Immersed in darkness, I could neither see, feel, or hear anything. I lost track of time. The silence was maddening. My only form of comfort was that this same numbness prevented me from feeling the agonising pain that came to me before I lost consciousness.

Hm? What’s that?

As I felt myself going crazy with the silence, an ice blue flame appeared from the nothingness. Its slow bobbing soon turned into some sort of hypnotising dance, making my concerns vanish in an instant. At some point, the light seemed to get closer to me, and then, just as suddenly as it arrived, it faded.

Wait! Don’t go!

My senses gradually came back to me after that. First came touch, which I noticed when I felt something brush the tips of my toes. The pain was back with it too, although it was much more tolerable. Then, I heard a muffled female voice I didn’t recognize. I opened my eyes to seek its source, only to get blinded by the lights on the ceiling. Someone gasped and slapped something next to me. After getting used to the brightness, I looked to my left and saw a girl around my age staring at me, mouth agape.

She was a redhead with sapphire eyes and countless freckles that covered what would otherwise be porcelain skin. Her long hair was tied into a low ponytail that draped over the white lab coat she wore on top a dark green chequered shirt. She was slender, perhaps bordering what would be considered healthy, but it looked like it was simply her complexion.

We kept staring at each other for quite some time, and not once did she remove her hands from the sides of her head, as if to mute every sound around her. Quickly snapping herself out of her trance, the girl jumped up from the chair she was sitting on and ran away yelling, “Dad! Come quickly!”

My eyes followed her as she left, half expecting her to fall as her hands were still glued to her ears. My memory slowly came back to me after she was gone. The infection, my parents, and the conversation with Dr. Blake.

I thought the pain was supposed to disappear by the time I woke up…

What about the mutation?

What do I look like now?

How long has it been?

Looking over my body, nothing seemed to be any different. The round shape of my ears, my light brown shoulder length bob, and the same pale skin I had from staying indoors most of the time. They all indicated my appearance hadn’t changed at all. I didn’t feel like a ghost either, although I didn’t know how that was supposed to feel to begin with.

Luck had smiled upon me. My excitement grew as I realised I managed to remain human. One that could probably use magic at that!

My silent celebration was interrupted when I heard hurried steps down the hallway. Dr. Blake appeared at the door frame panting heavily with the same stupefied expression the girl, who now stood next to him, had before she left.

“Do you believe me now?” The girl asked him, pointing at me with an open hand. She was now wearing an oversized navy blue beanie.

She left calling for her dad, didn’t she?

Is she really Dr. Blake’s daughter?

If that was the case, she probably took after her mother. The only thing these two had in common was their height. Dr. Blake looked too old to have a daughter that young, though. Perhaps he had one of those weird marriages with large age gaps. It wasn’t my place to judge.

The doctor approached, grabbed one chair and sat down next to me. “How do you feel, Nora?” he asked in a worried tone.

I sat up straighter and smiled at him to lessen his concerns. “It still hurts some, but it’s not that bad. Is it all over, doctor?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head slowly. “You just got here a few hours ago. You shouldn’t be awake yet, much less complete your transformation.”

My eyes widened. It felt like I had been floating in that void for days at least. “What does this mean?”

He raked a hand through his hair as he thought. “I honestly don’t know. This is the first time someone woke up so soon. You said you’re still in pain, so the virus should be active… I must take another blood sample to find out what’s happening. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.” There was no point in declining.

“Thank you.” He smiled and turned to his daughter. “Anna, go get me a collection kit, please.”

Anna nodded and rushed out of the room, causing the beanie she wore to drop from her head as she crossed the doorframe. The absence of her hat revealed that which she was trying to hide so much. Her ears; they were far too long.

She’s an elf!

Realising her mistake, she stared at me briefly before picking the accessory up and putting it back on. She then ran out of sight. Her steps resonated through the hallway, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing soon after.

She came back the same way and entered my room with a white box, which she handed to Dr. Blake. I was so focused on her, trying to process everything that happened in such a short time, that I didn’t notice when the doctor drew blood from my arm.

With the sample ready, he passed it back to his daughter and sent her to the lab. The room was still silent after she left. I wasn’t the only one who was speechless. The doctor kept gawking at me as if I contained the secrets of the universe.

Not able to bear with the awkwardness anymore, I broke the silence with the only thing I could think of at that moment.

“Is your daughter an elf, doctor?”

He blinked out of his trance and cleared his throat. “Yes. She is the reason I’m taking part in this investigation, actually. I wanted to understand and help with the transformation she went through. She’s now used to the changes, although she is still self-conscious about her ears, especially with strangers.”

I looked away from the embarrassment, but turned back quickly as I came up with my next question. “Can she use magic now?”

He grinned proudly. “Yes, she can! We discovered it by accident when-”

His phone rang, interrupting him. He grumbled, pulling the device from one of his pockets. I sat quietly as I waited for him to finish the call. He, on the other hand, frowned as he listened silently.

Once he ended the call, he turned his attention back to me. “Well, a quick view of the new sample indicates that the virus is still active and replicating within your body. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about your situation with a full analysis.

“That reminds me... We’re going to keep track of the changes in your body and record the data on a daily basis. We want to figure out if there is a way to predict what the patients like you will transform into. Our hopes are that we can learn to prevent it from happening or perhaps even find a cure. Your peculiar case might give us an important clue to solve this, so I’d appreciate it if you cooperate with us.”

Honestly, I was curious about this matter too. I wanted to learn as much as I could about my ongoing transformation. “I guess it’s fine as long as it’s harmless... Say, you ask me now that I’m awake, but what would you have done if I remained unconscious?”

He smiled wryly. “Well, to tell you the truth, Anna was already done with it before you got up. We do so with every patient. I simply assumed it won’t be as easy without your approval now that you’re awake. Don’t worry, though, it will be harmless, like you said. Measuring and taking pictures, mostly. We will also need regular blood samples, but you’ll regenerate blood quickly in your current state.”

“Okay, if you say so. What happens now?”

His daughter entered the room as I asked this. Dr. Blake looked at her and smiled before turning back to me.

“I’m heading back to the lab. I want to inspect and compare your samples as soon as possible. That said, assuming you have any questions left, why don’t you ask Anna? I’m sure she’ll be able to answer most of them, if not all. Do you want me to tell the kitchen staff to prepare something for you? Most patients do wake up with quite the appetite, though I’m not sure if that will apply for you.”

I placed a hand on my growling stomach. Now that food was mentioned, I realised he was right. “Yes, please.”

Looking back at him, all I saw was the trailing edge of his lab coat as he exited the room. His daughter had the same surprised expression I did.

Shaking her head in defeat, she walked closer and took the seat Dr. Blake had been using. “Um, so... Do you have any questions left?”

“You shouldn’t hide them,” I commented. “Your ears.”

She looked away. “They’re weird. People stare because of them.”

I felt a bit guilty about doing the same, but I feigned ignorance. “To each their own, I guess. If I were in your place, I’d show them proudly. I think elves are really cool. Can I see them?”

Anna looked at me quietly before hesitantly reaching for the hat and slowly pulled it off. Her ears bounced out immediately. They looked quite flexible. I felt an urge to touch them, but I suppressed it.

“Yeah, that’s better.”

I changed the topic to avoid making it any more awkward. “Hey, when did the virus start spreading? Your father only said it was recent.”

She took a deep breath before she placed the hat on her lap and replied, “As odd as this may sound, the earliest victim we know of was infected on the fifth of Vikson.”

“Last year?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

She shook her head. “No, earlier this month. A lot more recent than you thought, right?” Anna smiled wryly. “It’s true, though. As for how it is spreading, that’s something we’re still trying to figure out. It does require very specific conditions to do so. We know it originated somewhere west of here, and that it’s quickly spreading everywhere else, but that’s it. Both the government and investigation centres all around the world; We are all doing what we can.”

Her answer was not something I expected. “How can there be investigation centres all over when this began just three weeks ago? I mean, looking at this place, I doubt it was built in such a short time.”

She shrugged. “This place, like many others, was built for another purpose many years ago. What that was is a mystery to everyone. When my father came here to study my own transformation, all they told him was that this facility was equipped with everything he needed.

“All of our staff is new here too, so there’s no one who can tell us. There are plenty of obscure rumours with no definitive answer. Even our own research must remain secret by government orders, and we can only share it with them or the other MAV investigation facilities.

“I guess they don’t trust us ‘outsiders’ enough to tell us, even if we’re employed by them. It’s annoying, but it’s the best chance we have to learn about this, and the pay isn’t bad either.”

I could only frown at her answer. “If it’s such a big secret, why are you telling me this? Why were my parents allowed here? I know them, and I’m sure they will remain silent, but I doubt your father could trust them so easily. I also find it hard to believe that my mother would accept being separated from me that easily, she’s too clingy, regardless of my age.”

She laughed lightly. Regaining her composure, she answered. “First of all, since you’re directly involved, we already consider you and your family to be part of this community. Like it or not, you’re now helping us with this research just by being here.

“I’ll be honest with you, this policy doesn’t apply everywhere, which means other places may simply kidnap anyone they know is infected. I guess you can say we have the same system as schools. We are all supervised and controlled by the government, however, the management of each place depends completely on the director.

“Our supervisors were clear in mentioning they only want to make sure the knowledge doesn’t spread too fast in hopes that we can actually find a cure in time, so as long as we can meet their requirements, we can choose how we handle things. Fortunately, most of us have come up with friendly alternatives. For example, we used magic to convince your parents that you would be fine and to make sure they’ll keep the secret.”

Good. I’m glad they found an alternative.

“You used magic on them!?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing permanent. Let’s just say we gave them a deep sense of trust in what we’re doing so they wouldn’t overthink things. They won’t stop acting like they normally do, and the spell will fade eventually on its own. Jack will visit them a few times to make sure it doesn’t before you’re done with your transformation, though. He also placed your brother under his spell, just in case.”

“Who’s Jack?”

She looked surprised. “Oh, I thought you knew... He’s the ghost with the shades who brought you here.”

“A ghost?” I recalled the ride on my way here as I spoke. That feeling of safety, it made sense now. “Do you know if he used his spell on me?”

Anna nodded. “Oh, I’d bet on it. He’s not fond of speaking with others so, ever since he learned how to do it, he prefers to avoid problems and misunderstandings by meddling with people’s minds beforehand. What he uses is called Psychic Magic. It allows the user to influence the mind. This magic is quite weak, though. It has little to no effect once you’re aware of it.”

She paused and briefly covered her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that… Please don’t tell your family about the spell, it’s for their safety and your own. Actually, it will be best if they don’t know you’re awake; Not until you’re ready.”

That makes sense, I guess.

It wasn’t like I trusted them completely. However, I couldn’t tell what would happen to my parents if the spell suddenly broke. I didn’t know how much influence it had over them in the first place. It was better for me to go with the flow for the time being. At least until I got a better idea of who these people actually were.

“I’ll stay quiet as long as you keep your promises, so don’t worry about it. Then, what kind of magic can you use?”

“Mine is called Healing Magic, and it does just what the name implies. I happen to be the first one to ever use it, by the way.” She added proudly.

I smiled. It was difficult to stay cautious with the excitement that the idea of magic built up in me. “What other kinds of magic are there?” I asked her.

“None, sadly. So far, we have only discovered those two. It’s still early, though. Most people have yet to finish their transformation, to begin with. Even then, not everyone learns as fast as Jack and I did. We both discovered it by accident and seem to be talented at it.”

“Well, I say that, but I can only use a single spell,” She added with a wry smile. “So far, only ghosts and a vampire have been able to learn psychic magic, and only one more elf can use healing magic. No metahumans nor draell have shown any signs of it yet.”

Were certain races more in turn with magics? It certainly gave me that impression. It made me wonder how many there were, as well as how many among those I could meet at that moment.

“How many patients do you have here?”

“Five, counting you and me. We have Allison, who arrived a week ago, and then there’s Jack and the guy who infected you earlier, Dave. We also had two metahumans, but those already went back to their normal lives. We are keeping tabs on them, of course.”

Well, that’s an underwhelming number.

“I’m surprised. I thought there would be a lot more given how easily I was infected.”

She shrugged. “It’s actually far more difficult than you think. The MAV can only infect a small percentage of the population. It also seems to have an age limit since the oldest person to be affected so far is only thirty-five years old. Older people seem to be immune.

“You have to consider the way it spreads, too. The black spores the host releases will degrade in mere minutes when exposed to the air. Only those unlucky to be close enough to inhale them when they become airborne will be in danger of infection. That’s also the only stage where the virus is contagious.”

“Guess I’m just lucky then...”

She giggled. “Depends on your point of view, I guess. For all we know, you could get these same ears of mine. Something to be proud of, right? There is another way to get infected, though, and it’s the most problematic, as well. Some animals started acting as carriers for the virus, and their bite has proven to be a more effective transmission method than the spores.

“The infected animals we were able to capture and analyse turned out to be immune to the virus itself, and yet, it doesn’t perish in their bodies as it does with incompatible humans. Instead, the MAV mutates slightly with the carriers’ DNA, and we can observe the effects of this in the victims. The virus is easily transmitted among animals of the same species, so we theorise this might be how it’s spreading so fast. We don’t have enough data to confirm this, unfortunately.

“Anyway, those who are bitten by a carrier present characteristics belonging to that specific animal in their mutations. Oddly enough, they still release spores with the original virus during the second stage of infection. Since you were directly exposed to the spores, you have a strong chance of becoming one of the five established races. We don’t know if the transformation will be affected now that you’re awake, though.”

It made me glad I was infected through spores.

Being able to use magic... Who wouldn’t want such a thing?

Well, they did say it’s only a possibility…

In any case, I didn’t see that many downsides. Other than being in pain for a few days, the worst case scenario for me was having a weird skin colour.

What did my parents see to make them worry so much then?

Anna said there are only five of us here.

Ghosts and elves look fairly normal.

Dave just got here, so that only leaves the last patient.

I looked back at Anna who had an odd expression. My silence probably concerned her. I simply couldn’t help going deep in thought sometimes.

“Can I visit Allison?”

“Huh? Allison? I’m not sure... I’ll ask Dad since I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to move without us knowing what’s happening to you. Why do you want to see her, anyway?”

“I just want to know why my parents looked so concerned if most of the patients here look normal.”

“Well, you could’ve asked. Isn’t that why I’m here in the first place?” She sighed. “To be honest, we cheated by showing them pictures of the patients from other centres, mostly those who were attacked by carriers, as a possibility for you to transform into. Some of them had very striking changes, which is what shocked your parents the most.”

“Can I see them?” I asked, hoping to get a positive response this time.

She shook her head. “You really don’t want to, trust me. There’s a reason we only use them as a shock factor.”

“If you say so…” I slumped my shoulders. “Did they see anything else?”

“Dad also had Jack go through a wall and lift a few things to prove he was the real deal. Now, Allison still looks mostly human since she was infected in the same way as us. Given her special condition, however, the transformation is behaving somewhat... differently for her. You’ll see what I mean if we go. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

“Anyway, I’ll let my father know about our conversation and ask him if you can see her tomorrow since it’s already too late to do so today. Speaking of which, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll leave for now. I’ll answer the rest of your questions later. Well, assuming you wake up again.”

I nodded in understanding. As much as I wanted to continue, there was no denying it was very late already. “It’s fine.”

“Thanks. Someone should bring you something to eat shortly. Try to get some rest after you’re done. We don’t know why you woke up, but we do know the virus is still within you, and it would be better if you have enough strength for it. Oh! Before I go, how do you feel? Does it still hurt?”

“Just a little bit.”

She nodded in response. “I’ll take my leave then. Have a good night, Nora.”

“You too, Anna.”

She left the room, and a nurse brought me my food a few minutes later. I didn’t really have much to do after I ate. I was alone and bored. Casually looking around the room again, I noticed my phone was no longer charging where I left it. My anxiety slowly increased until I saw they had merely moved it to the nightstand. I sighed in relief and reached over to pick it up.

Sitting down on a chair at the table, I made sure to set my status as offline before reading a few horror stories to distract myself until I felt sleepy. Finally, I plugged my phone back into the charger, climbed back to my bed, turned off the lights, and closed my eyes. The pain made it difficult to fall asleep at first, but I was so tired I was able to drift off at some point.