The essences had already been purified and refined, so it was time to begin.
The procedure was standard, and as usual, it was not pleasant. Just like with Elise, the body suffers when something that doesn't belong to it is introduced. The repercussions manifest harshly.
Andra had been through the chair before, but only with her own essence. This was her first time with foreign lineages, and now she knew how terrible it could be. It was terrifying to witness how some of her bones seemed to explode outward. She screamed relentlessly, again and again, until suddenly she collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll, with one eye turned backward. For a moment, I feared that her brain had suffered irreparable damage… but luckily, I was there.
I quickly jumped to attend to her, but with injuries as delicate and specific as those affecting the nervous system, I didn't want to risk intervening without precision. I took her immediately to the [Hospital] in the [Fief]. Fortunately, as long as the patient remains alive, the hospital can save them. However, the price varies depending on the severity of the injuries.
In Andra's case, a medium payment was necessary to get her out of immediate danger, and I was offered two options: a high cost to heal her instantly or a minimal fee in exchange for keeping her hospitalized for at least three months, after which she would leave almost as good as new. I didn't want to wait and had the money, so I opted for immediate recovery.
Andra left the hospital with a vacant look in her eyes. It was undoubtedly a traumatic experience… but the work had to continue. The problem was that, upon returning to the tower, we discovered something else: the hospital had undone nearly all the progress we had made with the chair. New information to consider. Still, we didn't stop.
We decided to continue, but with a change in approach. Instead of trying to integrate new lineages, we worked with the ones Andra already had, trying to complete and reinforce them. This way, we could gradually strengthen her, and maybe, in the future, her body would tolerate more exotic lineages.
The process remained painful, but not as grotesque as the first time. Wounds that I could treat myself, without the need for external intervention. It took time, especially because it was necessary to allow rest periods between each integration to avoid irreversible mental collapse. But we followed through, though with great effort.
[— Andra —]
[Lineages:]
[Human: 100.0%][Witch: 100.0%][Demon: 11.2%]
We conducted the appropriate tests, and at least, I could see that Andra was satisfied with the results.
As for the human lineage, there were no visible changes, although it is possible that her body slightly improved in resilience or agility, though that remains an unconfirmed hypothesis.
The magical lineage was another story. Andra showed a noticeable improvement in her magical ability. It wasn't an astonishing transformation, but it was significant enough to make a difference. According to the levels established by the chair, this is what we recorded:
|--------------------------------------------------|
[Andra]
Sex: Female
Race: Pureblood Witch | Pureblood Human | Lower-level Demon Hybrid
Age: Adult - ??? (Indeterminable precisely due to temporal alterations)
Bloodlines:
Human: 100.0%
Witch: 100.0%
Demon: 11.2%
Current Level: Elite Witch, Level 25 (weakened by recent injuries and low energy)
Estimated Healthy Level: Great Witch, Level 8 (previously Level 2)
Projected Potential Level: Great Witch, Level 30 (previously Level 14)
Attributes / Affinities: Magic, Lesser Demon
Life Expectancy: 135 - 160 years
Notable Strengths: Mental Magic (low-medium)
Critical Weaknesses: Holy Magic, High-level Demon Power
|--------------------------------------------------|
Impressive, considering what she is. Although the level indicated by this classification serves as a reference, it has important limitations: it's an overall average of the subject, not an exact reflection of each of their attributes.
In Andra's case, for example, when it comes to conventional magic, she remains an elite witch. What elevates her to the rank of Great Witch are her powerful hypnotic abilities and other special talents. Her current classification is an average between those highlighted areas and the more common ones. It doesn't mean all her aspects are at the level of a Great Witch.
According to what she herself could perceive, her magical improvement focused more on the expression and manipulation of magic than on sheer volume. She could now cast spells without the need for a wand, and she did so with surprising ease. The problem was the potency: without the wand, the resulting magic was weak, useful for everyday tasks, but ineffective in combat or critical situations.
Still, Andra felt comfortable with her progress. And thanks to the Archmage's intervention, we discovered that the improvement was even greater than we had calculated. The real bottleneck was the method of magical application.
As the Archmage explained, ancient magic—that which required prolonged chants, elaborate gestures, specific ingredients, and full rituals—was much better suited for someone like Andra. A common mage can channel some power using those methods, but Andra, with her pure witch lineage, could amplify that channel several times. What limited her was not her potential, but the use of modern, simplified spells.
A significant revelation, no doubt… but it wasn't the time to stop.
We returned to the dangerous part of the experiment.
I had collected demonic lineage from imps, kelpies, and Andra's own essence. Everything was ready for integration.
This time, although Andra knew well what could happen and had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't avoid shuddering when she sat in the chair.
This time, even though Andra knew well what could happen and had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't help but shiver when she sat down in the chair.
The process began with a minimal dose, as usual. I watched her body writhe, her teeth clench so hard they started to bleed... just like her nose. But, unlike last time, she now seemed to have the strength to endure it. She was left steaming, weak, but conscious.
I started my treatment immediately, and soon Andra was almost back to one hundred percent. We continued with the experiment, maintaining the dose until her body began to adapt. After that, we gradually increased it.
Through sessions, treatment, and adjustments, we managed to reach the maximum limit that could be obtained from the bloodlines extracted from kelpies and imps. The demonic proportion in these creatures wasn't high —about 1.2% in imps and 7.6% in kelpies— but even such small amounts brought notable improvements in Andra.
|--------------------------------------------------|
[Andra]
Sex: FemaleRace: Pure-blood Witch | Pure-blood Human | Hybrid DemonAge: Adult – ??? (Cannot be determined precisely due to temporal alterations)
Bloodlines:
Human: 100.0%Witch: 100.0%Demon: 32.4%
Current Level: Elite Witch, Level 34 | Lesser Demon, Level 7Estimated Healthy Level: Great Witch, Level 16 | Lesser Demon, Level 31Projected Potential Level: Great Witch, Level 30 | Demon, Level 11
Attributes / Affinities: Magic, Demonic
Life Expectancy: 186 – 274 years
Notable Strengths: Mental Magic (low–mid), Demonic (minor)Critical Weaknesses: Holy Magic, High-Level Demonic Powers
|--------------------------------------------------|
Her stats were noticeably better than before, and a new classification even emerged based on her demonic bloodline. It turns out demons possess their own power system, with a distinct kind of magic, so the traditional witch scale isn't enough to evaluate them properly.
Andra stood up slightly disoriented, saying she felt strange. There were visible, though subtle, changes. Her skin, once a pale jade white, now took on a darker, reddish tone, while also becoming smoother and more flawless. Her hair looked shinier and stronger, her nails darkened and lengthened slightly, becoming more pointed. Her fangs, now sharper, were only visible with a wide smile. The most striking feature was her eyes: her irises had turned a burgundy hue with a honey-gold tint, strange and beautiful, but with an intensity that demanded respect. Oh, and her tongue was slightly longer and thinner than before —no more than a centimeter difference, but still noticeable.
She also mentioned a slight headache. We noticed what seemed to be minuscule horns forming, but so tiny that they'd be impossible to detect without surgical intervention.
Physically, she became much more agile and flexible. In terms of brute strength, there weren't many changes, but where she really excelled was in the magical realm. Her traditional magic increased, yes, but the truly important development was the awakening of that other power: demonic power. She had possessed it before, but in such low concentration it was unusable. Now... now it was real.
I witnessed that power with my own eyes. Though still scarce, it was enough to keep a small demonic flame in her hands for several seconds —just enough time to study it. It was dangerous. Aggressive. Andra even slightly injured herself while handling it: her bloodline still wasn't strong enough to use it without consequences.
While magic and psychic power share about 60% similarity, magic and demonic power barely reach 20%–30% compatibility. Replicating it like I did with PSI power would be almost impossible. It was a highly destructive energy, incompatible with common spells, but useful for very specific demonic incantations. More than powerful, they were poisonous: prolonged side effects, curses, degradation... the damage wasn't always immediate, but almost always inevitable.
Other abilities were also enhanced. Her Glamour was superior, though more controlled. Unlike creatures like Veela, whose power is constantly active, Andra could activate it at will. It didn't cause irrational attraction but created a constant desire. It didn't cloud judgment, but it made it hard to look away or stop thinking about her—and it was addictive.
The most impressive ability was the one inherited from the kelpie: physical transformation. At first, Andra had no control, but over time, she began to understand how it worked. Her power was comparable to that of a Metamorphmagus, but far more versatile. Tonks could alter her appearance, sure, but Andra... I saw her transform into a creature three times her size, and also into one three times smaller. She was even able to take a humanoid plant-like form and mimic inanimate objects—though her early imitations were rough and grotesque.
This ability to change was real, physical in every sense. If she turned her head into a giant mouth full of sharp teeth, she could eat with it just fine. Of course, she would need training to use it well and make such functional changes. The main fuel for this ability was demonic power, although it could be replaced with traditional magic at the cost of slowness and instability, which required greater concentration.
This discovery has further increased my interest in her demonic lineage. If Elise managed to awaken the god gene... could Andra do something similar? Perhaps it didn't matter. Just studying demonic power was already fascinating. The problem was how to obtain more of that bloodline. Creatures with even a fraction of demon blood were rare. So far, I've only found two useful cases. I needed to research more, look for other sources. Missions and campaigns offer a higher chance of finding results.
Before letting her go, I ran a few additional tests. And even though I now had other urgent matters to attend to, I wasn't upset. All of this—every experiment and every risk—was for a better future.
Speaking of which... it was almost time to leave for Castelobruxo. Perhaps there, I'd find even more interesting things.
---///---
🔔 Notice:
I'm really sorry, guys...I'm injured. I've been diagnosed with bilateral hernias, and I suspect there might be another one as well. It's taking quite a toll on me, and I need to figure out when I'll be able to get surgery, considering everything I have to take care of beforehand... not to mention all the other burdens life throws at you.
Because of this, I plan to step away from writing for a while. I'll write if I can, but I can't promise anything.
If anyone is supporting me on Patreon, please feel free to unsubscribe until I'm healthy and active again. Truly, thank you all for your support so far.
📝 Extra Comment:Some of you might be wondering:"Can an author really have that many medical problems?"And I'd say:"And these are just the ones I decided to tell you about... you have no idea."