The week following the disastrous expedition to Relay Station Aurelia was a period of slow, agonizing recovery for Kai, and quiet, intense analysis for the rest of The Ember Knights. Confined mostly to the infirmary in Sub-Station Epsilon, Kai wrestled with the strange, new energies coursing through him. The [Draconic Power Source Integration (Old Republic Energy)] was a torturous process. The System reported it at 35% completion, but the "Data Echo" ability was a constant torment – fragmented images of alien starscapes, whispers in dead languages, and flashes of incomprehensible schematics would assault his mind at random intervals, often accompanied by splitting headaches and waves of nausea. His new "Energy Sense" was equally overwhelming; the entire station felt like a cacophony of buzzing, thrumming energies from every active power conduit and piece of tech, a constant sensory overload that made concentration difficult.
His Draconic Energy Reserves, after the grim necessity of assimilating the deceased Rust Phantoms Roric had "provided," had stabilized at 90%, but the System was clear: this was not optimal. [SYSTEM ADVISORY: Assimilation of degraded/low-vitality essence has stabilized core Draconic Energy but is insufficient for optimal integration of foreign Old Republic energy matrix. Recommend acquisition of fresh, high-vitality Tier 2 Sustenance to accelerate integration, purge residual dissonance, and fuel evolutionary pathways. Current integration timeline extended due to suboptimal sustenance.] The thought of another hunt as Umbra, in his current fragile state, was daunting. He felt weaker than before the Aurelia mission, despite his core energy being nominally high. The foreign energy felt like a parasite, a discordant note in the symphony of his draconic power.
Lyra became his primary attendant during this period. Roric, while constantly monitoring Kai's progress via Shift's diagnostic readouts, seemed to be giving Kai space, perhaps sensing the volatile nature of his current condition. Lyra, however, approached him with her usual serene calm, her presence a surprisingly steadying influence. She didn't pry into the specifics of what had happened at Aurelia, beyond what Shift had reported about the data-chip. Instead, she focused on helping Kai manage the psychic fallout. "The energies of the Old Republic were… potent, Kai," she said one afternoon, as Kai recoiled from a particularly vivid flash of alien symbols. "They were born of a different understanding of Anima, of power itself. Your Draconic Source, in its attempt to save you, has ingested something ancient and indigestible. You must not fight it directly; that will only cause more internal conflict. You must… guide it. Persuade your own power to break it down, to absorb what is useful, and to expel what is harmful."
She taught him advanced meditative techniques, far beyond the simple breathing exercises from before. These focused on internal visualization, on creating a mental landscape where he could confront and begin to process the alien data echoes. It was an exhausting, often terrifying, process. He would spend hours in a trance-like state, wrestling with swirling nebulae of information, with whispers that promised power and threatened madness. The System would occasionally ping: [Mental Fortitude Training (Lyra Protocol): Engaged. Minor increase in psychic resistance. Old Republic Data Echoes: Intensity slightly reduced.]
Meanwhile, Roric, Shift, and Elara were deeply engrossed in the "Project Griffin" data-chips. Breaker, his arm now mostly healed but his spirit still heavy with the loss of Zip (whose status remained "Captured – Critical" according to the System, a constant, silent accusation in Kai's mind), focused on reinforcing Epsilon's defenses, his quiet diligence a testament to his loyalty. "The 'Project Griffin' data is… revolutionary, and terrifying," Roric announced during a brief meeting Kai was well enough to attend. "It's not just theoretical Anima gene-splicing. It contains detailed case studies, experimental logs… some successful, many catastrophic. They were trying to create stable, artificial Animas, to control manifestations, even to bestow Anima-like abilities upon non-MODs through complex bio-resonant therapies."
Elara, her holographic image flickering with excitement, added, "There are sections on 'Anima Nullification Fields' – technology designed to suppress or even permanently disable Anima powers. And 'Resonance Harmonizers' intended to stabilize volatile or newly awakened Animas. The science is centuries beyond anything the MODS Corporation currently possesses, or admits to possessing." Shift nodded grimly. "If this data fell into the wrong hands… Cerberus, Apex… they could weaponize it in ways that would shift the city's entire power balance. Or, they could try to replicate the experiments, with potentially disastrous consequences for any test subjects."
The implication was clear. The Ember Knights were sitting on knowledge that was both incredibly valuable and incredibly dangerous. "Our priority," Roric stated, his gaze intense, "is to fully decrypt and understand this data, particularly any protocols related to Anima stabilization or control. It might offer insights into your own unique Draconic Power Source, Kai, perhaps even a way to mitigate its… less desirable aspects." He was clearly referring to the hunger, and Kai's uncontrolled protoform manifestation.
As Kai's physical strength slowly returned, and the "Data Echoes" from the consumed Aurelia chip became less frequent and disorienting (the System now reported [Old Republic Energy Integration: 55% Complete]), the need for a fresh, high-vitality "Tier 2 Sustenance" became paramount. His Draconic Energy Reserves were dipping again, down to 60%, and the System's warnings were becoming more insistent.
"I need to hunt," Kai finally told Roric, his voice still a little weak, but his resolve firm. "As Umbra. The… internal balance is off. I need to restore it properly." Roric nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. "The foreign energy requires a catalyst for full integration, perhaps. A potent infusion of your natural… sustenance. Be exceptionally careful, Kai. Your powers are currently in flux. You are more vulnerable, and potentially more volatile, than before." He provided Kai with intel on a newly emerged gang of particularly vicious sump-scrapers who had taken to ambushing District 7's already impoverished waste reclaimers. A justifiable target, by Roric's cold calculus.
That night, as Kai donned the Umbra mask, he felt different. The familiar cold fire of his Draconic Power Source was still there, but it was now shot through with faint, almost imperceptible threads of the azure Old Republic energy. It made his senses sharper, his awareness of ambient technological fields more acute, but also made his own energy feel… less stable, like a barely contained storm. The dragon's gift from Aurelia was indeed tainted, a double-edged sword of new potential and unknown peril.