Lord of the Truth

After several weeks—

"Ughmm..." Robin's eyelids fluttered weakly as his consciousness stirred. His eyes twitched and slowly opened, revealing only a narrow sliver of light as he stared blankly upward. It took another five long, hazy minutes before he fully processed what he was looking at—an ornate white ceiling, rich with elegant, intricate carvings that seemed to dance in and out of focus. It was the ceiling of his apartment in the academy building. He was home.

As that realization set in, a new sensation brushed his awareness—he wasn't alone. Turning his head slightly, though it felt like dragging a mountain, he spotted Shaddad slumped in a chair beside the bed. His head was tilted back, mouth hanging open in a full, graceless sleep. It was the kind of deep, unbothered slumber that only someone utterly exhausted could achieve. "Ah..." Robin let out a barely audible sound.

But the moment Shaddad felt Robin's gaze, he stirred awake. His eyes popped open, and the wide grin that spread across his face was instant. "Ha ha! I knew you'd make it! You're one stubborn human. Incredible!"

"Hmm... your tone doesn't exactly scream confidence..." Robin tried to chuckle, but his throat gave a dry rasp instead. His voice barely made it out.

His memories of the weaponization bath were disjointed at best. He vaguely remembered speaking nonstop, but couldn't recall what he had said—or if it had made any sense. He remembered Shaddad's repeated smacks to the back of his head, keeping him awake by force. Day after day, that painful loop had continued, until eventually, he heard Shaddad sigh in exhausted relief: "It's done." In that very moment, Robin finally let go of consciousness.

And now... he was awake again.

Robin struggled to lift his head, neck trembling from the effort. His eyes drifted downward to examine his own body. A strange, uncanny sensation washed over him—it felt like his soul was sealed inside someone else's shell. He could barely even move a single finger.

"Shaddad... what's happening to me?" Robin asked, turning his head again with effort.

"I wish I had a real answer..." Shaddad said with a sheepish grin. "You're the first person I've ever applied fourth-stage weaponization to, using the rapid-modification variant. Honestly, I'm learning just as much as you are. So... why don't you tell me how it feels?"

"This is a joke, right? A sick, twisted prank?!" Robin's voice cracked with strain. "You mean to tell me you've been running experiments on me this entire time?!"

"The calculations were extremely accurate, big brother. I swear, there was no chance of failure in the actual weaponization. What made this different was the depth—far deeper than any previous attempt. The only unknowns were whether your body could endure it... and how it would react to such a sudden internal metamorphosis." Shaddad waved his hands around, animated. Then his tone shifted. "But... I'll admit something. The pain? It was way worse than I imagined. I dipped my own hand into the tub near the end, just out of curiosity—and I screamed so hard it felt like a whole city was being torn from my soul. Even now, I don't know how you survived it."

He slumped forward and rubbed his temple. "Honestly... I might need to tweak the formula. Maybe ease off the aggression of the compound a little."

"You might need to?!" Robin managed to raise his voice a notch, a fire flickering in his weak tone.

Shaddad laughed again, clapping once. "Hey, silver linings, right? Your body is now at level 40. Just one more bath and you'll be standing at the absolute peak of physical power for any mortal warrior."

"Level 40? What the hell are you talking about. this must have failed," Robin hissed. "I can't even sit upright!!" He slowly raised his head again, forcing his blurred vision to focus downward. His dim, barely glowing eyes scanned his torso, arms, and legs. "...This is... amazing."

From within, Robin's body looked like something out of a sacred text—balanced, brilliant, brimming with latent force.

His physical appearance hadn't changed all that much on the outside. But every internal fiber shimmered with newfound strength and elasticity. The transformation went beyond what even the most powerful tattoos had ever offered.

"Of course it's amazing, it's my most brilliant work, the best this field have to offer! Ha ha!" Shaddad cheered, beaming like a proud craftsman. "Relax, alright? Just give your body time. The fourth bath specifically targeted your spinal cord and nervous system. That's why everything feels so distant. But give it a bit—soon enough, you'll be moving like nothing ever happened."

He waved his hand casually, then leaned in with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "So... you mentioned wanting to head to Specter Valley, right?"

"...." Robin stared at him, the corners of his eyes tightening. He wanted to keep yelling. To lay into Shaddad properly. But after a moment, he just let his head fall back against the pillow with a groan. "Yeah. But... it's going to have to wait. At least a few months, I think."

"Why wait?" Shaddad tilted his head. "You'll be back on your feet in two or three weeks."

"And what about the fifth bath?" Robin sighed deeply. "I have a very bad feeling about that one. Feels like it'll be... even worse."

"The fifth?" Shaddad blinked. "...You still want to go through with the fifth?!"

His voice trembled ever so slightly. For a moment, his large eyes even shimmered with emotion. Deep down, he had feared that his older brother might have lost all trust in him after everything they'd been through. But now... now he wasn't so sure.

"Stop this already!" Robin shouted, his voice noticeably stronger than before. "...No matter how intense the pain was, and regardless of the physical backlash, the truth remains—my body is approaching perfection. At least, when compared to any living being at the same power level. You've created something incredible, a masterpiece of raw biological engineering... and I want to see it through. I need to finish this."

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find compounds that would allow me to fast-track the fifth bath," Shaddad replied with a low sigh, shaking his head slowly. "You'll have to take the weaponization in its traditional form—wait until I've gathered all the components, and then go through the process naturally without any shortcuts."

"Oh..." Robin exhaled in disappointment, his eyes dimming slightly. He didn't know how long his journey to the Specter Valley would take, nor when—or even if—he'd return to the academy. Postponing this breakthrough meant he'd be going in less prepared, with more risks and fewer tools at his disposal.

"..." Shaddad, feeling the weight of Robin's silence, lowered his gaze. A hint of guilt and frustration tightened his features. He hated admitting it, but he hadn't even managed to collect a quarter of what was needed for the fifth bath.

The ingredients required for such a procedure were not just rare—they were practically mythical. While it wasn't impossible to obtain them, it would require serious effort or substantial wealth. He could purchase them from the Soul Society's marketplace, or reach out to a few well-connected allies, but the prices were absurd—at least ten times the standard cost. For someone living off an academic salary and the modest fees paid by a handful of students... those prices were nothing short of crippling.

Bam! With sudden energy, Shaddad clapped his hand on his thigh, forcing a wide grin to his face. "Ha ha! Come on, what are you looking so down for? Only one item remains for the fifth bath, and I've already arranged for it. It's en route as we speak. Give it a month or two, and everything will be perfectly ready!"

"Two months?" Robin repeated, narrowing his eyes slightly as he processed the timeline.

"Yep! Just pick up a few light reads from the library, maybe meditate a bit, and I promise you—those weeks will disappear like smoke!" Shaddad gave Robin's leg a firm pat and chuckled. "You can delay your journey to the Specter Valley for two months, can't you?"

"...I think so," Robin muttered, letting out a long breath. Ever since he'd finished reading the second Soul Book, he had felt a fire building inside him—a growing impatience, an urge to head to the Valley immediately. If it were up to him, he'd have left yesterday.