You look down and see three dead adventurers standing at your feet. You hear a bell ring, followed by a screen appearing in your vision. You raise a hand and touch the screen. Your hand floats through.

You widen your sight and see writing. You can read. 'Wait... since when? Where am I? Where did I come from? Who am I...?' You think to yourself.

Suddenly the symbols shift and change. Wait. No. They're not moving. Your brain is beginning to make sense of them.

You can read the screen. "Congratulations on reaching level 5! You've attained the following bonuses:

'Semi-permanence? What?' You think.

You reach out and touch the word. A second, smaller screen pops up with more words.

'Changling... That's...Me...?'

You touch the screen. The smaller one disappears. You tap on Sentience. Another small window pops up: "Commonly known as intelligence, this is incorrect. Simply put, Sentience is one's ability to think, plan, and remember. Applying past experience to current and future situations. One's ability to think about their ability to think."

You dismiss the smaller screen. 'I can think. I can think about the fact that I can think. This is strange. What do I do now?'

You take a shaky step. As your foot touches the stone floor, you feel yourself sink. You look down and see that you were wrong - you didn't sink, your foot appears to have melted. I feel a tug in your mind. You realize you can change your shape.

You look over at the adventurers. Something tells you that you shouldn't just just take one of their forms. You decide to mix and combine them.

As you take your new form, you feel your body becoming solid. Rigid. Less... Liquid. You look down at your body to ensure all the parts are present and accounted for.

You go to take another step and wobble slightly before finding your balance. You take another. Then another. You hear a bell ring and another screen pops up.

You see an X in the top corner. You reach up and touch it. The screen shrinks and vanishes.

You continue walking. As you do so, a slurry of random thoughts enter your mind.

What is a screen and how do I know what they're called? The fuck is a thought? Why is everything so... new? Is that an effect of the Sentience perk?

What's a perk for that matter?

These thoughts and more plague your mind. You stop and look around. You're in a cave. You have vague... well, you have some form of understanding of this area and its layout. It's not quite a memory, but it's there.

"Well... this is certainly an improvement..." a deep, rich, feminine voice speaks.

You look around but can't see where the voice is coming from.

"Up here." You look up and see a figure sitting atop a large stone, legs dangling down.

It's a woman. Or at least you think she is. Her skin is a light gray. She has two horns protruding from her head.

"Who... are you?" you ask.

"I could ask the same of you."

"I... don't know. I think I lived here...?"

"Not very hospitable."

"I'm sorry. I don't... really understand what's going on. I was fighting, then as the last one died, I... became aware, I guess."

"Oh? My my, you are interesting. Not just a fish out of water after all."

"Fish?" The word rings familiar. You'd know a fish if you saw one, but you can't bring a picture of one to mind.

The person leaps down and walks around you, taking in your form. "Yes, very... human... tell me, creature, what are you?"

"I don't know for certain, but I think I'm a changeling. I saw a screen or... window or something that said I gained Semi-Permanence. Which a window said it was an ability of Changelings."

"Did the window say anything else?"

"I also gained reading, speaking, and sentience."

She stops in front of you, "I've never heard of a changeling gaining Sentience. They're a hostile, stupid lot. Solely instinct. I'm a Demonoid. My name is Aezelika. You may call me Ace. I don't suppose you have a name yet, just having gained sentience recently."

"No. I don't."

"What would you like to be called?"

You shrug, "I have a list of words, but I don't know what might make a good name..."

Ace looks you over, "Are you male or female?"

You furrow your brow at her, "Male? Female?"

Ace sighs, "Most creatures reproduce by sexual contact. A penis enters a va... uh... never-ending. I'm just confusing you... under your pants there. Between your legs. Do you have a fleshy bit dangling or a hole?"

You look down, "Uh... neither. Is that weird?"

"For most creatures, yes. For a changling? No. For a changling with sentience? I honestly have no fucking clue... Alright, how about this: we'll just call you... Y/N.

You nod slowly, "Y/N... I like it. I think it really defines... ME, Y'know?"

Ace smirks, "You're cute. We'll work on it. Anyway, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To my home. It's a long walk. If you're a changeling, then you probably don't have any real experience with the outdoors. So I'll teach you along the way.

"Ok, thanks!"

Ace turns and starts walking. You follow behind her, admiring her figure. You notice that her clothes fit her body well. You realize you have no clue why you would notice such a feature. You quicken a couple of steps to fall in beside her.

"I've got a question."

Ace glances over, a sly smirk on her face, "Ask away, cutie."

You ponder how to word it, "I noticed your clothes fit... quite nicely. And that you've got an appealing body. Previously, before I gained sentience, I likely would've found it appetizing. But now, I feel... something different. Why is this?"

Ace stops and smirks at you, "that would be called Sexual Attraction. You should feel a warmth - or something. I'm not really sure - between your legs."

You purse your lips and furrow your brow. You look down, "I... guess...? To be honest, I felt something. But I'm not certain what it was. Like a fluttering in my chest and stomach."

Ace walks up to you trailing her hand along your arm, "That, my dear, is indeed sexual attraction. And I'm flattered. Not many would find a Demonoid such as myself objectively attractive. I'm, at most, a fetish."

You tilt your head, "I understand the word, but... Why would you be a fetish?"

Ace sighs and drops her eyes. She steps closer, "Because... I'm a rarity. Demonoids are... Well, we fought a war with the humans ages ago. Most of us died, Y/N."

"I'm sorry."

She smiles softly and pats your cheek, "No need to apologize. That was a long time ago. The survivors have adapted. We no longer try to kill each other. Instead, we live and let live. And humans and demonoids alike enjoy... certain things about one another. Some more than others."

You look her over, "So... What's the difference between a demon and a demonoid?"

Ace beams at you, "Actually surprisingly simple. Demons come in a variety of shapes and forms. A parent with a fish head and a parent with a bull tail and horns might have a child that has either or neither or something else entirely. On the other hand, Demonoids were originally mistaken for demons, but we all look alike. The same basic thing. Horns, tiny little vestigial wings, and a prehensile tail."

You nod in understanding, "So, shall we get moving? I'm anxious to see this 'outside' place. And the difference between day and night. And-"

Ace holds up her finger to your lips, "Dark will be falling soon. We can show you that, but it's dangerous to travel at night. So we'll be resting at the mouth of the cave for now."

You hold your arm out, a gesture for her to continue leading. You fall into lock-step behind her. You occasionally steal a glance at the round bit just below her tail. You can't quite tell why, but your eyes feel almost drawn to it. You feel an indescribable urge to grab and bite it, though not in a voracious way, as you would have pre-sentience. You're not entirely certain you like these new feelings and sensations.

Eventually, she leads you to the entrance of the cave. You stick your head out to see multiple white lights twinkling in the sky. You sense Ace walking up beside you, "Stars. Pretty, huh?"

You turn your head, "I like them. They're pleasant to look at. Is that what pretty is?"

Ace nods, "That's right. You know the dictionary definition of many words, but you don't really have experience with what those words actually are, do you?"

You shake your head, "No, I don't."

Ace smiles, "You're so innocent, Y/N."

"Should I not be? I mean, I existed before, but I didn't have a concept of self."

"'Concept of self'? That's pretty advanced for a newly sentient individual."

"With my sentience, I guess I gained some understanding of higher matters."

"That makes sense. Come, let's gather some wood and start a fire I'm hungry."

You follow behind her, looking at the trees as you pass them. You wonder what a fire is, and how it tastes. Ace begins picking up branches and sticks, arranging them into a pyramid just outside the cave entrance.

She looks over at you, "I'm going to light it. You keep going, alright? Set the sticks and stuff right over there." She points to a nearby spot just inside the cave.

You nod and turn, walking to the designated spot. You drop the bundle. You can hear her muttering to herself, "I hope he doesn't freak out when he sees the flame..."

You look back over your shoulder, "Is everything ok?"

Ace jumps, "Uh... yeah. Don't worry about it."

You shrug and pick up more sticks. By the time you've collected the wood, Ace has a decent blaze going.

She's kneeling on the ground in front of it, her face lit with the flickering flames. She turns her head and smiles at you. "Come on, sit down. You're not afraid of fire, are you?"

"Not sure. I've never seen a fire."

"Well, that's no good." She scoots closer, grabbing a stick and holding it up for you, "You've never had a fire spell cast at you?"

You nod, "I have, but... Well, it doesn't really hurt Changelings. Fire spells are short bursts. Our body is mostly liquid, so unless it lasts enough to heat us up..."

Ace raises an eyebrow, "Every time I've seen fire hit a changeling, they run away."

"We don't like surprises."

Ace stares at you for a moment then bursts into laughter, "The suddenness scares you? That's it? No actual pain?!"

You take the stick she's been holding and touch the small flame at the end of it. "It's... Warm... I've actually never felt fire before."

"Maybe that's part of your sentience? Rather than black and white, hot and cold... You can now feel shades of warm and cool?"

"Perhaps. I dunno... This is all so strange to me. There's so much I don't know..."

Ace reached into her pack, "You hungry? I'm gonna warm up some food, then we can get some sleep until morning."

You shrug, "My stomach feels empty. Is that hunger?"

"Aye. You want to try my food or go grab something raw?"

"I'll try yours. Eating raw doesn't sound appetizing anymore..."

Ace grins, "You'll make a fine adventurer someday. You just need some more knowledge and experience."

"Will you teach me?"

Ace nods, "I'm happy to help, Y/N. You're... special."

"How so?"

"You just are. You're eager to learn. You pay attention. I know I ramble, but instead of tuning me out, you actually pay attention."

You feel a tugging at your face as your lips split into a curl. A grin. It feels strange, but strangely nice. You decide you want to feel that more often. You lay back, arms behind your head as you think about what a strange day it's been. A screen pops up in front of your vision.

"Friend, huh?"

"Wassat? Oh, yeah. I guess we are friends, huh? funny how that works," Ace says, stirring the food.