Integration

After some moments of waiting, the lights in the nine orbs slowly dimmed and finally flickered, before dying out.

"Looks like the absorption process is over," I said aloud.

It was finally the moment of truth.

"What will it be Talia?"

I waited for a few more moments until the cocoon of darkness stopped its pulsing and beating. The steady humming and glow of purple light around it ceased and the cocoon stopped moving entirely. This meant that it had transferred all of the essence to Talia. The entire absorption process was over. I had to do this anyway. The sooner the better.

"Root" I muttered, raising my hands in the direction of the cocoon.

"Return." I commanded, taking away the cocoon from Talia, who was within it.

The solidified purple womb immediately returned to its original gooey form and returned to the ring it came from, entering through a purple gate generated by root.

With the cocoon gone, I could finally see Talia. She was naked, her entire clothes had disintegrated and turned into essence along with the essence of the nine wings she absorbed. That was to be expected, since it was the work of the cocoon. The only question that remained was whether or not she would live.

"Urghhh." Talia groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

Immediately, her eyes met mine. She gazed intently at me with a weak smile.

"I-I did it, Lord Hexarion. It was so painful, but... I did..." She said with an emotional expression.

Unfortunately this moment was short-lived.

"Guahhhhhh" She suddenly screamed.

The cracks on her body returned and multicolored energies emerged from within her, illuminating and covering her entire body.

"H-Help! It hurts." She screamed.

The cracks spread even further within seconds. I stared intently at her. If something wasn't done soon, she'd die in less than a minute.

I couldn't have that!

I had already resolved not to use Hex no matter how dire her condition might be, until the entire apostle incident dies out. Since it left traces, it wouldn't be long before I was discovered.

However, there's always more than one way to do anything.

"Root" I said.

"Recalibrate Item 32 [Cocoon of Darkness] of the Sealing Category Miscellaneous Treasures" I stated.

"<<Select method, form, properties and design>>" Root responded.

However, there was no time to start doing those things. I'd leave them for later.

"Use Preset #12" I said.

"«Confirmed.»"

"<<Preset Selected: Arcane Robe Variant>>"

After it said this, the gem on the ring shone bright purple. Finally, with a few seconds the icon appeared to me.

"<<Recalibration complete>>"

Just what I was waiting for.

"Commence integration with target." I said.

The icon disappeared, and suddenly, as the lights radiated out of Talia's cracks, rendering her incapable of speech and even any rational thought at that point, a black-purple substance surrounded her. The dark energy shrouded her decimating body, covering her entire flesh with its dark materials.

"I didn't want to have to resort to this," I said.

"W-What did you do?" Shamac asked me with curious nervousness.

I turned to him and smiled.

"You'll see"

The vast amount of energy that was leaking out of Talia, breaking down her entire body, suddenly stopped. The energy kept whirling around her as the room was filled with a pressure comparable to the one I released earlier, only fainter.

"This better be worth it," I sighed.

After whirling, the dark energy concentrated on Talia's body, shrinking in size until it was a perfect skin suit for her. All parts of her body, even her face, were covered in the black purple energy. They were all covered by the darkness which had now taken the form of a fabric.

"Complete Integration" I finally ordered.

The dark material which was worn by Talia's entire body suddenly seeped into her skin, disappearing from plain sight. As it entered into her, the cracks which were there closed instantly, causing her to regain her normal form in no time.

Before long, the process ended, and Talia fell to the ground. I could tell that she was exhausted, she had to be. Absorbing so much was too much for her from the start. I suppose I was wrong to think some form of special power would awaken within her if I pushed harder.

"W-What happened? Last thing I remember was..." Talia mumbled as she regained consciousness, holding her head and rising up slowly.

Shamac remained silent and looked at me. She also looked at me. It seemed both of my slaves were expecting an explanation from me. Oh well, I guess I could indulge them.

"You weren't strong enough to handle that huge amount of essence, Talia." I told her.

Her face paled when I said this. She had a sad and disappointed expression.

"T-Then, does that mean I'll die, soon? Without actually doing anything for you?" She asked.

"No, that's not what it means." I said.

She snapped out of her pitiful state and her face brightened at the sound of what I just told her.

'Y-You mean..." She asked excitedly.

"Yes. You have successfully absorbed the nine fairy wing essence, and no, your life isn't in any immediate danger" I said.

"B-But you said..." Talia said, confused.

"My lord, if you don't mind my asking. What did you use on Talia to stabilize her?

"The Cocoon of Darkness" I answered.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"B-But how is that possible. The cocoon looks nothing like what I saw wrapped around her. I mean, it had an identical feel. But everything else about it was different" He asked, even more confused.

"Root can do many things. One of the things it can do is customize the items within it. The form of the Cocoon you saw is a customization I made beforehand, in the past." I replied.

"What's going on? Cocoon?" Talia asked in confusion.

She was entirely lost in the conversation.

Shamac looked at me, and I shrugged, giving him the permission to tell her.

He looked at his fellow slave, prepared to explain what had transpired within her while she was not in her right state of mind.