I will return

85

Shaggy backed away, whispering in a trembling voice:

—Scrappy?

I appeared in front of him, letting the initial surprise turn into a mocking smile.

"Wow, I see you still remember me," I replied, noticing how the disbelief in his eyes began to transform into pure terror.

Shaggy was looking at me like he was seeing a ghost. A shadow of fear covered him as he tried to pull away, but he couldn't escape. With every step he took back, the people around him stared blankly, trapped under my control.

"It's funny," I said, with a dry, malicious laugh, "the last time you saw me, you laughed when I was arrested." But this time, Shaggy... things are different.

His eyes darted desperately from side to side, trying to process what was happening. The faces of the townspeople surrounded him, all under my dominion. And he, trapped between them and me.

—It's curious, you know? I continued, moving closer as he tried to back away. The first time, my plan failed because you were the only one I couldn't catch. But now...—I took out the Daemon Ritus, showing it to him, as a golden glow emanated from it—"I now have an entire town under my control.

With that said, I placed the Daemon Ritus on my chest. A wave of energy ran through my body, transforming me, like so many times before. But this time, the change began in my tail, which grew excessively, thick and long like that of a prehistoric creature. I felt my chest expand, my snout lengthen, tapering until it looked like a hybrid between my face and that of a ferocious dinosaur. My hands and arms expanded, becoming powerful and muscular, covered in luminous veins that radiated power.

By the time the transformation was complete, I was over two meters tall, my head was enormous, with a dark and terrifying countenance, a perverse mix between the face I once had and the ferocity of a Jurassic beast. And then I felt it: two protuberances emerging from my back. Exquisite pain ran through my spine as membranous, dragon-like wings spread out, with horns and spikes that made them even more menacing.

I looked at my reflection in a nearby window, a satisfied smile crossing my monstrous face. I turned to Shaggy, who was cowering, pale and motionless.

"Now," I roared, my voice reverberating like thunder, "it's time for me to get you."