"It will take at least three days," Vivian said as he looked at her.

His lips were curved into a smile, but his eyes didn't match it, they held a quiet tension.

Charlotte stared at him, her face pale and full of worry.

She wanted to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

All she could do was press her lips tightly together.

Vivian noticed and walked closer, his tone calm but firm. "Look, Charlotte, you don't have to worry. Just wait a little, and everything will be resolved. I promise."

His words were meant to reassure her, yet deep inside, Charlotte knew the risk he was taking.

Refining the Vehemoth's heart would decide their fate and she couldn't even be there with him during this process.

Because the refinement process released a poisonous toxin that could seep into the air, corrupting anything living nearby.

The toxin could shatter one's mana core if one stayed too long near it.

However, the user, on the other hand, would slowly gain resistance to it as the person continued to refine the heart, merging it with their own.

"Haa…" Vivian sighed as he pulled her into a gentle embrace.

Charlotte didn't resist; she simply sank into his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

For a moment, the world outside seemed to fade away, leaving only the warmth between them.

He lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Don't worry," he whispered, his voice low and comforting. "Once I refine the heart, everything will be alright."

Charlotte's fingers tightened slightly against his robe, as if she could hold back time itself.

Vivian stood there for a few breaths longer, unwilling to let go.

But duty and determination weighed heavier than comfort.

At last, he released her and turned toward the door.

The sound of it creaking open broke the silence.

"I'll call you when it's over," he said quietly, not daring to look back.

Without waiting for her reply, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Charlotte stood there, staring at the closed door, her eyes dim with worry.

A long, shaky sigh escaped her lips as she whispered to herself, "Please… come back safe."

Entering the room, Vivian closed the door behind him, shutting out the world and all its noise.

He sat down in the lotus position and began drawing mana stones from his subspace one by one.

Each stone glowed faintly blue, casting soft light across his face.

He placed them in a circle around himself, creating a boundary of energy.

When the last stone was set, he took a slow, steady breath and drew a dagger, its blade sharp enough to reflect even the smallest glimmer.

He positioned the point just above his chest, right where his heart pulsed beneath the skin.

For a brief second, his eyes flickered with hesitation, then calm returned.

With one precise motion, he drove the blade in.

The cold metal sliced through flesh, and blood began to flow freely.

Yet, his expression did not change.

His breathing remained even, almost detached, as he deepened the cut until the faint thump of his heart could be seen beneath.

Reaching into his subspace again, he pulled out a round object, glowing faintly red, a fist-sized orb covered in fine carvings that twisted and shifted as if alive.

The runes pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

This was Rokto, a relic known for its ability to halt blood flow. [1]

Its name meant "blood," a fitting title for something that both controlled and preserved life's essence.

It wasn't particularly rare, but its cost made it precious to anyone who valued survival.

Vivian held it in his trembling hand, focused his mana, and the orb flared to life with blinding light.

He pressed it firmly against the open wound.

In an instant, the bleeding stopped.

The glowing runes spread across his chest like living veins, sealing the cut from within.

His heart, now visible through the translucent shimmer of mana, continued to beat, rapid, powerful, defiant.

The refinement had begun.

"Now that this is over… let's start with the refinement," he muttered under his breath.

Sweat had already gathered on his forehead, glistening under the pale blue light of the mana stones.

He wiped it away with the back of his hand and exhaled slowly, trying to steady his racing heart.

The air around him felt heavy, as if it too understood the gravity of what he was about to attempt.

He was nervous, no, terrified, but he didn't let it show.

After all, who wouldn't be?

If the refinement failed, death was the most likely outcome.

And if he somehow survived the failure, the best he could hope for was a crippled body and a shattered mana core.

He hadn't told Charlotte any of this.

She would've stopped him instantly, no matter what it took.

She didn't need to know about the risk, not when her worry would only make things harder.

To him, though, there was no other path left.

This was the only way forward, the only chance to gain the power he needed.

Risky? Absolutely. But the reward… if he succeeded, it would change everything.

He took another deep breath, forcing the tremor in his hands to still.

Then, with a faint flicker of determination in his eyes, he reached into his subspace once more.

This time, Vivian pulled out a small black cube from his subspace, the artifact that contained the Vehemoth's heart.

Its surface shimmered faintly, as though swallowing the light around it.

He placed it before him and slowly channeled his mana into the cube.

At first, nothing happened, then the cube began to hum softly.

A few seconds later, it dissolved into thin air like dust scattered by wind, revealing the object within.

Suspended in an invisible barrier was the Vehemoth's heart.

It was enormous, at least three times the size of a human's, and it pulsed violently, beating with unnatural rhythm as if still alive.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Each thump sent faint ripples through the air, and Vivian could feel the pressure behind it, raw and ancient.

He extended his palm toward it, channeling more mana.

Threads of blue energy connected him to the heart, binding their pulses together for a brief moment.

The heart responded, glowing faintly as it lifted higher, until it hovered perfectly at the level of his eyes.

The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying, like holding a storm within reach.

Vivian's expression hardened.

Without giving himself time to hesitate, he grabbed the dagger again, raised it, and shouted, "Blood!"

He slashed across his wrist in one swift motion.

The wound opened cleanly, and a surge of blood spilled out, but instead of falling, the droplets twisted midair, drawn toward the Vehemoth's heart.

The blood streams were absorbed greedily, like the heart was drinking from him.

"Not enough?" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

His vision blurred for a moment, but he forced his focus to remain steady.

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the dagger again and slashed open his other wrist.

More blood poured out, dark and thick, flowing through the air like crimson mist.

The Vehemoth's heart pulsed violently, absorbing every drop with a hungry rhythm.

Its glow deepened, shifting from dull red to a fierce, blinding crimson.

A low hum filled the room, like the deep growl of some ancient beast awakening.

Then it began, the surface of the heart rippled, and from it emerged countless thin threads, each one no thicker than a strand of hair.

They writhed and twisted like living veins, glowing faintly with blood-red light.

Vivian stared, breathing hard, watching as the threads grew longer and longer.

They slithered through the air, drawn toward him, moving with frightening speed.

He barely had time to brace himself before the first thread touched his chest.

Pain shot through his body like lightning as the threads pierced his skin one after another, each finding its way toward his heart.

He gasped, his entire body trembling, yet he didn't pull away.

The threads kept burrowing, connecting themselves to his own heart, weaving their crimson light into his veins.

Within seconds, his chest glowed faintly red from the inside, his heartbeat merging with the monstrous rhythm of the Vehemoth's.

Two hearts, one human, one beast, now beat in chaotic unison.

However, the refinement was far from complete, this was only the first phase.

Vivian knew that the next three days would be nothing short of agony, a continuous test of both will and endurance.

Despite the pain already tearing through his body, his eyes held no hint of weakness.

They burned with quiet determination, a fire that refused to die no matter how much his body trembled.

He pressed his palms together and began channeling his mana directly into the Vehemoth's heart.

The moment his energy flowed into it, the heart reacted greedily, its glow intensifying.

It pulsed faster and faster, each beat echoing through the room like a drum of war.

Vivian could feel his mana draining rapidly, his reserves thinning with every breath.

His vision began to blur at the edges, his limbs heavy, but his mind remained sharp.

There was no fear, only focus.

When his internal mana nearly reached its limit, he didn't hesitate.

He reached out and placed his hand on one of the mana stones circling him.

The stone flared with light before crumbling into fine dust, its energy surging into the heart through him.

One after another, the stones began to disintegrate, their mana consumed by the Vehemoth's heart until the air itself seemed to vibrate with power.

Vivian watched the glow rise around him, sweat dripping from his chin, and muttered under his breath, "It'll take quite a bit of effort… but I'll see it through."

_______

Note: The word "Rokto" (রক্ত) means blood in Bengali. It comes from the Sanskrit root "Rakta", which also means blood. Over time, Bengali pronunciation softened the 'a' sound, turning Rakta into Rokto. So if you ever come across "Rukta" or "Rakta," they refer to the same root meaning, blood, but Rokto is the proper Bengali form.

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