chapter 2: Hatching (2026 VERSION)

The world around me was dark, empty, and devoid of any life. To most, this would be awful and rightfully so. an endless dark void of nothing, no up, no down or side to side, just black. It should be harrowing, but yet I found it weirdly comforting. Safe even. A part of me knew I should be panicking, trying to find a way to escape, but I didn’t. I  just sat and enjoyed the darkness. Everything was fine, everything was safe; I was happy. I wish I could stay here for the rest of eternity.

Sometime later.....

Is it just me, or is it starting to get cramped in here? The darkness that felt never-ending somehow wasnt anymore. Instead, it felt like it was pushing against. No matter what I did, I couldn't get comfortable. Maybe if I...

*crack*

Suddenly, a light above me illuminated the darkness that had been my home. I pushed a bit more and more. Every time I pushed, the crack grew bigger and bigger, letting in more light until

*snap*

It finally gave way. The once pure darkness was flooded with bright light and colours I thought I would never see. Suddenly, my body moved. I tumbled out of the darkness and face-first into the soft green ground. And for the first time, my lungs expanded, drawing in air and spluttering out a grey slime. I coughed and spluttered again and again as more and more air entered my lungs. Soon, however, I managed to get it under control. Breathing for the first time is a feeling I couldn’t begin to describe. All I know is that it felt very good.  I turned myself over, so I was facing the bright, cloudless blue sky. and admired it. Is this heaven? I'm surprised I made it in here, really. If it is, then I'm very disappointed. Where is the milk? Where is the honey? I tried to sit up when a sudden chest pain told me otherwise.

<God, I feel like shit>.

I paused. What the hell was that?  Why does my voice soundlike a bunch of cracks? I rushed my arms to my throat, hoping to find some damage that could explain my voice, but what I felt was something completely different, off-putting.  My throat was covered in something extremely hard, very much the opposite of human skin. I moved my hands away from my throat and looked down at my arms. My arms were made of a bunch of large yellow plates with black, pointy spikes. A flexible black membrane connected the plates together. My hands were mostly the same, except that the plates themselves were much smaller. My fingernails had been replaced with sharp, pitch-black claws that bent inwards slightly.

<This is a lot to take in.> I was tempted to explore more of my body, but first, I need to figure out where the hell I am. Something tells me I'm definitely not in heaven. I slowly pulled my body up. Even this felt different; no wonder I hurt myself earlier. My muscles and everything are completely different. I slowly and painfully pulled myself up, but eventually. I was finally standing on my feet, and I found myself in a grassy clearing surrounded by tall, dark trees. There was a small river that passed through the clearing and led deeper into what I guess was a Forest. I looked towards my bright yellow egg, and what I saw was peculiar. The ground around the egg was covered in greenish-grey mould that looked completely alien. Hell, "alien" may be the correct term, because one thing is for sure: this did not belong in this world. But does this mean I don’t belong here either? Arghhh, this is way too much and way too soon.

*whoosh*

I heard a weird sound come from behind me. Please be nothing. I can’t deal with any more surprises right now. I turned around and saw a wooden chest with blue, glowing carvings. On top of it, there was an envelope with a red wax seal. I picked up the envelope and turned it the other way round. On the back of the envelope, the word “detective” was written in fancy handwriting.

I inspected the chest and its surroundings, looking for any signs of a trap, but I couldn’t find anything of the sort.

I sighed. I guess I’m just going to have to take the gamble. I cracked open the wax seal on the envelope, and inside there was a letter addressed to me, written in the same fancy handwriting

“Hello, Detective Paul Allen. Did you enjoy your slumber? I did try my best to make the process of transferring you from your old world to the next as comfortable as possible. I’m sorry, where are my manners? My name is Cindi. I assume you have lots of questions on your mind, but first. Let me ask you something. How did it feel to be betrayed and manipulated by those you would call friends, and even lover.”

The memories of Elissa, G and my death filled my head. The blood inside of me began to boil. I damn well near tore the letter, but I managed to contain myself. I needed information, and this “Cindi” had answers.

“Please understand, detective. I do not mean to mock you with my previous statement. You see I, too understand your feelings. That pain, that anger, that can’t be dealt with. No matter what you try to do. Yes, I understand that feeling because, like you, I too have been broken and abandoned by those I trusted and loved. So, I come to you with a proposal.

You see, this world was created by the same “people” who betrayed me, took all my power and left me a husk of my former self. Detective, all I ask of you is to burn this world and everything they’ve worked for down. However, you do it; it doesn’t matter to me, as long as at the end I can see their faces as they lose it all.

I know what I ask is unreasonable, and selfish, but please, I implore you to consider. They have taken everything I held dear and have left me with nothing. It took all I had to bring you here, so detective, I ask you, can you be the bringer of their destruction? If you do this for me, I will forever be in your debt for the rest of eternity. If you accept, please put a drop of blood on this letter. If you do so, you and I will be eternally bonded as master and servant, with you as the master and me as your servant. I do this as a sign of trust between you and me.

If you refuse, feel free to dispose of this letter as you wish. You can still have the gifts I left for you in the chest.”

I re-read the letter to make sure I didn’t miss anything. But I couldn’t find anything. A part of me wanted to just throw this letter in the river and move on, but every time I thought about it, the words of “G” ran through my head. The memories of my powerlessness. The memories of me being beaten to death. I nearly crushed the letter again. No more. I vowed to pursue power no matter the cost. And this looks like a solid way to achieve it.

I bit my finger, and green blood started oozing out. I stuck my finger above the piece of paper and shook it a bit. A drop of blood fell onto the letter. The letter glowed bright green, and the text on the letter faded. The letter began to burn bright blue, and new text appeared. I felt something new as well. I don’t know how to describe it, but inside of me, I felt a presence. It was attached to my……… soul? I don’t know what else to call it. The presence inside me was very weak and small. I could crush it completely if I wanted to.

“Cindi? Is that you?” I felt a wave of warmth radiate from inside of me. Confirming what I thought. I turned my attention away from Cindi and back to the letter that had completely rewritten itself.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for accepting my proposal, master. I will forever serve you as your most loyal servant. You have no idea how much this means to me. I will never be able to repay you.”

The words of thanks continued for a full paragraph. This must have been a big gamble for her.

“Master. I know you have lots of questions, so please let me fill you in.”

I walked up to my egg and sat next to it. I had a feeling there was going to be a lot to unpack here.

“Master. You are the sole member and queen of your species.”

WAIT. QUEEN? I looked down at my body and towards my crotch. And yep, it confirmed what I had been told. I took a moment to mourn my lost son. He didn’t get much action, but when he did, he was the best around. After singing a small hymn for my lost son, I brought my attention back to the letter.

“As of right now, your species is unnamed. I thought it would help you adjust better if I left that privilege to you. As queen of your species, you can create more of your species, which would become most invaluable to you on your journey.”

She continued to tell me about the world and where I was.  Apparently, I have been placed in a world called Amsel. It was made up of 4 Continents. All are separated by the sea. Cindi told me this world had three realms, the demon realm., The living plane that I was on and the ascendant plane. And in each plane, there was a god. And they were the targets of Cindi’s vengeance.

“There is more I wish I could tell you, but I’m running out of energy, so I will leave you to figure it out. This will be the last time we talk for a while; getting you here severely weakened me, so I need to rest. I leave you with one piece of final advice. Always trust your instincts; they will never lead you astray.

I hope to see you soon. Your servant Cindi.”