The Clock of Flesh and Emerald

The return to reality was like a brutal impact against his existence.

"Aaaaagh!!"

Shija bolted upright, his lungs burning and bronchial tubes irritated, as if he were still inhaling the smoke from the destroyed laboratory.

"Agh...!"

His form, which until a moment ago was an erratic and semi-transparent essence, began to gain mass violently.

(Again?!)

The density of his body increased in seconds, solidifying into an amalgam of flesh and astral energy that vibrated with intense pain, as if his bones were being forged anew on an invisible anvil.

(This pain...!!)

Upon his skin, the lines of his emerald tattoos took on a life of their own.

(THUMP-PULSE-HISS!!!)

Like neon green light serpents, the marks twisted and coiled tightly around his limbs and torso, glowing with a blinding intensity as they sank into his dermis.

"¡¡¡!!!"

The assimilation process that his soul was suffering had begun once again...

(VZZZZZT-CRACKLE-SHHHHH!!!)

However, just like last time, as his figure shrank more and more until adopting an appearance close to that of a three-year-old, Melioris's power intervened, delaying the assimilation process once more and thus preserving Shija's consciousness until the last moment.

"GRRR-HAAAH… HAAAH…!!!"

And in the midst of the agony, his physical senses snapped to life.

(The pain is even greater!!)

He felt the violent friction of the wind whipping against his face and the roar of the air rushing past his ears.

(Fshhhhh-whooooom-ssshhh!!)

However, it wasn't a freezing wind; it brought with it the comforting and sweet aroma of hot chocolate, a fragrance so dense he could almost taste it.

(Crrck-shhh!)

Even so, despite this, Shija, trying to regain his composure, clenched his teeth, forcing his mind out of the shock.

(Krr-thump-thump!)

It was then that, upon opening his eyes and digging his fingers into the surface beneath him to keep from falling, he noticed a rough, warm, and rhythmic surface.

"¡¿?!"

As a result, as the pain in his body began to subside—shifting from a piercing agony to a dull echo that throbbed to the rhythm of the emerald tattoos, which finally stopped writhing to settle as fixed marks on his skin...

"... Haaaa... Haah... Scales...?"

With his vision still blurred, Shija dug his hands into the surface supporting him to stabilize himself, noticing the truth.

"... But... this color..."

They were massive scales of a deep hue that reflected the sunlight as if they were polished gems, stretching across a vast curvature that seemed to have no end.

"And this size..."

Keeping his calm, Shija carefully analyzed the movement of the colossal musculature through the experience gained from his continuous, sudden ordeals.

(Gruuum-shhh-zkrt!!)

Every time the air whistled around him, the creature beneath him made a subtle adjustment, and he could feel the unfolding of shoulder blades as large as hills.

{Mmh...?}

Even so, despite the friction of the constant wind, the aroma of chocolate became more intoxicating, blending with the surrounding scent that helped to stabilize the situation.

{Oooh, so you've finally awakened?}

As his figure finished stabilizing and the air in his lungs stopped burning, a deep vibration—a baritone that made his very bones tremble—broke through the roar of the wind.

"That voice... could it be that you are?!"

The sound didn't come from the front, but from the side, with a potency that lacked physical mass.

(Crr-ack... krr-ick...!)

Shija forced his neck to turn; the sound of his vertebrae cracking under the tension of the effort was all that remained as he beheld...

{You've been unconscious for days this time...}

The beast's neck, a pillar of power covered in perfect scales, curved back with an elegance impossible for its size.

"A dragon... But that form..."

What now stood before Shija was the face of a dragon, appearing before his vision with a majestic profile.

"...."

Shija blinked, awe replacing the pain.

{You’ve been asleep for a couple of days since you lost consciousness!}

That voice... it was the same melodic frequency he had heard before, but now it resonated with the authority of thunder.

{So I decided to help you, and by adopting this form, I’ve moved forward carrying you along, as you can see.}

Upon hearing those words, Shija remembered how, during their conflict, the doll had at one point adopted the form of a dragon; but now, compared to what stood before him, that had been nothing.

"Is it... really you...?"

The dragon carrying him was covered in an armor of polished chitin, an exoskeleton that shone with a brilliant luster and a deep hue.

{Of course it’s me!}

Every plate of its body seemed carved from obsidian, shimmering like a prism that refracts light, fitting together with millimetric precision that allowed for astonishing flexibility despite its colossal size.

"... Definitely... it seems you have... changed a lot..."

Sharp, translucent spines sprouted from its spine, vibrating with an internal energy that stabilized its trajectory through the caramel-scented air currents.

{Of course I changed... or rather... is this what growing up is? Mmm...}

Answering the doubts of Shija, who was still in confusion as he processed the situation, the dragon that had previously been the doll in their last encounter flew at overwhelming speeds.

(Vvvvrou-shhhhh-krkkk!!)

The atmospheric pressure was a tangible force pushing Shija against the scales, forcing him to crouch down so as not to be torn from the beast's back.

{But leaving that aside, you are the one who has changed, and not in a good way!}

Despite this, as the wind roared, it was unable to dull the beauty of the landscape: around them both, immense jade butterflies with wings as large as ship sails fluttered in formation, flying through a sky tinted in pastel tones—a sight that the doll, now in her dragon form, pointed out.

{From your appearance, your time is running out!}

They crossed through cotton candy clouds that dissolved upon contact with the dragon's body, leaving behind a trail of sweet threads and the persistent aroma of hot chocolate that saturated Shija's lungs.

(Pufff-ziiisss-haaah!)

It was an epic journey, a dance between the fragility of candy and the hardness of chitin, flying toward a destination only the doll knew in a race against time.

"What do you mean...?"

The dragon did not slow down; on the contrary, its chitinous wings adjusted with a metallic click to cut through the air with greater efficiency at Shija's question.

{Listen, this will be extensive.}

In response, Shija received the doll's voice in his mind, clear and icy, above the atmospheric roar.

{Your body is no longer the erratic essence I found. You have become increasingly solid and young, almost completely tangible at this point. The younger your face appears and the firmer your mass becomes, the closer you are to the point of no return. Soon you will be processed and reborn as a new being, a creature native to this place. When that happens, there will be no escape. You will forget who you truly were and become a new life.}

In that way, after hearing that explanation, Shija felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind as his mind fully awakened.

"¡¡!!"

He looked at his hands: the skin was smoother, his limbs shorter than he remembered from the last time.

(If what she says is true, then...!)

The physical rejuvenation was proof that his chronology was being devoured by the environment.

(That would explain the visions and the intense pain upon waking up!)

However, instead of giving in to panic, Shija clenched his fists against the obsidian scales.

{It seems you finally understand the criticality of the situation!}

At that instant, the doll roared and folded her wings at a sharp angle.

(BOOOOOOOOOM!!!)

She generated a circular shockwave that expanded around them as the dragon broke the sound barrier.

"Wait... If you know all this... Then..."

The roar was deafening, but the beast's colossal body acted as an aerodynamic shield, enveloping Shija in a bubble of stable air while the landscape below became a blur of vibrant colors. Shija forced his voice, trying to get answers.

"If you know the assimilation process, it's because you know how to stop it. If you've rescued me, it's because there is a method to get out of here before I stop being myself. I beg you, tell me how!"

Following Shija's cry, an awkward and dense silence materialized between them—an invisible barrier that weighed more than the air pressure.

{Leaving is impossible...}

The dragon continued to beat its chitinous wings with rhythmic force, reaching such an extreme speed that the roar of the exterior wind was left behind, trapping them in a bubble of artificial calm where only the vibration of the creature's biological engine existed.

{Stopping the assimilation process is also impossible.}

Without slowing down, it spoke words that struck like a blow to Shija's will.

"....."

Shija felt the strength leave his legs; his eyes widened in paralyzing shock as the reality of his doom settled in his chest.

(It can't be...)

His fingers slipped from the obsidian scales, and he fell heavily to his knees, impacting against the dragon's hard armor.

(Master... I... is there nothing I can do?)

He remained there, small and vulnerable, watching as his own hands continued to look younger and younger, feeling the weight of what that meant.

{Or at least... that’s how it should be.}

However, before panic could fully consume him, the doll spoke again, this time with a hint of doubt, pulling Shija out of the darkness.

{But in your case, you didn't rejuvenate so quickly, and you were even able to persist for days, all thanks to Melioris's intervention. She has been interfering with your structure, weaving a veil of delay over your conversion... although, by the looks of it, even she is reaching her limit.}

Shija raised his head, his hair whipping violently from the remnants of the wind.

{She isn’t the type to do something that won’t yield long-term benefits; so, if she did such a thing for you, it’s because, unlike the rest of the souls that have been digested by this place, you have a real chance of escaping. She doesn't bet on lost causes, after all.}

After digesting all that information at once and with no time to think, Shija took a deep breath, letting the cold, sweet air fill his lungs.

"Fuff..."

Slowly, he stood up on the scales, balancing his new center of gravity.

(She's right... That's just how she is...)

His body was smaller, his muscles more compact, but his gaze retained the intensity of a thousand battles.

(... She isn't the type of person... who starts something with a predetermined outcome...)

He remembered Melioris's calculating nature; she was not an entity that wasted her power on useless gestures.

"Please... do you know what I have to do?"

If he was still "himself," it was because she had placed a chip on his head, betting on his own rhythm.

{I don't know. But before you collapsed, you mentioned "mom"... Ahem! Mireya... so the key must be there! After all, if that old man Yumemaru threw you into my house telling you to look for Mireya, then I have theorized that, given the level of "convenience," there must be a connection! So... why not bet everything on that possibility?}

Shija clenched his fist with renewed determination.

"So, betting everything..."

His emerald tattoos pulsed once, like a heart of green light.

"Alright!"

As he looked up, he saw it.

{That's the spirit, since we're about to reach our destination!}

There, silhouetted against the pastel sky and cotton candy clouds, stood the floating mansion that Yumemaru had previously pointed out to him.

"...."

It looked majestic—an impossible structure suspended in the air, surrounded by gravity-defying gardens.

{Getting here isn't as easy as it looks... so... are you ready?}

With every beat of the dragon's wings, the distance shortened.

"Yes!!"

The place where the "mother" of this world waited, and where Shija would find either his freedom or his final assimilation, was drawing near.