"Very well… I will do it. But remember, crossing this limit will only lead to destruction."
The moment the Tome granted its assent, a pain beyond imagination stabbed through Kaivan's mind. It felt like thousands of needles piercing directly into every nerve of his brain. His head throbbed as if an invisible hand was squeezing, crushing, trying to grind his mind into dust. His entire body trembled. Kaivan bit his lower lip until it tore, blood spilling down as he swallowed the scream clawing at his throat.
"Twenty-eight percent," whispered Tome Omnicent coldly, as if the number were nothing more than a lifeless statistic.
Blood began to stream from Kaivan's nose and ears, signs that the pressure inside his skull had reached its limit. His vision blurred, the world twisting like a broken vortex. He dropped to his knees, fingers digging desperately into his hair, trying to contain a pain that only grew sharper, deeper.
"Damn it… RAISE IT MORE!" Kaivan roared. His eyes flooded, tears dripping red as blood filled them.
"Thirty-one percent," Tome Omnicent announced, hesitation creeping into its tone. "Your capacity is rising, but your body is on the brink of collapse."
Kaivan screamed. His muscles convulsed violently, as if every fiber of his being rebelled at once. It felt like drowning, dragged into the crushing deep of a midnight sea. Pain surged like lightning ripping through every nerve. His bones felt as though they were fracturing. Pressure swelled inside him, threatening to split him apart from within.
"KEEP RAISING IT! I HAVE TO SEE IT!" he howled, tears of blood staining his cheeks.
Shadows began to flicker in his mind, glimpses he had tried so long to forget. The living room, now hollow and silent. Vella's cold smile appearing in a flash. His mother's body torn apart, split cleanly by the thrown shard of glass… blood spraying, painting the walls.
"Thirty-seven percent," Tome Omnicent murmured, its voice trembling. "Your brain capacity has passed the threshold. This will kill you, Kaivan."
"I DON'T CARE! RAISE IT!" he screamed, voice shredded raw. His body collapsed to the floor, convulsing as though struck by divine lightning. Blood poured freely from his nose, eyes, and ears. A crimson pool formed beneath him. Heat engulfed him, scorching, unbearable, as if every inch of his skin were burning from the inside.
The agony intensified, spiraling into madness. It felt like flames were devouring his brain. His spine felt molten, his ribs splintering. Pressure crushed him like the abyss of a deep ocean trench, three thousand meters below the surface, where the weight of the sea extinguished every breath of life.
"Forty-one percent. This is nearly the maximum, Kaivan," Tome Omnicent said, voice strained with despair. "Your body won't last. You will die in seconds."
Kaivan laughed, a hollow, broken sound, blood spilling from his lips. "I DON'T CARE! RAISE IT UNTIL I SEE EVERYTHING!" he shrieked, hysterical.
And then, something indescribable washed over him.
He saw it.
Clearer than ever.
The blurry fragments became vivid reality, Vella, smiling with cruel delight, hurling a razor-like shard straight at his mother. Her body splitting as the glass tore through her, blood erupting like a crimson storm. Her scream echoed inside Kaivan's skull, rattling him to the core.
Kaivan bit down on his own tongue so hard it nearly severed. Blood burst from his mouth.
And he saw everything.
"49%," Tome Omnicent said, his cold voice now trembling with fear. "This is the final limit, Kaivan. I can't raise it any higher. If you push again, you'll be completely destroyed."
Kaivan collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. His eyes were wide and empty, blood streaming down his face, forming a dark red halo beneath his head. His body lay limp, like a puppet with its strings cut, only faint, ragged breaths proving he was still alive.
Tome Omnicent stared at the near-lifeless boy, realizing the experiment had taken a far heavier toll than expected. "Unbelievable… this is the first time I've ever reached fifty percent," he muttered, exhaustion seeping into his tone. "I have to close these wounds. If I don't, he'll die instantly."
A crimson glow poured from the Tome's pages, wrapping Kaivan's broken body. His wounds slowly sealed, blood pulled back by the Tome's magic. But the light dimmed quickly, proof of how much energy it had drained.
"I need to rest…" Omnicent whispered. "Seven years of my life force vanished in one attempt. But you… you must live, Kaivan. Your suffering has only just begun."
Night ended in utter silence. Only the faint drip of blood echoed through the room. Kaivan lay unconscious, his body bathed in the fading shimmer of the Tome's dying light.
By late afternoon, pale orange rays slipped through the curtains, filling the quiet room. Kaivan woke slowly, eyes unfocused. He was lying on a soft bed he didn't recognize. When clarity finally returned, he pushed himself up, his head pounding. His pupils widened as he searched for something familiar, but nothing answered him.
Then the memories struck.
His mother's body torn apart. Her scream. The blood. The despair.
It all replayed in his mind in an endless loop.
He clutched his head, trying to shake the visions away, but the trauma only tightened its grip, dragging him deeper into terror.
Footsteps approached. The door creaked open, revealing a tiny blonde girl, Livia. "Ah! He's awake!" she exclaimed, bright and cheerful, unaware of the panic she had just awakened. She dashed out of the room. "Kaivan's awake! Hurry, come see!"
But her voice made Kaivan's heart explode in fear.
His breathing quickened. His whole body trembled. He leapt from the bed and locked the door. Sweat rolled down his pale face as he backed away, eyes darting around the room like a cornered animal.
"I have to save my mother… I have to save her…" he whispered hoarsely.
He glanced toward the window, open just a crack, and staggered toward it. Behind him, the knocking on the door grew louder.