Stop, Stop! I'm Evil!

The sura's lake and river taints stemmed from a fehl hex from Ashera that twisted the Divine Water's original dra. Since hexes were magic and relied on dra, Kilian reasoned that as long as he could dispose of Ashera's foreign dra, he could solve the lake's problem.

[Name: Kilian]

[Race: Half Fehl]

[Age: 19]

[Magus Rank: top-level High Emissary]

[Battle Prowess: top-level Fehl Noble]

[Dra Reserves: 50,280]

[Knowledge Points: 145,072‬]

[Implants: Interlaced Chip Structure <> Lv. 2 Cyberkinesis Chip <> Lv. 3 Anti-Fehl Chip<> Lv. 3 Anti-Trauma Chip]

[Mutations: Stage II Eye of Fehl, Fehl Heart]

[Innate Abilities: Eye of Distortion, Eye of Revelation, Gift of Adramelech]

[Bloodline Abilities: Atomkinesis, Daemonic Wolf Form]

[Unique Disciplines: Lv. 4 Fleshcrafting<>Lv. 4 Transmutation]

From the 300 Fehl Suras' destruction, Kilian harvested 207,000 kp. With 3,000, he purchased the parts and blueprints for a Lv. 2 Interlaced Chip Structure, and with 60,000, did the same for a Lv. 3 Anti-Fehl Chip and a Lv. 3 Anti-Trauma Chip—bringing his kp count down to 145,072‬. The Anti-Fehl Chip enabled Kilian to fry all foreign, fehl dra particles in his body, while with the Anti-Trauma Chip, his brain would not register any damage caused to the outside or inside. Combining those two chips with his Transmutation abilities, Atmokinesis and Philosopher's Stone, Kilian had full confidence in erasing Ashera's taint.

"Grasp of Avarice: Grand Larceny." Stretching out his hands toward the lake, Kilian triggered his Mark of Greed, unleashing tendrils of green light that plunged into the lake and siphoned it to the last drop. Shredded to atomic particles, hundreds of thousands of liters poured into Kilian's body, and though his Anti-Trauma Chip enabled him to ignore the impact, Kilian's Fehl Heart kicked into gear, protecting itself from the internal typhoon's reach.

Shutting his eyes close, Kilian pushed his brain to maximum focus. Purple light lines expanded from his heart, binding to and crushing the fehl dra contained in the foreign particles. Again, Kilian's brain didn't register the move's consequences. Fortunately, he now possessed a Fehl Heart. Otherwise, he could forfeit his life.

Opening his amber eyes, Kilian activated his Philosopher's Stone. Red lightning arcs flashed around his form, and with a thunderclap, he expelled the lake's foreign particles from his body. Though Inyoka and the 400 bystanding Suras couldn't see it, Eleonora witnessed the myriad of dra particles soar into the icy-blue sky—weaved by Kilian's arcane gestures to coalesce into a translucent whirlpool.

Their lake's disappearance and the whirlpool's subsequent rise were the only two feats the starving suras witnessed before Kilian slammed his fists together. Another thunderclap resounded, and the whirlpool crumbled into a torrential rain to fill the trenches left by the lake's absorption. Pulling in a deep breath, Kilian regulated his dra circulation and wasn't startled to feel his Fehl Heart beating at a much faster pace than usual—as if threatening to burst into 10,000 pieces.

The Anti-Trauma Chip was a convenient but double-edged tool. As humans needed their brain to warn them of hazards, wounds and potentially lethal conditions—on a normal human—such a tool would bring more harm than good. Fortunately for Kilian, it'd been a while since he'd given up on his humanity.

Casting a sidelong glance at the suras, Kilian beckoned at them with his left hand, and driven by both curiosity and their contract, they walked toward the new lake.

"I considered changing the taste, but reckoned you'd prefer it this way. Enjoy," he said, before the 400 wetted their hands in the lake, sampling their new Divine Water. With that one taste, their lips stretched into broad grins, and as if prompted by an irresistible impulse, they dove right into the lake. Adults and children alike swallowed as much as their stomachs could endure, filling themselves to the brim and splattering one another in a show of delight and excess.

"Haha! It's back! It's truly back!" Throaty laughs rang alongside the sound of splashing water as the 400 indulged in this Kilian-granted dish. And as the Divine Water's effects kicked in, the suras' bony structure swelled, with fat and meat filling sunken cheeks, chests, arms, thighs and legs. Their butterfly-like pairs of wings regained the lost silver sheen. The men became strikingly handsome, while the females exhibited a fairy-like beauty, with small but well-proportioned assets. And while the average adult's height hovered at 1.6 meters for the males, and 1.56 for the females, it only enhanced their charm.

Seeing the 400 revel in the Divine Water, Kilian had to prevent his smirk from turning into a broad grin.

"Wouldn't this be your first, relatively selfless good deed?" Eleonora asked with a provocative smile while the Mark of Greed munched Ashera's residual fehl dra.

"Nonsense. My gains far outweigh my losses. Best proof is, the Mark is Satisfied," Kilian turned to avoid Eleonora's anti-deceit gaze, and replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. Unconvinced, Eleonora arched one eyebrow, and sought Kilian's evasive eyes.

"That doesn't change the fact that you did this out of the goodness of your heart. Tell me, how difficult was it to find a contract that satisfied your Greed?" She asked in a rare teasing tone, and faced with the bare truth, Kilian floundered.

"You—this is just business! Stop twisting the facts!"

"Alright, alright. You are a paragon of evil. The master of plots and schemes, without an ounce of kindness in you—a totally unredeemable demon prince. Satisfied?" Eleonora bit her lower lip to restrain a chuckle and said to appease Kilian's wounded ego. With a smug look, Kilian gave a graceful, approving nod, and switched his attention back on the suras—unaware that at his back, Eleonora gleefully laughed.

Or maybe he knew but didn't care. In the meantime, the suras snapped out of their trance-like state, and rushed out of the lake to kneel at Kilian's feet.

"Thank you, master, for this life-saving grace!" They said in tandem, nearly making Kilian puke blood.

"How is this a life-saving grace? Obviously we made a contract! A contract in my favor! You gave me your souls, the keys to your arts! This is a deal! A deal! Why are you acting as if I'm some kind of righteous motherfucker? I'm evil! Evil! Stop ruining my image!" Kilian inwardly squealed and sobbed with warm tears. Believing that their recovery overwhelmed him with emotions, the suras sobbed alongside him.