A brilliant white light erupted inside the box, shining outward until it covered their sight entirely. As the process continued, Orion soon began to feel a severe headache pressing against his head.
"Don't resist it; these are my memories flowing into yours. It will soon be over," Aegis of the Arctic Deity remarked.
And just as he had said, after a while, the headache began to calm down, and Orion soon felt as though his body was being pulled toward an unknown direction until he suddenly began to feel a sense of weightlessness around his body.
"Open your eyes," Aegis of the Arctic Deity said.
Orion opened his eyes and found Aegis of the Arctic Deity standing beside him before gazing at Aerialia. Then, he carefully looked around, his eyes widening as he absorbed his new surroundings.
The room was filled with medical and scientific equipment, blurring the line between a hospital room and a laboratory. Amidst this, one thing caught his attention—an expansive black glass wall at the room's edge. In the middle, there was an abnormal liquid-filled pod with numerous tubes running through the body within, resembling Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
"Is that you?" Orion asked, swivelling his head towards Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity nodded. "It seems so," he replied, lightly touching his head and sensing a painful throb at the back of his mind.
Although it was challenging for Orion to decipher Aegis of the Arctic Deity's emotions unless he displayed extreme facial expressions, he could sense that Aegis of the Arctic Deity also hoped to grasp the situation better.
"I believe the important question we should be asking right now is where we are," Aerialia interjected. She intensely scrutinised the surroundings, her eyes scanning every detail.
This was the first time she had witnessed such strange decorations, equipment, and instruments in all her lifetimes, so she took her time to absorb it all gradually, growing increasingly curious about their current location.
"You should feel your entire being becoming more attuned to the energy of the gods within a few minutes, so hold on. You have come this far to give up! I promise that after this, you'll obtain the godlike abilities of the revered Omnithrallian race and become a god yourself!"
A resounding voice abruptly jolted the chamber, drawing their attention toward the other side, at the tinted glass wall, as they sensed that the source of the voice had emanated from the other side.
Their hearts and bodies began to tremble as they speculated about who the voice behind the room belonged to.
The entire room trembled, and although nobody spoke, Orion, Aegis of the Arctic Deity, and Aerialia sensed that the source had emerged from the large, liquefied body pod, which seemed sturdier than it appeared.
"One minute remaining," the voice sounded again, and after a few seconds, it counted down, "Three seconds, two seconds, one second..." Just as the voice on the other side of the room was about to finish, the large, liquefied body pod burst open, and everything within the room froze as if time itself had come to a grinding halt.
Orion and Aerialia watched wide-eyed as Aegis of the Arctic Deity emerged from the pod. Tubes connected to various parts of his body, suggesting intricate medical or scientific procedures. However, these tubes detached themselves as though manipulated by an invisible force before falling to the ground.
Orion couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu, as this scene reminded him of moments when White Flame had shown him memories before.
The other Aegis of the Arctic Deity took a moment to glance around, then shifted his gaze to his hands and body as if they were unfamiliar to him.
Suddenly, the metallic door at the edge of the room cracked open with a pressurised unlocking sound until it was fully open, revealing a figure stepping in. He had a mix of Japanese and Korean features, with a full, neatly trimmed beard accentuating his strong jawline. His hair was tied back into a ponytail, showcasing hisstrongfeatures and deep, piercing brown eyes.
Dressed in a simple brown shirt, black trousers, and shoes, he wore a lab coat over it with neatly rolled-up sleeves, revealing his forearms. His warm smile and gentle demeanour made him approachable and endearing. His visible self-confidence rippled out of his being as he walked towards Aegis of the Arctic Deity, seemingly unfazed by the destruction in the room or the presence of a literal man-made god observing his every move.
While Orion and Aerialia harboured doubts about the man's identity, they decided to withhold their assumptions until they were sure, seeing no need to speculate at that moment when the truth would soon be revealed.
"How are you feeling?" The man asked, his eyes fixed on Aegis of the Arctic Deity, awaiting his response.
"Strange! It doesn't feel as good as I expected it to be," Aegis of the Arctic Deity replied, returning his attention to his new body.
"Ha! Of course, I can only imagine how disorienting it must feel for you. After all, you've just undergone an extraordinary transformation; your consciousness and entire being have been transplanted into the imperishable corpse of an extinct race millions or billions of years old and possess power beyond your wildest imagination."
"So It's no surprise that the adjustment period might be a bit challenging, or did you think it would be as simple as getting an update and slapping a 'welcome back to full recovery' sign on a hospital bed?" the man responded, chuckling lightly.
"Right now, you may feel like a puppeteer in a new body, but don't worry. Since the process has been successful, allow the healing process to take its course, and soon enough, you'll begin to feel like you are one with your new self. I know it might feel strange at the moment, but trust me, it won't feel like that for long," he added, his tone reassuring.
Author's Note: Let me cook!