[Name: Sephtis Quinn

Species: Gaian Human

Biological Score: 50 Elemental Score: 55

Spiritual Score: 130 Psychic Score: 45

Mutation - Puppeteers Thread, Spirit Animal

Requitals: Life Lantern, Ravens Raiment

Bonds: Omelette]

Sat in a pile of clothes that he had formed into a makeshift chair, Seth studied his attributes with a pensive gaze. Many things had changed about it since the last time he had checked them.

For one, he definitely did not remember his soul stat being that high. Whatever had happened during that metamorphosis, or whatever it was that Angel had said, it had dramatically increased his soul stat. Maybe that was why he was so skinny now, it would be embarrassing if it was just because Angel was trying to tell him to go on a diet and lose weight.

What benefits it brought him would have to be determined later, but on a cursory examination of himself there was no noticeable difference. He would have thought that increasing such a stat would repair the damage the firebreather had caused, but perhaps the new strength came alongside the stress. Like snapping muscle fibres to regrow them stronger, only time would tell if it actually regrew or healed. Even if it didn't, he was absolutely not going to go through the 'snapping' process again. Not if he could help it.

The second main difference in his stats was that he had a new category, Bonds, which had only appeared when the egg had hatched. Turning his gaze away from the floating screen, he instead focused on the small bird that was resting in his lap.

Its eyes closed and belly bulging, having eaten its fill from the rest of the creature that the living mannequin had slain for his metamorphosis.

This was his new pet, or companion as Angel called it. While others might find the name to be cruel or in bad taste, he felt a little kinship to the name Omelette. Something about giving his pet as silly of a name as himself made him feel better about his birth name.

Omelette was a strange little bird. For one, it was not a disgusting little pink thing like he knew most baby birds would look like when they were hatched. Instead its skin was charcoal black and surprisingly rough, as if it was scaled like a lizard. That tough skin was hidden under a thin layer of fluff, mainly focused around its head, while its wings were already starting to grow feathers.

Speaking of its wings, that was the strangest part about it. They were longer than he would have expected, with tiny clawed appendages coming out of its joint, as if it had little grabby hands on the knuckle of its wings.

It would often use these hands when it walked, prowling around on all fours whenever it was looking for scraps of food to gorge itself on, using the beginnings of a tail to balance itself while it walked.

Seth didn't even have to cut the meat from the carcass, as Omelette came equipped with a long snout that only ended in the hardened bone of a beak. The rest of it was lined with tiny, needle like teeth that it used to tear and chew the meat with.

Yes, Omelette was indeed a strange little bird. It was the age old question of the chicken and the egg. Yet what hatched from this egg was no chicken, but it wasn't a raven either.

What had hatched from this egg, at least by Seth's standards, was a Wyvern.

He had yet to find out whether Omelette the Wyvern were male or female. He wasn't exactly an expert on bird anatomy, especially when it came to their junk. Did they even have junk? He had no idea, and the thought of checking felt… wrong. For now, he was simply going to assume that little Omelette was male. Was that Ill-mannered? Maybe. But unless his new pet decided to tell him otherwise, he decided it was better than the alternative. At least where it concerned himself.

Instead of dwelling on that inconsequential matter any longer than necessary, he simply relaxed as he absentmindedly sketched the bird into his journal. It wasn't a very good one, since he wasn't left handed naturally, but he took it as good training for his sudden requirement to become a lefty.

As it turned out, the journal was chock full of new information regarding subjects such as wilderness survival basics, plant identification, basic medical treatments and much more.

The living mannequin, aside from hunting down creatures to feed him with, had discovered Seth's journal and, at Angel's instruction, had spent his time filling it with useful information. Seth didn't even know when he dropped it, but then again he had been a little preoccupied losing an arm and nearly dying, so he wasn't beating himself up too hard about the lack of attention.

"I guess I should give you a name too, huh? I'll try my best to make it a good one though. Not everyone needs a terrible one like me."

He chuckled softly, looking up at the mannequin that was watching him with his new pet.

"I would like it very much, Father."

Although it could speak, the living mannequin seemed to be unable to grasp the intricacies of human speech. It spoke in a consistent flat tone, with little emotion with odd inflections on seemingly random words.

It was much like an AI reading module, simply spouting out the words in a pre-programmed, artificial voice.

When it spoke, it never moved its mouth, It didn't breathe and It didn't even vibrate or project anything that Seth could detect that could possibly make sound. Yet clearly it did. However Seth had grown used to looking at an unchanging, expressionless face when they spoke after his time with Cynthia.

Suppressing the twinge in his heart at the thought of his lost friend, Seth gave Omelette a gentle pet to comfort himself as he began to rack his brains for the ideal name for his 'son'.

Many different options flew through his mind, thinking of many living dolls and fake things brought to life throughout history, mythology and fiction. There were dozens of options, but none that felt right. He could try the obvious 'Manny' but that just felt cheap.

Eventually, after spending so much time cooking up an idea that it felt like smoke was about to come out of his ears, Seth just gave up and decided to use any old name.

"Bob. Your name is Bob."

"Bob? I like this name. I shall be Bob, and you shall be Father."

Seth internally cringed at that word again. He had no idea why Bob insisted on calling him that. He wasn't even 30 yet, even though his parents had been younger than him when they had their first child, he still did not feel old enough to be a father.

"No, please. I'm Seth. Not father, but Seth."

"But… I thought that your name was Sephtis, is it not? That is what the guardian says."

He gestured to the screen that was still floating in front of Seth, highlighting his embarrassing name on the very first line.

Glancing at the screen, he let out a resigned sigh.

"Yes I know it does… Angel, can you please change that? I don't use that name, I go by Seth."

[If you wish.]

[Name: Sephtis 'Seth' Quinn]

Looking at the screen once more, he saw the change and shook his head before dismissing his stats for the moment.

"Good enough, I guess."

"I do not understand Fa- Seth. Is this an uncommon name?"

"Well… Yes and no. Where I come from, It's actually not that odd, but everywhere else? It's extremely weird. My parents were part of this group… Okay, cult. They were a part of a cult. I don't know the exact details, I was still pretty young when my sister pulled us out. From then on it's just been the four of us."

"They are named like you? In the uncommon yes and no way?"

Seth couldn't help but chuckle, giving the snoozing Omelette some more gentle pats. His naming sense wasn't much better, if he was honest.

"Uh yeah, they are. I have an older sister called Ophelia, but she goes by Lea now. Even if she got named after someone who kills themselves, so I'm told, she got off lightly. I've also got younger siblings, twins. Avarice, my other sister who goes by Ava now, and Woe, my brother. Woe is the only one who kept his name. He didn't want to leave but Ava wouldn't leave without him."

He let out another sigh, staring off into the distance as his mind wandered to his family, a part of him still remorseful that he didn't choose the option that meant he would know if they were alright. But instead of dwelling on it, he used the mystery of their survival as motivation. He'd get stronger, find them and keep them safe. He needed to pay back Lea for everything she had done for him, after all.

"But enough about me… Let's find out about you."

He lifted his hand up to his face, turning it so that it was palm side up, as a cerulean, spectral spider manifested out of thin air atop his flattened palm. The third and final difference to his stats.