He had promised her that the day the Drunken Butcher died, she would be there.
And when a woman cried in front of you, the most natural thing to do, at least in Damian’s mind, was to try and comfort her. So, he did what felt instinctive.
He hugged her.
But as he did, he realized the warmth of Anastasia. Her body seed to be giving off invisible heat as he did not know if it was from the serum that she had just taken or sothing else. But the heat was most definitely prominent.
And sothing inside him stirred.
’What the fuck?’
His heart beat faster.
Sha and guilt followed almost instantly.
This was... the sister of his deceased wife.
And here she was, in a mont of vulnerability, crying, and his body was reacting in such a way?
Did becoming a Beast Master not make him a little less stupid in that departnt?
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to move back, careful not to make her feel rejected. He had been in instances in the past where an abrupt hug or awkward push ruined an entire day.
He tried to shift the mont, grounding them in sothing else.
"You took the serum. How do you feel?"
The Natural Nanotech Blood Serum.
A terrifying breakthrough in biodical engineering designed for both Interstellar Beast Masters and humans alike.
Damian looked closely at Anastasia. Her figure almost seed magnified now. Her chest looked fuller, her waist exquisite—an hourglass shape visible even beneath her ZENTHRA employee jacket.
She raised a hand, eyes flicking over the ss in the room, then t his gaze with a brightness that wasn’t there before.
"Powerful. And not just temporarily powerful. It’s like my entire body has been lit up- awakened to its full potential. The Nanotech Blood rged with mine... and amplified every part of my physiology."
As she spoke, she slipped off her ZENTHRA jacket. Her white undershirt clung tightly, struggling to contain the shift in her chest. She studied herself clinically, voice calm and analytical.
"My muscles feel more defined. Breasts larger. Waist seems tighter too..."
She spoke so casually, but it made Damian feel like he was watching sothing he wasn’t supposed to see.
Every single curve of her body seed to be magnified as she already had a beautiful figure before, but now it seed to go towards the stage of models who always put themselves on a bad diet and barely ate anything.
And yet, unlike them, her skin was glowing and vibrant with light heat, emanating from her.
Anastasia noticed his expression as he was looking at her and looking away at the sa ti as she scoffed.
"Don’t look at like that. We’re family, rember?"
...!
Family.
Damian blinked. Dazed.
She would’ve been his sister-in-law. He had almost married her sister. After the massacre... maybe they really were family now.
So why was his mind lingering on such things?
He beca serious.
He straightened, jaw tightening, and turned toward the case of Natural Nanotech Blood Serums.
"Anyone can take these? Even Beasts?"
He asked, glancing at Kitsuul, who was eyeing the golden vials curiously.
"That... I’m not sure about," Anastasia admitted. "They didn’t exactly co with a manual. But if I can take it with my body, I don’t see why this little furball couldn’t. Though I do think there’s a saturation point. It’s about what your body can handle. A normal human might manage a few doses and still gain the effects. But soone whose body is already reinforced like you, thanks to Kitsuul, could probably handle even more."
She turned the case toward him, revealing dozens of glowing vials.
Damian grabbed one.
It had a tiny syringe tip and a built-in release chanism that activated upon contact with skin.
Without hesitation, he drove it into his shoulder.
Technically, he was taking drugs.
But in Ebonreach tropolis, people- both Cybernetic Humans and Beastmasters- had done far worse. So modified their eyes, their ears, their skin, even their reproductive parts.
Damian had stayed unmodified.
Pure.
Until now.
And it was...
"Holy shit..."
He didn’t know what adrenaline or heroin felt like, but he imagined it had to be sothing like this.
A burning rush ignited in his shoulder and exploded through the rest of his body. His blood felt like fire- fast, alive, coursing with intensity.
His already-reinforced body, strengthened by his bond with Kitsuul, pulsed with a rising force. Heat shimred off his skin visibly.
Beneath his white ZENTHRA reinforced suit, his muscles flexed—writhing under the surface. He grew at least an inch taller. His fra expanded.
The strength within him- the power to move with speed, to bend and crush tal- had doubled.
Anastasia’s eyes widened as she noticed the rising heat radiating from him.
"Yeah," she said with a knowing nod. "The sensation is one of a kind."
Without another word, she stabbed a serum into her thigh. A red light surged under her pale skin. Her body glowed with warmth, faint heat shimring in the air around her.
They locked eyes.
If anyone walked in right now, seeing them with needles and vials, they’d probably think they were junkies on a high.
Damian took another vial and turned toward the small silver Beast perched on his shoulders.
"Want to give it a try?"
If they were doing this... Kitsuul wasn’t about to be left out.
"Kuu!"
The little Beast let out an excited chirp.
Damian injected the serum into her.
WHOOSH!
The room burst with radiant silver light. Kitsuul’s fur shimred, her tails buzzing with doubled energy.
The very air condensed, filled with visible silver particles that swirled into Kitsuul’s body. She howled—an echo of pleasure and raw power.
Her form grew slightly, her energy thickened. The bond between them deepened, as if more layers were being woven in real-ti.
Kitsuul bounced on his shoulders, yipping excitedly as if to say...
More! More!
"..."
It was the Natural Nanotech Blood Serum.
Natural.
And yet, Damian exhaled sharply. This was Ebonreach. This was the line between breakthrough and addiction.
He eyed the vials and whispered under his breath.
"Don’t do drugs... don’t do drugs..."
But as he reached for another serum and stabbed it into himself, he knew...
He’d already crossed that line.
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