After recovering from such a joyous discovery, the first thing Cyril did was take a bath, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
I really didn't expect to visit sewers today.
Once finished, he didn't leave. There was something else he needed to do.
Cyril stood in front of the bathroom mirror observing the state of his own body; it looked normal.
Let's deal with the Black Tulip first. It was finally time for them to digest their gains.
"I've been waiting for this!" Rhamn excitedly jumped up nearby.
"I am going to start absorbing the stone," she eagerly warned and went silent.
Morpho and Tigris were not too far away from them, silently observing what was happening.
The butterfly would've loved to get some enhancing medicine too, of course. It's a pity she couldn't absorb the Black Tulip in the same way Cyril could.
Tigris wasn't even thinking about the stone, he was still happy from the results of today's efforts.
Soon, Cyril began feeling a profound satisfaction coming from within, like getting something one didn't even know was missing.
In such a state he lost his sense of time, becoming incredibly still, absorbed in his own mind.
This time neither Rhamn nor he was possessed by the experience, instead taking it much more calmly.
...
After an unknown period of time had passed, Cyril deeply exhaled.
I feel... cleaner.
He peacefully opened his eyes and observed his own body again, focusing on mana.
"There are obvious changes already, the mana is becoming more potent, but the process is taking a bit of time." Rhamn nodded with satisfaction.
As a being who had full control over his body, there was nothing in there that could escape her notice.
So with her help, Cyril quickly became familiar with the results of consuming this piece of Black Tulip.
"It's a pity it was such a small piece." Rhamn mumbled in frustration, "We must get more."
Don't be in a hurry, this is good enough already. Cyril moved his arms a little. Somehow it felt easier now.
He was very satisfied with today's adventure. The Black Tulip is an incredibly rare material. As far as Cyril knew, it was a miracle enough they found it so quickly.
"I know that, but one should dream a little..." Rhamn defensively replied to Cyril's thoughts.
"Anyway, we can do something else while the stone is getting properly 'digested.'" She eagerly switched topics.
I know, I know.
It was time to fulfill the promise he made with Morpho.
Cyril, wearing a helpless expression, stood up and walked back towards the stone bath.
Taking a seat inside, he sighed with resignation.
Hopefully, there will be less to clean this time... You can begin any time you want.
Morpho, able to guess what was about to happen, flew up and did a few loops around the room in anticipation.
Tigers, too, stared with great curiosity. He will no longer be the youngest now!
For Cyril, this will be the third time a creature is going to tear its way out of his body. Such an event didn't elicit any disgust from him, however, having your body damaged in such a way still felt a bit weird, even if there was no pain.
"I am starting!" Rhamn warned and went silent.
Cyril stared at the ceiling with calm eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
Eventually he started feeling a certain sensation from the middle of his chest, not pain, just awareness of something wriggling inside of his flesh.
Wriggling?
He thought with some confusion. As Rhamn couldn't guarantee what exactly she would make, Cyril didn't know who would join their family soon, so he was curious what kind of creature it would be.
Soon the middle of his chest 'opened up' on its own, making way for a certain creature.
As Tigris, Morpho, and Cyril all stared with curiosity, a triangular, yellowish-green, scaly head emerged from there.
A snake? Cyril thought with surprise, then almost imperceptibly nodded his head. He thought snakes were cool.
The snake slowly slithered out to the outside world and immediately coiled around Cyril's neck. It looked like he was suddenly wearing a green necklace.
Once its half-a-meter length body was out, the hole in the middle of Cyril's chest was quickly mended.
The snake's lime scales were ridged, which gave it an almost spiky appearance. Its golden eyes were somewhat intimidating.
Coiled around Cyril's neck, the new creature warily looked around, its vertical pupils soon meeting with the other two magic creatures.
Tigris stared somewhat optimistically, if a bit intimidated. He was carefully greeting this new friend.
However, the serpent, quickly judging him to be of no threat, moved on without acknowledging him. This caused Tigris to freeze; even his tail no longer moved.
Next, the snake stared at Morpho for a few seconds. The butterfly stared back with her black compound eyes and twitched her antennae a few times in a challenging manner.
The snake, able to feel her competitive spirit, hissed while sticking out a forked tongue. It looked like it wanted to lunge in attack this very second.
Maybe it would've done so if Cyril hadn't interfered at this moment.
"That's enough," he calmly said and grabbed the snake's body, catching its attention.
Immediately, the sharp glint in its eyes disappeared, and its posture changed. In the most docile manner, it stared at Cyril, carefully sticking out its tongue.
Its whole atmosphere changed from 'dangerous' to 'cute.'
"She is so beautiful!" Rhamn exclaimed with shining eyes.
"Alright, I got it. Her name will be Atheris! What do you think?" She announced with a raised index finger, then turned to ask Cyril for his opinion.
It's a good name.
Since Rhamn named all the others, he felt it was right they keep up this tradition. He wasn't too good with names anyways.
"Welcome, Atheris," Cyril said with a slight smile, while Rhamn waved in the background.
Atheris happily flicked her tongue in a rhythmic manner and relaxed her coil around Cyril's neck.
From now on there were three magic creatures.