Chapter 2: A world of Biocores
Nioh opened his eyes to a familiar ceiling. The design was old and rusty, the corners of the building were moldy and appeared ready to crumble at the slightest touch. This was where he had spent the last ten years. Before he could sink into another daze, panic gripped him as he called out, "Ekoh?".
"I am here," Ekoh's voice resonated in his mind sending a soothing reassurance through his body marking that he wasn't dreaming.
"What happened?" Nioh questioned in a shaky voice.
"You passed out, before the hospital and some passerby hauled you in a hover car" Ekoh explained. "An old lady helped settle you when you arrived in this place."
"I see. What is the result?" he inquired doubtfully.
"Why don't you check for yourself?" Ekoh suggested proudly.
Sliding off the quaky bed, Nioh moved with methodical care. At first, he sat up, and long ashen hair with golden highlights spilled over his shoulders reaching down to his waist. He fiddled with them curiously and when he stood, the floor felt unusually distant from his face.
"I grew taller?" he exclaimed in excitement. His enthusiasm carried him clumsily to the nearest mirror, while he tripped on his unfamiliar limbs but refused to slow down.
What he saw in the mirror left him stunned. His once skinny frame had transformed into a compact and muscular one. His muscles were toned for explosiveness without possessing any excess bulk. His skin was still pale, and his hair grew longer, along with his face that gave a slightly more mature feel. His eyes had become radiant gold while a golden rune-like tattoo stretched from the center of his forehead down to his left eye, encircling his forehead like a crown.
"Forehead-biocore bind," he murmured simultaneously tracing the rune with his fingers. Exactly like how it had been before the incident.
"How would my body frame rank now?" he quizzed Ekoh.