While Draco had been making his way back to the surface, the timer for his transformation skill ran out.
Immediately, he felt an intense, nauseating pain ripple through his body.
Blood began to flow from his eyes, nose, and mouth, and he could feel something ruptured within him, his veins and blood vessels pulsating, as if ready to burst.
Draco used every ounce of his strength to suppress the urge to scream in agony, aware that he was still in the dungeon.
The excruciating sensation persisted for a short while before gradually receding, his body temporarily dulling the pain.
"What is happening to me?" Draco wondered, leaning against the dungeon wall to steady himself.
He had a subtle idea of what was occurring, but he refused to admit that he had made a terrible mistake.
This wasn't the intended backlash from his transformation skill, which was supposed to be mild.
Draco's vessel had almost reached its absolute limit, but he had insisted on pushing it beyond what it could handle.
By using his transformation skill, he had temporarily increased the space available in his vessel, but when the skill's duration ended, all the energy accumulated in the temporary extra space hit, compressed but with little to nowhere to go – hence the current situation.
His current body was equivalent to that of a dragon hatchling, and he had been trying to cram an adult-sized portion of food into it.
Now on his feet and the pain somewhat dulled, Draco immediately used water magic to wash the blood off his body.
The last thing he wanted was to be seen in such a state by anyone besides his familia members.
He was aware that his body was barely holding on, and he needed to make it back home before it gave up on him.
Luckily, he had made it to around the 9th floor of the dungeon before disaster struck, so the surface wasn't too far, and the monsters were something he could manage if he moved cautiously in his weakened state.
Steadily, Draco made his way back to the surface, constantly scanning his surroundings to avoid unnecessary conflict with both monsters and other adventurers.
With a bit of luck, he safely reached the surface and began the trek back home. Mid-way through the walk, the dulled pain began returning, and his senses became hazy, but he couldn't afford to fall – he needed to make it home.
Upon reaching the front of the house, Draco knocked on the door, unable to muster the strength to search for his keys in his dungeon bag.
In the kitchen, Clair, Dimitra, and Eleni were currently making preparations for dinner, as it was the evening.
Hearing a knock on the door, Clair went to see who it was and was surprised to find a cloaked figure curled up on the floor in front of it.
She immediately recognized Draco and ran back to call for help, not knowing what had happened to him.
"Dimitra, Eleni! Come quick, it's Draco! He's collapsed outside the door!" Clair's voice rang out, filled with concern.
Dimitra and Eleni, alarmed by Clair's urgency, rushed to the front door.
They found Draco, his cloak partially obscuring his face, unmoving on the porch.
"Draco nii! What happened?" Dimitra exclaimed, kneeling beside him and gently lifting his head.
Eleni joined her, assessing Draco's condition. She was a bit knowledgeable in alchemy as she spent some time practicing it.
"He's burning up with fever and his breathing is shallow. We need to get him inside immediately." She said.
Together, the three girls carefully lifted Draco and carried him to the living room, laying him down on the couch.
Clair hurried to fetch a damp cloth and a glass of water, while Dimitra and Eleni began removing Draco's cloak and outer layers to assess the extent of his injuries.
As they peeled away the fabric, they gasped at the sight of dried blood staining his clothes and skin.
"By the gods, what happened to him?" Dimitra whispered, her brow furrowed in concern.
Eleni shook her head, her expression grave.
"I don't know, but we need to clean him up and treat his wounds before they worsen. Clair, bring a healing potion" Eleni asked.
Clair hurried to retrieve it from their storage, her heart racing with worry for her crush.
She had never seen Draco in such a dire state, and the thought of him being gravely injured or ill filled her with dread.
As the girls tended to Draco, his mind drifted in and out of consciousness, the pain and exhaustion overwhelming him.
He could hear the familiar voices of his familia members, but he couldn't find the strength to respond.
"Rest, Draco nii," Dimitra murmured, gently wiping the sweat from his brow. "We're here. You're safe now." she whispered.
Draco wanted to reassure them, to tell them that he would be alright, but the darkness was closing in, and he succumbed to the welcoming embrace of unconsciousness.
The girls continued their ministrations, determined to nurse him back to health, their hearts heavy with worry.
............…
It had been a while since Michalis and Vasiliki had been trying to make their way out of Daedalus Street.
The sky had grown darker, and the night was fast approaching.
Both of them were filled with worry, fully aware that the night was the worst time to be in an unknown part of the city.
They had tried asking for directions from some residents, but somehow ended up even more lost.
The map they had with them wasn't much help, as Daedalus Street was barely marked on it.
"Sigh, I knew I shouldn't have gone out with you," Vasiliki muttered in frustration, her brow furrowed with concern.
Michalis looked at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
Vasiliki's gaze met his, a touch of exasperation in her voice.
"You know exactly what I mean," she replied, her tone clipped.
Michalis frowned, a defensive edge creeping into his words.
"Tsk, so quick to throw the blame," he said, his arms crossing over his chest.
"Then whose fault is it that we're in this mess?" Vasiliki retorted, her eyes narrowing.
Michalis hesitated, his lips pressed into a thin line.
He didn't have a good argument, and he knew it.
Vasiliki sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"Let's just head towards the Babel Tower," she suggested, pointing at the distant landmark.
"We can probably find our way back from there." she said.
Michalis followed her gaze, his eyes widening at the sheer distance to the tower.
"Ugh, seems like an extremely long walk," he groaned, the prospect already weighing on him.
Vasiliki adjusted the strap of her bag, wincing slightly.
"It is more stressful for me, look at all the stuff I have to carry too," she said, the frustration evident in her voice.
She had done a bit of shopping while they were exploring.
Michalis couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
"Sigh, I guess we have no choice," he conceded.
"Maybe someone will give us directions along the way." he mumbled.
As the words left his lips, Michalis noticed a group of four cloaked figures approaching them.
Instinctively, he reached for the dagger he had hidden, his senses on high alert. Vasiliki, too, had noticed the approaching group and was ready to react.
The four people soon arrived in front of Michalis and Vasiliki, and the two of them held their breath, prepared to defend themselves if necessary.
"Relax, we're not here to hurt you," one of the figures spoke, their voice surprisingly familiar to Vasiliki.
She squinted her eyes, trying to place the voice.
"Do we know you?" Michalis asked warily.
"I thought our first meeting was quite memorable for you brats to have forgotten already," the figure replied, a hint of amusement in their tone.
Vasiliki's eyes suddenly widened in recognition.
"Ah, you're one of the girls who bullied us in the dungeon!" she exclaimed.
"Ah, the Astraea Familia girl, if I remember correctly, Lyra, right?" Michalis nodded, the memory clicking into place.
"Tsk, that's one way for you brats to remember it," Lyra muttered, a slight scowl on her face.
"Lyra, what is this about bullying? It's quite different from what you told us," another figure in the group spoke, a note of concern in their voice.
Lyra's expression shifted, and she quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, what are you two doing here?" she asked, her tone a bit defensive.
Vasiliki glanced at Michalis, a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Well, we're lost, thanks to a certain someone," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Michalis let out an exasperated sigh.
"Sigh, this again," he mumbled, his gaze averted.
"By the way, where is that annoying Draco fellow?" Lyra inquired curiously, her tone laced with a subtle hint of exasperation as he looked around.
Michalis and Vasiliki exchanged a puzzled look, both of them wondering about the sudden mention of Draco.
Lyra clicked her tongue, realizing she had asked something stupid.
"Never-mind, that was a stupid question," she said hastily, her expression that of subtle disappointment.
Vasiliki's lips curled into a mischievous grin as she observed Lyra's subtle reaction.
"Oya, oya, what is this? Did you perhaps fall for our Draco nii's charms after that little incident?" she teased.
Lyra's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What incident?" she asked, genuinely perplexed.
A beautiful girl with raven-black hair, chuckled softly.
"Fufufufu, this is quite an interesting piece of information," she remarked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Lyra felt a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck as she immediately recalled the awkward scenes with Draco.
"Stop listening to her nonsense, Kaguya," she retorted, her tone slightly defensive.
Michalis, sensing the subtle tension, interjected.
"By the way, aren't you going to introduce us to the rest of your group?" he asked, deftly steering the conversation in a new direction.
Lyra inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the change in topic.
"Ahem, of course," she began, gesturing to her companions.
"This here is Kaguya, the Vice-Captain of the Astraea Familia, and next to her are Noin and Ryana," she introduced, each girl offering a friendly wave as their names were called.