Renji's breath was ragged. His body—no, this thing he had become—felt overwhelming. His skin had turned into something scaly and hard, his fingers into claws, his mouth filled with sharp fangs.
And worst of all, his hunger was unbearable.
He stared at Aika, the one responsible for this transformation, and rage boiled inside him.
"Y-You…" His voice was distorted, deeper, almost monstrous. His instincts screamed at him to attack, to tear her apart.
His body moved on its own.
With a furious growl, he lunged at her—
But in an instant, glowing chains shot from the floor, wrapping around his limbs.
The impact sent him crashing onto the cold stone ground, his body convulsing as the chains tightened.
Aika sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was hoping you'd last longer before losing control."
Renji snarled, struggling against the restraints. "Let me go…!"
Aika crouched in front of him, her red eyes glinting with amusement. "But why would I? You're the most successful transformation I've ever made. Unlike the others… you're still thinking on your own."
Renji's mind buzzed with confusion. Others? Did she mean—
Before he could process, Aika pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Let's test something," she murmured.
Then, the pain began.
Burning, searing agony flooded through him as arcane symbols lit up across his body. It was as if his very cells were being peeled apart. His screams echoed through the basement, but Aika didn't stop.
She only watched.
"This is fascinating," she mused, eyes filled with cold curiosity. "How much can you take before your mind breaks?"
The answer was horrifying.
She experimented on him for hours. Days. Weeks.
Renji lost count of the times his body was torn open, reassembled, modified. The agony became so constant that, eventually… he stopped feeling pain.
But what scared him the most—was that, through it all…
Aika never stopped smiling.