I was still mad at losing all of my equipment to that boss. In Danath Online, players not only lost experience but also dropped everything they had on them whenever they died. It was annoying, yet it made the virtual reality game feel more realistic to me. We actually feared death because of it.

The bright side was that we could always recover our things. All the items remained on the corpse and had no time limit unless they were perishable already. Anyone could claim them, but since the dungeon was unknown to everyone else, the risk of someone stealing my stuff was low. We still needed to go back for them as soon as possible, though.

Mary, nicknamed Ryme inside the game, and I were lucky to die closer to the entrance, and chances were that she had already gone back and recovered my things for me after I went to sleep in frustration. The biggest problem was that some of our friends, including our guild leader, had been less fortunate and died inside the boss room. Our only chance to recover their equipment was leveling up. We needed to, since the boss attacked anyone who got close enough.

The next day came, and with it, something more important took over my mind. It was my last day of high school, and the thought of finally graduating was enough to make me forget about yesterday's fiasco.

The sun hadn't risen when I got to the bus stop. I always took the earliest one to avoid dealing with the crowds that formed later on. There were days when I would even have the entire bus for myself. I didn't consider myself antisocial. I simply enjoyed those nice peaceful moments of solitude before school.

Sitting on the closest bench, I took out my phone and began reading the new issue of Mysterium while I waited. I never missed a single release of my favourite digital magazine.

I particularly enjoyed reading horror stories and the legends of the Old Era and had a blast reading the fake news included at the end of each issue. It was mind-boggling that some people honestly thought most of those stories were real, no matter how far-fetched they got. People claiming aliens had abducted them and cryptid encounters were too common.

I was done reading an article about zombies when I heard a scream nearby. Turning to look at the origin of the noise, I saw a young man leaning on a tree nearby. I approached him cautiously to see what was wrong. I tried asking, but he only grunted in reply. It was clear that he was in a tremendous amount of pain, so I dialed the emergency line.

There was more screaming and groaning. He fell to his knees, as if the last of his strength had finally deserted him.

"T-there's a very sick person next to me. I think. He seems unable to stand up or talk from the pain, and I don't see any wounds." My nerves increased as his suffering seemed to increase.

"I think he's just a bit older than I am. Oh, sorry. Um, early to mid-twenties, maybe? He's kneeling and pressing his stomach with one hand. Ah! He's gagging!"

What's that!?

"S-something black came out of his mouth!"

The mass, no bigger than my fist, was so dark I couldn't see its shape properly. The moment it fell to the ground, some sort of smoke came out of it.

"It stinks!" I said, blocking my nose with my free hand.

She practically shrieked in my ear.

I did as she asked and walked a few metres away from him. That's when I realized the bus was about to arrive. I could already see its faint lights in the distance.

"Hey, is it really necessary for me to be here? I don't mean to sound selfish, but I won't make it to school if I miss this bus."

It was a small lie. I could always take the next ones, but I was scared. Who could blame me? I didn't want to be there unless I had no other choice. I felt bad for abandoning the guy, but he was still conscious, and I had already done my part by calling for an ambulance.

The lady's next words dashed my hopes immediately.

Just then, the guy collapsed on the floor. My shoulders dropped in defeat. I couldn't leave him after that. "Okay, I'll wait."

She thanked me and ended the call. The bus arrived a couple of minutes after that, and the doors opened as if tempting me to get in.

"I'll take the next one," I told the driver while pointing to the unconscious man.

He stared briefly, probably wondering what I was doing so far from him, but eventually turned back to me and bobbed his head in acknowledgement before he resumed his route. I could only stare despondently as the vehicle left without any passengers. It was a pity that things weren't going how I wanted. Hopefully, it would all be over by the time the last bus came. Setting the earlier lie aside, I really didn't want to miss class. I had a flawless attendance record, and I certainly didn't want to ruin it on the very last day.

A few more minutes went by, and the man remained silent on the ground. The smell finally faded so, despite the warning, I got closer to check on him. Fortunately, he was still breathing. I tried looking for the black mass too, but it wasn't there anymore.

Eventually, the ambulance showed up with a black car following closely behind it. As they picked the man up, the owner of said vehicle stepped out and walked to me.

He seemed to be around thirty years old, with short black hair, and wearing a suit of the same colour. He was thin and looked sickly pale. As if his emotionless face wasn't unsettling enough, he wore shades to hide any trace of life his eyes could show. The guy looked ready to wipe my memories of the incident.

"Good morning, Miss. I assume you're the one who made the call?"

I nodded slowly.

"Good. Was there anyone else near the victim when the black object was expelled?" A chill went up my spine, that didn't sound promising.

"No, I was the only one here. Why? Is it dangerous?" I asked with fear.

"I'm afraid it is. That man is suffering from a new illness and, from what I heard, there's a small chance you may have contracted it."

His words made me flinch. Seeing my expression, he placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a comforting smile. At least he tried to. Showing emotion was clearly not his specialty.

"Relax, you'll be fine. I promise."

It was weird how quickly my fears flew away. I knew this whole situation was scary, yet I trusted him completely. I found myself to be completely calm. He looked pleased with my reaction.

"I know all this might confuse you, but I need you to cooperate with me, okay?"

Nodding once more, I replied, "Yeah, okay."

"Excellent. First, we must run a quick test to see if you are infected or not. Would you please follow me to my car?"

I did as he asked, and he drove for about half an hour until we left the city. We stayed on the highway for another thirty minutes before we changed course and took a narrow path through the nearby forest. It made little sense for a hospital to be in the middle of such a place, but the ambulance was heading the same way, so I didn't question it.

As we went deeper into the woods, I thought about letting my parents know of my situation. It wouldn't be good if they thought someone kidnapped me or something like that. I turned my phone on only to see there was no reception.

"For security reasons we don't allow for communication in this area." He said when he noticed my confusion. "Don't be alarmed, you will be able to communicate once we arrive at the hospital."

I accepted his statement with a nod and turned to the window to contemplate the passing scenery.

Twenty minutes went by before we finally reached our destination. As we got out of the car, I saw the ambulance go through what I assumed to be the entrance to an underground parking garage. After that, an old man in a white lab coat walked down the front stairs of the building.

He was tall, around 1.80 metres, with pale blue eyes, full beard, and a kind expression. He appeared to be in his late sixties, maybe even older. Despite that, he looked full of energy and carried himself with dignity. His mostly white mane still had some traces of black hair mixed in.

"Welcome, young lady! I am Dr. Blake, the director of this investigation centre."

"You mean it's not a hospital?"

"Hm. Yes, you could call it that too, but it's not your normal hospital, and I don't say this just because of the location. Our only focus is the study and treatment of a newly discovered virus, you see. One that you might already be infected with, unfortunately."

"How can you tell if I do?" I asked calmly, tilting my head to the side.

He continued explaining, casually placing a hand on my back and leading me gently up the stairs. "A quick blood test will tell us what we need. It won't take more than a few minutes, I promise."

It seemed simple enough. I still wanted to call my parents, though. Given my perfect attendance, it wouldn't be weird if the school tried to contact them to find out the reason. If not them, Mary would do it instead.

"May I call my family first? They might get worried if they find out I never got to school."

He raised an eyebrow and stopped to give me a concerned look. "Is that really your biggest concern right now?"

I didn't understand what he meant by that. The man with the shades, who was walking next to the doctor, whispered something in his ear.

"I see..." The old man said with a wry smile. He raked his fingers through his hair in a pensive manner. "I understand, but I must insist on running the test first. This virus has a low infection rate, so there's a good chance you are clean. If that's the case, we'll simply send you back home."

Why is it so important that they take it first?

I looked at my phone.

It has signal now.

Whatever, he seems nice. I guess it won't hurt to cooperate, and that way I won't worry mom over this if it turns out to be nothing.

"Fine. Test first."

His smile widened in response. "Excellent! This way, please."

They guided me inside the building and into an elegant room full of bookshelves, a large monitor, and a desk full of paperwork with a plaque that read 'Dr. Blake' placed on top. There was also a small wooden table surrounded by a set of small wine coloured sofas and some medical equipment. It looked like the fancy combination between a consulting room and a psychologist's office.

Dr. Blake offered me a seat and prepared to draw some blood. I was not a fan of needles, but I didn't mind them as long as I didn't see them in action. Once the doctor had the sample, he handed it to Stone Face, who stepped out of the room right after. Dr. Blake then grabbed a tablet from his desk and pulled a stylus from his lab coat's pocket.

"Now, I'd like you to answer a few questions for me. Full name and age?"

"Nora Hayes, 18 years old," I replied.

"Have you suffered from any major disease or injury? Any allergies, perhaps?"

"No, at least none that I'm aware of."

"How about your parents or close relatives, any health issues with them?"

I thought about that for a bit, but I couldn't recall any member of my family having anything like that. The interview continued with him asking a few more questions regarding my diet, daily activities, and even my emotional state. His phone rang shortly after that, and he turned away to answer without leaving his seat. He hung up after a few seconds of listening and faced me once more.

"I just got the initial results regarding your blood sample. The quick analysis confirmed that the virus is active within your body. I'm sorry."

My jaw dropped. I was, once again, afraid of suffering the same way that other guy did. However, this time my heartbeat didn't calm down like before. I bombarded the doctor with questions.

"How dangerous is it!? Is there a cure? What about the other guy? Is he even alive!?"

"Calm down. You're not in danger."

"But the man with the shades said-"

"I know what he said earlier," he interrupted. "Trust me, you'll be fine. The virus being dangerous is a simple cover up."

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you call your family so I can explain everything in detail to everyone? Your parents should be safe given their age, so I wouldn't worry about them, but siblings or young family members should stay at home or they may be exposed to the virus."

Allen is probably at school, anyway.

I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone out of my bag. There was already one message from Mom asking where I was. I immediately called back.

My mother asked as she picked up the call.

"Hi, Mom. Yes, I'm fine."

I could hear her sigh in relief.

"Sorry. I kinda got myself involved in something... weird."

She made a brief pause before speaking again.

"Well... There was this guy with me at the bus stop. He contracted some sort of virus or something, and I was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The doctor ran some tests, and it turns out I'm infected."

"I'm fine, Mom!" I interrupted before she could spiral further "Anyway, the doctor wants you and Dad to come so he can explain it to us."

She took a deep breath to calm herself before replying,

"I'm sending it in a moment. Ah, right! I know it's weird, but the hospital is in the middle of the forest. You won't have any phone reception when you enter, but you'll get here if you keep driving straight."

I ended the call and sent her my location so they could find the place. Dr. Blake helped me by pointing out where they needed to exit the highway. Once ready, he led me to a room on the second floor of the building and gave me a sky blue hospital gown and a pair of slippers for me to change into before he left the room.

I placed my bag next to the bed and my uniform on top of the nightstand next to it. Once I had the gown on, I got in the bed and closed my eyes.

I tried to sleep while I waited for them; however I kept turning around, far too nervous to do so. After a while, I gave up on that idea. I opened my eyes and scanned the white room to see a small wooden table and four chairs next to the bed. Behind them was a big window with prussian blue curtains. It had a nice view of the forest surrounding the building. The room also had a small dresser and an open door leading to a bathroom.

While it had a few measuring devices like a stadiometer, a weighing scale, and a few other machines I didn't recognise, the place looked closer to what you would find in a cheap hotel than in a hospital.

The summer heat made the room feel stuffy, so I opened the window a little to get some fresh air. I sat on one chair, enjoying the cool breeze, and took out my phone to finish reading my magazine while I waited.

The last article was about shadow people and their many sightings in the Black Forest, a place far to the east of Eredel, the city I lived in. It included many stories about campers feeling as if they were being observed or hearing humming at night. In other instances, people reported some of their belongings and food disappearing as they slept. It was nothing new. Despite being a beautiful forest, it was considered to be haunted by those beings long before I was born.

The scariest story was one about a family that claimed spotting a pair of glowing purple eyes staring at them from the darkness. They even managed to take a picture which was, conveniently, so blurry you couldn't identify anything in it.

As I finished reading, I heard a vehicle approaching. I looked through the window and saw my parents' car pulling up. My phone's battery was low, so I took the charger from my bag and connected it in case I needed it later.

After that, I sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for them to enter. The door opened a few minutes later, and Dr. Blake led my parents into the room. Mom ran to me the instant she saw me. She hugged me tightly before sitting next to me. Dad grabbed a chair, dragging it closer to us and sitting down before gesturing for the doctor to explain the situation.

Dr. Blake nodded and sat down too. "I know you're concerned about all this, so let me begin by saying you don't have to worry about your daughter. She will be fine once the virus completes its cycle in a few days. What Nora is about to go through is a series of mutations triggered by what we call the 'Mana Adaptation Virus', or MAV for short."

I frowned at the mention of one particular word. "I'm sorry, Dr. Blake, did you just say mana?"

Dr. Blake smiled wryly. "Yes, I know what you're thinking, but it's the truth. This is mostly kept secret by the government, but as it directly affects your family, you have the right to know.

"Mana is the name given to a newly discovered substance capable of manipulating our world in ways that defy logic. You could say it acts like the stuff from myths and fantasy. We learned of its existence thanks to the recent discovery of a species of microscopic animals named Aforidia, which is capable of manipulating small amounts of mana in order to improve its environment in extreme conditions."

We all showed clear faces of disbelief. The more he spoke, the less sense it made. Dr. Blake carried on as if he didn't notice.

"After this discovery, a group of scientists developed a virus with it. The purpose was to alter human genes to grant us those abilities. I'm not sure of the details, but they considered the project unsuccessful and abandoned it as a result.

"Unfortunately, the virus got free at some point, and it has been randomly spreading for a while now. Thing is, it's not as useless as they originally believed it to be. However, only a small percentage of the population is affected by it. Those who become infected mutate rapidly, and these changes vary greatly among the patients. Many of them can no longer be called human because of it."

Honestly, his story was quickly becoming outlandish with all this talk about mana and transformations. Looking from my angry parents to me, he cleared his throat and laced his fingers as he bent forward.

"I'll get straight to the point. We ran a blood test on Nora and confirmed that the virus is already making changes within her as we speak. The pain this causes once it initiates the physical changes renders the host unconscious during the process, so she'll have to with us while we monitor-"

Dad had heard enough and stood up. "Do you really expect us to believe this nonsense about magic!? I don't know who you think you are, but we're not leaving our daughter with a crazed idiot like yourself! We are leaving."

I went to grab my things before I heard the doctor calmly respond, "I'm afraid we can't let that happen."

A chill ran up my spine, I halted and turned slowly towards him. My parents had moved to stand between us after his comment.

He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose and then raised his hand in a placating manner. "Look, I know how crazy this sounds, but we can't afford to let her go in her current state. Trust me, the government won't like it one bit."

We all went stiff as we heard that. The government was not unfair to the population. Poverty was low, and they actively worked for the wellbeing of the entire world. Despite that, there were plenty of rumours about what they did beneath the surface to those who disregarded their authority. It was definitely a bad idea to make an enemy out of them if they were involved in this.

"Here's my proposal, Mr. Hayes. You say you won't leave her in my care because I'm crazy, which is perfectly understandable given the situation. I, myself, wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Now, I take it there would be no problem if I can prove that all of what I said is real, correct?"

Dad seemed hesitant. He shared a look with mom and then looked at me, biting his lip before nodding at the doctor.

Dr. Blake smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Good! Then, if you're kind enough to follow me to my office, I'll show you the undeniable proof of everything I have said. If you're still not convinced after that, you're free to take your daughter with you and deal with her problem and its consequences yourself. You're more than welcome to come back anytime if you change your mind, of course. Either way is fine with me."

He held his hand out while giving Dad a challenging stare. "Do we have a deal?"

Dad was still a bit reluctant, but we all knew we had nothing to lose. Even if this whole thing about magic was unbelievable, the other man was, in fact, really sick. If it turned out to be true, it was better to stay with someone who knew about it.

Satisfied, Dr. Blake led them out of the room, while I returned to the bed to wait.

__________

They had been gone for a while, and I kept pacing from one side of the room to another. When they finally returned, they looked as if they had seen a ghost. Mom's mascara was ruined by tear tracks. She immediately made her way to me and hugged me tightly with no sign of ever letting go. I didn't know what he showed them, but I knew it was enough to convince them.

Dr. Blake placed a small crystal box on the table and watched silently, letting us have a moment.

"We have little time now, the virus will enter its next stage soon. Nora, I think you already know what will happen when it does. I understand that this may be too much to take in at once, but try to keep an open mind so it will be easier for you and your family to accept the change, okay?"

My mouth was dry. I opened it to speak, but a knot in my throat made me choke. Unable to say anything, I nodded.

Dr. Blake gave me a comforting smile before turning to my parents. "I'll leave you alone with her so you can say goodbye."

As the door closed behind him, Dad's shoulders started shaking. Tears were running down his cheeks. It was something I had only seen him do a couple of times in my whole life. He then joined Mom in hugging me. From their reactions, I imagined that the changes I would experience were truly scary.

I felt out of breath all of a sudden and tightened my hold on them.

It's not fair. I am happy the way I am. Why do I have to change?

I tried being strong for them, but in the end, I broke too, and soon we were covered in tears.

It took a while before we finally recovered. Mom held my face in her hands, making me look at her eyes, before pulling an errant lock of hair behind my ear with a shaky smile. "Nora, we just want you to know that no matter what, you will always be our daughter, and we love you all the same. We will overcome this together. Stay strong, okay?"

I knew her words were meant to comfort me, but they only made me worry more about the changes. Even so, I wiped my tears away and faked a smile for them. "I love you too. I promise to stay positive no matter what!"

I really hoped I didn't change that much. I doubted I could keep my promise otherwise.

Mom kissed my forehead, and Dad ruffled my hair. They told me they weren't allowed to visit me until my transformation was complete. It didn't matter much since I would be unconscious, but I had to wonder why. Perhaps the process wasn't pleasant to look at? We spent a few minutes in silence before they both hesitantly said goodbye and left the room.

What did they see that made them change their minds so quickly?

How could they accept leaving me here so easily?

All this talk about magic still sounds crazy to me.

What will I become?

He mentioned that the purpose of the virus was to enable the use of mana. Does that mean I'll be able to use magic?

"Your parents are on their way home." Dr. Blake's voice startled me. I was so deep in my spiraling thoughts that I didn't notice when he entered the room. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We still have some time."

"What did you show them?"

He pulled a chair close to me and sat down. "They saw some other patients and their changes. They wanted proof, so I showed it to them."

I gulped and looked down, playing with my hands.

Will they look the same afterwards?

"What will I look like then?"

"It's too early to know for sure. The virus reacts differently for everyone. It hasn't been that long since all this started, so we lack information to make such a prediction. The good news is that there is a high probability that you will remain human and wake up in less than a week. There's, however, a very small chance for you to die during the process and-"

My heart skipped a beat right there. "What!? You said I wouldn't die!"

He shook his head. "I told you that you were not in danger and that your parents didn't need to worry about it. I assured you that everything will be fine once the mutation is over, but I never denied the possibility of death during the process. I never lied to you."

How can he call that not being in danger!?

Dr. Blake looked at my face as I trembled, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, I chose my words poorly. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Who wouldn't be afraid of dying!?"

"I know it's confusing, but hear me out. So far, there have been five casualties from the virus. That said, death is maybe not the right word here. In all of those cases, a being made entirely of mana emerged from the corpse. A ghost with no physical body. They look just like they did as humans and keep all of their memories from before the mutation started. They don't truly die, only their body does."

I exhaled slowly, forcing my heart rate to slow down. "I don't know what to think of that, but okay, let's roll with it for now. What else can I, uh, become?"

"The important factor here is the way it infected you. Inhaling the spores will, in most cases, lead to one of five already established 'Races', as we call them. I already mentioned the first two. Their official names are Metahuman and Ghost. Metahumans are what we could call the primary goal of the MAV. They are merely humans able to produce their own mana."

I perked up at that. For the first time since this all started, hope grew in me. "Will I be able to use magic then?"

He chuckled at my child-like wonder. "Most likely. It was the main purpose of the experiment, after all. The other three races are Elf, Draell, and Vampire. Elves look just like humans with long and pointy ears. They're a bit slender compared to us too. Since you reacted that way when I mentioned mana, I'm guessing you are familiar with them, right?"

I nodded with a small grin. Elves and vampires were a staple of fantasy.

"Then I'm sure you probably know what they look like. Draell, or dark elves, are similar to normal elves with differently coloured skin and hair. Vampires are also close in appearance to elves with much shorter ears. We named them as such because of their fangs, vertical pupils and snow white skin. They have superhuman senses and sunlight does harm them somewhat due to their lack of skin pigmentation, but they won't turn to ash or crave human blood like the ones from legends."

Truthfully, I felt much better now. The mutations were nowhere near as scary as they seemed at first. I wasn't sure what to think about leaving my body or having my skin change colour, but it was still better than becoming deformed or something like that.

Wait...

"Isn't it too much of a coincidence for them to look like that?"

He nodded in agreement. "Weird, isn't it? I originally thought that the developers of the virus intended it, but that's no longer the case. My current theory is a bit crazier, actually. While we have yet to find any convincing evidence of this, I have my reasons to believe some of these beings actually existed centuries ago, back in the Old Era.

"The humans of the past may have found a way to use magic, just like us. If that's the case, perhaps they were also transformed into these races as a result. There could have also been another virus or something quite similar."

My eyes went wide with that revelation. "How is that possible? Shouldn't there be some kind of evidence or something? They couldn't just vanish, right?"

I may have pressed the right buttons. His wide smile told me of his excitement about this topic. "Well, like I said, there's nothing to prove it yet, but we have so little information about that era that it's not entirely impossible. There are so many stories and legends around the world after all. They are too similar to be a coincidence, and they do say legends always hold a bit of truth behind them.

"The bigger mystery is the virus's ability to transform someone in such a way. It defies logic just like mana does. Why can humans become those beings? Is it the virus trying to refill a niche we are not aware of, or is there something else? If my theory is correct, maybe some of us simply happen to be the descendants of those ancient beings. That would explain why not everyone is affected, don't you think?"

I was fascinated at this point. He probably wasn't sober when he came up with that since everyone knew those beings were simply fairytales, but it was interesting at least. The moment didn't last, though. My whole body was in sudden pain.

It started as a small sting, but it kept growing stronger by the minute. Dr. Blake noticed this and quickly grabbed the crystal box from the table as he told me to endure it. My heart was racing.

After a few minutes, the pain was unbearable, and I felt something moving inside of me. I remembered the black mass from earlier as I started gagging.

Soon, the dark object emerged and fell from my mouth into the box the doctor had already placed just below my face. He closed it quickly and set it on the table. I could see how the thing evaporated, sticking to the walls of the container. The pain worsened, and I clenched my eyes closed. Soon enough, I couldn't bear it anymore and everything faded.

_______________________________________________________________

Author's Note: Below is a character sheet with Nora's appearance. If you prefer to imagine your own version of my characters, do not click the spoiler button!