Chapter 46 Cocoon Breaks (2) Rowan could boldly say that he knew pain. His life had been filled with it. Yet, he had adapted. Rowan believed the pain he had experienced made him pretty robust. He was a tough bastard. He would not have survived the Spatial corridor to that world if he was weak. Rowan thought he knew pain. But not like this. Now every scale had been thrown aside. This was pain on a level he never thought was possible. And he knew what worsened it was his spirit. It kept his mind clear and made him aware of every second of torture. He had been very wrong. Power came with a price and upgrading an Omnipotent bloodline came with its own risk, especially in his case where his bloodline had been upgraded to the limits, it would grant him immense benefits, but it was also proportional to the dangers he would face. In his last life he had made a scale, and called it his List of Glass. It would hold all his pains, and even though it was made from glass, it would never break. He would not break! This pain was great, but it, was nothing new, he had endured a similar amount of misery before, and as always, they always seemed insurmountable, yet he was still here, was he not? He took the pain and pressed it into his list, as his mind trembled and threatened to tear itself apart. He would not fall! His body had become chaos, yet his will became like iron. He had once dragged himself from the jaws of death, and although he covered his scars with humor, the scars were still there. He used that experience to piece himself together from the pain. How long he was in the state of near death was something Rowan could not tell, but slowly but surely, his senses returned to normal and surpassed the normal, and the understanding of his new bloodline increased. A faint sense of knowledge flowed from Ouroboros, and he knew why he was in so much pain. He would perish in body and soul if he failed to keep his sense of identity as his bloodline was evolving. Rowans physique was breaking through a threshold, and for his body to grow more powerful, It had to be broken down and a new foundation rebuilt. On this foundation, his successive transformations would grow upon. His body slowly began to fill up inside the shell until he was back to normal, but that was just the beginning. For his growth did not stop. He had not checked how many Stats he must have gained, but it must have been a lot because his frame could not fit this amount of power. He must grow. His development came with pain, but it was almost enjoyable. And thereby a new dilemma came up, his shell was too small! It had expanded to its limits, but it was not enough for his present form. His body strained against its hold, and he felt an intense sense of confinement. He must grow… The Shell that formed around him was not meant for an Empyrean the likes of the Three Headed Ouroboros. It was too small and would have never contained it growth. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂 Rowan knew his current bloodline was more tyrannical and if anything was going to give… He felt the first tear in his shell. It was small, and it healed quickly, but his body had filled up that tiny space, and although the shell had healed, it was more spacious. This pattern continued, until the pressure eased and he could fully express himself. His shell had grown, but now it was weaker. It had outlived its purpose, and would no longer produce Empyrean Essence because at this stage of his evolution he no longer needed it. He stood up to his feet, and unleashed his Spatial Sight to scan his body. His shell appeared dull and gray and the golden tattoos on it were gone, and Rowan knew the reason, for around each of his heart were three serpents. They curled around the organs, and their eyes were closed, they resembled the dragons from the eastern mythology in his previous life, but without the waving beard. Rowan observed the three small snakes inside his body, and saw they appeared tired, he knew his transformation had been rigorous not only for him, but also for them, and because he had surpassed the trial, they were able to also. His body was becoming weirder, changing in a direction he could not anticipate, but as long as he was still breathing, that was all that mattered. A new sensation of hunger began to grow from his hearts, he was a little confused, but a new understanding entered his mind, and he knew that he must feed the snakes with the shell. But because he understood that did not mean he knew how to do it. The snakes, however, knew what they wanted, and he felt a mental plea from each of them, it seemed like they needed his consent. He considered it for a short while, and then he permitted it. The shell was important, and had saved his life more times than he could count, but if he continual growth depended on him losing the shell, it was not an issue., besides he was sure he had outgrown it uses, he had not checked his stats for the moment, but he had no doubt he was now far stronger. The world around him was becoming more slow, and every motion of his body made the air around him tremble. He gave his consent and the snakes opened their mouths and gave a tiny bite, and he felt a piece of his shell disappearing from his face, back, and thigh. The snakes seemed to chew, and they settled back into slumber, he had a sense that they would be waking up sporadically every hour or so to eat. Why does it feel like I'm raising a couple of inconsiderate brats? The shell that disappeared was around 12?cm in diameter and the one that was eaten was around his left eye, the cut was rough and appeared to be chewed on by tiny razor sharp teeth. He opened his eyes and for the first time since he got the shell, he saw the world with his eyes, his left eye to be precise, since his shell still covered the right eyes. He could immediately tell the difference, for his vision was not what he would ever describe as normal. Everything his eyes showed him was gray and lifeless, except for some few spots in his laboratory that emitted a dull glow, the rest of the world appeared drab and colorless in his vision. It took him a short while to understand what his eyes showed him was related to the amount of energy contained in an object. The Axe beside him flared and swirled with power, it was the brightest thing in the room, when he focused a bit, his eye penetrated the walls, and he could see the energy state of everyone his sight touched on the floor below him, this was the limit for now. His Spatial sight acted as a mirror, and he proceeded to look at himself, and he was blown away by how big he had gotten. He stood at a healthy height of seven foot five, and his frame was like that of a gymnast. His muscles were well-defined, and his body looked as if it was chiseled out of granite. Knowing his future to be that of a colossus the size of a planet, he wondered when he would not be able to fit into the normal world any longer. What drew his attention, however, were his eye that he could now see. His eye, even to him, was perfect. It seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, and had a charm that could draw your gaze. His eyes seem like a conduit to mystery. Its structure had clearly changed because It was no longer the same as a human. It was golden and slit-eyed as a serpent and little flash of lightning roamed within.