Cynical Secrets

Witching Hour

"Ready to go?"

I looked up at the door as I came down the stairs. There, Slender and Puppeteer stood. I wasn't expecting Puppeteer there, though.

"Sorry for the late notice. I've decided Puppeteer would be a good candidate to help you stay in check should something go astray."

I looked at Puppeteer and gave a small smile in response. I guess I understood that reasoning. A full moon and my unknown powers could be a mixture of trouble. Having someone like Puppeteer around does help. Slender's powers are strong, but he can only restrain someone with deadly claws for so long. Puppeteer has puppet strings, which allow him to restrain me without risk of killing him. With that in mind, I just let it be that I wasn't informed prior to this.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded. Mentally, I wasn't prepared at all. This wasn't just any training. This was a full moon. Full moons are known to change the properties of things, and for someone like me with odd abilities, it could be detrimental for all parties involved. Nonetheless, this needed to be done. We set off towards my training grounds. Puppeteer walked beside me as we headed towards that way. I guess my nervousness was showing.

"Hey. It'll be alright, Toxic."

I turned to him and smiled weakly. "You know we aren't too sure just how okay it'll be. I'm not just anyone."

He looked down.
"I know you aren't, but we have to have hopes for this. Even if something were to go wrong, it's not like it could explode the world. Right?"

I sighed. He was right. My powers were strong, yes, but not to a point that it would destroy the planet. I think the effects that would take place would be the same as Chernobyl. Arguably, that's still awful, but it's better than total damnation. The talking made me feel a little better. I was less nervous by the time we got to clearing. I did as I normally would. Stood in the middle and did my excercises. Things like teleporting, summoning my scythe, using focus, and testing all my various types of toxins.I was pleased to see that my normal stuff wasn't going haywire, nor was it enhanced at all. I do think enhancements would've been cool, but normal is good too. Then, Slender threw me for a loop. Instead of spar training, he suggested something new.

"Good, everything is just as usual. Now I want you to try something else."

I looked at him confused, then I looked at Puppeteer. Now he was the nervous one, and that's not something I wanted to see in this situation.

"What do you want me to try?"

"Sing for me."

My singing ability had only ever worked once. That instance was an accident due to a breakdown and was also at least a month ago. I stared at Slender. He was nuts to see if an ability I couldn't even command would work on a full moon, especially since my other abilities proved to be normal.

"Toxic, I know that this ability isn't in check, which is all the more reason to try it now. Your other powers may be normal, but what if this full moon affects this one specifically?"

He had a point there. I had control of my other powers, but this one was out of my hands in normal circumstances. This was no normal circumstance. I'd been so frustrated in not being able to use this ability. Why would I be so hesitant to use it the night that could give me a breakthrough? This was as good a time as ever for it. I nodded and watched as Puppeteer pulled out a speaker and his phone. He turned on a song, and I listened. The song that played was familiar to me. When I lived as a human, I used to be part of this online community. They would make videos and stories using an app that allowed you to create characters and make storyboards with them. This one song was common in that community. I hadn't heard it in so long. I couldn't help but sing along as the first verse started. The soft melody of its beginning rolled off my tongue like it was always meant to be there. I felt as if the instrumental of the song engulfed me as it hit the pre-chorus. I felt an energy like i had never felt before. I sang through the first chorus and the verse that followed, closing my eyes as I did so. I reached the bridge of the song, a strange feeling suddenly rushing through me. It felt as if a greater power was flowing through my veins, pushing to break through my skin. I felt lighter. I felt tears fall down my cheeks. I felt the ground begin to shake beneath me. I couldn't help but step forward, as if my body was moving on its own. I felt my wings open, my arms opening with them. My very essence felt almost ethereal. Then I heard a low growl in front of me. I opened my eyes to see a strange person in front of me, or maybe it'd be better to describe them as a beast. I could make out cat-like ears atop their head and a long tail that lashed behind them. They were tall, but their physique was small and skinny. I heard them growl yet again. Their back was turned to me, but I could see a light glow coming from their face. I quickly looked to Slender and Puppeteer. Puppeteer seemed surprised, almost concerned. I could never tell what Slender felt, but I could tell he was defensive as his tentacles were positioned in a certain way. The figure in front of me growled once more as they stared at the other two from across the clearing. Then, to my shock, they charged. Puppeteer rushed to them in return. The figure swiped at Puppeteer. Puppeteer motioned his strings towards the figure, who somehow avoided them and even cut one in the process. The figure went to charge again, yelling as they did so.