The Demon Queen's Royal Consort

** Two weeks had passed.

Or the equivalent of that in here: time seemed to drag on, spiral, as if the very world was turning slowly and endlessly. I had remained disciplined. No distractions. No detours.

With every breath, I drew in the spatial energy that pulsed through the thin air of this insane world.

With every heartbeat, my prana core was fed, spark by spark.

Now, I stood at the threshold.

Sitting atop the translucent sphere where the serpent still lay motionless, as if frozen in time, my breathing grew heavier. The energy built up in my core with growing pressure, as if the entire universe was being compressed into a single point inside me.

And then, everything spilled over.

Saturation began.

My energy channels were erupting, to the point of affecting my blood vessels, which boiled like lava.

Literally.

The energy surged in bursts, escaping the core and setting my internal pathways ablaze. I felt my blood turn into a molten mixture of fire and thunder. It was as if every capillary was trying to carry a star.