[A/N: We are so back. I am posting this chapter early. But the chapters will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Also, I decided to change the cover of this fanfic soon. In the past, I used AI to create one because I was lazy, but right now I am drawing one. Here's the current version; it is still in progress.]
It was late at night, still November 8th, just above the transition to November 9th. When 23:59 changed to 00:00, Echo Eclipse trembled underneath her blankets.
First, it was subtle. But it later became noticeable as she started to whimper and yelp in pain while asleep. Echo Eclipse kicked the blanket because it was too hot.
Curling up into herself.
The noises from Echo Eclipse slowly became louder, which woke Symboli Rudolf up. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, wondering what the noise was that woke her up.
She sat up and turned her head in the direction of the whimper.
Took her a moment to realise that it was Echo Eclipse, and she sounded like she was in pain!
Symboli Rudolf immediately jumped out of bed, before tripping over it because she didn't remove the blanket. Nonetheless! Echo Eclipse is in pain, and she has to be there.
She got up and arrived at Echo Eclipse's side. There she is, Echo Eclipse. Curling into herself while whimpering in pain. Rudolf can visibly see Echo's muscles moving beneath her skin.
"Echo? Echo?" Rudolf whispered gently as she sat on the bed and held the trembling Echo Eclipse in her arms. But no response.
Rudolf is confused; she doesn't know what to do. She has never been taught about this! So she did what she did best.
Her fingers glided through each strand of Echo's hair while Echo continued to whimper. Rudolf's other hand stroked the back of Echo Eclipse.
This has gone on for hours, but Symboli Rudolf doesn't sleep yet. She is more worried about Echo than her own condition.
Soon, Symboli Rudolf recognised the situation Echo Eclipse is in. Second Blooming.
Just like that, everything clicked together like a puzzle piece. You see, let's give you a small lesson on Uma Musume growth.
Uma Musume has three growth stages. The first, "Spirit of Moving," is when they started to move around as a baby; this allowed the Umas to become familiar with and enjoy the sensation of constantly moving around.
Therefore, most Uma Musume rarely sat in one place and prefer physical activity throughout their entire lifespan; you would rarely see an Uma working as a retail cashier after all.
The second stage is the "First Bloom." This usually comes around the ages between 6 and 12. This is usually what most Uma Musume would stay at; not everyone has the talent to be a professional runner after all.
The First Bloom allowed the body of Uma Musume to level up, like a Level 1 character to a Level 5 character, in just a day. Thus, enhancing their physique and legs to be stronger than before. But this physique can deteriorate back to level 1 if you don't regularly train, like most Uma Musume that aren't professional runners.
What about Second Blooming, you say? This is actually complicated because the condition for Second Blooming is somewhat unclear. What we know is that you need talent to reach it.
That's it, Second Blooming can happen just after First Bloom, or happen extremely late, during Uma Musume's senior year. It's entirely random.
But what we know is that the effect of Second Blooming is qualitative; that is why there are many records of Umas looking different from before.
This is why Echo Eclipse is suffering in pain while asleep; her body is the best of the best. And her Second Blooming is enhancing her body, her muscles, her bones, her nerves, every part.
How could you improve a perfect body to start with? Well, by making it even stronger, flexible, and durable. Even more perfect, hence her pain while asleep.
Symboli Rudolf continued caressing Echo's hair while pondering how much stronger Echo Eclipse would be after her Second Blooming. She was already a monster before her Second Blooming.
"Kuuh..." Echo whimpered as she nuzzled into Symboli Rudolf's arms, burying her head into the nook of Rudolf's neck. That is her haven right now as she whimpered in pain.
Echo Eclipse's waist was wrapped by Rudolf's tail.
Soon or later, Rudolf fell asleep against the wall, while Echo Eclipse was softly whimpering and nuzzling in Rudolf's arms.
...
..
.
"Mnh..." Echo Eclipse lets out a soft yawn as she opens her eyes, feeling weird. She sniffed instinctively, smelling faint citrus. She pulls away from Rudolf's neck, still groggy as she observes her situation.
She tilted her head in confusion, wondering why she was in Rudolf's arms.
She turned back to Rudolf, noticing the shape of her face, the length of her eyelashes, staring at her longer than she used to. She never noticed before, but Rudolf smells like citrus.
She doesn't mind smelling it more...
She slowly leaned forward, back into Rudolf's neck, and...
Before she could do anything, a system notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have bloomed once again.]
She jumped up, surprised and scared, as if she was caught doing something naughty. The sudden movement woke Symboli Rudolf up; she rubbed her eyes in confusion.
"Echo?" Her voice is gruff from waking up, and she can see that Echo's cheeks are strangely rosy.
"Y-Yes?" she stammered out of Rudolf's arms, but Rudolf swiftly grabbed Echo's arms while frowning.
"Tsk, a side effect..."
"Eh?"
Without any clarification, Rudolf just lifted Echo into her arms, bridal carrying style, and rushed out of the dorm room.
"R-Rudolf?! W-What is happening?!" Echo yelped in surprise and confusion, and the girl carrying her soon gave a response.
"You experienced Second Blooming while asleep, and there is often a side effect after Second Blooming. Like a fever or dizziness for a day. It looks like you have a fever."
Echo became even more flustered, her face becoming rosier, as if she were truly experiencing a fever. Seeing this, Symboli Rudolf rushes toward the infirmary even faster.
Echo gave up; nuzzling deeper into Symboli Rudolf's arms, taking a soft inhale of Rudolf's citrus scent. She feels so relaxed in Rudolf's arms.
"Achooo!" Echo rubbed her nose and sniffed. Maybe she really has a fever?
While Symboli Rudolf was carrying her, Echo checked the system notification and saw the changes. Rudolf did say that she experienced Second Blooming after all.
[Congratulations! You have bloomed once again.]
[All stats have increased by 20+, and your unique skill "Run till chains break" increased to level 3.]
Shortly after reaching the two notifications, a new system message appeared. This time, it is from the goddesses.
[Your biological limits had expanded. We hope you can break through your limits and reach where we are. Also, please come to the Goddesses Statue after your recovery.]
"Eh?" Echo's jaws dropped at the news, and Rudolf noticed this reaction and hurried up even more.
'Status.' She wants to see her stats.
[Name: Echo Eclipse
Track Affinity: [Dirt: A] | [Turf: S]
Running Affinity: [End: E] | [Late: C] | [Pace: A] | [Front: S]
Distance Affinity: [Sprint: A] | [Mile: A] | [Medium S] | [Long: B]
Speed: 468 (C: Advanced)
Stamina: 445 (C: Advanced)
Power: 412 (D: Advanced)
Guts: 379 (D: Intermediate)
Wits: 393 (D: Intermediate)
Zone: —
SP: 50]
She had never seen such a high jump; all stats increased by 20... that's like 2 months' worth of training for only speed. But apply that to the rest of the stats.
That's not all either; she can feel her body is different from before. Not from the strength gained, but more essential. Her centre of balance feels perfect; she can feel such subtle sensations from her skin, her heart and lungs feel stronger and larger than before, and there is more that she probably hasn't noticed yet.
"Achooo!" she sneezed again. Maybe she really has a fever.
"Nurse!" Rudolf barged into the infirmary.
"Achooo!" 'Why am I sneezing so much now-' "Achooo!" She didn't realise it earlier, but her throat feels snuffy now, and she feels more tired. She has a fever!
"Stop moving, Rudolf the Reindeer..." Echo Eclipse whined as she closed her eyes. She feels very dizzy now.
"Achoo!"
...
..
.