Chapter 185: A Good Start to the Morning

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: A Good Start to the Morning

Caelia noticed him staring at the two spirits.

"Thinking about their evolution?"

"Yes."

"You really don’t know how to stop planning, do you?"

Damon took another bite as he looked toward the distant darkness of Tempest Hollow.

"Not when there’s still something worth improving."

Caelia smiled.

"That’s very like you."

Damon shrugged.

"It’s gotten me this far."

The two continued eating as the night grew quieter.

Shiro remained inside the Spirit Origin, his body surrounded by a faint icy glow.

He was close.

Very close.

Damon could already sense the change beginning within him.

Another step was coming.

And when Shiro finally broke through, Damon had a feeling that his new strength would be exactly what they needed for the journey ahead.

Tomorrow, they would enter Tempest Hollow again.

This time, they wouldn’t be going there to survive.

They were going to find its Zone Heart.

********

The camp had since quieted down as it went further into the night, although they were within the human camp, Damon didn’t completely relax.

Being surrounded by elemental users didn’t mean they were safe.

There were still people who didn’t want him anywhere near the Zone Heart, and he had already dealt with one group sent specifically to kill him.

So Damon took a few precautions.

Freya left one of her clones outside their resting area. It wasn’t enough to stop a truly powerful enemy, but it would give them an early warning if anyone approached.

Once that was done, Damon and the group finally allowed themselves to rest.

The night passed quietly.

Then morning arrived.

But it wasn’t sunlight that woke Damon.

A faint glow filled the room.

Damon opened his eyes immediately.

He didn’t need to look around to know what had happened.

Shiro had returned from the Spirit Origin.

Damon sat up and looked toward the Frost Qilin.

Caelia also stirred beside him.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"What happened?"

Then she saw Shiro.

Her sleepiness disappeared immediately.

"Oh."

Damon was already wide awake.

His eyes stayed on Shiro as he carefully observed every change.

"Looks like he’s done."

Freya and Sylphie also noticed the commotion.

Freya quickly came over, while Sylphie descended from above and hovered nearby.

They both looked excited.

Their younger brother had finally evolved.

Shiro stood quietly in the center of the room.

The glow around him slowly grew stronger.

Then his body began to change.

His white fur became even brighter, but it wasn’t simply a change in color. The fur had become thicker and smoother, with a faint icy sheen running across every strand.

His body had grown larger as well.

He was no longer the somewhat young Frost Qilin they had become accustomed to seeing.

His limbs were stronger, his shoulders broader and his claws sharper. Yet despite the increase in size, his body remained balanced and graceful.

A pair of elegant crystal horns extended from his head, curving slightly backward.

They had become longer and more refined, almost like they had been carved from the purest ice.

Pale blue markings now covered parts of his body, running along his neck, shoulders and legs like natural patterns formed by frost.

His deep blue eyes were calm.

But they carried a different depth now.

The moment Shiro opened them, a powerful wave of cold spread through the area.

Caelia froze.

She could feel it clearly.

This wasn’t simply stronger Ice Aether.

There was something deeper within his aura.

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"That’s quite an increase."

The pressure around Shiro continued to spread.

Frost formed across the ground, but it didn’t spread wildly. It remained perfectly controlled around him.

His long tail moved slowly behind him, and a faint mist followed each movement.

Shiro looked like a creature that belonged in the heart of an ancient frozen land.

There was nothing childish about his appearance anymore.

He looked mature.

Regal.

And strangely calm despite the overwhelming power radiating from him.

Caelia stared.

"Shiro..."

Even she struggled to find the right words.

The Frost Qilin slowly lowered his head.

A deep, controlled aura rolled from his body again, and the surrounding temperature dropped another degree.

Freya’s nine tails swayed as she looked at him.

"Not bad."

Sylphie gave an excited cry and flew around Shiro once.

Shiro simply watched them calmly.

Damon smiled.

He could feel the connection between them.

The evolution had strengthened more than Shiro’s body.

His Spirit Origin had changed, his Aether had become purer, and Shiro passed on new pieces of understanding that entered Damon’s mind through their connection.

An Art.

Damon’s eyes lit up.

"Hope you got something good."

Shiro’s tail moved slightly.

Damon could already feel the outline of the new Art through their connection.

He didn’t immediately try to understand every detail.

That could wait.

Right now, he simply enjoyed the result.

They had spent the previous night cultivating and using a large amount of resources, and it had paid off.

Starting the day with a stronger Spirit Elemental felt great.

Damon stretched slightly.

"This is a good way to wake up."

Caelia looked at him.

"You really aren’t surprised?"

"I was expecting him to evolve."

"That’s not what I meant."

Damon glanced at her.

Caelia pointed toward Shiro.

"Look at him. His aura is completely different."

"I noticed."

"And you’re just standing there?"

"What do you want me to do?"

Caelia stared at him for a moment before sighing.

"Sometimes I think you’re too calm."

Damon smiled.

"Well...."

Before Caelia could reply, another sensation reached her.

She suddenly stopped.

Her expression changed.

"Wait."

Damon looked at her.

Caelia slowly turned toward Snow.

The Frost Lynx had remained quiet throughout Shiro’s evolution.

She had spent the entire night lying nearby, carefully stabilizing the refined Ice Aether she had received from Damon.

Now, a faint glow was spreading through her body.

Caelia’s eyes widened.

"Snow..."

Snow opened her eyes.

Her body began to change.

The Frost Lynx grew slightly larger, but the difference wasn’t limited to her size.

Her body had become more muscular beneath her thick white fur, giving her a stronger and more mature appearance.