Birth of a King

Log of Rain, Goddess of Knowledge and Magic, Recorded 6794 UT

Log: Universal Constant date 30248x20
Test 110113834. My hypothesis has been proved correct! The fundamental ingredient for a mortal achieving divinity is exposure to stressors! So, the first step of ascending is the acquisition of a soul. This process can be difficult, however my relationship with Atlus has allowed me to create several soul bearing races. I then exposed my creations to a variety of stressors; the rate of success seems inconsistent and the type of stressor most effective varies by species. Ysoki respond best to starvation and sensory deprivation. Gnomes respond best to pain. Goblins to solitary confinement. The stress forces the soul to fight for survival, to protect its vessel. As it fights it grows stronger allowing it to further effect the world around it, strengthening its vessel. After experiencing enough stressors, the soul plateaus in power, seemingly held back by its vessel. Creatures in this state I have dubbed ‘demi-gods’ as they are vastly powerful but still mortal and able to be slain by conventional means. It in this stage that most of my test subjects expire. In my efforts to force them beyond this plateau I expose them to higher and higher stressors and eventually their soul’s vessel cannot survive any longer. However, in an occurrence that I am still struggling to find reason for, approximately 0.001% of my subjects undergo something I call, ‘Awakening.’ Their soul suddenly becomes much more powerful, literally shredding their vessel in the process. While not as powerful as true gods, my subjects who have reached this state show signs of massively increased power. They all unfortunately have gone mad during the Awakening and had to be culled for the safety of the laboratory.
Constructs I have noted are not suitable to even become demi-gods. There is something about their shell that prevents their souls from ever reaching the proper height in strength to match that of a demi-god. As such I am afraid my experiment to create a truly artificial god has failed. I will donate my prototype to my brother’s arena. It should keep him entertained for awhile while I search for a more permanent solution to his hunger for power.
I have however discovered a suitable substitute for my plan for an artificial god. Demi-gods produce massive amounts of source, even if they are not magically inclined. I believe I could use a demi-god as a battery for a clockwork god. This would create what I need, a fully controllable artificial god with little to no free will of its own. The basic premise is to take invention 2258, the accelerant solution and pump it directly into the veins of a demi-god. This will result in the subject becoming addicted to the accelerant and be unable to leave its construct shell without fear of death from withdrawal. Secondly, the accelerant will cause the demi-god to produce much more source magic than normal. This will be drained off to power the clockwork god. The accelerant will by synthesized by invention 2257 in large enough quantities as to keep the demi-god alive and comfortable. This equipment will be installed into the clockwork god’s body as to make it self sufficient and not need regular maintenance. However, if the subject powering the clockwork god is to expire for any reason, they must be replaced or else the clockwork god will expire in less than 24 hours. Common sorcerers will work to power the god for a short period of time, but they will expire after 12 hours. Demi-gods will power the clockwork god for nearly 2000 years by my estimate.
Log: Universal Constant date 30256x20
Subject 111 reached plateau after 8 years of stressor exposure. Chromosomal pattern, XY. Total age:12 years, 4 months, 8 days. Subject is healthy, no long-term nerve damage from the exposure to invention 115. Subject seems to have forgotten speech. Merely screams when spoken too. Subject attempted to fight back against being fitted for the implants to connect it to the clockwork god, it managed to fire beams of highly pressurized and super-heated air at me. I managed to subdue the subject and fit the cranial augment as well as the spinal augmentation. The subject was in extreme distress during the removal of the skullcap for the fitting of the cranial augment. The tubes for administering accelerant have been fitted, as have the tubes for source extraction.
The subject has been placed it its nutrient tank and installed into the clockwork god. It is already addicted to the accelerant and has pacified. The clockwork god is ready for deployment. My brother has grown bored of the toys I provided him and will soon attempt to bend the world to his knee. Midorine has caught wind of my experiments with creating gods and seeks my death. This is my last log. I fear all my work may be in vain and that the world may end. I am leaving this log with clockwork god in case it survives.