Upon arriving home, Bahamut, Nikolaos, and Vasileios were shocked at the grisly scene that greeted them.
The living room couch was stained with a large pool of blood, and lying on top of it was the unconscious form of Draco, his clothing soaked with the crimson liquid.
Bahamut's heart raced with worry as she rushed to Draco's side, her eyes fixated on the bloodied rags piled on the floor.
"What happened?" she asked frantically, her voice laced with concern.
Eleni, who had been tending to Draco, looked up with weary eyes.
"We don't know," she replied, her tone heavy with exhaustion.
"He came home like this, and I've been trying to make sense of what's happening to his body." she added.
Eleni had been entrusted with Draco's care by Clair and Dimitra, being the most knowledgeable in handling his unique situation.
She had remained by his side since he returned in this state.
In the kitchen, Clair and Dimitra were preparing dinner for the entire familia.
They were fully aware of the situation, but with no means to help, they decided to do what they could.
Bahamut placed a hand on Draco's forehead, worry etched on her features.
She could feel the heat emanating from his body due to a high fever.
"How is his condition?" she asked, her voice tinged with urgency.
"He's currently stable, but he experiences sudden bursts of pain followed by bleeding," Eleni explained, her brow furrowed with concern.
"I honestly don't know what else to do or how to help him." she said in resignation.
Hearing this, Bahamut closed her eyes and placed her hand on Draco's chest.
Immediately, a clear picture of what was happening within his body became apparent to her.
"Sigh, I had a feeling he might try something reckless," she said, her voice laced with a hint of resignation.
'It seems my premonition was right.' she thought.
Eleni's face lit up with hope upon hearing this.
"Have you figured out what's going on?" she asked, her eyes filled with relief.
"Hmm," Bahamut replied, her expression pensive.
Eleni's shoulders visibly relaxed, the weight of the situation lifting from her.
She had been administering health potions and even used an elixir, but they had only provided temporary relief.
Turning to Nikolaos and Vasileios, Bahamut said, "Come, help me move him."
The two boys, who had been standing in the corner, observing the scene with a sense of helplessness, immediately sprang into action, following Bahamut's instructions.
As Nikolaos and Vasileios carefully flipped Draco onto his stomach, Bahamut transformed one of her fingers into a sharp claw.
She then climbed onto Draco's back and made a small gash on her palm, allowing her divine blood to trickle down and fall onto It.
"Ugh!" Draco grunted in pain as Bahamut's blood touched his skin, but his expression soon shifted to one of relief, much to the others' astonishment.
The goddess's blood on Draco's back began to glow, twisting and turning like a living creature.
It's shade begun to darken till it took on an ink like colour and was soon absorbed into his skin.
Soon her mark materialized on Draco's back, displaying his status board.
Eleni, Nikolaos, and Vasileios watched the process in silent awe, their eyes widening at the sight.
Bahamut's eyes widened in shock as she inspected Draco's status board, which was displaying something a little different from what she was expecting.
Draco had automatically leveled up after her blood touched his back, a peculiar occurrence that caught the goddess off guard.
"This is indeed quite a surprise," Bahamut murmured, her brow furrowed in contemplation.
'Draco is the first of his kind to receive the blessing of Falna, so I was expecting a few unusual things to happen, but this...' She trailed off, her gaze fixed on the status board.
Eleni, sensing the goddess's surprise, asked, "What does this mean? Is Draco going to be alright?" her voice filled with concern.
Bahamut looked up, her expression softening.
"Yes, he will be fine," she assured.
"The sudden bursts of pain and bleeding were a result of his body undergoing a minor transformation, trying to accommodate the excess excelia he had absorbed." she explained.
Nikolaos and Vasileios, who had been silent observers, exchanged a relieved glance.
They had been powerless to help in this situation, but now, with Bahamut's intervention, their brother was now ok.
"What do we need to do to help Draco nii?" Eleni asked, her voice tinted with determination.
Bahamut considered the question for a moment.
"For now, he needs rest and time to adjust to the changes within his body," she replied.
Clair and Dimitra, their dinner preparations complete, hurriedly emerged from the kitchen, their expressions filled with concern.
"What's going on? How is he ?" Clair asked, her gaze sweeping over the scene.
Bahamut turned to the two girls, a reassuring smile on her lips.
"Draco is going to be just fine," she said.
Dimitra let out a relieved sigh, while Clair's shoulders visibly relaxed.
The familia's collective tension began to dissipate as they realized their beloved brother and companion was now ok.
Turning her attention back to Draco's status board, Bahamut began to inspect it with a discerning gaze.
'Hmm, that's quite an impressive collection of development abilities,' Bahamut mused, her eyes scanning the wealth of options presented before her.
"Uhm, Bahamut-sama, is Draco nii perhaps now officially a level 2?" Vasileios asked, his voice filled with excitement.
Though he couldn't understand most of the words on the status board, the numbers were clear enough for him to discern the progression.
"Not yet," Bahamut replied, her response measured and thoughtful.
"He still needs to choose a development ability to complete the last process and..." Her voice trailed off, her expression shifting to one of subtle concern.
'How could I have overlooked such a fundamental aspect?' Bahamut pondered, berating herself inwardly.
'But then again, Draco's automatic level-up was an unexpected phenomenon.' she thought.
"What's wrong?" Dimitra inquired, her keen eyes picking up on the subtle change in Bahamut's demeanor.
"Well, I might have made a slight oversight," Bahamut admitted, her tone measured.
"Oversight?" Nikolaos echoed, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Dimitra, Clair, Vasileios, and Eleni waited with bated breath, their attention fixed on Bahamut, eager for her explanation.
"You see, Draco needs to select a development ability to complete the level-up process, but as you can clearly observe, he is currently unconscious," Bahamut explained, her words carefully chosen.
The gravity of the situation became immediately apparent to the group, and the realization dawned on their faces.
"Can't you just delay it until he wakes up?" Eleni asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Bahamut shook her head slightly, "I'm not sure of the consequences of such an action," Bahamut replied, her expression reflecting the weight of her uncertainty.
She could tell that the level-up process had created a new chamber within Draco's body, one dedicated to the gathering of more excelia and other energies.
While Bahamut understood this much, the full implications of interrupting or delaying the full process were still unknown to her.
Normally such a thing could be delayed but Draco wasn't exact normal, so she didn't know what to expect.
"Can you pick for him, then?" Dimitra suggested, her eyes meeting Bahamut's with a hopeful expression.
Bahamut considered the proposition, her brow furrowing in contemplation.
"I could, but would he be happy with my choice?" she pondered aloud.
"I'm sure Draco nii will be understanding," Vasileios chimed in, his youthful optimism shining through.
"You are doing it to save him, after all." he added.
Bahamut's lips curved into a slight smile, acknowledging the wisdom in Vasileios' words.
"You're right, I suppose. Hopefully, he won't be too upset with me," she murmured.
With a resolute nod, she turned her attention back to the status board, determined to make a selection that would be in Draco's best interest.