed, already moving into healer mode, checking his pulse and examining his eyes. Sarhita practically ran into the room, relief evident in every feature.

Only Scarlett was absent, and Jorghan noticed immediately. And he hadn't expected Grace to be present.

"Where's Scarlett?"

"She's... having a difficult time," Swana said carefully.

"What she saw during the battle, it affected her badly. She's been staying with me, but she hasn't been ready to visit yet."

Jorghan's expression softened with understanding. "The violence. She's taking it really bad, I guess."

"None of us have," Sik'ra said quietly.

"What you did out there... Jorghan, that was beyond anything we imagined possible."

"You fought an entire army," Sarhita added, her voice carrying equal parts awe and concern. "Alone. You destroyed everything they sent against you. It was like watching a natural disaster given human form."

"Sorry, elf form."

"Not quite human," Katisana observed clinically.

"Your transformation, I've been studying what I could observe while you slept. Your bloodline didn't just enhance you temporarily. It evolved you. Made permanent changes to accommodate that level of power."

"It seems to keep on evolving."

Jorghan looked at his hands again, flexing his fingers.

She was right; he could feel the difference, subtle but present. His body was fundamentally more capable now than it had been before the battle.

"How are you feeling?" Sigora asked, her maternal concern overriding everything else. "Truthfully."

"Exhausted still," Jorghan admitted.

"But recovering. My essence pathways feel like they've been scoured clean and rebuilt stronger. The bloodline did its work while I slept, repairing and reinforcing."

He managed a weak smile. "Though I wouldn't recommend that particular method of advancement to anyone else."

"Mental doesn't begin to describe it," Sik'ra said, shaking his head.

"You created a dragon made of blood. You turned the desert into an ocean. You flew into the sky and destroyed airships with your bare hands.

That wasn't a battle; that was legendary warfare come to life."

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