My Body, My Choice

It stood there unmoving, it was trying to intimidate me, but I wasn't scared. I would fight it, it was a battle for my body after all.

It soon got frustrated, running and pouncing at me. I was ready though. I swung my right leg behind the left, changing my center of balance and leaning out the way. It landed on the ground looking back at me, then it tried again, and again.

Then after repeated failures it didn't pounce. It looked me in my eyes and as the flames intensified I couldn't move, kill aura. It slowly walked up to me eyeing me down. It had won. Even though I wasn't scared, even though I could fight, I had lost, with just one look of its eyes.

No, I refused to kneel. As it stepped forward it circled me round about. Then it went to the front and readied itself to pounce. As it did with all the strength I could muster, with every fiber of my being I moved. Upper cutting it with my leg it soon staggered to the ground. It wasn't an ordinary kick, my leg was hardened and as such strengthened.

The forest soon started to fade away, I thought this was because of my victory but I could still see it laying there. My eyes widened as I came to it, the sudden fall to the ground did hurt I was just not awake long enough to feel the pain, but soon I was up and feeling the pain. I lifted my hand reaching for my face.

"No!, ahhhh, I wouldn't... do that if I were you." He said partially biting his index as if to bare pain, a worried look in his eyes.

As I looked over at my hand I could see what he was seeing. My nails had grown into claws, an inch each. My fingertips to my wrists were jet black and it was still creeping its way up my forearm. I looked at my other hand, it was the same. The sneaker like boots didn't have to come off for me to see the revelation. I could see the claws poking through them.

"What's happening to me?" I said as I cut my tongue on my sharp teeth.

"Well... aahhh, the same thing happened as back in your room but this time, your body's not resisting." He said surveying me with his eyes.

"So is it still overshadowing my spirit." I said confused.

"No, not necessarily, its flowing in your body, I'm guessing it isn't trying to kill you?"

"Well, it did I just knocked it out." I said clenching my hands in and out ensuring not to cut myself.

"Ok, so I'm guessing you can see it too?" He asked pointing at my chest moving his fingers to my hands to indicate the flow.

When I started to focus on my expanse. I could see it, the purple core that only absorbed mana before was then flowing it through my body. It coagulated at my hands and legs filling up my body but as it did, it changed. I was starting to look like a hybrid.

"Can you stand up?" He asked his hand falling to his side fidgeting.

It was a valid question, from the moment I awoke I was sitting. I soon stood up to find I was taller and more muscular. The black slowly creeping up my arms.

"What now?" I asked lost.

"I don't know ?, Figure out how to replicate the form I guess, it obviously makes you stronger." He said face contorting in confusion.

"Ok." I agreed but as soon as I did I could feel the mana returning to the core, the beast had awakened.

"It's awake, and it's taking back its mana or spirit which ever." I said watching the black recede, my nails shorten and figure thin.

"Quickly focus, grab the mana and store it in your stomach, all of it!" In a panicked and commanding voice I was given instructions.

I did as was told and focused filling my stomach with the mana. The core was still trying to syphon away the mana but it was futile, it was my body and while I was awake I was in full control.

"Good. I was worried we'd loose that progress." He said with a sigh.

"Progress?" I asked confused.

"Yes progress, on your spirit manipulation, you learned to transform your body, I was afraid it was cut short, though my worries have been dashed." He said looking at my stomach.

"You can see my expanse?" It was burning question I had, I couldn't see his after all.

"Yes. It's my skill, Eyes of The World." He said with a smile.

"How do I find out mine?" I asked curious, if he had named it himself. The skill didn't come from us after all.

"It's a process, but you don't have to worry about that now. They'll teach you in school."

"So spirit manipulation, what next?" I could feel the strange mana in my stomach and it was making me uneasy.

"Do what had happened before."

I did what he said coagulating the mana at my hands and to my surprise, they blackened, my nails elongated into claws and strangely my skin got tougher with slight seams on it running across like it was missing something.

"See... I'm done, figure out the rest." He said as he flew away.

The strange thing though was the fact that the longer my hand was changed the less of the purple mana I had, it was being used. It was like an over time spell and not an upfront one.

In my curiosity I redirected all the mana to my right hand. I was taken aback by the result, before my hand had seams, then, it had overlapping plates.

The seams were signifying an incomplete transformation and now that it was complete my hand was armored. It looked like the panther only humanoid. Not wanting to waste anymore mana I stopped. The full transformation of my hand was burning my mana at an incredible rate.

Instead I opted to practice, all the spells that I had been taught and flying. I knew it was going to be important in the future so I had to start getting over my fear. I knew I was safe but the memory rung in my head if I got too high.

I practiced even coming up with spells of my own, making a whip of water, though it needed a water source it was quite powerful and versatile and a shotgun of air that left small cracks and craters in the wall. I even managed to make an air blade that stuck above my hand, pointing out like a sword. A wall of earth and a pool of artificial quicksand.

I spent the rest of the day practicing all I had learnt. I would soon be leaving after all. I practiced until the sun went down, making the most of my time. I walked back seeing as it was getting late and I didn't know what was lurking in the forest.

I got back and saw everyone eating and laughing. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but they were a family. I just caught them at a bad time. They asked me to join them and I did. We ate before I continued my usual routine of a shower then bed.

I laid there on my back, thinking about all that had happened.

The thing that stuck out to me though was the fact that to transform I needed to burn mana. It wasn't going to be something I could use off the bat since the panther was being difficult. It was then I hatched my plan.

Every night it confronted me I would fight it and when it lost control I would store as much mana as I could. The thought in my head I fell asleep. Though that time as it stood before me it started to back away. It was cautious, or scared based on its latter actions. It turned around and bolted into the forest, that time I was the assailant as I took chase. It was faster than I thought and it seemed like I wouldn't catch up.

Then I remembered my training. Hardening my body and using wind for propulsion I was soon catching up. But what would I do when I did. It got closer and closer and ever so often it would peak back at me.

It darted around trees, pounced onto limbs but I gave chase. I got closer and closer until I was in striking distance, but as soon as I lost focus on going faster and started focusing on attacking I slowed down giving it a head start again.

I sped up once more closing the distance even faster and that time whilst in striking distance, I knew what I would do. I raised my palm turning mana into small pebbles in front of it, as soon as I got it dense enough, I knew what to do.