Theli stood in front of her desk, her wild ginger hair spiking out to the right with bangs brushing her chin. Her beige pants hung loosely, the hems pooling around her ankles, while her dress shirt was neatly tucked in.
With a bored sigh, Theli glanced up at the ceiling. She stood up abruptly, leaving her homework half-finished, and called out, "Mom!" Without waiting for a response, she added, "I'm going out." She slipped on her shoes, walked out the door, and didn't look back.
As she strolled down the street, an unfamiliar, sharp pain wracked her body. She dropped to her knees, unable to stop the scream that tore from her throat.
When the world finally stopped spinning, Theli opened her eyes, heart racing. Panic set in as she realized her body was still, though her head could move. She tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn't obey.
In that moment, a blinding ball of light flickered in front of her, its glowing form shifting and taking shape. It loomed over them like some sort of god, its presence overwhelming. With a flick of its hand, everyone around her vanished.
Theli's eyes snapped open again. Her limbs felt heavy and weak, but as she forced herself to stand, her gaze fell upon a vast green forest. Trying to steady herself, she reached up, touching the sides of her head. Her fingers brushed against... fur. Slowly, she realized: furry ears were sprouting, and a tail was growing, too. The fur spread across her body like a second skin.
'Don't panic. Just breathe,' she thought, closing her eyes for a moment and taking five deep, calming breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a dirt road stretching ahead. "Okay, this is a start," she muttered to herself, beginning to walk down the path.
It wasn't long before she saw a village up ahead. A figure stood in the middle of the street. "Hey!" Theli called out. The figure turned, revealing brown skin, wild black hair, and deep brown eyes. As Theli stopped in front of her, she realized the girl was... short.
"So, did the same thing happen to you?" Theli blurted out. "Were you suddenly yanked from somewhere and transported to a place where other people like you were, then a human-like person took you somewhere else, and now you've got... mutated body parts?"
The girl blinked, staring at her in disbelief. "Were you planning to say that to everyone you meet?" she asked. Theli opened her mouth to respond, then paused. "Oh my God, you were," the girl laughed, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself. Gyles Greene."
"Theli Grant. Nice to meet you." Theli grinned. "Heh, now that I think about it, you're oddly calm."
"Yeah," Gyles replied, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "I don't panic in new situations." She pulled her cloak back, revealing a pair of horns and a smooth, black tail. "It's like I can feel it's a part of me, but it's also... not. Weird, right?"
Theli nodded. "Don't worry, I feel the same way. So, do you think there are others here?"
Gyles shrugged. "Maybe they're just shy. Hey! If you can hear me, come out!" she shouted, looking around for any sign of movement. "Heh, maybe it's a ghost town." She approached one of the wooden houses, knocking on the door. It creaked open slowly, revealing a foul stench that crept out like smoke.
Gyles pinched her nose. "Ugh, what is that smell?" she said, pushing the door open wider. Inside, the walls and floors were covered in a thick, black substance.
Theli walked up behind her, covering her nose as she coughed. "Man, I can't breathe with all these smells."
"Is your nose... stronger now that you're kind of like a lion?" Gyles asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think so," Theli replied.
"Alright, I'll go first since your nose is probably more sensitive. Come in after me," Gyles said, stepping inside. She moved carefully through the black mess, heading upstairs. She stopped at the top, looking down the hallway. "Don't you want to check the other rooms first?" Theli asked.
Gyles shook her head. "Most of the black stuff is up here. You can look around if you want." She turned to head upstairs. "So, you coming?"
"Yeah, it's creepy down here anyway," Theli said, following her up. "Two's better than one."
They reached a door at the end of the hall. Gyles looked back at Theli. "Ready?"
Theli nodded, and together they opened the door. What they saw made Theli's stomach turn. Two bodies slumped against the wall, their entrails spilled out and mixing with the black ink on the floor. Gyles stepped forward, her expression twisting in disgust as she stepped into the room, her shoes making a sickening squelching sound on the blood-soaked floor.
Theli turned away, covering her mouth to stop from vomiting. Gyles scanned the room, her gaze lifting to the ceiling where a body was pinned by its limbs. The sight of blood cascading from the man's wounds made her stomach turn even more.
Gyles glanced at the two smaller bodies—mother and child, from the looks of it. Both were covered in black ink, and as Gyles got closer, she realized they were naked. "What the hell happened here?" she thought, her brow furrowing.
Turning to Theli, she asked, "Are you okay? Do you need to get some fresh air?"
"I... I'll be outside," Theli managed, taking a few shaky steps back.
"Alright, I'll check things out here," Gyles said, crouching down next to the bodies. She noticed a book clutched in their hands. Blood stained her fingers as she pried it loose, opening it to reveal strange symbols on the pages. Some of them were legible.
ΣПƬЯY ӨПΣ
ƬΉΣ ЯΛIDΣЯƧ ΉΛVΣ ᄃӨMΣ BΛᄃK ƬΉΣY BΣGΛП ƬΛKIПG PΣӨPᄂΣ ӨПΣ BY ӨПΣ ЩΣ ӨFFΣЯΣD ƬΉΣM ΣVΣЯΥƬΉIПG ЩΣ ΉΛD ƬΉΣY ƧΣΣM ƬӨ ΉΛVΣ ᄂΣFƬ ӨЦЯ FΛMIᄂY ΛᄂӨПΣ ΛFƬΣЯ ƬΉΛƬ.
Flipping the pages, she found two entries. The first stopped mid-sentence.
ΣПƬЯY ƬЩӨ
ƬΉΣY ƬЯIΣD ƬӨ KIDПΛP THE DΛЦGΉƬΣЯ ΛFƬΣЯ ƬΉΛƬ I ΉID ƬΉΣ ƧΉIΣᄂD IП ƬΉΣ MΛПӨЯ I JЦƧƬ ΉӨPΣ JΛƧӨП ᄃΛП GΣƬ ΉΣЯ ƧӨӨПΣЯ ΛПD ƬΉΛƬ ƬΉΣY ПΣVΣЯ FIПD ƬΉΛƬ ƧΉIΣᄂD.
She closed the book, tucking it into her side pouch. Standing up, she looked at the body pinned to the ceiling. "That must be the husband, Jason," she muttered. "I guess I'm going to the manor next to find this mystery Shield."
Walking outside, she saw Theli pacing. "Guess she managed to hold it together," Gyles thought, nodding to herself.
"Hey, I'm done here," Gyles called to Theli. "I know where I need to go next. You can sit this one out if you want. The manor's probably full of bodies."
Theli took five deep breaths, nodded, and said, "I'm ready."