“Fuck, I have no idea what happened. I can’t remember anything after Zael took over my body. My poor, beautiful body, now in the hands of that goddamn parasite.” I shed a silent tear before standing up and walking over to the desk.

  Quickly scanning the stacks of papers laying in complete disarray before me, I tried to find some kind of answer to what happened.

  There were research papers, documenting some kind of experiment that was happening in the doors that I encountered on my way down to this office. I found a pile of papers describing the experiment in the room I woke up in, The Ultimate Vessel.

  “I first thought of the idea for the ultimate vessel after realizing how lacking my own physical body was, even with mana. While everyone could strengthen themselves with mana temporarily, that strength would never be their own. That’s when I first theorized about a body that was altered in a way that allowed it to absorb and incorporate mana to strengthen itself.

  Before Prince Firon died of his injuries after the battle, he showed great interest in my idea donated his body to my experiment, in case of his death. After his death, may his soul rest in peace in the great abyss, we started by recovering his body to its peak condition using countless complicated medical procedures.

  After we had a complete body, we started the experiments. We first tried to force massive amounts of mana into the muscles over prolonged periods, but the muscles themselves did not absorb any of the mana permanently. The next thing we tried was runes. We put millions of microscopic magical runes into the body, designed to absorb mana and keep it in place. While this worked temporarily, the runes quickly broke down because of their minuscule size.

  We knew we needed a greater understanding of mana itself, so Project Ultimate Vessel was put on ice for the time being. Through our research into mana, we discovered that the soul manipulates mana not through fixed patterns, but through an individual’s understanding of the specific magic they wish to wield and the strength of their will.

  The greater one’s willpower and imagination, the more effectively they can control mana. If someone shapes mana into a flame by merely picturing fire—without grasping its mechanics—the resulting flame will be weak, and the mana cost will be high.

  However, a deep understanding of how fire ignites, why it burns, and how it spreads allows for a stronger, more efficient manifestation, though it places a greater strain on both body and soul.

  Now, what if you applied this phenomenon to the muscles? What if they had a will, a kind of imagination? One that gave them an intricate understanding of how new cells could be improved by using mana in their structure, and the will to make it happen.

  But how could we give the body a will of its own, separate from the soul? The answer was beasts. They strengthened their bodies with mana the moment they were born, permanently.

  So we just had to take the will of beasts and transplant it into the body. The answer was in front of our eyes all along.

  By extracting multiple beast souls and fusing them repeatedly, we succeeded in our endeavors.

  We let the fused beast's soul enter the body, and instead of letting it settle down and act as a soul, we forced it with the help of our strongest magicians to fuse with the body itself, seeping deep into every part of it. Becoming one with the muscles and bones.

  We succeeded. But even though we won the battle, we lost the war. Or more accurately, the muscles and bones would now absorb any mana that was given to them, devouring until there was nothing left.

  And while it strengthened the body, without a strong enough soul to tell them to stop, we had no chance of ever awakening the ultimate vessel.”

  I pondered about what I just read. So this was the body of a prince, altered to improve itself constantly, using mana.

  Neat, I thought to myself.

  — —

  Some time has now passed since I awoke underground. It is hard to tell how long exactly, because I have no way to measure time down here, but it should have been about a month. During my time living my best life down here, I discovered some new things.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  As I dissected another beast’s corpse, I wished for claws like the very creatures I had slain to make the arduous labor of separating bone from flesh more manageable.

  The moment I pictured myself with claws, a sharp pain shot through my fingers. I watched as they twisted, shifted, morphed, changing into something not human. My fingernails darkened, elongated, and curved into obsidian-like claws. I studied the sharp edges shimmering under the dim light of the fire.

  With a single swipe, my claws cut through flesh and bone alike, as if they were made of butter.

  My body had changed. No—I could change it at will. The sheer amount of mana infused into my being had granted me the same transformative properties as mana itself. The claws were only the beginning. If I could do this, what else was possible?

  I never stopped practicing my flame magic, either. Days blurred together in a cycle of suffering—burning pain, unconsciousness, and then failure.

  Again and again, I could only manage to produce a single spark.

  But then, finally, I did it. A flickering ember, frail and pathetic, no bigger than a match’s glow, dancing on my fingertip. And yet, it was mine. A flame, real and tangible, fueled by oxygen, forged through sheer will and unrelenting determination.

  I had done it.

  I had taken my first step towards greatness.

  But maybe the biggest discovery was using mana in my organs. By imagining mana to support my eyes, I could now physically see beasts trying to hide from me, like the Ferther.

  I could hear it now as well by supporting my ears with mana. But the most incredible organ I could support was my brain. I could shield my brain in a way that minimized the pain I felt while using magic!

  You heard me, less pain while using magic. I was ecstatic. It had its drawbacks tho. While the pain was less, it was still there.

  And while using this, I nerved myself to about 10% of my true power. But I kept it on for now because 10% was more than enough to deal with just about anything that tried to kill me down here.

  Now that I had grown used to my new body a bit more, something like losing an arm to a ferther could never happen to me again, not even while at 10% power

  Speaking of losing an arm, I could grow it back. Using the same magic I utilized while closing the wound, I could slowly but surely grow it back over the last month.

  It would have been faster had I not limited myself, but I did not want to feel that pain again if I had the option. And I was in no hurry; one arm was more than enough for me.

  Still, at the end of the month, I was infinitely faster at growing back my arm than before. I managed to grow my whole hand back in less than a day. I guess practice does make perfect. I could not wait to see how strong my fire magic would grow. I was excited.

  Anyway, life was pretty chill down here. I fashioned myself some simple clothes from the fur of the ferther, complete with a hat made of its head.

  I looked slick as fuck. I also finally found a mirror in one of the abandoned buildings, which had been exploring, hoping to find pretty much anything, but most of them were empty.

  As I looked at myself in the mirror, I sighed. I was someone else. I had known it for a long time, but I held onto the last bit of hope that I at least resembled my old self.

  And while I thought myself to be beautiful before, my old body was like a firefly next to the sun compared to this unit of a man. His, or now my, crimson-red hair and eyes were shining with incredible vitality. I was gorgeous. I could not complain.

  But was I still myself? Maybe—but I wasn’t sure anymore. Everything I held dear was gone, and no one on the surface even remembered I had existed.

  My old life had ended the moment Zael took over. Considering my new body and the fresh start this place offered, maybe it was time to embrace it. Maybe it was time for a new name.

  I wasn’t sure where I had heard it before. The name pulled at me, whispering in the back of my mind like an echo from another life. Or perhaps from something greater than myself.

  ‘Azrael.’

  The moment I spoke it aloud, something in the air shifted. The weight of the name settled on my shoulders like a mantle. It was mine. It had always been mine.

  I was not ready to leave my life as Ashen behind, so I decided on a compromise. Hoping that I could someday return to my old, peaceful life, I took the name Ashen when I was in my 10% form.

  But when all hope seemed lost, Azrael would take over and unleash the full extent of my new self.

  *It’s normal to have 2 names, right? Eh, who cares? There is nothing normal about me anyway.*

  --- ---

  While strolling through a part of the city I had never been in I found what looked like a staircase further down, deeper into the cavern.

  I had my self-made backpack with some cooked meat with me, as well as a waterskin, also made by yours truly. As I peeked into the staircase and slowly entered, the wall behind me closed, denying me access back to the city.

  That wasn’t new; it happened to me a few times already. While exploring the other rooms in which experiments were stored, I trapped myself a few times as well. But I could always break down the door, locking me inside. Sadly, all the other rooms were empty.

  So I readied myself to break down the stone wall, throwing a punch. But to my surprise, nothing happened. The wall was not even chipped. Not a single flaw was to be seen. I released the limit on my power and threw a punch with all my might.

  Using my physically enhanced magic body did not cause me pain, but I still kept my power limited for all the other kinds of magic I used constantly, like supporting my eyes and ears and healing all scratches and bruises that accumulated on my explorations.

  But even with my full power, the wall did not budge.

  I started panicking, my breathing quickening and my fist slightly clenching. With no other choice left, I readied myself, stealing my nerves. Staring down the seemingly endless stairway deeper into the cavern, I took my first step toward the unknown.