I see… bright light, it burns my eyes.
I feel… thick liquid, it surrounds my body.
My body is… Humanoid.
I'm tired. I feel exhausted like at any moment I'll fall asleep.
I hear… voices outside, they are faint and they sound panicked.
I look out to my body, my fingers are covered in black scales that run down to my wrist. Claws cover my hand, extending out from my knuckles and replacing my fingernails. The bottom of my hands would still be human, if not for being completely black… smoke emanating from my skin, covering my body in what seemed to be a haze.
My arms are thin, also covered in the thick black scales with gold embroidery around some of them. The underside of my arms would look normal if not for the stripes of black smog covering most of it. My torso was covered in the scales as well, though they were thinner and longer in design. Better for defending against stab wounds, so I suppose.
My legs are human, though still covered in thick scales and smog… something similarly applying to my feet and back, I feel something stuck into my back but I cannot see it.
This… container, I cannot move much in it. Though I can look and feel, and breathe as well. I feel Mana saturating whatever liquid I'm contained in, Ulma and Karma as well. Void fills my very bones, and I can feel it seeping out into the liquid around me… like it's pulling on that dark force that has entered my veins, and cleaning my very soul.
"How's the process going, Scarab?" I heard from the outside.
Scarab… I recognize that name, that's my daughter.
What has happened? That voice… I also recognize it, that sounds like Arch…
"Father has been conscious for a small while now. His body isn't ready just yet, but maybe soon… it's all based on whether his soul accepts the body and the transfusion." Scarab answered that voice, and my suspicions were confirmed when Arch replied "I see. Then, it's all up to him then."
What… happened to me? Why am I… in so much pain…?
Everything starts to hurt as my nerves begin awakening. It feels like fire dancing between my veins and scorching my bones… The liquid surrounding me begins to feel like the crushing depth of the ocean on my skin.
"Avery…? Can you hear me?" Scarab pressed her hand against the glass, watching me squirm in the terrible pain I was put in.
I couldn't respond, my voice was drowned out by the liquid… but, I could still communicate a little bit. I pressed my hand against the glass as well, I felt the container shake as I lightly pressed it.
"Blink twice if you can understand me." She continued.
I blinked twice in response.
"I...I'm sorry, Dad… we… failed… but, we can still bring you back. We can still make things right!"
I felt the sorrow in her voice, and noted she sounded older… last I knew her, she was only a little girl… Now, she sounds almost mature. How long have I been… gone? Have I been gone? Where did I go…?
"Your soul… it's broken. But, we can fix it. We'll transplant the 6 greater souls… and… we… can…" Scarab's voice was breaking, I could hear her sobbing from behind the glass. It was barely audible, but I heard enough.
"Hey, Avery," Arch said, placing his fist against the glass as well. "You haven't given up yet, have you?"
I placed my fist against the glass, lightly pressing against his fist as well.
"Then… survive, ok?"
'I will.' I thought to myself.
I felt something run through my back, and into my body. I turned to face it the best I could, my sore body twisting as I commanded myself to let me see what was happening to me. I saw six large tubes, each marked with some symbol I couldn't distinguish within the cloudy haze of the liquid.
They each plugged into my back, right where my wings should be… I also saw some contraption latching onto my tail, and I noticed some thin wires passing on into my head and horns.
This body was weird, it felt like a combination of my normal body and like that of Arch's… or, maybe, something else…? It definitely looked human, but it certainly didn't feel human. That's when I noticed… I had an extra pair of horns, and there was a thin light hovering above my head.
I've decided. As soon as I am getting out of this vat, I am strangling Arch.
'Suppress the pain, Avery.' I commanded myself as whatever thing I was in slowly began moving. I felt needles stick into my back, injecting me with some liquid. My thoughts slowed for a moment, but I held on firm to consciousness.
"He's… taking it better than I expected." I heard Scarab on the other side say.
"That's Avery alright, he'll endure anything." Arch seemed to reply.
'Thanks for the words of encouragement, though I don't believe I signed a consent form for this!' I mentally yelled at them.
A mechanical voice rang out from the room, seeming to come out of nowhere. Red lights flared outside as I felt something pass into my body.
"Warning: Souls are being transferred. Caution is advised." The unknown voice yelled.