Chapter 184: Two Complete Possibilities
The Luminous Vein Butterfly continued observing.
Doctor Eleanor saw something she had never witnessed in Nicholas's case—or in the cases of any of the other corrupted Beast Tamers.
Mia's Energy pathways were changing slightly.
They were not being destroyed.
They were not being replaced.
They were adapting.
While Nicholas and the other corrupted Beast Tamers had experienced Energy pathways widening or contracting, with certain sections becoming temporarily more resistant to Abyssal Energy, Eleanor stared at the Butterfly's readings.
That's impossible.
She checked again.
The result was the same.
Mia's body was attempting to accommodate the foreign Energy.
This immediately reminded Eleanor of Mia's unusual physiology.
Mia had always been capable of adapting to different Energy properties far better than ordinary people.
But Eleanor was not ready to call this a positive sign.
Because the adaptation was failing.
Every time her body changed…
The Abyssal Energy changed with it.
The conflict between the Abyssal Energy and her body's adaptation was what caused her to suffer symptoms similar to Nicholas and the others.
Hence, Doctor Eleanor needed to determine whether Mia's internal Energy circulation could be stabilized.
She ordered her Stoneback Healing Tortoise to activate its Stabilizing Field.
The result was almost immediate.
Mia's convulsions became weaker.
Her heartbeat stabilized.
Her Energy fluctuations decreased.
For several seconds, Doctor Eleanor believed the treatment was working.
But then she noticed something shocking.
The Abyssal Energy was becoming calmer too.
The Tortoise wasn't suppressing it.
It was stabilizing the entire system—including the corruption.
Eleanor immediately ordered the Tortoise:
"Stop."
The Tortoise withdrew its field.
Doctor Eleanor's expression turned grim.
She had just learned something important…
Simply stabilizing Mia is not enough.
If the Abyssal Energy was allowed to settle into her system while stabilized, it might become much harder to remove.
Doctor Eleanor gritted her teeth, vexed by the Abyssal Energy.
Why does it appear to be sentient?
Also, it's so obvious that it is determined to take over Mia's body.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
The Energy comes from the world, like the air we breathe.
What if the world itself possesses some form of sentience and is actually forcing us to enter it?
However, she realized that her train of thought was drifting too far from the situation at hand.
She immediately shook her head and continued attempting to treat Mia.
Now, she needed to examine the actual physical damage caused by the Abyssal Energy.
The Silver Thread Viper landed on her shoulder.
The Viper opened its mouth and extended its tongue.
Silver Threads began manifesting from its tongue and delicately entered the damaged areas of Mia's circulation.
The Viper immediately identified microscopic tissue damage, inflamed pathways, damaged nerves, ruptured tiny vessels, and Energy-channel stress.
Doctor Eleanor had the Viper repair a small damaged section.
The tissue actually closed.
But then…
Something unexpected happened.
The Abyssal Energy immediately moved into the repaired section, causing the tissue to darken again.
Doctor Eleanor stopped.
She did not allow the Viper to continue.
Once again, another attempt had proven futile.
At the same time, she was struck by a realization…
The Abyssal Energy isn't simply destroying Mia's body.
It was interacting with her body's repair process.
Mia's body repaired itself.
But then the Abyssal Energy entered the newly repaired pathways.
Which created another cycle:
Damage. Repair. Abyssal exposure. Adaptation. Damage…
It was a continuous cycle that the Abyssal Energy was cleverly exploiting to conquer Mia's body.
Doctor Eleanor gritted her teeth.
She slowly tried to calm herself as she suddenly thought of Felix.
She could not cure Mia until Felix brought a solution.
Therefore, Felix might have another solution for Mia's current state…
She suddenly shook her head.
It's a shame for me to rely entirely on him.
I'm a doctor for a reason.
Doctor Eleanor's Nightwatch Hollow Owl approached and landed above Mia's head.
Doctor Eleanor used it to determine whether Mia was still completely herself or had already begun to be consumed by the Abyssal Energy.
The Nightwatch Hollow Owl activated its Mindwatch.
It allowed Doctor Eleanor to see into Mia's consciousness.
Doctor Eleanor could see Mia within her consciousness, where her body was curled into a tight ball.
She was extremely frightened.
She was suffering from agony.
She was struggling to remain conscious.
At the same time, the Owl detected something around her consciousness.
It was a dark pressure…
It was not yet an invasion or possession, but it was pressing against the boundary of Mia's consciousness.
If it eventually succeeded…
Doctor Eleanor remembered Nicholas and clenched her fists tightly.
It is finally making sense.
Nicholas was corrupted from the beginning. Even when the Abyssal Energy was purified from his body, his consciousness had already been swallowed whole.
However, the Abyssal Energy hasn't completely reached Mia's consciousness yet.
But it's getting close.
Doctor Eleanor took a step back and recalled her beasts to her soul space.
Sky Marshal Kaelor, Noah, and Sarah, who had finally awakened, walked toward Doctor Eleanor.
Sarah, her heart racing, couldn't even utter a word to Doctor Eleanor.
She was terrified of the result of Eleanor's examination.
Even Noah felt the same.
Hence, Sky Marshal Kaelor asked,
"How is it?"
Doctor Eleanor turned to face Sky Marshal Kaelor and the Hill Family and spoke:
"Mia has Acute Abyssal Energy Adaptation Crisis.
"Her vitality is critically unstable, but her major organs remain functional.
"Her severe fever is caused by uncontrolled internal Energy activity, but she has not yet reached the stage of corruption.
"The Abyssal Energy has entered her existing Energy pathways, but since she doesn't have an Energy Core, the Abyssal Energy cannot fully control her body.
"Her meridians have shown abnormal adaptive responses rather than complete structural corruption, which is a clear indication that her body and mind have not been completely lost yet.
"After all, her consciousness is still intact.
"But…"
Doctor Eleanor paused.
"Her consciousness is under increasing pressure from the Abyssal Energy.
"What I can assure you is that Mia has not yet reached the stage Nicholas reached."
Sky Marshal Kaelor nodded.
As expected, Mia's case is different from the rest.
He had examined Mia's condition through Aura alone, but it was still not as comprehensive as Doctor Eleanor's examination.
Nevertheless, his conclusion was not far from Doctor Eleanor's final diagnosis.
Which meant Mia was still alive, and her body was actively fighting against the Abyssal Energy's attempt to corrupt her.
However, Sky Marshal Kaelor did not know what would happen afterward.
He glanced at Mia's parents and understood that they were having a hard time processing Doctor Eleanor's words.
He asked on their behalf,
"So?"
Doctor Eleanor nodded.
"There are only two possibilities.
"First, Mia's body will adapt.
"If her unusual physiology successfully learns to accommodate the Abyssal Energy, she may survive.
"Second, the Abyss adapts faster.
"The Abyssal Energy will gradually force Mia's meridians to accommodate it.
"If that happens, the situation becomes identical to Nicholas.
"Which means complete integration…"
At this point, Doctor Eleanor had a hard time continuing, but she steeled herself anyway, knowing that this was important information for Mia's parents.
"Once integration occurs, there is no cure."
Sarah gasped in terror.
She suddenly felt all her strength drain away and nearly lost consciousness.
Noah immediately caught her and carried her while Sarah spoke slowly…
"Mia… has just been alive…"
Doctor Eleanor lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
She recalled the vibrant Mia she had seen after finally curing her.
Mia's first conversation with her…
Her first smile…
Seeing her in the same situation again, albeit clearly suffering as evidenced by her periodic convulsions, made Doctor Eleanor feel as though her heart were being clenched tightly.
She wanted to weep as well, but she could not be the first person to break down.
"So, what do we have to do?" Noah asked, startling Doctor Eleanor awake.
Doctor Eleanor fell into a daze.
She knew what answer to give, but she couldn't bring herself to utter it.
However, Sky Marshal Kaelor seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said,
"We have to hope that Felix has the cure, right?"
Noah turned toward Sky Marshal Kaelor in surprise.
At the same time, Sarah barely opened her eyes as realization struck her.
"T-That's right… F-Felix…
"N-No.
"His sword…"
Before she could continue her sentence, she lost consciousness, and Noah had to carry her away to find a bed in the treatment chamber.
Just as Noah left, Mia seemed to have heard Sky Marshal Kaelor's words and whispered,
"B-Brother…"
Her face was contorted in pain.
Doctor Eleanor hurriedly caressed Mia's head and hair, mumbling,
"Your brother will be here soon.
"He definitely has a way to cure you."
Mia did not respond, but her body convulsed, as though the Abyssal Energy had heard her as well.
Doctor Eleanor immediately shut her mouth.
At the same time, a cold glint flashed across her eyes.
She believed that the Abyssal Energy would soon be devoured by Mia once Felix arrived.
Doctor Eleanor turned toward Sky Marshal Kaelor and asked,
"How are the other expedition teams doing?"
She shifted the topic to prevent the Abyssal Energy from becoming more active.
Sky Marshal Kaelor seemed to understand her intention and replied,
"I frequently send a Lord Beast Tamer in case they need assistance.
"Although some of them are at the Low or Middle Stage, they are still strong enough to aid the other expedition teams.
"Though, I haven't seen much of you since I don't believe you're having any difficulty with them around."
Doctor Eleanor snorted.
She was obviously aware of whom Sky Marshal Kaelor was referring to…