Hours on hours passed, and Malik was wandering around in the room after gaining control of his body and teaching himself how to balance with it. His first thought of his body was that it was terrific.
After 02 and the Dr.Martens rushed out of the room, leaving Malik on the ground kneeling, he had gotten up and thoroughly investigated his body. As far as he could tell, his metallic skin was blacker than the monitor screens in front of him. His body stood a complete 5 foot and 8 inches off the ground while his body was slightly toned as he felt around himself. He felt his head as well and noticed that he had hair that was dreadlocked and put into a ponytail with shaved sides leaving only the top portion of his head covered.
While checking himself out, he looked down and noticed that he should really try finding something to wear as he was truly stark naked. He looked around for a minute till he came to a conclusion there was nothing else in the room but the examining table and the monitors that were off ever since 02 gave him access to his motor and speech functions. He moved back to the examination table and sat on it patiently and was about to begin thinking again before the door slid open again, revealing it to be 02 again.
With a more clear head, he could tell she had pink hair that looked as if it was fading to white, reaching down to her back. Her armor had also changed from a bland gray to a hot red color, which made her glowing green eyes look even more mystical.
With her right hand on her hip, she looks and says, "Come along, Dr.Martens is waiting for you."
Wondering if the old man is ok, Malik was about to open his mouth before she interrupted and says, "Don't worry, he's ok, he just needed a little time to rest and cool his head down. And about your clothes, Dr.Martens will tell you all about them in a second, but for right now, just follow me."
Puzzled, he just goes along with her, and he walks out of the room with her to a concrete corridor lit by hanging lights on the oddly clean walls. As they walked, they passed by several doors from 01 to 06, which was about three and a half meters apart. After walking for about 3 minutes, Malik and 02 reach a pair of double doors that slide open with an eery hiss.
Although this long corridor was creepy, Malik just followed along with02 out of fear of being lost. It's not like Malik had forgotten which direction he'd come from; it was more like he was afraid that he'd get lost exploring the corridor and its many passageways.
"If I might ask while we walk down this oh so glorious corridor of yours, where might we be heading," Malik says with a sarcastic tone as he could muster since as he was getting a little irritated since he was walking down a corridor with his junk just flopping around. Believe it or not, Malik was embarrassed as he walked with 02 but was not gonna let his what little pride, if any, be hurt and confidently walked down the corridor with both hands clenched on his sides.
The old man sits at a monitor, which is currently showing a Forrest that is quite beautiful in appearance. Next to the doctor, a small girl in a black and white maid uniform with frills that had an opening on her back, showing her white metallic skin, sitting beside him. Her white metallic face was complemented by her red glowing eyes. Instead of the usual french maid headwear that sported frills, she wore a pair of black headphones while bobbing her head to what little music that leaked out of them.
Malik looked at both of them as 02 continued to walk toward a laid back chair with many curves. She stops and says, "This is where you'll be sitting for now. Your gonna have a little lesson, so sit tight, Lil bro."
"Lil Bro?" Malik says with a dumbfounded expression strewn across his face.
Before he could ask anything else, Dr.Martens says, "Sit 'gasps for air' it's time you begin your training."
Confused, Malik just sits and looks at the doctor for answers.
"Ok, it's time you learn 'gasps for air' how to operate your body and 'gasps for air' it's systems. We'll first start with the 'gasps for air' menu. Just think it and 'gasps for air' it'll appear within your vision," says the doctor gasping for air every three to five words.
Malik wondering what this menu is thought about it and within a nanosecond, a black screen appears before malik with a red techno outline. Malik could only guess that this was the menu the old man was talking about.
On the menu, there was a list of words such as Status, Inventory, Customization, Party, Programs, add more tabs, etc. It was similar to that of a game, but it left Malik with more questions at this point.
The doctor typing on a monitor and gasping says, "This will help you 'gasps for air' in your missions. In the 'gasps for air' menu, just think about 'gasps for air' which tab you want to look at and 'gasps for air' it will show it to you."
The doctor now pointing at Malik says, "In the customization tab 'gasps for air' you'll be able to change your 'gasps for air' appearance to whatever you desire."
Hearing this, Malik quietly says, "Ahh, finally, I thought I was gonna be naked the whole time."
Malik quickly went to the customization tab, which displayed a humanoid figure similar to his and with sub-tags for sorting. Through the tags, he saw different categories for things like suits, casual clothes, to armor similar to knights armor but with tech and lights in areas making them look futuristic.
Wanting to be comfortable, he chose a black leather jacket with a grey t-shirt and a pair of black jeans and black shoes that looked similar to Adidas. When he confirmed what he wanted, the menu made two beeping sounds, and a woman's voice in his head said, "Initializing customization options."
Shocked he raised up to check that it wasn't 02 or the little girl and to his surprise, they both looked as if they hadn't said anything and the Dr.Martens guessing what made Malik looked shocked says, "The voice you just heard 'gasps for air' was your A.I assistant Samantha. She is a secondary 'gasps for air' program within your data core or 'gasps for air' mind if you want to call it that. She will aid you when ' gasps for air' you have a question or provide with as much 'gasps for air' assistance when you need it."
With that said, Malik wondering what a system core is, notices that a black smoke of sorts is emanating from him. He looks down and sees the clothes he chose being made before him as the mist flows back down to his body and solidify and his shirt, pants, and lastly, his jacket. Malik looked at the doctor as a black mist as the last bit of it went into his jacket and says, " Is that normal, that didn't look normal..."
Before Malik could continue on like an idiot, Dr.Martens interrupts him and says, " Those attanites, 'gasps for air' small machines that are a billionth the size of a nanometer 'gasps for air' or the more commonly known idea of nanomachines. This is was the most magnificent creation 'gasps for air' my son made. He found that mana that was now 'gasps for air' all around us and in everything 'gasps for air' were just a little bit smaller than a proton. He first made a small machine that could self replicate it's self while 'gasps for air' being capable of collecting mana, but the problem 'gasps for air' was that it was the size of an apartment complex. So with his genius, he 'gasps for air' he made a new magic: transformation magic. He 'gasps for air' shrunk the machine so far that it was impossible to see it unless 'gasps for air' but luckily he programmed it to make more. eventually making a three 'gasps for air' meter tall pile of attanites that he made into your body."
As Dr.Martens pauses to give Malik who was listening and looking at his right black metallic hand time to comprehend what he'd just said. Even when he learned what his son did, it stunned him. Magic was still new to the world as it had only been around for 80 years, since the M anomaly changed everything.
"What's mana and magic? And since there was a three-meter tall pile of this... Attanites, why am not about three meters tall, please explain." Malik says a little like an asshole but couldn't hide the excitement and finding all it cool like a little kid.
Finding Malik's jittery movement happy and smile at hearing about magic and attanites Dr.Martens sighs and says, "Before I explain what magic is, you have it's time for you to familiarize yourself with combat while you learn somethings."
Before Malik could ask anything, his vision becomes pixelated, and everything seems to have been sucked away in a whirlpool beneath him. Before he could speak, dirt began to unfold from his feet to his surroundings, and trees grew as if time was moving faster than he could perceive. Before he knew it, he was now in a forest, and there was a blue sky over him.
"Ok, yo doc, I'm not too cool with the sudden... I don't know what to call that. Maybe a little warning you know a 'CAWW' or very long wheeze like damn man..." before he could continue speaking a the generated bushes and trees began to shake wildly.
"Prepare yourself, bro," says 02 speaking to Malik in his head.
Malik not surprised hearing 02's voice in head turns around and sees a giant humanoid standing about 3 and a half meters tall with what looked like a small tree in its left hand raised above his head. It had greyish skin with what looked like moss growing on its chest arms. Tusk that protruded and covered it's upper lip. Its eye was small, yet its head was about at the size of a yoga ball even though it had a rather thin and boney body. It wore a loincloth made of several pieces of leather, one which looked like a stretched human face. Instantly Malik could see that it was about to swing, so he quickly analyzed his situation and thought of three plans.
Plan A, get hit, and be bounced into what looked like a never-ending sky.
Plan B, dodge to the left, and let the tree hit the ground and use it as a ramp and punch the bastard.
Plan C, Dodge to the right and crouch, and jump kicking it where Malik hopefully guessed it had its precious jewels.
Malik thinking speeds regular people wouldn't be capable of understanding dwelled on it for what seemed like minutes before he decided on a plan.
'Of course, nothing could go wrong with this. A swift kick there and hasty retreat could most definitely work.' Malik said in his head at hyper speeds.
After he came to his conclusion, he put his focus back on the issue at hand. He noticed that the tree turned club was now a few inches from his head moving slowly, he could see a mist of black smoke was retreating to him. He couldn't tell what his attanites had done, but he needed to make a move quickly. He quickly jumped to the right and ran toward the creature as fast he could.
The eyes of the creature opened at slow motion to reveal a fear-stricken and confused face. But before it could raise its guard, Malik was already below it. Malik crouched and was surprised by the feeling of the earth beneath him becoming a crater. He launched from the crater and extended his leg.
'Contact confirmed, time to retreat like a bitch boys' was the thought that went through Malik's head, but he quickly saw that something was wrong. His leg continued to go through the creature's femur, then through its stomach, it's chest and out its collar bone making an awful slow-motion crunch.
The sound of that crunch unnerved Malik as he continued several meters above the 3 and a half meter tall creature. When Malik had reached the climax of ascension, everything seemed to gain its original speed, and Malik noticed it dark red little droplets around him as he proceeded to fall with them. As he descended, he performed a backflip and landed punching the ground. The impact of his punch made a wave that repelled some of the bloody rain.
Malik was in pure shock; he didn't know why he landed the way he did nor how he kicked through the humanoid creature. Malik looked around himself and saw the trees and flora around splattered with dark red liquids. He turned and looked at where the creature stood and saw the horrid sight. The beast was split in half with the head completely missing.
The sight was enough for Malik to stand there in shock like a deer in headlights. It was terrifying, but he soon came to a realization that something was different. He at his now raised hands in front of him as the creature's blood rained down upon them. His fingers now had sharp claws on them that made them look monstrous. His arms now had pitch-black metal arm-guards that reached all the way to his shoulders. His legs now had pitch-black leg armor that came to a sharp point on the knees the pointed diagonally away from his chest. A black chest armor covered everything from his neck armor that gave him enough room to turn his head down to his crotch.
Looking down at the puddle of blood the reflected his face, he came to a frightening sight. His head was almost the same size, except he no longer had ears but could hear better than he could before. His ponytail of dreadlocks went untouched by this new transformation. He touched his face and could feel that his mouth was now replaced by a surface that looked as if his mouth and cheeks were crudely melted shut. His nose was pointed with a sharp edge for a nasal bridge, and his eyes were now rhombus-shaped with an exotic finish that made Malik look highly frightening even to himself.
Although he was in shock, he felt something he hadn't felt before it was excitement. Coming out of his shock, he could hear more footsteps, the same as before. Thinking back to what the doctor said about familiarizing himself with combat, he now knew what he meant.
Losing the fear he had for what he'd just did to the creature behind him, he faces the horde before him drenched in their comrades blood, wishing he could smile.
Before Malik could dash forward and testing his pure, unfiltered strength, the doctor speaks and says, "Now begins your training."