As we walk in, I find myself in a smooth stone room adorned with various trinkets and tools. At first glance, this place might be misplaced as a workshop, but the tools are from too many different professions. It’s like this is some type of lost and found. Ellie and Alver lead me through and around various objects, and then we end up in a darker room.

It’s the type of room that screams dungeon or something of the sort, I imagine It might have been used as a prison cell at some point. Ellie starts the interrogation, by playing good cop, “Do you want some water? I assure you that it is safe, I also have some alcohol or juice if you would prefer.”

Up until now, the duo seemed intent on interrogating me, and although Ellie stopped harm to me, I still can’t trust her. But it would be rude to refuse her completely. “Water is fine” I say, and she smiles as she leaves to get some water.

Alver stares menacingly at me, or at least attempts to. He’s not as intimidating as he probably imagines. I decide to try to coax some information out of him on the nature of these spells by the cat. “So… you’re trying to figure out those spells? Could you tell me about their effects?”

He responds with accusation in his voice, “I know what you are doing cat, you are trying to figure out how much I know so you can get out of here!”

What? Get out of here? Am I not allowed to leave? These thoughts flash through my mind as I realized my predicament.

I had literally walked right into a trap, I was faster than them, I could outrun them. But noooo, I had to follow them.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Honestly this might be a better situation than the alternative, being lost in an unknown forest, with potentially dangerous monsters like slimes roaming. This is much safer than being in a forest.

Anyway, Alver is currently facing away from me, towards the door waiting for the girl.

I need to figure out what exactly happened to me, and that starts with understanding the cat.

What was that cat? It had a domain, and I have its memories, and maybe I am it?

I try to see if I can will changes to my body as the cat did, and… nothing. To be fair, I didn’t actually expect that to work.

Also I have noticed something weird, there seems to be some type of necklace in my pocket. That certainly wasn’t there before. I wonder what it is for, and why do I have it?

Finally the door opens once more, and Ellie comes in with 3 glasses, one of water, and two with either some type of alcohol or juice. She quickly leaves the room and comes back with a lantern that lights the room.

The lantern doesn’t evenly light the room, giving it a bit of a spooky feel. Ellie sets the cup of water in front of me, it smells different, like it actually has a smell, but that may be due to the changes in my body.

Ellie and Alver have their own cups respectively, Alver attempts to decline at first, but then relents.

I decide to take a sip of the water, and it’s weird, I’m tempted to chalk it up to the changes again, but what if it’s more?

I quickly gulp it all down, and that feels like a mistake, as a feel a change in the clarity in my mind, I’m not exactly sure what it is.

Then Alver looks at me and asks me a question, “Do you know anything about that demon cat from the other day?”

I start with my answer, “Yes”, what? That is decidedly not what I had meant. I give a look if confusion at Alver. He says to Ellie, “It seems the potion is working”, to which Ellie responds, “We cannot be sure, knowledge of the demon cat could just be what we told him”.

Ellie and Alver spent the next few minutes pestering me, but I refused to answer anything but a few questions. Those answers I gave were not false, but vague and didn’t help them much.

Eventually they both left me in the room, I took this time alone to recuperate from their barrage of questions.

I took the necklace from my pocket, it looks like silver, but with purple swirls adorning the small links. The metal melts as I hold it, but regains form when I let go, never quite losing any mass. I decide to put it on, upon doing so, I feel it bore into my skin.

I let out a pained breath before I am unable to, I try to scream but am unable to. It feels like the metal of the necklace is traveling through my veins, but finally it stops at my right ear. I feel a sharp pain in my right ear, and then the world goes black.