"Hold this for me," Malachi said as he handed the crystal heart to David, who accepted it hesitantly.
"What now, Dad?" David asked, his eyes fixed on his father's red irises.
Unlike before when he had been uncertain about how to feel regarding the situation, David's mind had now adapted to the chaotic state of affairs.
David still believed that everything was in disarray, but he had formulated a few assumptions about the unusual occurrences.
While these assumptions remained unproven, they provided him with a semblance of knowledge in an otherwise perplexing situation.
At least his assumptions offered some sense of understanding, given the lack of concrete information to work with.
Wondering why his father had asked him to hold the bizarre, bloodied organ from the monster dog, and admiring how composed his father remained in the situation, David contemplated various aspects.
He also thought about his father's power, assuming he had any, which he should.
David focused his attention on the crystal heart in his hands, silently observing it alongside his father.
After a few seconds of observing in silence with no conversation occurring between him and his father, David grew weary of the silence and wanted to ask Malachi what they were waiting for.
David also felt the need to remind his dad that it was getting dark and that his mom and sister were still alone out there, so they should leave.
David knew Malachi should be aware of this, considering how much his father cared about the family. Anything that could cause him to remain here rather than reuniting with the family must be important.
However, given his lack of understanding about the situation and his concerns for his family, David was on edge.
"It's getting darker dad, and mom and-huh!" While David was talking to his father, the crystal heart began to release red gas, which was more visible in the dark. The gas flowed into David's arms, causing him to suddenly breathe deeply with pleasure as it passed through his arms and into his body, cutting off his previous words.
Despite the growing darkness, Malachi's unique vision still worked effectively, allowing him to perceive the situation with the red gas flowing through David's arms into his body from the crystal heart.
This mirrored his own experience earlier.
Since he wasn't the one absorbing the red gas now, Malachi could use his unique vision more efficiently.
Focusing on his son's chest region, Malachi's eyes narrowed, and something unexpected occurred.
Unlike before, Malachi could only see a rough image of David's internal anatomy when he wasn't deeply concentrated on it.
However, as Malachi focused, his vision zoomed in, allowing him to "see" David's blood vessels, veins, blood, intestines, and more. Yet, Malachi observed something else.
Just beneath the surface of David's chest, there was a unique pattern resembling scattered pathways in a labyrinth. After examining it for a few seconds, Malachi realised that these "pathways" more closely resembled circuits on a circuit board.
However, that wasn't the only new observation Malachi made.
As the red gas flowed through David's arms to his heart and the red light being emitted from his heart gradually brightened, Malachi noticed David's heart releasing another red gas of its own, which then flowed into the unique "pathway" markings on David's chest.
Although everything that unfolded before Malachi's eyes seemed to take a long time to process, in reality, it had only been a matter of seconds.
David, on the other hand, had no awareness of what was happening inside his body and was still taken aback by the sudden warm sensation he felt.
Recovering from his initial surprise, David was on the verge of dropping the heart out of fear when he managed to stop himself in time.
David believed that his father would never give him something that could harm him, and although he still had doubts about the warm sensation, David decided to push through it.
David's instincts were correct.
The only reason Malachi had dared to give David the crystal heart was because he was almost certain that nothing would happen to David, just as nothing had happened to him.
Perhaps there might be some unknown effects, but Malachi already had a plan for that.
Malachi didn't intend to let David hold the crystal heart for longer than he had, which was about two and a half minutes. In David's case, it still remained a little over a minute.
Although he was concerned about the red gas and what it was doing to his body, David couldn't deny that the warm sensation coursing through him now felt amazing.
While Malachi had become engrossed in observing the scene unfolding within David's body, he was also mindful of his initial plan not to have David hold the crystal heart for too long.
Among all the things he could see beneath David's skin, the unique markings in his chest region captured Malachi's attention the most. He wondered about these pathways or circuit-like markings and why the red gas emitting from David's heart seemed to focus primarily on them rather than other areas.
Indeed, the red gas emitted by David's heart wasn't solely directed into his heart; it seemed to be distributed throughout different parts of his body. Instead of saying they were being distributed, it was better to say that David's heart was releasing the red gas for his entire body to utilise.
The movement of the red gas within David's body seemed somewhat disorderly, with no apparent pattern. However, beneath this apparent disorder, there appeared to be some underlying order.
The workings of it all were perplexing to Malachi, and he couldn't discern the specific order in which the red gas circulated through David's body.
Nevertheless, Malachi could see the effects it was producing.
David's blood cells were undergoing a transformation.
They pulsed with an unusual vitality, their colour deepening to a vibrant scarlet. Malachi couldn't help but imagine the microscopic marvel happening within David's veins.
It was like a symphony of rejuvenation, orchestrated by this enigmatic gas.
Malachi watched in fascination as the blood cells appeared to grow stronger and more resilient, as if they were being fortified by an unseen force.
If this transformation was happening to David's cells, then it should also be happening to his other organs, bones, and everything else, which confirmed Malachi's suspicion that the red gas was strengthening them.
It was a scene both mesmerising and perplexing, and Malachi could only stand there, observing, his mind racing with questions and wonder.
Suddenly, Malachi's vision blurred as his ability deactivated on its own.
He also felt a warm sensation in his nose, which started running down.
After struggling to open his eyes, Malachi rubbed his nose with the side of his arm. When he turned to look at it, he saw traces of blood.
I'm bleeding he realised.