Alkanphel, keeping Kenji's mind in a state of deep sleep so that he would not feel any pain during the procedure, watched as Hamilcal extracted the boy's old Zoacrystal. The crystal itself had been little more than a stabilized Proto-Zoacrystal, thus only granting his youngest son access to half the power of a true Zoalord. Hamilcal was almost gentle as he performed the extraction, though that could have been simply because Masaki had yet to leave the room.
Masaki's grip on Kenji's hand would have been tight enough to shatter the boy's bones if he had still been human, and for that, Alkanphel was thankful that Kenji was a Zoalord. He would not want Masaki to have any undue regrets, and causing such damage to Kenji when he was merely worried about his son's health would have indeed caused Masaki to feel guilty.
-Calm down, Masaki. Kenji is not being harmed; in fact he is quite comfortable,- Alkanphel informed his Twelfth Zoalord.
-I know that, Lord Alkanphel, and I thank you for looking after him. But I still don't think this is a wise idea. Being one of the Twelve is such a big job, and Kenji's so small. I just wonder if he can handle it.-
-Masaki, Kenji has not been small for a very long while,- Alkanphel admonished, slightly irritated with his Twelfth Zoalord for being so determined to cling to an illusion. -It was Kenji's strength of body and will that allowed him to become a Zoalord. It was Kenji's dedication to Chronos and to you that allowed him to see and then act on Luggnagg's treachery. Your son has proven himself to be fully worthy of the honor of becoming my Ninth Zoalord. If anything, Masaki, you should be proud of Kenji.-
-I am that, Lord Alkanphel,- Masaki said, trying and failing to be reassuring. -But still, I can't help but wonder if he'll be able to handle all of this. It's all so… sudden.-
Alkanphel let out a breath, wondering again if Masaki was truly concerned with Kenji's mental health. Masaki seemed determined to ignore the fact that his son was not the nearly helpless human boy that he had been. Kenji was a Zoalord, and hence very powerful in his own right, and yet Masaki still insisted on treating his son as though the boy would break if exposed to even the slightest pressure.
While it was true that Kenji had been extremely weak when compared to any of the other Zoalords, being basically a Proto-Zoalord that had been altered to have the lifespan of a true Zoalord, the boy had still been able to overpower and kill Luggnagg. Though a great deal of Kenji's success in that regard had in fact been due to the element of surprise, but Alkanphel was still grateful to him for having saved the life of Fried'rich, one of his oldest and most loyal Zoalords.
As Hamilcal deftly placed Luggnagg's reshaped Zoacrystal in the vacant slot set into Kenji's forehead, Alkanphel saw Masaki give Kenji's hand a tight squeeze. Hamilcal gave a mental signal to Alkanphel when it was at last time for Kenji's reprocessing.
-Masaki, let go. It's time now.-
When Masaki continued to hold Kenji's hand, keeping Hamilcal from lifting the young Zoalord off of the medical table, Alkanphel reached over and gently touched Masaki on the wrist. Masaki loosened his convulsive grip on Kenji's hand, and before Hamilcal could move forward to remove the newest and youngest of the Chronos Overlords from the dissection table, Masaki had done it himself.
Watching as Masaki, cradling his still-transformed son in his arms, walked over and gently deposited Kenji inside the processing-tank and then held him upright as Hamilcal attached the monitoring devices to his body, Alkanphel was again struck with the depth of Masaki's regard for his son. As the processing-tank slowly closed, sealing Kenji inside, Alkanphel stepped forward and laid his hand on Masaki's shoulder.
-You want to stay with him, don't you.-
Alkanphel's words were less a question and more an outright statement, given how well he knew Masaki and understood his feelings for Kenji.
-Yes, Lord Alkanphel, that is what I want.-
-Then stay, Masaki. I will summon you if there are any matters of importance that require your personal attention.-
-Thank you, Lord Alkanphel.-
Alkanphel nodded, turning away and walking out of the room.
XxXxX
Imakarum, watching in silence as Kenji's body was again altered and enhanced, wondered just how his son would be able to cope with being a member of the Council of Twelve. Being part of the Council and ruling a ninth of the planet weren't such large issues to adult minds like his or Lord Alkanphel's, but the fact remained that Kenji wasn't an adult. He might look like one, but Imakarum was very well aware that Kenji was still a child in all but body.
For him to become one of the Twelve Overlords had not been something Imakarum was at all prepared for. While Imakarum was indeed glad that Kenji had not and would not be executed for his betrayal, he was not quite sure what to think about the fact that his son had become a part of Chronos' elite.
Lord Alkanphel was also about to re-enter his state of hibernation, so Kenji would not be able to rely on his guidance to help him adjust— at least not until Lord Alkanphel had awakened again. And as much as Imakarum hated to even have to consider such a thing, there was the matter of Kenji's safety among the other Overlords. If Kenji appeared weak in any way, some of the others were more than likely to attack him.
None of those truly loyal to Lord Alkanphel were likely to attempt that, but the fact remained that they too had considered Kenji worthless to Chronos as a whole. Only his innocent naïveté and Imakarum's protection had allowed him to retain the happy illusion that he was welcomed within Chronos. Even the best among the Zoalords, save for Lord Alkanphel and Imakarum himself, considered Kenji—considered Ingriam—to be weak and useless.
The fact that Kenji was almost always seen with him, seeming to have no set tasks aside from those Lord Alkanphel or Imakarum himself chose to give him and those he had chosen to take on himself, must have been one of the reasons that the other Overlords thought Kenji was useless. And, Imakarum had to admit it if only to himself, their opinions were not at all invalid. Kenji was essentially useless to Chronos. Kenji was, at least, while Ingriam was now the Zoalord of Wind.
Lord Hamilcal had not told him about the alternate personality that he had created within Kenji's mind. Imakarum had had to find out about that from Lord Alkanphel, which in retrospect was a good idea given the fact that he was not certain that he would have been able to control himself after finding out how badly Lord Hamilcal had tampered with Kenji's mind.
Lord Alkanphel had also been displeased, not only with the tampering itself but because Lord Hamilcal had not told him about the alter persona. In his own defense, Lord Hamilcal had said that what Lord Alkanphel knew, Imakarum himself was also privileged to, as well. Imakarum could see the logic in that, but it still did not stop him from wishing that he could wrap his hands around Lord Hamilcal's neck and squeeze until he heard the sound of vertebrae being crushed and torn out of alignment.
No one harmed his son.
Still, to survive within Chronos, Kenji – Ingriam – would need to be without ties or weaknesses. That was not going to be possible if Imakarum was to stay as close to Kenji—Ingriam—as he would have preferred. This would be the last day that he would be able to stay close to his son, whatever name that he would be called by, so Imakarum was determined that their last day together would be a memorable one.