Xie De felt uncomfortable all over.
The pain of bringing living people into his domain was like needles piercing his flesh and lodging in his bones, countless tiny points of pain. Unlike the sudden snap of a bone, it was not agonizing, merely a steady drizzle settling over him, layer after layer.
Xie De submerged himself in the bathtub, even burying his head beneath the water. Eyes closed, he tried to use the sensation of water against his skin to ignore the pain, but the suffocating feeling wound tightly around him, and the pain still clung to him like a shadow, especially in his right hand.
He discovered that every time he entered his domain or an instance, his Prosthetic Limb revealed its original steel appearance again. Its metallic sheen reflected the phantom nerve pain, which was even harder to bear than the countless needle pricks.
Xie De surfaced and drew a deep breath. He put his bathrobe straight on, ignoring the water dripping off him and wetting the floor as he walked. His wet hair clung to him, soaking his robe.
He paid none of it any mind.
He walked quickly, pulled the painkillers from a drawer, and shoved them into his mouth, swallowing them dry without checking whether there was any water.
"455."
455 said, "I'm here, Host. There's a dose of Analgesic in the drawer to your right, from Anbers's hospital. It has no side effects. You could give yourself a shot to ease the pain."
Xie De clamped his left hand over his right wrist, his voice trembling. "No, I wanted you to discuss it with 730. Can the pain caused by the domain be reduced? If nothing else, could you give me that as a reward?"
After saying that, he could no longer stand how