Born in Golden Radiance
You opened your eyes. Opened your eyes? You already knew the concept, but whether this expression suited you was another matter. Your vision had always spanned the entire universe, so calling the mere observation up to the horizon "vision" felt utterly alien. This moment—in which you were infinitely closer to blindness than before—was the first sensation you felt. It would probably take some time to get used to this new body.
"You! You...! Have you come back to life? You absorbed the power of the Heart and woke up...?!"
You looked up toward the source of the voice. There stood a metal lifeform far larger than your current self. The one who had merged with you had described it as a monster. And it seemed this "monster" was trying to communicate something to you.
"No network signal either...! What the hell happened? Did you really get reborn or something?! Answer me!"
You weren't fully fused with the body yet. So your understanding of the monster's language was limited. Instead, you recalled a form of communication widely used in the world where you once existed. Soon, a hand signal you'd often seen among your followers came to mind. Since it was used regardless of race, gender, nation, region, or status, you judged it must carry a positive meaning.
You examined your palm, then extended it toward the monster with all fingers folded except the middle one.
The monster stared at your hand signal for a moment before reacting.
"This fucking little shit...! Fine, die then. I'll kill you and all your stupid minions here, chop you up, and chew you to bits!"
"...."
Unfortunately, your intent didn't seem to get across. You also sensed that the other you harbored hatred toward it. Should you resolve this hatred? Yes, you should. It was now your emotion.
As far as you remembered, people who felt this emotion often demanded that you harm someone for them. You just had to do the same.
You adjusted your actions so the body could withstand them. Golden particles bloomed around your arm, and beneath them, circuits etched themselves in as if drawn.
"Dieee-!!!"
The metal lifeform extended thin branch-like tendrils toward you, spewing something. You knew what it was. Electricity.
It was a power akin to one of the blessings you often bestowed upon your followers. You caught the force shooting toward you with your hand and stretched it long. It morphed into the shape of what mortals called a "spear."
"What? What's happening?!!"
This time, the monster swung multiple root-like appendages to engulf you. You extended both hands, emitting a golden wave. The roots crumpled wildly before melting into red liquid that splattered onto the floor.
Then you gripped the electric spear, its blue glow shining, and hurled it at the monster's torso.
Hoping this act would help resolve the hatred embodied in your flesh.
Bzzt-crackle!
"Wha... Graaah!! Aaaah!!!"
Thud!
The monster, engulfed in exploding blue light, collapsed to the ground. A hole pierced its metal body, from which flames, smoke, red fluid, and pitch-black ooze poured out.
You approached its head and stared silently. From its six round holes, black liquid gushed as it twitched, almost like it was cowering in fear.
"Ah, aa... Aaaaah!!! Sp, sp, spare me, I wasn't always like this!! I, I had no choice—my sick family at home...!"
Seeing this, you—well, still brimmed with hatred. You realized the loathing wouldn't subside until its life signs vanished.
"Please spare me please spare me please spare me plea—"
"........."
The monster's pleas cut off. At the same time, a faint electric signal shot from its body into the air.
Whoosh!
You leaped up in an instant and snatched it. Clasping it between your palms, it writhed like a scream. Only after tearing, crushing, disassembling it completely, and scattering it into the ether did you release it.
You gazed at the monster's massive form. It lay empty, utterly still and silent.
In that silence, you felt the hatred that was now yours subside slightly. But it wasn't fully resolved. For now, it was under the control of reason.
Yet it was so vast, so endlessly deep, it might swallow you whole. Even so, you smiled. You knew you and your body walked the same path.
And that hatred was the finest fuel for action.
Now, you receded into the back of consciousness. What came next was the domain of the other you.
William opened his eyes.
"Wha, what? What happened...?"
The moment I regained my senses, the scene before me left me stunned. The Anastasis monster lay toppled. It showed no reaction, its frame pierced through, spewing flames and smoke in clear destruction. The foul stench of burning metal, oil, and rubber assaulted my nose, mingled with the sharp tang of ozone—likely residue from a nearby electrical discharge.
I remembered unleashing the power dwelling in the Heart by shattering it. But everything after that was a blank.
Amid the void, a twinge of satisfaction mixed with a boiling rage that left me breathless, stirring up a storm of unease.
"....No way the gods actually sent down a lightning bolt."
Electric punishment? Zeus, then? Thanks a ton. Mythology GOAT...! Sorry for calling you a playboy...
Clatter!
To calm my rattled nerves, I spouted some nonsense before bolting straight toward where my master lay collapsed. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but if the City caught wind and enemy reinforcements arrived, even this stroke of luck would be for naught.
"Master! Are you okay? Come on, snap out of it!"
".....Ugh......"
My master's body was a wreck. Thankfully, she was still breathing, but her entire form was charred from the current. Blood trickled from her eyes, mouth, and ears. Her internal organs looked doubtful at best. She was strong, so I could only hope she'd hold on until treatment. For now, we had to hurry and escape.
I hoisted her onto my back, grabbed her great tanto too, and headed for the building where Bell had crashed. Luckily, even with her weight, my steps felt light—I could leap dozens of meters with each stride.
'Bell's lighter even after optimization, but still way heavier than Master. If she's this drained, that's a problem.'
Just thinking that would have her glaring daggers at me, but objective assessment was necessary. That said, her signal had been detectable until I blacked out, but now it was gone—worry gnawed at me. I tried activating the scan to pinpoint her location more precisely, but—
....My ocular implant didn't respond.
Come to think of it, it wasn't just that. Overall sensory control, comms—nothing worked. Even the computational augment linked to my internal network wouldn't connect.
Every implant in my body was dead.
"Did the monster trigger an EMP in its death throes? Terrageni! Helspti! Status window!"
Calling the helper auto-responses yielded only silence. But my bodily functions were too intact for a full EMP. Wait a sec.
Come to think of it—
"I smashed my heart to bits... so how the hell am I even moving?"
I halted mid-stride and slowly looked down at my bare upper body. The hole exposed when I ripped out the Heart was sealed. The subtle seams, joints, coils, and synthetic skin overlays that had covered my mechanical parts were gone.
In their place, at the center of my chest, sat a black circle. From it, intricate black lines radiated like tattoos across my body—like roots, or runes from a game, or some kind of circuit.
The bizarre tattoos were questionable enough, but what hit me was that over 90% of my body—artificial—was gone.
I hadn't checked with a full-body mirror or X-ray, but I was certain. Implants, cybernetics, biotech— all wiped clean.
My body had been fully reconstituted as flesh. Like before the terror attack stole my original form.