Forged Existence

"It's certainly dangerous."

"Agreed, you're playing with powers you cannot comprehend Jarvis."

Jarvis looked at his two trusted Sage companions. It was Extreok and Whitelash. The two made his room feel cramped which is why Neorvil didn't join. Additionally since the house had wood Guarton didn't bother to show his heated self in case he damaged anything. 

In his palms he felt the flesh-like gem. The source of the Forged Existence. A piece of Heresy that could exist under the sun, Heresy the World wished to reject but couldn't.

"If the words from the Tome of Dead are to be believed, the Undead themselves should be considered Heresy. Yet not only are they capable of living underneath the sun but they don't feel anything like Heresy.", Jarvis argued.

Extreok made her displeasure known through a huff, "You have seen what that Forged Existence was capable of. Is it really necessary to mess with such forbidden power? This is very unlike you."

"If the World didn't wish to understand why its authority didn't work, why did it stop Xo from destroying this? I am of belief that the World wants to figure out more and I can help with that."

Whitelash's tail thrashed about, "If you are to believe this how would you even utilize such a thing? The Forged Existence was implanted in the Chimera. The Forged Existence isn't a creature alone. I doubt any of us would be willing to touch such a foul thing."

Jarvis frowned, "This is true. . . yet you must understand my point of view. The better I can understand how the World works, the better I can understand my purpose in this prophecy."

< Fabled One of Origin wishes to know the reasoning behind the Epithet! >

"I feel you're perhaps too concerned about your purpose in the grander scheme of things. The more you know of the Prophecy the less of its path you follow."

Jarvis stood up and paced about, "Yet it has decided I am the one from it! Every bit of this Prophecy I've come across has left me with more questions than answered! Here I hold a piece of something the World wishes to know about, something regarding how the World works! If the Chimeras can become something not related with Heresy then that makes them a creature! This gives us a chance to figure out what they are!"

Growling could be heard from the large wolf. Extreok bared her fangs in anger, "The Chimeras are nothing but amalgamation of flesh! Their souls were ripped of their process in the Life Cycle and because of it their bodies hold aspects found in all beings! It's incomplete and an abomination! They're not worth learning, only worth wiping from this planet and reclaiming their souls to return to the Life Cycle!"

Jarvis lifted the Forged Existence, "Then what is this?! The missing piece for their souls to return to normal? A shape for them to take? Why can't the world reject this piece despite its want?!"

"I do not have an answer for this! You're playing with something not even the World understands!"

"But the World wants to! I can help with this!"

Extreok leapt upwards and was about to snarl when a notification made its presence known.

< The World allows this experiment. >

< The World wishes to know what the Forged Existence is. >

Another huff escaped Extreok as she returned to a flurry of color and returned to her page within the Book of Life. Whitelash also stood, "Although the World has given its permission I am still against you endangering yourself Jarvis. This power comes at great sacrifice. That is all."

Returning to his own page Whitelash also turned into the flurry of color. Now alone in his room Jarvis stared at the Forged Existence. The pulsing flesh gem that felt strange to touch. All that remained was the issue on how to use it. It was embedded into a Chimera allowing it to become the Forged Existence. Did he need to find another bit of Heresy? Or dabble in it himself?

Jarvis physically recoiled at the stray thought. What a dangerous idea! He had already seen the destruction such Heresy has wrought, he did not need to mess with such powers himself. So how was he to use the Forged Existence?

< The World states it only allows this experiment because one being has offered to take the Forged Existence. >

The pages of the Book of Life began to flip rapidly and color shot out. A creature stood with an expectant gaze. Jarvis looked them up and down, "Mantid? Really?"

Mantid's bug eyes kept looking towards the gem. Perhaps in its simplistic nature the idea of a stronger material was appealing enough to touch upon Heresy. Jarvis lifted the Forged Existence and paused, suddenly he was hesitant. 

If this did irreversible harm to Mantid. . .

Before he could second guess himself Mantid flicked forward and consumed the gem. Jarvis looked at it in shock, "Mantid?! Wait wait you shouldn't-"

"Skree!!"

Mantid made a sound Jarvis had never heard from it. Its body began to shiver uncontrollably as it suffered from a seizure. It grew so violent Mantid was no longer capable of holding itself up. Violently crashing into the ground Mantid continued to shake. Jarvis stumbled forward with fear and held the head of the large bug, "Mantid?"

The bug eyes of the large mantis split apart, a strange fluid leaking out onto the floor. The seizure suddenly increased in intensity. Jarvis felt his heart thump violently in his chest as he felt helpless. 

Various parts of Mantid began to split apart. Flesh wriggled out of the wounds along with the strange liquid. The legs of Mantid no longer quivered and remained motionless as if lifeless.

Jarvis could no longer take it, "Bo! Please!"

The pages of the Book of Life flipped to Bo and To. The Phoenix and Minokawa's drawing looked brilliant. Yet the colors did not move. Jarvis stared at the book in utter horror.

They didn't move, they didn't respond to his summon. This wasn't because they rejected his summon because of Jarvis' choice. Rather because there was nothing else they could do. The changes to Mantid had progressed too far. No amount of healing was going to save Mantid now.

"No-no no no no.", Jarvis felt nothing but utter regret.

Grabbing onto Mantid he felt the remaining face burst apart. Covering Jarvis in the strange fluid, yet he didn't care. The face of Mantid was now replaced with a mass of flesh. It wriggled about without purpose.

A voice spoke to his mind, that of Extreok, "Heresy leaves nothing but regret. Why did you have to go through with this?"

Jarvis couldn't stop his hands from shaking, "Why. . . why didn't you tell me this would happen?"

< The World states it was the creature's decision. >

"This is sacrifice! This isn't what I intended at all! I wanted to find some other Chimera, learn about them! Not kill one of my friends!"

< The World states the creature knew of the consequences. >

"It's not 'creature'! It's a Mountain Carver! His name is Mantid! He's a slightly stupid bug who spends his life eating various minerals to strengthen its exoskeleton. I saved him from a cave collapse! Although not the smartest, nor the strongest, he was my friend! One who joined me in this journey!"

Jarvis looked towards the book, "Whitelash! You remember don't you? The creatures of that forest! Mantid was among them! Did you know this would happen?!"

Whitelash remained silent. This only made Jarvis grit his teeth, "So what is this for?! This experiment that costs a life! Why can't anyone save my friend?!"

A long crack formed down the spine of Mantid. It split apart and flesh began to explode outwards. Various wriggling pieces fell onto Jarvis yet he couldn't find himself to care. Through his desire to find some greater purpose, to find out the meaning of this stupid 'prophecy' he had endangered the life of one of his tames. Now Mantid was going to die this death and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.

Mantid fell to the ground, no longer quivering. A lifeless husk of a body now terribly malformed from the consumption of the Forged Existence.

Jarvis felt the remnants of Mantid's head slip through his fingers. His sorry and regret pooled at his feet and he wanted nothing more than to go back and stop this decision. Mantid had been a long time friend, and to think he wasted the silly bug's life like this.

His regret pooled into a tear which fell onto the corpse. As if finding a source of food the wriggling flesh suddenly tried to move towards the tear. Absorbing the tear caused the large split in Mantid's spine to break apart further. From the mass of wriggling flesh a creature began to crawl itself free.

Jarvis looked up to see a six-legged creature holding a much slimmer mantis body compared to Mantid. Its legs were thin sticks in comparison, and its body lacked an exoskeleton. Made of a pulsing flesh it twitched about and rose onto its two hind legs. It made clicking sounds in response to its body cracking. A head of a mantis revealed itself and clicked its mandibles. Its two bulbous eyes twitched and looked about unnaturally, as if having a mind for each eye. They rotated more like a ball than an eye, even doing full rotations. Its pupils manifested and it looked towards Jarvis.

A croaking tone left the flesh creature, "Fa. . . ther. . ."

Jarvis struggled to stand back to his feet. Rising to meet the creature Jarvis felt the want to hate it. To hate this. . . thing for taking the life of Mantid. Yet for some reason Jarvis instead extended a hand. The newly birthed creature extended one of its twig-like legs and touched Jarvis' palm.

Despite having the body and head of a mantis, its limbs looked more like a cockroach. It fleshy to the touch, and slightly sticky from the mysterious fluid. Yet it was warm. This thing. . . was alive.

Jarvis looked towards the Book of Life. It's pages flipped to Mantid's page and the image was drawn. A colorless drawing of the Mountain Carver. A sign of the lost life. 

Biting his bottom lip Jarvis felt like he needed some air. Moving past the strange flesh bug Jarvis opened his door and walked out into the hall. Hearing footsteps he looked towards the stairs and found a stunned Yielya.

He cracked his lips open unsure of what he should say. So his subconscious defaulted to a greeting.

"Hi. . . Yielya."