"Run!"

That was the only thought in my head at that moment.

My bare feet pounded the damp ground, and the sound of my breathing echoed with each step.

I felt as if my body did not belong to me.

My chest, incredibly large, bounced with every movement, adding a strange and unsettling sensation.

My long white hair clung to my sweat-drenched face, while my cat-like ears kept twitching, catching every distant sound.

A long tail emerged from the base of my spine, swaying erratically, as if reflecting my inner turmoil.

"ꫝᔑᖇ ᓭᓵꫀ! ᒲᓵᖇᒷ!"

The rough voice was far from friendly, and I didn't need to understand the words to feel the danger.

Their footsteps grew louder behind me, and fear filled every part of me. "Why?!" I screamed inwardly, desperately trying to think.

"Why are they chasing me?! I haven't done anything!"

But no answer came.

Only the sound of their steps and their strange shouting echoed in my ears.

*

Just two weeks ago, everything was normal.

I was a man.

An ordinary young guy, leading a mundane life: going to work, coming home, playing video games before bed… a boring but familiar routine.

Then… it happened.

I woke up to find myself in a cat's body.

At first, I thought it was just a weird nightmare or some kind of hallucination.

But it wasn't.

I lived as a cat for two weeks.

Eating scraps of food.

Sleeping in dark alleys, running from children who tried to catch me, and avoiding dogs that saw me as a tasty meal.

In a desperate moment, I tried "communicating" with another cat to get some food, but the response was shocking enough to make me regret it.

The other cat, a huge male with a fierce appearance, clearly told me that I had to "mate with him" if I wanted food.

During those miserable days, I wondered Was I cursed because I was a bad person to my family?

Or was this a punishment for ignoring them day after day?

I was truly remorseful and wanted to return to my family, this time to make amends, I swear.

And while trying to cope with my new life as a stray cat… A transformation.

I felt an overwhelming heat surge through my body, as if flames ignited inside me.

A few moments of trembling, then I became human.

Or so I thought.

"This… isn't me."

I stood by the same puddle of water, staring at my reflection.

My long white hair flowed over my shoulders like a waterfall.

And my ears, still cat-like, while my eyes were different; one emerald green and the other blood-red— the same eyes I had lived with as a cat— were watching me.

But my body… My ivory skin was stretched over the curves of my figure.

My huge chest rose and fell with my quick breaths, and my slender waist highlighted my feminine contours… as for the most prominent sign of my masculinity, it was completely gone!

I placed my hand on my chest, feeling the warmth beneath my palm.

It was strangely soft.

I felt intense confusion as I explored this body.

"I… became a woman?"

It was as shocking as transforming into a cat.

My voice was soft and alluring, foreign to me.

I felt confused, yet it was better than being a stray cat.

At least I had a somewhat human form.

I stood there for a long moment, observing myself, without any lustful or even admiring look, as the whole situation was too big for my mind to grasp.

Only tension and fear dominated my every thought. After some indecision, my mind wasn't functioning well, so I made a decision that I quickly regretted.

I crept quietly, moving through the alley, hoping to find someone who could help me.

When I was a cat, I noticed something.

The place became strangely empty after midnight.

The streets were deserted, except for a few security patrols roaming around.

"Is there… a curfew?"

I wondered as I recalled the previous days.

That might be a logical explanation.

I finally stopped at the corner of a street lit by a single lamppost.

I saw a guard standing a few meters away.

He held a strangely shaped sword, and his uniform seemed to radiate something I couldn't quite understand, sending a strange chill through my body.

I felt overwhelming fear.

"How can I tell him what happened to me?"

Just the idea of approaching him was terrifying.

My hands trembled as I tried to cover my body, and it wasn't nearly enough.

"He'll think I'm crazy… or worse, he might think I'm…"

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment.

The thought of standing completely naked in a woman's body, seeking help, was a nightmare in itself.

"I have no choice."

I gathered my courage and approached him slowly.

With each step, I felt the weight of the stares he might give me.

"Please…!"

My voice trembled, but before I could continue, I saw his eyes widen.

"ꫝᔑᖇ! ᓭᓵꫀ ꫀᓭ ᒲᓵᖇᒷ!"

Before I could understand anything, he drew his sword, which began to glow, and charged at me.

"What?! Why?!"

I screamed as I started running.

I expected communication difficulties due to the strange language I heard from humans in this world, but I didn't expect to be attacked immediately without a chance to speak!

*

So I ended up in my current predicament.

I returned to my reality.

I was running wildly, trying to escape the guards who were chasing me.

I was faster than them, but if I slowed down even slightly, they would catch me.

But it seemed my unusual speed wasn't all that unusual for them.

"There!"

There was a right turn ahead. Relying on my experience as a cat over the past two weeks, I memorized some details of the alley.

It was a place branching off in three different directions.

There were multiple trash bins blocking the way.

And the smell of sewage overwhelmed the area.

But I didn't care.

I headed there.

But when I took the turn, I felt something different.

The air around me became heavy.

There was a powerful presence, as though the world itself was holding its breath.

I stopped, gasping for air.

A terrifying thought crossed my mind.

I turned around, and there he was. From where I had come, a man appeared as if out of nowhere.

A tall man stood at the end of the alley.

His blood-red eyes seemed to pierce straight through me.

His short black hair was neatly styled, and his formal attire made him look like a figure straight out of a fashion magazine.

He carried a massive sword on his back, and something emanated from him—whatever it was made you want to kneel.

I couldn't move.

His mere presence was enough to freeze me in place.

I sensed instinctively that one wrong move… Would get me killed!

He looked at me silently for a moment, then spoke in a calm but awe-inspiring voice.

"ꫝᔑᖇ ᓭᓵꫀ ᓭᒲᔑᓵᓵᔑ؟"

I trembled, completely naked, my hands struggling to cover myself.

I didn't understand his words, but his eyes said it all. He didn't see a human standing before him!

***

"It seems my intuition was right. A demoness appeared here."

He stood, looking at the strange girl who had suddenly shown up.

Her demonic aura was strong, yet not threatening.

There was something unusual about her.

Her long white hair, cat-like ears, and swaying tail made her look bizarre.

"This is different."

Usually, demons were proud beings who showed up confidently, spoke arrogantly, and sought to dominate.

But she was the exact opposite.

She was frightened, trembling, and weak. 

"ꫝᔑᖇ ᓭᓵꫀ ᓭᒲᔑᓵᓵᔑ؟" (Who are you?)

He repeated, but she did not respond.

He slowly approached the demoness, who stood there frozen in fear, seemingly struggling to breathe.

Step. Another step… He moved closer slowly, and each time she shuddered.

When he reached her.

She lowered her head, trembling violently.

He decided to draw his sword, but before he could, This happened.

*Pssshhh*

Suddenly, I saw her convulse violently, and the ground beneath her turned wet with a yellowish fluid.

She had wet herself.

"…"

He couldn't understand the creature before him.

She was undoubtedly a demon, and a high-ranking one judging by her aura, leaving no space for doubt.

But this was peculiar.

"Should I study her or kill her?"

He fell silent, pondering, and right at that moment…

A bright light radiated from the demoness.

**

"Hurry up! Move!"

The captain's voice rang in my ears as I ran through the narrow street alongside five other guards.

My eyes were equipped with a tracking skill that let me see glowing footprints, but it was almost unnecessary here because the demoness left clear marks behind.

Finally, we reached the end of the trail. But as soon as we turned, we froze in place. There was a man, bending down to pick something up from the ground, his back turned toward us…

The moment I glimpsed his profile, I recognized him.

"That's Count Rael Corvin!"

The "Demon Slayer" who claimed the lives of thousands of demons in cold blood.

Leader of the international "Black Thorn" unit, entrusted with protecting the world from the threat of demons.

I saw him rise from his crouched position after placing something inside his coat.

"Sir! We received reports of a demon appearing in this area, but…!"

My voice died off as he turned toward us.

The Count's crimson eyes, so reminiscent of a demon's, robbed me of my power of speech.

"I took care of it."

He walked toward us slowly, something moving inside his coat.

No one dared to ask him what exactly happened or why there was no demoness's body.

And as he passed us, we all bowed respectfully, holding our tongues.

"As long as it's Count Corvin saying so…"

There was no room for doubt; any questioning ended right there.

All the soldiers watched the Count as he disappeared.

**

Inside the luxurious black car, Count Rael Corvin sat quietly in the back seat, legs crossed elegantly, his red eyes observing the scenery beyond the window.

No sign showed on his expressionless face to indicate what might be running through his mind.

On his lap lay a small white cat, hidden beneath his long coat.

The cat, which seemed to be asleep, breathed softly, with its cat-like ears twitching every so often.

"Sir…" the servant driving the car spoke calmly, attempting to break the silence hanging in the air.

"Should I inform the staff to prepare a cage for the cat?"

The Count shot a brief glance at the small cat resting on his lap.

He gently raised one hand and ran his fingers through its white fur, prompting it to purr softly.

"No need. She won't remain a cat for long."

He spoke in a calm voice.

The servant refrained from asking further questions.

The Count merely continued to gaze in silence at the small cat.

End of the first chapter