Chapter 149: Sentimentality’s for Saplings and Suckers

Some unknown tune floated in from a far corner of the lab—no idea where it came from, or what genre it belonged to. It had that same uncanny flavor as those stray memories and odd words that sneak into my head when I least expected them. I became an audio detective pressing ears to cold steel, yet found only vibration humming through bone-conduction. Warmth pooled beneath my collarbone regardless. Absurd how a rhythm could salve neural pathways still smoking from today’s apocalypse-by-proxy.

My doppelganger was already smiling when I arrived. She must’ve queued up the track before offering her hand. My stilettos betrayed me first, sketching two-left-feet hieroglyphs across the floor as chemicals performed their burlesque around her workstation. Recent memories flitted past, not quite gone, just ghosting by—but I? I was utterly lost in the moment, spinning to a tune I didn’t know but couldn’t stop dancing to.

After all, time ran a little funny here. Dialed back. This place was a pocket of refuge, a warm little pause in the chaos. Safer than most of the world, honestly. So I just smiled, let my feet tap out their mirrored rhythm, and matched my doppelganger step for step.

For once, being a moth to this particular flame felt... permissible. Our mirrored arcs continued until reality’s leash tugged.

Of course, duty had a less poetic soundtrack. Responsibilities called. I turned toward my actual destination—this time greeted by an even bigger mountain of books.

“This can’t all be mandatory reading.” I said, already bracing for the inevitable.

My doppelganger, now back behind her counter and tending to her next bubbling brew, tilted her head thoughtfully. “Well,” she said, “Mandatory’s so municipal. Think of it as... curated temptation.” She gestured toward a shelf glinting with golden-bound volumes.  “Though I’d wager your ‘special delivery’ nested there.”

Tempting. Lotte had hinted something good was waiting for me, and if it existed, it was probably nestled somewhere in the gilded section. Still, I wasn’t exactly sprinting. Curiosity tugged me toward the lower tiers too—I wanted to see how the humble options had evolved. Context, after all, was power.

Decision made, I started leafing through the pages.

From what I remembered last time, the yellow-ranked evolutions gave a flat 10-point bonus per level. Basic. Functional. But now? Every single entry I flipped boasted at least a 20-point boost.

[Petrified Warden]
Description: A draconic form hardened by subterranean pressure and elemental alignment. This configuration converts tectonic force into durable defensive capabilities. Favors territorial enforcement.
• Stat Bonuses per Level: +15 Durability, +4 Strength, +1 Will
• New Organ: Tremor Lattice – A secondary mineralized nerve system embedded within bone and armor. Provides seismic input detection and controlled vibration output. Grants partial tremorsense and allows minor terrain manipulation.
• Abilities:

• Seismic Anchor – While stationary, emits low-frequency tremors. Nearby enemies experience reduced balance and casting precision. Increases regeneration, physical defenses, and resistance to forced movement effects.

• Gravitonic Mass – Weight density increases gradually when still. Improves ground stability, reduces impact from forceful contact, and boosts momentum when movement resumes.
  
  

• Affinity: Earth Affinity Unlocked
• Mana Core: Refined Intermediate Core – Densified structure stores greater mana volumes with stable flow.
• Skills: New earth-based and seismic perception skills available.

I just kind of stared at the cover, squinting like it had personally offended me. These were still yellow-tier? Really? The thing boasted not one, but two abilities, and the art alone practically roared at me. A hulking dragon—black-scaled, thick-plated, every inch of it screaming "immovable fortress" like it trademarked the phrase. Massive didn’t do it justice. And sure, it was just an illustration, but I felt it—this beast was room-dwarfing levels of huge. Bigger than my entire space, easy. Not that I’d be doing much room-sitting after evolving into that.

The idea of finally reaching a size that could rival even one of Lotte’s talons—tsk—was tempting in its own, mildly petty way. Power was on the menu, no doubt, but practicality? Not so much.

Still, this one reminded me of an older pick from a previous evolution batch—[Stonebark Sentinel], I think. From what foggy scraps I could remember, this new one absolutely body-slammed that option into dogwater. No surprise there, really. I was no longer playing in yellow-core puddles. Progress, thy name is overcompensation. Officially Red-Core territory now, where options stop being polite and start getting apocalyptic.

Not that I was planning to pick anything from the yellow section. Nah. I was already drooling at the thought of what goodies the Gold section was hoarding. But still—discipline. The fruit tastes sweeter when you’ve bitten into all the underripe ones first. So I closed the book, filed away the mental bookmark, and dug deeper.

Everything else in yellow was a clear upgrade from my past choices—speed, flight, stealth—you name it. All of it packed a serious punch. But that was the thing. Every option was turning into a powerbomb now, and I hadn’t even hit the apex.

So, onto the red-covered books I went.

The stat jump was no joke—26 points per level now. Juicy. Practically nectar. Some more evolutions riffing on the Shadow Dimension themes—expected but appreciated. But then, one particular entry caught my eye.

[Eclipse Scion]
Description: Emerged at the convergence of shadow and spatial fracture. This form enables environmental control through refined manipulation of perception, physics, and positioning. Specializes in phased precision and battlefield disruption.

• Stat Bonuses per Level: +12 Intelligence, +8 Will, +6 Strength

• New Organ: Event Lobe – A specialized neural structure embedded in the brainstem, adapted to scan and interpret local spatial behavior. Detects "spatial intent" from nearby entities and phenomena (e.g., pre-swing motion, imminent spell detonation). Supports rapid phasing reflexes and precise dimensional targeting.
• Abilities:

• Horizon Split – Generates localized distortions in light and mana perception. Obscures the user's position and conceals magical signatures. Allies within range gain partial resistance to targeting and reduced effectiveness of ranged lock-on.

• Dimensional Parallax – Projects subtle spatial echoes around the user. Causes enemy tracking delay and slight targeting deviation. Reduces accuracy of distant physical strikes.

• Affinity: Space Affinity Unlocked
• Mana Core: Refined Intermediate Core – Densified structure stores greater mana volumes with stable flow.
• Skills: Unlocks spatial manipulation and displacement techniques.

My eyes went wide—not at the stat boost, not even at the beast of an evolution itself—but at what it offered: Space Affinity.

Yeah. That Space Affinity. One of the rarest damn affinities in existence, the kind only a microscopic sliver of people ever unlock. Why? Because to even qualify for it, you had to be born with both Light and Dark affinities—and then walk the impossibly fine line of growing them together until they clicked, merged, and birthed something new. Most people who ever managed it barely scraped by during their yellow core stages. And even then, it didn’t make the feat any less unicorn-tier rare.

Dual affinities themselves were already needle-in-a-haystack business. But to roll the elemental lottery and get that combo—out of sixty-six possible pairings? Near divine. Anyone even suspected of developing a space affinity was instantly wrapped in society’s velvet gloves. I’d seen it up close.

Elise.

That bitch.

She had both Light and Dark affinities, and because of that? She got away with everything. The rules bent around her. People bent around her. Because that’s what you did when someone might crack open space itself. Valuable didn’t even begin to cover it.

And Lord Veyan? From what Lysska told me, he wasn’t just a double dipper—he was a triple threat. Metal and Space affinity.

Yet, here I was. Served this possibility on a silver platter. I already had Dark affinity. That book was practically screaming: “Light’s on the way.” A fusion was coming. Meaning? I’d be walking out of this with three affinities. From zero to three. With two of them merged. And not just any merge—the most prized combo in the elemental pantheon.

It was also, fittingly, the last book in the red section. My heart pounded as I looked up—but not before I slid that book sideways, set apart. Just in case. Who knew? Maybe this was the evolution Lotte hinted at. Gaining space affinity would be massive for someone like me.

Imagine: crafting my own little pocket dimension. Casting spatial spells. Opening portals. Breathing dragonfire straight through someone’s ribcage from another angle entirely. My breath was already potent—but add space magic to the mix? Suddenly we’re talking “how is this not gold-rarity” levels of absurd.

And with that giddy thought fizzing in my veins, I stepped into the Gold section.

This was it.

Where my next evolution would likely be carved from fate’s finest threads.

Only four books this time. I picked the first one.

[Stormbrand Ascendant]
Description: Tempered in high-voltage crucibles. Refines unstable lightning affinity into a calibrated form of controlled destruction. A balanced combat profile combining endurance, adaptive casting, and high-output offense.
• Stat Bonuses per Level: +11 Intelligence, +7 Will, +9 Durability, +5 Strength
• New Organ: Aetheric Node Array – A spinal-cranial network of crystalline bio-nodes, responsive to atmospheric charge and mana frequency. Functions as an internal regulator. Enables adjustment of lightning mana density, suppression of mana overload events, and magnetic field manipulation for enhanced precision in targeting.
• Abilities:

• Arc Crucible – Enables absorption and internal storage of lightning-based energy. Stored charge may be released as destructive bursts. Output can be configured for wide-area shockwaves, concentrated rail-strike attacks, or regenerative surges. Overload can be redirected to restore stamina and accelerate internal repair.

• Ionic Wake – Movement generates an electrically charged trail through air and terrain. Interferes with enemy targeting, supports chaining of lightning-based skills, and may be remotely triggered to detonate after displacement.

• Mana Core: Stabilized Intermediate Mana Core – Supports increased mana compression with stable flow retention.
• Supplemental Core: Voltic Resonator Core – Dedicated lightning mana reserve. Functions as a high-speed capacitor for burst amplification or rapid sequence casting.
• Skills: Grants access to lightning-routing, charge manipulation, and chaining-based techniques.

Right out the gate, the first book was a certified banger. A familiar concept from my last round of options, but this one was dressed to kill—massive upgrade, no question. The illustration alone gave it away: a sleek, serpentine version of me, gilded in golden scales with eyes like a duel between crimson fire and electric blue. Bigger. Way bigger. Any dream of staying compact enough to squeeze through my room or nap on my comfy bed in my dragon form was dead and cremated.

I cracked open the second book.

[Noxious Sovereign]
Description: A dominant evolution in biochemical warfare. Converts venomcraft into a system of control and suppression. Excels in adaptive toxin deployment and battlefield saturation through persistent chemical presence.
• Stat Bonuses per Level: +8 Strength, +8 Durability, +8 Intelligence, +8 Will
• New Organ: Chimic Nerve Net – A body-wide network of neurochemical sensors embedded in tissue. Enables real-time modulation of venom properties in response to environmental and combat stimuli. Produces evolving toxins mid-engagement. Provides enhanced resistance to foreign substances and a baseline detection of enemy physiological weaknesses.
• Abilities:

• Miasmic Dominion – Releases a toxin-laced mist with selectable effect types:
  – Neurotoxin: Impairs mobility and reduces physical output.
  – Corrosive: Degrades armor and erodes physical barriers.
  – Hallucinogenic: Disrupts mental cohesion and sensory accuracy.
  Mist fields expand in timed pulses. Multiple toxin zones can coexist and overlap. Mists may be anchored to surfaces or airflow patterns, enabling delayed or persistent area denial. All emitted mists exhibit semi-autonomous behavior, subtly responding to user intent.

• Toxin Resonance – Retains molecular traces of all substances affected by the user's venom. Over time, this enables accumulation of resistances and precision crafting of new toxins tailored to bypass previous immunities or replicate unique chemical profiles under duress.

• Mana Core: Stabilized Intermediate Mana Core – Supports increased mana compression with stable flow retention.
• Supplemental Core: Noxious Core – Specialized reservoir with chemically reactive structure. While within Miasmic fields, ambient toxins enhance passive mana regeneration.
• Skills: Unlocks venom-based adaptability, resistance shaping, and toxic terrain manipulation skills.

Had to blink a few times. The description was straightforward—like “here’s what you get, no fine print”—but damn if it didn’t have its own pull. Another glow-up on a previously seen option, this one was a lean, mean efficiency machine. It wasn’t flashy, but the kind of solid you didn’t appreciate until it bailed your ass out mid-fight. And yet, somewhere in my gut, that slippery little indecisive gremlin was already pacing. Every book I opened made choosing feel like a betrayal.

Then came book three.

An evolution upgrade for the Devourer path. The abilities caught my attention.

Apex Assimilation
Upon consumption of high-grade biological or arcane targets, user receives a binary prompt:

• Resource Recovery Protocol – Immediate regeneration of health, internal mana and stamina reserves.

• Mutation Surge – Triggers a temporary physiological override, inducing unstable but enhanced adaptations derived from the consumed entity. Duration measured in minutes. High stamina cost.

Predator’s Archive
Establishes a subconscious storage matrix cataloging the structural and magical data of previously consumed organisms or materials. Upon reaching sufficient essence density, user may initiate Selective Reinstantiation, forcibly overlaying prior traits onto current biology. Resulting adaptations are temporary and context-sensitive. Usage incurs cumulative fatigue.

First one let me warp on the fly, second one let me rewind the buffet and pick a favorite dish.

Damn good option.

Just not good enough.

Because then I opened the next book—

[Spatial Strider]
Description: A spatially-adapted combat form optimized for rapid repositioning and angle manipulation. No longer restricted to shadow-based movement. Utilizes localized dimensional control to bypass terrain, armor, and line-of-sight. Prioritizes displacement dominance and temporal attack precision.
• Stat Enhancements (Per Level): +20 Intelligence, +4 Willpower, +4 Strength, +4 Durability

New Organ:
Liminal Sheath – A subdermal membrane composed of semi-organic fibers tuned to spatial mana. Integrated into skeletal and neural pathways. When activated, it generates a localized spatial buffer zone, creating limited separation from fixed coordinates.
• Functions:
– Extend or compress reach vectors (e.g., 2x melee range, extended movement bursts).
– Modify trajectory arcs and positional vectors in real time.
– Suspend inertial continuity to enable sharp directional shifts without momentum buildup.

Abilities:

• Spatial Rend – Attacks executed with the sheath active create minor rifts in local space. These rifts disrupt spatial positioning, allowing damage to occur prior to visual confirmation or through partial physical obstructions.
  • Advanced Function: Charges may lock the spatial coordinates of a target for ~1.5 seconds, restricting displacement within a defined vector shell. Movement inside remains possible; external repositioning is denied.

• Displacement Intuition – Grants omnidirectional detection of motion and mass fluctuation within a 20-meter radius. Ignores visual obstructions and phase interference. Enables high-efficiency reaction time and spatial dominance in proximity engagements.

Affinity Unlocked: Space Affinity

Mana Core:
Stabilized Intermediate Mana Core – Supports increased mana compression with stable flow retention.

Supplemental Core:
Spatial Node – A derivative micro-core dedicated to space-aspected mana. Allows isolated mana storage. Upon release, collapses surrounding space within a 3-meter radius into a condensed gravitational field, inhibiting enemy movement and projectile stability.

And holy hell. There it was. The one.

I’d been drooling over that earlier spatial affinity evolution, thinking it was peak. Should’ve known better. Lotte wouldn’t get all cryptic and smirky over something mid. This? This was it. Not just a space affinity grafted onto my dark one—it was a full-blown evolution suite that solved my previous issue with light barriers. My old form couldn’t crack those types of protections. This one? Would walk straight through them like fog. And that wasn’t even the full flex.

The new abilities were slick. Versatile. The kind that rewrote how I’d even engage with fights. Traps. Travel. Escape. Tactical superiority in a bottle. Even the supplemental core wasn’t just a passive mana storage—it did stuff. Had its own function. This evolution wasn’t just a jump—it was a leap into a new class of being.

Space affinity alone? Already bonkers.

Space affinity with this kit? Criminal.

I glanced at the poison option—that deliciously familiar venom singing through my veins like a serotonin guitar riff. But sentimentality’s for saplings and suckers. As much as I wanted to go with my gut, I couldn’t ignore the utility staring me in the face.

So I exhaled. Nodded. Wiped a very dramatic (and very imaginary) tear from the corner of my eye and gave the toxic temptress a mental obituary and committed reality vandalism via final golden tome.

Then turned to my doppelganger.

“Took you only three existential crises. Progress.” she said, stirring some iridescent goo behind the counter.

“Worth it!” I grinned.

Before she looked up from her brewing, she smiled—slow and knowing—her eyes narrowing at the golden tome I was holding.

“Are you sure about this one?”

I blinked. Huh?

That wasn’t her usual smug banter. Normally, she’d be halfway into gloating by now. Something like, “Ha! Guessed it before you even picked! Loser. Obviously you chose the shiny one, basic bitch.”

Instinctively, my gaze flicked toward the brew she was tending. It shimmered like molten glycerine laced with powdered starlight—golden dust caught in a lazy swirl. But it wasn’t just gold. Beneath the surface, black ink pulsed in and out like it was alive, spreading, vanishing, reappearing. Hypnotic. Ominous.

Suspicion protocols: Engaged.

I narrowed my eyes. “Did you hide some of the options?”

She let out a theatrical gasp. “Oh my, why would I ever do that? Everything is in front of you.” Then, with a glint in her eye: “Maybe you should try looking up for once.”

Looking… up?

I tilted my head.

Above the gold section, high above the glimmering tomes lined neatly by rarity, loomed a shelf I’d never seriously considered. The rainbow section. The one stamped forbidden by Lotte. I’d always assumed it was barred to me—light and sun evolutions, ones I didn’t qualify for. But…

Only light-attuned evos were restricted. The rest? Just…

Oh.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

Doppel-me twirled her ladle, golden potion in hand now, the dust inside flaring like tiny novas.

"Turns out dodging two apocalypses and derailing a terrorist meltdown really fast-tracks your clearance level." Her grin went feral. "Congrats—you're now officially in the 'Play Stupid Games, Win Stupidly Overpowered Prizes' tier."