As Oscairo finished speaking, he stopped in front of a locked metal door with a large lock on its surface. He then stuck his finger into the keyhole and turned his hand. The door unlocked with a loud click. Oscairo removed his finger from the lock, pushing the door open as he stepped into the room.
Morn followed behind Oscairo, entering the dark room. The room appeared to be windowless as it was pitch black within the room. In the secret passage, cracks lined the walls, allowing small rays of light to illuminate the cramped passage.
In the darkness of the room, Morn heard Oscairo's footsteps followed by the striking of a match. As Oscairo moved about, the room was soon illuminated by a myriad of candles placed around the space.
After lighting the candles, Oscairo turned to Morn with a smile. Having recovered from his momentary silence, Morn spoke as he gazed curiously around the room.
"What is this place?"
With light now revealing the details of the room to Morn's eyes, he took in the various oddities that occupied the space. Tens of bottles full of strange materials sat on shelves throughout the room. Various locked boxes marked with arcane runes lay piled in a corner. A small and shallow elliptical pit took up a space in the corner of the room, and several cabinets inhabited the remaining space.
Morn also spotted a large jellyfish floating across the room, as well as a pair of eyes growing from the wall- though he suspected them to be hallucinations, as Oscairo didn't seem to pay them any mind. Having moved to the pile of stacked boxes, Oscairo dug through them as he answered Morn.
"This place is my arcane laboratory! This is where I keep my most treasured artefacts, curios, and arcane materials. It is also the place where I perform most of my experiments, as a proper ritual pit requires complete lack of sunlight."
Oscairo set aside several boxes, finally picking a tan wooden box. Morn stared apprehensively at the box, unsure what it might contain.
"What do you have there?" Morn asked cautiously.
Oscairo smiled as he walked to Morn's side, setting the box down on a waist-high table near the entrance of the room.
"This is the antidote. If you wish to get a handle on those hallucinations of yours, you'll have to eat this. Now I should warn you, this antidote will be quite painful to consume. It won't kill you, so long as you follow my instructions, but it will feel quite uncomfortable. Moreover, your hallucinations will be cured, and you will gain a special power, one similar to mine in fact!"
Hearing Oscairo's warning, Morn shrugged. He figured the pain couldn't be worse than losing a hand. The only concern that remained was what Oscairo would request in exchange. Too curious to wait for the answer, he simply asked.
"Now, what must I give you in exchange for the antidote… and this power you mention?"
Oscairo sat down on a chair that seemed to appear from nowhere. He turned the chair around, resting his chin against its back as he stared up at Morn with relaxed eyes.
"Nothing too difficult. I just want two things. One, I wish for you to bring an item with you after you leave my island, one that will allow me to communicate with you. Second, I would like you to grow stronger and try to free both myself and Baalshar from our current situations. If you succeed, I will gift you this island, castle, and everything inside it. At that point, you can consider helping me conquer the Storm Pass, though that would be up to you entirely."
Morn thought silently for some time, Oscairo waiting patiently for his response. Morn no longer doubted Oscairo, as his intentions seemed clear enough. He wished to be freed from his predicament, and needed help from the outside with doing so. Morn also figured he must be desperate, who knew when the next person would stumble upon Baalshar's tree?
As he continued pondering, his mind finally came back to his promise to Azur. Hadn't he vowed that he would unravel every exciting thing Malsata had to offer, that he was going to live enough for the both of them? If freeing a legendary pirate lord's avatar from a sealed island, his main body from the Storm Pass, and rescuing the transformed Baalshar from a cursed sea didn't count as exciting, then he didn't know what would.
With a deep sigh, Morn nodded his head.
"Okay, Oscairo. I accept your offer."
Oscairo jumped up from his chair, clapping excitedly.
"That's the spirit! From now on, we're allies. Let's get started!"
With an invigorated spirit to his actions, Oscairo unlocked the rune covered box, once again using his finger as a key. He then lifted the lid carefully, revealing a fleshy round organ. The organ looked similar to a human heart, but much smaller and more intricate. The veins and folds of the organ seemed to create various shimmering runes, and a thick fog seeped from its pores.
Morn shivered as he stared at the fleshy orb, his gaze drifted to the eagerly smiling Oscairo. Morn gulped:
"Do I… Must I eat that thing…"
Oscairo smiled, "Yep."
"Can I at least cook it?"
Oscairo smiled wider, "Absolutely not."
Morn stared at the jellyfish and eyes on the wall, then sighed, "Is this the only way to stop the hallucinations?"
Oscairo smiled as wide as he possibly could, "Probably."
Morn closed his eyes, nervousness filling his thoughts. After a long pause of consideration, Morn looked at Oscairo once again, a look of anticipation in his eyes.
"Alright., tell me how this works?"
Oscairo shut the lid as he began his explanation with excitement.
"Allow me to explain. This organ is known as a Vaihn heart, the fog it produces is called Vaihniir or simply Heart-fog. This particular Vaihn heart comes from a Levjottun, though they can also be harvested from other creatures that have consumed a Vaihn heart, including humans."
Oscairo repositioned himself, sitting back down in the chair, a similar chair appeared behind Morn. The two sat opposite each other as Oscairo continued the lesson.
"When a creature consumes a Vaihn heart, they will undergo a metamorphosis to accommodate the heart. The chewed up pieces of the heart will seep out of the stomach and make their way into the heart. The ribs will expand and organs will be pushed aside as the organ reforms along their Aorta just above the heart."
Oscairo poked a finger against his left chest, just above his heart.
"Vaihniir will then fill their bloodstream, remodelling their circulatory system, pores, and brain, carving runes into their body. Once the metamorphosis is complete, you will gain an ability related to the Levjottun species the heart originates from. Due to the runes carved into your brain, you will instinctually gain knowledge of your ability- or Vaihn spell as we call it. At this point, you will be a fully fledged Leviathan."
Oscairo scratched his head.
"In this case, you will be equivalent to a mid-tier Levjottun, as this heart comes from a class 4 Levjottun. Some fools attempt to consume a high-tier Levjottun's heart straight away, leading to either instant death as their body crumbles from the inside out, or in very rare cases, immense power at the cost of their humanity. The lower tier a Vaihn heart you start with, the easier it will be to maintain your humanity."
Oscairo shifted in his seat as if trying to recall information he had nearly forgotten.
"To improve, you will need to regularly use your abilities, and you will also need to find creatures with similar Vaihn spells and consume their Vaihn hearts. The runes from their heart will be added to your body and you will gain their spell, or gain an improvement to your own. If you consume a heart that is too different from your own, there is still a small chance to gain a new spell, but there is an even greater likelihood that their Vaihn will take over your body, and they will reincarnate inside of you- using you as a vessel."
Morn stared at Oscairo, mouth agape.
"Earlier you said I won't die as long as I follow your instructions- I'd like to hear how to not die now, please."
Oscairo laughed awkwardly.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot!"
Morn sighed deeply, regret eating at his mind. Regardless, Oscairo continued:
"You will need to focus, calm down and meditate once the metamorphosis begins. The pain will be excruciating, the feeling of Vaihniir etching runes into your insides will be like a thousand hot coals being poured into your body. Fortunately, the metamorphosis at this level only takes several minutes."
Oscairo smiled joyously, as if the process brought him great pleasure.
"You will need to embrace the pain, meditating while perceiving the flow of pain through your body. You must visualise the path of the Vaihniir in your body and attempt to control it as if it were any other body part. You need to ensure it doesn't linger in any one spot for more than a minute. If it does, you will enter hypermetamorphosis and you will fully or partially turn into a monster, or something far worse..."
Oscairo bent forward in his chair, leaning closer to Morn.
"Now tell me, my friend. Are you ready?"
Morn closed his eyes and breathed calmly, adjusting his mental state. After a minute, his eyelids fluttered open.
"I'm ready."