Broken glass cracked and fragmented further as Kaen's foot pressed down upon the shattered window he was climbing through. The cabin appeared abandoned from a first glance, but a presence could be felt looming about the property which initially prompted Kaen to investigate further. Months of failed expeditions searching for these names on a list, most either long dead or just gone entirely. This would be the first time he had any luck with his list. What list you ask? As it turns out, Kaen's father owned and ran many secret and illegal laboratories around the country. Most, if not all, performed illegal genetic experiments on both the willing and the captive. The Shinku siblings, Kaen and his sister Kasen, were among the group of 'captives' so many years ago as children. Their mother murdered in front of them and taken away as prisoners in some lab, their father's lab. Kasen, the brave soul that she is, found an abandoned lab among the frigid wastelands of Water Country. Within she found more than just ice, and this list of names was among these forgotten relics. So in an effort to further search and research their father's whereabouts, Kaen has begun to seek out these names in the hopes someone might have answers.
The smell is what hit him first, that all to familiar smell of death. The sickly aroma of rotting flesh permeated the air within the cabin, the rank and pungent smell mixed with a tinge of sickening sweetness gripping the inside of his nostrils made Kaen cringe for a moment. It was so sudden and so strong, strange that none of it managed to escape outside. As he stepped further into the darkness, Kaen's eyes still trying to adjust to the darkness, his feet left the glass and found more curiosities. A loud crunch and then a pop resounded throughout the wooden cabin as a femur snapped in half under his weight. Kaen held out his hand and brought forth a small ball of fire that illuminated the interior. Piles of human and animal bones alike littered the floors, some strewn about the middle of the floor while larger piles were stacked in the corners. Whatever lived here was no ordinary human, Kaen was on the right track. As Kaen filtered through the maze of bones and decay, he made sure to make as little noise as possible so as not to stir any lingering creatures or his target. Little did he know that they were one in the same...
Once, twice and then a final time did Kaen search the house to no avail. And yet he still felt a presence within the cabin. Kaen stood in the middle of the living room scratching his head. Suppose the only thing left to do was burn it to the ground and erase all evidence. Kaen widened his stance and with both hands began to form a large ball of fire in which he intended to amplify and then cast down into the foundation. But wait! In the corner of his eye a faint gleam shimmered in response to Kaen's large fire. Something buried within the pile of bones, something metal. With a blast of pure non-elemental chakra, the pile of bones was quickly cleared away to reveal a hidden hatch. It was crudely built, clearly not original. Kaen slowly approached the hatch and swung open the door to reveal a well of unnatural pitch black darkness. Kaen peered into the ebony depths attempted to make anything out. Nothing but silence greeted him, at least at first...
In the distance, deep within the well of darkness, a single droplet echoed up through the opening. Kaen, once again, lit a flame within his hand to illuminate the hatch. But as he draped the fiery glow over the hole, a twisted and grotesque face peered back up at Kaen from within the hole. "REEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A high pitched screech pierced his ears. He lifted his hands in an attempt to shield them from the noise, but as he did so the creature burst forth from the hole and raked a single talon covered hand over Kaen's arm. Droplets of blood immediately started pouring from his open wounds. Thankfully Kaen was no rookie and simultaneously countered with a blast of fire, scorching the creature badly. Kaen quickly regained his footing and faced the creature. It was bipedal in nature, but his form was twisted and deformed. Various parts of his body appeared to have been a different animal all together. But the eyes were different, they had a sense of humanity deep within them. It became clear to him just exactly what he was staring at, just another victim in a long trail of bodies. "Wait!" Kaen held out an open hand trying to halt the man's assault. The abomination faltered for a moment and looked at Kaen with a perplexed look across it's gruesome face. Perhaps it understood him in someway? "My name is Kaen, I believe you were taken against your will long ago and experimented on. I can help you, set you free from this hell that you clearly are in. What say you, do you long for your suffering to end?" In truth there was really only one remedy to such a horrific transformation. It is never pretty when the experiments fail, Kaen and Kasen were fortunate enough to been able to merge with the genetic material, but this man was not.
The strange hybrid cocked his head to the side, simply staring at Kaen. For the briefest of moments it was still and peaceful, and then the creature sprung into action. A most peculiar aura burst forth from the monster, shaking the very foundation of the house. He was most definitely more than human, that much was clear to him now. There was a certain theme to their father's work which meant it was entirely possible that this thing was an amalgamation of many genetic materials, some of which were most definitely Ancient. The only difference is it didn't quite meld as well as it did for Kaen and his sister. Kaen knew what he had to do now, or rather what he wanted to do. Shiori told him that if he wanted to increase his power, his linage, his ancient side, he would need to consume the souls of other ancients. Sadly they were rare these days, but here one stood on a silver platter. Look, it's clear you are lost to the world of the sane, do us both a favor and relinquish your eternal soul to my fire!" Kaen released his own flaming aura and sent a vicious volley of fireballs into the creature. A crescendo of explosions illuminated the otherwise dark cabin for a moment. As the smoke and dust settled the creature sluggishly rose from the ashes, part of his arm was missing burns covered the entirety of his body. "You're finished, just let this hap--." Kaen began to taunt his prey but faltered mid sentence. The creature appeared to be focusing some power throughout his body, and as if some type of miracle was being performed, the creature's arm grew right back and the burns faded away like rain washing away mud. "Well that's a nifty trick, how did you do that?" But the creature was in no mood for small talk and pounced.
The creature certainly had tricks up its sleeve and clearly had the potential for great and powerful things, but sadly his mind was weak and malnourished. Years of solitude had driven him mad and all notions of tactical prowess and skill, if any had been present to begin with, faded along with his sanity. This was child's play for Kaen, easily dodging his over reaching swipes. "I'm sorry you had to undergo those things so long ago, but I will end your suffering here and now. But before I do..." As the creature made another attempt at Kaen, the red headed Ancient side stepped him and grasped his head, smashing it down into the floorboards. "I intend to take that little gift of yours for myself." While Kaen was still unsure of how it all worked, Kaen found that his melding with Kasen and Same's souls gifted unto him strange and new abilities. One such ability was to steal powers from others and use them for his own affairs.
Now with the knowledge stolen from the creature, Kaen stood upright and utilized the new gift. The gash on his arm quickly faded from view as if nothing had ever happened at all. "Such wonderful gifts, shame they were squandered on you for so long. Farewell my caged brother..." The creature's eyes lit up as the realization of its impending doom greeted him. Somehow it felt like this is what he wanted all along. A sense of relief flooded outward from the creature as Kaen's fist plunged deep into its chest. Barely making a sound as Kaen rummaged around its insides, grasping his heart and ripping the soul out of him. The light quickly faded from its eyes as it watched Kaen consume his soul in front of him. Kaen could feel the power, the ancient linage within the man. His body welcomed the power with open arms and quickly went to work in incorporating it for his own use. As Kaen exited the building and started down the path back home, he turned one last time and with a single snap of his fingers the cabin was decimated, entirely consumed in flames. Kaen, with his blood covered hand, pulled forth the list of names and drew a bloody line across the man's name before returning home.
Transformation [M][lb][/lb]
