Skill Upgrade

In the secluded depths of the forest outside Lumina Crown, Maximilian walked alone beneath the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy. The features he had worn as disguise—borrowed from the demon fragment—began to shift and contort. His skin rippled like disturbed water, bone structure realigning with audible creaks as his face gradually returned to its familiar form.

"I can never get used to this," he muttered, fingers tracing the contours of his face, reassuring himself that his true appearance had fully returned. He winced slightly at the lingering sensation—like pins and needles across his skin where the transformation had taken place.

The small demonic entity perched on his shoulder observed him with its singular, massive eye that blinked occasionally with an unnerving wetness. The creature's gaze held a strange intelligence as it studied its host.