81 Assimilation

I've listened. Ayla asked, sitting on the wooden floor of her room inside the inn, after she returned, adorned in a plain black shirt and pants.

What's next?

Cynthia was the one who suggested the hunt for the Black Dragon, and without giving her the entire explanation, she decided to go with it. Cynthia, although Ayla felt no love or affection for her and she would often act as if she were a child, with there being times where she disliked her actions and personality, couldn't say she was incompetent. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the head of an Assassin Organization established to carry out missions against the Gods and Apostles of the Light Pantheon.

She wasn't aware of the scale of how big the organization was or how strong they were since she had never visited the organization, and she hadn't witnessed Cynthia fight or cast skills. Not while she used her full strength, to say the least. Even after perusing through the memories of Kaila, there was no memory of such. If there was, she would have remembered it.

Aside from never visiting the organization or seeing Cynthia use her full strength in her life, Cynthia has supported and guided her until now. Though at times her clinginess and obsession were overwhelming (hence the friction they had), she was always there for her, for her to rely on—someone she could place her trust in.

[First, remove your top clothing and lie on your back.] Cynthia said. [Then, take out the Dragon Heart.]

Ayla did as instructed, undressing the top half of her clothes and making her chest and stomach bare. When she was lying down, with the cold floor touching her bare back, she took out the Dragon Heart. The Dragon Heart was large in size, bigger than what one hand could hold with one hand, with it being black in color with hues of a dark purple in some areas and a mist-like aura radiating around it.

"Now wh—"

Ayla hadn't expected anyone to appear inside her room since she had surveyed her room for any signs of tampering or breaking in before settling in, but someone did, and without her noticing. If she hadn't spoken, she would've never noticed. Ayla constructed two daggers in her hand and guarded her chest.

"Sorry for the intrusion."

Even as she stared at the black-haired woman, she could not sense her presence. The woman's words did not put her at ease. She observed every move the woman made. She couldn't let her guard down when she was on her back, which was disadvantageous.

[You don't need to be on guard toward her. She's my servant. Or, as you would call her, my shadow maid. In my absence, I sent her to aid you.]

Why couldn't you come?

[Because... forget it. You wouldn't care anyway.] Her voice had quietened, being no more audible than a whisper as it trailed off into silence.

'She's getting worse.' Ayla dispelled her daggers and relaxed her guard, enough for her to feel comfort but not so she couldn't react if needed. "Will you be the one aiding me?"

"Yes. I'll be implanting the Dragon Heart into your essence." The Shadow Maid walked over to Ayla. As she seated herself in a seiza position, she materialized a gag from her shadow, placing it in Ayla's mouth. "Relax. It'll be dangerous if you don't."

Ayla bit down on the gag. The slight hesitation in her heart, which warned her to keep her guard and defense against the Shadow Maid, withered with the woman's words. Her body relaxed, which gave her more comfort.

"We'll begin the procedure now." She made a few gestures, and the shadows cast by the room's darkness were distorted. The shadows stretched out in thick strands and latched onto the Dragon Heart, causing it to rise into the air and drift towards Ayla. The process was neither slow nor fast, moving at a moderate pace. Its speed changed when it was above Ayla. It came to a halt, and a black-purple liquid fell onto her chest. It was a droplet of blood.

The droplet of blood didn't remain on her skin or slide off. Instead, it permeated into her body, soaking through every layer of defense she had. It flowed through her muscles, then her bones, and entered her Dragon Heart. The demonic energy inside her Dragon Heart, which was undisturbed, became restless.

Ayla had no use for her sight at this time, so she closed her eyes and tried to ease the restlessness of her demonic energy. Even though she had not controlled her demonic energy, it hungrily devoured the droplet. The more it devoured, the more aggressive it became. She tried to calm it, but it didn't obey. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

Once the droplet of blood was devoured in its entirety and woven itself into her Dragon Heart, draconic blood, which was slightly purer and more dense, permeated her veins. Her veins burst, and they were restructured from the inside out. Her tendons, ligaments, muscles, and so on went through the same process.

Another drop fell as the subtle reorganization of her body was completed. The second droplet seeped inside and caressed her Dragon Heart, following a similar process as the first.

It hurt like hell. Her teeth were clenched hard against the gag, and the screams that wanted to come out were silenced. Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood to divert the pain, but it didn't help. The pain was too intense for diversion. Her body was being restructured, and the refined demonic energy stimulated her Dragon Heart to burst and reform at random intervals while attempting to spread and purify her body. Was this what she was supposed to be experiencing? What if it failed? Would she be crippled, just as she was back then?

An unsettling memory flashed into her mind for a brief moment. A memory of Kalia's parents attacking her. The memory itself was blurry, and she couldn't make out everything in it, either from erosion caused by the passage of time or memory loss from such a traumatic experience. But she could still make out Kaila's parents from earlier memories. They pierced her and cleaved her essence into pieces.

The pain she felt that day didn't resurface, nor did the emotions, as if erased. Emptiness was all she felt.

However, during that moment, her worry and doubt disappeared. In the end, this was being run by Cynthia, though she was absent; she didn't believe she would be crippled. And if she were, it would be repaired again. Even when Ayla was experiencing pain, over and over again, she burdened herself further with such thoughts. It didn't stop the pain, but it distracted her from it.

"A…."

Ayla was awakened from her semi-unconscious state due to an indistinct sound coming from above.

What happened?

She remembered staring at the Dragon Heart, then, after the pain came, closing her eyes. She remembered the droplets of blood refining her body, where her mind distracted her from the pain. That's where her memory trailed off. There had been no need to think afterward.

She remained fully focused. As for what it was, nothing came to mind. Neither did it matter. Then she had been jolted from her concentrated state by a sound. The sound of a voice—a feminine voice she heard before but wasn't too familiar with.

"Ayla." Cynthia's Shadow Maid called once more.

"What is it?" Ayla's eyes flickered open. The wooden ceiling of the inn entered her vision. Her gaze turned in the direction of the voice.

"I thought I lost you." There was worry on the woman's face, followed by relief. She was relieved she was alive and well, but it wasn't genuine. It seemed to be for herself. "The transplant was a success."

Did Cynthia threaten her? The thought crossed her mind and left her at the same moment. Whether it was or wasn't, she didn't care. The servant had done her duty, and it was all that mattered.

"How long has it been?" Ayla asked, seeing how, outside a nearby window, the sky was dark. Could half a day have passed?

"It's been three days," the maid lazily said. "I've finished my given task. I'll be leaving now."

Three days? Six of the seven.

After the servant left, Ayla sniffed around while looking down at herself. She was disgusted by what she found. Her whole body was damp. It wasn't just sweat. There were some dark impurities and dead skin mixed in with the sweat. When she tried to rise to her feet, she underestimated the strength boost. She was nearly thrown into the air.

With care and as little force as possible, afraid to use too much force in her movement, she slowly adjusted to the changes. And when she was able to walk around and grab things to a certain degree, she cleansed her body of sweat, grime, and dead skin.