Chapter 245: Chapter 245 - Stormforged Vitality
[Your blood and body have undergone secondary modifications as part of the renewed bonding process.]
[Epic – Stormforged Vitality (Passive)]
[Because of the repeated vitality-sharing, your lifeforce now flows with both your own and Lyrassa’s essence.]
[Effect: Natural Health and Stamina regeneration greatly accelerated after taking critical damage.]
[Regeneration persists even while moving or fighting.]
[Side Effect: Your heartbeat occasionally surges like thunder, spiking your physical output for a few seconds. Strength and Agility increase by +15% temporarily.]
[Your circulatory and nervous systems have partially attuned to elemental lightning.]
[Stormforged resonance stabilizes your body under extreme elemental pressure.]
[Your Elemental Markings have subtly altered: faint streaks of golden lightning arc through the vine-like patterns, glowing when regeneration is triggered.]
Then, more system messages flickered into Atlas’s vision, one after another, confirming the upgrades he had earned.
First, from being struck by the lightning itself. And second... from the bond he had deepened with Lyrassa.
Stormforged Vitality?
Maybe... with this new skill, I actually have a better shot at finishing this quest?
According to the brief description, the skill granted him a passive boost—one that would increase both his Health and Stamina whenever he received critical damage.
An extraordinary passive.
It was the kind of skill built for those who danced on the edge of danger. Just like he had been doing all this time.
Then another notification followed.
The Elemental Markings on his back had also been upgraded.
Though no specific effects were explained in detail, he noticed something: a new golden lightning pattern had been added to the tattoo-like pattern etched across his back.
And then... back to what Lyrassa had just explained to him.
So... did that mean she was also...?
"Lyrassa," Atlas murmured softly. "Could you explain to me... in more detail..."
He paused, unsure how to phrase it, though a playful smile had already started to form on his face.
"Do nature spirits... get pregnant the same way humans do?"
Lyrassa let out a quiet giggle. "You could say... something similar. But not quite in the same way."
"You always make your explanations so hard to understand," he chuckled in return.
Then, without thinking, Atlas pulled her just a little closer. And Lyrassa responded, melting into the embrace without hesitation.
"So," he continued with a grin, "does that mean I’ll soon have two children on the way. One from you, and one from Morganna?"
Lyrassa laughed again. A soft, rare sound, full of lightness. "Morganna will give birth first, my Lord. That way, she can keep her status as your first wife."
Atlas laughed as well, realizing how unusual this family of his was turning out to be. A union formed not just by tradition, but through unique bonds. His blood contract with Morganna, and the Sacred Bond he now shared with Lyrassa.
"With both you and Morganna influencing my blood and body... what exactly will I become in the future?" he asked. "I just hope I can still keep my human form."
"Evolving into something greater doesn’t mean you need to look like a monster, my Lord," she replied with a gentle smile. "Let your mind be monstrous if it must. Your body can stay as it is."
"I hope so too," he said softly.
Then a moment of silence passed between them.
"Can we... know the gender of the children? The one Morganna will have, and the one from you? I mean, Morganna’s can probably be scanned with magic or something like an ultrasound... But what about yours?" He paused. "Where do you even... carry it? Is it like a seed? Or something else?"
Lyrassa laughed again. "That will be our little mystery, my Lord. A surprise waiting for the right moment. I’m sure you don’t want to peek too far ahead, do you?"
Atlas let out a breath of amusement and smiled.
"I suppose I can’t force that one, can I?"
They spent a little more time in that quiet place, just the two of them, letting the moment stretch. Talking, listening, letting the silence between their words say as much as their voices did. Atlas found himself hearing more from Lyrassa than he ever had before. And in this moment, he felt closer to her than ever.
Eventually, time pressed forward, as it always did. They both stirred, ready to rise.
Atlas sat up, realizing his chest was bare. But his strength... it had returned. Fully. He felt vigor in every breath, power in every muscle.
Lyrassa moved beside him, gently unraveling the vine cocoon that had shielded them. As the green shell opened, the jagged peaks came into view around them. Their shelter hidden in a basin of stone.
Atlas glanced to one side and spotted a tent set between two sharp cliffs. From the distance, Serenith waved at him brightly.
With a sharp breath, he leapt down, landing with a solid thud on the ground below. Lyrassa followed soon after, descending in a gentle float.
Serenith bolted toward Atlas. With her usual sparkle of energy, she launched herself into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
"My Lord... you’re back! Hahaha!" she exclaimed, laughing with joy. "I was so worried. Seriously! I even dreamed you turned into a roasted turkey. You slept so long I almost thought we’d have to start planting flowers around you! But now you’re fine! Lyrassa healed you, and you look even stronger! My Lord... you slept forever!"
Atlas chuckled, patting her back gently.
"Thanks, Sera. For keeping everything safe out here while I recovered."
They walked together toward the tent where Kurogasa stood waiting. As Atlas approached, the Ninja Rat gave a deep, respectful bow.
"My Lord," he said, "I cannot express how glad I am to see you recovered. This place has held its breath in your absence. The storm may still rage... but seeing you rise from it with new strength brings peace to us all."
"The quest isn’t over yet. The fight’s not finished," Atlas said firmly.
He then took the time to finally enjoy a proper meal. The hunger hit him hard the moment the first bite of food and sip of water touched his stomach. It was like his body had been waiting for permission to feel it. Perhaps Lyrassa’s healing had kept him stable through those five days, suppressing his physical needs. But at the end of the day, he was still human. And humans needed to eat.
As they sat together, Kurogasa gave his report. Everything at Gacha Haven was proceeding according to plan. The resource gathering, the team’s leveling progress, and the overall stability of the dominion.
By late afternoon, Atlas rose to his feet once more. His body felt strong again. Ready. Even if the memory of being struck by lightning still lived sharp in his mind... he hardened his resolve.
He summoned his full armor. Then came the Wavebreaker Spear.
Atlas nodded once, sharply. He inhaled deeply.
And then, his body ignited in golden arcs as he launched forward.
He sprinted across the jagged peak’s wall, defying gravity, every leap smoother than the last. He held back just enough to time each step, activating Lightning Step only when needed, his movement so precise it was like the peaks had become flat ground beneath his feet.
His spear spun in his hand again, steady and fast.
He pushed forward.
Let’s finish this quest. He wasn’t going to rest. Not until every trial was done, not until he carved his path straight through the heart of the storm... and claimed every last skill the Tempest Warden class had to offer!