One HP extra

The chamber trembled as the last echoes of the Undying Watcher's death rattle faded. Kyra wiped blood from her lips, her golden eyes locked on the pulsating core embedded in the creature's shattered ribcage. 

Arman knelt beside the corpse, his fingers closing around the glowing shard. The moment he wrenched it free, the ground beneath them groaned. Stone ground against stone as a hidden section of the wall slid open, revealing a descending staircase bathed in eerie blue light. 

Kyra's ears twitched violently. "That wasn't there before."

"It wasn't meant to be found," Arman said, examining the crystalline core in his palm. The light pulsed in time with his heartbeat. "This is the key."

She moved to follow him, but he stopped her with an outstretched arm. 

"Only one person can enter at a time."

Kyra's tail lashed like a whip. "Then we wait. Come back tomorrow when you're not bleeding from three different places." 

Arman shook his head, his dark eyes reflecting the core's glow. "If we leave, the entrance will seal permanently. This is our only chance."

Her claws dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood. "You're really going in now? Like this?"

He met her gaze without flinching. "I've survived worse."

For a long moment, they stared at each other in the flickering light. Then Kyra exhaled sharply through her nose. 

"Fine. But if you die in there, I'm digging you up just to kill you again."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Noted."

Then he turned and descended into the dark, the core's light casting long shadows on the ancient steps. 

The chamber at the bottom was smaller than he expected—a perfect circle no more than twenty feet across. The walls were carved with runes that pulsed faintly, their glow intensifying as he approached the center. 

There, waiting, was the pool. 

Not water. Not quite liquid either. It shimmered like molten starlight, its surface rippling in patterns that hurt to look at for too long. The air above it warped slightly, as if the very space there was thinner. 

Arman didn't hesitate. 

He stripped off his tattered clothes, hissing as the movement pulled at half-healed wounds. The blood dripping from his side sizzled when it hit the pool's surface. 

One last steadying breath. 

Then he stepped in. 

The moment the liquid touched his skin, his world ended. 

PAIN

It wasn't fire. It wasn't ice. It was both and neither—a sensation so far beyond pain that his nervous system short-circuited trying to process it. 

His muscles unraveled like frayed rope. His bones shattered and reformed in the same instant. He tried to scream, but the liquid filled his lungs, burning its way through every cell. 

Under his skin, something moved. Tendrils of light squirmed beneath his flesh, rearranging, rebuilding. It looked like worms crawling under his skin, struggling to break free. 

[SYSTEM OVERRIDE]

Hollow Star Integration Initiated

Physique Reconstruction in Progress 

His vision fractured into fragments— 

A battlefield where the dead stood back up

A throne room slick with blood

A woman's voice whispering "You were never supposed to—"

"You're not worthy," the darkness hissed, its voice made of breaking bones. 

Arman's teeth ground together hard enough to crack enamel. "Try. Harder." 

[VOID ECHO ACTIVATED: REFUSAL TO DIE]

Willpower Check: Critical Success

Mental Resistance: ∞

Time lost meaning. Minutes? Hours? Days? The pain was eternal. 

Then— 

A shift. 

The agony didn't lessen, but it changed. Became purposeful. His ribs expanded. His muscles thickened with terrifying precision. He could feel his very DNA rewriting itself. 

[CONSTITUTION EVOLVED] 

[STRENGTH ASCENDED]

[AGILITY ENHANCED]

Still the pool burned. Still it remade him. 

The liquid flared blindingly bright— 

—and everything went black. 

—Kyra—

The moment the stone slab sealed shut behind Arman, the chamber fell into silence.

Kyra pressed her ear against the cold stone, her claws digging into the rough surface. For the first few minutes—nothing. Then—

A scream.

Not a shout of pain. Not a cry of frustration.

A raw, guttural howl that shook the very walls.

Her tail bristled. Her ears flattened.

"Arman?!"

No answer. Just another scream, louder this time, followed by the sound of something thrashing violently in water.

Kyra slammed her fists against the door. "Arman! Answer me!"

Silence.

Then—

A wet, choking gasp. The sound of bones cracking.

Her stomach twisted. She knew that sound. She'd heard it before—in cages, in dark rooms where men thought no one was listening. The sound of a body breaking.

"Stop!" she snarled, kicking the door. "Whatever the hell you're doing to him—stop!"

No response.

The screams came again. And again. And again.

Hours passed. Maybe days. She lost track.

But she still stayed restless.

Kyra hadn't stopped since pacing hours ago. 

She walked around the sealed door as if it where to open at any time, her claws leaving grooves in the stone beneath her. Three days. Three days of listening to his screams echo through the walls before silence fell. 

Then— 

A sound like shattering glass. 

The runes along the door flared white-hot before crumbling to dust. The ground trembled as the massive stone slab slid aside with a groan. 

And there he stood. 

Kyra's breath caught in her throat. 

Arman was... different. Taller by at least two inches, his frame broader, more powerful. Every muscle stood in perfect definition, as if carved from marble by a master sculptor. His jawline had sharpened, his shoulders widened, his— 

Her face burned. 

"Wow," she managed, her voice strangled. "Is it supposed to be that big?"

Arman looked down at himself, then back at her, one eyebrow raised. "Not worried anymore, I take it?" 

Kyra launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his waist with enough force to stagger even his new form. "Idiot," she muttered into his chest. "You have no idea how much I—" 

He stiffened for only a second before relaxing, one hand coming to rest between her ears. "I'm fine."

She pulled back just enough to glare up at him. "You were screaming for three days straight!"

"And now I'm not."

She huffed but didn't let go, her fingers tracing the new ridges of muscle along his sides. 

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION 

Hollow Star Integration Complete

New Trait Acquired: "Stellar Constitution"

Magic Adaptability Increased 

New Skill Unlocked: Time Dilation (Limited)

Arman rolled his shoulders, feeling the power thrumming beneath his skin. The changes weren't just physical—he could feel the energy of the stars themselves humming in his veins. 

Kyra's nose twitched as she leaned closer. "You smell like a lightning storm." 

"Perks of bathing in liquid starlight."

Her gaze drifted downward—then froze. "I forgeot…, your clothes"

Arman smirked. "you're staring…" 

Kyra's tail flicked. As she walked backwards

But she didn't look away. 

"Nevermind"

A brilliant screen suddenly materialized in front of me: 

[STATUS UPDATE AVAILABLE] 

[CHECK NEW PARAMETERS? Y/N]