. . .
. .
"Experiment #345."
Julian's right eye twitched before both of them opened abruptly. A room with walls made out of ironplates, absent of windows. There was a torch emitting a blue flame that lit the entire room dimly.
Between Julian and the speaker stood a wall of glass. Julian began to slowly observe his surroundings. There stood a tall, reptilian man. Unlike the three men he had seen previously, his demi-to-human ratio was a lot more equal.
He towered over Julian, appearing 186 centimeters. His skin was pale, and his pupils were a dark yellow, while his sclera was a lighter yellow. Long grey hair fell down his lab coat as he flicked his lizard tongue forward.
"Repeat after me: On the 21st day of the 5th month, of year 1401, the greedy frog sows a humble seed."
"On the 21st day of the 5th month, of year 1401, the greedy frog sows a humble seed."
There was nothing else to do but respond. So Julian did like so.
"It is a success, sir!" a young girl beside the demi-human exclaimed. Feeling as if it was out of place, she shyly lowered her hands.
Black hair that fell to her shoulders, with even darker eyes. To Julian's surprise, her skin was grey, with horns erecting out of her forehead, before curving upward.
A... demon?
"Welcome to this world, subject... no, subject is rude. You have been bestowed with intelligence, although you might not understand it. Consciousness is a magical thing. What shall you be named?" the tall lizard asked.
"... Julian."
The lizard entered the room, removing Julian from his confines. Julian found there to be trouble walking, as if his body parts were not his own. He was confused. This was until the lizard pulled out a silver, oval-shaped mirror.
His eyes widened.
Out of both shock and to somehow try to absorb more of what he was seeing.
His skin was grey, along with patches of peach and there. However, looking lower, toward his abdomen and chest, he could see the stitchwork. Several different colors covered his body, like he was a tapestry of biology. And stitches ran at the spots where those colors met.
Frankenstein...
. . .
. .
.
Julian sat quietly in a separate room. He was dressed in a hospital gown, a confused expression still lingering on his face. He let out a sigh.
Am I still... Julian?
Am I a creation that just has the memories of Julian? Did I die? This is all too much!
And those words he said before, that man... when he called me a demon king, a tampered soul, or whatever, it makes sense now. I recently learned that demon parts were used to make me. That's why he called me demon king, I'd suppose.
And also, there are deities in this world.
Agh... how troublesome! I should've told him to send me back to my world!
Anywho, at this moment, telling them that I remember who I am, or that I have a consciousness beyond infantility, is not ideal or optimal!
"What are you thinking about, Julian?" the demon girl asked him.
"Rosette?"
"You remember my name? Good memory, you have."
"How could I forget... I'm not thinking about anything in particular. It's strange. I have all this knowledge, yet... nothing. No substance," Julian let out another sigh.
To an extent, I'm not lying, heh. I do feel drowsy. It felt like minutes in that world, but a whole month has passed, and my memory is iffy.
Damn it, Lyrei!
"Dr. Vaen said he didn't use much variety when it came to brain parts. Are there any memories you have at all?"
"... No. I'm sorry."
"Haah. It's fine, Julian. Try not to think too hard about anything. Life is not something meant to be understood. Look around. Life is meant to be experienced," Rosette quietly remarked. Not too long after that, she got up from her seat, leaving the room.
It's May 21st...
Damn you, Lyrei.
. . .
. .
"Alright, test- no, Julian. It's a physical! You are going to adjust to your new demon physiology!" Dr. Vaen spoke with enthusiasm dripping from his demeanor.
In his hand, he held a clipboard.
Julian stood in front of him.
They stood outside the laboratory that was located deep within the earth, now standing outside in the black soil. To Julian's surprise, there were some safe places in this new... world. And he was easily adjusting to the hot ground.
"First test is gonna be a measurement of your speed. You're gonna run from here to that tree over there," Dr.Vaen pointed toward a tree around 30 meters away from Julian.
Julian got into running position.
"3...
"2....
"1..."
"Go!"
Fwsh!
With the extending motion of his legs, Julian was sent flying, to the surprise of even himself. He quickly tried to plant his feet, but this caused him to lose his balance, sending him headfirst toward the tree.
Crck!
The thick black tree splintered. Julian slid down, rubbing his head.
"Okay, controlling power is not that good. Looks like we're gonna need to practice."
.
They went through several other tests. Lifting strength, striking strength, endurance, etc. At the end of it, Julian was left tired, which was due to his not being able to properly control his power.
"Alright, Julian. The final test is going to be combative. You will be fighting Rosette here. She'll be going easy on you, of course. This test really doesn't matter. I'm simply trying to assess how much martial skill your brain has."
"You're putting me up against... a girl?" Julian scoffed.
Before he knew it, Dr. Vaen threw a wooden sword at him. It was light.
Rosette stood there, three meters away from him.
Julian tightened the grip on his sword. With just a bit more control on his body, he dashed forward.
Slsh!
Aimlessly, he swung his wooden sword horizontally.
Rosette blocked the swing, sending his sword into the air with an upward thrust.
"!"
His guard was revealed!
Rosette closed the already small distance between her, moving gracefully. She struck forward, thrusting an open palm at Julian's chest.
Fast!
Julian ducked. The old him would've been hit.
Rosette quickly spun around, gathering momentum. She struck Julian with a low kick.
Bsh!
He managed to barely raise his arms in time to block the strike. This did not matter. Despite his guard, he was sent aback, dragging dust into the air.
"Ack!"
His body slammed into another tree.