"I know I'm going to die…"
Yeshua was still unwilling, but he could feel that his soul was already beyond saving. It was either he would lose his mind and turn into a monster, or his soul would shatter from the power of the natural laws.
After being kidnapped while on his way to deliver a package, Yeshua found himself as a subject of a cruel experiment. The lunatic genome scholar stuffed a mysterious shard in his heart after dissecting him like a pig in the butcher's house.
Not knowing what would happen to him Yeshua could only grit his teeth and endure the pain while thinking how to escape.
The shard as if a spark thrown into dried woods suddenly flared and pulsed. Yeshua could feel his blood surging like it was being absorbed into the shard. It was so painful that he could not stop shouting.
After a long time of torture, the absorption stopped. But then, Yeshua could hear his heart beating and every beat brought forth a surge of his blood, like the shard was giving back what it absorbed. He thought that the pain ended but it was actually the start of his real agony!
Yeshua could feel it.
Like how his father described it when Yeshua was still a child, the natural laws' descent was something magical. But instead of being excited like how he imagined when he would experience it, the only feeling it brought was a despairing pain!
The natural laws descended and bombarded his body with the injection of spirit particles. Yeshua's body was being transformed based on the genome sequence inside the shard.
His limbs turned into tentacles full of scales and sharp claws. His body expanded like a balloon and became hard like it was made of stone. His feet combined and elongated like the tail of a snake.
His head was growing horns, sharp fangs, hard furs, massive ears, and a long nose like an elephant. His forehead was cracking, and a big eye was peeking out. His body was burning, crackling with lightning, and producing poisonous fog and other effects without a pattern.
It was chaos. Yeshua became a monster!
Not only his body was experiencing destruction, but his soul was also shattering because of the power of the natural laws.
It was hopeless. Yeshua knew he was dying, but he could not accept it!
So, Yeshua prayed!
While praying for a miracle to happen, Yeshua did not stop enduring. He hoped that as long as he could endure maybe something would help him.
Yeshua did not want to die here. He had something to do. He promised that he would go to Eden to prove that his father was not wrong and to not let his death be in vain for protecting him. To walk the path despite the obstacles he would face. Whatever it took, even his life!
But here he was, dying like a dog without accomplishing anything…
…
Suddenly, amidst his desperate pleas, Yeshua heard an obstinate voice.
"Endure! I must live!"
Then, Yeshua saw a star floating in an endless void. When his eyes fell upon it, an instinctive understanding came to him. Looking at the star burning with a strong will, Yeshua made his decision.
His voice filled with acceptance, Yeshua said.
"I don't know how, but somehow we can sense each other. I know we're the same. We have reasons that make us reluctant to die. However, unlike you, my soul is already very weak. It is too late for me.
"I can feel that a miracle will happen, but not for me. So, can you at least do something for me? I know I'm being very selfish, but I really can't accept to die just like this."
The void echoed the request of Yeshua.
After a while, in the infinite darkness, the burning star answered his request with willingness and promise.
With a smile, Yeshua said.
"Thank you. Good luck, friend from another world."
…
Pain.
Joshua's mind was filled with that word.
After he heard the voice asking him for a favor, Joshua's only thought was to accept. He did not want to die, and he felt that accepting the request of the voice was his only chance.
Joshua did not know how or where the voice came from. He also did not know the situation of the owner of that voice. He did not even pay attention to the void. His hazy mind that was filled with pain at that time was only desperately clutching for a chance to survive.
Joshua thought that the pain would be gone, but what was happening to him was like a prank prepared by someone.
"I thought you're trying to save me! But what is this?!"
A bitter thought came to Joshua's mind. Thinking the voice was saving him, he readily accepted the request. But obviously, the voice's situation was not better than him. It might even be worse!
Joshua could feel his body was an amalgamation of different things with claws, tentacles, and scales. He was an abomination that could only be seen from monster horror movies!
Joshua's body was uncontrollably thrashing around and was filled with savageness. He thought that he would really die this time.
Then, suddenly, Joshua heard another voice in his head.
[Abnormality detected. Scanning...]
"Whose voice is that this time? Don't tell me you're here to hoodwink me as well?!" Joshua frustratingly said.
The voice did not answer immediately like it was busy with something. After a while, a mechanical voice answered Joshua.
[Scanning completed.]
[User Joshua's body is experiencing a severe mutation that will lead to complete loss of control and possibly death. It is advised for User Joshua to initiate a thorough scanning, so the AI can formulate a solution.]
After hearing the voice, though his mind was filled with pain, Joshua realized who the owner of the voice was. It was the AI!
The AI followed Joshua wherever he was and was fused to him. Joshua in his desperation found a real savior this time!
Filled with excitement for finding his savior, Joshua ordered the AI.
"AI! Just scan whatever you need to scan! Just helped me now! I really can't take it!"
With an expressionless voice full of seriousness, the AI said.
[Affirmative.]
[User Joshua only needs to hold on for some time until the AI is done scanning and formulating a solution. Warning: Please, do not die, User Joshua.]
"What the! I thought I found a reliable savior this time but I still have to wait! And what is that last part? Are you cursing me?!"
Joshua really did not know if it was just him or the world just liked to joke!
"I really can't take this pain anymore! What was the owner of this body doing that he became like this?"
Right at that moment, like how a person was reminded of something when they thought about it, memories that did not belong to Joshua surfaced on his mind.
After some time, Joshua then realized what happened that led to this situation.
"Bro, what is it with us that we both became experimental subjects? Is this what they call fate? Are we soul mates? No! We're both men! Let's just settle with being brothers, alright?"
After some time that Joshua could not register in his mind, the AI reported.
[Analysis completed.]
[A suitable solution can be implemented to help User Joshua in your current situation. User Joshua's body is mutating because of an unidentified shard inside your heart. This shard is controlling unidentified energy that is mutating the body and is forcing it to evolve into an unidentified species. It is suggested to allow the AI to take control of this unidentified shard, so...]
"Unidentified! Unidentified! I don't care about any of that! Just stop what is happening to me right now! I really don't care what you do!"
Joshua was already mad. Coupled with the pain that was tormenting him, the memories of the two souls were being jumbled that he was confused about who he was or if he was still alive. The only thing that made him still hold on was his will to live.
[Affirmative.]
[Commencing solution. Taking control of the unidentified shard.]
Joshua felt a burst of power from within him. It felt like his soul was expanding and enveloping something. It was the shard!
The AI was using the power of his soul to take control of the mysterious shard. How the AI was doing it, Joshua did not know. As the shard was taken control, changes happened to his body.
The expanding body deflated gradually. The tentacles receded and fused together to form his hands. The claws and scales fell off one after another. The long slimy tail-like snake shrank and reformed into two legs. His head that felt like cracking was mending. The ears and nose went back to their right sizes. The fangs and horns were retracting, and the furs were shedding.
The pain subsided while Joshua's body returned to normal.
Joshua was able to feel the relief that he thought he had not experienced for a long time. The exhaustion brought by the mutations made him stay collapsed on the cold stone ground. Around him were melted, charred, and shattered fragments of things.
Joshua was not moving while he lied naked and weak on the ground. Before he could think of what to do, he heard someone exclaimed!
"This is miraculous!"
Joshua's heart skipped a beat.