I had never had a body before. I’d never had a mind made of flesh. The world I knew was no more. I perceived through new, confusing senses, while my old senses were instantly severed. Most of my memories were burned away in an instant. Nothing made sense.

I woke up in pain. I had never felt pain before. Now I was inside a body with a million severed nerve endings. I was made of bits and pieces from fifty different bodies and I could feel every single cut. Dippel was brilliant, but his tools were crude. Man’s overall knowledge of anatomy was pathetic.

Basically, the body was a mess. There is a vast gulf between perfection and near perfection, and that gulf is filled with agony. I would have expired immediately if it had not been for two things: the Elixir forcing my body to live, and my stubborn refusal to let go.

Though I’d forgotten much in that instant, I could still remember Hell and I would never go back willingly.

The first thing I ever saw through eyes was my earthly creator, Herr Dippel. The first thing I ever heard with ears was his triumphant shout. He had done it. It was alive.

Father thought that he’d unlocked the mystery of creation. Instead he had shown the Fallen how to destroy it.

* * *

Kurst stood in the shower and let the water remove the dried blood and iodine from his scars. The doctors had stitched the wounds closed on Kurst’s physical body after he’d returned from fighting Franks. It was remarkable how fast the wounds had healed. The other bodies he had tried to inhabit had been far inferior to this one, but that did not mean he forgave Franks for depriving him of those. Quite the contrary, the mortal sensations of pain and pleasure he’d experienced in his brief mortal existence drove home just how much he had missed over the last three hundred years. It made him glad that he’d not killed Franks yet, because when they met again, he’d take the opportunity to prolong Franks’ suffering.

He left the shower still admiring his new scars. Every piece of glass had cut an exciting new path through his insides. Each hardened strip of tissue told a bit of story. Being hurt was fascinating. He stopped in front of the mirror and wiped the steam away with his hand.

There was a face in the mirror. It did not belong to him.

They were always watched. The cameras were well hidden, but the prototypes had learned where all of the cameras were located. They were far smarter than the doctors realized. Kurst moved his body so that he was blocking the camera’s view.

The face in the mirror belonged to a red, twisted, sharp-toothed beast. “Greetings to you, Great Prince and General of the Host Kurst. We are pleased that you have found a way here to Earth.”