Hair

Outside of the vast forest Draco had spent the last day in, there was a sealed dimension filled with powered individuals. 

These individuals were not your typical powereds though, for they all either came from powerful lineages or great wealth. 

They ranged in stature, power, and even language. However, they all had one thing in common. 

This was because every one of those individuals were sitting in stunned silence. 

It couldn't be helped, for they had all witnessed the unthinkable. They had all seen Draco, the powered with no body arts to speak of, defeat the infamous Diablo Ape!

Not only had he slain the Ape, but he had also devoured the creature without hesitation!

The silence in the viewing chamber was interrupted by Mr. Williams in the back, his posh laughter resonating throughout the room. 

A few annoyed heads turned to him, evidently angry at losing whatever bet they had placed. 

Mr. Williams had a self-assured smile on his face, 'I was taking a gamble on ordering #227 an Ahmar Grace, but he didn't let me down.' 

He thought back to how Draco had been seemingly possessed, and he whistled when he thought about the implications, 'That was the sword of the strength progenitor, Chiron. It's a marvel that the lad was able to have such a strong resonance with the sword. I've never seen a wielder get possessed by the sword before.'

What Mr. Williams didn't know though, was that Draco had originally been injected with an ST-E Progenitor Serum, synthesized from the blood of Chiron himself. 

This sword was normally a mythical-grade artifact!

However, since it was now dormant it's power could only be said to be high-grade at best.

The Black Sword was a weapon forged by Chiron's own hands. This was no small thing.

Who was Chiron after all? He was the renowned Centaur Progenitor who had lived for many millennia at this point.

All of his creations were timeless masterpieces, and as such the Black Sword contained his blood, sweat, and even tears. 

This is all to say that when Draco picked up the sword, it detected his bloodline.

Due to a strong resonance with the Centaur Progenitor's own blood, the now worn-out sword had mistaken Draco for its old master!

The sword was so excited that it had replayed memories of its fondest battle with Chiron, but this also had an unintended side effect.

Draco was so profoundly impacted by the visions that his mind placed him in a strange dissociative state.

For a long few minutes, Draco thought that he himself was Chiron, the infamous Centaur Progenitor!

This couldn't be helped, for although Draco had grown much in physical strength, his mind was still that of a mere mortal.

He was lucky to not be a vegetable after his brain was subjected to such a traumatic event.

'It cost me a pretty penny to get that high-grade sword for him, but I made the money back in bets tenfold.' Mr. Williams thought, not privy to any of this information.

He was just excited to cash out his bets and fly back to London many times richer. 

He also recalled how Draco had devoured both the Ape and another fighter, shaking his head at the depravity of it all. 

'I'm not one to judge. You know what they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth.' Mr. Williams thought, humming a jolly tune as he got up from his seat and exited the viewing chamber. 

He got into an elevator and went towards the Ahmar Cage's medical ward. 

'I'm leaving this godforsaken place, but first I'll at least pay off the boy's medical bills.' he thought, feeling generous.

***

Draco was now back in his cell, but he was highly annoyed as he sat up from his bed. 

He hadn't even finished his last match unconscious, but he was still knocked out by some sort of gas.

The last thing he remembered was standing in the forest and hearing the robotic voice, and then something pungent filling his nostrils. 

The next thing he knew he was back in his cell. 

Draco was laying naked in his bed, and he saw that there was a fresh set of clothes on the floor by the door.

As Draco sat up from his bed, he remarked that he felt better than ever.

His muscles were still brimming with power, but his stomach still hadn't fully settled from all of the powered blood he had consumed. 

However, when Draco looked at his arms, he almost screamed!

This was because his entire arm, from the wrist all the way to his shoulders, was covered in thick black hair. 

Draco looked at his other arm and almost fainted when he saw the same thing. 

He looked at his chest and was greeted with the same terrifying sight, he then frantically looked lower and saw that not even his legs or feet were spared. 

"NOOOO" Draco yelled out in his cell, but the sound was cut off by the insulated cell. 

Draco was petrified, for his body now resembled something that would have put the hairiest lumberjack to shame. 

He pulled on his arm air, and it was thick and unruly. It was seemingly made from the same density that the Ape's was. 

Draco rushed towards the window and was relieved to see in his reflection that at least his face was spared.

Draco recalled how he had awoken above the Ape's disfigured corpse, and he wondered if he had indeed eaten it, and if these were the side effects. 

'If Amira sees me like this I'm finished, there's no way she'll let me between her legs now.' Draco thought, cursing the heavens for their unfairness. 

While Draco was wondering how he was going to shave without a razor, his cell abruptly shuddered. 

"F*ck! Not again. How is this happening already?!" Draco cried out.

As Draco watched his cell move through the rows of other cells, he wondered when he would get out of this place. 

The eighth prince had sentenced him to a single week within the Ahmar Cage, but for all he knew he had already been in here for a month. 

Draco simply shook his head as he watched his window, seeing all of the other cells zip by.

Draco thought back to the Forest and remembered what Demetri said. 

'Demetri is supposed to be stuck here for the rest of his life, hopefully some file didn't get mixed up and I end up in the same position.' he thought, praying to whatever God would care to listen. 

While Draco was lost in his thoughts, his cell continued to travel throughout the Ahmar Cage, but to his surprise it hadn't stopped yet. 

His cell continued to rattle and shake as it traveled, and Draco could see through the window that his cell was slowly rising. 

Eventually, his cell traveled past the rest of the cells in the Ahmar Cage. The rows upon rows of cells were replaced with endless white walls for as far as Draco's eye could see. 

His cell continued to rise for a few more minutes before Draco saw something that drew his attention.

The white walls he had been seeing for several minutes abruptly ended at a certain area, and at this point stood a massive hole. 

The hole was circular and easily a few hundred feet in length, and his cell abruptly rocked as it turned to travel towards it. 

Crossing the boundary of the hole, Draco's cell was plunged into Darkness. 

The only light visible was a small dot in the distance that got bigger as he got closer. 

Another minute later Draco was greeted with a blinding white light. Once Draco's eyes adjusted, he could finally see where he was. 

Draco's cell stopped at the outer edge of a large room, easily a few hundred meters across in either direction. 

The room had a pristine white floor and ceiling and was mostly empty, the only notable features being an object at the center surrounded by several figures.

Also, the walls of the vast room were seemingly entirely made of glass. 

This glass showed a pristine blue skyline, but Draco could see nothing else through them. 

Draco's cell door promptly slid open and he stepped out to be able to see more details. 

He saw that at the center of the room was a large pedestal. This pedestal was apparently floating at least a dozen feet in the air, and Draco could see a figure seated atop it. 

Due to his superior vision he was able to see that the figure was sitting at a desk of sorts, and the figures around it were all kneeling. 

Draco saw that the figure was a man, but he was wearing clothes that made him pause.

This was because the man was wearing white robes with a checkered red and white headpiece, marking him as royalty!

When Draco realized this, his arms were abruptly grabbed and he was hauled away from where he stood. 

He was in shock at the sudden appearance of the two Ḥāmin who flanked his sides. 

However, when he recovered from his surprise he instinctively planted his feet down, causing both of the Ḥāmin to stumble in their continued effort. 

Draco looked at the two of them questioningly, "What are you doing?" he asked, genuinely confused. 

One of the Ḥāmin shot him a heated look and Draco realized it was probably not the time to act out. 

'Perhaps this is my trial. Hopefully this means I'm getting out of here.' Draco thought.

He eventually relaxed his body and sighed, "Lead the way." he said with resignation. 

Seeing that Draco was cooperating, the Ḥāmin both relaxed and let go of Draco, but they followed behind him after urging him forward. 

A short while later Draco was in the vicinity of the floating pedestal, and he was able to get a good look at the other figures gathered.

There were five other people, all wearing the same baggy clothing that he was given in the Ahmar Cage, and they were all knelt a short distance away from the pedestal. 

Draco could swear that one of those figures looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place a finger on who it was because they were kneeling down. 

Draco had to crane his neck up to see the pedestal, and he caught the eye of the man seated at the desk. 

His golden-brown eyes held a hint of intelligence and looked absolutely arrogant, but after taking a quick glance at Draco his eyes returned back to his desk.

It seemed like the man was flipping through papers or something, evidently uninterested in Draco's appearance. 

Draco felt a rough hand on his shoulder, and he looked over to see one of the Ḥāmin gesturing towards the floor next to the other figures.

Getting the hint, Draco cursed to himself. 

'Well, if it gets me out of here sooner I'll do anything.' he thought, walking forward to kneel at the back of the group.