Celia let out a satisfied sigh as the bathroom door opened. Steam from her shower followed her out in a thin, misty trail.
Her hair had puffed up in the heat, making it look fluffier than usual. A towel was draped around her neck as she carefully dried her hair—a complete contrast to how Magnus acted after his showers. She'd already changed into one of his pajama sets. It was a button-up with dark red and black colors, not the kind you pull over your head. Celia picked this set because it looked fuzzy and felt soft to the touch. Magnus was taller than her, so the shirt's sleeves and waist were a bit long, and the pant legs hung low, but she didn't mind.
This was the first time she'd worn Magnus's pajamas. She'd seen him wear them plenty of times and always thought they looked comfortable, but actually wearing them was something else.
Just like the snacks and drinks from Magnus's home—wherever that was—had surprised her taste buds, these clothes were unbelievably cozy.
"I can't believe you get to wear stuff like this all the time. Now I get why Hisel's trying so hard to sell them," Celia murmured, her voice carrying softly through the quiet dorm room. She got no response at first. Looking over, she spotted Magnus lying there. He was also in pajamas, different from hers—thinner and solid dark blue.
After a moment, she crossed to the other side of the bed and sat down, one leg curled under her, the other hanging off the edge. She swept all her hair to one side, letting it fall over her shoulder as she dried it.
"So, what's got you thinking so hard?" She asked.
"Fifty-four thousand, three hundred and twenty-two," Magnus answered, surprising her with his response.
"What?" She said, bewildered.
Magnus blinked, shaking off his daze. He turned his head and gave her a small smile.
"Sorry, I was a bit distracted. But that's the number of inconsistencies on the ceiling—paint's a little too thick in some spots." He said it like that would clear things up, but it only made Celia more confused. She glanced up at the dorm room ceiling but saw nothing unusual. It looked flawless, just like all the buildings and structures at Takerh Academy. Whatever paint thickness or flaws Magnus mentioned didn't seem to be there at all.
"I don't see anything," she said, turning back to him.
Magnus looked surprised to hear that, staring at her for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the ceiling.
"Huh. Guess my eyesight's better than I thought. Honestly, it's hard to compare what you remember seeing before to how you see things now." When Magnus mentioned his vision, Celia couldn't help but think about how much his eyes had changed—from amber, a color she'd hardly ever seen before, to a molten gold that caught light in impossible ways for a normal eye.
"Magnus... what kind of modifications did you actually make to yourself?"
He raised a brow, glancing at her sideways.
"Oh, you're curious now? I thought you hated it when I did this stuff."
Celia rolled her eyes a little.
"I do. But since you keep getting into trouble and have to use it, I might as well satisfy my curiosity."
"That's funny. Eveline was curious too. But I guess you get to hear it first."
Magnus rolled onto his side, facing her before asking, "First off, do you know the basics of my abilities? Like, what I need to do to use them?"
Celia thought for a moment, then stood and walked over to hang the towel over the back of the sofa before answering.
"Your... imagination, right?"
"Yeah, basically. Imagination, visualization, my mindscape," Magnus confirmed.
She sat fully on the bed, facing him, looking thoughtful.
"So, the more creative you get, the stronger you are?"
Magnus made a fifty-fifty motion with his hand.
"Eh, sort of. My imagination has to be accurate, too."
Celia narrowed her eyes, like she'd just heard something strange.
"But isn't the point of imagining things to make them unrealistic?"
Magnus clapped his hands together and said, "And now you get a little of my pain."
They both laughed for a moment before Magnus continued.
"But yeah, if imagination was the only limit, I wouldn't be in half the trouble I get into. The real problem is this," Magnus said, tapping the side of his head.
"My brain. See, the mind, where your true consciousness lives, is infinite. But it's tied to the brain, which is, unfortunately, a lot more limited. It was... or rather, it used to be a wall for me. Mortal limits—the one thing I couldn't overcome."
The word that stood out most to Celia was the one she repeated.
"You said, 'was'?"
Magnus paused, sighed, then nodded.
"Well, if something can't do the job as it is, you have no choice but to improve it, right?" Her eyes widened slowly as she started to understand.
"W-wait, Magnus. You- Did you-" Her gaze drifted involuntarily to his forehead.
"I already did it to the rest of my body. The brain was the last part left," he said calmly, but that made Celia sit up straight.
"That's different! That's your brain! What if you made a mistake!? You could have- you would have..." She couldn't finish, as if saying it aloud might make it real.
"I wasn't exactly thinking about that when I did it. It was kind of a life-or-death situation, so I figured I might as well try. Besides, I wasn't going in blind. I've studied nearly every book on the human body, back in the Major General's library and here at the academy. I know almost every part of it, including the brain. Plus, I've had plenty of chances to examine my own body's internal anatomy."
Now, had he really been in the right mindset to be playing brain surgeon while fighting an immortal vampire?
Probably not. He did go brain-dead for a few seconds there.
Celia rubbed the side of her neck and sighed deeply—not angry or annoyed, but a mix of disbelief and worry.
"I... Even if you knew what you were doing, how do you keep getting yourself into these messes? First trapped underground in a magma chamber, then fighting immortal vampires. You almost lost your arm during the Live Examination." She listed everything off with a dry laugh, as if she couldn't believe it herself. Magnus laughed along.
"I honestly don't know. Trouble just seems to follow me," he said, throwing his hands up.
Celia stared at Magnus for a moment, then leaned forward with a sly grin and shook her head.
"Yeah, right. You are the trouble. I've almost ended up in the slave trade twice since I met you."
"Pure coincidence," Magnus said, but Celia just gave him a sarcastic nod.
"Sure, sure. So let me get this straight—you almost got killed, then almost killed yourself, and now your mind is... what? Superpowered?"
Magnus thought it over for a second and nodded.
"Basically, yeah. I didn't modify every single thing, but I changed a lot. I increased the folds in my brain by adding more lobes and cortical sheets. Basically, my brain is more than it used ot be now, if that makes any sense. I control everything from dopamine to serotonin and adrenaline, only releasing them when I want, however I want. That goes for a lot of the rest of my body, too. Now that my brain can handle more, I'm controlling almost every part of it remotely—or at least managing it. I can shift my mood, control my fight-or-flight response, even block out certain emotions or pain completely."
And that was just the beginning. He'd replaced parts of his nervous system, like his myelin sheath, which massively boosted his reaction time. Things moving faster than the speed of sound were now easy to track. His eyes had been completely rebuilt, too—not even organic anymore. That's why they bent light the way they did. He could see parts of the spectrum the human eye can't, and with a thought, he could zoom in like a camera.
Some of these upgrades were inspired by animal biology pushed to its limits, and others came from his ability to create and operate on his own body.
"Wow... so you turned yourself into some kind of weird biological machine, mixed with magic and all this other stuff? No wonder you seem so different." Celia didn't fully understand everything, but she got the gist. When her eyes landed on his body again, she saw it in a whole new light.
Can it even be called a body? I mean, he said it himself, practically every part of his bodily functions is being controlled by him now. Though...
As Celia's gaze traveled over Magnus again, she had to admit—if he had sculpted his own body, he did one hell of a job.
He'd always had an unusual kind of attractiveness—not exactly handsome, but striking in his own way. Ever since fully modifying himself after the fight with Nullfang, he'd looked like a living statue, his body nearly flawless on the outside. It gave off an uncanny valley vibe, but somehow only made him more captivating. But now his body was constantly breaking down and rebuilding itself, skin renewing with every moment as old layers vanished and new ones formed.
With his eyes added to the mix, he was downright mesmerizing.
"You're staring," Magnus said, his eyes narrowing as he caught Celia quickly looking away from his chest.
"Oh- sorry," she stammered, but Magnus just shrugged.
"Eh, it's fine. Can't blame you for being curious, not after how long I spent explaining. You can try touching if you want—if you stay really still and quiet, you might feel the ripples of magic under my skin," he offered.
Her eyes flicked back to his body for a moment, but she shook her head.
"Yeah... probably not a good idea. For me, anyway."
Magnus looked confused by what she meant, but let it go as he lay back down and stretched.
"Well, we should get some sleep. I thought I'd be back to classes tomorrow, but looks like I'll have to ask Eveline to cover for me a bit longer."
"Huh? You're not going back to classes tomorrow?" Celia asked, running her fingers through her hair as she got comfortable, trying to straighten it out. Magnus noticed, and suddenly a modern brush appeared in his hand. He handed it to her. She looked surprised, pausing for a moment before she took it and started combing her hair, clearly impressed by how much easier it was compared to her combs back home.
"No," Magnus said, his gaze sharpening slightly.
"If I wait too long, the vampires will regroup and try again. I'm done playing defense. I plan to finish them all before this week's over." Celia caught an edge in his voice she hadn't heard before. She'd seen him commit, get angry, or annoyed—but this was different. She paused, brush in hand, and looked at him. He was staring up at the ceiling again, just like when she'd come out of the bathroom.
All she could say was, "Well, try to be careful. Don't almost die, please..."
Magnus's expression shifted back to normal as he chuckled and nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
=====================================•=====================================
In the Upper City, a familiar, lone gothic mansion stood quietly under the night sky, most of the windows covered by heavy curtains. The only light outside came from glowing crystals embedded in the walls surrounding the grounds.
On this night, Lycidas—the second Hierarch who had been at the Nocturne—could be seen walking the halls through a few open windows, like a figure caught in moonlight.
"Well, this won't be fun. I just hope Austra managed to kill that human, or else..." He muttered to himself, sighing, clearly not looking forward to what was next. His shoes tapped softly on the padded carpet as he moved through dim hallways, lit only by flickering candle chandeliers overhead.
The walls were lined with statues of unknown origins and paintings that were vague but clearly expensive. The mansion's outside didn't show it, but inside, it was full of luxury.
Eventually, Lycidas reached a set of double doors at the end of the hall. Though heavy and thick, their dark brown wood matched the rest of the house's dark wood interior. Laughter spilled out from the other side.
He smoothed his clothes casually before pushing the doors open. Immediately, the thick scent of blood filled the air, mixed with controlled, amused laughter.
The room beyond was grand, much grander than expected. It looked like it had once been a music room, now repurposed. Its reverberating walls echoed combat instead of symphonies.
Floor-to-ceiling windows were covered, and a massive crystal chandelier hung in the center, every candle lit, casting a flickering light that illuminated everything but the darkest corners.
The polished floor, usually like a mirror, was now stained with fresh blood.
In the open center of the music room, two naked men fought each other. Both were human, well-built, but slightly malnourished. Their movements—striking and countering—showed clear formal training. Yet the blood on the floor made them slip, and bruises covered their bodies, making their skill hard to see. Cracked ribs, split lips, swollen eyes—injuries from beating each other senseless for who knew how long.
Their bodies begged for a break, but still they charged, wrestling on the ground.
Lycidas circled the fighting area—if it could even be called that—and noted couches arranged around it. Sitting there were other Hierarchs, like Lycidas and Austra. Eight in total. Some shared couches closely, clearly lovers. Others sat partly alone or attended by their Mind Slaves, who waited on them while lost in euphoric mental control, bringing drinks and feeding them as they watched the fight.
"Oh, Lycidas. Didn't expect to see you here. Was the Nocturne too boring for you?" One Hierarch called, amusement in their voice.
"Not exactly," Lycidas shrugged, continuing around the room's edge.
"Where's Austra?" Another asked, but Lycidas didn't answer. He stopped before the couch at the far wall, the room's centerpiece. Only one person sat there.
A low table covered with random items: bottles of wine and alcohol—some empty, some half-full—various foods and fruits, including some made with blood, and beneath it all, scattered money and jewels, acting almost like a tablecloth.
Heiman, Umbrach of the vampires, lounged there, feet up, leaning back lazily on the couch.
"Hmm?" He spotted Lycidas and grinned, raising the ornate glass in his hand.
"Ah, Lycidas. You're just in time. Grab a seat and enjoy the show. Those two are brothers, can you believe it? They tried to siphon money from the Jackals—until they got caught, of course. Humans will do the most ridiculous things for coins. Amusing, really."
Lycidas nodded, sighed, and lowered his head in a respectful bow.
"As much as I'd love to, my Lord, I bring grave news."
Every Hierarch's attention partially shifted to him, catching his words over the sound of the fight as their laughter and cheering faded slightly.
"Always something, isn't it..." Heiman muttered, sitting up slightly to look at Lycidas more clearly. Almost immediately, Lycidas felt an invisible presence—one that didn't act, but simply lingered around Heiman.
"Well, spit it out," Heiman said with a hand gesture. Though relaxed, his dark eyes narrowed.
Lycidas paused briefly, then announced, "The Nocturne was attacked, my Lord."