The Crimson Mystic Legacy Chapter 5: Chapter 5: So It Begins

Read chapter 5 of The Crimson Mystic Legacy by CRIMODAS on NovelPedia.

His eyes snapped open, but the body below him didn't move. He hovered, weightless, staring down at his own limp form. His hands were translucent, glowing faintly and shook violently. "Wah...what is this?! No, no, no, no, what did you do to me?!" Uzi began to panic The panic in his voice cracked against the emptiness of the space, his words echoing louder than they should. His chest rose and fell even though he had no lungs, and his mind reeled at the impossible sight of himself lying below. Uzi's eyes widened in horror as Rathra slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. The air around him felt heavier with every movement. With a casual yet unsettling calm, Rathra reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out what looked like a small, cracked stone petal. Its surface shimmered faintly, as if holding something unnatural inside. Without hesitation, Rathra crushed it in his hand. The stone splintered apart, releasing a strange cloud of aqua-blue smoke that drifted down toward the ground. The others glanced at each other, clearly unsettled, some even confused, as if they had never witnessed such a thing before. Then, as the smoke dissipated, Rathra raised his hand to reveal what looked like a lifeless body cradled in his grasp. Uzi instinctively drifted backward, his soul trembling at the sight. "Why, does that body look.... familiar, what am i talking about, what is this monster doing, I can't feel anything, What do I do?" Rathra noticed Uzi's look of familiar confusion, like seeing something almost uncanny, but close enough to not disturb you, Rathra almost showed disdain at this. Before he could retreat further, Rathra vanished in a blink and reappeared behind him. With ruthless precision, he shoved the body onto Uzi's soul, pressing them together. A shockwave of raw, unnatural energy rippled through him. Uzi's form convulsed as unbearable pain tore through every inch of his being. It felt like his essence was being ripped apart and sewn back together with burning thread. He screamed, just loud and raw, forming tears spilling freely, though no one moved to help. Beat tilted her head, her childish yet twisted tone cutting through the sound of Uzi's cries. "Why that body, huh? And how'd you even stuff it in a dumb little rock? Doesn't make sense." Rathra, however, didn't respond. He didn't even glance at her. His silence was sharper than any words. Even if she asked again, he would not answer that question, which was unlike him, Raidren noticed that reaction the most, tied to the scratch, Raidren looked uncomfortable, like he just remembered something he wish he didn't, he was already uncomfortable just being here, but that memory ruined his mood completely. The agony within Uzi suddenly snapped away. It was like a raging fire in his chest had been doused all at once, leaving only an eerie numbness. His sobs slowed, his breaths ragged as his awareness settled again. He opened his eyes, only to realize everything had changed. His vision was sharper, the air felt heavier, and his hands... weren't his own. Uzi looked down at his new form, horrified at the unfamiliar body that now encased his soul. His stomach twisted in dread. "This isn't me. This isn't mine. What did he...what did Rathra do to me?" Uzi panicked further. A few of the others chuckled under their breath, their mocking laughter cutting into him like knives. To them, it was entertainment. To Uzi, it was the beginning of something far worse than death. The cannon man approached Rathra with his usual flawless posture, as if every step were part of a royal procession. His voice, smooth and poised, rang out like a knight addressing a king. "Rathra," he said, bowing his head slightly, "might I request that you allow me custody of this boy? There is knowledge buried within him, knowledge that would be far better extracted under my care. Experiments, dissections of thought and memory. Imagine what truths he might yield." Before Rathra could even part his lips, the air chan