The room remained silent.
Not the awkward kind.
Not the uncertain kind.
But the heavy kind—
The kind that came after something important had been revealed.
Lyra still held the scroll in her hands.
Her gaze hadn't left it.
Evan sat quietly, watching her.
Waiting.
"…So?" he asked again, a bit more cautiously this time.
Lyra didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she slowly rolled the scroll back up.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
As if even the act of closing it required thought.
Then she looked at him.
"My prince."
Her voice was calm again.
But deeper than before.
"We cannot treat this lightly."
Evan nodded.
"…I figured."
Lyra stepped closer.
Holding the scroll firmly.
"This technique… is beyond anything you should be practicing at your current stage."
Evan tilted his head slightly.
"…But I already did."
Lyra's eye twitched.
"…Exactly."
Evan gave a small, awkward smile.
"…Still alive though."
"…Barely."
"…You really like that word, huh?"
Lyra ignored him.
But the corner of her lips almost moved.
Almost.
Then she took a breath.
"…You wish to cultivate."
It wasn't a question.
Evan straightened slightly.
"…Yeah."
No hesitation this time.
No jokes.
Just a clear answer.
Lyra studied him for a moment.
"…Even after what just happened?"
Evan nodded.
"…Especially after what just happened."
A pause.
Then he added—
"I don't want to stay weak."
Silence filled the room again.
But this time—
It wasn't heavy.
It was… understanding.
Lyra's expression softened just slightly.
"…You sound older than you should."
Evan froze for half a second.
Then shrugged.
"…Maybe the system makes me smarter."
Lyra narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…Does it?"
Evan nodded without hesitation.
"…Pretty much."
A brief silence.
Then—
Lyra sighed.
"…I see."
Evan blinked.
That worked?
Then again—
From her perspective, it made sense.
A mysterious "system" left behind by his mother…
Making him smarter?
Not the strangest thing anymore.
Lyra shook her head slightly.
"…Very well."
Evan's eyes lit up.
"…Wait—really?"
Lyra raised a hand.
"Do not get ahead of yourself."
Evan immediately straightened.
"…Right."
Lyra looked at the scroll again.
"…I will guide you."
Evan's face brightened instantly.
But—
"There is a condition."
It dropped just as fast.
"…There's always a condition."
Lyra ignored the comment.
"I must first understand this manual."
Evan blinked.
"…You don't understand it?"
Lyra's gaze shifted back to him.
"…I understand parts of it."
Her tone turned slightly serious.
"But not all."
Evan froze.
"…Wait."
"You mean this thing is complicated even for you?"
Lyra didn't answer directly.
Instead—
"This is not a technique meant for ordinary cultivation paths."
Evan slowly leaned back.
"…That doesn't sound comforting."
Lyra rolled the scroll fully and held it at her side.
"I will need time."
Evan nodded.
"…How much time?"
Lyra paused.
"…I do not know yet."
Evan sighed.
"…That sounds like a long time."
"…It might be."
Evan flopped back slightly onto the bed.
"…So I just sit and do nothing?"
Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…After what happened today, that would be the safest option."
"…That sounds boring."
"…That sounds safe."
"…Same thing."
Lyra sighed.
Then—
She stepped closer.
"…Stand up."
Evan blinked.
"…Why?"
"My prince."
"…Right."
He quickly got off the bed and stood in front of her.
Lyra looked at him carefully.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Then—
She raised her hand.
Evan immediately flinched slightly.
"…Is this the part where something dangerous happens again?"
"…Be still."
"…That's not reassuring."
Lyra ignored him.
Her hand gently touched his chest.
Right over his dantian.
Evan felt it immediately.
A faint warmth.
Familiar.
But different.
Not chaotic like Qi.
Not overwhelming.
Controlled.
Precise.
Lyra closed her eyes.
Her aura shifted.
Deep.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Evan's body stiffened slightly.
"…Whoa."
The warmth spread.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like threads weaving through something unseen.
Inside him—
The seal reacted.
Not violently.
But actively.
Responding.
Changing.
Evan's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
"What are you doing?"
Lyra didn't answer.
Her focus was absolute.
The energy continued to move.
Restructuring.
Adjusting.
Refining.
The faint "crack" he felt before—
It was still there.
But now—
Something was forming around it.
Stabilizing it.
Reinforcing it.
But also—
Changing it.
Evan swallowed.
"…This feels weird."
"…It is necessary."
Her voice was calm.
Steady.
After a few more seconds—
She withdrew her hand.
The warmth faded.
But something remained.
Evan blinked.
"…What did you do?"
Lyra opened her eyes.
"I modified the seal."
Evan froze.
"…You what?"
Lyra crossed her arms slightly.
"The previous seal was meant to suppress your natural absorption completely."
Evan nodded slowly.
"…Yeah. I noticed."
Lyra continued.
"That is no longer viable."
Evan blinked.
"…Because I almost broke it?"
"…Because you will break it."
Evan paused.
"…Fair."
Lyra looked at him seriously.
"I have restructured it."
Evan tilted his head.
"…Into what?"
Lyra answered calmly.
"A progressive seal."
Evan blinked again.
"…That sounds… complicated."
"It will loosen gradually as your body matures."
Evan's eyes widened slightly.
"…So I won't explode next time?"
Lyra gave him a look.
"…Less likely."
"…I'll take it."
She continued.
"You will be able to cultivate in small amounts."
"Under control."
"Without overwhelming your body."
Evan exhaled in relief.
"…That's actually amazing."
Lyra's expression didn't change.
"But."
Evan groaned.
"…There it is."
"If you act recklessly again—"
"I won't," Evan said immediately.
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"…You said that last time."
"…This time I mean it."
"…You always mean it."
"…That's not wrong."
Lyra sighed.
But didn't press further.
Instead—
She stepped back.
"You will wait."
"I will study this manual."
"And then—"
Her gaze sharpened.
"I will teach you properly."
Evan nodded seriously.
"…Okay."
For a moment—
Everything felt… stable.
Planned.
Controlled.
Then—
!~Ding~!
Evan froze.
"…Oh no."
The system appeared again.
[Notice]
[Host condition has changed]
[External modification detected: Seal Adjustment]
Evan blinked.
"…External modification?"
Lyra glanced at him.
"…The system again?"
"…Yeah."
The text continued.
[Analyzing…]
[New Growth Path Detected]
Evan frowned.
"…That doesn't sound normal."
Then—
[System Update]
[According to host changes…]
[New mission structure will be assigned]
Evan's eyes widened.
"…Wait what?"
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…What is it saying?"
Evan stared at the screen.
"…It's… adapting."
"…Adapting?"
"…Yeah."
He swallowed.
"…It's going to give me a growth plan based on the seal now."
Lyra's expression sharpened slightly.
"…Explain."
Evan pointed vaguely in front of him.
"…Basically… as the seal unlocks…"
"…The system will guide me step by step."
Lyra's gaze deepened.
"…So your growth will be… controlled."
"…Yeah."
"…And monitored."
"…Also yeah."
Silence.
Then—
Lyra exhaled slowly.
"…That may not be a bad thing."
Evan blinked.
"…Really?"
"It ensures you do not act recklessly."
Evan looked offended.
"…I don't act recklessly."
Lyra stared at him.
Evan paused.
"…Okay, maybe a little."
Lyra turned slightly toward the window again.
"…For now, we proceed carefully."
Evan nodded.
"…Got it."
Then he hesitated.
"…So… no cultivating alone?"
Lyra didn't even turn.
"No."
"…Not even a little?"
"No."
"…What if it's very, very little?"
Lyra slowly looked back at him.
Evan raised both hands.
"…I was joking."
"…You were not."
"…I was considering it."
Lyra closed her eyes briefly.
"…My prince…"
Evan grinned slightly.
"…I'll behave."
Lyra didn't respond.
But this time—
There was no tension.
Only quiet understanding.
Outside—
The city remained calm.
Unaware.
But not for long.