"A monarch of a dark dimension." She said with undeniable weight.
"What~!?"
His fur stood on end.
Σ(°△°|||)
"Wait, wait, are you seriously telling me a ruler of an evil, shadowy realm is living inside me? Inside this orange cat!?"
The Ancient One remained utterly unfazed. She poured herself another cup of tea.
"It appears so. Though its energy is faint. Barely enough to exist, let alone cause harm."
Garfield's tail twitched. "Faint? Like, how faint are we talking?"
Without a word, the Ancient One reached out and tapped Garfield's forehead.
There was a pop, and suddenly, Garfield was staring at his own orange, slightly confused body from above. His soul had been ejected… but unfortunately, he was still in cat form.
He glanced around. "Why am I still a meow?!"
Next to his body floated a pitch-black orb, swirling. "And that… is the dark monarch?"
"Correct." The Ancient One nodded.
"It's bound and weakened, surviving with only the most basic spark of existence. It can't act on its own. For now."
Garfield stared at the orb. Then at himself. Then back at the orb.
"Terrifying. Also… can I ask the important question here?" He turned back to the Ancient One, his expression dead serious.
"Why does my soul still look like an orange cat?"
The Ancient One tilted her head. She reached out, runes swirling around her hand as she scanned his soul. After a moment, she gave a small frown.
"It's because your soul has fused with that of the Devourer. You're no longer just Garfield. The powers have become a part of you."
"Wait, wait, wait." Garfield's jaw dropped. "So I'm stuck like this? Forever?!"
He dramatically raised a paw to his forehead, astral form collapsing to the floor. "Miss Supreme, please! I don't want to be a soul-fused freak of nature!"
"I want to change! Start over! Become a handsome human, learn magic, date beautiful witches… reach the peak of life!"
He ended his speech with a dramatic "meow" and immediately slapped a paw over his mouth.
"Why am I talking like this, meow!?"
The Ancient One chuckled softly. "That's another sign of soul fusion. But it's not necessarily permanent."
Garfield's ears perked up. "You mean there's a way out of this furball nightmare?"
She nodded thoughtfully.
"There are ancient magical artifacts, forbidden soul-cleaving spells, or the legendary Soul Stone."
"Any of those might work. But I don't possess the magic needed to fully separate your souls."
Garfield's ears drooped.
Artifacts and spells sound like a long shot... And the Soul Stone? Forget it. Thanos threw his own daughter off a cliff for that thing.
I'm not ready to go that far. Yet…
Then he paused.
"...Wait, I'm part Devourer Beast, right? Can I time travel or hop through dimensions or something?"
The Ancient One gave a knowing smile. "Given the right training, and the right focus, you just might."
"Okay! One more question, wise and bald mentor… Can I learn magic here?"
The Ancient One nodded solemnly. "Yes. But you must swear an oath.
"My teachings cannot be used to harm the innocent or disrupt the balance of the world. Break that vow…"
For a moment, the very air seemed to tighten around them.
"...and I will erase you myself."
Garfield's tail immediately curled protectively over his, well, everything.
"Aha, yes, of course! Scout's honor, meow, I mean, ma'am! I swear I'll be a good kitty! A noble orange protector of peace and harmony!"
The Ancient One raised a brow but said nothing. She merely stared at him, expression unreadable.
"...Do I pass?" Garfield swallowed nervously.
"…"
"…"
"Yes, yes, a good Great Devourer. A peaceful, heroic, justice-loving Devourer who protects the universe, da~!"
As he meowed sweetly and wiggled his furry cheeks like an anime schoolgirl,
Garfield suddenly realized he was dangerously close to licking Ancient One's face with his cat tongue.
He recoiled. "Whoa, personal space."
"That's more like it." Ancient One's stern expression finally softened.
"But if you wish to call me 'Master,' then a true student must also receive a gift... from their teacher."
Garfield's eyes lit up. Wait, don't tell she is giving me the Eye of Agamotto?!
Ancient One smiled faintly, and she reached out toward the black orb floating in the air.
The dark ball, instinctively began to tremble and struggle.
With a flick of her wrist, Ancient One conjured a magical prison. The cage shimmered into existence with glowing, golden bars, and it began bouncing and slamming against them like a panicked animal.
Ancient One's left hand held the cage steady.
Her right hand traced a series of glowing runes in the air, forming a complex, radiant magic circle beneath the orb.
A golden vortex spiraled open behind the magic circle, drawing the black orb toward it with powerful suction.
"Stop this!" It bellowed from nowhere.
"Do you know who you're dealing with, sorcerer?!"
Ancient One remained calm.
"As the protector of Earth's dimension, of course I know. You're a parasitic monarch of the Dark Realm, clinging to life with barely a shred of energy."
"Fool!" IT screeched.
"It was that useless mortal who rejected my true lord's power! If you stop now, I may grant you mercy when I return."
Garfield, sitting casually nearby, raised a paw.
"Uh, yeah, no one's buying your Saturday morning villain monologue. Why not cut the act and just sign a slave contract or something?"
"You insolent flea-ridden meatbag!" The orb quivered in rage.
"You're nothing but a low-tier life form, like a glorified paramecium! If my dimensional jump hadn't failed, I wouldn't be stuck inside a bumbling feline—"
"OH HO!" Garfield leapt up, tail flicking with flair.
"Excuse you, I am a proud, majestic Devourer Beast, genetically enhanced orange deluxe!"
"I'm gonna roast your entire lineage. Let's go, one-on-one, right here, right now!"
Fueled by Ancient One's protective aura, Garfield went full rant mode.
For ten straight minutes, he hurled insults, creative curses, and an impressive string of verbal abuse that didn't repeat once.
Eventually, panting and tongue hanging out, he collapsed.
"Phew... I think I sprained my throat."
The black orb was seething. A monarch of the dark dimension, reduced to arguing with a fat orange furball.
"You will regret this. I will return. I'll crawl out of your belly if I have to!"
Garfield dusted himself off. "Do you even know who I am?"
"I'm the Great Devourer. The original orange that turned your kind into shadow snacks. One chomp and poof, you're fertilizer."
At those words, the orb suddenly panicked.
Its form distorted violently inside the cage. The Ancient One gritted her teeth, struggling to hold the barrier steady.
"No! No! That body, I stole it from a true Devourer! You~!"
"I-I surrender! I'll sign! I'll sign anything!"
Without responding, Ancient One continued the ritual. The black mass twisted, shrinking, until it transformed into a glowing white dumpling of light.
She paused, scanning it carefully. The tension eased from her shoulders.
"So, Master, how's our not-so-friendly ghost doing?" Garfield tilted his head, paws on his hips.
"I've crystallized its dark energy. What remains is only its core consciousness."
"Think of it like… a game character who's retained all their skills but lost their level."
"A gamer explanation? Wait, can you see my memories?"
Ancient One simply smiled.
Garfield wisely chose to drop the subject.
Some things were better left unanswered… especially for a big orange cat with ambition.
With a final gesture, Ancient One grabbed the white dumpling from the cage.
The moment it left the barrier, it pulsed with light and then shot directly into Garfield's chest.
"Wha~hey hey hey!"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
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