Father

I woke up to an unfamiliar scenery.

It was always me in that lonely damp room, but this time around, it felt different. It was a wide space with a wooden floor and a wooden ceiling.

I jumped off the bed and noticed I was wearing a black robe.

Even though this was the first time I wore one, I somehow managed to move my body as if I had been used to them.

[ Where is this place... ]

My body did not belong to me as I was not able to move as I wanted.

This must be a dream. I have to wake up.

I began to rub my eyes vigorously.

[ Ouch! ]

It hurt.

My hands could feel the pain.

[ This isn't a dream. ]

There are no beds or desks in the room, not even a toilet, only a simple table and a chair.

I rubbed my eyes again, and I stared at my hands.

[ Damn, why can't I wake up from this dream? ]

I have to wake up, because my hand... It wasn't human. It looked monstrous.

I saw a mirror nearby. Even though I was a bit reluctant, I walked up to it. And that's when I saw it. A raven colored monster. That's what I was.

[ What the hell? Is this reality? ]

The monster that was reflected in the mirror shook its head as if it was anxious.

"Indeed, it's really me."

I looked at my own reflection, and I was frightened.

I was a monster.

What a nightmare. I really wanted to wake up.

Monster, huh?

I started to ponder.

What is a monster?

It's a monster.

What is a monster? Is it an existence that has no problem with killing humans?

Because it's a monster, it will never hesitate when it comes to killing humans.

Why is that? That's because it's a monster.

But if I were a human, then killing other humans would never cross my mind.

Even if I were to encounter a monster that is stronger than me, I will neither run nor hide, but fight it with all my might.

[ Not a monster, huh? ]

I couldn't help but laugh. The sheer absurdity of the situation was laughable. The night before, I slept peacefully as a human and now I woke up as an indescribable monster.

"Young Miss, what happened?" A woman in a maid outfit came running through the door after she heard me cackling like a mad person.

"N-Nothing. It's just that I woke up from a weird dream. That's all."

What could I honestly say in this situation?

I had no choice but to escape from reality by choosing to laugh it off.

"Young Miss, please calm down. It's important to keep your calm. Young Miss, you have to stay calm."

The woman in the maid outfit pressed her hand onto my forehead.

"Ah, you have a high fever, please lie down and rest."

I obeyed and lied down.

After I relaxed my body, I suddenly noticed a strange sensation. It felt like my body weight had decreased.

My consciousness faded, and I slowly fell into slumber.

"Seems like she's not ready yet..." The last thing I saw before I lost my consciousness was a man, who had a concerned look on his face.

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"Huh, what the-" The moment I woke back up, I checked my entire body. Unlike before, it looked a lot like a normal human's body now. But still, it wasn't mine. This room... This body... None of it was mine.

"I'm back, is everything alright?" The man entered the room with a smile.

"...What happened to me? Did I just go through a sex change? Is that why you're smiling like that?"

"Huh? Sex transition? You mean the process of changing one's sex? Ah, I seem to have heard about it... I suppose it's impossible to change one's sex."

"You're the one that told me I'm a monster, right? So why can't I change my sex?"

"That's a bit different from what I said. I told you that you are a monster. However, you're also a human. That's why you can change to a human."

"Changing is as easy as that? I thought it was impossible."

"I told you, it's impossible for you to change your sex. It's possible for you to change into a human." The man explained.

This entire bit of conversation made me confused because I had no idea why I said the things I said. Sex change? Him calling me a monster? And that was when I ran towards the single mirror in the room and realized that I was no longer a man like I was in my previous life.

I was a woman. A teenage looking girl at that. And that explains why I asked him the sex change question and why he looked confused by the question. But what about the monster bit? Well, that was the bit that confirmed something. My memories are mixed. I don't know how, but I ended up having the memories of both my previous self and the one that this girl possesses as well, but that meant absolutely nothing because for some reason my memory was incoherent. It's probably calibrating my previous and current life's memories. But how long will the calibration take? Who knows...

Meanwhile, I decided to talk with the man before me. "Who the hell are you, by the way?" I asked, to which I could see the man's face looking all surprised.

"What happened to you? Did the transformation mess up your memories to the point that you forgot about your own father?" He asked back, much to my surprise.

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