Not all transmigration stories begin by getting hit by a truck that spawned out of nowhere.
Sometimes, it's as random as suddenly waking up in a bathtub.
At least, that's how it is for me.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
I was dragged awake by the pungent smell of herbs and the sound of water dripping absurdly close to my ears.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was that I was floating inside a fancy bathtub. It was filled to the brim with freezing water and surrounded by an ornate frame that screamed 'property of the rich only.'
The second thing was that this definitely wasn't my cheap but lovely bed, and I had no memory of hopping into a bathtub before passing out from overtime.
But neither of those things compared to the third thing I noticed.
A statue loomed over me—a maiden carved from stone, flawless and towering, with a blank expression that somehow managed to feel... watchful. A thin veil of dust dulled her features, but that didn't stop me from noticing the subtle flicker.
'Did it just blink?'
"Alright," I muttered, sitting up slowly while keeping my eyes glued to the statue. "This is either a vivid dream or the worst case of accidental drug ingestion."
Water splashed around me as I moved, sending a fresh wave of chill up my spine. But then the temperature dropped even further. I glanced down and froze.
'Oh, for the love of—'
'Naked. Of course. Because waking up in a strange bathtub with a voyeuristic statue wasn't awkward enough.'
I quickly ran a hand through my hair, only to feel a dull ache at the back of my skull. My thoughts were a tangled mess and trying to remember how I ended up here was like punching through a thick fog.
'Last night… Work? Overtime again, maybe? Sleep, wake, eat, work, sleep...'
Nothing about my usual routine explained why I was now starring in some kind of medieval sacrifice movie.
"Right," I said aloud. "First, get out of the tub. Next, find clothes."
The moment my foot brushed the floor, I recoiled. Something warm and sticky clung to my skin.
'What the hell?!'
I leaned down to check and immediately regretted it.
A lump of flesh, pulsating and wet, rested at the foot of the tub. It looked like a grotesque organ stitched together with too many teeth. Worse, it was moving, its tiny tentacles twitching as if searching for something.
"Well, that's... not the worst I've seen," I said, more to convince myself than anything else.
Kreeee!
The fleshy thing let out a sound like nails on a chalkboard before latching onto my ankle. I yelped and tried to shake it off, but the more I pulled, the tighter it clung.
"You have attachment issues," I grumbled, prying at the squishy tentacles.
Kreeee!
'Great. A parasite with a temper.'
But before I could ponder my new nightmare-pet further, a loud crash rang out, followed by the groaning creak of old wood.
The room groaned ominously, the sound echoing off the high ceiling. I finally took a moment to scan my surroundings.
There was no window in sight, only tall walls that seems to tower over every corner. The chandelier with a maiden statue hung from above and few candle posts were stuck through the walls asymetrically. The furniture, draped in white sheets, gave the place a ghostly feel, like a house abandoned by its owners and left to decay and the bathtub, one of the few things not covered, sat at the center like a main piece of artwork.
At the far end, a wooden staircase spiraled upward, its steps worn and creaking with age. It led to an obsidian door with a scarlet knob—the only visible exit.
The sight of the door filled me with a spark of hope.
"Okay," I muttered, stepping cautiously toward the staircase. "Exit found. Time to leave before things get—"
Creak.
I froze mid-step. It wasn't the slow, natural groan of old wood settling. It was the sound of something heavy testing its weight like a predator on the verge of attacking.
The parasite tensed, its tentacles gripping my leg tighter.
Kreeee!
The room, as vast and eerily ornate as it was, seemed to shudder. I turned my head slowly, heart pounding in my chest, and glanced up to check on the maiden statue.
'It's gone!'
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
"Oh, that's just perfect," I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I glanced around.
Then came the sound.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It echoed, soft but deliberate, like something pacing just out of sight. My breathing hitched as I strained to pinpoint the direction. Shadows danced unnaturally along the walls, and a faint metallic tang seeped into the air.
Schreee!
A sharp screech scraped through the silence, too close for comfort. My feet moved before my brain caught up, instincts screaming louder than any coherent thought.
I bolted, aiming for the staircase and made it halfway when a sharp noise echoed behind me, freezing me in place. For a moment, it felt as if the air was heavier, pressing down on my chest, and the ground was trying to swallow me whole.
Kreeee!
The parasite, seemingly unaffected by the suffocating tension, wrapped its sticky tentacles around my waist. With a sudden, jerky movement, it shot another tentacle to the ceiling and hauled me sideways across the room.
Whoosh!
A sharp, cold gust brushed past my hair, followed by a deafening noise.
BANG!
I turned to see another fine piece of furniture shattered into splinters. It had missed me by a hair. No—half a hair.
"...Thanks."
I forced a shaky smile at the parasite. If it hadn't pulled me away, my head would've been nothing but a gory mess on the floor.
Kreee!
The parasite's tentacles wiggled in what I could only describe as delight, its teeth vibrating as it excreted a sticky, viscous fluid.
'Was it… smiling at me?' I thought, watching the unsettling display.
'Yeah, no. Still gross.'
Creak. Creak.
The sound of deliberate, measured steps echoed through the room.
My head snapped to the darkness, where the sound grew louder, closer. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else.
'Where is that pervert hiding?'
I turned, scanning the shadows. The faint outline of furniture loomed like distorted monsters under their white coverings. But when my gaze landed on the maiden statue, my stomach dropped.
It stood in the center of the room, its back facing me, perfectly still. But its head…
Her head was twisted so far back that it touched the nape, those hollow eyes staring directly at me.
I didn't dare blink.
'Don't look away. Don't you dare close your eyes.'
The statue didn't move. Dust drifted from its form in lazy spirals, and yet… I could swear it was breathing.
Kreeee!
The parasite writhed violently at my side, its tentacles tightening around my waist, as if urging me to retreat.
A low grinding noise reverberated from the walls, and the chandelier above began to sway harder, its light casting fractured shadows that danced like living things. The room felt alive.
A sudden beam of light struck my face. Instinctively, I squinted and blinked.
Shhh.
Silence.
'Nothing good ever comes after silence.'
When I opened my eyes, she was there.
The statue loomed half an arm's length away, her face twisted in grotesque madness, with a grin that stretched impossibly wide, splitting her cheeks from ear to ear. Her stone fingers were raised mid-lunge, sharp and jagged like broken glass.
"Okay," I muttered, stumbling backward as the parasite scrambled to lower me to the floor. "So you're mad. I get that. But can we just talk this—"
The statue lunged.
And then everything went black.