A sharp, splitting pain tore through my entire being. My head throbbed as if it were being crushed, every nerve alight with fire. The agony surged, unrelenting as if my body and soul were being unraveled thread by thread. And yet suddenly the torment ceased. In its place came a wave of tranquility and peace.
Was this death? Had it finally claimed me?
Then came the light. It was blinding, searing, pulling me from the void. My eyes fluttered open, and OH SHIT, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???
A massive creature loomed over me, its jagged features stretching into an unnervingly wide grin. Panic surged through me. I tried to run, crawl, and do something, but my body wouldn't respond. My limbs flailed weakly, useless against whatever kept me paralyzed.
The creature tilted its head, as if amused, and another appeared. This one was larger, with an air of quiet authority. Its features, though no less monstrous, were softer somehow—its glowing eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place. Relief? Joy? It lowered its head toward me, and I braced myself for whatever awaited me.
I tried to scream, but what came out was a deep, guttural gurgle. That's when I saw it, my hands, or rather, the claws that had replaced them. Dark, sinewy, and tipped with razor-sharp talons.
I wasn't human anymore.
The realization hit like a freight train, and the world around me spun. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the larger creature leaning closer, its massive form blocking out the light.
When I woke again, the ache was gone, replaced by an eerie clarity. I was lying beside a pool of crystal-clear water, its surface shimmering under a pale light. Slowly, cautiously, I pulled myself upright and leaned over the edge.
The face staring back at me wasn't mine.
Sharp, angular features jutted from my reflection—horns arched like blackened obsidian from my skull, and glowing eyes peered out from beneath a thick ridge of bone. My jaw was elongated, filled with teeth that seemed far too large to fit comfortably inside. My skin—or was it scales?—gleamed faintly in the light, dark and tough, as if carved from stone.
My breath caught in my throat, coming out as a low, guttural growl. I flexed my hands, watching in horrified fascination as wicked claws scraped against the dirt. Every movement felt foreign yet instinctive as if my body already knew what it was capable of, even if my mind didn't.
This was me now.
For a moment, I just stared at my reflection, the ripples distorting the monstrous figure that had taken my place. Then, to my surprise, I laughed. Or tried to. The sound that came out was more of a guttural bark, rough and unsteady, but it was laughter all the same.
I was free.
The shackles of my old life—the struggles, the expectations, the constant weight of the world pressing down on me—were gone. Stripped away along with my humanity. What remained was raw, untamed potential. A blank slate. For the first time, I felt... alive.
A rustling sound snapped me out of my thoughts. The creatures from before had returned. One of them, the smaller one, nuzzled against me gently, while the larger one watched from a short distance, its piercing gaze somehow both protective and curious.
Parents.
The thought struck me with startling clarity. These creatures—these monsters—were my parents now. Something deep within me recognized them, not with logic or memory, but with instinct. It was an unspoken bond, primal and undeniable.
As they hovered over me, memories of my human life flickered in the back of my mind. My mother's laugh. My father's steady hand on my shoulder. The warmth of a home I would never return to. The weight of that realization pressed down on me, heavy and unyielding.
My human life was gone. Forever.
But as I looked at these creatures, my new family, I felt something else stir within me. It wasn't despair or anger, but something quieter, something steadier. Hope.
This was my life now, and I would make it my own.