Chapter 5: Losing Everything, a monster awakens [Part 4]

"How peculiar"

Damien thought as a weird sensation filled his body- no, soul?

The current state he was in was abnormal but the pain he went through was something akin to proof that what he’s experiencing is real.

[You’re really calm]

"I’ve been taken for a spin by a woman who never loved me, do you expect me to get surprised by something as trivial as God’s and whatnot? Next you’re going to tell me that skinwalkers are real and the SCP foundation exists in reality"

[Well, skinwalkers are indeed real, but the SCP foundation... based on the knowledge you and CIndy have, all I could say is that something similar to it exists]

Damien’s eyes went wide in shock as he asked, "Really?"

[Not in the way you expect though, it’s less an organization that handles godlike beings and more a society focused on ensuring that the world of magic and science does not interact]

"Cindy did say something it was like "men in black" but I didn’t think it was THAT serious"

[Most of the people who go missing enter the magical world, about 90%, among them majority do so willingly]

"The rest?"

[Crazy mages need test subjects too, right?]

"..."

[Well, before you start to wonder about those things, we need to settle your true name, also, stop staring at my chest- anymore and I’ll turn into a form you despite the most]

Apparently, the mysterious deity was fed up with Damien making up random topics just to buy time to look at her figure.

Of course, Damien didn’t just give up-

"Yes, ma’am"

He responded while showing an honest face but still sneaked glances.

[I should have expected nothing less from his descendant... no wonder you got tricked by your lover... she’s not even that good loo- no, that is indeed a trait of his]

"The hell did Merlin do?"

[You need not know, instead, bear in mind that few beings such as I would let you go scott free for taking liberties with your eyes]

"That bad?"

[Who do you think sealed your ancestor in his cursed castle?]

"You?"

[I wish I did- wait...]

The goddess focused her gaze on Damien, the young man. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the true face the young man hid behind perversion.

[As expected]

"Tsk, you noticed"

[With this making a pact with you would be quite dangerous but its a gamble worth taking]

The Goddess showed a conflicted expression but still proceeded to wrap her hands around Damien.

[Your name- ꋪ҉ꍏ҉ꀤ҉ꀸ҉ꍟ҉ꈤ҉ ҉ꋪ҉ꀎ҉ꀸ҉ꋪ҉ꍏ҉ has been acknowledged, from this day on, you shall bear the lie of Richard Rex]

A cold air enveloped Damien- no, Richard as his mind was filled with knowledge he never had before. Information which was barred from his perspective and a ideas that were locked behind a veil of mystery.

"This... is this reality?"

He murmured as the fog that enveloped his world vanished yet-

[Just a portion of it, get stronger and evolve further. The path to knowing is filled not with knowledge but woes. Yet, as my chosen and the one who bears his blood, the path you take is one filled not with suffering but true hell... a reflection of thy name, may you grow to bear its burden]

The words of the goddess echoed in his mind as his consciousness vanished from the white plane.

Yet as the figure of the Goddess was enveloped in darkness all Richard could think of was-

’The darkness that envelops will be my own someday’

...

The light of the magic circle had long dimmed, Cindy did not move and stayed on the same spot waiting for Damien to wake up.

While she could have left, she was desperately trying her best to hold back her own emotions. The madness that was brought by Damien’s change was eroding her consciousness but her pride as a seasoned witch allowed her to maintain her sanity.

"Good morning beautiful, mine was wonderful with you by my-"

*SMACK*

The moment Damien woke up, he started to say some crazy shit that caused an instantaneous reaction from Cindy who smacked him away-

Not slap, smack.

"Not a fan of oldies I see"

Damien said as he gave Cindy a calm look, he was unharmed and the pose he took as he sat on the floor staring at Cindy was-

"Who the fuck are you?"

It was just abnormal, the man who literally pulled out a gun the moment he felt something off about the house was now sitting before Cindy like a man slut.

Moreover!

’How the hell did he suddenly have a change of clothes? What the hell is up with that button down shirt that shows his chest? Also, is that a collarbone? No... what the fuck is happening?"

Damien woke up as a new man, that was obvious but Cindy couldn’t really work her mind around the drastic change.

"Sorry, did I scare you beautiful? I learned a lot you see, also, although you already know me, I believe a reintroduction is necessary" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Damien stood up, he walked towards Cindy and extended his hand towards her, offering it to help her up.

This action of his did nothing more than cause even more confusion as Cindy’s expression crumpled up as she found it truly impossible to understand what has happened to the man before her-

"Huh?", ultimately, she could only let out a confused voice as Damien continued to act with a completely different personality than what she knew off.

"I understand, it’s weird isn’t it? But you see, I’ve already changed, Damian is dead, I’ll make sure of it, the man before you? I am Richard Rex, the last descendant of Merlin and the contractor of the Goddess ꮑ+ጀ"

Cindy stared at the man who used to be Damien with wide eyes and the first thing she asked was-

"Is that your true name?"

"Nope"

"What is it then?"

Her words came out naturally and the way she asked showed of genuine curiosity and innocence but Richard only smiled as he answered.

"That my dear- requires a proper deal"

Richard’s response and the confidence he exuded left Cindy annoyed, she clicked her tongue in frustration making the man before her chuckle as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"Wah!"

The sudden movement surprised CIndy who could do nothing but get pulled up from her seated position but the movement was not helpful at all as her legs that had been used as a pillow by the man before her had grown numb.

As she was pulled up, her legs failed to support her body and she was left at the mercy of gravity-

"Whoa-"

*thud*

Richard reacted quickly and caught her in his embrace, the two found themselves in a rather compromising position but Cindy did not show any bashful reaction like what one would expect in anime. Instead, as her body pressed onto Richard’s, the feelings that welled up inside her were-

"Get off pervert"

"Unfortunately, it is you who is on top of me"

Cindy did not feel "assaulted" nor did she feel the emotions a "normal girl" would have. What she felt did not go towards the normal emotions that a woman would instead they immediately shot towards anger and frustration.

She could feel Richard’s body that had changed due to his awakening, moreover, she could also feel a subtle shift on "one part" of his body.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t really move as her legs were still numb yet she can’t really say that out loud.

Her eyes were slowly being covered in a deep black hue and just as she was about to explode-

"Sorry, sorry, I was just messing with you! Come on, I know you spent hours making sure my head was warm. Thank you by the way, the thigh pillow was awesome, also, the smell was truly immaculate"

"..."

Richard moved swiftly, his body moved with great dexterity and flexibility as he carried Cindy in a princess carry while he stood up. He then proceeded to bring her downstairs.

"I could have brought you to one of the rooms but that would likely cause you undue panic. MIss Lee, I’m sure you are well aware but we are already associates. I wouldn’t want to cause my few allies to desert me now would i?"

As he walked down the stairs in absolute darkness, his calm steps were masked by the sound of his voice.

"At least you have a good head on your shoulders"

Cindy replied while turning her gaze away, not to escape the charm of Richard, he had already turned it off after all. The moment he woke up was the moment the charm’s automatic release was lifted.

Now, instead of a charm that could literally brainwash a normal person, Richard was giving off a charm that merely caused others to see him in a more favorable light.

Unfortunately, that charm was too weak to affect Cindy yet her own charm was unlikely to even affect Richard despite his lowered defenses.

Still, the changes in his awakening still caused his appearance to change for the better.

"You weren’t that ugly before, but this look of yours is more perfect"

She commented while still looking away, in response to her words. Richard let out small laugh as he answered her with a lighthearted tone-

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some people prefer maturity to youth, but there are still some hardbound laws in terms of attraction. Like teeth, for example, a single tooth could reshape one’s jawline. Currently, the changes to my body, although minimal, have a profound impact on my outward appearance..."

Richard’s change was not very obvious, it wasn’t the change that one would see in fiction. Being taller, bulkier- Richard did not go through any of those.

Instead, what changed were the subtle imperfections in his appearance.

Acne scars from when he was a youth, missing or misaligned teeth...other than that, his bone structure had been adjusted to be symmetrical, his muscles and even the fat distribution across his body-

The changes were not minimal, only subtle- yet the subtlety is what gave the mystery.

Small imperfections were lost and Richard could be said to have the "perfect" appearance. One that was fueled by his own supernatural inheritance.

"So you’re an incubus now?"

Cindy asked, while Richard laid her on the sofa. She stared straight into the man’s eyes trying her best to see through his thoughts.

But Richard simply maintained his smile as he answered her-

"Kinda, not completely but close to it. The perfection of my body is a lie, after all, anyone could create a "perfect vessel" even humans without magic are slowly doing so with robotics. There are already companies working with hyper realistic sex dolls, give them a few more years and people would stop dating real people and would spend more time sleeping with their made to order lover"

"Sounds dystopian"

"It is, that’s why I’m against creating a truly complete artificial intelligence"

Cindy sighed as she turned to look att the ceiling.

"Is that why the FBI want you dead?"

"..."

Richard did not say a word and only maintained his calm expression while he took a seat next to Cindy.

"The barrier’s well made, I could hide out here for a while and nobody would notice"

"So long as you didn’t tell anyone about my grandma"

"Oh don’t worry about that, I made sure that everyone who knew about my deals with her remain silent"

The words Richard spoke made Cindy pause-

"Here I thought you were a wuss who got cheated by love"

"That is not far from the truth, I was indeed a wuss cheated by love but I was not an idiot"

"But you were when love was involved?"

"... that’s what makes me human"

The two went silent, the words Richard spoke seem to touch on a certain emotion that neither of them wanted to tackle.

It continued on for a short while and only cooled over when Cindy asked-

"So- how are you gonna fake your death?"

Richard did not show any panic or sign of worry, instead, a sly grin appeared on his face. Cindy knew-

"Oh, you’ll see"

She saw the true face of Dami- Richard Rex, a monster awakened after the chains that held him down were finally broken.

"Maybe that bimbo was right? He is a monster... but not the kind she thought..."