As Kendrick was on the top floor of the medical center, Old Yu was in the lab on the bottom level of the hospital. Behind him walked in Val, who was clearly unauthorized to be here, but no one dared to call him out. Who didn't know Valdus Wyrd, the champion of the north district of Nexus?
"Old Yu, have you made any progress?" Val stood next to Old Yu looking at the various veils, beakers, and strange equipment that Old Yu was using. Old Yu was writing notes while looking at a screen that floated in the air. This semitransparent screen was a hologram that displayed the information from the computer terminal. While writing his notes, he would occasionally mutter to himself.
Lost in thought, Old Yu didn't notice or head Val.
Again, "Old Yu!" Slightly startled Old Yu looked up to see Val, "Oh! You scared me there!"
"Unlikely... So what's dumbass's report?"
"Val... Where did the Nightmare gods pull him from, and what did they do to him?"
"I don't know, and far as I know he was given over to the hospital after he made the pact... Why?"
"Well... He... He has an integration of 13.8%!" Old Yu said astonished.
"You're bullshitting me. Old Yu, I wasn't born yesterday."
"Do not insult my work, Val!"
"Whoa! You're serious?!"
"I am always serious with work... You know that!"
"It's my fault... But... 13.8%?"
"No kidding... Ken is the most monstrous natural talent I've seen, since James Deacon! How... How did he stabilize?!"
It was widely known to the medical community of Nexus, and the Horrormancers at the time, that approx. hundred and seventy-five years ago, there was a newly inducted piece. He underwent integration, but he was successful, but his integration was too high. As a result, his nightmares ate him, and rampaged through the Nexus for a few days, as they evaded the Horrormancers to dispatch them.
"Well... He just stood up, like he was okay, and was asking if he got taller and more handsome..." Val really wasn't sure.
"Did he say anything? Take anything? Do you know if the Lord Candle-Light gave him anything to help?" Old Yu was asking rapid-fire questions.
"Far as I know, Lord Candle-Light only sent him here, nothing else after the pact... I remember something he said right before he stood up."
"What?!" Even though Old Yu was supposed to have retired long ago, he still contributed to the research on integration and the interaction between nightmares and humans on a physical level.
"I had told him that 'fear isn't the enemy, it was the weapon.' Then he said 'That's it. This is a nightmare.' After that, he stood up and started to check himself out... I bet his vice will be pride."
"This is a nightmare???" Old Yu mumbled to himself. "What did he mean by 'This is a nightmare?'"
"I really don't know... I would know if we were in a nightmare... and we weren't sooooo I really don't know what that means."
"Whatever that means. Your student has figured out how to master high-level integration!" Old Yu said shocked!
Almost all Horrormancer acolytes' first integration would have a percent of 2% on average. The really weak would be less than one percent, but no lower than 0.5%. Really talented Horrormancers acolytes would have upwards of 5% if they were super lucky. Anything higher than this amount would cause the acolyte to be consumed by their nightmares, as demonstrated by the case of James Deacon. James Deacon wasn't the first to be this way, but the first to be documented... In this Omniverse.
"Old Yu... Don't tell him his true integration level..."
"What? Why?"
"It'll go to his head, and he will get himself killed early," Val said after some thinking.
"But... This is an integrity issue."
"It'll be his dead body issue..."
"Val... Are you seriously treating him as your student?"
"Well with his talent... I might be able to forge another champion... Maybe he can go higher than me!" Val said. Val made it to the lofty rank of North quarter champion of Nexus, but instead of trying to go higher... He retired. He had his reasons to do so, but he wasn't reluctant to do so. The higher in the games one got, the more likely one would be killed. Val got his Mid-level wish and retired.
"So you really are going to take him under your wing... Now I feel even better about having him meet Little Yingyue."
"You old dog... You think I didn't know what you were trying to do... Using me and my grandson as an excuse to bully that boy into meeting with your niece..." Val shook his head, "Why do you want to set your niece up with this guy anyway?"
"Lord Candle-Light is paying special attention to him. Not every piece gets this treatment, and you know it. As outstanding as your grandson is Lord Many-Arms doesn't half pay attention to him, now does he?" Old Yu said this plainly.
"I see. Well... Anyway, what's his vice?" Val asked as he needed to know this on how to best teach his student.
"Haha, The best and worst one of all... Lust!" Old Yu slapped the arm of his chair.
"Fuck..."
"Yup. Yup."
"Wait... You still want to introduce your little demon niece to Ken, with a vice of lust?"
"If I can make her first wife, who cares?"
"Oh yeah... That's right polygamy is common in your world."
"Yup!"
"Sexist though, isn't it?"
"You could say so, but from a biological aspect, a single strong male to multiple female mates increases the chance of more powerful or talented offspring. Whereas you would limit the potential offspring by limiting him to one female partner. One female partner can only give birth so many times, and its not very healthy for a female to have an obsessive amount of children due to the strain on the body." Old Yu said flatly.
"Old Yu man, like... You can't just look at everything like its science. There are a lot of emotions and feelings in men and especially women. Like your niece... I doubt she's going to be into a husband with the vice of Lust."
"Keep it to yourself. She hasn't been able to attract a man by now, she's never going to..."
"Dude! Shes only like forty-five... She's going to live at least another two hundred years! That's only if she doesn't improve her current strength. If she waited until she was eighty it still wouldn't be too late." Val couldn't help but blast Old Yu.
"True, but it doesn't hurt for them to grow old together... How long have you been with Bell now? Hmmm?" Old Yu countered
"That's... Also, she's old enough to be his mother! Literally eighteen-year difference." Val continued.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're older than Bell by fifteen years." Old Yu didn't give an inch.
"But... You know... It's like okay for men to be older than their partners." Val weakly countered.
"Also considering that boys vice is Lust... I'm sure he has some hidden desires. If fact... I'm willing to bet he likes older women."
"With a vice-like Lust, I doubt he has any form of reference with women period. Hell, I doubt even he knows what he likes!" Val tried to form a strong come back.
"Haaaaa~ Fine. I know you're trying to take up for your student... Alright. As I said, I will just introduce them, and see if nature will take its course. If it doesn't, so be it."
Val left it at that. He tried his best. Old Yu's little demon niece was hell on heels, as she carried the vice of Wrath. In truth... She was a really nice girl, that grew to be a really nice woman, but she would kill someone just because she didn't like how they spoke. In fact, many of the suitors that Old Yu had introduced to her ended up in hell without knowing how they got there.