In the pitch darkness of the cave, the only sound was the faint breathing of the boy, Alex, as he slept peacefully. In one corner, the girl, Alisa, slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze swept across the cave, but all she could see was shadows. She exhaled softly, her voice low and raspy as she spoke to herself.

“Haaa, finally I can stop this act…”

She blinked, her eyes glowing slightly as her pupils shifted from black to an eerie green. Her body began to morph, subtly at first—her hands, once delicate and human, now stretched and twisted into writhing tentacles. Her hair followed suit, transforming into a tangled mass of moving appendages. Yet, her chest, stomach, legs, and face remained human, though her height grew rapidly, nearly doubling until she reached the top of the cave.

“How many more times do I have to go through this just to complete my transformation?” she muttered in frustration, staring at her monstrous form.

“I still need to kill four more humans to regain my original body,” she whispered bitterly, her tentacles curling in agitation. “That cursed beast did this to me… but once I regain my full strength, I’ll have my revenge.”

Her gaze turned toward Alex, her glowing green eyes narrowing. A faint smile crept across her lips.

“This boy… he’s strong, but his mind was weak. Hypnotizing him was easy; otherwise, he might have sensed what I am and killed me already.”

She tilted her head, observing him as he lay still in his sleep. “It’s been so long since I saw another human in this cursed forest. Maybe… maybe with him, I can finally get my human arms back.”

With a silent slither, one of her tentacles stretched out, snaking its way toward Alex’s neck. Slowly, deliberately, it coiled around his throat, tightening ever so slightly as it inched upward, preparing to engulf his entire head. But just as the tentacle wrapped around his neck, something unexpected happened.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through her body.

“Huh?!”

Alisa’s eyes widened in shock as blood—blue, not red—began gushing from her tentacle. She let out a blood-curdling scream, yanking her tentacle away from Alex in agony. Her mind reeled in confusion.

Why am I the one bleeding?

She stared at the tentacle in disbelief, noticing a large chunk of flesh missing, the edges of the wound ragged as if something had bitten it.

“What is this?” she gasped, her hands trembling as she examined the wound.

Before she could make sense of the situation, two sharp wind blades sliced through the air, cutting through her tentacles. The severed limbs dropped to the cave floor, still twitching and writhing. Alisa’s scream echoed through the cave, a mixture of pain and panic as she stumbled backward, clutching her mutilated arms.

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In front of her, Alex stood—his face smeared with blue blood, his eyes wide and wild. A disturbing smile stretched across his face, and in his mouth, she could see a small chunk of her tentacle, still wriggling, trapped between his teeth.

He was chewing it.

Slowly.

As if savoring it.

The sight made her stomach churn.

Alex’s grin widened, blood dripping from his mouth as he locked eyes with her. His voice was a low, chilling whisper.

“Delicious.”

Alisa’s entire body trembled.

As Alex finished devouring the tentacle, he slowly straightened up, his movements deliberate and unnervingly calm. The grin on his face never wavered as he wiped the remnants of blue blood from his lips with the back of his hand. His eyes, dark and gleaming with a cold hunger, locked onto Alisa, who was still frozen in shock.

He took one slow, deliberate step toward her. The soft thud of his foot echoed in the silent cave, each step dragging out like a slow, terrifying countdown. Alisa's breathing grew more erratic with each approaching step, her mind racing in pure panic. The dim light of the cave cast long shadows across his blood-smeared face, the wide grin now looking grotesque—inhuman.

Her tentacle-covered hands twitched involuntarily, trying to pull back, but her body remained rooted in place, paralyzed by fear. The stench of iron filled the cave as blue blood continued to drip from her severed limbs, pooling around her feet.

Alex's hand twitched, still stained with the remnants of her flesh, as he drew closer. A sickening crunch echoed through the cave as he flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles as if preparing for what came next. His smile widened further, lips curling back, exposing blood-streaked teeth.

Step by step, he approached, the twisted grin never leaving his face. His shadow loomed over her, monstrous and horrifying in the dim light. Her tentacles twitched, sensing the danger, but there was no escaping it.

Alex finally stopped in front of her, his eyes cold, emotionless. He stared down at her, his head tilting slightly as though he were studying her fear, savoring it. Alisa’s whole body trembled, her mouth opening in a silent scream, but nothing came out. She was completely at his mercy.

Without a word, without any warning, Alex raised his hand, and in one swift, brutal motion, he struck her across the face.

CRACK!

The sound of bone snapping reverberated through the cave as his hand connected with her cheek. The impact was sickening, the force of it sending Alisa’s head snapping to the side, her jaw dislocating from the blow. Blood sprayed from her mouth, painting the wall of the cave in thick, dark streaks. Her body slumped sideways, tentacles twitching in response to the brutal strike.

She tried to scream, but her voice was caught in her throat. The pain was overwhelming, her vision blurring as her head spun. Her jaw hung limply, disfigured from the strike, blue blood pooling in her mouth, mixing with the red that seeped from her broken teeth.

Alex watched her for a moment, his expression never changing. His hand was slick with her blood, and he slowly wiped it off on his pants, the casualness of the act making it even more horrifying.

Alisa's tentacles writhed weakly, desperately trying to pull her away, but her body refused to respond. She could barely see through the haze of pain, but she knew—she could feel—that Alex was still standing over her, watching her, waiting.

Slowly, deliberately, he knelt down beside her broken form, his face inches from hers. His breath was hot against her skin as he whispered, "Not so strong now, are you?"

“Stop… no... please…” she choked out, barely able to get the words past the crushing grip on her throat. But Alex didn’t respond. His expression was cold, emotionless. He tilted his head, observing her like a predator watching its prey struggle.

“Ok, I will stop now tell me, who are you and what are you?”