Leonidas gratefully took the fruit, this time knowing what it did. The possibility of poison was still high, but the rewards far outweighed the risks.

The fruit was like an elongated, egg-like shape, its edges smooth and pointed. It was nothing special to look at, bright crimson in color, with a few patches of yellow spotted on its surface.

Leonidas gave the fruit a tentative look, then put it in his mouth. The hard shell grated against his teeth, and when Leonidas bit down on it, the fruit exploded.

Warm and juicy, it flowed down his throat, turning into nourishment for every part of his body. The feeling was euphoric and electric, sending jolts of pleasure down his body.

But the feeling didn’t last long, leaving as soon as it was done. Most of the smaller cuts on his body healed up, but the majority still remained. Its departure gave way for something else to arrive, though.

"Aghh..."

With the absence of the fruit, something else assailed his senses...pain. Overwhelming waves of searing pain radiated from every cell in his being, as if he had become a wretched beacon of suffering.

Leonidas’s arm reached out uselessly for anything to hold onto, desperate for a sense of protection. Harrowing screams escaped his lips, so full of agony that it would have made people pass out just from the vicinity.

Pain wasn’t the only thing attacking him; memories of losing his body were cycling through his mind like a ceaseless current. Endless.

With nothing to hold on to, Leonidas turned inwards, clawing at his chest like a rabid dog, scratching himself through his clothes.

Wh-what is this...help...someone please. HELP!

His pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears, as Savior touched the back of his neck, her metal-covered hand frigid against his heating body.

A bolt of electricity passed through his convulsing body and...Leonidas blacked out.

* * * * * *

Back in the Chamber of Blue Fire, Savior glanced at the sleeping boy. She took off her helmet, revealing a face luminous, almost otherworldly. Her hair was raven, long and flowing, reaching past her waist.

Her eyes, which had previously swirled like an abyss, were now calm like a still lake. But most shocking of all...was the smile on her face.

Savior had a motherly smile on her face as she watched Leonidas sleep in peace. She could not help but smile...she had been reunited with her master after all. It had been so, so long since she had last seen any trace of him.

All of a sudden, Leonidas’s body twitched, and Savior’s expression changed. She donned her helmet, hiding beauty beneath the mask of a demon.

As much as she wished to simply heal her master, it would go against what she had been ordered. All in due time...everything was unfolding exactly as the master’s siblings had willed.

* * * * * *

Leonidas woke up with a jolt, as if cold water had been thrown over him. His chest heaved, cold sweat covering every inch of his...deformed body.

He looked around in horror, expecting the dreadful pain to assault him again, but nothing happened. Strangely, he was back to feeling nothing, but when he saw the mask of a nebulous demon right in his face...a scream tore out of him anyway.

"Oh god dammit, Savior!"

His heart had nearly leapt out of his chest. What was the damned statue doing?

"Mind explaining to me whatever the hell happened when I ate the fruit? And how long was I out?"

Leonidas’s tone was clipped with exhaustion. He really just wanted to sleep for a long, long time, but alas, he couldn’t exactly do that in his current state, could he?

Savior placed her massive head on her equally massive hand and got to thinking. She stayed like that for a long time, but as if understanding struck her, she quickly sat down cross-legged in front of Leonidas and started her demonstration.

She plucked a fruit from a nearby vine and shoved it in Leonidas’s face with barely contained strength.

Seriously, this woman needs to watch her hands. I swear she’ll crush me at this rate.

The fear was real, but Leonidas didn’t let it blind him. He focused on Savior’s demonstration. She pointed at the fruit with her hands, then made an eating gesture.

Leonidas didn’t really know what to say, so he stayed quiet, opting to watch instead. Savior suddenly jumped, a gust of wind exploding from her feet.

Savior flexed her stone muscles, leaning forward to shove them in Leonidas’s face.

I see.

Somehow, he understood exactly what she was trying to convey.

"So basically, whenever I eat the fruits, I heal and get stronger?"

The shadows lying in the depths of her eyes brightened, flames of hell dancing in their dark depths. Savior clapped like an excited child, each slap resounding wildly in the chamber.

Seems like I’m right...but why the sudden bout of pain?

Savior sat back down, her eyes downcast. She clutched her chest as if having a heart attack, twitching bubbling, and writhing, her form swelling and collapsing.

Hell, blood even spurted from her mouth, painting the walls with an amalgamation of black and scarlet. The light...or rather darkness in her eyes went listless, and then Savior went hollow, collapsing.

She stayed motionless for a few moments, then quietly sat back down, her form back to the three meters she was originally at.

I’ll die if I eat the fruit?

No, that wouldn’t make sense. He had already eaten it, but still lived, only with the intense pain of his injuries.

Then did she mean I’ll feel the same pain every time I eat a fruit?

Leonidas wasn’t sure, so he asked:

"What you want to say is that the pain that is somehow being suppressed right now will explode the moment I eat a fruit? Shake your head for yes or no."

Savior bobbed her head in agreement. Leonidas went pallid...he really didn’t want to experience that horrifying feeling again.

Pain was one thing, he had experienced plenty of it after all, but the particular pain of having half ur body chopped off was unmistakably distinct.

Gods below...