I woke up and my entire body screamed in protest. I was sore literally all over, and the thought of standing up nearly brought tears to my eyes. I groaned, and stirred, then decided it wasn't worth it quite yet. Remembering that I still needed to exhaust my magical reserves a couple of times (3, to be exact) to qualify for evolution, I decided to give myself a triple boost of energy, sending out an invigorating pulse three times in quick succession.

With a groan and joints creaking, I rose up to my feet. It didn't feel good, but the more I moved, the less I hurt. I tried my best to hide my limp, but there was only so much I could do as I went to try to find Vefir. Fortunately for me, Vefir was usually hovering around the same spots, and I found him at the first place I looked, a space that had been dug out specifically for the laying of eggs. Different from the usual keelish fashion, we had dug out a little space for the eggs to stay safe, not just an offshoot with direct access to the outside world. As I looked at that, I realized again how different my swarm was from a typical one, but was happy to think about any positive influence I'd had on my swarm.

I stepped in, and Vefir was there, fussing over what must have been Treel's eggs. Seeing how small they were, I again felt the fury bubbling up within me, but I focused myself.

"Vefir," I called out, and he startled then turned over to me.

"Ah, y-yes, Alpha?!" He'd mostly gotten over his stutter, but it still came up from time to time, and he remained particularly formal with me. I shook my head, somewhat bitterly.

"You can relax with me, as I've said."

He shook his head firmly, "No, you deserve respect, and I will show all others that I offer you that respect." Vefir then looked me in the eye, "How can I help you today?"

"Two things, hopefully." I shrugged, "One, I was wondering if you have any magic to spare to give me just a touch of healing. My recovery from my... training... is painful, and I wanted to see if you can alleviate that."

Vefir nodded surely, "Of course. Give me just one moment." His eyes glazed over for a moment, then a comfortable warmth spread over me and eased my aches. Almost against my will, I groaned in relief.

"Thanks for that." Vefir nodded back to me as I continued, "Now, my second question: how are the eggs doing? Do you see any hope for them?"

Vefir sighed, and half shrugged. "I don't know. I've never cared for a c-clutch before, so I'm just trying to make sure that they're treated the s-same way that they would be under normal circumstances. I'm moving them a little each day, and infus-sing them with whatever magic I can, in the hopes that that will cover for any deficiencies brought about by being brought t-to term early."

I nodded back and said, "Good to hear. I trust you, and I'm sure you'll make sure they're well cared for."

As I was walking out, Vefir called back to me, and said "Thank you."

I walked around only long enough to find something to eat and speak briefly with Took.

I retired to my room, and about an hour later, my magic had recovered enough for me to exhaust it again. As near as I could tell, Intelligence dictated the potency and efficacy of my magic, while Magic dictated the well of magical energy in me. Regardless, I had time to kill before I qualified for this evolution, and I decided to look into my newly evolved skill.

[Combatant's Bloodlust: A mental state that veers away from absolute aggression and inclines itself instead towards a greater understanding of combat. The Skill user will still experience a heightened desire for battle, yet this desire will be tempered by a pragmatic understanding of effective action.]

So... I won't lose myself in this improved [Bloodlust]?

[Correction: This is not Improved Bloodlust, but Combatant's Bloodlust.]

... Of course. But my question?

[While it will not be impossible for a user of the skill Combatant's Bloodlust to lose their sense of reason, it is highly unlikely.]

Well, that's acceptable. I nodded and settled myself down to think and wait for my sonilphon to replenish itself to completion.

...

I caught myself napping, then stirred, quickly checking if I had slept enough to replenish myself fully. I had.

Quickly, I expended my magic, and a flashing [System] notification appeared.

[Skill evolutionary requirements met. Skill: Sonilphon evolution to Skill: Improved Sonliphon complete. Racial evolutionary requirements met.]

I pulled up my status and quickly looked to the bottom:

[-Sonic Khatif Sub-Swarm Alpha--Requirements: Skill: Combatant's Bloodlust, Improved Sonilphon, Sub-Swarm Alpha race. REQUIREMENTS MET.]

All right. How long are we looking at for this evolution?

[Evolution requires a basic restructuring of your body. You will fall unconscious as the reconstruction takes place. Evolution to: Sonic Khatif Sub-Swarm Alpha will take 18 hours. Evolution will provide a marked bonus to your stats, as well as certain obvious physiological changes. Would you like to proceed with evolution?]

Not yet. I quickly found Sybil and asked if there was anything that needed my immediate attention.

"No, why?"

"I just need a long rest, and by so doing, I'll wake up stronger than I am now."

She mulled that over, nodded, and said, "Then, there's no time like the present!" while urging me to go ahead and do it.

I smiled and retired to my room.

Begin evolution.

Like always, my view faded around me, and I slipped to unconsciousness.

...

My mind was in the fuzzy, indescribable state it always was during evolution when the Administrator's voice came to me.

[Hello there, little one.]

Hello yourself... big one?

A chuckle shook my consciousness. [I suppose that you're correct on that account. At least, comparatively.]

How big are you?

[Do you wish for that to be your question?]

I sighed and rolled my eyes, or, whatever passed for eyes here. No.

[You seem to have begun to realize that I do not do what I do how I do because it suits my purposes, but because that is how restrictions on the Administrators function, yes?]

I nodded.

[Then, know that I ask clarifying questions for your benefit.] Suddenly, the voice of the Administrator, that had always felt dispassionate and aloof resonated with warmth. [You're doing well.]

Well... thanks. I hadn't really had anyone say that to me for a while, and it surprisingly meant a lot to me. I internally cleared my throat. I'm ready for my question.

[Shoot.]

What should I do to ensure that I evolve to a Keel?

[Well, I'll count this as a half question, since we have spoken about this previously--go to the ruins of old Nievtra and there you will find the Words of Power for the Keels, as well as your specific path to becoming one yourself.] Then, I heard the smile in the Administrator's voice as they continued, [The other half of your question will count for this: You are well on the path towards becoming the Keel progenitor. Now,] and the voice became almost... terse? [when you wake up, be ready to get out of the den, since the...] the voice was torn away, and began to sound tinny, as if through a tube, [humans are...]

And then nothing, as my mind, confused and racing as it was, slipped into unwilling yet final darkness.