Chapter | V |

"Ahhhhh!!"

I jolted awake, screaming like a madman. I observed my surroundings in panic, trying to figure out where I was. As my gaze drifted from one torch to another, a shower of relief washed over me. T-Thank the gods!

Gulping, I rubbed my chest to see if there was a hole. To my comfort, there was none. A sigh escaped my lips. Shivering, I remembered the events that occurred. Was... That a dream.

No... It felt too real, the pain felt too real.

Glancing to my right, I noticed that the cerulean glow was now gone, instead, it was radiating a vibrant color of red like the one to my left. But, the right one seemed more soft compared to the scarlet, and deep color to my left.

I shut my eyes close, trying to forget the pain and suffering I just went through. I wanted to forget it so badly... But it was too vivid and unbearable that it was etched in my mind. I felt as if my soul had been wounded and scared by the nightmare I just survived. Tears fell, out of joy... It was finally over.

I wanted to get out!

As soon as the thought crossed my sight, I found myself in my chair again. The remains of the instant noodle's soup remained hot and still on the table, and parts of the noodles were scattered across the wooden surface. I blinked in surprise... Was... Was that all I had to do? Just think?

I felt betrayed, lost, and utterly stupefied by the revelation. Frustration was evident on my face, I gritted my teeth.

To my surprise, when I looked at the glass of water beside me, I was flabbergasted by my reflection. My whiskers! I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Where are my whiskers?

The usual three strips I got from my birth were no longer there!

Then a thought crossed my sight. I remembered the feeling of my skin tearing apart... It was painful to remember, but something clicked.

I hastily went toward the mirror in the corner of the living room and stared at my reflection. I touched my cheeks... My skin was paler. I put off my orange jacket, revealing my upper half.

I felt my eyes water as my gaze landed on the pale skin of my chest and abdomen devoid of any scars or bruises... I broke out in a sad laugh. Those scars I received from those villagers were no more! The scars that haunted me whenever I looked at myself were no more!

With a grim chuckle, I fell on my butt. Then, I thought about how this had occurred. Flashes of the previous phenomenon played in my mind, I felt like it was all connected to the surreal events. A satisfied sigh escaped my lips... All that pain was not for naught.

I looked at my reflection again... I froze. My eyes... They were not my eyes. I blinked. No, what I meant was they were not blue anymore! But golden.

Anxiety rose in my heart, how was I supposed to explain all this to the old man?

But then, all of it withered away. A strange sort of calmness shrouded my mind.

When I woke up, it was like this... Yes, this could work. I should act ignorant of the changes that explain everything. Somehow, I have a weird feeling something horrible might happen if I speak the truth.

The villagers all call me a demon anyway, maybe there is some hidden truth behind my existence, and I'll let the old man's knowledge explain how the changes occurred in me. He would probably reach a conclusion by himself with the 'truth'. Luckily, nobody else would notice the changes except for him, so there would not be much attention on me.

Surprised by my own quick thinking, I smirked.

My body wasn't the only thing affected by the darkness, it seems. I could feel it. I was sharper, more concentrated, more calm, and collected than I was before. It was strange, actually, but I also felt as if my senses also had expanded. I could see more clearly, I could smell better too. My sense of touch also seemed to have taken up a notch. I could also pick up sounds of conversation in the streets below too, through the wall of my apartment.

Woah. I was truly astonished by the 'upgrades' in my body and mind. What felt like torture ended up being a blessing instead.