The cavern was eerily silent, save for the faint settling of dust and debris. The massive form of the Azure Spirit Lion lay motionless before Alaric, its once-majestic mane now limp and dulled. Alaric knelt beside it, trembling hands pressed against its colossal chest. A strange glow enveloped both him and the beast, pulsating with raw energy as the ritual began.
The lion's essence, the very core of its being, surged into Alaric like a raging torrent. He gasped, his body stiffening as the transfer began to reshape him from the inside out. Every fiber of his being was burning, rebuilding itself with a power that felt both exhilarating and unbearable.
The first change hit his bones. He could feel them shifting, solidifying, becoming denser than steel. It was as if his very skeleton was being reforged in the lion's essence. His muscles followed, expanding and contracting in waves of excruciating growth. The fibers grew thicker, denser, their newfound strength radiating outward.
