That night, back in his rented room at Madam Rosita's inn, Aziel sat on the edge of his bed. The wooden floorboards creaked softly under his weight.
He stared at the wall, but his mind was replaying the events in the cave.
The fight with the Crazy Beast flashed through his thoughts — he tried to ambush the creature by summoning the Papa arm and throwing it like a spear, taking the sword from Jonas with the Samurai arm, his split-second decision to let go of the Samurai arm toward the Crazy Beast to strike it, while at the same time try to cushion the impact from Hana's body, right up until finally he was able to chop off its head.
How had he managed to do all that?
The commands to the arms, the split-second decisions, the tactical use of his summoned arms — it all felt… natural. He wondered how he could react so spontaneously while being very effective in a fight.
It had to be connected to the person he was before his memory loss.
His mind then shifted to the moments after the Crazy Beast fell. He'd checked on Hana and Jonas. Their conditions were serious, but thanks to the enhanced body granted by the Mana Stones they consume, their lives weren't in immediate danger.
Before he could rush back to Glenwood for help, Blackie had insisted he collect three specific things from the dead creature.
The first thing was, of course, the arm of the Crazy Beast.
Adjusting his sitting position, Aziel summoned the Crazy Beast's arm right there in his small room. It was a thick, muscular gorilla limb, covered in coarse black fur, nearly two meters long from shoulder to knuckle. The sheer size of it cramped the limited space, as it lay inert on the floor.
Next, from under his bed, Aziel retrieved a cylindrical container, normally used for preserving delicate herbs, which he'd "borrowed" from Dr. Hana's clinic.
He opened it carefully.
Inside, resting on a layer of preserving moss, was the second item Blackie had instructed him to take — the Crazy Beast's heart.
It looked unnervingly like a large human heart, dark red and still glistening slightly, perfectly preserved by the container's special properties that kept its contents fresh for extended periods.
He stared at it, a strange feeling churning in his stomach.
"Hey Blackie, why did you tell me to collect this Crazy Beast's heart?"
"Oh, the heart. I forgot to mention about something to you. There's actually another special feature of your Unique Magic."
Aziel frowned slightly. "Special feature? What is it?"
"Remember how I said the arms you collect inherit the original owner's skills? Well... that's not all. You can also inherit their magic power, if the original owner had any."
Aziel's eyes widened slightly. That was new information. It added another strange layer to his already bizarre abilities.
"And this time," Blackie continued, "the Crazy Beast you killed did have magic power."
"So I can use its magic then," Aziel stated, the memory of the creature blending into the rock face flashing in his mind. "Its power was camouflage, right?"
He instinctively started planning how he might test this new power with the gorilla arm.
"Hold on, I wasn't finished," Blackie interrupted. "Even though you've collected its arm, you can't use its magic yet."
"Not yet?" Aziel asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Skills from the original owner, like the Samurai's swordsmanship, are inherited directly by the arm you collect. But for magic power, there's something else you need to do before you can inherit it. You have to eat their heart."
Aziel froze.
"Eat... their heart?" He looked down at the dark red organ resting in the container. "Is that why you told me to take this?"
"Yes, exactly."
Aziel stared at the heart again, its preserved state doing little to make it less grotesque. His stomach churned unpleasantly.
"Erm... is that really the only way? Can I maybe... cook it first?"
"Yes, this is the only way," Blackie stated firmly. "And no, you can't cook it. Cooking it might interfere with the process of absorbing the magic power. You have to eat it raw."
Blackie continued after a short pause. "And it's best to do it now, while the heart is still fresh. Of course, you need to eat the whole thing."
Aziel swallowed hard, looking from the heart to the large, furry arm on the floor, then back to the heart.
This was disgusting, but if Blackie was right, it was necessary.
He took a deep breath, his expression settling into grim determination. He decided he would do it. He just... needed a minute.
He sat there, staring at the heart, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do.
"If I wash it, that's okay, right?"
"Yes, washing it is fine."
Aziel brought a basin of clean water and put it on the floor.
Carefully, he lifted the heart. It felt heavier than it looked, slick and strangely firm. He rinsed it under the water, rubbing away any clinging residue. The water turned slightly dark.
Setting the washed heart back down, Aziel took another deep breath.
Okay, just get it over with.
He picked it up again, closed his eyes, and brought it to his mouth.
The texture was the first shock — rubbery and dense. Then the taste hit him. It wasn't rotten, thanks to the container, but it was intensely metallic, like sucking on iron, mixed with a thick, gamey flavor that coated his tongue.
He gagged, forcing himself to chew quickly and swallow. Each bite was a struggle against his revulsion.
It took several agonizing minutes, but finally, he forced down the last piece. He shuddered, feeling nauseous.
"Right," Aziel muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Let's see if that horrifying snack was worth it."
He focused on the gorilla arm lying on the floor. "Blackie, how do I use the camouflage?"
"Just like summoning the arms. Focus your intent. Think about what you want to look like, and channel the magic through that gorilla arm."
Aziel nodded.
He closed his eyes, pictured a simple rock, the kind often seen scattered in the forest, and focused his will. He felt a strange ripple pass through him, originating from somewhere deep inside.
He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. They weren't hands anymore. They were grey, rough stone.
He glanced at his reflection in the small mirror hanging on the wall. A medium-sized boulder sat where he had been standing just moments before.
"It worked!"
Aziel's voice, slightly muffled, echoed from the stone form. Excitement built up in his chest.
He changed back to his normal form, the stone melting away.
He grinned. This was incredible. What else could he become?
He tried again, picturing the wooden door of his room. Ripple. He was the door, flat, grainy wood, complete with a handle. Then he shifted into the small bookshelf standing against the wall. Ripple. Rows of empty shelves made up his form.
A mischievous thought struck him. He pictured Madam Rosita — her kind smile, her gentle eyes, the way she carried herself. Ripple.
He looked in the mirror again. Standing there was a perfect replica of Madam Rosita, perhaps slightly taller than the real one, but otherwise identical. He tried mimicking her posture.
"Wow, getting cheeky, aren't we?" Blackie's voice chimed in his mind. "Testing out Madam Rosita's look?"
Aziel grinned, the expression looking slightly odd on Madam Rosita's face. He changed back.
"This arm is pretty useful. I could even just change my face, couldn't I?"
He focused, this time concentrating only on altering his facial features. He imagined a nondescript face, someone utterly forgettable. Ripple. His reflection showed a stranger looking back. Different hair color, different eye shape, a slightly altered bone structure. It was still him underneath, but the disguise was convincing.
After experimenting a few more times, satisfied with his grasp of the new camouflage ability, Aziel finally unsummoned the gorilla arm. It vanished, freeing up space in the cramped room.
Now, for the final item.
He reached under his bed again and pulled out the third thing Blackie had instructed him to take from the slain Crazy Beast. It rested in the palm of his hand — a small, rough stone, about the size of a bird's egg.
"So this," Aziel said, turning the stone over in his hand, "is the Core Stone you mentioned?"