Night draped over the city, lights glimmering like scattered stars. The lab's exterior hummed quietly, windows glowing warmly against the darkness.
Inside, Ryuki's hands moved with precise calculation over the machinery. His expression was concentrated, almost serene, as if every movement was a brushstroke on a living canvas.
The containment field hummed softly. Monitors blinked with unrelenting rhythm.
If consciousness is energy… then it must obey transfer laws, he thought.
A heart monitor beeped steadily. Ryuki nodded slightly, a small, almost imperceptible smile forming.
"Hypothesis three… final test," he murmured.
Suddenly, the containment field flared, bathing the room in a radiant glow. Energy surged, tangling around every surface.
White light swallowed him. His body dissolved into it, leaving only thoughts lingering in the void.
If I'm wrong, I won't know. If I'm right…
Darkness followed, punctuated by faint, cosmic presences observing from above.
In the void, Ryuki floated. Calm. No fear.
So the brain wasn't the source after all.
He sensed stretching, compression—a distortion of energy around him. Abstract patterns pulsed, like living brushstrokes of light.
His eyes narrowed in focus.
Displacement confirmed.
Silhouettes materialized. One, an ethereal Elven Queen. The other, an immense Dragon King. They towered over him in cosmic scale. Ryuki observed, intrigued, unafraid.
The Elven Queen floated closer, her presence a delicate glow. The Dragon King loomed behind her, every scale reflecting stars.
"A soul that remains lucid during forced transfer…" the Queen intoned.
"Let us see if intellect can restrain authority," the Dragon King added.
Ryuki's mind cataloged them with quiet fascination. They… understand containment better than I expected.
Runes began weaving into the vessel's form, glowing along the skin like living veins. Ryuki observed silently, noting each pattern and energy flow.
The vessel was complete. Light radiated subtly from the runes, pulsating with restrained potential.
Phase two begins.
Ryuki's small eyes opened to a canopy of forest. Sunlight filtered through leaves, casting dappled patterns across his new form.
A manufactured body… precise, controlled.
Tiny hands flexed. Runes faintly glowed along the skin.
He stretched limbs, testing motion and balance.
Interesting… limitations imposed, not removed.
Standing fully, Ryuki surveyed the forest. Though child-sized, his gaze was sharp.
I can work with this.
Floating text appeared around him:
AXION ONLINE – Cosmic Observation System Initialized
A skill list materialized: Scholar, Synaptic Overdrive, Axiom (Restricted). Ryuki studied silently.
Permissions pending… the system is observing me.
Titles shimmered faintly, locked: Knowledge Seeker, Absolute Authority, God-Like.
Ryuki leaned forward, curiosity sparking.
The forest was dense. Mana thickened the air, twisting through roots and branches. Sunlight barely reached the forest floor.
Ryuki tried to move, stumbled. The body was weak, new, unfamiliar.
Body is weak… stabilization layer active.
Scanning the surroundings, he noted the mana currents.
The vessel contains… but does not empower me yet.
A small predator emerged, crouching low, eyes glowing with hunger. Ryuki observed, calculating.
Observe. Pattern. Weak points.
He set a trap, using branches and terrain. The creature lunged, missing him by inches.
Dodging deftly, Ryuki leveraged the environment. Brute force was unnecessary; strategy prevailed.
Intelligence over brute force.
The predator was cornered, panting, temporarily defeated.
Hiding behind a tree, Ryuki noted his vessel's reactions.
Alive… learning curve begins.
Attempting mana amplification, AXION interrupted:
"Insufficient authority."
Synaptic Overdrive sparked briefly, a controlled overload. Ryuki grimaced.
Overload… controlled, but limited.
He chuckled quietly.
So… not a god yet. Good.
Leaves swirled unnaturally; wind bent around something unseen. Ryuki noticed a subtle mana anomaly.
A glowing silhouette appeared above the trees.
Sylphie materialized—humanoid, wings flowing, delicate and bright.
I… can't sense him directly. Nothing reaches me… she thought, perceiving only faint barrier layers.
Her eyes, curious, focused on a distant afflicted fairy. Ryuki mapped barrier layers mentally.
External detection senses environment, not me.
Ryuki touched his forearm, feeling the runes and barrier layers. Sylphie floated closer, observing.
"You… can change it, right? Help someone?" she asked softly.
"Possibly… but I'll need to study the layers first," Ryuki replied.
Child-sized Ryuki stood with runes glowing faintly. Sylphie hovered beside him.
Vessel integrity: stable. Growth restriction: none. Environment… ready for observation.
"Then… let's see what we can do together," she whispered.
Night draped over the city, lights glimmering like scattered stars. The lab's exterior hummed quietly, windows glowing warmly against the darkness.
Inside, Ryuki's hands moved with precise calculation over the machinery. His expression was concentrated, almost serene, as if every movement was a brushstroke on a living canvas.
The containment field hummed softly. Monitors blinked with unrelenting rhythm.
If consciousness is energy… then it must obey transfer laws, he thought.
A heart monitor beeped steadily. Ryuki nodded slightly, a small, almost imperceptible smile forming.
"Hypothesis three… final test," he murmured.
Suddenly, the containment field flared, bathing the room in a radiant glow. Energy surged, tangling around every surface.
White light swallowed him. His body dissolved into it, leaving only thoughts lingering in the void.
If I'm wrong, I won't know. If I'm right…
Darkness followed, punctuated by faint, cosmic presences observing from above.
In the void, Ryuki floated. Calm. No fear.
So the brain wasn't the source after all.
He sensed stretching, compression—a distortion of energy around him. Abstract patterns pulsed, like living brushstrokes of light.
His eyes narrowed in focus.
Displacement confirmed.
Silhouettes materialized. One, an ethereal Elven Queen. The other, an immense Dragon King. They towered over him in cosmic scale. Ryuki observed, intrigued, unafraid.
The Elven Queen floated closer, her presence a delicate glow. The Dragon King loomed behind her, every scale reflecting stars.
"A soul that remains lucid during forced transfer…" the Queen intoned.
"Let us see if intellect can restrain authority," the Dragon King added.
Ryuki's mind cataloged them with quiet fascination. They… understand containment better than I expected.
Runes began weaving into the vessel's form, glowing along the skin like living veins. Ryuki observed silently, noting each pattern and energy flow.
The vessel was complete. Light radiated subtly from the runes, pulsating with restrained potential.
Phase two begins.
Ryuki's small eyes opened to a canopy of forest. Sunlight filtered through leaves, casting dappled patterns across his new form.
A manufactured body… precise, controlled.
Tiny hands flexed. Runes faintly glowed along the skin.
He stretched limbs, testing motion and balance.
Interesting… limitations imposed, not removed.
Standing fully, Ryuki surveyed the forest. Though child-sized, his gaze was sharp.
I can work with this.
Floating text appeared around him:
AXION ONLINE – Cosmic Observation System Initialized
A skill list materialized: Scholar, Synaptic Overdrive, Axiom (Restricted). Ryuki studied silently.
Permissions pending… the system is observing me.
Titles shimmered faintly, locked: Knowledge Seeker, Absolute Authority, God-Like.
Ryuki leaned forward, curiosity sparking.
The forest was dense. Mana thickened the air, twisting through roots and branches. Sunlight barely reached the forest floor.
Ryuki tried to move, stumbled. The body was weak, new, unfamiliar.
Body is weak… stabilization layer active.
Scanning the surroundings, he noted the mana currents.
The vessel contains… but does not empower me yet.
A small predator emerged, crouching low, eyes glowing with hunger. Ryuki observed, calculating.
Observe. Pattern. Weak points.
He set a trap, using branches and terrain. The creature lunged, missing him by inches.
Dodging deftly, Ryuki leveraged the environment. Brute force was unnecessary; strategy prevailed.
Intelligence over brute force.
The predator was cornered, panting, temporarily defeated.
Hiding behind a tree, Ryuki noted his vessel's reactions.
Alive… learning curve begins.
Attempting mana amplification, AXION interrupted:
"Insufficient authority."
Synaptic Overdrive sparked briefly, a controlled overload. Ryuki grimaced.
Overload… controlled, but limited.
He chuckled quietly.
So… not a god yet. Good.
Leaves swirled unnaturally; wind bent around something unseen. Ryuki noticed a subtle mana anomaly.
A glowing silhouette appeared above the trees.
Sylphie materialized—humanoid, wings flowing, delicate and bright.
I… can't sense him directly. Nothing reaches me… she thought, perceiving only faint barrier layers.
Her eyes, curious, focused on a distant afflicted fairy. Ryuki mapped barrier layers mentally.
External detection senses environment, not me.
Ryuki touched his forearm, feeling the runes and barrier layers. Sylphie floated closer, observing.
"You… can change it, right? Help someone?" she asked softly.
"Possibly… but I'll need to study the layers first," Ryuki replied.
Child-sized Ryuki stood with runes glowing faintly. Sylphie hovered beside him.
Vessel integrity: stable. Growth restriction: none. Environment… ready for observation.
"Then… let's see what we can do together," she whispered.