First Stage

He slumped back against the chair as he took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting back to everything that had happened, he knew he had dug himself in mildly deep and he had to get rid of any sort of suspicion against him, which was exactly what he was going to use the commission to do. 

As he was lost in his thoughts, his staff began glowing slightly, though he did not notice since he was trying to focus on what he needed to do. 

"Master, if I may be so bold," Someone said to him and he snapped out of his thoughts immediately as he looked around. 

His gaze landed on Levan, who appeared beside of him, with a certain gleam within his eyes, which made Nova slightly curious as to why he came out of his realm, without being summoned. 

"I am listening to what you have to say," He replied and Levan gave him a subtle nod. 

"Pardon my intrusion, I overheard what that man was saying to you about the mission, I have a few ideas and I may be able to help you during the mission, I have not been awake in a long time and I have a lot of experience to go with," He said, his tone firm and hopeful. 

"You are indeed more experienced than I am Levan, the mission that I am assigned to, depends on how I perform it could cost me a lot, so what do you propose I will have to go into that faction and be like one of them," He replied. 

Levan approached him and placed his hand on top of the staff which began glowing as well as Levan's body, causing Nova's eyes to widen in surprise. 

"With all do permission master, can I have some of your energy?" Levan asked and Nova's eyes narrowed. 

"Yes," He responded, he was curious to see where Levan was going with all of this, he could get help from Crevan or Soren, but he did not want to drag them any deeper into the mess with him. 

If Levan could help him without anyone else knowing, it would make things a lot easier for him. It would also let him utilize his limited resources. If the mission was successful, he would earn a lot of money, more than he ever had. 

[Access Granted.] 

[Scanning Initiated.]

[Source Recorded.] 

[Levan: Undead Knight First Absorbtion.] 

[Stage 1: First Evolution Phase activated.] 

A surge of dark energy pulsed through the staff, flowing in waves outward that made the air hum with power. Nova's grip tightened instinctively as he felt his own energy drawn into Levan, but it was not forceful; it was controlled and precise. His gaze remained fixed on the undead knight, even as the ethereal glow around him intensified, making Levan's presence much stronger than before. 

Levan's form cracked, his entire armor shifting as an eerie purple mist enveloped him. His purple eyes grew brighter, and cracks of dark lightning danced across his body as his form began to change.

[Levan: Undead Knight's First Evolution is in Progress...]

Nova looked at the virtual screen that popped up before him and read the notification but remained still, wary of interfering. He had never seen an undead evolve before; was it because Levan had absorbed his energy, or had the knight simply been dormant for too long and was now achieving his true potential?

As the process reached its peak, the meeting room echoed with a low, reverberating hum. Levan clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his structure becoming stronger than before and his armor reforming into something more refined. 

The rugged, rusted plates that once encased him were now sleek and edged with an ominous silver sheen. His sword, formerly dull and cracked, now radiated a faint purple glow, and an insignia pulsed along the hilt—a mark Nova did not recognize but it resonated with Nova's very being, causing his eyes to glow slightly. 

His eyes narrowed, as he kept his gaze fixed on the mark, which pulsed the energy that was flowing through his body and his brows furrowed then he remembered, the more he grew as will those that are connected to him and the mark on Levan was proof of that claim. 

[Levan has evolved into a dark, shadow-bound Knight.]

[Stage 1: First Evolution Completed.]

[Skills Achieved and Enhanced: Shadowbound Blade and Dark Sentinel.]

[Note: The skill Dark Sentinel can be evolved multiple times, depending on the growth of the master of said being, it has more than one phase, each stronger than the last, though had consequences if used the wrong way.]

Levan took a deep breath—if you can call it that—before lowering his gaze to Nova.

"Master... this is beyond what I expected, this is not normal for most of my kind, as in those who are able to stand again even after facing death and the horrors that come with it," he admitted, flexing his fingers as if to test the new strength that was surging through him.

Nova tilted his head as he looked at him carefully. "I understand that much and I am trying to process this, there is a lot I am trying to get used to, however, what exactly happened there just now, when I did nothing but sit here and watch?"

Levan spoke while kneeling and resting his sword against the ground before Nova, who looked at him slightly surprised. "With your energy, I reawakened a dormant power within myself. It appears that in life, I was stronger than I remembered." His glowing eyes flickered. "This... evolution will enable me to help you more directly. My presence can now be hidden when necessary, and I can serve as both your guardian and shadow if needed."

Nova exhaled as he processed what this meant. Levan was no longer just an undead servant; he was an evolving force, bound to him but independent in his own right. It was an unexpected advantage, but one he would gladly accept, for now, he desperately needed it.