[Integrating Xenovian DNA…]
"Gah!" Lucius cried out in pain as his bright veins were infested by a black liquid, dimming its glow.
Soon his entire veins turned black, and his skin began shifting from normal human flesh to that of a sturdy gray colored scaly beast. During the constant changes, his mouth would shift from a normal set of white teeth to a massive reptilian jawline with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth numbering around five hundred at least.
Lucius grabbed his belly as his body trembled while he felt dizzy. He desperately tried to reach for something to hold on to and endure the pain of the fusion of genes, but he couldn't find any.
He just sat there, convulsing as the fusion continued, only settling down after it was finished.
[Human x Xenovian DNA successfully fused…]
Lucius felt the Aether crystal stabbing into his back withdraw. As soon as it was pulled out of his body, he collapsed, still shaken and shocked by the incident.
Ding!
[Xenovian Royalty bloodline ability acquired: Devour]
Ding!
[Host Genes stimulated by Fusion]
[Host Xenovian lineage ability acquired: Devour]
[Host innate ability unlocked: Hand of God]
A series of messages bombarded Lucius, but his vision slowly faded as he fell into a deep sleep.
…
Huff!
Lucius yanked his eyes open and promptly sat up, his face covered with sweat. His eyes darted around, but it was too dark for him to see, the absence of the brilliant light of the meteor invited darkness.
[Five hours of sleep… I guess the fusion really took a toll on you.]
"Wh…"
Cough!
Cough!
Lucius coughed, his throat felt dry and made him unable to speak. His stomach ached as he felt an insatiable hunger like never before, it felt like he had not eaten for months.
"What is this feeling?" Lucius muttered under his breath.
[This is the adverse effect of my Devour ability I passed on to you. It is a powerful ability, but it comes with an insatiable hunger that you have to learn how to control.]
"What?" Lucius gasped weakly, but then he froze and wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Before, he was just hearing a voice in his head, but now, he was hearing the voice and seeing strange texts.
"What's going on here?" Lucius couldn't help but ask.
[If you remember the texts that appeared during our fusion, you should already know I am a being from another planet. Royalty, to be exact.]
The voice sounded smug when adding the last part, but Lucius couldn't care less, he was focused on some keywords.
"Did you say fusion?" Lucius couldn't help but ask.
[You weren't paying attention?]
"I was about to pass out! Who would pay attention to anything else at a time like that?" Lucius rolled his eyes.
[Ooh, I forgot humans are very fragile creatures. Fortunately, that won't be a problem for you anymore now you have the Xenovian royal blood flowing in your veins.]
Lucius could only sigh at this as he grabbed his belly and rose to his feet.
"Oh?" Lucius was shocked as he realized his broken leg had healed.
[The Royal Xenovian genes improve your physical capabilities and regenerative prowess. Your sight and sense of smell have been improved as well. You are practically a human with superhuman capabilities.]
"Wow." Lucius was genuinely shocked. Apart from the insatiable hunger he had to endure, he felt amazing.
[That is just the beginning. I had everything about you put together for better understanding.]
[Name: Lucius]
[Race: Hybrid][Human/Xenovian]
[Xenovian ability]
[Devour: When used, the host's Xenovian genes are activated, forcing him to take a form more befitting of the Xenovian lineage. The Devour ability is one-half of the Royal Xenovian lineage, which allows the user to consume anything and everything without fear. By consuming, the user gains nutrients that can be used to hasten his regenerative capabilities. The legendary power of devour also allows the user to permanently gain the unique abilities of anyone consumed. It is said the being with this power is destined to swallow the entire universe.]
[Human ability]
[Hand of God: The user can absorb the matter of anything, which can be used to reinforce his skin for additional durability and strength. The user can also absorb energy in its purest form, using it to supercharge his cells and gain a temporary burst of power, but such actions may result in a backlash.]
"Human ability?" Lucius was confused. Before meeting this strange being, he didn't have abilities.
[Apparently, the fusion stimulated your human genes, allowing you to awaken your true power. You can thank me for that.]
Lucius nodded absentmindedly as his gaze shifted to the Xenovian ability.
"So, what does this Xenovian form look like?" he asked.
[You will get to see it when you use it, but I suggest you don't use it in the presence of other humans]
"Why?" Lucius asked.
[You sincerely don't know how horrible your race is? Well, it is understandable, since you were just a powerless human until a few hours ago.]
"What do you mean?" Lucius' brows furrowed.
[Amongst human awakens there are Guardians, the people hailed as heroes, the face of the new age, and then there are rejects. The difference between Guardians and Rejects is evolution pathways. While the Guardians gained abilities through their evolution and maintained their human forms. Rejects are those whose bodies changed during the evolution process, making them look more like monsters than humans.]
[With the threats of beasts hovering over humanity at all times, the current society is very sensitive to anything beast-like. Rejects were forced out of society and sometimes even killed if found. The thing your people called racism is what those unfortunate humans are forced to endure. They are constantly on the run, hiding from humans and beasts alike. They belong nowhere, and that's why I said their lives are worse than that of slaves.]
"Damn…" Lucius mumbled.
The more he learned about humanity, the more he felt ashamed to be associated with them.