14. Aria

14

ARIA

I 'm floating in a sea of bliss, waves of pleasure washing over me. But beneath the surface, something's changing. My bones ache, a deep, grinding pain that starts in my core and radiates outward. I cling to the euphoria, desperate not to sink into the agony I know is waiting.

"You're doing great, Aria," Christos's voice reaches me through the haze. "Stay with me."

My skin feels like it's on fire, burning and stretching. I want to scream, but my throat constricts. My back arches involuntarily, muscles spasming. Something's pushing against my shoulder blades, trying to break free.

"Christos," I choke out, my voice raw and unfamiliar.

"I'm here," he whispers, his cool hand on my forehead. "Focus on my voice."

I try, I really do. But the pain is everywhere now. My bones are shifting, grinding against each other as they reshape. I feel my rib cage expanding, making room for... something new.

And still, there's a haze of pleasure that seems to help numb it. I cling to that.

The pressure on my back intensifies. It's like something's trying to claw its way out of me. I bite my lip, tasting blood. The coppery flavor sends a jolt through me, awakening a hunger I've never known.

"Wings," Christos murmurs. "They're coming."

With a sickening crack, my shoulder blades split open. I cry out, the sound more animal than human. But even as the pain peaks, another wave of pleasure crashes over me, dulling the edges. I'm grateful for the numbness, clinging to it like a lifeline.

My vision blurs, colors shifting and intensifying. The room seems brighter, every detail in sharp focus. I can hear Christos's heartbeat, smell his skin. It's overwhelming.

My back feels wet. Blood? I try to look, but my body won't obey. Something unfurls behind me, new muscles flexing for the first time. Wings. I have wings.

The Change ripples through me, remaking me from the inside out. My skin pales, taking on an otherworldly sheen. My senses sharpen even further, the world around me becoming almost painfully vivid.

I'm slipping, consciousness fading. But I fight it, clinging to awareness. I won't let the darkness take me. Not now. Not when I'm so close to becoming something... more.

I'm drowning in a sea of memories and sensations, past and present colliding in a kaleidoscope of pain and transformation. One moment, I'm back in my tiny apartment, hunched over my laptop, piecing together the corporate scandal that led me here. The next, I'm writhing on the bed in the cabin, my body twisting into something new and terrifying.

"Stay with me, Aria," Christos's voice cuts through the chaos, anchoring me to reality.

A flash of my childhood bedroom, the walls covered in posters of far-off places I dreamed of exploring. Then, I'm back in the present, my skin burning as it pales to an unearthly shade.

The scent of the sea fills my nostrils, a memory of the Greek island where I first encountered Christos. But it's different now, sharper, more intense. I can smell the salt on the wind, the decay of leaves on the forest floor, Christos's unique scent - all magnified a thousandfold.

Pain lances through my skull as my senses heighten beyond human limits. Colors become too bright, sounds too loud. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn't help. The world presses in on me, overwhelming and alien.

Another memory surfaces - the thrill of my first big story, the rush of exposing the truth. But it pales in comparison to the raw, primal energy now coursing through my veins.

My bones crack and shift, reshaping themselves. I feel myself changing, becoming something other than human. Part of me wants to fight it, to cling to my old self. But another part, growing stronger by the second, embraces the change.

"You're doing it, Aria," Christos murmurs, his voice tight with worry. "Just a little longer."

I try to respond, but my voice catches in my throat. Instead, a sound emerges that's part growl, part whimper. My new vocal cords vibrate in unfamiliar ways.

The pain intensifies, reaching a crescendo that threatens to tear me apart. I feel myself slipping away, darkness creeping in at the edges of my consciousness. Death hovers close, waiting to claim me if I falter.

But I won't give in. I've never backed down from a challenge, and I won't start now. I focus on Christos, on the future we might have together. On the new world waiting for us.

With a final, agonizing push, I feel something fundamental shift within me. My heart stutters, then starts again with a new, powerful rhythm. I gasp, drawing in air with lungs that feel too big for my chest.

I'm changing, dying, being reborn. And through it all, I cling to life with every ounce of my being, uncertain if I'll survive to see what I'm becoming.

I gasp, my eyes flying open as consciousness rushes back. The world around me explodes into vivid detail, overwhelming my senses. Every surface, every texture, every scent hits me with startling clarity. The rough weave of the bed sheets beneath me feels like sandpaper against my hypersensitive skin. The dim light filtering through the curtains is almost painfully bright.

"Aria?" Christos's voice is a symphony of subtle tones I've never noticed before. I turn to look at him, and my breath catches in my throat. He's beautiful in a way I couldn't fully appreciate before, his pale skin seeming to glow with an inner light.

I try to speak, but my voice comes out as a raspy croak. My throat feels dry, parched. And there's a gnawing hunger in the pit of my stomach that I've never experienced before.

"How do you feel?" Christos asks, his eyes searching mine with concern.

I take a moment to assess. The pain is gone, replaced by a strange mixture of power and vulnerability. I flex my fingers, marveling at the strength I feel coursing through them. Then, with a jolt, I remember the wings.

Cautiously, I try to move them. The sensation is bizarre - like wiggling extra limbs I never knew I had. They unfurl behind me, and I hear Christos's sharp intake of breath.

"They're beautiful," he whispers.

I crane my neck, trying to see them. They're large, bat-like, with a delicate membrane stretched between the bones. The color matches my hair, a deep, rich brown.

Slowly, I sit up, marveling at how different my body feels. I'm stronger, more agile. Every movement is fluid and graceful in a way I've never experienced before.

"I'm…I feel good," I rasp out.

But I'm no longer human.

The realization hits me with full force. I'm a vrakken now, and I am going to a new world. All of it is a bit much…But it's also so exciting.

Whatever comes next, I'm ready for it.