We all thought about it. Being whisked away into an unknown fantastical world. Becoming a hero, saving damsels in distress, becoming someone special.

Well maybe not all of us, but it is something I thought of countless times, but I never imagined it started with getting punched in the face...

Long-reaching arms pulled up into a defensive position. His impossibly hunched back straighten up letting loose a sickening crunch.

"H-hold on a moment, why don't we talk this through?" The pounding in Ray's skull increased to what felt like a battering ram and the creeping melodic rhythm began to twist and screech.

"Talk? No, what you need is treatment," The man walked over in what is a startling contrast to the transforming creature. "Quinn, please make it quick. We haven't got much time." He brought his white-gloved hand to his eye before giving a quick nod toward Ray.

'Really? A fucking pocket watch,' Ray took a step back and he felt cold and wet seeped into his shoe. 'Just a fantastic day isn't it,' A shrilling howl pierced the moment of silence and he felt a flash of red sharp eyes on him. He turned and hoped his leg wouldn't give up but just as luck have it, nature was not finished with him. The desperate getaway attempt ended as quickly as it started, his foot slipped against the wet surface and brought down the rest of his body.

He expected to see the usual grey concrete or colored brick in the alleyway as he looked up but instead, he was greeted by two imposing dark wooden walls. He felt the rough grain on one of his hands, and the other came into contact with sharp pebbles. 'Gravel, not stone,' his mind couldn't help but point it out. For whatever reason, Ray was not in the comfort of his home city but an entirely different place.

"Hmm, still lucid enough to run? Maybe there is some hope in you left." The man gave a glance towards Quinn, now looking more animal than man. "Change of plans, initiate treatment Rehabilitation."

Ray's eye struggled up towards the gloved gentleman, 'Rehab? Whatever it is, it sounds better than what he was planning for me,' He tried to get some words out but by now his vision doubled and the screeching in his ears grew in volume. What started as a melodic humming from the time he brushed his teeth this morning now is a discordant mess of sounds.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"For what it's worth. I am sorry son,"

Quinn's muscles began to taut and loosen, it rippled like waves over his body. Now standing over 2 meters tall it had to bring itself lower. In one smooth motion, its slow-moving gait turn into a quick dash on all fours bringing a clawed hand towards the gangrenous mark on Ray's left cheek.

“Doctor?” Sharp obsidian claw pointed to the grey and oozing mark. Quinn would usually ask further questions, but he did not like how his voice shook and rumble the air in this form. The boy just did not look right. How is it he is still able to formulate speech and thought when the infection was so close to the brain? The usual victim would have attacked them with no sense of self-preservation. Where was the superhuman strength that was the hallmark of the life-bane stricken, it was so, so very weak.

The doctor was eerily silent. Whenever he had to use his hunter form, usual biting jokes, and jabs were common from the good doctor. There were always mocking but in good spirits, instead, a frown sits upon his old-time friend and workmate. Focused and with a clear mind he brought out his claw to scratch against the empty air. Instead of swiping at nothing the claw met resistance as a purplish wisp and some dark light danced around the contact point. Purple as in to represent spatial Aur, was one of the most complex forms of practice there is and yet he casually used it to summon a bunch of spare shitty graded talisman paper for his partner. Sensing an opportunity for a bit of good fun, “Now now, did the great Doctor of the Spiral forget some of his instrument?” He meant it to come out as some friendly banter but this form made it sound like some sort of threat.

“No.” The doctor replied dryly, “Was that some black light I saw, maybe you are getting rusty, and stop talking to my face while you are in that form. Your breath smells disgusting”

‘Ah, that’s more like it.’ He admitted that the spatial summoning could’ve been cleaner but he was only doing it for a small gag. A perfect summon required immense control, and a fully focused mind and would only show purple wisps or streaks of light. He rolled his eye,’ of course, he has that kind of insanely high expectation.’ As if to mock him, a brilliant bright purple light shone from gloved hands. There was no spot of black light as gloved hands pulled out a grey high-grade bundle of ritual wrappings. ‘He is got to be using some illusion magic to make sure it was bright enough for him to look away. Petty bastard.’ What surprised him what that no binding spell was cast to stow away the life-baned body, instead half of the ritual wrapping burned away. It was the beginning of a sealing spell. An extremely potent one at that judging by how much of the high-grade stuff was being used. Something churned into his stomach, that was probably a few months of his already high-paid salary.

Black liquid oozed out from thin air and dripped on the now-stained glove. “Ugh,” The doctor looked down upon the grey infection. Eyes steeled and a wave of assuredness washed over, “Be sealed!” he commanded. Streaks of black and white light, ritual wrappings, and his very own Aur spiralled toward the boy. “That is not an unfortunate boy who has come into contact with life-bane, that is the mark of someone who made a deal with the devil.” His eye lead Quinn to stare at the symbol that was before covered with grim and muck. It now burned black and red. Three horizontal lines crossed an upside-down U.

That which represents envy, that which represents gluttony, that which represents endlessness.

Sarfreni, The Aur Devouring Demon.

The end comes, we will be one and the end will be us.