This was what Finn had feared. He had succeeded in forcing them to open up to him, but now faced the barrage of their wills.

Yet he did not have enough time to calmly force a reasonable soul debt. And they could sense that.

In his time with Isis, he had learned that by instinct, chaotic soul masses always demanded a total corrosion of the Ossuarist body during every assimilation. The resultant soul debt at the end was simply the compromise forced by the Ossuarist to lower that risk.

But Finn had no time to lower the total corrosion the soul masses demanded. At most he could force some minor changes that would prevent a total corrosion from the onset.

But there was no mistaking the fact that he was coming out of this with a terrible deal.

To minimize the risk, Finn quickly locked onto the single soul mass that felt the least chaotic, hoping that could help him at least enforce some of his will in the short few seconds that were left.

​A total of four seconds had passed. He had five seconds left at most before he hit the ground and splattered like an egg.

Within that time, he initiated the assimilation with the soul mass in question, relegating the others back to their dormancy.

He had chosen, and now it was time for the negotiation.

He felt the intense corrosive desire of the soul mass flood his mind, but he stood his ground, calling up his soul register to view the details of the creature's demands in a clearly defined form.

[CHAOTIC SOUL MASS]

Species Name: Iron-winged Ferropteryx Eagle

Rank: 15/ 21

Type: Beast Soul (Metal & Wind Elemental)

Assimilation: 1%

Mythology Aspect Used: —

Adaptations Left Till Soul Drift: —

Time Till Next Adaptation Recovery: 46 Days

[SOUL DEBT]

Current: Surrender your body entirely or die!

Status: Unfinalized/Unstable

No way! Finn mentally fought back against the Soul debt, pushing at least for something less demanding.

A soul tug of war ensued, taking another two seconds, in which Finn pushed with as much soul strength as he could to force some leeway for himself, finalizing a Soul Debt that was less demanding, but still cost him terribly.

[SOUL DEBTS]

Current:

Partial Ferropteryx Body – Your body will undergo a partial transfiguration that will remain permanent for a duration of <20> days after each embodiment manifestation.

Live Prey Compulsion – Your digestive system for <5>days can only properly process meat from creatures you've personally killed with your own hands. Food from any other source provides minimal nutrition, slowly starving you unless you hunt. Even butchered meat from markets won't sustain you. It must die by your hand.

Vengeful Ferropteryx Nature – Any injury you receive during embodiment will plague your mind for days. Psychologically, you gain the pride of the Ferropteryx Eagle and become unable to let go of grudges during this period, obsessively planning retribution against anyone who slights you during your manifestation period, no matter how minor.

​Predatory Insomnia – Your sleep cycle inverts to match a nocturnal hunter for days. During daytime, your body is sluggish and weak, functioning at 50% of its capabilities. Your mind becomes hyperalert during the cover of night but more sluggish during the day.

​Sky Tyrant's Vertigo – You gain the ability to sense air currents and wind patterns instinctively for days, but being at ground level for a long period causes severe discomfort and disorientation. Mentally, you develop claustrophobia and an obsessive need to reach high places, feeling wrong and anxious when grounded.

​Sovereign's Isolation – For <3> days after a manifestation, physical contact with others feels instinctively wrong and degrading. Your skin crawls just by being touched by others. You develop an overwhelming need for personal space and react with irrational anger when others approach too closely. The Ferropteryx ruled the skies alone.

​Pride Before Healing – Your body's natural healing is reduced by 70% for days if you accept help, medical treatment, or admit weakness. Only injuries you "walk off" on your own and ignore will heal normally. Acknowledging pain or limitations actively slows your recovery.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A burning rage filled Finn as the debts were finalized. This was the best he could do. A total of seven soul debts that were extremely debilitating; Debts that changed his physical nature entirely. What difference was this to being a beast?

Finn had tried his best to reduce the effects of the soul debts on his mind. That had been his main focus. And it was the reason why most of the debts affected his physical nature mainly.

As the debts were finalized, Finn felt the first round of pain take over his body as he immediately embodied the Ferropteryx Eagle. He cursed Nathaniel several times over in his mind, burning with intense fury directed at the man. He was the reason Finn couldn't at least take a safer route of shadow manifestation, as his initial attempt during the assimilation failed because of the weird magic the man had cast.

Now, he was stuck with embodying the Ferropteryx for life.

The transfiguration continued with haste, and Finn couldn't help the cry of pain that tore through his throat as the most vital part of the Ferropteryx — the wings — tore through his back, twisting his skin open as it rapidly formed.

Two massive wings more than thrice his height spanned wide open from both his shoulders, pulsing with thick, powerful muscles like metal fibres, and coated with shadowy-black feather-like fur.

A guttural scream that came from the depth of Finn's soul tore through the air, shocking the pedestrians, stall owners, and even Arcanists who seemed to only notice the unmissable ruckus from above now.

Their faces were a mix of terror, confusion, surprise, and even curiosity that Finn could very clearly see now that he was about to hit the ground.

BOOM!

He slammed the massive wings downward, immediately shattering the glass windows of the building and close-by shops, sending nearly everyone within his range to the ground from the brutal wind pressure generated from the sudden stop.

Finn halted less than ten feet above the pavement, his body bearing the entire brunt of the violent momentum arrest.

He gritted his teeth, powering through the G-Force that pressed his spine ruthlessly.

For a few seconds after that, he hovered there, slowly stretching to correct his spine as everyone below stared at his suspended, bloodied figure, struggling in shock to make out whether he was human or beast.

Then, the Vengeful Ferropteryx Nature took hold of him.

It washed over his mind like a torrent, suppressing every thought in his mind and replacing it with a cold, blinding indignation directed at Nathaniel.

He looked up slowly, staring at the figure leaning out of the broken window a hundred floors above.

Finn flapped once.

The force was tremendous. He shot upward like a bullet, feeling the G-force pressing his eyes back into his skull.

As he ascended, the rest of the Ferropteryx transformation and soul debts began to reshape his body and psyche.

His vision blurred and shifted, then sharpened with terrifying clarity as his pupils reshaped into vertical, predatory slits. Small tufts of steel-gray, feather-like fur formed along his forearms and neck, itching and burning as they pierced his skin open. His teeth ached, elongating and sharpening into serrated points designed to tear meat from bone.

The broken observation deck was within his view in a heartbeat. And right there, was Nathaniel, leaning out, shrieking in pure ecstasy.

"YES! THE BIRD HAS FLOWN! THE LITTLE BIRD HAS FLOWN!"

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