R:IX "Devouring Tyrant "

"To shed one's past is to embrace the unknown. But what are we, if not the sum of our changes?"

Darkness.

A silence so deep, Ryuxian seemed to hang in an infinite, soft blackness. Then—a sudden, persistent tug. His body jerked, a ripple coursing along his length. Something cold, smooth, and intimately familiar was against his skin. No, wait—his scales. His scales?

His eyes snapped open, the world around him a blurry, dimly lit tableau, strangely low to the ground. He tried to rise, to stand, but instead, his body coiled and flopped sideways. A wave of disorientation washed over him.

"Okay, okay… let's not panic. Maybe I'm just dreaming—"

He licked his tongue, the air smelling of wet dirt, the acrid sting of minerals, and the pale, musky smell of a hidden rodent beneath a boulder.

Wait… why am I tasting the air?

A long, ponderous silence.

"Oh… oh no."

Memories came rushing back, a wild tide—dying, the searing flash of the silver sphere, and now… this snake shape. He attempted to "stand" once more, only to have his body flop uselessly. He thrashed, or at least, he twisted—except snakes don't have arms to thrash.

"I—I don't have hands! Or legs! Or—gah, I don't even have a neck!"

His silver tail flicked, the scales glinting in the faint light. He felt they were sleek, very smooth, with an iridescent sheen that seemed to catch the thin light.

Then, as if someone had switched a hidden switch, a soft, otherworldly whisper began to churn in his mind:

「Awakening Initiated…」

Ryuxian stiffened, his body motionless.

".Huh?" The whisper vanished almost as soon as it arrived, leaving him tense with confusion.

"Awakening? What awakening?!"

He didn't have time to think before his body became lighter, more nimble. His sight, still adapting, cleared, and he saw the world in warm tones of gold and dark blue. He could feel the delicate oscillations around him—the faint flutter of leaves, the gentle, regular scuttle of small animals, the barely perceptible quiver of a spider's web.

"Wait… I can feel things moving. That's kinda cool…"

He flicked his tongue again, and a detailed scent map formed in his mind, a tapestry of aromas painting a vivid picture of his surroundings.

"Okay, weird. But kinda useful? Let's test this body out."

With cautious effort, he pushed himself forward, his scales gliding smoothly over the rough stone. His movements were awkward at first, a series of clumsy shuffles, but soon, a rhythm emerged.

Slither.

"Oh? Ohhh! I'm moving!"

He accelerated, the feeling of slithering surprisingly silky, as if he was surfing on the earth. He tried things out—coiling, spinning, even propelling himself a little forward in short, controlled shots.

Then, with his confidence growing, he saw a tiny, mossy boulder and decided to test his climbing skills.

And instantly flopped off the side with a hard, muffled thud.

".Ow. So much for being a majestic serpent."

"Am I even human anymore?" After shaking it off.

A deep sigh escaped him, the hiss of soft air. He curled up momentarily, his silver scales glinting in the faint light, trying to make sense of the strange sequence of events.

"Okay, facts: I died like a tragic anime hero. I woke up as a snake, a pretty shiny one, at that. And now some creepy voice is going on and on about 'awakening'."

He darted his tongue, tasting the air, the smell of wet earth, and the promise of something beyond.

"Fine. Challenge accepted. Let's see where this goes."

Awakening" triggers

"A new form does not erase the soul within. Even as the body shifts, the self endures."

"The greatest fear is not of death, but of awakening to something unrecognizable."