The Druids took turns crowding around the microscope.
Gasps and cries of astonishment rose one after another.
For Elves, who revered nature and regarded purity as life itself, the sight of that writhing swarm struck as hard as the collapse of their faith.
They had always thought they understood life, never imagining that beyond the reach of the naked eye, it existed in such a hideous, chaotic form.
"This is the 'Holy Water' the Church gives the common people to drink," Veylin said at just the right moment, his voice carrying a cold edge. "And this is the enemy we're about to face."
Luowu returned to the microscope.
This time, his earlier arrogance was gone.
He stared through the eyepiece, his hands trembling slightly.
As a master of life, he understood better than anyone what this meant.
If these tiny parasites entered a human body...
Valerius stepped forward and handed Luowu a set of hand-drawn diagrams. "These are the changes in form we observed at different intervals. They're taking control of their hosts, and over time, they'll completely occupy the human brain."
Luowu accepted the diagrams.
He studied the detailed sketches, then glanced at the brass microscope.
Finally, his gaze settled on Veylin.
The look he had given a "short-lived upstart" was gone.
In its place was the gravity with which he would regard a scholar of equal-or even greater-standing.
He knew the Elves and the human before him were on the same side.
That evil, invisible to the naked eye, filled him with a more visceral revulsion than any beast in the forest.
Luowu slammed his oak staff against the floor with a dull thud. "This is the vilest mockery of the cycle of life. They do not belong to nature. They are... a twisted form of parasitism."
"I'm