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Allen Family's Laboratory
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The Allen family laboratory was a high-class laboratory with a designed, ultra-modern space combining advanced technology, precise organization, and aesthetic elegance. The lab's layout was spacious, with large walls made of chemical-resistant materials and the floor was coloured black to avoid any chemical stains. Stainless steel countertops and modular cabinetry line the walls, showcasing a blend of sleek minimalism and functionality.
Top-of-the-line equipment was strategically placed, including advanced microscopes, a fully automated nanobot system, high-resolution imaging systems or, holograms, and temperature-controlled storage units. Digital screens and interactive touch panels were mounted for seamless data analysis, and the lab operates a state-of-the-art HVAC system to maintain optimal air quality and temperature.
Each workstation was fitted with ergonomic seating, silent exhaust systems, and anti-static flooring. Touchless doors and lighting with adjustable brightness contribute to a hygienic, energy-efficient environment. Safety features were woven into the design, including emergency showers, eyewash stations, and a fully equipped containment unit for handling hazardous materials.
The decorations were subtle and refined, with some small Bonsai trees; my father kept them around because it gave him a sense of responsibility towards the lab itself, as without it, there was no life present in that part of the manor.
And since my dad was mostly at the lab all the time he felt lonely without the presence of a living creature.
I came here after having a bath because if I slept peacefully after having killed someone, any sane person would question my sanity.
But the main question is...
"Why are you a crow?" I asked, standing in front of a digital screen that had a lousy drawing of a stickman and a ball that seemed to be burning while looking at Ryuk who had turned into a crow for some reason.
"I saw my subordinates turning into crows when they go to collect a soul," Ryuk answered. "I wanted to test out this form, they said that most humans associate reapers with crows for some reason."
"That is an interesting way to see it; I heard of that as well, which is how I came to imagine the form you were in," I replied, looking a bit confused. "But you have subordinates? Why did you come to collect my soul by yourself then?"
"You are getting off-track; focus on your drawing. It looks horrendous," Ryuk complained, completely brushing aside my question.
"You are deliberately avoiding the topic, but never mind if you don't want to talk about it, I respect your privacy... However, you are right, my drawing skills are terrible," I replied, looking at my drawing. "But you do see what I am trying to draw, right?"
"All I see is a stickman, a burning ball and... What even is that thing?" Ryuk asked in confusion.
"The stickman is me, the burning ball is the soul of the original Ray Allen, and that lying there is the wizard. I am trying to figure out what happened back then. The moment our soul fused, let's call it soul fusion, a second heart grew beside my main heart; I think I have a theory for why this happened," I explained, before erasing my drawing and writing down everything that I figured out. "Souls are like a spiritual form of our body that's made up of energy. They are often thought to be intertwined with physical bodies but we know that they exist independently."
"So what if the main resting place of a soul is the heart? Think about it: our body might be controlled by the consciousness of our brains, but the thing that keeps our body alive is the heart. So, what if the number of souls outweighs a heart? The answer, a second heart is formed, and the energy inside a body increases rapidly, causing a mutation that will transform the body into energy," I said, finishing my explanation.
"... You know that I just made up the term Spiritual Biology, right?" Ryuk asked, looking at me with his right eye in a hesitant way.
"..."
"..."
"... But it is still a good theory," I tried to redeem myself.
"Look, I am not trying to say it's not a good theory but the problem is that you don't have any data on this matter and since it's a new form of mutation you should take your time instead of trying to figure out everything in a single night," Ryuk argued, heaving a sigh.
"The awakening ceremony is in a month, if I can't figure out everything in that period of time, I will be labelled as a human because I don't want to lose my life gambling. If I am not certain whether I will die or not if I absorb the Cyrus stone, I am not doing it. I can be a human my whole life, but I won't lose it on a gamble," I said angrily before letting out a sigh. "Wally, can you run a brain scan on me? For some reason, I can feel new emotions that were foreign to me before the soul fusion. It's as if I am becoming... complete? I don't know how to explain it."
"Maybe the side effects of the soul fusion are starting to show up, mind if I suggest something?" Ryuk asked, jumping like an excited bird. "How about suppressing his energy with my energy?"
"You said you wouldn't help... Oh you mean that? The energy I collected when I got transferred into this body, why didn't I think of that? I should try that," I said, sitting down in my chair to allow Wally to run a brain scan.
Ryuk did explain that a fifth-dimensional being's energy was too much to be contained inside a vessel, unlike third-dimensional beings, which is why they are formless.
It's also the reason why his energy got mixed up with mine when I took his hand before my reincarnation, and it transformed my new vessel into part energy, removing the material part from my being.
My current vessel only had an outer shell while lacking some of the things that make me human; however, after the soul fusion, all of that was messed up, and my body became over ninety per cent energy.
Wally jumped down from the ceiling deactivating his anti-gravity nanobots and landed perfectly on the desk next to Ryuk without even knowing it, he then proceeded to scan my brain following my orders.
"Ryuk... How am I supposed to use your energy again? You never taught me how to do that remember?" I asked, looking at Ryuk who seemed to have an answer ready for me.
"Figure it out yourself; I am not going to interfere any more than this; I was supposed to be a watcher, not a supporter. However, I think you should become a wizard if you want to control my energy. I think it can also solve the problems that you have with your body; it may become more humanoid from its current state," Ryuk explained.
"All this science is going to fill up my brain again... If only I had a bigger hard drive," I sighed, laying back on the chair.
"Scanning complete, you are currently using 51 percent of your left hemisphere and 49 percent of your right hemisphere; the other results show that your brain is functioning normally, sire," Wally spoke, causing me to wake up from my trance.
"Almost... Perfect?" I asked, confused by his statement.
"Yes, sire," Wally answered, making me panic.
I got up from my seat and started running towards the storage unit that had the materials to conduct rituals. Time was of the essence.
The left hemisphere of my brain was the logical part, and the right one was the emotional part; it's no wonder that I got more emotional all of a sudden. I needed to control that energy before my emotions took over my logical side.
Although I want to understand humans, I never intended to be like them, acting like them and being an actual human are two different things, I wasn't even a proper human, to begin with, and I never want to lose myself trying to become someone that isn't me, that's the same as dying.
I don't want to lose who I am.
I will never forget who I am.
That is my only resolve.
"Calm down; if you conduct a ritual in that state of mind, there is a chance that your heart will be overridden by mana and explode in the process," Ryuk stated, flying onto my right shoulder. "Think logically like you always do, it will slow down the process."
Ryuk was right; I needed to adjust my emotions, and conducting a ritual like this would be dangerous.
Phew...
I heaved a sigh to calm myself down a bit. It's not like it is as good as meditation, but I didn't have the time for that.
I sat down in front of the storage unit and opened it before taking out everything that I needed for the mana heart transformation ritual.
"A white chalk, five candles, a tiger eye, an amber stone, a lapis lazuli, a moonstone, and an amazonite," I read out from my memory.
After taking out everything I mentioned in front of me I took them to a corner of the room and kept them on the desk.
I then proceeded to draw a pentagonal star with a pentagram in the centre on the floor with the white chalk and place the candles on the outer corners of the pentagonal star, with the stones being placed inside the gaps around the centre.
After lighting the candles with the help of Wally, I bit my left thumb and dropped my blood in the centre of the pentagram.
"Ouch... I need to put a bandage on it later," I exclaimed, before placing a hand on my main heart. "Let's start the ritual."