She smiled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her expression was no longer pitiful. It was triumphant.
"A soul from another world," the voice whispered in his mind, echoing with ancient amusement. "Perfect compatibility."
Alex's eyes widened, terror finally overriding his arousal. Soul from another world? It was true. How did she know?
"Who... who are you?" Alex managed to choke out, his voice barely a rasp.
The woman smiled, her lips peeling back to reveal two sharp, elongated canine teeth.
She leaned forward and licked his neck, her tongue rough like a cat's, sending shivers of fear and pleasure through him.
"I am your new owner," she hissed.
He ripped his shirt open, buttons popping and bouncing on the dusty floor.
There, on his chest, a tattoo was forming in real-time. It was intricate black ink, depicting a majestic, coiled snake with silver scales.
The snake's head rested right over his heart, its golden eyes seemingly alive, staring right back at him.
The pain was blinding. His bones felt like they were melting and slowly reshaping.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his body arching backward.
"The bloodline is awakening, soon your body will be mine..." the woman's voice directly echoed in his head, sounding faint now, as if she was falling asleep or fading into him. "There's no escaping... from it. Give in. Let me take over."
The woman's physical body seemed to dissolve into mist, pouring into the tattoo on his chest, leaving Alex alone in the shrine, writhing in agony.
Just then, when Alex was feeling helpless, convinced he was about to die or be possessed, he saw a blue translucent screen pop up in front of his eyes… Something he had only seen in video games back on Earth.
[Ding!]
[System Integration Complete.]
[Detected High-Level Spirit Soul (Silver Serpent Empress). Commencing fusion.]
[Bloodline Detected: Ancient Snake Demon.]
[Gene Awakening: Naagin (Enchantress).]
The woman's voice let out a confused shriek in his mind.
"What is this? How could this happen?" She evidently couldn't see the screen, only feeling the sudden, impenetrable wall of the System protecting Alex's soul.
[Warning: Host creates conflict. The Nagin Gene is exclusively female. Gender adaptation process initiated...]
Alex read the last line just before darkness took him. 'Gender adaptation? What the hell does that mean?'
His last conscious thought was a terrifying sensation in his groin, a burning, shrinking heat, and a strange softening of his chest.
Then, everything went black.
The morning sun sliced through the thin curtains of Alex's small room, hitting him right in the eyes.
Alex groaned, shielding his face with an arm. His head felt heavy, like it was stuffed with cotton.
"Ugh... my head," he muttered, sitting up slowly. The familiar squeak of his old mattress greeted him.
He looked around. He was in his room at Uncle John's house. The smell of burning coal and hot iron drifted up from the smithy downstairs.
"A dream?" Alex rubbed his temples. "Yeah, must have been. I passed out in the rain... Uncle John probably found me."
He swung his legs out of bed.
His body felt strange, light, airy, and unnervingly sensitive.
The rough fabric of his blanket felt like sandpaper against his skin.
He stood up and stretched, but stopped midway. His joints didn't pop or crack like usual.
His arms and joints moved with a fluid, liquid grace that felt alien to him.
"I need a shower," he grumbled, grabbing a towel. "Wash off the mud and this weird feeling."
He walked into the small, cramped bathroom down the hall and locked the door.
Steam from the hot water heater fogged up the mirror. He wiped it with his hand.
The face staring back at him was... him. But different.
His jawline, usually square and stubbly, looked smoother, more tapered.
His messy black hair seemed to have a bit more shine to it, falling perfectly around his face without him trying.
His eyelashes looked longer, framing his dark eyes which seemed wet and glassy.
"Weird," he whispered. His voice sounded a fraction higher, softer.
He reached for the hem of his sleep shirt to strip for the shower.
Alex pulled his shirt down.
There, etched into his skin in dark ink, was a tattoo of a coiled snake with a woman's face, the same face as the silver-haired ghost.
"No..." Alex backed away until he hit the tiled wall. "It wasn't a dream."
Suddenly, a transparent blue screen popped up in his vision, hovering in the air.
[Name: Alex]
[Race: Human / Snake Demon Hybrid (0.1% Awakened) (Mutating)]
[Gene: Ancient Naagin (Enchantress) - Awakened 1%]
[Class: Civilian | Status: Confused / Healthy]
[Attributes:
Strength: 8 (Average is 10)
Agility: 11
Charm: 15
[Passive Skill:
[Feminization: As the Naagin bloodline awakens, the host's body will slowly adapt to become the perfect vessel to become an Enchantress. Current Progress: Shedding Phase: 1/9 (Softening of features, skin improvement).]
[Feral Gaze: Minor chance to stun enemies or charm others.]
Alex stared at the panel, his mouth open in shock.
"System? Feminization?" Alex whispered, panic rising in his chest. "Fuck, I finally awakened the system, everything about the system novels I read was true.."
He then slowly looked down at his hands.
"Shit..." Only then did he finally remember the Feminization part he read.
They did look a little more slender than yesterday, the knuckles less pronounced, the fingers long and elegant.
"Fuck.. fuck… I'm turning into... a girl? Because of that ghost?"
"Finally awake, little vessel?" The voice slithered through his mind, smooth and mocking.
It wasn't just a thought; it felt like someone was whispering directly into his ear, her breath hot against his neck.
Alex spun around, but the bathroom was empty.
"Don't bother looking," the Empress laughed, a rich, throaty sound. "I am inside you now. Part of your blood. Part of your soul."
"Get out!" Alex hissed, clutching his head. "What did you do to me?"
"I don't know how you survived, but consider it as I saved you," she purred. "And in return, I'm simply remodeling the house to fit my tastes. This male form of yours... It's so crude. So rough. It won't do for a Queen like me."
Alex looked down at his body again.
Panic set in. He quickly shoved his hand into his boxers.
He let out a breath of relief. His junk was still there.
"For now," the Empress teased, sensing his relief. "But have you noticed how... sensitive it became?"
Alex paused. She was right. The fabric of his boxers rubbing against his cock felt incredibly intense, almost overstimulating.
He touched himself tentatively, and a jolt of pleasure-pain shot through him, making his knees buckle.
It felt different from before… softer, the skin smoother, like it was changing texture.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, darling," she whispered again, her voice dripping with sadistic pleasure.
"Or better yet, get used to being the one who takes, not the one who gives. My bloodline is pure Yin. It consumes Yang."
Alex stared at the mirror, horrified. His skin was glowing with a faint, healthy luster that no guy should have.
His nipples, usually flat, looked slightly puffy and pinker against his pale chest.
"I can't... I can't be a girl," Alex stammered, his eyes tearing up. "I live with my uncle. My cousins. What am I supposed to tell them?"
"You fool. Soon you will become irresistible. Men will want you. Women will envy you." the Empress commanded, her tone sharpening. "With your current strength, it's better to tell them nothing."
Alex couldn't help but shudder, when he thought of the scene where men were lusting over him. "Fuck I can't let that happen… I like women."
"Men or Women, what's the difference, you wanted power? You wanted to be an Awakener?"
She paused, and Alex could practically feel her smirk in his mind. "With power, you can fuck anyone, I already gave you the ultimate weapon… the power of the Heavenly Enchantress."
"Anyway, now go wash up. Be a good girl and clean our body. We have a lot of work to do."