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"Yeah. This layer is divided into three stages and a threshold of MU in each layer is listed."
"MU?"
"Mana Units. It measures the lethality of each stage. The MU for the Low Storms is ~10 to <100 MU."
This is the safe side of the layer and dragons often experience safe short exposures and minor fatigues.
The next stage is the Sever Storm with MU >100 to <1200. Within the first 10 to 30 minutes into the second stage where MU is reading at 200 to 600, Dragons begin to experience hallucinations and minor tissue necrosis.
"At >600 to <1200 severe organ stress and incapacitation starts ~5 to 10 minutes at mid-point of the Severe Storm."
"Does this mean it'll take 40 minutes to pass through the Severe Storm?"
Vera asked an important question.
"The time is just the time span of each MU. However, with high speed, the time will be halved or more."
"Then we just slingshot right in like we did in the previous layer right?"
No one answered.
"Right?"
(Haha, I recreated that meme.)
"We still haven't made it to the last stage."
"I didn't even finish covering the last part of the second stage."
At >1200 to 2000, irreversible cellular collapse, neural burnout accompanied with lethal corrosive particulates that slows and eventually blocks healing.
We're talking about corrosion in the first second, then a microsecond, nanosecond and so on.
"The longer you stay there, the faster you break down. Armors break down at this stage too."
Vera's face went grim, falling in despair.
"The time span?"
"Approximately one to three minutes, depending on proximity and shielding."
"The last stage?"
"Varnok's lethal pulses hit >5000 resulting in instant vaporisation."
Tik explained with a low nervous tone, Vera's eyes widened in disbelief at the lethality of the last storm.
"H...how are we supposed to make it through if we get to die without taking a breath?"
Vera asked.
"How are people able to make it through the last stage?"
She's in panic mode.
"Wú Jí say something."
I glance at her without a word. What do you want me to say?
I thought.
'Personally the first two storms aren't a problem. However, I need to find a way to get through it without cheating. I'm confident the cloak can handle Severe Storm without any problems."
"Any limit for the last storm?"
I asked.
"No. According to the Grand Seraphs, it's a approximate one minute ride."
"Grand Seraphs?"
"Dragons who made it past Varnok are automatically made Grand Seraph. A rank below the Sovereign. Speed, endurance and durability is the key. If you lack in one aspect, it's over."
'Speed can be covered, the cloak will take care of durability which in turn gives nothing to endure. That'll be a free pass so I'll alter the cloak a bit. I want them to earn it.'
"Good, let's go."
"Heh? You're seriously going through that?"
"It's only a problem for the weak and unprepared, right?"
I turned to Tikvah and she nodded.
"Exactly. If it's a sure instant death storm, no one will have made it out."
I added. Because that's the plain truth.
"We've taken all precautions. We're good to go."
"You sure?"
"I do. According to the details, the third storm is the only problem. Given the short time span, it also won't be a problem. Come on, Vera. Let's go."
"Fine. If I die, I'll kill you."
"How cute. Rest assured, my plans won't kill you."
With the cloak protecting their body and head, the scarf secures their face leaving no flesh unprotected. This is my precaution and we're good to go.
The Low Storm wasn't a problem as expected. Thirty minutes plus flight and we safely made it through.
"I didn't feel anything. This cloak really is strong."
Tik said, feeling perfectly fine.
"Yeah."
I didn't like talking but Tik isn't the type to keep quiet.
In no time, we made it into the second stage. Twenty minutes in, they begin to complain about hearing and seeing things that aren't here.
"It took time before the hallucinations kicked in."
"It's probably thanks to the cloak."
"Exactly. The cloak doesn't have the power to fully negate the effects."
Lies.
"Instead of ten minutes, it bought us an extra ten minutes before reaching its limits."
"Wow. At this rate, we'll clear the storms with ease."
"Don't get high hopes, we're approaching the midpoint of the storm. Brace yourself for the impossible."
They nodded, understanding my cloak isn't going to protect them at all times.
Seven minutes into the midpoint, I began to feel fatigue, unable to keep up the gravity manipulation.
'It's stronger than I thought. Luckily, we're three minutes away from the exit. Had it been we've been subjected to this at the beginning of the midpoint. It maybe have been worse.'
Does this mean this is how dragons experience the midpoint with the powerlessness this strong?
'No. Judging from the magnitude of the ineffectiveness, it's been piling up, waiting for the cloak to wear out and we get to experience it based on the time spent.'
"Are you ok back there?"
I turned to see they were barely holding up, the cloak doing the most, keeping them up to speed.
"I guess not."
I channelled healing magic into the cloak, restoring their stamina. We took a break before approaching the last part of the second stage.
'They can't make it past the last part of the second stage. Irreversible cellular collapse, irreversible brain damage with healing negation. It's best to think the corrosive particulates not just heal but affect the body with small time frame decay. I need to calculate the breakdown before making it into the last stage.'
Irreversible cellular collapse, every cell's structure disintegrates.
Neural burnout, nervous tissue (brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves) loses function instantly. Lethal corrosive particulates, not only destroy tissue but also block healing after a while.
Timescale shrinks, corrosion goes from "visible in 1 second" to microseconds, nanoseconds, etc. This basically means the damage is exponentially accelerating and targeting every life-sustaining structure at once.
Brain death if the brainstem is irreversibly destroyed, and unconsciousness occurs in <1 second. Cell lysis on a massive scale, if it's instantaneous, there's no time for pain or reaction, consciousness snuffs out in microseconds.
Block of healing, irrelevant at this speed because regeneration can't keep up with the rate of destruction.
At even microsecond-scale corrosion, you're no longer talking about "dying" in the normal sense. The person's tissues are literally disassembling faster than nerve signals can propagate (which is about 1-100 m/s). That's biological reality for you.
One second corrosion (entire body) 0.3-1 sec of awareness before total shutdown 1-2 sec of heartbeat; death is almost immediate.
Millisecond corrosionresult instant unconsciousness; reflex arcs gone <10 ms total tissue coherence.
Microsecond corrosion is too fast for any nerve conduction; the organism is obliterated as a physical pattern before "death" can occur <1 µs. Nanosecond corrosion, matter behaves like plasma; no coherent tissue remains, instant annihilation.
A person might be technically alive for maybe a few hundred milliseconds at the very start, but once the reaction reaches the microsecond or nanosecond scale, obliteration is effectively instantaneous.
'Few milliseconds are too small. The only way to get through this is if the regeneration system can replace tissue faster than the corrosive process destroys it. But that too has its cons.'
Biological regeneration can plausibly keep up with second-scale corrosion only if the organism has a supernatural or highly specialised healing factor (and huge energy reserves) which Vera and Tik don't because my "biological regeneration" is on a different level on its own.
'Of course, this is just me overeating and preparing IF the corrosive particulates affect not just the armour but our body.'
We can't make it past a hundred milliseconds talkless of three minutes. So I'm 100% positive the corrosive particulates only affect armours.
But WHAT IF... this what-if scenario might save us if things turn south, so I have to find an easy way out for us.
'Introducing advanced magic like time manipulation will change the tide but I want to earn this. I have to rely solely on regeneration, countering the collapse while healing us at an extremely fast rate without causing any new damage.'
...
'Wait, what if I can heal them while using their unique healing process?'
I turned to face them, delivering my prototype around their body. A thin translucent flame like an aura wrapped around them.
"What's this?"
They asked, examining their body back and front.
"This is how we're getting out of Varnok."
'That translucent flame contains living 'blueprint particles' that carry the full structural memory of any tissue it touches.'
When it coats Vera and Tik, it instantly reads their personal cellular signatures-like a full-body 3D scan down to DNA and energy patterns. This creates a template of their current healed state so the field knows exactly what to rebuild if any damage occurs.
Every micro-tear, burn or any injury at all is detected and reversed at the same moment it happens. Instead of replacing whole organs, the field repairs sub-cellular structures first before the injury can cascade.
'This way, the storm's corrosive particles never get a foothold, meaning they never reach the critical point of cellular collapse.'
That's not all it does, tiny threads of the energy connect to each companion's nervous system that relay stress signals, heartbeat spikes, neural pain responses, back to me.
Naturally, my aura & Eseen are supposed to give me information on anything it touches but with this, it can send more regeneration where it's needed most, without overriding their own biology or will with or without my knowledge.
"The translucent flame is a living regenerative matric that scans your unique physiology, repairs injuries at the molecular level faster than the storm can inflict them, stabilises the surrounding air to reduce new damage and responds to your real-time stress signals to avoid over-healing or genetic mismatch. You'll get damaged that's for sure but it won't be fatal."
"Wow, you really are smart, Wú Jí kun. Coming up with this in a short time."
'I'm not like you all so what do you expect?'
"If it wasn't for you, I don't think we can make it out."
"We're still in the second storm, we're yet to face the worst."
'With this, we're ready for Varnok's lethal pulses.'
"Are you all ready?"
I asked for confirmation.
"I doubt we'll make any stop until we make it past Varnok."
"I..I'm ready."
"So am I."
"Good."
Without any time to waste, we made our way into the storm.
To be continued...