This was the core, biological craving for vitality shared by all long-life species.
Although the Xianzhou Alliance drew a strict cultural line separating its citizens from the Followers of Abundance, there was no true physical difference in their essential makeup. The only real divide holding them back was mental discipline and moral self-restraint.
When stripped down to basic biological instinct, a Xianzhou native and a Follower of Abundance were virtually identical.
If that were not true, so many Xianzhou citizens would never succumb to the urge to embrace Abundance, casting aside their oaths to join the secret ranks of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
No one in the medical bay voiced this dark truth, but the frightened attendant, terrified that her self-control might fail again, quietly bowed and slipped outside to stand guard in the hallway.
Through the Zygarde cells bonded to Cai Xing's form, Julian received steady feedback that her condition was locked in place. The mutations had stopped spreading. As long as he systematically extracted the excess vitality flooding her system, her body would gradually settle back to normal.
Julian let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Still, channeling Yveltal's power demanded total focus. Whenever he tapped into that specific authority, the dark, destructive energy lingering within his own body began to surge aggressively. He did not dare draw too much power at once, carefully siphoning the corrupted vitality from Cai Xing's frame in small, controlled amounts.
A single mistake could easily drain her true life force entirely, leaving behind a withered shell.
Additionally, as the extracted vitality accumulated, Julian had to pause at regular intervals to discharge the concentrated liquid into the containment gourd before he could continue the process.
These steps were simple enough, but they meant curing her completely would take time.
"Tell me what actually happened," Julian said, breaking the silence during one of his brief pauses as he emptied another droplet into the metallic vessel. He looked over at Silver Wolf, his tone calm but heavy.
"You've probably figured out most of it already," Silver Wolf replied, leaning against a medicine cabinet with her arms crossed. "Phantylia wanted payback against you. Realizing she couldn't strike your main body directly, she targeted the people around you to throw you off balance."
"Elio foresaw her move in his visions. To keep you from upending our main plan, he sent me and Sam to protect your secretary."
Silver Wolf paused, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Those cultists from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were far more crafty than we anticipated. They used multiple coordinated diversions across the sector to split our attention. We got careless, and they managed to slip past us."
"Fortunately, I realized what was happening in time, used my skill to temporarily lock down her vital signs, and brought her straight to the Alchemy Commission."
Julian stared at her with a completely flat expression. "Don't you guys literally operate on a script? How did you still manage to fail?"
Silver Wolf rolled her eyes right back at him. "You have only yourself to blame—or rather, your patron Aeon. Aha has been keeping a close eye on you lately. Because of the Aeon of Elation's constant attention, every timeline Elio tries to view involving you gets hopelessly blurred out."
Julian felt a dull headache coming on. What was he supposed to say to that? Aha is incredible? Aha ruined my plans?
When dealing with the Aeon of Elation, applying logic was pointless.
"If you knew about the threat beforehand, why didn't you warn me?" Julian asked, raising an eyebrow. "I could have easily arranged personal security for Cai Xing myself."
"Are you serious?" Silver Wolf scoffed, looking at him like he had asked a ridiculous question. "If I had tipped you off in advance, would you have just sat back and let Phantylia carry out her scheme?"
Julian rubbed his neck, feeling a brief moment of awkwardness. Her words hit the mark precisely.
As a native of the Xianzhou, if he lacked the power to intervene, he might have laid low. But now that he held the strength to crush Phantylia into dust, why would he tolerate a Lord of Destruction causing chaos in his home?
If someone dared to target those under his protection, he would hunt them down to the very ends of the galaxy.
Though he walked the path of Elation, the relentless drive of The Hunt still ran deep within his veins.
"It turns out you really do possess a form of foresight," Silver Wolf muttered, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied his reaction. "You must have known all along how much trouble your personal intervention would cause for our script."
Her irritation grew the more she thought about it, until she finally waved a hand dismissively. "My job here is done. I'm taking my leave."
With Cai Xing out of immediate danger, Silver Wolf turned toward the door. Because of the lingering chaos Julian's presence introduced, she had a long list of backup contingencies to prepare for Elio.
"Thank you, Silver Wolf," Julian called out to her retreating back. "Tell Elio that I owe your group a personal favor for this."
Silver Wolf paused at the door, a small, satisfied smile touching her lips. Mission accomplished. She stepped out into the hallway and vanished into the bustling corridors.
Watching her leave, Julian realized that his unconscious expressions and quick actions had unintentionally confirmed her suspicion that he possessed knowledge of the future.
Still, considering Elio operated on visions of fate, it was only natural for the Hunters to piece together that something was different about him. His presence had dramatically altered the local flow of events, and with Aha constantly interfering, it would have been stranger if Elio had not noticed the anomalies.
From the way Silver Wolf spoke, she clearly attributed his foresight to some hidden, unreleased Pokémon mechanic rather than anything otherworldly.
As for whether Pokémon moves like Future Sight could actually peer into the stream of time in this universe, Julian had never bothered to test it. He already knew the main beats of the story, so he had never found a reason to try.
Once this mess is settled, I'll have to give it a spin, he noted quietly to himself.
Turning back to the small dragon girl who was curiously eyeing the glowing gourd on the table, Julian offered a warm, appreciative smile.
"Lady Bailu, if your work here is finished, please go get some rest. I can manage the remaining energy extraction on my own. Thank you for your swift help today; I will prepare generous compensation for the Alchemy Commission once this is over."
"Oh, it's nothing at all!" Bailu waved her tiny hands, shaking her head. "Saving patients is just what a healer is supposed to do. By the way... can I keep a sample of the liquid inside that gourd to study later? And can I run a few more diagnostic checks on her body?"
Bailu understood that Julian was using a unique Path ability to draw out the corruption. Yet regardless of the method, any technique capable of reversing the Mara-struck state held immense value for medical research.
Although Cai Xing had not fully awakened, based on the Xianzhou's historical records regarding the affliction, Bailu could tell that her recovery was virtually guaranteed.
"Go right ahead," Julian agreed with a gentle nod. "Just make sure you don't use any Abundance power to stimulate her internal vitality."
As a dragon scion, Bailu inherited the innate, immortal vitality of her lineage. As a high-ranking healer, her medical techniques naturally incorporated traces of Abundance energy—an unavoidable reality for any practitioner in her field.
Granted permission, the little dragon lady instantly perked up. She hopped right onto the edge of the medical bed, carefully inspecting Cai Xing from head to toe while taking detailed diagnostic scans.
She let out occasional gasps of genuine wonder, jotting down frantic notes in a small leather booklet while throwing a barrage of technical questions at Julian—asking about the specific functions of the three floating guardians, the precise ratio of vitality he was extracting, and the nature of the physical balance he was maintaining.
Watching her earnest, adorable dedication to her craft helped soothe the violent, vengeful urge lingering in Julian's chest.
With his mind clearing, his thoughts naturally drifted to Natasha and Serval. With the Luofu locked down under martial law, he wondered how his two guests from Jarilo-VI were faring. Since he was responsible for bringing them to the world-ship, he needed to ensure their safety.
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick check-in message.
Fortunately, because the two were merely guest apprentices who had yet to access the inner sanctuaries of their respective commissions, the local authorities had moved them to secure housing early on. With the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus causing disruptions, all visiting apprentices had been placed in safe zones, with all daily living expenses fully covered by the High Commission.
It was a sensible policy. Most apprentices hailed from foreign star systems; if an off-world guest met with disaster on the Luofu during a period of civil unrest, the Alliance's diplomatic reputation would take a severe hit.
As for local Xianzhou citizens, the authorities were far less worried. So long as a local did not suffer fatal injuries on the spot, their innate physical resilience meant a few days of rest and standard medicine would have them back on their feet in no time.
The night passed in quiet concentration.
Bailu, having exhausted her physical energy while holding back the initial mutation, eventually drifted off to sleep right beside the examination table. To thank the young dragon lady, Julian used his projection ability to summon a soft, fluffy Eevee, tucking it into her arms as a temporary sleeping companion. The little girl snuggled into the creature's warm fur with a blissful, sleepy smile.
As the first golden rays of morning light broke through the high lattice windows of the medical hall, Julian finished the final extraction.
Every drop of wild, corrupted Abundance vitality had been drawn out of Cai Xing's system, and the dark, wooden mutations had completely receded, leaving her skin smooth and unblemished once more.
Yet neither the sudden surge nor the rapid extraction of raw physical vitality was a gentle process. Had it not been for Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf continuously anchoring her mental will, her mind might have shattered under the physical strain.
Because her mental energy had been thoroughly drained by the ordeal, her body had entered a deep, protective state of recovery. She would likely remain asleep for a day or two, but once she opened her eyes, she would be completely back to normal.
"Now then," Julian murmured softly, gently pulling the blanket over Cai Xing and the sleeping Bailu. "It's time for a reckoning."
As he turned toward the door, the gentle warmth in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp fury.
With a silent distortion of space, his figure vanished from the room.
30+ chapters are available now and daily updates!
@patreon.com/AgentTwilight