Charlie floated in the quiet, his thoughts sharper than his fragile, unfinished body, tuned into the ebb and flow of existence within his mother's womb. For weeks, he had sensed it—something was wrong. The nutrients reaching him had been weak, erratic, barely enough to sustain his growth. Her energy, once a steady hum, had dulled to a flicker.
Then, for the first time in what felt like forever, there was a shift.
It started faintly, a cool sensation trickling into their shared connection. It wasn't much at first, just a pulse, like the slow drip of water into parched soil. Then it steadied.
Hydration.
Clean and soothing, it coursed through her system, filling the gaps that had grown too wide. Charlie's cells stirred at the flow, his body responding instinctively to the relief.
"Finally," he thought. "About damn time."
The hydration alone wasn't enough to fix everything, but it was a start. Soon after, something more followed. Nutrients. Dense, packed with energy—actual mana-rich food. It hit her system in a wave, and this time, Charlie felt the difference immediately. Whatever she had been eating before, this was far better.
His fragile body soaked it in, the nourishment sparking faint warmth across his form. He hadn't realized just how close he'd come to the edge until now.
"She's finally getting it right," he thought. "Took her long enough."
The days that followed brought a fragile stability. Her heartbeat, once strained and uneven, grew steady again, its rhythm a comforting anchor to his existence. The flow of nutrients and energy wasn't perfect, but it was enough to keep him alive—and aware.
Then, two weeks later, he felt it.
She was cultivating.
The shift in her energy was immediate, purposeful. Mana surged through her body, deliberate and strong, drawn in from the world beyond her. Charlie focused, his awareness sharpening as he tracked the flow. It coursed through her pathways in waves, but it wasn't smooth.
The scars in her pathways became painfully clear, jagged edges where the mana snagged and stuttered, throwing the flow off balance. Every pulse seemed to scrape against the damage, sending ripples of pain through her body.
Charlie narrowed his focus further, his instincts kicking in. The pathways were damaged, but they weren't beyond saving. The flow could be adjusted, redirected, to avoid the worst of the scars.
Carefully, he reached out.
He nudged the mana gently, guiding it away from the most jagged areas and toward the smoother, more stable sections. It was delicate work—any mistake would make things worse—but he took his time, adjusting the flow bit by bit.
The change was subtle but effective. The mana began to circulate more evenly, the sharp edges of her pain dulling slightly as the flow steadied.
Her bond with her beast flickered faintly, its presence a weak but steady pulse in the background. Charlie turned his attention to it next. The connection was frayed, unstable, but not severed.
Bit by bit, he worked to reinforce it, weaving small streams of mana into the thread. The bond resisted at first, fragile and flickering, but eventually, it began to stabilize. The faint pulse grew stronger, a steady rhythm answering her efforts.
"She's lucky it's still there," Charlie thought.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen damage like this—or something close to it. The knowledge came almost instinctively, buried deep within his mind, and as useful as it was, he hated where it had come from.
"That damn old man," Charlie muttered inwardly. He shoved the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand. The memories scraped at the edges of his mind, fragments of a voice that had drilled knowledge into him with ruthless precision. He hated the man—hated what he'd been put through—but the lessons were proving hard to ignore.
The work was tedious, but it made a difference. The bond held firmer than before, and the flow of mana through her pathways, though still imperfect, no longer scraped as harshly against the damage.
As her session neared its end, Charlie carefully drew a tiny thread of mana for himself. It was so small she wouldn't notice, a sliver that barely disrupted her flow, but enough to spread evenly through his own fragile form.
The energy seeped into him, sparking faint warmth and reinforcing his growth. He let the sensation settle, his focus drifting back to her cultivation.
For now, he let her steady heartbeat guide him, the repaired bond pulsing faintly in the background. There was still a long way to go, but at least now, progress was being made.