"Awaken, misguided little lamb…"
A woman's voice echoed in my head. I still had no idea what was going on.
"Hey!! I told you to wake up already!"
A shrill voice cut through my thoughts, accompanied by the sound of loud crunching.
But wait—wasn't this supposed to be a dramatic narratio—
"I said WAKE UP. No need for some fancy inner monologue. Just open your eyes already!"
…Looks like someone's angry. Fine, fine, I'm up!
"There. Eyes. Open them."
I opened my eyes and saw a girl—her hair was charcoal black with a silvery-gray sheen, tied in twin pigtails. Her bangs covered her eyebrows, and her side locks fell all the way to her chin. Her crimson eyes were sharp and piercing. Peach-pink lips matched her slim, oval face. Her skin was pale and glowing.
She wore an off-shoulder black gothic lolita dress trimmed with white lace, knee-high white ruffled socks, and thick-soled black leather boots.
She was sitting cross-legged on a pitch-black throne, munching on potato chips.
She tilted her head to the side and gave me a sideways glance full of disdain. The atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating.
"Lemme guess," she began, mockingly, "you're about to ask 'Where am I?', or 'Am I dead?', or 'How did I die?' Blah, blah, blah…"
She made a show of blowing on her fingers like she was bored to death.
…God, she's annoying.
"I heard that."
"Lemme guess, you're gonna say you're some kind of goddess, and I've got some big destiny to fulfill. One of those types who push people around in the name of fate."
I threw her mocking tone right back at her.
She gave me a sly little smirk.
"Wrong. I'm Satan. Didn't you see the outfit? This. Is. A. SATANIC. Aesthetic."
She pointed dramatically from head to toe.
"Great. Then whatever this is, just get it over with and send me anywhere where you're not."
"Wha—you insolent human! Show some respect!!"
"Says the one who started it."
"Fine, then! Reincarnate. Now."
Her voice was laced with irritation as her eyebrow twitched. She conjured a black scythe and sliced clean through me in one swift motion. My body split in two and began to dissolve into sparkling dust.
"Aren't you even gonna tell me where I'm going!?"
She ignored me, inspecting her nails while whistling silently.
"HEY! AARGH! YOU FREAKING SATAN LADYYYYY—"
I screamed until even my mouth turned into sparkles. She whipped out a handkerchief and fake-cried, waving goodbye dramatically.
…Screw you, lady.
I woke up again, feeling a strange warmth bubbling inside me.
This must be it.
This was the feeling of another world.
The feeling of Pooooweeeeerrrrrrr!!!
"Meow."
A tiny mewl escaped my mouth.
…I was suckling milk.
From a cat.
Next to me were a bunch of other kittens fighting over nipples.
"System: You have acquired the skill Roar."
Roar? That tiny "meow" just now was considered a roar? T-T
One of my siblings tried to push my head away with a soft little paw.
My first battle in this new world… was a fight for milk.
From a cardboard box.
With a fishy smell, no less.
Honestly, I'd always imagined being reborn as a wolf, or maybe a panther—heck, even a majestic black stallion!
Just once, I wanted to run along the ocean like some mythic beast…
But no. I was a kitten.
And it was all. her. fault.
I swear I could hear that Satan lady laughing at me from somewhere.
Once I was full, I tried crawling away from the milk pile, letting the orange rascal win this round. I squirmed out of the box—
A box, which I suppose counted as our "home".
Though credit where it's due: our mother chose a high-end durian export box as our birthing nest.
…I'm deeply moved. T-T
By now, I was beginning to—well, not "collect myself," but "accept my fate" was probably closer.
I attempted to stand on all fours.
"System: You have acquired the skill Nimble Kitty Step."
Oh right. There was that voice in my head.
Maybe… just maybe, I was a magical beast in this world. A legendary companion animal!
"System: You are just a normal cat."
Suddenly, the sky felt darker than ever.
I lowered my head and touched the wall with one paw.
"Oh, wide and endless ocean~~~"
…Yup. I had officially snapped.
I could even see myself from a third-person view.
"System: Unstable mental state detected."
I'M FINE, DAMMIT!!
I meowed loudly… and then again, this time, rather pathetically.
So I resigned myself to my new feline life.
Days passed by in a blur of milk, tail-chasing, wrestling with siblings, and climbing the piles of junk in the abandoned warehouse.
I discovered something amazing: knocking stuff off shelves was extremely satisfying—especially when it broke.
Along the way, aside from maxing out Nimble Kitty Step at Level 3, I also gained Climb and Murder Claws.
What does that do, you ask?
Let's just say it's the closest thing I've got to a finishing move.
Two months passed.
One morning, our mother cat left and never returned.
We waited for three days. No sign.
One by one, my siblings left the warehouse.
Even Orange, my best bud, disappeared.
I was the last one left.
I wrapped a piece of red cloth around my neck like a scarf, grabbed my courage, and stepped outside.
My adventure… starts today.
Today, the cat takes his first step out into the world.
I ran with all my might, activating Nimble Kitty Step.
Swift as a ninja, I leapt and ducked through the warehouse's door into the great unknown.
This is it. This is it. This is where I—
THWACK.
The end of my scarf snagged on the rusty door.
GAAAHHH… CAN'T… BREATHE…
"System: You will suffocate in ten… nine…"
Then it hit me—
Wait! I have that!
Murder Claws!!!
All those hours training with this move were about to pay off.
I unsheathed my razor-sharp claws and started slicing at the scarf with all I had.
Right before blacking out—it came loose.
I lifted my head again.
This time.
This time for real!
"Meeeeoooow!!"
I left behind the scarf and my past.
This cat's journey had officially begun.
…Wait. Something's missing.
Ah—there we go.
I walked over to a small rock, placed my left paw on it, raised my chin, and struck a heroic pose.
****
Next time: So this is the taste of another world.
Join me on this purrfectly cat-tastic journey! And don't forget to top up on glue—I mean, stay tuned, nya~!