Chapter 1: Her Sword

'...Ah... Am I dead? My body feels numb.'

A faint glint of gold could be seen in the middle of an emptied space, pitch black crowed its magnificent domain. But vouching the initial recon it was rather a golden-haired young girl, her slender legs twitched when she was pulled out from a deep reverie.

'My h-head... it hurts.'

She clawed her scalp and arched her body as though multiple needles pierced through her head. With her breath saw in and out, she squeezed her eyes shut and squirmed in discomfort.

"W-where am I?"

A soft maiden voice cracked from her dry throat.

Still being on stupor, she turned her head in a snap, creases formed on her forehead. Alas! She immediately grimaced. There's no one here except herself!

Her languid body slowly regained consciousness until it noticed the cold and damp atmosphere of the void. It was the time she realized she have no clothes on, her face flushed a sudden rosy bloom, quickly cupped her exposed shoulders wrapping her soft balloon heating herself up.

But no help! The chill gradually bit her tender flesh until it bared pinkish spots and made her slender figure shiver.

"H-Homer? HOMER!!!"

She tucked her hands in her armpit then floundered calling out for someone. That name was actually her best friend's.

From what she could recall, in a spur of moment before she was crushed by huge concrete debris, her eyes gleamed upon the young man rushing towards her, stretching his arms and yelling her name -- Llena!!! -- out of his lungs.

And now, she realized.

'Did… I really d-die?'

Her body trembled. She couldn't endure the painful reality. Once grasped, it didn't take a second to shatter her dream, her revenge.

'No. I c-can't die yet. I still have a lot to do father father would absolutely be happy this time. I cannot let that happen I still need to slap his face... I-I still can't...'

A drop of cold tear filled with repugnance splattered on her bare thigh. But just when her hope crumbled into pieces, she felt something was off about this place.

Her eyes quivered. She lifted her head and quickly rubbed her wet eyes.

A second passed... shhh! Her fingers twitched.

She felt it.

Again!

At first she thought it was like her body was being pulled by an unknown force. But she felt it clearly this time.

And yes! She was right. It felt like someone was pulling her body in all direction, it would tear her into pieces. But it was so strange it didn't hurt her at all!

But as soon as she sensed the unprecedented stir, a ripple of black aura suddenly appeared and began sucking her whole body. It looked like a teeny tiny black spot with close resemblance to a black hole.

With its spiral movement, her body turned into liquid-like substance as it swirled before the black spot completely devoured her. It happened so fast that she could only curse on her mind. Well, though it did not hurt all but it sucked dry her strength.

'Whats happening?! I-I.. suddenly feel weak...'

Her eyes blurred slowly as her eyelids were pulled down. She felt no strength to move until...

Ting!!!

"BWUAH!!! UHO!! UHO!!!"

Through an abrupt lift of her eyelids, she almost gagged out her internal organs when she suddenly felt tremendous pain on her back. Her slicked saliva spattered on the sharp pieces of limestone underneath her thighs.

'Huh? Limestone?'

That made her blinked twice. This time, she found herself sitting above an edgy ground beneath a limestone cliff. And it was afternoon! Sun blazed scorching warm streaks.

'What just happened? W-where am I? W-why am I h-here? This isn't like Shaw (1) at all!'

Alas! Her face frowned several times once she caught on in another dilemma. Because of this, she felt even more confused. It was like a dream. There was a point that she thought she already turned schizophrenic.

The corners of her lips suddenly lifted that made her reaction really ironic. Then she slowly cupped her arms to ease her trembling body.

'No. No. This is not true I am dreaming, right? Yeah. This is a dream I am just sleeping I am just sleep-'

No! She knew for herself this wasn't a dream. There was still a throbbing pain on her back which made her body trembled even more. That alone made her sure this wasn't a dream at all!

She lost all of her blood on her face. Her hands turned into noodles and it flapped onto her thighs. Helpless! What sin did she make to pay for this misfortune? But was this really a bad luck in the first place?

Her dejected eyes slowly rolled on to her arms. It went half closed and immediately narrowed confirm her original reckon. She was stunned to see herself in Chinese clothing.

When did she slip into that luxurious robe?

Ah! It was shiny! Its actually a thick silk cloth. With its glittering purple color exudes regality, it was patterned with a golden dragon soaring into the clouds. That wasn't the one that piqued her interest, but the strange letters above it. Urging to read, she immediately tilted her head as her gaze crawled on the bizarre symbols.

But to her shock

'This! Isn't this Baybayin (2)?!'

She actually knew it! Those quirky tails that looked like Arabic alphabets, and she couldn't forget those tildes above and below every character. Yes! That was indeed Baybayin!

"…Siao Longu?"

In a swift breeze, her crumpled face suddenly pulled straight until a grin came.

Zhao Long!

That was a direct translation of Chinese name Zhao Long. She almost forgot how Filipinos borrow words from other languages, and then translates it based on its pronunciation.

But, that didn't even answer her question.

"Where the hell is this place?"

Her knitted eyebrows and crumpled face were immediately stretched when she suddenly felt something wrong. No. Not on her surroundings but on her body!

'When did my chest felt so light?'

She blinked twice then she slowly gulped a mouthful of her saliva. Her body shivered as a really stupid idea came into her mind.

D-did her balloon deflated?!

Her noodled hand struggled to slowly cup her front. But her face turned white as she couldnt believe and she couldnt accept that her stupid idea really came true!!!

'Where's my boobs?!!!'

Flap! Her palm straightly landed flat on her chest!

It didn't mean her front was a watermelon but it didn't also mean that it would be this Uh what do you call this? Um... flatter than the flattest! This was beyond shame!

She couldn't help but felt crying as she cupped... no... as she blandly touched her chest. In her mind, she would still accept even though her front deflated but not like this! There was no soft flesh! Just a stony muscle and bone! Was she even a girl?! Her body looked like a mans!

While still stupefied, her face suddenly flushed red and her body flinched when she felt something squirmed beneath her precisely, below her abdomen between her thighs and right above her butt.

There! There was a thing that wriggled! A wiggly feeling as though it was connected on her body.

Then squirm! There! Again! It was like a feeling of a chubby worm flinching and jumping as though it was sprinkled with salt.

'No! No! This cant be! No!'

Her face went really depressed. Her eyes turned mournful as she bit her lips together while clenching her teeth. She couldn't believe it! This was her worst nightmare!

She knew it! She really knew what was between her thighs! But her mind refused to accept until she sees I mean touch it with her hands.

There was only one way to find it out!

She raised her jellied left hand while the other supported her shuddered body. Her palm slowly crawled past to her chest past to her abdomen and now it was right above where her treasure was located and where she felt that strange giggly wiggly feeling.

She held her breath and closed her eyes. She even turned her head to the side as though she didnt want to see what she would cup. Slowly her hand was descending on the marked location. Her heart was racing but she kept up with it.

Flop! Her shut eyes suddenly widened as she felt a really strange shape. It was so familiar but she knew it was her first time cupping something like that. Though there was a couple of fabric served as barrier, she still felt it clearly. It was like a long baton that grew a mushroom shaped bud on the end.

There was more! There were actually two strange bean shaped which cuddled beneath that baton. They were snug tight as though they really liked the warm scorched between her thighs! That-! That could only mean... Was that... s-she have... she have a Junior!

'I I I have a sword!!!!'

Her head suddenly burst with white smokes while her whole face flushed an extreme reddish blush! With her lips couldnt stop from quivering as though homoeostasis hit her hard, her face was frozen as stiff as a block of ice.

It couldn't be... She turned into a dude???!!!

How could that be? Is the heaven joking around with her?

With an extreme repugnance she clenched her fist. She snapped her face towards the sky made a long sigh and clenched her teeth for a second then

"WHAT THE HELL?!!!!!"

An eardrum ripping voice resounded all over the place. But damn! That was really a dude's voice!!!

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(1) A boulevard in the Philippines

(2) Native Writing in the Philippines