Avin woke up the next day, well waking up would not be accurate since he couldn't get even a moment of sleep. The experience he had in the echo realm last night, had made him afraid to fall asleep, afraid he might tumble into that hell of cold darkness. He still felt that cold in his bones like an itch that won't go away, no matter how much you scratch at it, but also impossible to ignore. 

Except that phantom cold wasn't nearly as cute as a physical itch. It was reminder and lesson, as for a reminder of what, and lesson for what? Avin could barely begin to comprehend. It wasn't really his fault that he fell asleep; his mind tumbled into a realm of the unknown where even demigods don't venture lightly.

He got up, stretched his body and groaned in satisfaction. Yes he hadn't gotten any sleep, but Vlad had trained him for that. His body was rested, his mind would just need to do overtime. 

He found Vlad in the gardens sitting and reading a book, and basking in the mid-morning sunlight. There was a tall stool beside him on which lay two glasses of one dark red and one transparent liquid. 

Avin groaned as he saw those. 

“Poison again…” he winced, “what is it, neurotoxins and… I don't remember this colourless one.” Avin said leaning down to take a whiff but Vlad just slapped his face away. 

“Bastard.” Avin mumbled under his breath. 

“What was that?” Vlad snapped.

“W-what's that- I meant What's that!” Avin replied hastily, pointing at the colourless liquid. 

“I know this red one is neurotoxin,” he continued leaning down and smelling it, he nodded, “Neurotoxin but… that's almost pure not even diluted. More than any dose yet.” 

Vlad nodded, “yes It seems your senses are resilient enough now, this would be the last push to make you resilient to paralysis for good. This colourless one is something I call Phenotoxin.” 

Vlad said the word with a very proud expression on his crooked face, smiling like a mad evil scientist who was proud of his evil abhorrent creation. 

“You… don't tell me you came up with that word for your new magical elixir this… Pheno–”

“Phenotoxin, yes! Your resilience to Endo' and Exotoxins are of a sufficient level, your resilience to Hemotoxins and Neuroxin almost complete as well. This one though… Phenotoxin, it's a step above Neurotoxins and Hemotoxins. A kind of beautiful synergy that amplifies both parties and at the same time taking it a step further.”

“You see, Phenotoxin doesn't just attack your blood and sense it attacks your brain and even more deeply your active consciousness. It will freeze you so fast that you won't even be able to blink, you won't even be able to register what happened to you. Unlike other poisons that attack your body first then, they make their way up to your brain, Phenotoxin though, freezes your brain first, then makes its way down. But then again, once your brain is paralyzed attacking the body is overkill and even meaningless. But still, you know me Avin, I like to be thorough.”

Avin chuckled weakly, “of course you do.. but wait. What is even the point of this? You created this poison, so it's not like anyone else will use it anywhere else. Since only you have the formula.. right?"

Vlad nodded, “Yes but the Idea isn't exactly my original, I have seen something similar before. It just took me years to figure that out and create it myself. Although with a little enviable adjustments, I must say I've out done the original creator by a huge margin” There was a vindictive gleam in Vlad's eyes which Avin just ignored. 

Avin's shoulders sagged and he lifted the red liquid and poured it into the colourless one, they mixed and merged into– well Avin had expected the two chemicals to pop and bubble as they merged but instead they just melted into each other letting out a faint orange steam though Avin felt no heat. 

The two toxins turned into a diluted red, and Avin cursed his luck and hoped the crooked crone would take his soul away this time, and downed the glass in one gulp. 

Then… he screamed