Chapter 1 The Awakening

With all the wrath of Zeus, a blinding light descended onto a glass capsule. The capsule shook from the assault but survived as light passed through, lighting it up like a sun.

When the light cleared, a silhouette of a body floating in thick, glowing liquid came into view.

Several minutes passed in silence before the body jolted. Followed by luminous eyes springing open. Like flashlights through dark water, two beams of light shined through the thick liquid.

With an animalistic vigor, it thrashed against the thick glass entrapping it, but the walls refused to budge. Undeterred, the thrashing only intensified as explosions of force ripped through the liquid, bashing into the walls with thundering cracks.

The capsule shrugged off the assault as if containing a child throwing a tantrum. Only allowing muffled pounding through to the room beyond.

After several minutes of allowing the storm, the black bands adorning the body’s neck, wrists, and ankles glowed.

The band’s effect was instantaneous. Within seconds, the explosions trickled to a stop, followed by the body’s thrashing a few moments later. Unsatisfied, they don’t stop until they drained all of its strength, dimming the once radiant eyes as they drifted closed.

With the body subdued, silence returned to the capsule once more.

Months later, in an unknown location, a young woman stirred awake. Why does my head hurt? I didn’t drink last night.

An intense pain speared through her mind, exacerbating her headache. Evernya? My name isn’t Evernya, it’s, what was my name? Did I fall off my bed and hit my head? But why does it feel like I’m laying on a bed?

Her eyes fluttered open, only to squint as they strained against the bright white light of the room.

After her eyes adjusted, she scanned her surroundings, perplexed. What am I doing in a hospital? The last thing I remember was crashing on my bed after work. She tried to sit up, but her trembling body failed her. Why do I feel so strange? Did I shrink overnight? Her train of thought paused as she felt something twitch on the top of her head. Curious, she strained her feeble arm to reach up to touch the unknown twitching appendage. What are these? They feel like my cat’s ears, but that’s impossible.

Evernya next spotted two mounds on her chest. Wait, how did my boobs shrink? I’m all for less back pain, but still, how? She strained her neck to look down her body to find several other differences, such as a paler skin tone, shorter arms, and smaller hands. Is this some sort of prank? How did I shrink overnight? Was it overnight? Did someone drug me? Am I hallucinating?

Her thoughts froze when she noticed something struggle to move under her. She warred with herself, curious but also terrified of what she may find. After a lengthy battle of a few seconds, her curious side won out.

She tensed her muscles, struggling to lift her back up a few centimeters. With her core muscles pushed to their limit, she held her lower back up as she reached under. She fumbled for a few seconds until her hand grazed something long and velvety soft attached to her tailbone. Curious, she grabbed at her target, pulling with all the might her noodle arms could deliver to dislodge the unknown appendage.

The moment she freed her target, a sharp pain shot up her spine as blood rushed back into the previously kinked appendage, causing her back to arch as tears welled.

After recovering a minute later, she looked down at her prize grasped in her right hand. However, when she gazed at the appendage, her fragile hold on her emotions snapped.

She screamed, flailing on her bed, previous weakness gone. The panic session lasted a few seconds before the black bands adhered to her limbs and neck glowed.

Within a minute, her body turned lethargic, unable to fuel her panic any longer.

Evernya stared at the ceiling, drained. What is wrong with me? I feel like I should panic, but I can’t gather the energy to care.

With her mind calmed, she noticed the glowing bands wrapped around her wrists. She lifted her right wrist to inspect the band. What are these? They look like tattoos, but how are they glowing, weird.

So what now? I feel weaker now than I did when I first woke up. I guess I’ll lay here for a bit. Maybe someone will come to explain what the hell is going on. She thought as she stared at the ceiling in a daze.

As the bands dimmed over the next few hours, her strength returned. She clenched her muscles to sit up. Unlike her previous attempt, she succeeded. However, a wave of weakness forced her to lean her back against the headboard for support. Well, I guess one step at a time. If I process this all at once, I will have another panic attack.

From her higher vantage point, Evernya studied the room. She found she was in a sterile white hospital room. The room was empty aside from a screen mounted on the wall to her right, and a dresser slid against the wall to her left. Her eyes landed on a pair of doors, one five meters straight ahead from the foot of her bed and another on a perpendicular wall to the right of the first door. Appears to be a typical hospital room. I think the doors lead to a bathroom and the hall.

Next, she glanced at the screen with her vital stats on the wall to her right. I’m no expert, but isn’t my heart rate a little slow? I had a healthy resting heart of around sixty at thirty years old. But compared to that, this heart rate is beyond low. How am I even functioning at twenty beats per minute? Is my heart rate the reason I feel weak? Even if it was, I doubt I would be conscious if my heart rate really is that low.

At least my headache toned down from a bass boosted dubstep beat to a sixties rock song, so that’s one positive. Wouldn’t a nurse run in even if the reading is wrong? Wait, I haven’t seen or heard anyone since I woke up. What’s going on? Maybe this really is some sort of elaborate prank. It would explain the other odd readings on the screen. What does mana vein health or mana core stability even mean?

She focused her ears to listen for anyone. They twitched as they picked up the subtle rustle of the bedsheets unperceivable by the human ear. Wow, these ears are real and really sensitive. The thought caused Evernya to shake as a panic attack threatened to manifest.

Why would someone go through the trouble of giving me functional cat ears? Am I hallucinating? Somehow that doesn’t feel right, but it is the only logical explanation for this. How would someone pull this off? I doubt technology exists to add functioning cat ears and tail to a human. Am I a sort of test subject? She took a deep breath, followed by a long sigh to calm down.

After she calmed herself down, she returned to the task at hand. The black triangular-shaped cat ears atop her head twitched as she strained them to pick up any sounds other than the quiet rustle of her sheets and the slow cadence of the EKG. Even with her sensitive ears, she couldn’t perceive anything new.

In frustration, she peeled off the sensors stuck to her chest. This turned out to be a mistake as the moment the sensors lost contact with her skin, a loud alarm buzzed. Her hands shot up to clamp around her flattened ears to shield them. To her relief, the painfully loud alarm dulled to a loud but tolerable buzz a few seconds later as her ears adjusted.

If that doesn’t make someone come running, I don’t know what will. She thought while her fingers massaged her sore ears. Lulled by the motion, her body turned to mush as a rumble vibrated in her throat.

A few minutes later, the alarm silenced.

Unaware of the change, the limp girl remained slumped against the headboard. A droopy smile of contentment displayed on her face with her head tilted forward, chin rested on her chest. Her tail tip lazily swayed on the bed to her left as a quiet purr reverberated through the otherwise silent hospital room.

A while later, Evernya returned to her senses, refreshed and full of energy. May as well try to get out of this bed I won’t find anything out if I stay here.

Evernya skooched to the side of the bed. She hung her legs over the edge, reaching for the floor, but came up short. Her tail whipped on the bed in annoyance as she pushed her butt off the bed.

Upon contacting the cold, white concrete floor with her bare feet, her tail puffed. She swayed for a moment before her body adjusted to the upright position. At least I can stand, so progress. What time is it anyway? I think I’ve been awake for a few hours at least, but there is no clock. How odd. She took a step, but her balance abandoned her. Evernya’s arms flailed outward in an attempted to stabilize herself but failed. Her eyes clenched shut, bracing herself as she fell to the floor, tail jammed under her butt.

“Ouch,” she squeaked.

With a shift of her butt, Evernya freed her squished tail. She grabbed ahold of it, stroking the kink for several minutes until the pain subsided. With her tail recovered, she reached her hands up the bed to pull herself back to her feet. Scared to fall on her tail again, Evernya brainstormed what went wrong before a second attempt.

After a few seconds, an idea sprouted in her mind. Evernya refrained from the urge to facepalm herself with how obvious it was. I have a tail now! That’s why I lost my balance! From what I have read about animals with tails, they use it to help them balance. I must be the same.

With her new plan set, she attempted to take a step. This time she focused not only on the step, but on how her tail affected balance. It feels odd having another limb attached to my back.

After her first success, Evernya took a few more wobbly steps. From an outside observer, her awkward stride resembled a baby’s first steps.

I’m kind of getting the hang of this, well at least I didn’t fall again, so I consider that progress. I should try to reach the bathroom since there might be a mirror there. She paused to eye the door she assumed was a bathroom. The bathroom feels so far away. Even if it’s only around three more meters. After taking my first few steps in my new body, I have a new respect for people who relearned how to walk.

With unsteady short choppy strides, Evernya worked her way slow but steady toward the bathroom. Halfway there, she lost her balance, forcing her to teeter on one foot with her arms flailed outward. After her near failure, she became extra cautious. Evernya stopped to check her balance after every step to ensure her balance remained perfect, or as perfect as it could be.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, Evernya arrived at her destination. “Finally, I made it!” Unfortunately, her premature celebration sent her sideways. In desperation, her arm shot out, grabbing the support bar to the right of the bathroom door.

She took a deep, relieved breath. One goal at a time. I’m not in a position to celebrate early. Evernya thought as she released the support bar to grab the doorknob. She turned the knob on the bathroom door and peered In. Kind of small. Though having a bathroom to myself in a hospital is a luxury.

The bathroom had a small shower, toilet, and a sink all jammed into a four-square meter room. Evernya carefully shuffled into the bathroom as she tried her best to keep her balance. No clock anywhere still. This may be the only hospital room without a clock. There is a mirror, though.

“Don’t panic, don’t panic.” Evernya chanted to herself as she moved her eyes toward her reflection in the mirror.

When her eyes landed on the mirror, her jaw dropped. Is this really me? I look totally different! There is no way plastic surgery could pull off a fifteen plus centimeter height shrink and at least a decade in age. That’s not even considering the complete change to my face, body shape, and the added ears and tail. Does that mean I ended up in a new body? How is that possible? Is this like an Isekai? I hope it’s only a new body, not a different world. A new body is bad enough. I don’t know what I would do if I have to survive in an unknown world too.

I think I am some sort of cat hybrid as my ears appear to be catlike. With these ears and tail, how will I go out in public? Will I have to hide them for the rest of my life? Somehow it feels wrong to conceal them. Just the thought of covering them feels repulsive. At least even with the animal parts, I’m cute, though definitely on the petite side. I look teenaged but I can’t say for sure as it’s hard to tell the age of petite women.

Her observations froze, panic attack imminent as the reality of her situation sunk in. How did someone make functioning feline body parts? Cat people aren’t real.

“Calm down, one mystery at a time.” Evernya muttered to herself before a full-blown panic attack overcame her.

Evernya returned her attention to her reflection while her mind beat down a panic attack. My ears and tail aren’t the only abnormal things. My skin is so pale, almost like this body has never seen the sun. For all I know it hasn’t.

I like my eyes. The glowing, sapphire color goes well with my pale skin and black hair. Evernya paused before her illuminated eyes widened in alarm. Why are my eyes glowing!? Eyes don’t glow! Evernya averted her gaze from the mirror, too freaked out to continue to examine her appearance.

The catgirl took deep breaths with her eyes closed. “Deep breaths, calm down. I have to stay calm. If I don’t, I will fall apart.” Evernya whispered to herself.

It took several minutes before Evernya could bring herself to focus back on her reflection. I think my hair is the only somewhat regular part of my body. Let’s focus there, away from my freaky, glowing eyes! I guess I have black hair now. I was never a fan of my dirty blond hair, but I couldn’t bring myself to dye it. My black ears, tail, and hair go well with my pale skin, even if it is a bit goth. I like my hair, it’s the most ordinary part of my body. I always wanted to grow my hair out past my shoulders, but I never did. It may be hard to deal with, but I can always make it into a ponytail or something. Wait a second, why is my hair so perfect without bedhead? So much for ordinary, bedhead immune hair is definitely not normal! Evernya thought as she sucked in another deep breath, exhaled through her nose.

Evernya took one last peek at her new appearance before turning away with a slight tremble in her hands and a puffed tail. I think I’ve spent enough time checking myself out. Even though I am the farthest thing from ordinary, I have to admit I look pretty good, for an odd human-cat hybrid.

Evernya glanced at the toilet. Thankfully, I don’t have to pee. I’m not sure I’m ready to pee with what could be someone else’s body. Does this body need to pee? Everything with this body is unusual. I don’t know what to think anymore.

The panicked catgirl hobbled out of the bathroom. Once outside the bathroom, Evernya stopped to scan the room for her next goal. I’m not feeling weak anymore, but walking is hard with a tail. I don’t think I’m ready to leave the room until I can walk normally. I think I’ll practice walking for a little while in here until I feel confident I can walk for longer distances.

Over the next hour, Evernya wobbled back and forth from the bed to the bathroom door, improving with each lap. After Evernya finished her latest lap, she sat on the bed. Well, at least I can walk now, but I think running is off the menu for the time being. What now? Should I explore further? I can’t believe I haven’t heard anyone yet. These ears are really sensitive. If anyone were nearby, I would have heard them by now. Maybe they cleared out this floor of the hospital because abnormal me would scare people. Evernya thought, perched on her bed.

After a quick break, Evernya walked to the door. She put her right ear to the white metal to listen for any activity. Yup, definitely no one nearby unless this room is soundproof. I may as well leave. Continuing to hide in this room won’t do me any good.

Evernya glanced down at her body. I’m not sure how I feel about going out in public wearing a sports bra and compression shorts. The black looks nice against my pale skin, but it’s a bit revealing for my tastes, though I’m oddly comfortable in it. I suppose it’s better than a hospital gown, though just barely.

She shrugged her shoulders before turning the doorknob and peeked into the hallway. Wow, it is dead quiet out here. It’s almost like everyone abandoned this place. Did some viral outbreak happen, causing everyone to evacuate, leaving abnormal me to fend for herself? Maybe the viral outbreak caused my changes and made me the only survivor.

This hall doesn’t look like a hospital hall. It is too empty, and there are no windows. Am I underground? But that doesn’t make sense. Why would a hospital be underground? Oh well, I won’t know until I leave this room. Which direction should I go? The hall appears to go endlessly in both directions. After Evernya peered down the bland hall in both directions, she turned right to continue her journey.