Valencia rose from her seat with an eerie calm. She walked slowly toward Karl, who was sprawled on the floor, her eyes blazing with a confident aura. With a gentle yet firm movement, she knelt beside him as he writhed in pain, placing her hand on his forehead.
"Relax, Karl. This is the effect of the tea you drank last night," Valencia said, her voice soothing yet authoritative.
Karl cracked his eyes open, staring at her with confusion and pain. "What... did you do to us?" he asked haltingly.
Valencia gave a faint smile, gently stroking his hair like a mother comforting her child. "That tea wasn't poison, Karl. On the contrary, it's the key to awakening the noctis blood dormant within you. The tea stimulates cell regeneration in your body, including the long-damaged parts of your brain—specifically the prefrontal cortex, the center of moral decisions and emotional control."
