Chapter 10: Soul
Micah's eyes widened in abject awe as he watched Dax work silver light dancing across the cave like living stardust.
This power… It's not something of this world. There is no mana flow but i feel something. Micha marvelled at the displqy.
Dax released more energy at boundless, as though the laws of creation bent to his whim alone.
"A monster…"
Accepting the inevitable, Micah opened his soul fully. He surrendered completely to the transformation ripping through his being pain, power, rebirth. Slowly, he began to cultivate, feeling the profound shift in his very essence.
These eyes… They're becoming mine. he muttered, unable to contain the surge of excitement breaking through the agony. "
If any being peered beyond the veil of the physical world, they would have witness countless threads of mana spiralling together birthing something entirely new.
Strands of divine gold intertwined with draconic crimson, weaving into patterns that defied every known law.
"I see the path…" Dax murmured, extending one hand toward Micah with serene focus.
With ease Micah's body lifted gently from the ground guided by invisible embracing forces not a single jolt disturbed him.
"Compress."
At the whisper, the cave shuddered.
A wave of silver energy rippled outward, vast and inexorable. The massive cocoon enveloping Micah shrank rapidly folding in on itself, condensing layer by layer until it was no larger than a glistening silver egg.
With a gentle tap the cocoon shot forward merging seamlessly into Micah's chest, vanishing beneath skin and bone.
"I can see everything." Dax opened his eyes his gaze shimmered with spiralling patterns, colours and textures of mana invisible to all, a tapestry of creation laid bare.
He reached out experimentally, fingers brushing a floating strand of pure energy.
His hand slipped through.
"I see… what is divine?
A soft blue film coated his palm manifesting like a second skin. {Origin touch.}
He reached again this time, his fingers grasped the mana string firmly it had become tangible.
Without a word of hesitation, he wrapped the strand around his arm. Synth energy flared from his fingertips.. he began to draw weaving a pattern on Micha's back every motion precise, rewriting pieces of Micah's very being.
A violent surge of energy exploded, raw power blasting open an entire wall of the cave in a storm of shattered stone and dust.
Then came the cracking.
Crack.
Micah's spine snapped into perfect new alignment—vertebra by vertebra realigning with wet, resonant pops.
His arms followed.
One by one, each bone cracked and reformed—body reconfiguring into something greater, stronger, eternal.
Dax reacted instantly.
He struck pressure points across Micah's torso with inhuman precision fingers blurring, paralyzing the old man mid-transformation to prevent catastrophic damage from movement.
A dark, writhing mass erupted from Micah's shadow a malicious, corrupted residue from his borrowed divine grace.
Dax clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Do not interrupt me vile thing."
He seized the shadow by its ethereal throat fingers closing like a vice, he ripped it free from Micah's body in one brutal yank.
"…."
He crushed it effortlessly. The fragment dissipated into acrid black smoke, vanishing without trace.
His attention returned to Micah.
Flesh writhed across the old man's frame like living worms, his body began to swell, knitting fresh tissue glowing with inner light.
One by one shimmering golden scales began to form across his chest and back each one pulsating with holy, draconic radiance.
"It's nearly done… but I need to hurry." Dax murmured, urgency sharpening across his face.
A silver halo materialized on his head vibrating intensely, humming with cosmic power.
–4000 World Ki
–4000 World Ki
He poured world energy into Micah without restraint, accelerating the fusion. In a single sweeping motion, the fusion reached its pinnacle.
Micah's cyan soul burst with newfound power brilliant and renewed. Thick strands of energy connected directly to his back, veins of pure force anchoring soul and flesh to the world.
Dax's expression softened, satisfaction warming his gaze.
"It's finished."
Micah's body rejuvenated in a cascade of miracles. His hair became like that as the angel almost perfect as gold.
His spine straightened fully each vertebra clicking into perfect, youthful alignment even his wrinkled skin smoothed and muscles swelled with renewed vitality.
From his back wings tore from through, one angelic, feathered in radiant gold and the other draconic, but those who saw it would have mistaken it for a devil but they where both golden and overflowing with pure, ecstatic power that lit the cave like twin suns.
Dax observed in silence evaluating every detail and fluctuation with clinical precision.
Micah opened his eyes shimmering with divine, that had fully become his.
His face once ancient and careworn now appeared no older than a young man, chiseled and regal.
He descended gracefully to one knee before Dax, bowing in utter submission.
"I am at your disposal, my lord."
—-
Micah's consciousness drifted into a deep, velvet haze. Then he found himself in a pitch black void endless yet serene.
Before him hovered a cyan ring, pulsing with vibrant life. Thick cords of energy twisted at its center endlessly pumping power into soul and essence.
Like a blur two figures materialized from the ring, both resembling him.
"This… this is impossible…" Micah breathed, awe and understanding crashing over him.
One figure sat cross-legged on the left angelic and glowing with an untainted golden aura, from single radiant wing stretched, absorbing energy gently.
While the other was his draconic replica gleaming golden scaled wings radiating overwhelming bestial power, he did the same wings outstretched.
"Unity… the path of the soul." Micah's vision trembled understanding dawning upon him like sunrise.
At enlightenment both figures knelt in perfect reverence.
"I am the consciousness the soul. The angel is my spirit… and this monster is my body."
"It's all clear now."
Pure energy surged into him from the centre of the ring flooding his being with youth, vitality, power.
—-
System Notification
Lab Unlocked
"Finally," Dax said, turning away as if Micah's declaration of loyalty meant nothing.
"Micha i want you to think for yourself be selfish…. All i want is growth." Maybe in the past to satiate my hunger.. yes maybe its to satiate my now nonexistent hunger.
"…Epoch."
Space trembled as air spiraled inward in a creating a vortex that released no sound but from is depths a consuming darkness.
Dax stepped through without hesitation, nodding for Micah to follow.
——
In an instant, they emerged into a vast, brilliantly lit chamber.
The air hummed with countless micro bots flitting through the space like metallic birds, their tiny lights winking in orchestrated patterns.
Dax's expression remained calm, almost nostalgic.
"Not much has changed."
But Micah his eyes were wide in disbelief jaw slack as he took in the impossible expanse sterile white walls stretching into infinity, holographic displays flickering with data streams, machinery humming in perfect synchrony.
From above, a sleek glass like robot plummeted like a falling star trailing a swarm of smaller bots in joyful formation.
"MASTER!!"
It circled him rapidly, lenses whirring with excitement.
"Master, you."
Dax raised a hand making silence fall instantly.
The robot paused mid orbit, primary lens shifting toward Micah.
"Oh. Ceron…. You've changed." Dax placed a hand on the robot's cold glass shell, voice softening faintly
"How has the lab been?"
Ceron's voice rang clear, synthetic but warm.
"Master, the lab has been in suspended animation it only resumed upon your confirmed rebirth."
Inerous's voice cut in sharply from within Dax's mind.
"As expected."
"Know it all bitch, you know i should be in there." Ceron muttered, projecting a glare directly into Dax's consciousness.
"I see you've turned into a thug while we were gone," Inerous said threateningly, eyes narrowing.
Dax smiled lightly genuine amusement softening his features he continued walking deeper into his domain.
Walking past every door. He rubbed his hand in the walls of his personal backrooms, then his gene chamber one by one he made sure every room was present.
Dax inhaled deeply, savoring the flowered scent of home.
"When one plays god… he must do it properly."his gaze t swept over his lab.
"It's good to be home."