After a couple of months of Oz being out of the Incubator, it was time for his check up with his Aunt Marina.
Their home was an old medium sized 2 story lab, that had a giant subbasement that was used for technological experiments.
Being that his Uncle Brow was the lead designer for the "E-Tek" suits, he was able to pull some strings to buy this building. Now seeing that his Uncle is rich, and has the best technology at his disposal was completely ecstatic.
The space was quit huge, having an area of at least an entire school gymnasium, the height was at least 2 stories below ground. And an office in the far corner of the room, from the looks of it, it was primarily used for blue prints.
This was where Oz had decided to make his room. Mainly for the big space that had been available to him just outside his door, and the ability to train his body. Along with practicing with his uncle in cultivation.
Marina and Brow had modified the entire first floor of the building into a home for themselves, having naturally offered a room to Oz. He had declined respectively having made his decision to stay in the little office space with a cot.
He would get up every morning to do a morning routine of workouts, stretches, and meditations. Everything that he had learned over the years while in the virtual world with his mother still worked, but the feeling this time around had been completely different from before.
Little did Oz know that while he was still actually in the incubator, his body was subconsciously cultivating the manacules and vitamins that were provided. Strengthening and Enhancing his body leaps and bounds ahead of normal cultivation means.
Wondering how strong he was Oz had asked his Uncle if there was a way to measure his strength, or power. Being that most every being related to magic had a natural limiter, he was curious.
Brow: "Ahh, you want to see how strong you are? If you think you are anywhere close to me, you shall surely be mistaken! Buahahaha!" He burst out laughing after sarcastically condescending Oz. Continuing to talk,"Of course there is kiddo! But first let me tell ye' about Soldier Academy first!" He says with a hard voice before going into a drawn out explanation...
Soldier Academy was created by the Military side of ASERO for recruiting young Homunculi for Military purposes, as well as experiments.
Oz: "Real quick, are there naturally born Homunculi?" Oz had stopped in the middle of Brow's explanation.
Brow: "Yes there are, but after the genetic modifications they had mutated into separate species. Naturally making them unable to mate with another race, tearing some a few couples apart." He had paused for a moment before continuing. " Anyways, after the age of 6, all children are forced to go to school like modern day children from the Human Realm. At the age of 13, all children are placed through an examination by the S&M Dept. to determine if they have an Elemental Essence, and their Manacule density." After taking another brief pause he had brought out a laptop with a bunch of wires.
After about a minute of setting up the laptop and connecting it to Oz, the computer when silent. A few moments later the readings.
[Subject:] 0Z (Oz)
[Race:] Dark Elf
[Cell Stability:] N/A
[Element Essence:] Lightning/ Shadow
[Essence Form:] Void
[Manacule Density:] Undetectable Due to Essence Form.
Brow had re done the reading several times over on Oz, thinking it was a mistake. Surely enough it wasn't, having disappeared for a moment and leaving Oz alone to the results, Oz could only think of the endless possibilities.
Oz: "So it was shadow huh? I guess that would make sense after floating in that darkness for some time." Then with a sudden smile on his face, "Imagination is the limit, and man do I have some ideas!" He blurts out as he snaps his arms out putting them behind his head. "But what is the Essence form?
Moments later, "Totally killing the vibe," Brow walks back in, while marina pushes a cart with Kara's crystal and a laptop on it, following behind him.
Looking at all of them Oz was confused, obviously there was no expression from his mother either. On her computer screen read "[...]."
Oz: Slouching back with an eyebrow up. "Really? Ya'll are gonna make me ask yeah?" He taps his right foot a couple of times on the ground. "Okay! Why the look of, "Fuuuuuuuck....."? Cause I genuinely know nothing!" Oz was furious at this point, seemingly coming closer to losing his temper.
Aunt Marina: "Oz.... From the readings of your body you have they perfect genetic makeup... The Elf and Homunculus DNA have fused completely, there are no signs of them individually." Said Marina with a exhilarated voice as she looked over the results. "Not only does he have 2 Essences, his Physiology is absolutely perfect. The highest melding point we could achieve with fusing the DNA was only 76%! Was this because of that?... Kara?.." Marina looked over to Kara (The computer.)
Oz: "Because of what? Marina? Mother? Mom what aren't you telling me? Tell me everything I need to know. That's all I ask." Oz looked over at his mother's Essence Crystal and spoke with a stern voice.
Kara: The crystal was beginning to pulsate as she spoke through the laptop. "Oz, from ASERO's point of view, your physiology has always been a hypothesis, and a dream." She had suddenly stopped speaking. "But you need to know the truth about who you are as a whole and a being." The words she spoke suddenly jolted Oz's heart.
Kara had explained to Oz that she was very much his mother, she had one of her own eggs surgically removed and injected with Homunculus DNA. His body was originally a back up for his mother to inhabit, like with his Uncle Brow and Aunt Marina.
Before the process of transferring her Soul Essence there was a complication, 2 hours prior Brow had brought back a solid black Essence Crystal that the mining team of the S&M Dep. found. Hoping to study it after the transferal, but just as the process had began the stone had disappeared just 10 minutes before hand.
Brow had been searching frantically for it, when Marina and Kara came up to ask him about his pacing.
Brow: "The stone is gone! The Black Essence Crystal! I can't find it anywhere!" Brow had already tore the entire lab apart trying to find the crystal. Blue prints and paper had been thrown all over.
Marina: "Is that it in the incubator with the Subject OZ?" Marina had pointed to the incubator with a small embryo floating in the middle the crystal had been floating right above it.
They had all began to panic after seeing the crystal inside of the incubator, it began to dissolve into a black mist and began to flow into the embryo breathing life into it.
Marina: She walks over to the computer on the incubator. "From the readings it has a soul! That Essence Crystal had a soul in it Brow! Now we have to work on removing the soul! God dammit!" Marina slammed her fist down on the monitor angrily. "Kara doesn't have the time, they could find her here any minute now!"
Brow: "Shut up, I know!" Brow runs over to the computer and looks through all of the data, seeing if there was something he could do to stop the crystal from completely fusing. "No good... It's integrated completely..."
*Blip* An indicator popped up on the monitor in front of brow.
[Life form Essence:] Lightning, Shadow
Marina: "It has Shadow Essence!?! We can't allow this thing to live. We have to kill it now, or everything with end!" Marina screamed out in panic as she hurried to input the kill code on the incubator. Suddenly being stopped by Kara. "Why Kara? You and I both know where the Shadow Essence comes from, its chaotic and can't be controlled!"
Kara: "When a soul fights for its existence who are we to deny it's chance? And who would I be if I were to deny my child a chance at life?" Kara spoke softly as she walked over to the incubator and put her hand on the glass next to a plaque that says, "Subject 0Z." From this day forward, you'll be known as Oz." Marina had cancelled the protocol after tapping a button on the keyboard and sighed heavily.
A couple of weeks after Oz's "Birth," his mother's misfortune had come to pass.
Kara had still traveled the rest of Terra Mortis, while Oz was still in the incubator, but she was cornered by the a squad from Soldier Academy, and captured. They had crystallized her Essence, leaving her body lifeless.
Brow and Marina had gotten her Crystal, but were unable to recover her body leaving her in her current state.
After listening to everything, Oz got up from his chair and looked everyone dead in the eye.
Oz: "You all already knew that I was a conscious soul from the beginning didn't you?" He asked with wide eyes.
Kara: Her robotic voice played through the laptop quietly, "Yes, we did, from the moment you first spoke. We still never loved you any less. You will always be my child as I, your mother. Nor is it any different with your uncle and aunt."
Brow: "I look at'cha as if you were my own boy!" Brow bellowed with a smile.
Marina: "We will always be here for you deary." She said with a tilt in her hip and a glimmer in her eye.
He stood there eyes wide open looking at the family he had in front of him, tears streaming from his face, and a smile from ear to ear.
The only words he could utter were:
"Thank you."