Well... that's it.
Something just woke up.
Not a cute little wake-up call like, « Hey, what time is it? »
No.
More like, « I've just opened my eyes after a thousand years in a coma, and I'm going to eat the world to make up for lost time. »
Me?
I'm here, with one arm missing, blood drying badly, and a migraine that feels like the apocalypse.
The screaming has stopped.
But my eardrums are still banging away like they're saying, « Sorry, we quit. »
And then there's this silence.
Not a restful silence.
It oozes over your skin like a snake's tongue on Xanax.
I take a step.
To test if the floor still exists.
« Not dead. Okay. Another miracle for my collection. »
And I speak. Of course I speak.
« Okay, quick checklist: one arm missing, a phantom limb, a wall telling me its life story in runic language... and a demonic scream in my ears. »
I laugh.
A dry laugh that bounces off the darkness like a deflated ball.
« Honestly, I'd pay to read this script. "A girl. A hole. A scream. No arms." Netflix, here I come. »
Sounds like kidnapping, doesn't it?
I place my hand against the wall.
It's still vibrating. As if the whole place is breathing with sinister impulses.
And then there's that thing.
That feeling of being dissected by a presence too silent to be honest.
I don't speak anymore.
I clench my teeth.
« I'm not going to die in here. Not like a broken figurine forgotten under a piece of furniture. »
And I walk.
One foot in front of the other.
The bare minimum.
The tunnel widens. Or maybe it's me shrinking. Who knows? This world respects nothing, not even proportions.
The floor creaks a little under my feet, or is it my bones?
I stopped being able to tell the difference after my left forearm.
And then, click.
The kind of thing you can't hear but you can feel. Like someone's chewing on a finger next to your ear.
I freeze.
« ...That's new. »
Nothing.
Silence.
That damn rotten silence again, like a damp blanket you can't pull off.
I start walking again.
More slowly.
I strain my ears.
Even the sound of my own breathing seems suspicious.
And then, around a bend...
Bam.
A field.
A real one.
Bright green.
With blue sky and wind caressing the grass as if everything in the world was fine.
Spoiler : everything in the world is not fine.
I blink.
« No. »
I step back.
The tunnel is still there.
The wall behind me is very real.
But in front of me... this thing.
A perfect field.
The light is warm and golden. Like an old photoshopped memory.
And in the middle... a silhouette.
A girl.
I frown.
I know that haircut. That bag. That red bow tied to perfection as if my life depended on it. And that damn plaid uniform skirt, tailored to give the illusion that I still knew where I was going in life.
And then it hits me.
« Oh no. Not her. »
I squint.
« Me. High school version. Illusion version. "Hello, ma'am, I did my homework and I haven't heard of functional schizophrenia yet" version. »
She turns her back on me. Dramatic school drama pose, hair blowing in the wind, hands neatly aligned, spine straight.
A personal insult to my current state.
« Seriously... did you really need to play the model student card? Is that supposed to make me cry? »
I click my tongue.
« Tch. Class president look with a repressed superiority complex. A true cosplay of my denial. »
I take a step into the field.
Too soft.
Even the air smells like fake peace.
Like « zen » on Xanax.
« Okay... "me"... turn around. Let's talk. Or let's fight, depending on your mood. »
She doesn't move.
Not a lash, not a breath.
Just this creepy immobility, like a wax doll animated by a second-hand soul.
And then she turns her head.
Slowly.
She smiles.
But her mouth... it keeps stretching?
The corners crack slightly.
A little flesh gives way. Just enough for me to see what's underneath. And it's not normal.
I clench my teeth.
« Wow. Me, but in a psychological horror reboot. You want to put a cute filter on while we're at it? »
And she speaks.
My voice.
A synthetic version.
The perfect tone, the perfect words, with that hint of inhumanity that reeks of betrayal.
« You're... tired. You can... stop. Come here. It's nice here. »
I blink. And I feel a tingling sensation in the back of my neck.
Not a shiver.
A signal.
I smile.
No nervousness.
No defences.
A predatory smile.
« I'm tired, yeah. But not the kind that falls asleep. The kind that bites. »
She raises her hand.
Her skin wrinkles, twists, revealing bits of flesh that live on their own.
And I feel my left hand tremble.
Not out of fear.
An intense tingling in my fingers.
A heat rises in my right stump, even though it shouldn't feel anything anymore.
I look.
And for half a second, I swear I see a black glow running under my skin.
« Oh... you just triggered something. Bad choice, girl. Very. Bad. »
Her hand moves again.
Or rather, it melts. His fingers become ribbons of flesh that twist and entwine. Faces form. Eyes open where there shouldn't be any. One starts crying black blood, the other laughs with my voice.
And I feel myself slipping.
My heart is pounding like an alarm. My breath is racing. And then... everything slows down.
Not a dramatic slow motion. A lag. A freeze. As if my head had too many windows open and had just crashed.
And then, in the blur...
[System reactivation... temporary force]
« What? You reactivated yourself? »
[The system must be active to assign you a skill]
« Oh, does that mean I've reached a required level? Like for night vision? »
[The skill has reached the required level. Skill acquired: [Mental Resistance LV 1]
« FUCK YES! A SKILL! I LOVE THIS! »
[Immediate system shutdown]
'What? No! Stay!'
And then. BAM.
Everything. Becomes. Clear.
The field. The light is too hot.
The colours are too bright.
The ground has never vibrated beneath my feet.
'...This isn't real?'
Everything I feel... is fake.
A tablecloth draped over a cage.
A sheet of illusion that wraps me in a sticky dream.
I click my tongue.
'Oh yeah... I knew this madness had a false aftertaste.'
I stand up straight.
My gaze locks onto the melted eyes of the fake me.
And I smile.
A smile that says, 'I got you, bitch.'
She freezes.
I already understand.
And she realises that I've realised.
And then everything goes haywire.
The field? Pschitt.
The sky? Ploc.
The illusion? System crash.
Back to the labyrinth.
Oozing walls. Cold stone. The smell of death and mould.
A sharp clack. Then a big, juicy smack.
Something has just fallen from the ceiling. Heavy, segmented, shiny, like a giant worm that has indigested its mental meal. And that fucking eye in the centre of its head. Purple, unstable, like a UV lamp that has decided to dissolve your soul.
It's looking at me. Well, trying to. It's blurry. It looks... lost?
I blink. It recoils nervously, as if expecting me to still be drooling over my rural fantasy. Ah. It messed up its timing.
'Oh? Surprise, maggot? You didn't expect me to wake up, did you?'
He tries to stand up. Too late. I throw myself at him.
My left hand, my only hand, shoots forward. Claws out. I aim for the closest spot that's throbbing.
'KAWABUNGA'
Slash.
I hit him close to his throat and he screams.
Not a noble scream. More like the sound of a cockroach being squashed in a trap.
He hits me with his tail, sending me flying into a wall where I crash.
« That hurts, you piece of shit! »
I get back up with difficulty, my arm completely torn off. I've felt worse pain!
« Shit... I'm still standing. You must be useless, mate. »
He crawls in circles. He wants to regain the upper hand. He stares at me with his central eye.
I feel the pressure returning. The tingling. The call of the fake.
But there's nothing. It's slipping away. My skull is holding.
Mental resistance, you bastard.
« Well, luckily your ability is pretty weak, otherwise my level 1 would have been useless! »
I get back up, on fire, but standing straight. My arm is shaking. My breath is foul. My back is still smoking a little.
I stare at him.
And I smile.
« A lizard that gives illusions, what kind of creature are you? »
He growls. He starts moving again.
And me?
I get ready to go back into battle!
« Round two, you dirty glitch. »
He leaps. Or rather, he slides towards me like an old live cable.
I roll. Too late. He scrapes my shoulder. I feel the acid bite.
My flesh smokes. The smell rises to my nose, metallic, sickening.
I scream. A raw scream. Not classy.
Then I throw myself at him.
My left hand shoots out. Claws out. I dig into what looks like a flank.
The flesh gives way. He screams.
« Finally! Suffer, you little shit! »
I charge.
A slide. A pivot. A scream.
I dig my claws into his eye.
And I push them in as far as they'll go.
« Ah ah! You wouldn't believe it, but I used to do combat sports! »
He convulses. Spits out a jet of acid.
I get splashed on my chest. It burns.
« Fucking sea lizard! »
I bite straight into his skin and let loose.
He screams at me, but I hold on.
The creature hits me with its tail everywhere.
Until it collapses.
I fall with it. Out of breath. Shaking.
« Damn, that was fun! »
Then I bite it even more, pulling its flesh with my hand and chewing on it.
I stay there. On my knees.
And I laugh.
[System connection... critical...]
« You again? You told me you didn't use that layer, but you use it all the time! Are you kidding me? »
[The system has detected that the unnamed individual Demi-oni is about to undergo an evolution of their species.]
« An evolution? Oh shit, isn't that the kind of thing in TV shows where I become super strong? »
[Two evolutions available]
[Option 1: Humanoid Semi-Oni – Harmonised Model]
[Option 2: Proto-Oni – Instinctive Deviation]
« WHAT?! »
I don't know if it was my mouth or my brain that just screamed.
« Two choices?! Since when did I get the premium DLC?! »
I reread it.
The first [Humanoid Semi-Oni – Harmonised Model]
And the second [Proto-Oni – Instinctive Deviation]
No details. No numbers. No nice little explanatory paragraphs.
But my brain is imagining things.
'Harmonised Humanoid' sounds like half-restored humanity. Maybe I'll have a normal face? Nails instead of claws? Less... monstrous legs? Maybe I'll even be able to get out of this maze and not get burned to a crisp as soon as I'm spotted?
I blink.
« Wait. Wait... I could become... me again? Like... a little? »
And the other one there.
Proto-Oni. Instinctive Deviation.
No need for a manual.
It reeks of carnage. Dirty power. The monster at the top of the food chain.
No going back. No more humanity. Just fangs, raw magic, and blood in my mouth.
And guess what?
I smile.
« Forgive me. I've thought it through. And... fuck normality. »
I choose.
[Evolution selected: Proto-Oni – Instinctive Deviation]
« Let's see what it's like to become the weapon. »
[Evolution launched]
« Okay. I think I'm going to get some sleep now... »
Wait, I want to sleep?
No? No!
If I go to sleep, the chances of me surviving without getting eaten are extremely low!
I punch myself to stay awake until...
My body gives up.
My mind goes haywire.
Everything collapses.
And I fall.