Next, Blue led Ivory to their limo.
The couple returned to the mansion. Ivory wondered where the other bases were and if they would still be around or not. She missed life when it was simpler.
Ivory knew the moment had arrived before Blue told her.
Blue walked to the elevator where two workers stood. Their blue crystals had shone and they gave Ivory a simple nod. She returned the gesture.
The Seraphyne had accepted her.
But acceptance came with a condition.
She had to become closer to them.
The elevator closed and it felt like an eternal journey-- one that never ended, until it did. They stopped at a floor that Ivory had never seen before and didn't notice the button for it on the elevator: L.
She wondered what it meant. Perhaps lobby.
She was wrong.
When the doors opened, she found herself staring into a huge laboratory -- there were machines, screens, and pods that were big enough to hold people inside of them.
Ivory had begun to feel nervous, and wondered what this place was used for and why Blue would need a laboratory. She realized it was for human testing, and she started to shake.
"Your body was always different," Blue explained to her as he stopped at a table.
Ivory looked at him.
"Because of your blood."
She hated how calm he was. Like this was simply another step.
"To adapt," Blue began and suddenly, women in robes emerged from the darkness, "you need to survive with The Seraphyne, not for them. I need to alter your DNA," Blue said.
Ivory gasped.
"It won't take long -- the purpose is to give you the advantages needed to prosper: you'll be stronger, quicker, healthier, and will be able to live longer."
Another plan.
"What happens if I don't do it?"
Blue was quiet.
The silence answered her.
"How long does this take?"
"It takes a few minutes to alter, not change, your DNA; the side effects last for a few days," Blue replied. "You'll be tired and may feel lightheaded. It's crucial we do this now. Since the humans are being categorized, you must realize that you aren't an ordinary human; you are my wife. You must be strong."
Blue gently lifted her and placed her into the white pod.
Ivory knew she couldn't say no. She had begun to shake out of nervousness.
Blue caressed her head and told her not to be nervous. It wouldn't hurt.
Ivory watched a worker take a what resembled a microdermabrasion machine and place it across from Ivory. She took the wand, turned it on, and gently moved Ivory's head to one side. The worker gently rubbed where Ivory's adrenal gland was located.
"The purpose is to extract some of your mitochondria cells from your Adrenal Gland, mix them with Serapyhne DNA, and reinsert it," Blue explained the process.
Ivory gulped. Blue took her hand, and rubbed her palm and fingers. Ivory felt a pinch and felt a needle extract from her neck. The worker handed it to her assistant, who took the liquid, mixed it with another liquid in a dish, and used another needle to collect the solution.
"You're doing great, Ivory," the worker said. "Now, I will insert it. You will feel another pinch."
Ivory felt the final pinch and started to feel weird. She looked up at Blue, who smiled down at her.
"How do you feel?"
"Weird. I'm seeing shapes."
"That's normal," Blue said. "Your body needs to get used to it. It wasn't too much, just enough for your body to tolerate." He lifted her up and held her close to him.
For the first time in years, Ivory felt like the scared girl who had been taken by the Blue Dragons.
But when she walked out...
she was no longer that girl.
Blue brought her back to their bedroom, and she looked into the mirror.
She was still Ivory, but she could feel the difference.
Ivory closed her eyes and expected to see blue hair and scales on her body; but when she opened her eyes, she saw her usual reflection. Ivory looked at her hand and observed it; it was the same.
The Seraphyne blood inside her had awakened. And for the first time, she wondered if the hardest part of surviving Blue's world... was no longer escaping it.
It was realizing how much of it was becoming part of her.