No sensations, no thoughts. She didn't even exist in the way she used to understand existence. There was no pain anymore, no cold or fear. Just an empty, endless black.
And then something started to break through.
A small flicker at first, then a growing light—no, not light. Numbers? Text? It felt strange, like trying to remember a dream she'd already forgotten, but it was happening.
Words appeared in her mind, flashing in front of her like a screen from a really cheap, outdated video game.
Loading...
A faint hum accompanied the words, almost like the distant whir of a computer booting up. Zoe's sense of self started returning, as if someone was slowly turning the dial of her consciousness from zero to one. Her name, the sound of it, bubbled up from the depths.
Name: Zoe Blackburn
Age of Death: 20 years
Cause of Death: Blunt Force Trauma
Location of Death: Minnesota, USA
Status: DECEASED
Deceased? As in... dead? The events of that evening started to trickle back into her awareness—the bridge, the fall, the cold darkness...
Initiating New World Transfer...
Analyzing Subject DNA...
Error: Human DNA detected. Integrity unstable due to trauma at time of death.
The hum turned into a beeping sound, like some kind of warning siren.
Solution: DNA must be blended to adapt to new world environment.
Randomizing additional genetic input...
Species Selection: Amphibian... Newt.
Species Registered: Lizardperson (Level 1)
Primary Traits: Amphibious Physiology, Regenerative Capabilities, Slippery
Environment Designation: Cave Biome.
Before she had any time to process—or scream again—a sensation swept through her, as if her body, or whatever form she was in, was being yanked through a tunnel of light. Her stomach lurched in protest, the world spinning faster and faster until—
SPLASH!
Zoe hit something cold and wet. She gasped, sputtering as her senses suddenly fired back online, the cold water seeping into every pore of her new body. She flailed, her hands—wait, were those still hands?—scraping against the rocky, wet surface beneath her as she struggled to sit up.
Her head whipped around, eyes wide and panicked as she tried to take in her surroundings. The cave was dimly lit, a faint bluish glow from bioluminescent moss lining the walls giving off just enough light to see. Water dripped steadily from stalactites above, creating small puddles that surrounded her.
She glanced down at herself and—
"OH, WHAT THE HELL?!" she shrieked, scrambling backward until her back hit a slimy rock wall.
Her arms—well, they were technically arms—but her skin had turned a sickly brownish-green color, fading in patches across her limbs. And soft. Oh god, why was it so soft...? She wiggled her fingers experimentally, half-expecting them to fall off like some soggy tissue paper, but they stayed attached. So that was a plus.
She squinted in the dim light and saw... a tail. A long, aquatic tail extending from the base of her spine. She yanked it forward, holding it up in front of her face like it was a foreign object—which it was.
