I will return

48

The moment the Daemon Ritus latched onto my chest, I felt it... the tingle, that initial spark that I knew would trigger something much greater. The souls trapped inside began to move, slowly, as if waking up from a long sleep. I could feel them one by one flowing into me, invading my body with a surge of pure energy. Ten, fifteen seconds of unmatched pleasure, a sensation so powerful that it almost made me forget what would come next.

The first time I used this thing, my left eyebrow was the first thing to grow, ridiculously so. But this time... this time it was different. I felt something on my muzzle, a more intense tickling. In a matter of seconds, my fangs began to elongate, stretching beyond what I had ever imagined, transforming into sharp teeth that jutted menacingly from my mouth. **"Oh, yes,"** I thought, as the power continued to flow.

Then my snout itself began to change, lengthening as my ears grew in size. **"This is... incredible,"** I murmured. But those now large and pointy ears didn't allow me to fully see what was happening. I didn't care; the power was there, growing, transforming me.

My eyebrows were the next thing to change. They grew thick and hairy, and then I felt my entire skull begin to expand. My head swelled, growing three times its original size. That knocked me off balance and I fell to the ground with a crash. But it didn't matter, because there was no pain, just a feeling of pure energy coursing through my veins.

**"I missed this feeling so much,"** I said out loud, laughing as the next change took over my body.

I felt a tickle on my right paw. I looked down just as it began to swell, filling with muscle. The bones crunched and, slowly, my little paw transformed into a hand. One hand! The same thing happened with the left, and now both limbs had strong, muscular fingers.

My back legs also started to stretch. I felt the muscles expand, making them longer, more powerful, as they became full legs. My chest, small and weak until now, also began to grow, stretching and strengthening. I felt my muscles tense, and my laughter intensified.

—**Oh, yes!** —I exclaimed, rejoicing in the transformation—. **This is amazing!**

My body continued to grow, bigger and bigger, as I watched my tail lengthen, multiplying five times in size. **"It can't be,"** I told myself, watching as it wriggled behind me, looking more like a dragon's tail, covered in scales that glistened in the dim light of the warehouse.

I had already reached a height of five meters when I suddenly felt a tug on my chest. Could it be my biceps? For a second I thought all this power would end in a fat, out-of-control belly, but no... it didn't! On the contrary, what I felt was something sharp emerging from my back. I looked over my shoulder and saw spikes beginning to sprout, both on my tail and my spine.

—**This is better than I imagined!** —I said, my laughter echoing throughout the warehouse.And then, a more intense feeling took over me. I felt like something was forming in my skull. Horns. I could feel them coming out of my head, as if my own mind was pushing the limits of what was possible. The transformation continued to advance, more and more.

Finally, when my head grew and I reached my full form, I stopped. I looked at my reflection in one of the windows of the locked warehouse. I had reached my maximum transformation, but my wish was not satisfied.

**—Perfect...** —I said quietly, savoring each word—. **This is better than I imagined, but I want more.**

The transformation was just the beginning. I knew this wasn't enough. I had discovered unimaginable power, but now my ambition demanded more. And soon, I would have it.