Chapter 206: Demon Mechanic
"Huuuaaaa,"
With a yawn that resounded and echoed around the entire room, Ray slowly opened his lazy eyes, the blurriness in them beginning to fade away as he stared at the familiar sight of the bunk above him and the feeling of the softness of his bed and pillows underneath him.
It was like the first moments of calmness he had been given in many, many weeks. It was almost as if those never even happened, like they were only a nightmare as the last thing he remembered was going to sleep after being captured once again.
But, clearly seeing how he was in his current state, all healed like nothing happened, not at all in the nurse's room or locked up in a dungeon forced to manufacture capsules, he assumed that the only thing that could explain what had happened was to assume that it was a dream.
Trying to move his stiff and tired body, Ray sat up straight, stretching his arms wide that somehow felt much lighter than usual, hearing the sound of various cracks that came from his immense stiffness, almost like he was not even used to his own body which was odd yet not very concerning to him.
"Ray! You're finally awake! Glad to see that you're all right!" an extremely familiar voice sounded from his left, a voice of joy and calmness that he would never forget in a million years.
Slowly and calmly, he turned around to face the voice, addressing it in a warm yet casual tone, his vision still not completely cleared as he began to rub both of his eyes to help wake himself up.
"Yeah Alex, I'm awake, you wouldn't believe the nightmare I just had, it w-..."
Ray immediately bit his tongue, stopping his words in the middle of his sentence as soon as his vision became crystal and he was able to see the entire room.
He seemed to be in some sort of green bubble that now began turning yellow, something that he immediately recognized as belonging to Nags. Underneath this bubble were various puddles of flesh and black blood, knowing for some reason that they belonged to him. It almost seemed like he was some sort of guinea pig or lab rat.
When he looked up, he witnessed the worst sight of his life…
Moby, Alex, an extremely beautiful blue haired woman along with the enemies, Nags and Jason, all of them were sitting at their table, a mixture of different expressions on all of their faces as they all looked in his direction with devilish, almost predator-like eyes. It almost seemed like they were friends, a pack of wolves ready to hunt him down and tear him to shreds…
Had his dream not been a dream? Had he been betrayed, had his friends turned on him and joined the enemy by force? Or had they been against him the entire time? Why else would they have been acting so casual around each other? Had they used him for some sort of experimentation?
Nothing made sense as he stared at the scene with shaky eyes and a jittery mouth, his entire body unable to stand still.
Yet, despite all of that, he did not at all feel as much fear, nervousness, and lack of hope that he usually had. Instead, he felt some sort of odd rush of adrenaline that felt all too familiar yet obscure at the same time, a mellow, jittery smile appearing on his face as his brain began spinning in circles trying to think of what his next most logical move would be.
"Ray, calm down, I promise you that it's not what it looks like. You've got the wrong idea, I beat those two guys up and now they're my loyal slaves," Moby calmly said with his arms crossed, a hint of satisfaction on his face, Nags and Jason unmoving and unaffected by Moby calling them both his loyal slaves.
Ray's shaky eyes grew even wider than before as his mind began spinning in overdrive. The Nags and Jason he knew would never have stayed quiet under any circumstance if anyone called them slaves, even if it was some sort of plan to trick him, he knew their pride would not allow them to.
Then, the memory of a purple-eyed figure comforting him before going unconscious now filled his mind as he began to slowly find truth in Moby's words.
However, that did not yet calm the unease and confusion in his soul, and what that clump of blood and flesh underneath him were doing, along with many, many unanswered questions that ravaged his mind and made him feel some sort of aching pain.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Moby disappeared from his spot at the table, leaving an afterimage in his wake as Ray was not able to follow his movements at all.
Before he knew it, he had been standing directly in front of him, dropping down to his eye level not even a meter apart.
Lifting his right arm out and opening his palm, Moby unleashed some sort of unknown purple vortex from his hand, aiming it directly under him, sucking up all the flesh and black blood that laid on the bottom of Nags's bubble, making it shatter in the process almost like it was nothing but glass, Ray staring at Moby in awe like he was some sort of all-mighty figure with his glowing, majestic royal purple eyes completely speechless at how he had just done that without the use of a storage ring.
In a serious yet warm voice, Moby focused his mighty gaze onto the clearly confused and distressed Ray, sending shivers down his spine yet making him feel strangely comforted at the same time.
"I can explain everything to you in 1 minute, just look into my eyes and all will be clear,"
Ray nodded his head, his mouth wide open with sweat running down his face. There was no need for resistance, if he declined he would be forced into doing so anyway. Plus, he trusted Moby as his friend and always felt calmer in his presence, now being even more than ever.
"Okay, I'll do it, I just want to know what is going on…" Ray said, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
"Good, now stare into my eyes for the next minute and all will be clear, have faith in me…" Moby continued with the same tone, his purple eyes shining even more brightly and ominously than before, giving Ray the feeling that who he was looking at was not even human. Yet despite that fact, he felt no hostility coming from his eyes, just the warmth and seriousness that was oddly welcoming.
As Ray peered into the Abyss of Moby's red pupils, his mind began to get lost and drift of in many different directions before his mind suddenly went completely blank…
Strange memories and information that felt completely foreign and unknown to him began slowly trickling into his mind like a river of knowledge, the truth gradually being unveiled like he was slowly reading a book.
Memories of exactly what had happened to him, who he now became and why, what Moby was, why Jason and Nags were with them, who Abby Reid was and what happened to her in their attempts at saving him, what kind of new powers he had attained, and what Moby had planned...
It would have most likely been too much to handle and stomach for his old self, but with his new body, it was just enough for him to properly take everything in…
Ray slowly opened his eyes, coming back to his senses only to see Moby still staring at him with the same gaze as before, a gaze he now completely understood the meaning of.
"So, did you get all that?" Moby asked, staring at Ray with a hint of concern as his expression still seemed completely blank, which when Moby began to think about it more, a blank expression was his usual expression so he might have been worried about nothing.
Moby had realized that his memory manipulation did not only serve to change memories but also implant memories as well.
Before talking to Ray, he had asked Avilia to give him a full explanation about demon mechanics and what their usual arsenal consisted of and relayed it all to Ray along with everything else he needed to know. Of course, lying to him about the fact that he needed to turn him into a demon or else he would have died.
"Yeah… I think I get everything… So, we are all demons, I am a demon mechanic and you are the future demon lord, you turned everyone here, including Nags and Jason into demons and you have complete control over them, I was going to die so you saved me by turning me into a demon, Abby Reid of the Reid household was part of your group and she was captured trying to save me, now you need my help trying to get her back am I correct?" Ray spoke quickly in his usual voice, his hands over his mouth like he was in deep thought.
No matter how many times Moby witnessed such a scene, he never ceased to be surprised that they were all taking it so calmly.?He had imagined the realization of people knowing that they lost their humanity would have a bigger impact on their psyche. Yet, every time he turned anyone into a demon, he was always proven wrong as they quickly grew to accept their new reality.
It was most likely because of how becoming a demon can affect a person's mind without them even realizing it and the fact that they notice no immediate change in their still human-like bodies other than massive upgrades in the form of stronger regeneration, bone structure, night vision, senses, and in Ray's case, a bigger brain and mental capability as well, a bonus of demon mechanics.
Power was what ran the world and demonization on the surface only seemed like a free power boost, which people did not at all mind since they still felt like they were themselves. Plus, the fact that religion was now almost completely non-existent helped that fact since symbols of the devil and demons were not as prominent as before.
As long as he kept the fact that turning into a demon can very mentally affect someone, he should be fine since none of his servants seemed to have a single clue and felt like they were still the same person before and after their demonization.
"Yes, that's pretty much everything," Moby said, nodding at Ray's words.
"I am still taking everything in… I may not know this Abby Reid personally but I understand that she tried to save me and really means a lot to you… You have all suffered so much for my sake but I have never done anything in return. Now, all that will change! With this new power, I will prove that I am not useless and can be of help! As for your plan, yes! I should definitely be able to do it if what you told me about demon mechanics is true. All I need is a bit of practice to get used to this all!" Ray said in a serious, heartfelt voice of conviction like he wanted to prove himself, taking a small glance of contempt towards Jason and Nags who both stayed unfazed despite noticing his gesture as they continued to spectate everything going on around them.
A wide smile appeared on Moby's face as he felt like things were progressing much better than before, despite knowing deep down that his plan had an extremely high risk and only had a small chance of success. Abby was still in extreme peril and a chance was still a chance, much better than anything else they could have done and much better than sitting down on their ass in defeat waiting for the other side to make their move. Plus, even if it failed, it would be a good source of recon and intel gathering none the less.
"I am glad to see that you're alive and kicking bro, I've never seen such a well lit fire in your eyes. If you actually can help, it would really mean a lot to me. I'm really glad to see that you're doing fine and better than ever," Alex added, looking at Ray with the first natural smile he had shown in a long time as he felt genuinely comforted to see him again, and the fact that he had promised to help them in their endeavours, giving him hope...
"Don't worry Alex, I've never felt more alive…"
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