CHAPTER 666: LITTLE SKELETON AND BLACK CAT (10)

When the driverless bus began to move, the two of them turned quiet and simply fixed their gazes on the school building that grew smaller and smaller behind them.

A complex feeling surged. Before, no matter how long they walked, they would always return to the starting point. Now though...

A curtain of darkness fell over their vision, so sudden that it caught them totally off guard.

It seemed like the bus had entered a tunnel.

In the midst of the pitch-black darkness, the little skeleton and the black cat’s eyes glowed in the same inhuman manner. The lack of light posed no problem for them; they could still make out their surroundings perfectly fine. However, the little skeleton couldn’t help but feel a little alarmed at this sudden turn of events, and it reflexively sought the black cat with its eyes, only feeling relieved when it affirmed its companion’s presence once more.

But before it could speak, Lucius’ expression abruptly changed as it cried out, "Y-Your body!"

My body...? Reacting half a beat too late, the little skeleton looked down at himself, only to turn dumbfounded.

It saw flesh... raw bloody flesh growing out and filling the gaps between its bones. After that, came muscle tissues, tiny veins, inner organs, before everything was wrapped in smooth and unblemished skin. The change was gradual, slow but unstoppable, and both of them could only gawk in shock—no, shock was nowhere near enough to encapsulate the myriads of emotions crashing over them right now.

It’s like seeing a miracle unfolding right before their eyes.

The little skeleton examined its small hands, now plump and fair. It clenched and unclenched them, unable to get used to the sensation of solid flesh and warm skin. "W-What’s going on...?" as soon as the last syllable left its mouth, it was startled, hands groping at its own face and throat. Its voice was no longer rough and discordant; it sounded soft and milky, typical of a child, carrying a barely imperceptible tremor.

"Ah—ah—" it could feel its vocal cord quivering every time it spoke, and the sensation was so foreign that its heart skipped a beat.

Ah,

another major realization hit the little skeleton. I have a heart now.

It placed a hand on its chest, feeling the powerful and rapid thumping of the organ that now resided beneath its ribs.

Lucius belatedly snapped out of its trance, and its expression morphed into one of great excitement. "Y-Y-You’re no longer a little skeleton!!!" It poked its head left and right, examining the little figure standing dazedly before it, seemingly more thrilled than the other party. "Oh my God, look at you! Turns out you’re a boy, huh? Quite a good looking one, at that!"

The concept of beauty did not exist in the little skeleton’s mind. But upon hearing the black cat’s excited babble, it couldn’t resist turning toward the window and studying its own reflection there.

Staring back at it was a completely unfamiliar ’person’—a thick head of brown curls, round emerald eyes, cheeks that still contained a little baby fat, and tightly pursed lips. When it blinked, its thick lashes would flutter gently. Its appearance could be considered soft and adorable by human standards.

Who could have guessed that just minutes ago, this ’person’ had still been a little skeleton?

This... this was its own face?

It turned out to be... a boy?

This sudden transformation was so mind-boggling that it nearly overturned everything the little skeleton—no, the boy—knew about himself.

Meanwhile, the euphoric black cat was still chattering nonstop, "Damn, you actually look pretty cute! We’re lucky that this transformation comes with a set of clothes or else... ugh, it would be quite a sight to see!" It was even in the mood to crack a joke, only to turn silent when it realized that the boy was still staring at his own reflection with no apparent emotions on his face.

"Hey, what’s wrong? Shocked yourself silly?" it asked in a light-hearted tone.

Complex emotions flashed in the boy’s emerald eyes as he reached out to pinch his own cheek, feeling the skin bounce lightly, "I..." he still had not gotten used to how smooth and pleasant his voice had become, and it took him a couple of seconds to continue, "I’ve become... a human?"

"I suppose so," Lucius mused, "How are you going to blend in otherwise?"

"Then why don’t you..."

Lucius humphed, "Excuse you, being a cat is much better than a human!"

When it saw that the boy still didn’t have much reaction, it finally reigned in its overwhelming joy and asked carefully, "You’re not happy with this?"

The little boy replied dazedly, "I... don’t know. I guess I need more time... to process this..."

Even after growing a brain inside his skull, the boy was still as slow as ever, causing the black cat to snicker. But soon, its attention was diverted to a faint flicker in its peripheral vision.

"Look, there’s light!" It exclaimed, "We will soon get out of here!"

The two of them subconsciously held their breaths as the distant light grew nearer and brighter, causing them to squint.

But just as they thought that everything would end smoothly, the little boy suddenly felt a buzz inside his head, and a foreign voice echoed inside his mind,

[You will now discard your identity as a nightmare creature. Will you accept a new identity as a player?]

Startled, the little boy almost blurted out ’yes’ when Lucius suddenly pounced on him, looking the most horrified he had ever seen. "NO, YOU CAN’T—!"

Raw terror and alarm spilled forth its feline eyes. This was the first time the boy had ever seen the cat look so terror-stricken, sending a jolt of shock through his heart. "You can’t, you can’t, you can’t! You can’t become a player! If... If you get dragged back here again with the way you are, you will definitely die! Damn it, the Nightmare... it truly left us with no way to live. I thought I had managed to evade its radar, but it turns out it’s been biding its time, waiting for the precise moment to strike!" Lucius gnashed its teeth in a mixture of fury, dread, and fear.

Once again, the little boy couldn’t catch up with what the black cat was saying.

The Nightmare? Who’s that? Was it the voice speaking inside his mind? Why did Lucius look so... so afraid?

The little boy reflexively held the black cat closer to himself in a comforting gesture, "Then... I will choose no..."

The black cat gave a wry smile, "Do you think it’s so simple? If you refuse, you will be thrown back to that Cycle—no, maybe you will be forced into another Cycle and your consciousness will be obliterated once and for all! The Nightmare will not tolerate anything that has gotten out of its control!"

Confusion filled the little boy’s eyes. Both yes and no were not an option. Then what should they choose?

The end of the tunnel was getting closer and closer—the light was almost touching the body of the bus. They had no time left.

Gritting its teeth, Lucius reached out to press a paw on the little boy’s forehead in a gesture similar to stroking his hair. "I’m sorry," it suddenly said.

Ignoring the naïve surprise and puzzlement in the boy’s eyes, Lucius squeezed its eyes shut and spoke painfully, as if it couldn’t bear to see the boy’s reaction. It hastened its speech, "I-I have no other choice. This is the only way I can protect you. Don’t worry, I will always be by your side, so don’t be afraid. Once you’re strong enough... once you’re strong enough to challenge the Nightmare, you will understand everything."

The little boy couldn’t make heads or tails of the black cat’s words, but somehow it understood that it wasn’t anything good. He held the cat’s soft and warm body closer to him, feeling an inexplicable dread surging from the depths of his heart.

"Lucius...?"

At the same time as the light engulfed the bus, Lucius nuzzled close to his cheek and whispered, "Forget me. Forget everything about yourself, about us, and start over again... as a human."

"Let’s meet again on the other side, my little friend."

***

After an unknown amount of time, the little boy opened his eyes to a bustling street.

Chatters and laughter filled the air as pedestrians walked past him, while all around him were skyscrapers tall enough to reach the sky. Although it was nighttime, the city remained bright and dazzling, so much that the sight nearly overstimulated his senses.

He stumbled back and instinctively stretched out a hand as if reaching for something, only to grasp onto empty air.

In an instant, an inexplicable wave of loss came over him.

In this strange and unfamiliar world, he was completely lost and confused.

Where am I? What am I doing here?

And...

...who am I?

.

.

Part 1: Little Skeleton and Black Cat — The End