A deafening boom echoed throughout the entire hall. The Hermetic Society members "captured" by the walls, floor, and consoles watched in terror as part of the control hall's ceiling came crashing down, smashing directly onto the "Sage's" head.
The trapped cultists struggled violently, trying to break free of the steel covering them, but only felt the restraints weighing them down grow heavier. A wave of rage—emanating directly from this ship, which had come alive, as though it had soaked into every wall, pipe, and wire—was surging up from all directions.
Then, the pipe that had fallen from the ceiling was slowly lifted.
The white-robed "Sage" stood up. With every tiny movement, his body grew taller and more robust. When he had just crawled out from beneath the pipe, he had been a tall, thin old man, but by the time he straightened, he had become a dignified warrior over two meters tall, with a powerful physique as perfect as a hero's statue.
The wrinkles that represented old age faded away. His sunken cheeks became full and lustrous, and the white robe that had originally looked far too large now became a fitted short robe. He raised his head to look at the iron-forged face on the wall. Bright blue currents danced through his hair and beard, and his expression was solemn and fearless, carrying the bearing of a god among men.
He took one step forward, and thunder burst from beneath his feet. "How could you possibly understand the greatness and necessity of the Path of Holy Asceticism!"
A cultist trapped inside a steel cage suddenly became excited. Despite being bound all over, he shouted, "The Sage has completed his final transformation! We're saved!"
After seeing the Sage's current form, the other members of the Hermetic Society in the hall