Capítulo 17: CH : 15 Her Death
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***
I wondered what a cat's screams sounded like.
I'd find out soon enough.
As the frail, nearly lifeless cat lay before me, its shallow breaths the only sign it still clung to existence, I placed my right hand upon its fragile frame. My left hand rested firmly on my pet, the connection between the two sparking with raw, untamed energy. With unyielding focus, I forced the two bodies to merge, their very essence intertwining in a process both unnatural and extraordinary. I refused to let the soul and spirit slip away, capturing and binding them into the fusion with an iron will.
This wasn't a mere experiment born of idle curiosity—it was the culmination of a week-long pursuit, each attempt building on the last. I sought to maximize the potential benefits of such a process, driven by the need to unravel the secrets of this forbidden. What would emerge from this fusion? A question that consumed me as I pushed the boundaries of what nature—and arcane and even the power—allowed.
***
Four Weeks After Eva's Death
My zombie rat had gained a lot and became a mini boss.
Apparently, when you give the middle finger to the food chain and cycle, by 'feasting' on the flesh, spirit and soul of numerous cats and kittens – you literally become the Breaker of Chains.
Considering he was a rat – that pretty much meant that he was OP when fighting almost anything.
When added with the facts that he now gained skills from a creature that he merged – I had a zombie rat that could basically use Poison Spray, and Poison Fang, and could tear off a man's leg with relative ease.
Of course, the problem was that he was still undead. Though my power was maintaining his form, as a zombie, he had the traditional weaknesses of fire and ice. If I found a way to eliminate both of those weaknesses, I would have a functionally immortal, unbeatable rodent of mass destruction.
This was what finally spurned me on into learning how to use my Alchemy. After all with these hands I am a born master to do this.
Alteration was exactly what was written on the tin. It enabled me to alter the physical world around me, as long as I knew the basic constituents of what I was altering, I could change and morph anything into… anything.
It was actually closer to a Harry Potter-style Transfiguration than it was to the FMA alchemy I had expected, because there was no pesky law of equivalent exchange limiting what I could or could not change at a whim.
The very second I realized that I had transfiguration abilities limited only by my imagination –
I cheated.
Simply put, video games generally set progression systems which allowed you to go from novice to master, and when it came to spells or magic, your starting value allowed you to cast tiny spells or small embers, and then you got to the big stuff and firestorms at greater levels. Essentially, Alteration at Lv. 1 was designed to turn and change small stuff with erring progress, things like changing a piece of stone into a chalk and back – all of that. The smaller the object you tried to alter, the easier and greater the result.
So I went small.
I altered the chemical compounds in the atmosphere to make a geyser of water – converting Nitrogen atoms into Hydrogen and Oxygen in extreme measures. Then, I altered it again to make a spark of lightning by manipulating the Nitrogen atoms. Then, in classic Roy Mustang fashion, I snapped my fingers.
… And immediately learned how idiotic I was for creating a wall of fire inside a building.
Another snap of Alteration, and a geyser of water appeared to quench the flames.
After repeatedly and endlessly creating fire and water from exploiting its bugs – and then, I went for the big stuff.
I picked up a random piece of debris, closed my eyes, and pictured what I needed.
"Alteration."
The high energy demand which was easily more than half of my max amount told me that I had succeeded. In my hand, the piece of debris was gone, and instead, there was a cold, smooth, and shiny bar of gold.
I laughed.
This method was fundamentally distinct—a fusion born not from my usual approach of reshaping reality through Overhaul, but by delving into the intricate and arcane principles of alchemy native to the DC Multiverse. It wasn't simply about altering matter to suit my will; it was about harnessing the underlying rules, the immutable laws that governed transmutation and creation across this vast, interconnected realm.
There went any plausible reason to ever work for a living again.
And I didn't even need a Philosopher's Stone to do it.
Eventually I mastered Alteration laws behind it's operation, and I realized that there was one limitation of the power. I could transform a rock into a bird, and a bird back into a rock, because I was the one who created the bird in the first place. I could alter my zombie rat's form to make him smooth, stand upright, and wear an elegant suit like he was the TMNT Sensei in a Butler competition. Yet, considering how I failed to turn a random pigeon into roast turkey – I realized that I could not alter already living and existing organic matter, even with a foci. Unless I use my hands of God.
Additionally, when I transformed a rock into a bird, it behaved exactly like a rock – motionless, lifeless, and hollow. I had just changed the composition and outward appearance, but I hadn't given it life as it didn't have the spirit and the soul.
My endeavor to achieve this, however, opened the doors to an intriguing discovery—the enchanting art of alchemical Animation. This skill, intricate and beautiful, required a harmonious blend of my Overhaul ability and the intricate science of alchemy. Unlike my usual manipulations, Animation demanded a tactile connection, an unbroken physical bond with the object I sought to bring to life. Each movement, each spark of creation, was an intimate dance between my will, the object's essence, and the ancient laws of alchemy that governed its transformation.
Essentially, I could animate statues and objects to life, and they would gain the attributes of whatever they were. Conversely, I realized that this also worked on non-statues and random objects, as I could 'Animate' them into performing a particular task or carrying out a certain duty.
Generally, it was like programming.
Animate Cup to hover three inches above the floor, animate cup to tilt 30 degrees in the north eastern direction, animate cup to stop tilting after two point eight seconds –
The more specific the instructions, the better the power works.
Fascinating as all of it was however, I realized that I had gotten side-tracked in my side-track – as I nearly forgot all about my original goal of making my zombie rat fireproof and ice proof.
I flexed my fingers, the satisfying crack of my knuckles echoing through the chamber, and tilted my head, loosening the tension in my neck. With deliberate determination, I began my steady ascent toward mastering the intricate and arcane laws of alchemy. Each step was calculated, every moment a revelation as I set my sights on the next grand challenge—the elusive art of Enchantment.
***
Six Months After Eva's Death
Congratulations! It's My Birthday!
I have aged up!
I'm now a proper 3 years old!
I ignored the thoughts that had popped up in front of me as my eyes opened. Pushing it to the side, I stretched, before continuing my goal of mastering the Enchantment skill. So far, even with the hack I had discovered of using Animation to fake enchanting objects, the Enchantment skill was the trickiest and most difficult thing I had ever attempted to master. There were almost no other hacks I could think of that would be suitable enough for me to use and completely get it.
The problem lay in the insanely numerous methods they were to enchant an object. You could enchant it to burst on fire with certain commands by merging Animation and Alteration, or enchant it with the soul of a creature to give it that creature's characteristics, or you could enchant it by entrenching it in thick, bloody rituals. Then, there were methods of enchantment such as runes, hieroglyphs, ancient writings, Kanji writing, pictograms, and on and on it went – and you had to use at least one of these methods properly.
The closest I had gotten to Enchantment mastery was evident in the object that lay in front of me.
Magical Evolutionary Chess Set
A Magical chess set which can be played on one's on, as the pieces will move and respond based on each prior move made by the human player. The chess set is not sentient, but however, saves and records every game played on it, calculating and analyzing, and learning from its mistakes. The same tactic or strategy cannot be used against it twice.
With the amount of games I had played on it, my intelligence had gone up more than ever before, and it slightly peeved me when I realized that I could no longer beat my own creation. Ruy Lopez, Scandinavian Defense, Italian Defense, French Defense, Queen's Gambit, King's Gambit – all my best and favorite Chess openings and tactics had been learned by the board, and now, after one thousand, nine hundred and forty eight games in the past six months, I could no longer win.
A cold wind blew into the building, and I shuddered slightly, before waving my hands with a quick spark of Alteration and converting a portion of the wall into a cozy fire place. A snap and the fireplace ignited. My gaze turned out to the window, glossed over as it was, it was clear that winters in Gotham City were not the greatest.
Had I ever seen snow before?
I scrunched up my nose.
No – I hadn't. I couldn't remember ever seeing snow before. Ever playing in it or making a snowball. I didn't know how a snowball felt like, how snow felt like.
But, that didn't really matter to me.
Instead, I needed to focus back on mastering Enchantment. Once I had mastered that particular skill, I would enchant my anthropomorphic zombie rat into a creature that was immune to both fire, ice, sun, holy and much more. At that point – there wouldn't be anything truly capable of putting him down. Bullets? No. Swords? No. Laser beams?
***
So, I also needed to learn how to provide Enchantment against heat vision, lasers and explosives. That would be interesting.
Also, on the side, I realized that it was about time I started working on my Nature skills as well. How far could I push my ability to create fruits of magical quality, fruits that provide humans so much energy that it would kill a normal man? Could I create specific types of fruits that give powers? Could I then, hypothetically speaking, create spices and cannabis from my abilities? Could I create devil fruits?
Like I know I can create things that could turn people into super soldiers. But can I do more than that?
So with touch more than twenty apples appeared
Time to find out.
***
One Year After Eva's Death
The place in which I stayed was almost unrecognizable.
Whereas it had been nothing but ruins and debris, all of that was gone. The floor was a smooth and beautiful design pattern of tiles which were artistically drawn with each tile possessing a different image, which all together combined into the image of a giant, red, spiraling eye with tomoe.
Comfortable couches were now in an area called the living room. Fluffy and bouncy, with material made from refined animal furs. An unlit furnace was directly in front of this living room. A flat screen television was hung on a half wall to the right of the living room.
To the left side of this room, lay a door to a bathroom. Spacious, tiled in a mix-mash of white and blue with the image of a peculiar water Pokémon attached to the wall tiles of the bathroom. It, like most of the house, was completely spotless.
Adjacent this room, lay a door to another room. A waterbed was the center place, the round object possessing the image of a familiar dark-haired, red-cloaked vampire hotty being used as the sheets and covers. It was a rather crude image, considering that the vampire was pictured with glowing eyes and blood-stained fangs. The theme of the room was in alternating shades of black and red, ranging from clouds to symbols and an amalgamation of different kanji.
I sat in the living room, on the chair, with the television switched on, yet, I couldn't focus on it. My fingers scratched repetitively against the couch, the nails tearing through the material and the material re-forming itself immediately after.
The television was switched on – yet, I couldn't hear it. My mind was busy, thinking, recollecting, remembering.
In no time at all, I would have lived on this earth for longer than I had known Eva. Just like that. A person who had felt like the only reason I woke up in the morning, and soon enough, I would have experienced more without them than more with them.
In the past year, I had thrown myself into distractions. Into sidetracking tasks and activities. I used the justification of self-improvement and testing my powers – but now, in exactly a year, with the aid of shortcuts and innovation, I had mastered nearly every single aspect of Ritual Magic –
Except the actual rituals.
Yet, now that I had nearly nothing left to do, I realized that I would have to go back out into the world again. I would have to leave my comfortable little hoven of solitude and face the outside – and return to this meaningless world of monsters.
And I would have to do it – without a single person beside me.
No.
Maybe – maybe not yet.
There were still other things I could do – I should do, if I wanted to go back into the world of gods and monsters.
Like…
Mastering every single instrument.
A brief usage of my power on random objects filled the living room up with a grand piano, a violin, a guitar, a set of drums, a flute, a trumpet, a trombone, and a triangle.
Yes… this would do. It would do for now.
***
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