Lyra brought Azrael over, sitting with Adam and Johan. She prepared a small syringe of her blood, offering it to Azrael to drink. The rest continued eating their lunch as if the apocalypse had never happened, with Johan's jokes and lightheartedness keeping the mood bright. Azrael slowly began to lower his guard around Johan.
As Azrael completely drank Lyra's blood, his mana core evolved, causing his body to glow intensely. Everyone fell into stunned silence, watching Azrael's glowing form.
When the glow subsided, Azrael spoke, his voice different. "Why are my hands so small?" he asked, looking at them. He then looked at his reflection in the window. "I'm a kid?!" Everyone was shocked by the sudden change in Azrael's tone.
"Son, what's happening to you?" Adam asked, worried.
"Son?! Wait, let me think." Azrael paused, sifting through his memories. Then, with a foul tone, he snapped, "You're not my father, who the hell are you?"
Adam and Lyra, concerned by this sudden evolution, tried to calm Azrael. "Think and recollect the memories more recently," Lyra urged, somehow understanding what was happening.
Azrael began processing information, his mind accessing memories of his interactions with Adam and Lyra, then recalling Johan's bloodlust. Azrael instantly became defensive. His body became covered in white-laced armor, and white feathered wings spread from his back. His hands suddenly conjured two white swords.
Azrael stood before Johan on the table, pointing a sword at his neck. "You tried to kill me?!" he growled aggressively.
Johan raised his hands, still smiling, as if it were all a joke. Adam and Lyra frantically tried to calm Azrael, grabbing his arms.
"Son, please calm down and think through your memories!" Lyra pleaded, her understanding of the situation growing.
"What's happening to Azrael?!" Adam asked Lyra via neuro-link.
"He drank my blood, which is coded by heavens and even has my AI intellect," Lyra explained through the neuro-link. "I believe he's going through an evolution with information and abilities embedded in him, causing confusion in his state of mind."
As Adam and Lyra struggled to control Azrael, his mind continued to process his past. "Argh!!" Azrael screamed, his transformation reverting.
Slowly, Azrael fainted. Adam carried Azrael to the bunker, putting his mana suit on him, both Lyra and Adam looking worried. Lyra scanned Azrael's body and saw his mana core evolving, growing larger. With the mana suit on, it was stabilizing.
A Shared Responsibility
"Don't worry about me, guys?!" Johan said jokingly, even though no one had asked about his safety.
"I'm glad you're not offended by my son's action," Adam said, feeling bad about what had happened.
"Nah, there's nothing to worry about. Like you said, he's just a child," Johan replied freely, completely unfazed. "I'll leave you two to attend to him. I'm gonna head back to watching some new movies." Johan walked out of the bunker.
Adam smiled at Johan's absurd behavior. "Let's just rest for the day," Adam told Lyra.
"I'm going to pack Azrael's games and television into the plane. He really wants to play them when we return to civilization."
"I'll teach you tomorrow how to upgrade the backup generator permanently with the universal tool," Lyra explained. "We can bring it back for use so Azrael can play his game."
Adam's eyes widened, realizing there was yet another capability of the universal tool he hadn't known about. He looked at Lyra with amazement.
"Calm down, you can learn it after we get enough rest today," Lyra said, sensing Adam's eagerness. Lyra took a wet towel and gently cleaned Azrael's body. Adam went to pack up the games and television for the plane.