Okay. So. I just ate a guy. Whole. No regrets. Hunger satisfied, for now. But here's the catch, I'm still this stupid chest and inside me? Well, I'm basically a brain buffet of this poor sap's memories, skills, and awkward life choices. The moment his essence slid into me, it was like flipping a switch in my head. Suddenly, I wasn't just a monster lurking in the dark, I had his face, his voice, his muscle memory, and even his hopes and fears bouncing around my mind like an annoying ghost. Kaito Kuroki, beginner magic swordsman, apparently had dreams of glory and saving his village or whatever. I'd been so bored, I'd almost forgotten people had actual hopes. I try to focus. To make sense of the flood of new information. His memories flash by, training sessions, clumsy attempts at spellcasting, conversations with friends I never met, and some seriously embarrassing moments involving an unfortunate incident with a porcupine. Seriously, kid had no luck. Then there's the weirdness of feeling him inside me while still stuck in this chest shell. It's like having a radio blasting a new station in my head, but the antenna is made of slime and teeth. I experiment with the shape memory. Concentrate and slowly, inch by inch, my form shifts beneath the lid. The hard edges soften. The wood grain twists and warps. Until, boom, I'm holding Kaito's face in my mental hands like a mask. I can see through his eyes now, hear his heartbeat, feel his stupid, rookie sword strapped across my well, not that it matters. But walking out of here in his form? That's a whole other problem. For now, I'm trapped. A predator in a prison of flesh and wood.
Still, this power, this ability to become someone else, is too good to waste.