Chapter 190: Stability in Lydia’s Abilities

The area had fallen silent. The creature was gone, and the dimensional rift had closed.

For the first time in several minutes, Liam could breathe easy.

He looked around.

The buildings were damaged, several vehicles had been destroyed, and the asphalt was covered in remnants of violet energy.

His squad was exhausted.

Tim’s squad wasn’t in much better shape either.

But everyone was still standing.

"Is everyone okay?" Liam asked.

"More or less."

Zayn raised a hand.

"Does this count?"

Liam smiled.

"Yes."

Jordan dropped himself onto a destroyed vehicle.

"Then I’m perfectly fine."

Ray looked at him.

"You’re sitting on a car that doesn’t even have a roof anymore."

"It’s comfortable."

Chuck began picking up his knives.

"I just want to rest for a bit, Boss."

Lena leaned against her sword.

"Me too."

Nora remained silent as her small shadow creatures disappeared one by one.

Chloe took a deep breath.

"I need to rest."

Liam nodded.

"We will."

Then he heard a voice.

"Liam."

It was Lydia.

His slime wife was standing in front of him.

But something was different.

Her body was emitting a very faint glow.

She didn’t look injured, nor did she look tired.

Rather...

She seemed to be filled with energy.

"How do you feel?"

Lydia moved her arms.

"Strange."

Liam became concerned.

"Strange how?"

"I don’t know."

Lydia closed her eyes.

"It’s like I have too much energy inside me."

Liam immediately became serious.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Are you dizzy?"

"No."

"Can you use your abilities?"

Lydia opened her eyes.

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"Let me try."

Lydia concentrated.

[Burst]

A stream of wind appeared in front of her.

The wind gently moved Liam’s hair.

Lydia raised a hand.

"Stop."

The stream disappeared, and Liam stood motionless.

They both looked at each other.

"It worked."

Liam frowned.

"Try again."

Lydia smiled.

[Burst]

The wind appeared again.

[Burst]

It disappeared.

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"It worked again!"

Liam felt an enormous sense of relief.

Ever since Lydia had become pregnant, her powers had been behaving strangely.

But now...

She could control them.

"Try another one."

Lydia used [Harden].

Her body’s consistency changed and then returned to normal.

[Shapeshifter]

Two eagle wings appeared on her back.

Lydia moved them and then made them disappear.

Without any problems.

Liam smiled.

"They’re not malfunctioning anymore."

Lydia smiled too.

"I know."

Pix appeared beside them.

"That’s very interesting."

Liam looked at the little fairy.

"You noticed it too?"

"Yes."

Pix carefully observed Lydia.

"Her internal energy is much more stable."

Liam thought about what James had told them earlier.

"We need to take her to James."

Lydia sighed.

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Okay, honey."

Liam picked her up.

"Besides, I want him to check the energy you absorbed."

Lydia nodded.

"Okay."

◇◆◇

A few minutes later, James arrived at the area.

He had received the battle report and wanted to personally check on the team.

But when he saw Lydia, his attention immediately focused on her.

"What happened?"

Liam explained everything.

The creature.

The rift.

The energy.

The evolution.

And the fact that Lydia had started controlling her abilities again.

James listened in silence and looked at Lydia.

"Can you demonstrate it?"

Lydia nodded.

[Burst]

A small stream of wind appeared.

"Stop."

It disappeared.

James raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting."

"That’s what I said."

James ignored the comment.

"I need a blood sample."

Liam crossed his arms.

"Carefully."

James sighed.

"Liam, I know."

"I just wanted to remind you."

"And I just wanted to remind you that I’m still a doctor."

Lydia extended her arm.

"You can do it."

James took the sample.

While he analyzed the blood, Liam waited impatiently.

Several minutes passed before James checked the results again.

His expression changed.

Liam noticed.

"What is it?"

James looked up.

"It’s not bad."

Liam released the breath he had been holding.

"Then what is it?"

James looked at the results again.

"Her hormone levels are much more stable."

Lydia blinked.

"Does that mean something good?"

"Yes."

James set the tablet aside.

"Very much so."

Liam stepped closer.

"What changed?"

James looked at Lydia.

"Apparently, her evolution."

Pix appeared over Liam’s shoulder.

"Energy Slime."

James nodded.

"Exactly."

He pointed at the results.

"During the pregnancy, her body was under constant energy-related stress. Her hormones were changing, and her body was trying to adapt."

Lydia listened carefully.

"That directly affected your abilities because your powers are tied to your body."

Lydia nodded.

"That’s why they were malfunctioning."

"Yes."

James pointed to the energy that could still be detected around Lydia.

"But now you can obtain energy from outside sources."

Liam understood.

"She no longer depends solely on her own energy."

"Exactly."

James smiled slightly.

"Her body now has a new energy source available. That seems to have reduced some of the stress that was causing the fluctuations."

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"So my pregnancy is doing better?"

James looked at her.

"I’d say your body is adapting better."

Liam let out a sigh of relief.

"That’s good."

James crossed his arms.

"But that doesn’t mean we can ignore the pregnancy."

"I know."

"I need to keep monitoring her."

Lydia nodded.

"Okay."

James put the sample away.

"And there’s something else."

Everyone looked at James.

"What?"

"Your consumption ability might be stabilizing as well."

Liam froze.

James continued.

"Before, it seemed like your body was having trouble distinguishing between what it needed to consume and what it didn’t."

Lydia lowered her gaze.

"That’s why I consumed Liam’s camera."

"Exactly."

James looked at Liam.

"But now you can obtain energy without needing to consume matter."

Pix smiled.

"That should significantly reduce the risk."

Liam felt an enormous sense of relief.

Although Pix said nothing more.

They both knew exactly what risk she was referring to.

Lydia didn’t know.

And Liam wanted to keep it that way until they found a definitive solution.

Lydia raised her head.

"So I’m okay?"

James smiled.

"You’re better."

Lydia began to smile.

Then she spread her arms.

"Liam!"

"What?"

"Look!"

Two eagle wings appeared on her back.

Lydia began flapping them.

"I can control them!"

Liam let out a small laugh.

"Yes."

The wings disappeared.

Then they appeared again.

"And I can make them stop whenever I want!"

"We’ve already seen that, honey."

"But I couldn’t do that before!"

Liam hugged her.

Lydia froze.

"Why are you hugging me?"

"Because I want to."

Lydia smiled.

"That’s weird."

"Let me hug you, honey."

She rested her head against his chest.

"Okay. It feels comforting."

Pix watched the scene.

"How romantic."

Liam looked at her.

"Pix."

"Yes?"

"Don’t start."

"I didn’t say anything."

James cleared his throat.

"I think we still have another matter to discuss."

Liam slowly pulled away from Lydia.

"The dimensional energy?"

James nodded.

"Yes."

Lydia extended a small hand, and a tiny violet sphere appeared above it.

James stepped closer.

"Don’t release it yet."

"Why?"

"I want to analyze it."

Lydia closed her hand, and the sphere disappeared into her body.

James’s eyes widened.

"You can store it?"

"Yes."

"And you can give it back as well."

"Yes."

James seemed increasingly interested.

"That means your evolution didn’t just modify your body."

He looked at Liam.

"It also changed the way you interact with energy."

Liam thought about the creature.

"Then we need to understand what that energy was."

Pix nodded.

"I agree."

Liam used [Call].

’Pix.’

The little fairy responded immediately.

’Yes?’

’Do you know what that silhouette we saw was?’

Pix remained silent.

’No.’

Liam frowned.

’You really don’t know?’

’No.’

Pix lowered her gaze.

’And that worries me.’

Before Liam could respond, Lydia gave a small jump.

"Liam!"

"What?"

Lydia was staring at her own hand.

"I think I can do something."

A small amount of violet energy appeared above it.

But this time, it wasn’t just energy.

The light began to take shape.

An image appeared in front of them.

Liam froze.

It was a landscape.

A violet sky, floating mountains, black trees, and transparent plants.

It was the same place they had reached through the dungeon.

But something was different.

In the distance stood a massive structure.

A tower.

Similar to the connection they had destroyed.

But much larger.

Liam stepped forward.

"What is that?"

Pix didn’t answer.

The image began to fade.

Then an extremely faint voice passed through the energy.

"...they found it..."

The image disappeared, and everyone fell silent.

Liam looked at Pix.

The little fairy’s eyes were wide open.

"What’s wrong?"

Pix took several seconds to respond.

"Liam..."

"Yes?"

"I don’t think the connections are simply opening."

Liam frowned.

"Then?"

Pix looked toward the sky.

"They’re responding to each other."

Liam felt a chill run through him at those words.