Time had no meaning in the hibernation state.
Korvus floated in a sea of darkness, his consciousness reduced to the barest flicker of awareness. Occasionally, distant sensations would reach him—the feeling of his body changing, muscles stretching, bones lengthening. But these were fleeting impressions, gone almost as soon as they registered.
In this twilight state between sleeping and waking, memories drifted through Korvus's mind like leaves on a current. His human life as Harry Maxfield, falling down the stairs in his apartment. His birth on the magma beach, cracking through the shell of his egg to find himself in a demon's form. The development of his Flame Breathing and Thunder Breathing techniques. His partnership with Roy.
These memories merged with fragments of knowledge absorbed from the souls he had consumed, creating a tapestry of images and sensations that swirled through the darkness of his hibernation. Sometimes, the boundaries between his own memories and those of his prey blurred, making it difficult to distinguish what was truly his.
But through it all, three constants remained: The Essence of the Involate Self, protecting him from external influences even in this vulnerable state. The Essence of the Blank, allowing his mind to continue processing and categorizing the knowledge he had gained. And The Essence of Training, maintaining the skills he had developed even as his body transformed.
How long had they been hibernating? Weeks? Months? Years? It was impossible to know.
The first sign that the hibernation was ending came as a sudden awareness of sound—a faint dripping of liquid somewhere nearby. Then came sensation: the hard stone floor beneath him, the cool air against his skin, the weight of his own body.
Korvus opened his eyes.
The dim, reddish light of their shared shelter was almost blindingly bright after the endless darkness of hibernation. He blinked, his vision slowly adjusting, and pushed himself up to a sitting position.
The movement felt strange, unfamiliar. His body didn't respond quite the way he expected it to. Looking down at himself, Korvus understood why.
He had changed dramatically during the hibernation. His dark red skin had deepened to a rich crimson, almost black in places, with intricate patterns etched across his chest and arms—similar to the circuits that appeared when he used Thunder Breathing, but now permanent features of his anatomy. His claws were longer, sharper, and seemed to be made of a metallic substance rather than keratin. His muscles were more defined, his frame broader and taller.
"Status," Korvus murmured, his voice deeper than he remembered.
The panel materialized before him:
Name: Korvus Meryer Ywatt Alucard Lundisha Bloodborn Skywalker
Race: Demon
Form: Adult
Hierarchy: Middle-Low Rank
Attribute: Dark, Fire (Advanced), Lightning (Developed)
Strength: 54
Speed: 68
Magic Energy: 47
Vitality: 59
Skills: Flame Breathing (Expert), Thunder Breathing (Adept), Elemental Synchronization (Developing)
Essences: Involate Self, The Blank, Training
The changes were astounding. Not only had his attributes nearly doubled, but a new skill had appeared—Elemental Synchronization. Korvus wasn't sure what it meant, but it seemed to be related to his fire and lightning attributes.
More significantly, his hierarchy had changed from Low Rank to Middle-Low Rank. He had evolved during the hibernation, advancing to a new tier of demonic power.
A groan from the corner of the shelter drew his attention. Roy was stirring, apparently waking from hibernation as well. Korvus watched as his partner pushed himself up, blinking in disorientation.
"Roy," Korvus called. "We're back."
Roy's head snapped in his direction, eyes widening as he took in Korvus's transformed appearance. "Korvus? Is that you?"
"It's me," Korvus confirmed, studying Roy in turn.
Roy had undergone changes just as dramatic as his own. His body had grown significantly, his musculature more pronounced. The blade-like protrusions on his spine had extended, and his tail seemed longer and more flexible, the three-pronged blade at its tip now gleaming with a metallic sheen. Most notably, a pair of dark red demon wings had sprouted from his back—wings that hadn't been there when they entered hibernation.
"We've both changed," Korvus observed. "How long do you think we've been out?"
Roy shook his head, rising to his feet and stretching his new wings experimentally. "Hard to say. Months, at least. Maybe longer."
Korvus stood as well, marveling at his new height. He had to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling of their shelter—a space that had seemed more than adequate before their hibernation.
"We need to test our new capabilities," Roy said, moving toward the entrance. "See what we've become."
Korvus nodded in agreement. "The stone platform where I trained before should give us enough space."
They emerged from their shelter into the twisted forest. The underground world looked exactly as they had left it—the magma rivers still flowing, the distant mountains still shrouded in purple haze. But something felt different. The lesser demons and monsters that had once posed a threat now seemed insignificant, their auras barely registering to Korvus's enhanced senses.
As they made their way through the forest, Korvus noticed that his movements were more fluid, more precise. His body seemed to anticipate obstacles before he consciously registered them, adjusting his path with effortless grace. It was as if the connection between his mind and body had been refined, eliminating the slight delay that had always existed before.
They encountered a hunting party of insect-like demons along the way—six-legged creatures with chitinous exoskeletons and venomous stingers. Before their hibernation, such a group would have required careful planning to defeat. Now, Korvus dispatched them almost casually.
"Third Form: Blazing Universe," he murmured, his breathing synchronized with his movements.
The fire that trailed his claws was no longer a thin ribbon of flame but a raging torrent of heat that engulfed three of the insects instantly. The remaining two tried to flee, but Korvus switched techniques seamlessly.
"Second Form: Lightning Pursuit."
His body moved with impossible speed, leaving afterimages as he dashed forward. Electricity crackled along his limbs, discharging in devastating arcs as his claws tore through the fleeing demons. The entire encounter lasted less than ten seconds.
Roy whistled appreciatively as Korvus absorbed the released souls. "Impressive. Your breathing techniques have evolved significantly."
"Thanks," Korvus replied, feeling the rush of energy from the absorbed souls. "But there's something new, something I don't fully understand yet."
He closed his eyes, focusing on the new skill listed in his status panel: Elemental Synchronization. What did it mean? How did it work?
Acting on instinct, Korvus began a breathing pattern that combined elements of both Flame Breathing and Thunder Breathing—deeper inhalations like the former, quicker exhalations like the latter. He visualized fire and lightning not as separate elements but as aspects of the same energy, flowing through his body simultaneously.
The effect was immediate and startling. The circuits across his skin began to glow with a dual light—orange-red in some areas, electric blue in others. Where the patterns intersected, the colors merged into a brilliant purple. Heat and electricity radiated from his body in visible waves, scorching the ground beneath his feet and causing small arcs of lightning to dance between nearby trees.
"What the hell?" Roy exclaimed, backing away from the heat. "What are you doing?"
Korvus opened his eyes, staring at his hands in wonder. "Elemental Synchronization. I think... I think I can use both attributes at once now, and they're stronger together than separately."
It made sense. Fire and lightning were complementary elements—both forms of energy, both destructive, both capable of spreading rapidly. By synchronizing them, he was creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
"Let's get to the platform," Korvus said, letting the energy dissipate for now. "I need space to explore this properly."
The stone platform overlooking the lake of fire was unchanged, just as they had left it months ago. But as Korvus stood at its center, preparing to test his new abilities, he felt a profound difference in how he perceived the area.
Before, he had seen the platform as a training ground, a place to practice and develop his skills. Now, he recognized it as something more—a nexus of energy, where the heat from the lake of fire below and the electrical currents in the underground atmosphere created a unique confluence of elemental forces.
"I can feel it," he murmured, more to himself than to Roy. "The elements are all around us, waiting to be harnessed."
Roy leaned against a nearby rock formation, watching with interest. "Show me what you can do now."
Korvus nodded, closing his eyes and beginning the combined breathing pattern again. As the dual energies built within him, he moved through a series of forms—not the specific techniques of Flame Breathing or Thunder Breathing, but something new, something that incorporated elements of both while transcending their limitations.
Fire and lightning swirled around him, responding to his movements with increasing intensity. The stone beneath his feet began to crack from the heat, small fissures spreading outward like a spider's web.
"Fourth Form: Storm of Immolation," Korvus called out, naming the technique as it came to him.
He brought his hands together in a clapping motion, and the two elements collided with explosive force. A shockwave of superheated air and electrical discharge erupted outward, blasting chunks of stone from the platform's edge and sending them tumbling into the lake of fire below.
Roy ducked behind his rock shelter, eyes wide. "Careful! You'll bring the whole platform down if you keep that up!"
Korvus released the technique, breathing heavily. Despite the enormous energy he had just channeled, he didn't feel drained. If anything, he felt invigorated, as if the act of using his power had somehow strengthened him further.
"Sorry," he said, grinning at Roy. "Still getting a feel for the intensity."
"Well, feel for it somewhere that won't collapse under us," Roy replied, though there was admiration in his voice. "That was... impressive. Terrifying, but impressive."
Korvus looked down at his hands. The patterns across his skin were still glowing faintly, though the intense light had faded. "I think this is just the beginning. The Essence of the Blank lets me learn any discipline, even ones that shouldn't be possible. And with The Essence of Training accelerating my development..."
He left the implication hanging. The possibilities seemed endless.
"Your turn," Korvus said, stepping back. "Let's see what changes hibernation brought to you."
Roy stepped forward, flexing his wings experimentally. "Well, the most obvious change is these," he said, extending the wings to their full span—nearly three meters from tip to tip. "I had to custom design and create these before. Now they've manifested naturally."
He demonstrated by launching himself into the air with a powerful leap, wings beating steadily to keep him aloft. Unlike his previous gliding capability, Roy now seemed capable of true flight, maneuvering with increasing confidence as he circled the platform.
"The wings aren't the only change," Roy called down. "Watch this."
He landed back on the platform and held out his hand, palm up. Closing his eyes in concentration, he caused a small sphere of darkness to form above his palm—not merely shadow, but what appeared to be actual manifested darkness, a void in the shape of a ball.
"I can manipulate darkness now," Roy explained. "It seems to be an inherent ability tied to my dark attribute. I'm still learning how to control it, but..."
He flicked his fingers, and the sphere of darkness shot toward a nearby rock, exploding on impact with surprising force. Fragments of stone scattered across the platform.
"I have physical abilities similar to your Psychokinesis," Roy concluded. "But where you control objects with your mind, I can manipulate darkness itself."
Korvus nodded, impressed. "Our hibernation didn't just heal and grow our bodies—it fundamentally changed what we're capable of."
They spent the next several hours testing their new abilities, pushing the limits of their transformed bodies. Korvus discovered that his Elemental Synchronization allowed for a variety of techniques combining fire and lightning in different proportions. Roy experimented with his darkness manipulation, learning to shape it into different forms and use it both offensively and defensively.
As the day progressed, one thing became increasingly clear: they had evolved beyond the capabilities of ordinary Low Rank demons. They were entering a new phase of their existence in this hellish realm.
"We should explore further," Korvus suggested as they sat at the edge of the platform, looking out over the lake of fire. "With our new abilities, we can venture into territories that would have been too dangerous before."
Roy nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I agree. There's something else we need to consider, though. Our evolution means we're likely to attract attention from stronger demons. Our auras are more prominent now, more... noticeable."
It was a valid concern. In the hierarchy of the demon realm, power attracted both respect and challenge. Stronger demons might see them as threats to eliminate or as worthy prey to hunt.
"All the more reason to keep moving," Korvus replied. "Standing still makes us easy targets. And we need to learn more about this world if we're going to survive long-term."
Roy stretched his wings again, clearly still getting used to their presence. "There's something I've been thinking about since I woke up. Something I remembered from my human life."
Korvus turned to him, curious. "What is it?"
"The concept of altars—places where demons can be summoned to other worlds," Roy explained. "In many of the stories and games I used to know, such places existed. If they exist here..."
"Then we might have a way to visit other realms," Korvus finished the thought. "Interesting. But why would we want to?"
Roy shrugged. "Knowledge. Power. Escape, maybe, if this world proves too hostile. And souls—souls from other worlds might be different, possibly more powerful."
The idea was intriguing. Korvus had been so focused on survival and adaptation to this demon realm that he hadn't considered the possibility of visiting other worlds. But if such travel was possible...
"You said these altars might exist in extinct volcanoes," Korvus recalled, thinking back to their conversation during hibernation. "We've seen active ones all over this realm, but extinct ones must be rarer."
"Worth investigating," Roy agreed. "But first, we should secure a new territory. Our old shelter is too small for us now, and we need a more defensible position if stronger demons come looking for us."
Korvus stood, looking toward the distant mountains. "I've been thinking about that. The mountains would provide natural protection, possibly caves large enough to serve as shelters. And the higher elevation would give us a vantage point to observe more of this realm."
"The mountains it is, then," Roy said, rising to stand beside him. "Lead the way, partner."
As they prepared to leave the platform, Korvus felt a strange sensation—a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with his fire attribute. Despite the dangers of this world, despite the constant struggle for survival, he had found something valuable here: a true ally, perhaps even a friend.
In his human life as Harry Maxfield, he had been alone, isolated by his unusual career and introverted nature. Here, in the body of a demon, surrounded by constant peril, he had forged a connection that felt more genuine than anything he had experienced before.
Korvus turned to Roy, extending a clawed hand. "To new horizons?"
Roy clasped the offered hand, his grip firm. "To new horizons."
Together, they left the platform behind, setting off toward the mountains that loomed on the horizon. Whatever challenges awaited them there, they would face them together—two reincarnated souls in demons' bodies, defying the natural order of this hellish realm with every step they took.
The hunt continued, but now it was about more than mere survival. It was about discovery, about pushing the boundaries of what they could become.
And in a realm where power was everything, they were just beginning to understand the true extent of theirs.