A Change of Face

A young man woke cold and alone. When this man opened his eyes it was to a spacious but gloomy room with the appearance of an old fashioned study one might find in a traditional haunted house. Though the room would have caused many to shudder in discomfort, he felt right at home and instantly felt at ease, as though this were a place that he had always simply belonged in. With only a small amount of hesitation he looked around the room examining everything around him carefully and a small amount of suspicion despite the comfortable vibe of the room. He had no memory of how he could have come to wake up in such a place.

Cobwebs lined the corners of the room, the only window was large and cracked gazing out into a vast and unfathomable darkness. There was an intricately ornate brown and gold rug lying in front of a stone fireplace lit with a warm but low fire just beneath the massive window. The floorboards were an old but classic arenberg parquet pattern in dark browns. The walls though worn and cracked had wainscoting, the wallpaper a gentle cream with soft white plum blossoms on dark branches and the wood a dark brown. There were candle sconces in dull gold to provide a dim glow to the room.

A large and dark wooden pedestal desk sat close to the middle of the room with the entire wall behind it taken over by an old bookcase filled with hardcover books with no titles. A tall but soft brown Victorian balloon back chair sat behind the desk as well, simple but expensive looking. Sat upon the desk was a simple globe displaying the oldest known map of the stars. On either side of the desk lining the walls parallel to each other were five ornate mirrors totalling ten in the room and no door to be found. The mirrors were tall enough to almost touch the high ceiling and unsettled him deeply.

The man took a small breath and stood in front of one of the mirrors to examine himself. His body was thin and reedy despite already having long been an adult. He had a soft beige face with a smattering of freckles across his button nose and cheeks; even, off-white teeth dug into his plump bottom lip. On his throat was a clear, large bruise in the shape of a handprint. He had short fluffy brown hair on his head cut chin length and styled to cover his face for the most part, obscuring his eyes from view. He wore a large and loose brown hoodie with worn orange patches sewn haphazardly onto it with thick black threads, a plain gray tee shirt, and somewhat worn gray shorts without any shoes or socks.

Despite how clean his feet looked the soles of his feet were cut up and his toes red and somewhat swollen, the toenails broken and ground too far down. His long legs were clean but covered in scratches and deep but clean and bloodless cuts. He looked down at his hands and saw that his nails were down to the quick, some of them missing entirely, the tips of his fingers red and the skin itself ground away almost to the bone. He was surprised that the blood was gone. Some parts of his legs and arms were bruised and though he did not look he knew there would be bruises on his hip and torso.

After a moment longer of hesitation the young man lifted his bangs from his face to examine his eyes. He had only one wide almond shaped eye that was a warm honey-gold; where his right eye should have been was an empty gaping hole with roughly torn and tender pink skin. Whatever meat should have been pulverized and left over had been dug out to leave only black emptiness behind. His hands shook as he quickly covered the empty eye socket with most of his bangs leaving his left eye visible but no possibility to see the gruesome wound left behind by his recent death. He took a few deep breaths before he moved on.

The young man wandered over to the brown armchair and sat down with a heavy plop. The chair was comfortable and warm from the firelight. He took a shuddering breath and set his hands on his knees leaning forward to examine the globe on the desk, anything to distract himself. Just as he reached out to touch it a loud 'ping' startled him as a small cartoonish ghost appeared before him. It was the size of a tennis ball with a wispy pointed tail, though white it glowed a pale gentle green and had wide black eye sockets, it smiled at him with a tiny cute mouth and Hawthorn was instantly warmed to it.

[Greetings Host Hawthorn Hughes. This One is System 00502; you may name This System anything you like. This System will be your assistant and guardian through your journey through the Stages of Metamorphosis. This System will provide you with missions, help you learn skills, hone your innate abilities, and provide you with supplies as purchased with Spiritual Power or SP. As you grow stronger This System too shall grow stronger and be able to supply more powerful items, skills, and abilities and tougher missions. Do you have any questions before we begin our journey together?] The tiny ghost spoke with an odd monotone that did not suit its adorable appearance.

"Um...c-could you tell me where I am and...what's going on? Did...did I really just die? What is this place?" The man asked softly, his voice was only barely above a mumble.

[Host has been forcibly terminated in his original world and is no longer eligible for return. Host has been selected for the Changeling Program however and thus has gained the opportunity to strengthen his soul through fulfilling primary objectives as wished for by Willing Offerings and minor objectives as instructed by This System. When enough power has been gained Host will be able to evolve into class Greater Fae.]

"...I'm sorry, this sounds extremely suspicious. Who exactly selected me? How are people chosen for this?" Hawthorn asked, frowning heavily.

[Suspicion is understandable and quite common Host. Changelings like yourself are selected for adoption by an Elder Greater Fae of the Seelie or Unseelie Court. Host has been selected for the Unseelie Court and will be provided for through This System as a medium. As the adoptee Host will receive boons from his guardian for completing Secret Tasks or simply at random intervals.]

"You still haven't told me who 'adopted' me." Hawthorn prompted poking his hands out of his sleeves to physically use air quotes around the word.

[Apologies, that information is currently unavailable. Does Host have any other questions?] Hawthorn pursed his lips displeased by the answer.

"Do I have a choice in this? What are the seelie and unseelie courts? What does being a changeling entail exactly?" Hawthorn inquired after breathing out his frustration through his nose.

[Host does indeed have a choice in allowing himself to become a Changeling. As a Changeling Host will Change into the life of a Willing Offering and disrupt their preordained destiny and the destinies of all that you come into contact with. The further from the prewritten fate Host manages to pull the Offered Life the more Spiritual Power he will receive once that Offered Life reaches conclusion. If Host chooses to not accept the adoption then his soul will simply be wiped clean and sent to Limbo to await reincarnation as a Clean Slate when a new destiny has been selected for him.]

Hawthorn did not speak this time and his lips remained pursed as he simply listened to the explanation. This did not seem like much of an option and he hated the very idea of being told what to do, but it seemed no matter what he chose he would still need to adhere to someone else's commands whether knowing or not. He almost preferred to know who he was taking orders from, even if it was a masked face.

[To explain the courts: Seelie are adherent to preordained fates and actively work to keep world order by forcefully urging mortals to follow strict scripts and prewritten fates. The Unseelie work for chaos in destroying the preordained fates of mortals and even the worlds that they live in. Power is gained for either side through these actions. Host has been deemed suitable for the Unseelie Court, thus the ability to receive power from defiance.]

"Who is it that chooses the destinies of the mortals?" Hawthorn finally spoke up again.

[For every world that exists there is at the very least one god. That god is the one that selects the destinies of each being in that world. They choose who is favored, who is not, what their personalities are, and the pains and joys they will experience. Most worlds do not have a destiny as a whole, most often it is individuals rather than the majority in those worlds that have a destiny and even then only a select few; though it is very rare that one receives a peaceful and joyful destiny.]

"Wait...why would the seelie and unseelie gain power from the destinies of multiple worlds? Are they the only ones that can just go to whatever worlds they want like that? Are they not affected by these gods? Do they not have gods of their own?" Hawthorn interrogated, not trusting the odd explanation.

[Greater Fae are not adherent to mortal gods and the god that has created the original Fae has long since been lost to us. Fae were simply created to walk between all worlds and exist outside of mortal realms. Changelings however are still considered an infancy stage and thus are vulnerable to the worlds they go to and the mortal gods of those realms. Though most often these gods do not have a sense of anything beyond their own creations.]

"What are the different stages of metamorphosis you mentioned before?"

[The first stage is Changeling, what Host's current stage is. Second stage is Devas, third stage Brownie, fourth stage Pixie, fifth stage Boggart, sixth stage Banshee, seventh stage Siren, eighth stage Nymph, ninth stage High Elf, tenth and final stage Greater Fae.]

"Why do the fae adopt mortals in the first place? Aren't they supposed to be immortal?"

[Immortality is exhausting and the Greater Fae cannot simply have children of their own as that is the cost of immortality. Oftentimes Greater Fae will eventually choose to become mortal again to retire and simply fade from existence all together. However there can never be a lack of Fae and thus mortals are chosen to become Changelings and replace them when they are ready to rejoin mortality and fade from existence.]

"So I'm a replacement for someone that wants to fade…" Hawthorn had to admit that despite how outlandish the explanation seemed feasible.

Hawthorn could not imagine truly wanting to live for a literal eternity. He felt it would be cruel to force someone that did not want to to continue existing for such a long life. But he was not sure that he himself wanted to exist for so long, or that anything this creature was telling him was true or accurate. The whole thing could be some bullshit story, but Hawthorn did remember dying. Whatever was going on, he needed to know what it was and following along was his best chance.

[Host should not worry about the prospect of a long existence, as a Changeling he will adapt and grow to be able to tolerate longer stretches of time without losing memory or wearing out mentally and emotionally. Vitality and spiritual strength will be increased and thus he will adapt. Even centuries will seem like only a few days.]

"...I suppose I don't have much of a choice anyway...I can always retire later right?" He asked his eye sharper as his heart dreaded the answer, though he could not be sure that was not a falsehood as well.

[Host can choose to quit at any time. Host will not be forced to fully metamorphose if he decides that he does not want to. Choice matters very much for the Unseelie Court and as he will be adopted into that court he will be allowed to do as he pleases. He does not even need to follow tasks if the Host does not wish to, This System simply provides the ability to gain more power through completing tasks.]

"Oh...I-I guess that's good...um, what is the system?"

[Systems are symbiotic entities created to guide and protect Fae Childe during metamorphosis to ensure no avoidable loss of life or spirit occurs during development. Each System is created for the Childe that they are hosted by and are permanent companions meant to assist and prevent detrimental solitude.]

"Oh...what would happen to you if I chose not to become a changeling?"

[This System would be terminated as This System was created just for Host Hawthorn Hughes.]

"Oh cheese...that's not cool."

[This System does not mind, This System has only existed since this meeting after all. This System only knows the Host's Lair.]

"...Okay I guess...Um, what about this place then? What do you mean by my lair?"

[Host's Lair is the physical manifestation of a place that the Host's soul would find soothing. Things that bring comfort and pleasure to the Host. As Host grows in power he will be able to expand and decorate his Lair more actively.]

"But why are there mirrors then? I-I don't actually like mirrors…" Hawthorn picked at his sleeves and muttered as he admitted such an awkward unease.

[Mirrors are what all fae use as gates into the mortal realms. The ten gates represent the ten stages of metamorphosis and are suited to those ten stages. While Host is in a particular stage of metamorphosis he should only enter the gate of that stage or he will risk damaging his development.]

"What will happen if my development becomes too damaged?"

[...Host will become what is known as a Husk. The Host will fall into a catatonic state that he will not be able to recover from and will be unable to stop existing or continue living. This should be avoided at all costs as the only known way to deal with a Husk is Merciful Termination where your existence will be forcibly ended.] This was the first time that the system had hesitated to answer one of his questions, almost vibrating in place in the air.

"O-okay so let's not do that." Hawthorn spoke with a shudder. "Um, so...what do I do now? How do I agree to this and when do I start?"

[Verbal confirmation is accepted. Host need only step into the mirror on the left of the desk he is sitting at in order to accept the first Offering and Change.]

"Ah...okay...guess I'm really doing this…" Hawthorn muttered more to himself than the tiny ghost creature. "I accept."

[Consent confirmed. Metamorphosis stage Changeling. Please enter the first Offered Life.] The little ghost flickered pastel green once another soft 'ping' sounding and floated over to the correct mirror to wait.

Hawthorn's golden eye flicked over to the mirror and he got up from the chair. He walked over to the mirror and looked at it a little more closely than before. The frame looked like thick black brambles full of thorns and cracks. The surface of the mirror itself was smooth and as silver and pure as liquid mercury. He slowly reached out to touch the smooth plane and shuddered as the surface rippled like water, he was unable to pull his hand back as the silver liquid slid up his arm and yanked him inside with only a small yelp and the wretched feeling of icy water flowing over every surface of his flesh.

When Hawthorn finally managed to open his heavy eyelid again he was in yet another unfamiliar room. Though this one did not provide nearly the same comfort as his Lair had. He groaned and sat up in the soft bed he had been laying on. Once his vision cleared he was surprised by the sight of his own legs. Tangled in loose blue sheets were thick, far too pale legs with a bit more hair than he usually allowed to let grow on himself, he had never liked having body hair. He frowned and examined his arms and torso and discovered that his body was not at all what it was only moments ago. In fact, he was chubby! Fascinated, he poked at his soft tummy with a bit of wonder. He had never been able to put on such weight before. Standing up somewhat shakily he looked around for a mirror and was disappointed to not find any.

"...S-System?" Hawthorn whispered cautiously.

[How may This System help Host?] The tiny ghost asked, appearing from nowhere and startling Hawthorn into flinching.

"I-I should name you soon...but for now w-what happened? Why am I uh, heavy? Where is this?" Hawthorn asked somewhat frantically.

[This is your first world Host. The Offered Life you will live is Matthew Nicholas Horton. Matthew Horton felt cheated by his destiny but did not have the spiritual power necessary to change his own destiny. He has willingly offered his body, memories, and the life he had lived in exchange for a safe haven and a new life free of destiny. I will help you integrate his memories into your own thus boosting your own spiritual power a small amount. I will also summarize the destinies of this person and those he came into contact with so that you may make any alterations you would like to.] The ghost did a little aerial loop in the air and spread nubby little arms in a 'ta-da' sort of gesture.

"O-oh okay...um, can I get the summary first? Is this like a time travel type thing? Did everything already happen?" Hawthorn asked with uncertainty. The system floated around him in a slow circle as they spoke again.

[By technicality this destiny has already played out, however there was enough spite and resentment left over by the people involved that we were able to move to the most advantageous point in Matthew's timeline to change things as per his request. One could consider this an alternate timeline, but that would be somewhat incorrect as this timeline will rewrite the original timeline entirely and erase it from reality.]

"I see...okay, hit me."

[Matthew Horton is the second son of a prominent family. According to his destiny he is the third victim of a campus serial killer that takes great pleasure in singling out those that would be considered 'outcast' by standard social customs in this world. The serial killer is one Julia Foxx, someone that goes out of her way to feign kindness and empathy for the undesirables of the campus. She is much beloved by many students and has five potential mates on campus one of which is a teacher and another the detective charged with capturing evidence of her. Matthew Horton was simply unfortunate in that he had been in love with her as well and she had feigned friendship with him for three years of their four year college experience before finally executing him when she grew bored of the benefits he could provide as a wealthy suitor.]

"That sounds shitty and difficult. Can I just...leave? I'm not gonna get a penalty for going to a different college right? How far along are we? Can I go to a different college?" Hawthorn, though he would henceforth be called Matthew in this life, sighed and sat down on the bed.

[At this point in time Matthew is halfway through the second semester and so cannot simply transfer to another college without incurring penalties from the school. This System will not enforce penalties if the Host would like to avoid the plot entirely and simply leave town.]

"Good...at least there's that…" Matthew muttered mostly to himself as he lifted his fingers to his mouth to begin chewing on the sides of his nail beds thoughtfully.

[To maximize power received, Host should affect more than just himself in this life so it is advised that Host does not isolate from the world entirely. This System also advises Host to use Offered Name as anyone that receives his True Name will be given the power to harm him. Host should only give his name to someone that he trusts would never harm him in any life no matter what.]

"What? Shit...that sounds bad...I guess it's better than being able to control me with it like in the stories though…"

[A common misconception Host; the reason that it is said that knowing a fae's True Name allows one to control them is because their True Name spoken with ill intent will cause extreme pain and drain spiritual power over time making them vulnerable to extermination. Better to err on the side of caution and simply never reveal your True Name to anyone.]

"You know it…" Matthew muttered his eyebrows furrowing uneasily. The system shook its whole body as though shaking its head 'no'.

[This System would never do anything to harm the Host for any reason. Host is special, Host is This System's everything.] This was said so frankly and monotonously, as though it was something Matthew should have known since he realized the system's existence.

"...Right...would giving you a name allow others to harm you?"

[No, it is a form of security as This System's True Name would be its serial number not the name given by Host. But a name would allow an extra layer of protection for This System and some autonomy. Some Host's do not like their system to gain any sense of autonomy though most prefer to have companionship.]

"Ah...I should name you then...um…" Matthew paused to think for a few moments before speaking again. "What do you think of Logic? Or Logos?"

[This System will leave the decision to you, Host.]

"...Logic then. I'll call you Logic." The small cartoonish ghost flashed pastel green once again a soft 'ping' sounding.

[Pseudonym accepted; This System will refer to itself as Logic hereafter.] The small system did another celebratory twirl in the air.

"Okay so...we need to separate ourselves from Julia Foxx, finish college, and survive long enough to escape this town...Why couldn't we just live a boring life and switch from a career at a gas station to a library or something?" Matthew mumbled to himself. "This seems too difficult and dangerous for a first level…"

[Worry not Host, this world is actually very simple. Matthew Horton's only wish was "I wish I'd never fallen for that fuck's lies…". This is only the first mirror, if it was not something that Host could handle this Offering would have been relegated to a different mirror. Host need only fulfill this wish and the contract will be satisfied. Currently it is the weekend and Host has two days to get used to his new body and new life until he begins the first of his classes. Host does not have roommates or friends to concern himself with and current family members are distant but doting.] Logic startled Matthew a little by literally quoting the previous Mattew in his own voice when repeating his wish.

"I see…" Matthew stopped chewing on his fingers to stand up again. "I should at least get a look at myself before we start exploring…"

Matthew frowned properly examining the room that he was in for the first time. It seemed like an ordinary modern bedroom. A single size bed with blue and yellow sheets was set up like a bunk bed except with a dresser directly underneath instead of another bed. There was a clean cream carpet, bare white walls, a single bookshelf with more knickknacks than books, and a single desk against the wall with a chair and laptop for study. There was even a small corner kitchen with a sink, stove, fridge, and microwave. The dorm room was more of a studio apartment than it was just a dorm room. There were two white doors and he walked over to pick one. Logic floated over to hover in front of the furthest door.

[This one is your bathroom and the one on the right is the exit into the dormitory hallway.]

"Thank you, Logic. Um...I won't always have to talk out loud to you will I?" Matthew asked with uncertainty.

[For now, yes, until Host reaches the Brownie stage of metamorphosis.]

"Oh...shit, that sucks." Matthew sighed before heading into the bathroom.

The recently named Matthew entered the small white bathroom and walked quickly towards the mirror. He took a deep breath before looking at the unfamiliar face in the mirror. Soft, pale and round. That face had no freckles or blemishes but was a tad heavier than he was used to, though at least they were cute. His hair was black and reached only to the bottoms of his ears. But set in his face were wide familiar eyes, they were Hawthorn's honey-gold eyes, except that his right eye was milky with death. He had known that something was off, but that was to be expected in a body that one did not grow up in. But looking at it then, he knew that it was because his right eye was completely blind.

"...Logic...why is my eye still…" Matthew asked his voice so faint most would not have heard him.

[All changelings have a Mark, this mark is usually a scar displaying where they were killed in their first life or it can be something that was significant to them in their first life. Because Host lost his right eye to his killer, his Mark is the loss of his right eye in all lives.]

"..." Matthew took another deep breath and reached up to cover his blind eye with his hair. He could not bear to see it anymore, or for anyone else to see.

[Is Host ready to receive Matthew Horton's memories?]

"Uh...yeah...wait, what happened to Matthew's soul if I'm in his body?" The false-Matthew asked.

[Matthew's soul has been Changed with Host and has been sent to Host's court in Limbo to await reincarnation. As a part of Host's court he will be protected by Host and heal in a safe haven without memory until he is ready for reincarnation. Do not worry Host, Matthew will not have access to Host's Lair, just his courtyard.]

"Courtyard? What's the courtyard? I thought I only had a Lair?"

[No Host, the Lair could be what one considers an inner sanctum. A safe space meant only for Host. The courtyard is the space surrounding his lair and where the souls that have offered themselves to him will reside until they are fully healed and ready for a reincarnation free of destiny.]

"Oh...I'm actually glad he didn't disappear or I didn't like, eat him or something…" Matthew muttered.

[While that would grant Host more power it would also turn Host into a demon not a fae.]

"W-wait, demons are real now too?" Matthew asked somewhat incredulously at that point. "Like, Christian ones?"

[No Host; that is simply what they choose to call themselves. Demons are an insidious kind of being, with only a vague invitation they will take possession of a mortal and begin to devour their soul from the inside out. They are quite malicious by nature but they do have a counterpart, their counterparts call themselves Hunters and are rather proud and self-righteous by nature. They build their own spiritual power through training and tend to travel with one form rather than replacing the soul inside of an offered host. They are powerful enough to keep a single body and traverse through worlds without an offered body but they are vulnerable and if they are killed then they will cease to exist. Host need not worry about them for now, they tend to mostly target each other and not bother with other beings so it is highly unlikely that Host will ever encounter either type of being.]

"Why do I have a bad feeling about that?" Matthew sighed. "Setting that whole revelation aside, am I going to pass out or get a headache when I assimilate Matthew's memories?"

[Host may experience mild nausea and a headache after assimilating offered memories.]

"I'm gonna go sit back down then…" Matthew sighed walking over to the plush office chair in front of the study desk. "Okay, ready."

[Understood; beginning assimilation of memories Host.]

Receiving the memories of the previous Matthew Horton was somewhat surreal and not at all what he thought it would be like. Though he was not sure what he thought it would be like. It was like going through old memories that he had thought he had forgotten. Things that he had lived through and were too embarrassing to speak aloud. There was that horrible anxiety that he had done something wrong and the humiliation would never dissipate. They felt just like his own memories, it was not at all like watching a movie or like watching someone else live through things. The longer he remembered the stronger the headache building behind his eyes. When the memories stopped the anxiety lessened but the nausea became more prominent.

"Ugh...worst...that was the worst, and I died." Matthew complained.

[Worry not Host. Assimilation will grow easier with time and power. Congratulations Host; this life is now yours. Your destiny is your own and you may now choose what to do with your new life. Would you like to access your Mission List, the Spirit Store, or your Present Profile?]

"...Why is this like a video game now?"

[Because Host loves video games. According to This Logic's research, Host loves Roleplaying Games, Adventure Games, Dating Simulators, and Horror Games.]

"...You can never tell anyone about the dating sims, got it?" Matthew demanded his cheeks growing pink.

[Host's secrets are safe with this Logic.] The tiny ghost used a nubby hand to salute Matthew dutifully.