Ozirma awoke from a dream, though he still was aware of his boring cell even in his dream-like state. His nerves and every single cell was doing especially bad right now. Oz thought about how much it must have cost for his treatment. His cells must've numbered nearly thousands of times more than the rest of the ship used combined. Oz wondered if he was just going crazy or if the treatment had been getting worse in the past few months.
Oz glanced to Corden, and found it fascinating how bored mortals could get and how quickly they tried to resolve it. Though Oz had experienced it themselves in past mortal lives, spending so long in a mortal form had ironically left him feeling less and less mortal.
It seemed strange to Oz, but he started thinking about escaping, about how nice it would feel to shapeshift freely again, to reinvent himself as another person, or even how nice it would be to go on a vacation into the center of a black hole. Perhaps make a drink that, to mortals, would look like something out of horror film. He still found prison fascinating though. Every now and again he sensed something new. Still, despite themself, they longed to be another person. I mean after all he was still young, only a few thousand years.
Oz let himself shapeshift his eyes, despite the pain, to see past the ship, to see the stars, the planets and much to his surprise, a black hole that was only a few light years away. Given his presence here, he could not understand why they would take such a risk. Oz was not aware of the passage of time for quite a while, as he did what most of these prisoners only dreamed of doing, being able to star gaze again.
Oz's star gazing was interrupted by two guards, although they were not normal guards. They looked more like body builders than guards, and it looked like they several modifications, including a hand that with Ozirma saw could "shapeshift" into a variety of things, including a gun, a blade and several other useful combat instruments. The kicker though was that they somehow had manged to safely allow exawatt flowing through all their muscles. It was impressive. If they were to accidentally punch the ship in the wrong way, it could be the end of the ship.
"Alright, it's time to go, you monster."
Oz flashed them a pleasant smile. "Are you talking to me, or my good friend Corden?" he said, although in that smile he let the void itself reflect back at them, although his shapeshifting power was nearly gone.
Ozirma noticed that Corden rolled his eyes.
It clearly scared them, but unlike other mortals they only let it show for a instant before repeating: "Try anything like that again and you will lose more than you already are about to."
Oz let himself move to the cell door and start to follow them. "Oh no, Let me guess. I have lost my cafeteria privileges."
They only shot Oz a dirty look and kept pushing them forward. It was a long walk of twists and turns and security checks. It took (by Oz's count) nearly two hours until they reached a nicer part of the ship, where there were only guards that shot surprised looks at seeing a prisoner here.
It wasn't long until they shoved Oz into a room, which seemed to have a teleporter of some type. Oz smiled. "Oh, don't tell me I'm being moved to a new prison. Have I really been that good of a monster?"
"Far from it, now step on the platform or else we're going to make you."
"No need to tell me twice."
As Oz stepped on the platform, he felt a bit apprehensive, though he was not sure why. With a flash of light, he was off the Falcon, though it was not joyful. Oz stood on a tiny platform maybe only 5 feet wide. Surrounding him was a massive sphere, almost like they had hollowed out a mechanical planet, though how it was crumbling in under it's own gravity or an outside force, he was not sure.
Upon his arrival, pistons started to move, massive cranes whirled around, and bright electric wires swung down, and a strong pressure trapped Oz's legs under a massive metal plate. It only took a few minutes for the once hollow sphere to be whirling with mechanical life, and it seemed like the pipes and machinery went on for infinity.
Then pain that hit Oz's body was indescribable. The treatment before was nothing compared to this, as power more powerful than a star was pumped into Oz's body. Oz tried to break from his confinement but the metal plates held firm as another wave followed by another and another.
The pain went on for - Oz didn't know how long - but it felt like everything before was but a blip compared to the waves of pain. But it was not just physical pain at this point. No, as the waves kept going more and more of his true self went with him. Over and over more of his heritage felt like it was being stripped away.
When it was done, Oz did not feel the itch of his skin. He did not feel anything but the remains of waves and waves of pain and what had gone with his powers. A voice whirled to life in the now once-again hollow sphere.
"We have taken away your ability to connect to your true self. I am sure you are already aware, but your powers won't come back if we make sure that your penta quark can not regenerate. Though once we release you, you will be free to recover your powers, as for now..."
Oz's mind crashed and they fell unconscious.
Oz was not sure how long he was out, but when he awoke, Oz was back in his cell with Corden. His machine was gone, and it seemed too normal for him. He knew he probably would have to go to a doctor or something, but something about it broke him.
Oz looked up to Corden and, trying to piece himself back together, grinned and said: "It is time this social experiment ended."
Corden looked concerned. "What happened?" In an instant, his face twisted to what seemed to be a mortal's version of mockery or disgust. "Just kidding, I learned from the guards. Your explanation would lull me into a nice sleep before it made sense." Corden leaned back against the wall, folding his arms behind his head. "So. The great and powerful Oz isn't so great and powerful."
"Please, I may not have my powers but I'm still great. You know that as well as me. Remind me how long have you been in here?"
Corden looked around. "Well, seeing as we don't really have a day and night here, I would say... too long. That sound familiar?"
Oz looked at Corden forgetting that unlike Oz, or well before he lost his power, they couldn't see through the walls to clocks. "Tell you what then, I bet you that in half of 'too long' I will escape. If I win then you must admit that I and my race are so great and powerful. If you win I'll cook you a delicacy of the kir-ik. What do you say?"
"Ah yes, because it is so easy for you to leave now that you're powerless and stuck behind one of the most technologically advanced cells in the galaxy. If I were a betting man." He sighed. "But I'm not."
"Are you sure you are a man? You are either scared that I truly am that powerful or a coward. And just for the record. Yes it is that easy."
Corden stared at them, unamused. "Then leave. Right now."
Oz tried to make a kir-ik noise but without his powers, failed, and it came out just as a bit of breath. "The deal was I would escape in half the time that you've spent here."
"Then you're a liar. And wasting my time." Corden stood up and flicked at finger at the cell opposite them. "Right now, even they're of more use to me, and one of them is a stupid kid. When you have figured out how you can stop lying to yourself enough to admit you need help, then we can talk again." And with that, he gave a quick glance at Oz, scoffed, and laid down, facing the wall.
Oz scoffed and grinned, trying to activate muscles of another race but instead only succeeded in smashing his hand in. Oz glanced at Corden and scoffed again before he went to his side of his cell and for the first time in a few thousand years, cried for himself.
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