The shadowless lamp above the operating table went out.
Eric opened his eyes. Before him was a silvery-white ceiling, its dense runes slowly dimming in the lingering afterglow of the lights.
He lay there for a few seconds, then sat up and looked down at his hands. They felt no different from before the operation.
He clenched his fists, then relaxed them, rolling his wrists and shoulders to make sure there was nothing unusual.
He even felt a little hungry.
"Looks like—nothing's changed." He touched his chest. That spot was the core node of the fifth seal, its skin smooth, without the slightest bump or scar.
Benjamin stood beside the workbench, putting away the surgical instruments.
"There were already four anomalies sealed inside you," Benjamin's voice came steadily from the workbench. "Flesh, soul, vitality, and mind—those are the four you know best. You became quite adept with the first two seals while treating patients. Flesh Distortion lets you sense and repair physical injuries, while Soul Resonance lets you touch and mend cracks in the soul. You use the vitality and mind anomalies less often, but you've mastered the basics."
Eric nodded.
Flesh Distortion and Soul Resonance were the signature skills that had made him the attending physician of Noren Clinic.
Without those two anomalies, he could never have established himself before the Association's medical team.
"Now, the fifth anomaly sealed within you," Benjamin said, setting down the instrument in his hand and turning toward him, "exists specifically to coordinate those four anomalies."
He walked to the operating table, took a palm-sized mirror from a shelf, and handed it to Eric.
Eric took the mirror and finally noticed what was different about himself.
His eyes looked deeper than before. His pupils had changed from light gray to dark gray, while the