TAOTB) Chapter 7) It Begins

While I did wish to make love to Chloe one more time before things changed, I first had to deal with the situation at hand. “Is that everything?”

“Yeah, we bought so many canned goods that the lady looked at us strangely.” Chloe held two large duffel bags in her arms while I carried two myself.

We got enough food to last a while. I would not have stocked up, but I was not planning to do as I did before. This time, I will only protect my own home. Others can rot in hell for all I care. I do not know who was who when I was being chased by the world, so there is no point in me trying to save the city itself. Not to mention, many people fought against the monsters as well, so I have no problem with any of that.

The things to watch out for now, were those who dared to try to steal from me and any monsters that came towards this building. I do not care about the other buildings, and to be honest, I will not be saving anyone on the street, either.

I did that before, and where did that get me? Over a hundred years of running. Years of regret after watching those who loved me die. I do not wish to ever live through such a thing again.

“Reni, are you okay?” Chloe looked up at me with a worried expression. I smiled and nodded my head.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about how we will be fighting monsters soon. We only need to worry about this building and ourselves. If others die, it is on them.” I had to make sure to remind Chloe not to run into danger trying to help others since it was a good way to get herself killed. 

“Mmm… I will stand at your side.” Chloe was like this. She was so dedicated to me that I felt that I was really not worthy of her. But that did not mean I was going to let her go since she was my little yandere wife.

We put our things away, which was basically just sticking our duffle bags on the floor in the bedroom out of sight. We then moved some furniture in front of the door since the two of us would soon be in so much pain that we wouldn’t be able to move all that easily. I did buy us some clothes and altered them for our soon to be new appendages. 

“It’s almost time. Chloe, let’s strip.” I was not talking about anything sexual. I just did not want to feel constricted like I did the last time this happened. My tail and wings hurt more due to being stuck inside my shirt and pants. 

After stripping down to our birthday suits, we sat on the bed with Chloe sitting in my lap facing me. Her legs were wrapped around my waist, and she gazed at me with eyes that said she wanted some, but I had to resist. 

“Only a few more minutes. Get ready for the pain.” I pressed my forehead against hers before kissing her lips lightly. As the seconds passed, the light of the room started to turn purple. I closed my eyes and hugged Chloe. Chloe did not hug me back since she knew I would be getting wings. She only held my waist. 

A familiar warm sensation began to fill my body. At first, it felt good, but slowly, pain began to set in. “Here it comes. Chloe, get ready.”

“AhHHHHH!” Pain consumed us both. Both of us cried out in pain and fell to the side on the bed. 

I know I went through this before, but it was still not something I could get used to easily. The feeling of having my body broken down and rebuilt was not something any person should have to experience. 

It felt like my bones were shattering, as if I was being reborn once more. I could feel the familiar parts that were starting to protrude out of my skin. The feeling of my flesh tearing as new body parts formed. First, it was my head. Then it was my back. And finally, slowly, I could feel my tail forming and growing bigger and bigger.

I could barely keep my eyes open as I looked at Chloe, who had now lost her normal human ears as they shifted to the top of her head and formed fox ears. Her tail was also slowly fluffing up as it grew longer and longer.

Hours passed, and slowly, the pain began to subside. I breathed heavily as I glanced down at myself. My hair draped in front of me and was no longer black but purple. My body and the blankets underneath me were also soaked in sweat. I looked at Chloe, who was also trying to catch her breath. I reached out and gently stroked her cheek. “It seems my Chloe was a sneaky little fox from the start.”

“Reni!” Chloe pouted her lip as she looked up at me. Chloe’s hair stayed the same color. Her hair and fluffy tail were both pure black. Almost so dark that it did not take on any light.

“Hehe…. God, that hurt more than I remember.” I sighed and lay on my side, looking at the naked fox girl next to me. My tail flicked up and down as I got used to moving it around again. It was a very good tool for fighting. Hard scales and was like a whip if used right. 

I laid on my back and looked up at the ceiling. The cries of monsters could be heard outside, and the screams of those who had pets could be heard as they were violently attacked. Chloe cuddled up next to me and looked at me as if asking what we were going to do next.

“Rest for now. We got about a day before the first wave reached us. It will give us time to take in some fana, but for now, we need to rest and regain our energy. Although I would like to take a bath beforehand….” I sighed and slowly sat up. I had to get used to having a tail and wings all over again. Luckily, my muscle structure also changed to accommodate these new parts.

I went over to Chloe, who was still unable to move, and picked her up into my arms. I cradled her into a princess carry before walking towards the bathroom. “Thank you, Reni.” Chloe’s voice was weak. She must have used almost all her strength and willpower just to stay awake.

“There is no need to thank me. As your wife, I should be doing this much.” I gently scratched her fluffy ears, causing her to squint in pleasure as she slowly fell asleep. 

After a hot bath, I dressed Chloe, who was still sound asleep, and then got dressed myself.  The clothes we were wearing had just enough space for our new appendages. However, mine were not easy to put on. It would be like this until we finally get some proper clothing. 

After brushing Chloe’s hair and tail, I took care of my own hair and finally closed my eyes to rest a bit. There was only so much time before the first wave of monsters would rush the city. Right now, many people are dying to their own pets. Birds, snakes, cats, dogs. These kinds of animals no longer existed. Now, they were nothing but monsters who killed their owners who had once loved them so much.

I have no idea how long I slept, but the purple moon lit the land below. Power seemed to have gone out, which was to be expected. I pulled out my cell phone and tried to call my mom. 

It rang and rang until, finally, someone picked up. “Mom?”

“Reni? Is that you? Thank god you are alive! I have no idea what is going on. I did as you told me to and dragged your father to the basement of our home. Right now, huge creatures are destroying the first floor. Luckily, we have a safe room.”

“Mom, just stay in the safe room. Do not go out for a few days. You have to survive. I know I yelled at you earlier, but I had no choice. If I did not, you would not have listened.” I could feel my voice trembling. Last time, I could not get a hold of my mother. But this time, she was alive and well.

“Reni, how did you know?” My mom asked, but now was not the time to explain things.

“Mom, I can not stay on the phone long since we have no power, so let me say this instead. The world is now filled with fana. The black towers that have appeared are massive dungeons. But before we can even think about going into them to try to figure things out, we need to survive and grow stronger. You and Dad should sit down and try to feel the fana around you. Once you have a grasp of it, try taking some into your body. When I reach the West Coast, I will explain everything in detail, but for now, you need to hold on. I will call you once a day.” I paused and bit my lip since I could hear my mother crying. She was a strong woman who never cried, but now here she was, crying into the phone. “Mom, I love you. Just do what I say, and everything will be okay. I am hanging up.”

I did not wait for her to say anything. I just hung up once more and turned my phone off. I had to save my battery since I had yet to secure anything to help keep my phone charged. “It’s going to be a long fight…..” I sighed as I looked up at the dark purple sky. “This time…. This time, I will only fight for myself and those I love.”