I felt a slight feeling of acceptance and happiness in the general area. Then it hit me that I was feeling the general emotion of the room from the synergy between the Skills. Then I hear.

[Your Skill {Domain Nexus} has levelled up.]

After the notification, I feel as if the feeling of emotion aligned a bit better but I am not fully sure.

“Yes, the connection between your Skill got a bit better because your Skill levelled up. Now your next Skill, the Chimeric body Skill. I would advise that make the Skill construct keep the parts separate and for the first one take something that will help your body acclimate to future modifications better and because of your Nexus Skill, make the other Skills and Abilities slightly change your body to suit them.” Emir said with the creepy smile still on. I nod my head at his explanation and dive back in.

I open my eyes to see the crystal on the brain changing from the greenish to a more muted greyish tone. I shrug and see if I could make the other Skill here. I see that I could not fit the next one here so I try to shrink the room. The room starts to shrink according to my wishes but the ceiling doesn’t shrink and it stops in a 7 feet radius around the brain. It seems as though it hits a wall as I try to shrink it further. I shake my head and stop trying to shrink it more, instead, I open a door to a different room to the side.

I go through it and see another cuboid room about 7 feet long and 9 feet wide and about 10 feet high just like the previous room. I nod my head at the layout and go to the centre to start working on the Skill.

I try to envision a tank filled will some kind of fluid suspending my body, connected to it are different machines that show what is going on or are holding other parts. I try to impart to it the concepts of change, enhancement, fusion and body. I feel the energies around me coalesce into a tank that is as tall as the ceiling.

In the tank is a pale human body, on its head a messy mop of verdant green hair. Connecting it to the tank are some translucent black wires that come out of the top of the tank and go into the head and back. Then the pinkish liquid started to fill in and fill the tank. I see some holographic displays light up to the side of the tank. In the holograms, I see a model of my body, a weird bug-like thing that looks like an amalgamation of flesh and metal. I thought about what it could be, and then I remembered about the nanites that are meant to be inside me. I tried to look for some other details but I just couldn’t find any, it looks like I will need to get the skill to level a bit for me to get more information. I then acknowledge the system message.

[Congratulations!! You have created the Skill {Transformic Bioforge}]

[You may choose one of your affinities as the aspect of choice]

I think about the suggestion Emir gave me before I came back here. And think about what other kinds of Skills I might need to create to be something in this new world, think about how I used a symbiotic slime residue for most of the modules so that they fit me better and I can get a more instinctual feel for them. As I now know I want what Emir suggested I take Nature.

[You have chosen (Nature) as the aspect]

[You may choose one of these quirks—

• Adaption

• Strength

• Defense

• Control

• Senses]

I do have to say that the control quirk makes me consider a bit but in the end, I choose (Adaption).

I see another small tank about 2 feet tall rise from the ground, in it is a clay-like blob of pale fleshy substance. It then starts to turn more liquid and mixes with the pinkish fluid. After mixing it turns into a sludgy pale purple me mixture that then gets pumped into the main tank, where the sludge starts to form small blobs that float around and then go into the body. Then the roots come through the ceiling, one plugs into the top of it and starts to slowly secrete some pitch black and prismatic gold syrupy substance into the tank which also gets absorbed into the body. The other roots plugs into the base of the main tank but doesn’t pull the liquid, it tries but it doesn’t work.

I think about why this would not work, I realise that it might be because the Nexus is only set to transfer information right now and this skill will not output information but can receive information. I nod my head and smile as I think through these questions. It makes me remember about when I started testing the capabilities of the modules, now I just need to figure out how to use my {Modulator} here. I get out of the core as I feel slightly more tired, which might be because of the mana usage.

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I open my eyes and see that Emir isn’t right up against me this time. I look around to see that he isn’t even in the room. I shrug and look for the bird. Not seeing it near, I call it using the mental link. I feel that it has accepted the request with the feeling of slight anger. Then I hear the flapping of wings from behind me, looking over I see the pitch-black raven coming at me but it seems that it has gotten a bit bigger. I see it land in front of me on the table, it then nods its head.

“I need to give you a name, calling you 'bird' isn’t going to work.” I think to myself and try to find a good name for it. “Noctaru, that will be your Name.” Then I feel a bit of tingling and I black out.

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[???? POV]

That long ear is doing something at Summoner. It has to do with the natural energy so I don’t mind as it is a friend of my Summoner, I try to follow what the long ears are doing to try to understand how to do it. Then suddenly I felt him let go the natura and do something with a different energy. He throws it at the Summoner! I quickly take flight and try to peak at him to stop him from doing something to Summoner. Just as I am about to reach him, he abruptly turns and shakes his head. Then suddenly my body freezes up.

“Don’t fret little bird, I am not doing anything to your master. I am just looking at what he is doing. So don’t do anything, just sit there and eat.” The long ear says to me. The audacity! My Summoner told me to guard him, now that I see long ears doing something to him I just sit down! No! I try to get out of his spell but I find it futile but I still go on. The long ear shakes his head as I see some vines come out of the table and create a cage around me. Then I could move again but I am trapped in this cage. I try to slash at the vines with my claws to cut them, I even succeed in cutting the vine! But before I could cut more of them to make a big enough hole for me to get out the cut vine started to grow and fill in the gap I just cut. As I see that I cannot do anything to get out, I scream at the long ears to free me and get away from Summoner.

I hear him chuckle and say, “Okay! I will free you and get away from your master. I need to prepare some food as it has been hours since he has gone into meditation. I will leave these hogu slices for you on the table.” Then he goes to the door and leaves. I see the vines unravel and the meld into the table. I take a flight to see around the table for any dangers. Seeing nothing wrong I land on the table and start to eat the fruit bits that the long ear left. As I eat them I feel the blood of the Summoner take them and separate the essence and the flesh. Then it uses the flesh to convert the paper that makes up my body into something else, don’t know what. And the essence goes to my mind and soothes it, I feel my anger at long ears subside a bit.

After eating the bit I stare at Summoner for a bit but I feel the urge to do something, to use my mind. I then think of the long ears using the Natura. I try to imitate him, I flow the mind energy out of me and try to ask the natura for something interesting. I see the vision of a spider with wispy black fog around it. Its carapace is a dark green colour. Just as suddenly the vision came it goes away yet I felt a bit of tug towards some distance behind my Summoner. I think that this spider could be a threat to Summoner so his friend showed it to me for elimination. I take flight and go in the direction the feeling is pointing in.

I fly for a bit of a distance and suddenly feel that the presence is behind me rather than front. I turn around to see where it is. I just saw the bookshelves! No spider! I try to look around but find nothing! I get frustrated and try to use that mind energy to do something, I feel it get sucked towards my feather and they light up my surroundings in a pale bluish light. I then noticed a spider bigger than my claw staring at me from where the shadow of the bookshelf was. It was ready to pounce but it seemed to be slightly scared by my light. I take the opportunity and strike it in the middle with my beak. I hit! I try to tear it open with my claws and that also works! I see that the spider is now dead so I start to eat it. No smart in letting it go to waste. I eat its shell and flesh and feel them getting used to making my body better. Then I see a small black shard! Shiny! I put it to the side so I don’t accidentally eat the shine. Summoner will like it and will forgive me that I could not fully defend him. I nod to myself. Before I could completely eat the spider I heard the Summoner call for me in my mind. Should have eaten it faster than dreaming of shinnies! I take the shard in my beak and fly towards Summoner. I land in front of him on the table and start to lower my head to drop the shard to give it to him when he suddenly says something about giving me a name and I freeze. He is giving me a name!

“Noctaru, that will be your Name.” I hear him say and project his mind energy with it. Then I feel the natura weave around me, covering me in a cocoon-like structure. I try to look up towards Summoner and accidentally swallow the shard. And then the natura starts to flow into me. I suddenly hear.

“The First Name of our child, be proud. We will give you a gift if vow to never leave his side.”

I readily accept it. Of course, I will stay with Summoner! I then again hear the whisper-like voice,

“Be the beacon in his night’s embrace,

The silhouette cast in daylight’s grace,

Walk with him through realms obscure,

Be his friend, Noctaru, forevermore.”

Then I suddenly feel more natura come into me. I feel like I will pop. Then I feel like I have to choose something, like what I am, a raven, a shadow, a star or a cat. But those are not what I am! Those are just parts of me I am more! I will be more! I will eat new things and be more! Then I feel like I just jumbled up the threads I was given to choose from and I lose my consciousness to oblivion.