Edna could feel the bitter taste of some strange liquid clogging her lungs. Her body twisted; her stomach began to churn, making it seem like she was about to throw up at any second. She was stuck, trying to reach out to the light above her.
"Help me, help me," her thoughts screamed in her mind.
She began waving her hand as she tried to swim upwards, and in that instant, it felt like she was going to drown at any second.
Gasp—
Jolting from a small body of swamp water, Edna Lou was shocked to find herself in the land of the living. But wherever she was didn't seem familiar. She remembered working late hours at her desk, only for her abusive boss to shit on her efforts.
She was forced to work late into the night, only to find herself at the mercy of a masked man who engaged in terrible acts with her.
He had stripped her of every article of clothing adorned on her body and pleasured himself with all the intricate holes in her torso. Just the thought of it made her shiver—every thrust, moan, cry, and not to forget, the beating she had received before being stabbed multiple times in the chest.
But wait—
If she were dead, how was she living and breathing? And to make it worse, she was in an entirely different place—or rather, world. Edna glanced around, her gaze falling on the trees covered with moss and weeds.
"What is this place? Some kind of swamp?" she muttered to herself, her thoughts filled with questions that remained unanswered.
Glancing down at the clothes she wore, she was shocked to see a white gown draped over her skin, translucent from the water as it revealed her plump thighs, hips, and her chest, which was equivalent to that of developing melons.
Was this hers? she thought.
Through the vulnerable attire, she found two brownish, pointy nipples.
With confusion etched on her expression, she looked down at her hands, only to be greeted with ghostly pale skin—like that of forgotten victims from the horror movies she watched as a teen.
"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself, checking every inch of her voluptuous body, only to be greeted with white.
Waving her hand through the water, she searched for a clear spot to check her reflection. Once she did, she was shocked by what she saw.
Flowing down her shoulders like tendrils was dark raven hair, completely silky and wet from the swamp water. Her lids were coated in black, almost like she hadn't slept in centuries.
Edna gasped, her mouth slightly opened, only to find a set of vampire teeth protruding from her gums.
Ding. Dong.
The sound of what seemed like a doorbell echoed in her eardrums. Raising her head to see what it was, she was shocked to find a screen displayed before her, like a video game.
---
{Status}
• Name: Pale Hart
• Age: 0.00 Bio Years
• Species: Bio-Lifeform
• Strength: +5
• Speed: +20
• Flexibility: +100
• Viscosity: +100
• Durability: -20
• Awareness: -01
• Brain-matter: 10%
• Main Quest: Absorb Lifeforms and gather tarot cards.
• Bio-Lifeform must absorb to get stronger and reach the last level. Lifeform is immortal, but is still weak.
---
Edna read through every detail that was displayed to her by this grey, dim screen. Her eyes widened as she did so.
"A bio-lifeform?" she muttered to herself. "But I'm human."
This couldn't be possible, Edna thought. What was this Pale Hart? And why was this strange video game screen calling her that?
This body she inhabited—this thing—wasn't hers. Her hair was never dark to begin with; she remembered being blonde with bright blue eyes. She didn't even have much hair, as her disorder had always gotten in the way of it growing.
Though lying in a pool of swamp water wouldn't fix her problems or answer any questions.
Standing to her feet, the viscous water dripping from her outfit, she tried her best to gather her resolve, maybe find a way to escape this place.
Taking a single step, she felt her knees grow weak, and before she could make another, she fell to the ground. Her bones were shaky; this new body seemed unfamiliar to her.
"Shit!" she grunted, moaning as her body trembled, a burning sensation spreading through her arms and thighs.
The strange video game screen appeared again:
[Current Quest: Learn How To Walk By Absorbing A Lifeform]
How utterly ridiculous, she thought as she saw the message. How on earth did she have to learn how to walk? Wasn't that a human thing?
She wasn't human at this point—
Suddenly, the sound of splashing in the water echoed from beside her, followed by the croak of a frog. Edna turned to face the little green creature, watching as its throat puffed with air.
She stared, her now dark eyes filled with curiosity, because the frog looked different. Unlike a normal frog, this one had strange spikes—like horns—protruding from its head in the form of a crown.
Now, she was fifty percent sure this wasn't her world. But she had to be certain. And to do that, she had to deal with her leg problem, which refused to listen to her brain.
Ding. Dong—
The video game screen emerged in a small-sized tablet state:
{Absorb the lifeform before you by touching it, Pale Hart.}
Edna looked at the tab, her eyes widening as she came to a sudden realization of what she had to do. Crawling desperately, she made her way to the little creature and placed her hand on its smooth skin.
And before Edna knew it, her hand began to melt, turning into a viscous and very thick white liquid that bathed the frog, swallowing it whole. As it was done, her hand reformed back to its normal state.
"What... happens now?" she said to herself, staring at her arms and legs.
Still confused, she decided to see if she could walk after completing the task the screen had given her. But a sudden pain struck her entire body.
"Agh!"
Edna moaned—it felt like her bones were cracking beneath her. Her dark eyes glowed with an emerald green as the muscles in her legs began to twist in strange ways. The pain increased, reaching her private areas. A scream escaped her lungs as she dropped to the flooded ground.
[You Have Obtained Skill: Walk]
{Quest Completion Rewards: +2 Strength, +0.02 Age, +102 Viscosity}
Edna breathed heavily, her now coarse tone echoing from her lungs. The green light died from her eyes as the pain ceased.
The young woman—now turned into a creature she didn't know existed—breathed a sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling. She stood to her feet, her legs shaky, but she could move a bit.
Walking forward, she felt a wave of joy wash over her, like a baby learning to walk for the first time. Taking more steps, the shakiness in her limbs slowly began to fade as she moved faster.
Then she stopped—
The video game screen emerged again.
{Pale Hart is in the vicinity of a Tarot Card. Find it and receive hints on what to do next.}
Edna looked around, eyes squinting in confusion. "Tarot... card," she muttered with her cold voice—a voice that had once been sweet and high-pitched.
She remembered the screen mentioning absorbing every lifeform and gathering tarot cards. But where was she supposed to find one?
{Hints Recommended: Yes/No}
The screen emerged again, now giving her two options.
"Do I click on?" she asked.
[Yes, You Do]
A smaller screen emerged and disappeared again, almost like the screen was communicating with her. Edna wasn't the type to play video games, but she remembered a co-worker who enjoyed interactive games.
She never paid attention to them, mostly because they had explicit scenes. But one thing always bothered her—it was like she enjoyed watching those things.
They made her feel good inside.
But that wasn't the case now. She had to choose an option. "Yes," she said, clicking on it.
The video game screen glitched, then reformed, bringing another message:
{Are you sure you want to go with this? Pale Hart's strength will decrease by -1.}
Edna breathed in, hesitating, before she nodded. And as if the screen had listened not only to her voice but to her body language, it accepted.
{Conditions Accepted}
Suddenly, a strange glow erupted from the swamp water. Edna looked down to see arrows multiplying, leading somewhere and stopping behind a huge tree.
Without hesitation, she followed them, her bare legs treading the water. Reaching the tree, she looked around—and there it was.
A card.
Though she had never seen a tarot card before, it was definitely a card. Crouching down, she picked it up, its texture feeling like plastic.
Displayed on the card was what looked like a phallic object, golden in color. Under the image was the word:
[The Non-Compliant]
"What is this?" she asked herself, her tone dripping with countless questions.
But her question was quickly answered as a great force tore the tree behind her from the ground—roots and all. Edna spun around in shock, only to be met with a hulking monstrosity.
His face was covered with a metal mask resembling a human's. He was nude, his skin dark, and not to mention, the thing between his legs filled Edna with dread.
The fleshy object rose as the monster spoke: "I found you, my dear sex slave."
At that moment, Edna knew what was about to happen—and if she didn't run, she would experience something far worse than death.
{New Quest: Escape The Non-Compliant}