That thing was bugged. It had to be. While aggressive bosses weren’t a foreign concept in the game, none were supposed to attack the players as soon as they came into vision, much less one with such a high damage output. If it was intentional, then the developers had finally gone crazy. I was furious regardless of the reason. I had taken my best equipment to that raid.

In Danath Online players not only lost experience but also dropped everything they had on them whenever they died. It was annoying, yet it made the virtual reality game feel more realistic. We actually feared death because of it.

The bright side was that we could always recover our things. All the items remained on the corpse and had no time limit unless they were perishable already. Anyone could claim them, but since the dungeon was unknown to everyone else, the risk of someone stealing my stuff was low. We still needed to go back for them as soon as possible, though.

Mary, nicknamed Ryme inside the game, and I were lucky to die closer to the entrance, and chances were that she had already gone back to recover our things after I went to bed in frustration. She was better at keeping her cool. The biggest problem was that some of our friends, including our guild leader, had been less fortunate and died inside the boss room. Our only chance to recover their equipment was levelling up. We needed to, otherwise we wouldn’t survive getting hit by that thing. That, however, was a concern for the future.

I woke up earlier than usual. It was a very special day, after all. It marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a much more exciting stage of my life. It was my last day of high school, and the thought of finally graduating was enough to make me forget about yesterday’s fiasco.

The sun had yet to rise when I got to the bus stop. I always took the earliest rides to avoid dealing with the crowds that formed later on, and today wasn’t the exception. I didn’t consider myself antisocial. Not anymore, at least. I simply enjoyed those nice peaceful moments of solitude before school.

Sitting on the closest bench, I took out my phone and began reading the new issue of Mysterium while I waited. I never missed a single release of my favourite digital magazine.

While I particularly enjoyed reading horror stories and the legends of the Old Era, I also had a blast going through the fake news included at the end of each issue. It was mind-boggling that some people honestly thought many of those stories were real, no matter how far-fetched they got. People claiming aliens had abducted them and famous cryptid encounters were all too common.

I was just done reading an article on zombies and survival when I heard a scream nearby. Turning to look at the origin of the noise, I spotted a young man leaning on a tree at the other side of the stop. I approached him cautiously to see what was wrong. He only grunted when I asked. It was clear that he was in a tremendous amount of pain, so I dialled the emergency line.

<This is emergency services. What is your emergency?>

There was more screaming and groaning. He fell to his knees, as if the last of his strength had finally deserted him.

“There’s a very sick person next to me. I think. He seems unable to stand up or talk from the pain, and I don’t see any wounds.” I winced as his suffering clearly increased.

<Thank you for your call. Please, do not hang up your phone as we’re currently tracking your location to send help. While that’s done, is there anything else you can tell us about this person’s condition?>

“I think he’s just a bit older than I am. Oh, sorry. Um, early to mid-twenties, maybe? He’s kneeling and pressing his stomach with one hand. Wait… He’s gagging now!”

What is that thing!?

Realising the words never left my mouth, I told the lady what I witnessed. “S-some black stuff just came out of his mouth!”

The mass, no bigger than my fist, was so dark I couldn’t see its shape properly. The moment it fell to the ground, some sort of smoke came out of it.

“It stinks!” I said, blocking my nose with my free hand.

<Step back! Don’t get any closer to him!> She practically shrieked in my ear. <An ambulance is on its way and will arrive shortly.>

I quickly did as she asked and walked a few metres away from him. That’s when I realised the bus was about to arrive. I could already see its faint lights in the distance, blurred by the thin morning mist.

“Hey, is it still necessary for me to be here? I don’t mean to sound selfish, but I won’t make it to school if I miss this bus. Surely you’ve finished tracking if the ambulance is coming.”

It was a small lie. I could always take the next ones. The situation was simply too uncomfortable for me. Who could blame me? I didn’t want to be there unless I had no other choice. Although I felt bad for abandoning the guy, he was still conscious, and I had already done my part by calling for an ambulance.

<I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but it’s important that you stay nearby.> The lady’s words dashed my hopes immediately. <It’s true that the tracking was completed successfully, however, there is someone who wishes to speak to you regarding the situation, and I’m afraid it’s quite urgent.>

Just then, the guy collapsed on the floor. My shoulders dropped in defeat, followed by a heavy sigh. I simply couldn’t abandon an unconscious person. “Okay, I’ll wait.”

She thanked me and ended the call. The bus arrived a couple of minutes after that, and the doors opened, tempting me to get in.

“I’ll take the next one,” I told the driver, pointing at the unconscious man.

He stared briefly, probably wondering what I was doing so far from him, but he eventually turned back to me and bobbed his head in acknowledgement before retaking his route. I could only watch despondently as the vehicle left without any passengers. It was a pity that things weren’t going how I wanted. Hopefully, it would all be over by the time the last bus came. Setting the earlier lie aside, I really didn’t want to miss class. I had a flawless attendance record, and I certainly didn’t want to ruin it on the very last day of school.

A few more minutes went by, and the man remained silent on the ground. The smell finally faded so, despite the warning, I got closer to check on him. Fortunately, he was still breathing. I looked around, only to discover the dark mass was nowhere to be seen. If the lady hadn’t reacted so strongly to it, I would’ve blamed it on my mind playing tricks on me.

Eventually, the ambulance showed up with a black car following closely behind it. As they picked the man up, the owner of said vehicle stepped out and walked to me.

He seemed to be around thirty years old, with short black hair, and wearing a suit of the same colour. He was thin and looked sickly pale. As if his emotionless face wasn’t unsettling enough, he wore shades to hide any trace of life his eyes could show. The guy looked ready to wipe my memories of the incident.

“Good morning, Miss. I assume you’re the one who made the call?”

I nodded slowly.

“Okay. Could you also confirm that there was no one else near the victim when the black object was expelled?” A chill went up my spine. That didn’t sound promising.

“I was the only one here. Why? Is it dangerous?” I asked in fear.

“It’s… It may be… yes.”

I frowned, confused by his reply. “You mean you don’t know for sure?”

“The virus that man contracted is new, and it can be very unpredictable, I’m afraid. I don’t mean to scare you, but there’s a small chance you may have contracted it.”

His words made me flinch. I had heard about something like that on the news not long ago. It was a virus with a low infection rate, but it was known to be lethal in most cases. I shuddered at the thought.

Seeing my expression, he placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a comforting smile. Or at least he tried to. Showing emotion was clearly not his specialty. His face remained mostly unchanged, like that of a statue.

“Relax, we won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

I felt oddly calm hearing that. It was weird how quickly my fears vanished. I was aware of that, and I also knew this whole situation was scary, yet there was no fear. Not anymore. I trusted this person completely.

“I know all this might confuse you, but I need you to cooperate with me, okay?”

Nodding once more, I replied, “Yeah, okay.”

“Thank you. First, we must run a quick test to see if you are infected or not. Would you please follow me to my car?”

I did as he asked without hesitation, and he drove for about half an hour until we left the city. We stayed on the highway for another thirty minutes before we changed course and took a narrow path through the nearby forest. It made little sense for a hospital to be in the middle of such a place, but the ambulance was heading the same way, so I didn’t question it.

As we went deeper into the woods, I thought about letting my parents know of my situation. It wouldn’t be good if they thought I had been kidnapped or something like that. I turned my phone on, only to see there was no reception.

“For security reasons we don’t allow for communication in this area,” he said, noticing my confusion. “Don’t be alarmed, you will be able to communicate once we arrive.”

I accepted his statement with a nod and turned back to the window to contemplate the passing scenery.

Twenty minutes went by before we finally reached our destination. As we got out of the car, I saw the ambulance go through what I assumed to be the entrance to an underground parking garage. After that, an old man in a white lab coat walked down the front stairs of the building.

He was tall, around 1.80 metres, with pale blue eyes, a full well-groomed beard, and a kind expression. He appeared to be in his late sixties, maybe even older. Despite that, he looked full of energy and carried himself with dignity. His mostly white mane still had some traces of black hair mixed in.

“Welcome, young lady! I am Dr. Blake, the director of this investigation centre.”

“You mean it’s not a hospital?” I asked with a frown.

“Well, it is, technically. However, it is not your usual hospital, and I don’t say this just because of its abnormal location. You see, our focus here is the study and treatment of a newly discovered virus. One that you might already be infected with, unfortunately.”

“How can you tell if I do?”

He casually placed a hand on my shoulder and led me up the stairs as he explained. “A quick blood test will tell us what we need. It won’t take more than a few minutes, I promise.”

It seemed simple enough. I still wanted to call my parents, though. Given my perfect attendance, it wouldn’t be weird if the school tried to contact them to find out the reason. If not them, Mary would do it instead.

“May I call my family first? They might get worried if they find out I never got to school.”

He raised an eyebrow and stopped to give me a concerned look. “Is that really your only concern right now?”

I didn’t understand what he meant by that. Just then, the man with the shades, who was walking next to the doctor, whispered something in his ear.

“You did? I see…” The doctor raked his fingers through his hair in a pensive manner. He then looked back at me and continued. “I understand your concerns, but I must insist on running the test first. This virus has a low infection rate, so there’s a good chance you come out clean. If that’s the case, we’ll simply send you back home. How does that sound?”

I looked at my phone as I thought about it.

Huh. It has signal now, just like he said.

Whatever, they seem nice. I guess it won’t hurt to cooperate. That way I won’t worry mom over this if it turns out to be nothing.

“Fine. Test first.”

He smiled in response. “Excellent! This way, please.”

They guided me inside the building and into an elegant room full of bookshelves, a large monitor, and a desk full of paperwork with a plaque that read ‘Dr. Blake’ placed on top. There was also a small wooden table surrounded by a set of small wine coloured sofas and some medical equipment. It looked like the fancy combination between a consulting room and a psychologist’s office.

Dr. Blake offered me a seat and prepared to draw some blood. I was not a fan of needles, but I didn’t mind them as long as I didn’t see them in action. Once the doctor had the sample, he handed it to Stone Face, who stepped out of the room right after. Dr. Blake then grabbed a tablet from his desk and pulled a stylus from his lab coat’s pocket.

“Now, I’d like you to answer a few questions for me. For starters, can you tell me your full name and age?”

“Nora Hayes, 18 years old,” I replied.

“Nora then. Have you suffered from any major disease or injury? Any allergies, perhaps?”

“No, at least none that I’m aware of.”

“I see,” he muttered, writing it down. “How about your parents or close relatives, any health issues with them?”

I thought about that for a bit, but I couldn’t recall any member of my family having anything like that. The interview continued with him asking a few more questions regarding my diet, daily activities, and even my emotional state. His phone rang shortly after that, and he turned away to answer without leaving his seat. He hung up after a few seconds of silently listening and faced me once more.

“Well, I’ve got good and bad news for you. The bad is that I just got the initial results regarding your blood sample. The quick analysis confirmed that the virus is active within your body. I’m sorry.”

My jaw dropped. The fear was back with a vengeance, and this time, my heart didn’t calm down like before. I bombarded the doctor with questions. “How dangerous is it!? Is there a cure? What about the other guy? Is he even alive!?”

“Calm down. You’re not in danger.”

“But the man with the shades said-”

“I know what he said earlier,” he interrupted. “Trust me, you’ll be fine. That’s where the good news comes in. You see, everything you’ve heard of the virus so far is nothing more than a fabrication. I do hope you can forgive us for misleading you in such a way, however, it’s important that we keep it a secret from the general public.”

I could only stare in disbelief. Minutes ago, I’d been told I contracted a lethal virus, and now it turned out to be a farce?

“A fake? Why is it a secret? And why can you tell me now?”

“It’s no longer a secret for you because you’re now directly involved. Listen, why don’t you call your family so I can explain everything in detail to everyone? Your parents should be safe given their age, so I wouldn’t worry about them, but siblings or any young family members should stay at home or they may be exposed to the virus.”

Can you make up your mind? Is it safe or not?

I kept the thought in my head and gave out an exasperated huff. I looked at my bag and pulled my phone out of it once more. There was already one message from Mom asking where I was. I immediately called back.

<Nora? Is that you? Are you alright?> My mother asked as she picked up the call.

“Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m fine.”

I could hear her sigh in relief. <Mary told us you never showed up. Why aren’t you at school? We were worried sick!>

“Sorry. I kinda got myself involved in something... weird.”

She made a brief pause before speaking again. <What do you mean, sweety?>

“I honestly don’t know anymore…”

<Excuse me!?>

I shook my head. “Okay, so there was this guy with me at the bus stop. He contracted a virus or something. I don’t know anymore… A-anyway, I was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The doctor ran some tests, and it turns out I’m infected.”

<A virus!? It’s not the one from the news is it? Which hospital->

“I don’t know, Mom!” I interrupted before she could spiral further. “The doctor is not making any sense!” That earned me a confused look from the old man. “He says he wants you and Dad to come so he can explain it or something.”

She took a deep breath to calm herself before replying, <Okay, sure. We’ll be there right away. Send us your location so we know where to go.>

“I’m sending it in a moment. Ah, right! I know it’s weird, but the hospital is in the middle of the forest. You won’t have any phone reception when you enter, but you’ll get here if you keep driving straight.”

<A forest!? Why would- Nevermind. Thanks, sweety. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Stay safe.>

No, really. What is wrong with me!?

What was I thinking?

Did I really just get in a stranger’s car and let him take me here?

It was, however, too late for regrets. I was already there, and if they wanted to do anything to me, they had plenty of chances to do so previously.

I ended the call and sent her my location so they could find the place. Dr. Blake helped me by pointing out where they needed to exit the highway. Apparently, the trail wasn’t marked on any map. Once ready, he led me to a room on the second floor of the building and gave me a sky blue hospital gown and a pair of slippers for me to change into before he left the room.

I placed my bag next to the bed and my uniform on top of the nightstand next to it. Once I had the gown on, I got in the bed and closed my eyes, hoping to get some needed sleep after all the weird stuff.

It was easier said than done. I kept turning around, far too nervous to do so. After a while, I gave up on that idea and opened my eyes to scan the white room. There was a small wooden table and four chairs next to the bed. Behind them, I saw a big window with prussian blue curtains. It had a nice view of the forest surrounding the building. The room also had a small dresser and an open door leading to a bathroom.

While it had a few measuring devices like a stadiometer, a weighing scale, and a few other machines I didn’t recognise, the room looked closer to what you would find in a cheap hotel than in a hospital.

The summer heat was already making the place feel stuffy, so I opened the window a little to get some fresh air. I sat on one chair, enjoying the cool breeze, and took out my phone to finish reading my magazine while I waited. I was hoping it would distract me from everything, even if just for a bit.

The last article was about shadow people and their many sightings in the Black Forest, a place far to the east of Eredel, the city I lived in. It included many stories about campers feeling as if they were being observed or hearing humming at night. In other instances, people reported some of their belongings and food disappearing as they slept. It was nothing new. Despite being a beautiful forest, it was considered to be haunted by those beings long before I was born.

The scariest story was one about a family that claimed spotting a pair of glowing purple eyes staring at them from the darkness. They even managed to take a picture which was, conveniently, so blurry you couldn’t identify anything in it.

As I finished reading, I heard a vehicle approaching. I looked through the window and saw my parents’ car pulling up. My phone’s battery was low, so I pulled the charger out of my bag and connected it in case I needed it later.

After that, I sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for them to enter. The door opened a few minutes later, and Dr. Blake led my parents into the room. Mom ran to me the instant she saw me. She hugged me tightly before sitting next to me. Dad grabbed a chair, dragging it closer to us and sitting down before gesturing for the doctor to explain the situation.

Dr. Blake nodded and sat down too. “I know you’re concerned about all this, so let me begin by saying you don’t have to worry about your daughter’s safety. She will be fine once the virus completes its cycle in a few days. What Nora is about to go through is a series of mutations triggered by what we call the ‘Mana Adaptation Virus’, or MAV for short.”

My father and I frowned at the mention of one particular word. “I’m sorry, Dr. Blake, did you just say ‘mana’?” I asked.

Dr. Blake smiled wryly. “Yes, and I know what you’re thinking, but it’s the truth. This is the reason it must stay a secret to the general public. Mana is the name given to a newly discovered substance capable of manipulating our world in ways that defy logic. You could say it acts like the stuff from myths and fantasy. We learned of its existence thanks to the recent discovery of a species of microscopic animals named Aforidia, which is capable of manipulating small amounts of mana in order to improve its environment in extreme conditions.”

We all showed clear faces of disbelief. The more he spoke, the less sense it made. Dr. Blake carried on as if he didn’t notice.

“After this discovery, a group of scientists developed a virus with it. The purpose was to alter human genes to grant us those abilities. I’m not sure of the details myself, but they considered the project unsuccessful and abandoned it as a result.

“Unfortunately, the virus was somehow released, and it has been randomly spreading for a while now. Thing is, it’s not as useless as they originally believed it to be. Turns out only a small percentage of the population is affected by it. Those who do get infected mutate rapidly, and these changes vary greatly among the patients. Many of them can no longer be called human because of it.”

Honestly, his story was quickly becoming outlandish with all this talk about mana and transformations. Looking from my angry parents to me, he cleared his throat and laced his fingers as he bent forward.

“I’ll get straight to the point. We ran a blood test on Nora and confirmed that the virus is already making changes within her as we speak. The pain this causes once it gets to the next stage is enough to render the host unconscious during the process, so she’ll have to stay with us while we monitor-”

Dad had heard enough and stood up. “Do you really expect us to believe this nonsense about magic!? I don’t know who you think you are, but there’s no way we’re leaving our daughter here with a lunatic! We are leaving.”

I went to grab my things before I heard the doctor calmly respond, “I’m afraid we can’t let that happen.”

A chill ran up my spine, I halted and turned slowly towards him. My parents had moved to stand between us after his comment.

Dr. Blake sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m truly sorry. That came out wrong.” He then raised his hand in a placating manner. “Look, I know how crazy this sounds, but we can’t afford to let her go in her current state. Trust me, the government won’t like it one bit.”

We all went stiff as we heard that. The government was not unfair to the population. Poverty was low, and they actively worked for the wellbeing of the entire world. Despite that, there were plenty of rumours about what they did beneath the surface to those who disregarded their authority. It was definitely a bad idea to make an enemy out of them if they were involved in this.

“Here’s my proposal, Mr. Hayes. You say you won’t leave her in my care because I’m crazy, which is perfectly understandable given the situation. I couldn’t believe it either until I saw it with my own eyes. Now, I take it there would be no problem if I can prove that all of what I said is real, correct?”

Dad hesitated. He glanced at Mom and I, biting his lip before nodding at the doctor.

Dr. Blake smiled and clapped his hands together. “Thank you. Then, if you’re kind enough to follow me to my office, I’ll show you the undeniable proof of everything I have said. If you’re still not convinced after that, you’re free to take your daughter with you and deal with her problem and its consequences yourself. You’re more than welcome to come back anytime if you change your mind, of course. Either way is fine by me.”

He held his hand out, giving Dad a challenging stare. “Do we have a deal?”

Dad was still a bit reluctant, but we all knew we had nothing to lose. Even if this whole thing about magic was unbelievable, the other man was, in fact, really sick. If it turned out to be true, it was better to stay with someone who knew about it.

Satisfied, Dr. Blake led them out of the room, while I returned to the bed to wait.

---<>----------<>----------<>---

They had been gone for a while, and I kept pacing from one side of the room to the other. When my parents finally returned, they looked as if they had seen a ghost. Mom’s mascara was ruined by tear tracks. She immediately made her way to me and hugged me tightly with no sign of ever letting go. Whatever he showed them, I knew it was enough to convince them.

Dr. Blake placed a small crystal box on the table and watched silently, letting us have our moment. “We have little time now, the virus will enter its next stage soon,” he eventually said. “Nora, I think you already know what will happen when it does. I understand that this may be too much to take in at once, but try to keep an open mind so it will be easier for you and your family to accept the change, okay?”

My mouth was dry. I opened it to speak, but a knot in my throat made me choke. Unable to say anything, I nodded.

Dr. Blake gave me a comforting smile before turning to my parents. “I’ll leave you alone with her so you can say goodbye.”

As the door closed behind him, Dad trembled. Tears were running down his cheeks. It was something I had only seen him do a couple of times in my whole life. He quickly joined Mom in hugging me. From their reactions, I imagined that the changes I would experience were truly scary.

I felt out of breath all of a sudden and tightened my hold on them.

It’s not fair. I am happy the way I am. Why did this happen to me?

I tried being strong for them, but in the end, I broke too, and soon we were covered in tears.

It took a while before we finally recovered. Mom held my face in her hands before pulling an errant lock of hair behind my ear with a shaky smile. “Nora, we just want you to know that no matter what, you will always be our daughter, and we love you all the same.”

“We will overcome this together,” Dad added. “Stay strong, okay?”

I knew their words were meant to comfort me, but they only made me worry more about the changes. Even so, I wiped my tears away and faked a smile for them. “I love you too. I promise to stay positive no matter what!”

I really hoped I could keep my promise.

Mom kissed my forehead, and Dad ruffled my hair. They told me they weren’t allowed to visit me until my transformation was complete. Perhaps the process wasn’t pleasant to look at? It didn’t matter much to me since I would be unconscious anyway. We spent a few minutes in silence before they both hugged me one last time. Then, they hesitantly said goodbye and left the room.

What did they see that made them change their minds so quickly?

How could they accept leaving me here so easily?

All this talk about magic still sounds crazy to me.

What will I become?

He mentioned that the purpose of the virus was to enable the use of mana... Does that mean I’ll be able to use magic?

“Your parents are on their way home.” Dr. Blake’s voice startled me. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t notice when he entered the room. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We still have some time left.”

“What did you show them?”

He pulled a chair close to me and sat down. “They saw some other patients. They wanted proof, so I showed it to them.”

“Can I see them?”

“Some of them, sure,” he replied. “Let me look for them as we speak.”

I gulped and looked down, playing with my hands.

Will they look the same afterwards?

“How much will I change?”

“It’s too early to know for sure. The virus reacts differently for everyone, you see. It hasn’t been that long since all this started, so we lack information to make such a prediction. The good news is that there is a high probability that you will remain human and wake up in less than a week. There is, however, a minuscule chance for your body to perish during the process and-”

“What!?” My heart skipped a beat right there. “You said it wasn’t lethal!”

He shook his head. “I told you that you were not in danger and that your parents didn’t need to worry about it. I also assured you that everything will be fine once the mutation is over. I never denied the possibility of death.”

How can he call that not being in danger!?

Dr. Blake looked at my face as I trembled, and he sighed. “I’m sorry, I chose my words poorly again. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Who wouldn’t be afraid of dying!?”

“I know it’s confusing, but hear me out, okay? So far, there have been five casualties from the virus. That said, death may not be the right word here. In all of those cases, a being made entirely of mana emerged from the corpse. A ghost with no physical body. They look just like they did as humans and keep all of their memories from before the mutation started. They don’t truly die; only their body does.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing my heart rate to slow down. “I don’t know what to think of that, but okay, let’s roll with it for now. What else can I, uh, become?”

“The important factor here is the way it infected you. Inhaling the spores will, in most cases, lead to one of five already established ‘Races’, as we call them. I already mentioned the first two. Their official names are Metahuman and Ghost. Metahumans are what we could call the primary goal of the MAV. They are merely humans able to produce their own mana.”

I perked up at that. For the first time since this all started, hope grew in me. “Will I be able to use magic then?”

He chuckled at my child-like wonder. “It’s likely. It was the main purpose of the experiment, after all. Though I’m afraid I can’t guarantee anything just yet. Only some have been able to do it so far. Speaking of which, the other three races are Elf, Draell, and Vampire. Since you reacted that way when I mentioned mana, I’m guessing you are familiar with them, right?”

I nodded with a small grin. Elves and vampires were a staple of fantasy.

“Then I’m sure you probably know what they look like already. Still, these are the pictures I have of them.” He presented his tablet for me to grab. “Take a look.”

I took the device in my hands and inspected the three images on display. The first was clearly that of an elf man. Mostly human in appearance, with silver blond hair, grey eyes and long pointy ears. His body was slender, too. Save for the modern clothes he wore, this elf looked just like a character from Danath Online.

Next was the vampire. Her appearance was very similar to the elf, but her ears were much shorter, and her cat-like eyes were red, like a brick. She had long black hair and skin white as snow.

“Do vampires have fangs, too?” I asked, looking up at him. The girl in the picture had her mouth closed, so I couldn’t tell.

“They do,” he replied. “Interestingly enough, because of the lack of pigmentation in their skin, they are prone to getting sunburnt, so they even share that with the ones from legends. That said, they won’t turn to ash or crave human blood like the ones from legends.”

“And is this last one a dark elf?”

The last person certainly looked like one. He had almost identical traits to the elf. The only difference was that this guy had black hair and grey skin.

“Correct,” he answered. “Many do refer to them as dark elves, but we were told to call them Draell. Makes it a lot easier to see them as different races.”

“Draell then. I see…”

Truthfully, I felt much better after seeing the pictures. The mutations were nowhere near as scary as they seemed at first. I wasn’t sure what to think about leaving my body or having my skin change colour, but it was still better than becoming deformed or something like that.

Wait…

“Isn’t it too much of a coincidence for them to look like that?”

He nodded in agreement. “Weird, isn’t it? I originally thought that the developers of the virus intended it, but that’s no longer the case. My current theory is a bit crazier, actually. While we have yet to find any convincing evidence of this, I have my reasons to believe some of these beings actually existed centuries ago, back in the Old Era.

“The humans of the past may have found a way to use magic, just like us. If that’s the case, perhaps they were also transformed into these races as a result. There could have been another virus or something quite similar that enabled this.”

My eyes went wide with that revelation. “How is that possible? Shouldn’t there be some kind of evidence or something? They couldn’t just vanish, right?”

I may have pressed the right buttons. His wide smile told me of his excitement about this topic. “Well, like I said, there’s nothing to prove it yet, but we may actually have some evidence. There are so many stories and legends around the world after all. I think they are too similar to be a simple coincidence, and they do say legends always hold a bit of truth behind them.

“The bigger mystery is the virus’s ability to transform someone in such a way. It defies logic just like mana does. Why can humans become those beings? Is it the virus trying to refill a niche we are not aware of, or is there something else? If my theory is correct, maybe some of us simply happen to be the descendants of those ancient creatures. That would explain why not everyone is affected, don’t you think?”

I was fascinated at this point. He probably wasn’t sober when he came up with any of that, since everyone knew those were simply fairytales, but it was interesting at least. The moment didn’t last, though. My whole body was in sudden pain.

It started as a small sting, and it kept growing stronger with each second. Dr. Blake noticed this and quickly grabbed the crystal box from the table as he told me to endure it. My heart was racing.

After a few minutes, the pain became unbearable, and I felt something moving inside of me. I remembered the black mass from earlier as I started gagging.

Soon, the dark object emerged and fell from my mouth into the box the doctor had already placed just below my face. He closed it quickly and set it on the table. I could see how the thing evaporated, sticking to the walls of the container. The pain worsened, and I clenched my eyes closed. Soon enough, I couldn’t bear it anymore and everything faded to black.