Oz had chased the culprit as far as he could, finally stopping infront of a giant building. With clear wording accross the front of the building. A.S.E.R.O., the main building of the city, where all of the head executives of both the Soldier Academy, S&M Dept., and their bosses reside.
Thinking about it further everything started to make sense, they had to of known that his mother was still infact alive in an Essence crystal. The only question that he couldn't answer himself was how? He knew that he couldn't do anything himself he needed the help of Aunt Marina and Uncle Brow. He turned around and went back to the lab.
After getting back, the sight that beheld him dropped him to his knees. Brow laid there underneath the rubble with a giant hole in his chest and a wound in his gut. He searched the entire lab and couldn't find Marina anywhere. Sitting next to the hole in the wall infront of Brow, he seeps into his memories of his family. From the time he was in the test tube, to the virtual world, to now.
Then it had hit him, he remembered when in the virtual world he had augmented his entire being, changing his entire physiology fully fusing his homunculi and elf genes into something entirely new. Now he wondered if he would be able to do the same for his Uncle Brow and bring him back....
He didn't have much time left, it was now or never. Only having a small window of opportunity, he jumped straight up and quickly examined Brormund. "His Essence stone was taken, I need to see if there is any residual soul essence remaining." Oz focused his manacules and searched Brow's body.
After a bit of searching nothing came up... Almost losing hope, the Shadow essence in his body became restless and surged forth. His eyesight went completely black. Thrown into a panic over not being able to see a light shone through and outlined Brow's body. A small sliver of Brow's soul had been left behind in the depths of the shadows.
Acting quickly Oz didn't skip a beat, he began to augment Brow. The image of a circuit board appeared in his mind, atop the circuit was a name plate, "Brormund Faulkner." Seeing Brow's entire being infront of him in the shape of a Circuit board, blew Oz away. He pulled himself back together he knew that he didn't have the time to gauk at the sight before him, he had to get to work.
Looking at the board there was a ton of irrepable damage, the elemental essence was no where to be found, and half the board was completely missing. Oz was very troubled by this fact, just how could he help his Uncle Brow?
Suddenly a dark misty void appeared next to Oz, "There is a way, I can help you." A mysterious eroded voice spoke from the black mist.
"Wha-" Oz couldn't finish his sentence before the voice interupted him.
"Silence! There isn't much time for your friend." The voice boomed. "When you first used your ability you woke me from my long slumber, I've been watching you ever since, and I'm not the only one..."
Hearing the voice Oz could only be silent.
"The Essence of Shadow is alive and boundless. Chaotic and unrefined, while darkness is mostly considered evil, and tainted. What if it wasn't? Just look to the Shadows...." After speaking the misty void vanished.
After seeing the void vanish, Oz became utterly confused. "What?! Are you kidding me!?" He roared in anger, after calming down he thought about what that voice had said. Those words played in his mind repeatedly...
""The Essence of Shadow is alive and boundless.... Look to the Shadows...."" After a bit of thinking, he decided to focus his shadow essence. Staring into the black depths of his soul, into the shadow essence of himself.
Before when ever he had focused on his shadow essence he could always feel that there was something always staring back at him, and it always made him feel uncomfortable, so he hardly used his shadow element except for transportation. Now that he is focusing on the element itself he can definitely tell something else is there.
While focusing, time and reality around him slowed, almost to a hault. In the darkness of his soul, he stood there. After a bit of time passed by he decided to call out, "Hello?"
Suddenly a giant pair of bright amythest eyes opened up and looked down at Oz. Suddenly purple arcs of lightning sparked through the darkness, surprising Oz and blinding him for a brief moment.
After the blurriness faded from his eyes, Oz rubbed them and looked again. The giant creature infront of him was what resembled a Ferret, the long slender and lengthy body was covered in sleek black fur. His chest and paws had purple flares of fur, purple static electricity zipped and arced across its body. Rounded ears, fangs that sat outside it's mouth over it's lower jaw. The most noticable feature was it's tail, as you followed along the tail the puffier it was, and a quarter away from the end there was a vibrant purple ring.
Towering over Oz it sat down in front of him and just stared, as if it was waiting. Oz confused and somewhat concerned didn't know what it wanted.
"May I ask what you are?"
The ferret tilted it's head in confusion, then proceeded to lay its head down infront of Oz and closed it's eyes. On top of the ferret's head was an essence stone clouded in shadows with sparks of lightning essence.
Oz couldn't help but be curious, "Does it want me to touch it's head?"
In response to Oz's question the ferret opened it's eyes and let out a single clucking like sound.
Astonished, Oz couldn't help but take that answer as a yes. Reaching his hand out he placed it on the essence stone on the ferret's head. Shadows and purple lighting shot out and enveloped both of them.
Oz could feel a difference in his shadow essence, the entirety of the element had changed. He could feel the element within him as if it were breathing, it was alive! The element it's had taken a tangible form, and it was that exact ferret he had placed his hand upon.
Suddenly words appeared in his mind, "I am thou, and thou art I." Images had flashed across his mind back to when he was floating in the darkness for all those years, and then it hit him.
"You were born then weren't you? You had been there with me all this time." Upon these thoughts and questions he realised and asked, "Your the one that got us into this body aren't you?"
The sphere of shadows and lightning slowly began to dissipate. Oz pulled back his hand and looked at the ferret, in turn it raised it's head with a smile. Oz couldn't help but feel a bit sorrowful, he walked up to it giving it a hug. "I apologize for not noticing you until now... You must of felt pretty lonely, not anymore. I've got you!"
The giant ferret chirped with happiness and shed a single tear while nuzzling into Oz's neck. After the hug Oz took a step back and held his hand out. "Let's save Uncle Brow now yea?"
With a quick turn of its expression from happiness to seriousness, it gave a smirk to Oz, and nodded it's head. It jumped up, enveloping it'self in shadows it shrank down to the size of a regular ferret. Landing on Oz's arm and running up to his shoulder, perching itself.
With a quick nod from the both of them, they left his soul realm.