Chapter 82: The Final Treatment Begins

The doors of Eclipse Headquarters opened before them.

Reinhard stepped inside with Emily beside him, followed by Maki, Yuna, Lily, and Lucien. The atmosphere was different from the rest of the headquarters. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until even their footsteps sounded strangely loud against the polished floor.

Cassian was waiting at the end of the corridor.

Several researchers stood behind him, but unlike during their previous meetings, none of them were speaking. Their attention was fixed entirely on Emily.

After everything they had learned about her condition, the resources Reinhard had gathered, and the preparations that had gone into this treatment, they were finally about to discover whether it would work.

Cassian looked at Emily before turning toward Reinhard. "Everything is ready. The treatment chamber has been prepared according to the specifications we discussed."

Reinhard nodded and looked through the glass doors ahead.

Beyond them was a large circular chamber surrounded by equipment. The Gnosis Stabilization Chamber occupied the center, while the Mana Regulation Array had been built into the floor around it. Crystals had been placed throughout the room, and several pieces of equipment were connected directly to the S-Grade Mana Energy Core.

Everything Reinhard had spent months collecting was finally here.

The Soulbinding Crystals.

The Soulroot Fruit.

The Lightkeeper Dew.

The Oath Keeper Water.

And finally, the Lightning Emperor Key.

Even the Substitute Dolls were standing in their designated positions around the chamber.

Emily stared through the glass for several seconds before her hand tightened slightly around Reinhard’s.

He noticed immediately.

"You nervous?" Reinhard asked.

Emily glanced at him. "A little."

"Good."

Her eyebrows rose. "Good?"

"It means you’re taking it seriously." Reinhard smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "It might hurt."

Emily stared at him for a moment. "That’s your reassurance?"

"I’m being honest."

She sighed, although a small smile appeared on her face.

Reinhard leaned closer. "But you’re not doing it alone."

Emily’s expression softened. "I know."

They entered the treatment chamber.

Cassian followed them while the other researchers remained behind the observation barrier. Maki, Yuna, Lily, and Lucien took their positions outside the chamber as well.

Cassian began checking the equipment one final time.

"The Oath Keeper Water will be used first. It should repair the hidden damage that has remained inside your Gnosis for years. Once that stage is complete, we’ll activate the Lightning Emperor Key."

His expression became more serious.

"The Key won’t gently reopen your Gnosis. It will force it open."

Emily nodded. "And after that?"

"The Lightkeeper Dew will push your physical body toward its peak condition while the stabilization equipment keeps your Gnosis from collapsing under the pressure." Cassian looked directly at her. "Once we begin, we cannot simply stop halfway through."

Reinhard folded his arms. "Then don’t stop."

Cassian looked at him for a moment before giving a small nod. "That’s the plan."

The chamber began to hum as one machine after another activated. Mana flowed through the arrays beneath Emily’s feet, forming several layers of protective light around the Gnosis Stabilization Chamber.

Reinhard stepped forward and allowed his Mana to surge.

The Link Chain appeared around his arm, its chains extending outward before splitting into several glowing links. He activated Inanimate Link, sending one chain toward Emily and connecting her to the Gnosis Stabilization Chamber.

Another connected her to the Mana Regulation Array, while a third connected her to one of the Substitute Dolls. The remaining links spread toward the surrounding equipment, anchoring Emily to the entire treatment system.

Cassian watched the connections form. "You’re using the equipment as additional anchors."

Reinhard nodded. "Three extra things to suffer instead of my wife."

Cassian frowned. "That’s not how I’d describe it."

"It’s how I’d describe it."

Lily covered her mouth to hide a laugh, while Maki smiled faintly. Even Yuna’s expression softened.

Emily looked at Reinhard. "Are you sure?"

Reinhard met her eyes.

"No."

She stared at him. "Reinhard."

He smiled. "I’m sure we’re doing it."

Emily exhaled slowly before closing her eyes.

"Let’s begin."

Cassian gave the signal.

The chamber activated.

The first container opened, and a small amount of Oath Keeper Water flowed into the treatment system before being carried toward Emily through the Mana Regulation Array.

At first, nothing happened.

Emily simply sat inside the chamber with her eyes closed while the researchers watched the readings.

Then she suddenly inhaled.

Her body stiffened, and her fingers curled around the arms of the chair.

Cassian immediately looked at the readings.

"Wait."

The numbers were climbing rapidly.

One of the researchers stepped closer to the monitor. "That’s impossible."

Another looked over his shoulder. "What happened?"

Cassian’s expression changed as he studied the readings. "The Oath Keeper Water found something."

Reinhard’s gaze sharpened. "What did it find?"

Cassian stared at the readings for several seconds before answering.

"Damage."

"How much?"

"More than we expected."

The image of Emily’s Gnosis appeared on the monitor, revealing the structure beneath its visible surface. Countless damaged pathways ran through it, some so faint that they had almost disappeared entirely.

There were old fractures, collapsed Mana pathways, and tiny breaks that had never properly healed. Some areas showed layers of damage buried beneath injuries that had formed later.

Cassian’s voice became quieter. "These injuries have been here for years."

Emily’s breathing grew heavier.

Reinhard’s hand tightened. "Can it repair them?"

Cassian nodded slowly. "That’s what the Oath Keeper Water is doing."

Then Emily screamed.

The entire chamber shook as Mana exploded from her body before the Mana Regulation Array immediately pulled it back under control.

Maki stepped forward. "Emily!"

"I’m fine!" Emily forced out through clenched teeth.

The Link Chain around Reinhard’s arm tightened as pain surged through the connection.

His body stiffened.

The Pain Reduction Rings activated automatically, dulling the worst of the sensation, but even with them, the pressure remained immense.

Lily grabbed the railing outside the chamber. "It’s starting again."

Maki nodded. "We’ve done this before."

Yuna looked at Emily through the glass. "Then we’ll do it again."

The family had already experienced this once, so they knew what came next.

The Enhanced Link Chain connected the family members to the treatment system, allowing them to share some of the strain. The Pain Reduction Rings activated while the Substitute Dolls began absorbing the overflow.

One of the dolls immediately cracked.

A second began smoking.

Cassian’s eyes widened. "Those dolls are taking a lot of the feedback."

Reinhard gritted his teeth. "That’s what they’re there for."

Another surge struck the chamber, and the third Substitute Doll cracked across the chest.

Emily screamed again.

Maki flinched but remained where she was. Lily’s hands trembled, and Yuna’s face had gone pale, but nobody moved away.

Inside the chamber, the Oath Keeper Water continued moving through Emily’s Gnosis.

One damaged pathway after another began repairing itself. The process was slow enough to be painful but fast enough that the researchers could watch the changes happening directly on their monitors.

Cassian stared at the readings.

"Her Gnosis is stabilizing."

One of the researchers looked at him in disbelief. "Those pathways are reconnecting."

Another leaned closer to the monitor. "The damage is disappearing."

Reinhard looked toward Emily.

Her face was covered in sweat, but she remained conscious. He could feel her pain through the Link Chain, along with the strain running through her body, but there was something else he could sense now.

The resistance was changing.

For years, Emily’s Gnosis had been fighting simply to survive. Now, for the first time, it was being given the chance to heal.

"Emily," Reinhard said quietly.

Her eyes opened slightly.

"I’m here."

She looked toward him. "I know."

"Then keep going."

Emily took a trembling breath. "I will."

The treatment continued.

Another damaged pathway closed, followed by another. The fractures throughout her Gnosis slowly disappeared as the Oath Keeper Water repaired injuries that had remained hidden for years.

The Mana Regulation Array worked constantly to prevent the newly restored pathways from becoming overwhelmed, while the Gnosis Stabilization Chamber maintained the structure.

The Soulbinding Crystals kept Emily’s Gnosis anchored to her body, and Reinhard remained connected to everything through the Link Chain.

Every piece had a purpose, and every reward Reinhard had acquired was finally being used.

Months of searching, millions of credits, dangerous missions, relics, knowledge, medicine, and countless resources had all led to this moment. For once, Reinhard wasn’t looking at another investment or another impossible mission.

He was watching everything he had built come together for Emily.

The final damaged pathway closed.

The chamber suddenly became silent.

Emily’s trembling stopped.

Cassian stared at the monitor before slowly speaking.

"The hidden damage has been repaired."

Reinhard exhaled.

Maki closed her eyes in relief, while Lily nearly collapsed against the railing. Yuna smiled as she watched Emily.

Emily slowly opened her eyes.

"Is it over?"

Cassian looked toward the second piece of equipment.

"No."

The Lightning Emperor Key stood in the center of the chamber, its surface covered in golden lightning.

Cassian’s expression became serious again. "The first stage is complete."

The Key began to glow.

"The second stage is about to begin."

Lightning erupted through the chamber.

Emily’s body suddenly lifted from the chair as the Mana surrounding her surged violently. The researchers immediately began shouting as the readings spiked.

"Mana density is rising!"

"Stabilization is still holding!"

"No, look at the Gnosis!"

The image on the monitor changed.

Emily’s Gnosis was opening.

Not slowly or gently.

It was being forced open.

The Lightning Emperor Key drove lightning through every restored pathway, tearing open the barriers that had kept Emily’s Gnosis dormant for years.

Emily’s eyes widened.

A wave of Mana exploded from her body.

The chamber shook violently, the walls vibrating as several researchers stumbled backward. Outside the treatment room, Maki grabbed the railing while Lily’s hair was blown backward by the pressure.

Yuna stared at the chamber in disbelief.

Even Lucien’s expression finally changed, while Cassian looked genuinely shaken.

"What is that?" one of the researchers whispered.

Reinhard looked toward Emily.

The pressure continued increasing.

It wasn’t simply Mana anymore.

Something deeper was awakening inside Emily, and the pressure spread through Eclipse Headquarters until the entire building began to tremble.

Awakeners throughout the facility stopped what they were doing as they instinctively turned toward the treatment wing, each of them feeling the same strange pressure coming from somewhere deep inside the building.

Something enormous had just awakened.

Inside the chamber, Emily’s silver hair floated around her as Mana continued pouring from her body.

Reinhard’s eyes widened.

Then he saw it.

A thin crack appeared in the air beside Emily.

Another formed beside it.

Then another.

The cracks spread outward through empty space as if reality itself were beginning to fracture.

Cassian stared at them.

His voice barely escaped his throat.

"That’s not supposed to happen."

Reinhard didn’t answer.

The cracks continued spreading.

Then one of them shattered.

A terrifying pressure erupted from Emily’s Gnosis.

Behind her, something began to form.

Two enormous eyes slowly opened within the fractured space.

Reinhard stared.

For the first time since the treatment began, he completely forgot about the pain running through his body. He could only look at Emily.

The researchers stood frozen.

Someone whispered, "What... is happening?"

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

He had seen countless strange things since arriving in this world, but he had never seen anything like this.

The space behind Emily continued breaking apart.

And whatever was awakening inside her had only just begun to open its eyes.