The moment the crystal was absorbed felt like being caught in a violent storm inside his own body. Chief's veins burned as if filled with hot metal, his muscles jerked and twitched uncontrollably. His bones felt like they were being reshaped from the inside, a horrible symphony of cracking and reforming. He cried out, a choked sound that was part human, part something completely different.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, the violent change calmed down. A heavy stillness settled over his body, a feeling of profound transformation. He pushed himself up, his limbs feeling heavier, yet strangely more powerful. His vision blurred for a moment before focusing, showing a world subtly changed. The magic around him pulsed even stronger, its flows and swirls now clearer and more complex.
