Horace's pupils abruptly contracted.
Dark red crystals were growing in clusters on the exposed skin of Alberich's arms, as well as on the back faintly visible through the gap in his collar.
Those crystals were not embedded there. Instead, they seemed to have "grown" out of his flesh, merging eerily with the surrounding skin. In some places, red, vein-like strands could even be seen faintly flowing inside the crystals.
More unsettling still, when Alberich tilted his head slightly, Horace glimpsed similar red crystalline protrusions on the back of his head, near his neck!
The sight was so very similar to the two "primeval sorcerers" in the game, Master Lusat and Master Azur, whose bodies had crystallized from researching primeval True Magic.
Only the crystals on Alberich's body were dark red, rather than blue or green.
"Is this... the price of the Primeval Current?" Horace's voice grew heavy, no longer probing out of politeness.
Alberich shuddered slightly. Complex emotions flickered in his crimson eyes: pain, fanaticism, and the relief of finally being understood.
"You do know something after all." He slowly pulled his clothes back into place, his voice still low.
"I call it 'blood glintstone.'"
"Blood glintstone?"
"Yes." Alberich nodded and began to explain.
"I discovered this unique variant of glintstone. It does not form naturally, but is 'refined' through rituals of living sacrifice, using blood as a medium. I firmly believe this, too, is a manifestation of the laws of the stars, another path to the 'Primeval Current.'"
He paused and pointed at the horrifying crystals on his body. "To explore that ultimate 'Primeval Current'... as you can see, this is the price of delving too deeply into it. My flesh is gradually being assimilated by it."
Horace had no words. Was this the madness and the price of