Chapter Three
BLAIR
The last thing I remembered was pain.
Sonya's knife. The cold bite of steel between my ribs. Her cruel smile as she whispered, "You were always in my way."
Then there was nothing.
Until now.
I gasped awake, my hands, no… paws?
I have paws!!!
They were scrambling against damp earth. My chest heaved, I was trying to touch where Sonya had stabbed but there was no wound.
No blood? All I could see was just smooth pink fur where the knife should have been.
"What…?" I tried to speak but my voice came out wrong. It was soft, melodic, almost like a purr.
A flicker of blue light flashed before my eyes. A holographic screen stood before me, glowing letters typing themselves out.
[Welcome, Blair.]
[System Initializing…]
'What could this be?' I thought to myself.
[Status Updated.]
Name: Blair
Race: Siren
Age: 18
HP: 100/100
Mana Points: 50/50
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Speed: 6
Inventory: Empty
I stared.
"What the hell is this?"
The System didn't answer my question. Instead, it continued.
[Congratulations on your rebirth as a Siren.]
[Current Level: 0]
[Abilities: None]
Could I have gone into another world? What would happen to me?
*****
Long before kingdoms rose and fell, in the ancient world of 1900 BC, sirens were not just creatures of myth, they were real. Unlike the half-bird, half-woman figures of later legends, the original sirens were shape-shifters, much like werewolves and vampires. But where werewolves answered to the moon and vampires to bloodlust, sirens answered only to their own will, and the will of the witch who created them.
The first sirens were born from desperation. Martha the Red, a powerful witch, watched as vampire clans, driven by famine and territorial wars, began slaughtering human villages, including her own.
The vampires were in a blood thirsty rage and they began to devour whatever they could find. Werewolves could protect themselves because they lived in packs.
Other shifters like mermaids, were-tigers and were-snakes were at an advantage because they could use their powers to protect themselves.
Humans and low witches suffered. They had to watch as their loved ones were dismembered, kidnapped and killed.
To protect her three daughters, she performed a forbidden ritual, binding their souls to the sea's magic. The result brought about the first sirens.
The first sirens were beings who could shift between human and siren forms, with voices that could compel even the strongest vampire to kneel. They could also shift into any animal, camouflaging in different eco-systems if they felt unsafe.
Their most feared ability was their ultra-power, a surge of energy that allowed them to fully mimic humans, masking their true nature for years. With this, they infiltrated vampire courts, whispering commands that turned the clans against each other. Within a decade, the vampire threat crumbled.
As generations passed, the discovery of siren-shifters spread across the world. Some married humans, and their children carried diluted siren traits, unnatural charisma, hypnotic voices, or an uncanny ability to manipulate emotions. By 1200 AD, siren-blooded nobles ruled empires, their influence so vast that King Henry II of England feared they would overthrow him.
His solution was to purge them from the surface of the earth.
For 20 years, siren hunters tracked and executed them. Only one of them survived. Blair's grandmother, Elaine, who fled into the wilderness. She brewed suppressing potions, thick, bitter elixirs that dulled her powers and masked her scent. For decades, she lived in shadows, praying the siren lineage would die with her.
Siren Abilities were voice compulsion. They could control weak-willed minds.
They were also blessed with hydrokinesis, manipulating water with a thought.
But with power came risk. The same hunters who slaughtered her ancestors still existed, lurking in plain sight. They were called Valkyries in the new world.
And if they discovered Blair, her fate would be the same as the sirens of old, total extinction.
*******
[First Mission: Learn to walk.]
I looked down at myself.
Pink fur. Bunny-like ears. A fox's delicate snout. And scales? I had tiny, shimmering flecks of white scattered across my body.
I tried to stand.
My legs wobbled. My paws, because yes, they were paws now, slipped on the wet leaves.
Thud. I fell on my face.
This was ridiculous.
I growled or tried to, it came out as a weird chirp and forced myself up again.
One step. Two.
I swayed around the forest, my tail flicking wildly for balance.
"This is… stupid," I muttered.
[Progress Detected.]
[Agility +1]
[EXP +5]
I huffed. "Oh, so *now* I get stats?"
[Yes, the system has a mana panel. You'll mostly use Mana in your teleportation channels].
It took another hour of stumbling, falling, and cursing before something finally clicked.
My body moved smoother. My steps steadied.
[Level Up!]
[Level 1 Achieved.]
[Reward: Full Speech Unlocked.]
I blinked. "Wait, I can talk normally now?"
[Affirmative.]
I grinned. "Finally."
The System's next order was simple.
[Locate Water.]
I sniffed the air, my new senses sharp. The scent of damp earth led me through the trees until I reached a small, clear river.
And there, in the reflection, I saw myself.
My pink fur was quite shiner than I thought.
"WAAAHHHHH!! I'm finally my dream animal."
"I wish I could show my younger sister this."
I looked… small. Cute, even.
"This can't be right," I muttered. "Sirens are supposed to be terrifying."
My mother had told me about sirens. She said they were a scary disgusting myth and I shouldn't listen to anyone that tried to speak about them.
The System responded.
[Base Form is weak. Evolution is possible.]
[Gain levels. Grow stronger.]
"How?" I flexed my paws, licked them some more and arranged my ears in the mirror. I pretended I was in a cartoon and I was preparing to meet my date.
[Complete missions. Rescue targets. Survive.]
"Rescue targets?"
The screen flickered.
[Mission Parameters]
[You will be transported to different worlds.]
[Locate the female lead in danger.]
[Ensure her survival.]
[Rewards: Stats. Abilities. Evolution.]
I frowned. "Why?"
[Power is needed to fight the apocalypse. You'll save the world, level up and .]
A chill ran down my spine. This was not the first time the weight of the world landed on my shoulders. The first was the proposed marriage to Blake. The pressure to be perfect.
That…could be avoided. I would've fucked someone else or pretend I saw my new mate.
This…I was trapped in this forest. This place was far from home. I couldn't find any humans around. There was nowhere to run to. I had to face my fear.
I didn't get to ask more before I heard a rustle in the bushes.
It was a low, guttural growl.
The System flashed red.
[Warning: Hostile Detected.]
I spun just as something lunged.
A beast, twisted, mangled, all teeth and claws, burst from the foliage.
My body moved before I could think.
I dodged.
[Agility Check: Success!]
[EXP +4]
The monster snarled, saliva dripping from its jaws. I had no weapons. No skills.
Just stats.
And a System that said. [Fight or Die.]