Experimental Records of the Bathysmal Vishaps. No vishaps were killed in the writing of these records.
—Bathysmal Vishap Experimental Records—
...Effective today, all experiments regarding the Dragonheirs will be directed by Watatsumi Omikami in person. All files preceding the founding year of the Watatsumi calendar have been destroyed. Dossier serial numbers shall no longer use the categories Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, which used the ancient Watatsumi tongue. Instead, we shall use Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Ether, and Void going forward. All quotes and notations are to be written within quotation marks (""). The following order of writing should be observed: File Header-Serial Number-Subject-Author. Author can be omitted, or their internal title within the research lab may be used. Usage of a researcher's ancient Byakuyakoku/Enkanomiya name or modern Watatsumi/Narukami/Inazuman name is forbidden.
These experimental records are not to be used for the writing of diaries, love letters, or fantasy novels.
...
The Dragonheirs' (hereafter named Bathysmal Vishaps or simply vishaps) evolution is plain for all to see. ("Water-101-Dragonheir Evolution: I")
We have tried lowering the temperature in the living environs of a young heat-resistant vishap. As a result, they were weaker once matured. We suspect that this is because its body did not possess the "seed" required to resist such an environment. However, its descendants would all possess high body fat, greater predilection towards sleep, and would express the Cryo element. (Please refer to the experimental data after the main text. The abnormal data derived from Sample 3 is due to my assistant feeling sorry for the subject of the anti-hunger control group and feeding it surreptitiously.)
When we then placed their descendants into sweltering conditions, they would again choose, like their ancestors, the heat resistance trait. However, none of them have developed traits indicative of the Pyro element thus far.
We do not have enough data to reach a conclusion at present, but we can make an educated guess that Bathysmal Vishaps have the ability to awaken their "seed" freely before maturation. Vishap mothers can also create new "seeds" to pass on to their descendants should they encounter heretofore unseen, challenging environments.
It can be said that even before encountering us, the people of Enkanomiya, the Bathysmal Vishaps had already stored a veritable armory within their bodies.
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The results of the intelligence tests are astonishing. ("Void-207-Vishap Intelligence Research"). Through a screening process consisting of rewards and punishments (although previous research indicates that screening is unnecessary — vishaps are, one and all, adapters par excellence), the linguistic capacities of vishaps four generations down are starting to approach that of a 12-year-old human student. Perhaps it might be more accurate to say that vishaps always had their own methods of communication, and what they are displaying here is their ability to learn.
We believe that these experiments should be stopped. If not, we may yet be proven narrow-minded for having dismissed that last person who wrote a fantastical tale about vishap-people.
Prophecy holds that the Dragon Sovereign of Water will be born in a human form. We must not let this thing happen in Enkanomiya.
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All previous attempts at grafting have failed. ("Void-907-Watatsumi Omikami's Special Orders: I"). Because they cannot accept Watatsumi Omikami's blood, the vishaps will fall victim to various adverse effects. Perhaps they are not yet strong enough, but we cannot be sure — indeed, according to our rationalized vishap evolutionary roadmap, we should have already bred the strongest vishap possible.
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The grafting can be considered a success. ("Void-907-Watatsumi Omikami's Special Orders: III"). The rejection originates from the vishaps having been beings of the Light Realm (also known as elemental creatures), and thus being at odds with the Human Realm, of which Omikami and its coral vassals are a part.
All experimental logs are closed. No experiment conducted here resulted in the death of any Dragonheirs — they all lived to see the end of their days. Praise be to Watatsumi Omikami, gracious and beneficent.