As Wong lay on the couch, warm divine energy spread through her body like a gentle current, soothing her from within. Her skin began to emit a soft, golden glow, radiating outward as though she was a source of light. To Gwen’s astonishment, the changes were rapid and miraculous.
Wong’s white hair started darkening strand by strand, returning to its original black luster. The dots, scars, and blemishes vanished as if wiped clean by an unseen hand. Her skin smoothed, becoming delicate and supple. Frail muscles strengthened, lost fat and blood replenished, and her body rid itself of harmful bacteria and damaged cells.
Within a minute, Wong had transformed entirely. She now appeared as a vibrant young woman in her early 20s, glowing with health and vitality.
As for the cancer cells and dark cysts, they were gone. Her DNA reprogrammed itself, registering the new physical appearance as the ideal form. She would be immune to cancer from now on.
Gwen, witnessing the miracle unfold before her, was speechless. Her jaw hung open as she stared at Wong, then shifted her gaze to Carn.
"Are you Jesus?" Gwen asked, half-joking but unable to hide the seriousness in her voice.
Carn waved off the question with a casual shrug. "Any priest in my former world could do this. Seriously, it’s nothing special."
"Then can you teach me how to use that power?" Gwen wondered if it could help her reclaim her human flesh body.
Carn turned to Gwen, studying her. As he finally paid attention to her apperance, he noticed her striking beauty. She had a face that could rival goddesses, surpassing even Rosa’s legendary looks from her human days.
As his gaze lingered, his sharp senses picked up the subtle but undeniable presence of synthetic materials beneath her skin. Her natural beauty was compromised by the augmentations in her body. More than 70% of her form had been altered with unnatural substances and cybernetic enhancements. Carn’s fascination faded, replaced with indifference.
He replied with a hint of detachment, "You can’t learn it as you are now. Your Aether… I mean mana, is corrupted and impure. Gaining divine power is impossible for you."
Gwen sighed as she had expected it. She gave up pursuing healing magic.
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But Carn hadn’t finished yet. As he answered halfheartedly, he revealed a secret that he didn’t expect anybody to agree.
"But if you’re willing to throw away your humanity and become a monster like me, you might be able to learn it."
"Then make me one!" Gwen declared without hesitation.
Carn froze, blinking at her in surprise. After coming back to his senses, he frowned.
"You must not have been listening earlier. I said I would have to turn you into a monster. Do you really want to become something like me? A gargoyle?"
"A gargoyle? You can transform into a gargoyle?"
Carn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was clear she hadn’t fully grasped the implications of his earlier explanation. Deciding words weren’t enough, he stood up and took a deep breath.
"Fine. Watch closely."
As Wong sat up, still marveling at her transformation, Carn’s body began to shift. His skin darkened, turning to solid stone-like material. His frame and limbs grew larger and more muscular. His nails were replaced by beast claws. As for his face, it matured into a terrifying visage of a demonic being.
In seconds, the short teenager turned into a 6"6’ terrifying gargoyle.
Wong gasped for a secret, but she quickly recovered. Instead of being afraid, she stood up and touched Carn’s stone arms, back, and face. Then, she nodded, proud of her son’s achievement.
"Good body. Firm arms. Firm chest. Very healthy. Now, you make me grandchildren."
Carn rolled his eyes. Once again, his mother embarrassed him in front of a stranger.
Meanwhile, Gwen gulped as her earlier confidence was shaken.
"You… you weren’t kidding."
As Carn couldn’t vocally talk in this form, he spent Aether to chat with everybody via telepathy, demonstrating the differences between them and him. His deep voice echoed in their minds.
"This is what it means to become like me. If you still want this, understand what you’re asking for."
The room fell silent as Gwen processed what they had just seen. Gwen’s determination shattered.
As Gwen was about to accept reality and discard the idea, another group of gargoyles found Carn.
*WHOOSH*
Rosa, who had brought Arthur and Merlin from the facility earlier, followed Carn’s trace and teleported to him. She appeared directly in the room.
Gawain teleported inside later. He apologetically gazed at Carn as he failed to stop Rosa from coming here. In front of the house, Merlin and Arthur were outside as Rosa dropped them there.
The two intruders shocked Gwen and Wong. On the other hand, Carn canceled his transformation and turned around, staring at the two uninvited guests.
"Didn’t I say… do not show yourself in front of my mother?"
Gawain slightly bowed, "I’m so sorry, my lord. The Inquisitor doesn’t listen to me. She insisted that she had to report something to you."
Rosa looked at Wong and Gwen for a moment, but she dismissed them as bystanders. She turned to Carn and reported, talking via telepathy that only Carn could hear.
"Master, I’ve brought you Akashic Grimoire. He’s outside at the moment. He said he knew everything about the rifts and what the humans have been doing in our world…"
Rosa paused for a moment and pointed at Gwen, "By the way, who are these people?"
Carn facepalmed, "That’s my mother and her friend."
"You have a mother?!"
"Okay, that’s just rude." Carn bonked Rosa with a karate chop.
Rosa shrieked and took a step back even though it didn’t hurt.
Meanwhile, Gwen sized up Rosa, who looked like a moving statue of a charming priestess. She gained an inspiration.
"Carn, is she also a gargoyle," Gwen asked Carn.
Carn shrugged, "Yeah, she’s one of us."
"Can you make me similar to her?"
Both Carn and Rosa flinched in unison. They turned around, "What?"
"I mean, if she’s a gargoyle, can I become something like her? Can I preserve my appearance?"