Noises and images began flowing in my head, I felt... conflicted. Why should I fight against the abyss when they have treated me so kindly? I was lucky enough to have been turned into a higher ranking abyssal, I should be happy to be so blessed. No. Fuck no, that's not true. I am not going to continue to be a pawn for them. As soon as I remembered that the headache subsided. I could still hear some voices and whispers, but it was much quieter. With the headache out of the way I took a deep breath and opened my eye.
Wait, my eye? Opening my eye I could see the world for what felt like the first time. Bringing my hand to my face I could still feel a horn where I knew my left eye should be, but my right eye seemed to be back. I immediately began looking around the room for anything remotely reflective.
“Shit..”
Finally setting on the relatively shiny metal walls I could see my face and body for the first time. I don’t remember what I used to look like, but I know it was not like this. My hair seemed to be relatively long, extending to halfway down my back. It seemed to be dyed a deep purple color, something I confirmed by grabbing some and moving it in front of my eye. looking back at the reflection I could somewhat make out my face.
My right eye was a shade of hazel, something that I think I may have retained from my original life. Where my left eye should be was a large horn protruding from the socket. It was a deep black color that slowly faded into a glowing purple. The horn was long enough to reach just above my hair, I guess the length is what allowed me to communicate with the others like some form of telepathy. Maybe they were what allowed me to “sense” things around me. Funny, I never actually bothered with trying to figure out how my own body worked until now.
My face itself appeared rather feminine, something that I also felt was wrong. I felt that the perfect way to describe my face would be “cute”. Well, except for the horn and my skin. While I did not see any blemishes, it was an unnatural white. Almost as if I was something that had been dead for months, not something living. I guess that does perfectly describe how I am feeling right now anyways. My ears seemed longer than they should be. From base to end they were around the length of my hand, ending in a point. I remember that the elves had ears similar to this.
But the biggest shock was my body. It seemed thin and rather delicate, my hands being smaller than what I felt they should have been. I understand that a “control” type praetorian is not meant to be a front line fighter, but still. The clothing I was wearing was hard to describe. It seemed to be made out of some type of scale or fur. Whether this was actually armor or part of my body was hard to tell. The armor covered most of my body except for a small portion around the shoulders and thighs. My lower arms had a gauntlet on them, with the fingers ending in claws. Claws identical to ones giving my shoulder protection. While it certainly seemed protective, it felt as though the armor was meant for movement instead and for some reason, the armor had a cape.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a cape. It was my wings folded up that looked like one. I know that I shouldn’t have wings or a tail, and yet I felt as though it would be hard to live without them. My tail like the rest of my body was black eventually becoming a glowing purple further down my tail. The tail looked to be covered in the same scales as my armor, so I guess maybe my armor is just a part of my body after all. The end of the tail became a sharp point, looking like the head of a spear. It looked perfect for impaling someone. I guess the reason for the point would be for self defense in case I got cornered in battle.
Back to my wings, they came straight out of my upper back and I could control them like I could my arms. At the end of it was a claw with four fingers, a claw that I had resting on my shoulder earlier to cover the gap in armor. The claw was dexterous enough for me to grab a nearby mug, pick it up, and then set it back down. The wing itself looked more like a scaly cloak than something a bird would have, but from memory I know I could fly at a decent speed with them. Not as fast as some birds, but giving a blind person the ability to zip around the air would be a terrible idea.
“Praetorian”
Oh no. The one voice I did not want to hear, especially not now.
“Yes my Princess?”
Zipping around I saw my Princess standing in the doorway of the barracks. Seemingly taking joy out of my panic she approached me while smiling.
“So, it seems you have changed a little since I last saw you, huh. How interesting, I have never seen a control type with a working eye before.”
I could only remain silent as I immediately began thinking over my options for escaping the situation. I didn’t have a weapon on hand. I could maybe try a punch or attempt to claw her, but…
“Is it a mutation allowed by the Empress I wonder?”
“uh yes, I believe it is. The Empress has given me the privilege of eyesight”
I did not know what she was talking about but I rolled with it. If it could buy me more time then so be it. Thankfully, she seemed satisfied with that answer.
“Very well then, pray it does not interfere with your duty”
And with a giggle she walked out of the barracks. I don’t know why a princess like her chose to visit out of nowhere, but I am thankful that she is gone. It's time that I begin thinking of a plan. First things first, I am going to need a weapon.
Dianos· Jun 21, 2023
