Silva's body didn't expel nearly as many impurities during his second breakthrough, but the smell was just as rancid, and Silva still took the same amount of time to clean himself. However, Silva spent most of that time cleaning and tying back his hair, which had grown once more, the golden coils now reaching halfway down his back.
And when Silva emerged from the training hall, Fal treated him with another feast full of his favorite foods. Though it wasn't long after Silva's first bite that Fal began to talk.
"I'm afraid that your training will have to take a brief pause; a Clan meeting has been called, and I'm duty-bound to attend," Fal explained with a face that made it clear he'd rather continue to train Silva.
Silva finished chewing his bite of food before nodding, "How long is brief?"
"A couple of days at the most, depending on the meeting's severity, which I have not been made privy to," Fal muttered, "I fear that the internal politics may have already reached a critical point."
"Does this change any of our plans?" Silva asked passively as he continued to satisfy his demanding appetite.
Fal shrugged, "Nothing is certain; regardless, your training remains paramount and your only concern. At this rate, you should be finished by no later than this time next year."
Silva nodded once before glancing up at his uncle, "While you're away, could you buy me some books?"
Fal paused, "I'm assuming you have some criteria for them?"
"Spiritual herbs and medicine, as well as any closely related topics," Silva clarified without missing a beat.
Fal smirked before waving his hand, summoning a large stack of books and scrolls, "Is this satisfactory?"
"More than," Silva responded, also cracking a slight smile as he waved his hand, taking the wealth of knowledge into his own storage ring, "I would ask you how you acquired all of this, but I'm certain knowing the answer would make me implicated in some manner of cri-"
Words failed Silva before he could finish his sentence as a familiar flame ignited inside his body. But this time, the searing heat was even more intense, and instead of burning Silva's muscles, it was his bones that became inflamed.
"Silva?" Fal asked, his voice thick with concern as he saw Silva's eyes widen and his body stiffen.
"I'm…f-fine, Uncle," Silva ground out, clenching his jaw in agony as the same vitality-rich sap smothered his entire skeleton, initiating a rapid transformation, "But please excuse me while I-"
Once more, a flare of agonizing pain cut Silva off, but this time the sensation was accompanied by a series of dry snaps that echoed out from Silva's body.
"What's going on?!" Fal demanded his voice, now urgent, as he stood and moved towards Silva, who, at the last moment, threw up a hand, "I'll b-be f-fine Uncle, it's only temporary!"
Silva forced out his words through clenched teeth before promptly closing his eyes and focusing on his evolving body.
Fal's jaw clenched, and he nearly made up his mind to shake Silva awake and demand some answers when an almost intangible but unmistakable aura arose from Silva's body.
'How is this possible?' Fal's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he felt and witnessed the heavenly truths becoming ingrained into Silva's very flesh and blood, 'His body is becoming an expression of heavenly law.'
With the unexpected revelation, several pieces suddenly clicked together in Fal's mind, his nephew's questions and his request. 'Silva's intuition is leading him in the right direction; with the books I gave him, he should have no issue reaching an accurate conclusion.'
Sitting back down, Fal felt a hint of embarrassment for his overreaction. Still, it was nothing compared to the building anticipation that made Fal feel restless, 'A physical body capable of expressing heaven's laws…what a monstrosity you've become, Little Vine.'
---
Little by little, Silva felt his body slowly settle back into a state of tranquility as his bones stopped shifting underneath his skin. Exhaling through his nose, Silva took stock of the changes his second baptism had wrought upon his body. While there were many, most were nearly unnoticeable and simply gave an overall sense of greater strength. However, there was one staunch outlier.
With his first tempering, Silva's muscles were fortified, granting him titanic strength; now his bones had received the same treatment.
Silva could feel that every bone in his body had become extremely dense, to the point where his weight must have nearly doubled. But there was a more intangible sensation as well, one that Silva could only explain as feeling rooted to the very earth itself.
Opening his eyes Silva looked across the table and found Fal staring at him expectantly, "Has it passed?"
Silva nodded once and Fal smiled, "Good, now I'll only ask one question and give one piece of advice."
Silva nodded again and awaited Fal's question.
"Question, do you believe you'll experience this again?" Fal asked as his eyes bore into his nephew's.
"Yes," Silva answered without pause, he was certain that at the very least his third breakthrough would trigger another baptism and there was a chance that more would follow in the future.
"Good, now my advice…never tell anyone about what's just occurred," Fal muttered in a serious tone, "While you may not understand the significance of what's just occurred one day you will and at that moment you will thank the heavens you had such a selfless and protective uncle."
Silva cracked a small smile and dipped his head in thanks, "I will heed Uncle's warning."
"I expected nothing less," Fal grinned before standing up, "Now your little stunt has cut into our leisure time together so I'm afraid that I'll need to get going. I've already sneezed a few times, no doubt the other elders are cursing my name."
Silva blinked, not expecting such a hasty departure, "How long has it been?"
"Three days," Fal answered as if it was a negligible amount of time, "Here I saved you the food I had prepared, it should still be fresh."
Fal waved his hand and the table was filled with the same feast that Silva had partaken in before his baptism. "Help yourself, I'd wager you're even more famished than you normally are."
Before Silva could respond, Fal disappeared, the only sign he had ever been there, a brief flash of heat that made the temperature in the room skyrocket.
Silva shook his head at his uncle's antics as he walked over and opened the window before sitting back down to eat.
---
Fal ended his movement technique and came to a stop at the bottom of a marbled staircase leading up to a raised pavilion embellished with polished garnet pillars and steeped redwood roof, a mix of bold crimson colors that evoked the image of fire, the trademark affinity of the Khana Clan.
"Late as always, Elder Fal."
Hearing the familiar voice stole the very last of Fal's joy accrued from spending so much time with his favorite nephew. Glancing over his shoulder, Fal's eyes landed on Yuli's hauntingly beautiful visage. "I try not to make a habit of it, but it seems fate always has other plans for me."
Seeing the slight furrow in Yuli's brow was priceless as Fal fought his usual smile from making an appearance, "And here I was hoping you'd suspend your usual antics given the situation."
Fal's eyes narrowed, "What situation?"
A brief look of surprise flashed across Yuli's face before a sardonic smile replaced it, "War Elder Fal, the situation is war."