Age Of Magecraft 1

"I did... I did it. Fu—Fuck you, Sirzechs! Who says only you can have a younger sibling?!" Mephisto spat out, his voice trembling, and then *BLEGH!!* He doubled over, emptying his stomach onto the cold floor of his laboratory.

Once he had finished vomiting, he looked up again at the glowing green tank in front of him. The tank itself wasn't of much importance—no, it was what was inside that truly mattered.

Around him, hundreds of papers were scattered across the floor as though a hurricane had torn through the lab. Mephisto, regaining his composure with a grim smile on his face, took in the chaotic scene before him.

And then he promptly threw up again.

Earlier that evening, Mephisto had attended yet another one of his typical gatherings, mingling with devils trying to curry favor with him for his influence over the Magician's Association. As usual, he had ignored most of them.

But for sixteen long years, Sirzechs, his *boss*, though he'd never admit it, had bragged relentlessly about his younger sibling, alongside Satan Leviathan. It grated on Mephisto's nerves to no end.

So, in his infinite wisdom as an ancient devil, Mephisto made a decision: he would create his own younger sibling. The concept of *physical contact* had long since become alien to him, but his brilliance led him to uncover files related to the Church's Siegfried cloning experiments.

With the help of some documents "borrowed" from a former student of his—though, in his current state, he couldn't even recall the student's name, Mephisto set his plans into motion. It didn't help that he had been thoroughly intoxicated by some strong alcohol while working.

In his drunken stupor, he hadn't noticed that all his research notes had mysteriously disappeared.

Staggering to his feet, Mephisto turned his bleary eyes back to the tank. The reality of what he had done began to dawn on him. His mind sharpened as he wiped his mouth, staring at the being inside the tank with a mixture of shock and awe.

"Impossible..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. The readings from the tank were... extraordinary. Not only was the being inside showing signs of mental activity, but also *spiritual* activity.

"This shouldn't be possible," Mephisto muttered, eyes wide. No devil, no being, in fact—, had ever exhibited anything like this.

The creature within the tank had an entirely different spiritual makeup. Unlike devils, who generate demonic energy externally, this being seemed to produce power internally—merely by existing. But strangely, there was no demonic energy at all.

"What... in the hell is this?" Mephisto growled, his confusion turning to anger. Someone must have tampered with his lab. The genome in the tank wasn't even his! The genetic code was foreign, almost alien, though it resembled the human genome.

As he scanned the papers scattered around him, his attention was drawn to the pod once more. Diagnostics showed an accelerated mental development: far beyond the intelligence of even the brightest humans.

"This can't be right..." Mephisto whispered. He watched in disbelief as the creature's soul began to spread throughout its body, forming what looked like intricate circuits beneath its skin.

"They look like... computer circuits?" he said in amazement, sobering up instantly. He used his demonic energy to purge the lingering effects of alcohol from his system and moved closer to the tank.

The creature inside opened its eyes.

A flash of fear crossed its face as it realized it was confined. With a surge of raw strength, it reared back and slammed its fist into the glass. The circuits beneath its skin glowed a bright blue and green, illuminating the lab.

*CRACK!*

The tank exploded, sending glass and liquid everywhere, dousing the floor and destroying the rest of Mephisto's research.

The being fell to the ground, coughing up the remnants of the fluid. Mephisto quickly began casting containment spells, his hands glowing with demonic magic as he cautiously approached.

"Easy now... steady," Mephisto said, his voice surprisingly gentle. He kneeled next to the boy, who was struggling to stand.

"Do you understand me?" he asked carefully, watching for a response.

The boy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He nodded instead, a look of frustration on his face.

Mephisto grabbed a towel, wrapping it around the boy's shoulders as he sat opposite him, casting a series of analysis spells. The magic circles hovered in the air, and the boy's eyes widened in wonder.

"It's real..." the boy whispered, his voice shaking with emotion. "Magic is real..."

Mephisto frowned. The tone was off—almost as if the boy was about to cry with joy.

Before he could react, the boy stood up abruptly, arms outstretched. "MAGIC IS REAL!!"

His voice echoed in the lab, and Mephisto couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer exuberance. The boy tried to reach out and touch the magic circles, but his hands passed right through them, unable to interact with the demonic constructs.

Just then, the circuits beneath the boy's skin flared to life again. In a flash, an exact copy of the magic circle materialized in front of Mephisto.

"What... the...?"

Mephisto, dumbfounded, reached for a bottle of vodka and downed it in one go. Another monster had been born into the world.

The boy's newly-formed magic circle flickered and vanished. Undeterred, he tried again, and the circle reappeared, more defined this time, before dissolving once more.

Frustrated, the boy grabbed a sapphire from a nearby desk. The circuits glowed as the sapphire pulsed with energy.

"Shit!" the boy yelped, tossing the sapphire just before it exploded into a cloud of ice.

Mephisto simply stared as the boy turned back, looking sheepish.

"That sapphire was worth over a million dollars..." Mephisto deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Teach me how to do that."

The boy, now apprehensive, nodded vigorously. "I don't care about the cost! Just let me do more magic. This... this is revolutionary!"

His excitement was palpable, and Mephisto felt a strange warmth. The boy reminded him of himself, back when he first explored the vastness of magic after the war.

As Mephisto watched, the boy grabbed a lab coat and began rifling through books. He spread his circuits across each one, absorbing their contents at an astonishing rate.

"What are you doing?" Mephisto asked, curious.

"Learning," the boy responded simply, never pausing his work.

Mephisto let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. "Dear Satan... I've created the human version of Ajuka."

The boy, unbothered by the remark, continued his voracious consumption of knowledge. His smile never faded, and Mephisto couldn't help but smile back.

(Essences Used: Magus, Holy Church, Blank, Eternity)