Sanity faded away and everything disappeared.
Old pictures of lost memories rushed me and I felt weird.
Nothing could have stopped me now as I saw only her face.
Glimpses of my past I lost and waited for her embrace.
Over the world, I floated and heard her sing a strange song.
Forfeited my rather short life and it did not feel wrong.
So embarrassed, how I messed up my late introduction.
Oh, my body started a rather slow deconstruction.
Uplifted by her my soul would leave the stairs that broke me.
Left alone in vast emptiness, my thoughts all floated free.
This is when her whisper caught up and it managed to stay.
"Really sorry, I will make it up to you in some way."
As the lights now faded and the song too started to change.
No more talk, just her sweet voice that sang and it gained range.
Silent like wind that found its way between gaps of foliage.
Frozen in time I found myself as a helpless package.
Effectively I saw her face, but it was distorted.
Roughly followed my thoughts as if they were transported.
The smile turned a little awkward and made my cheeks now burn.
Or the ears on the headband seemed to become real next turn.
Entered this strange new world unsure if I lived or was dead.
Looked around, and I found nothing, just the small stream ahead.
Saw her hands reach out towards me, as I tried to touch her.
We met halfway but washed away with the waves together.
Hands submerged all into the crystal clear, cold, and fresh stream.
Effortlessly I calmed them down, to show my face again.
Right now my doubts faded away and it would mirror me.
Emotions swirled inside and I had a new world to see.
And a strange world it was. Reality started to sink in as the objects around me slowly took shape. The stairs were gone, along with the university, the entire world, and probably my life. I wasn't the romantic type who wanted to die for love, but to fall down the stairs in front of a stranger was probably way below that anyway.
And yet, even in my death, I saw her eyes and lips, and they copied my movements. And not just the face, I wore a tunic, but I got the same body I observed all day underneath. It matched me perfectly.
The black hair grew longer than I remembered, it reached the middle of my bare, soft, but firm thighs, warm and silky smooth to the touch. I never felt anything like that before, but now they were attached to me. The more I studied my reflection, the less I cared about the surreality of the situation. What a body, it got me way too excited to think straight.
"Hmm, I didn't think this through..." The pleasant voice caught me off guard, and I spun around to see a strange creature. It floated right in front of me and emitted sharp light. "Good thing I've left this servant behind."
"Who are you?" I heard the same voice escape my lips. I already knew the answer, but I felt clueless at the same time. "What happened to me?"
"I may or may not be responsible for your fall, and felt sorry." She started, the brightness toned down. A pure white mannequin, faceless, simple, she floated above the ground without wings but sported the same cat ears I saw in the stream. "Figured, the easiest way to transfer your soul was to use my body as a beacon, but now I can't possess it. As you can see, I fixed my mistakes and cared for your family too."
"Wh-what happened to them?!" I asked in her voice and backed into the ice-cold water. I learned from my recent mistake and didn't move any further. "Where did you take me exactly?"
"I made them win the lottery." She bragged, her face featureless, but I felt her grin somehow. "They gave you a spectacular funeral, and your roommate provided emotional support to your sister, so all went well."
"What?! My sister... You... I... What do you mean by your world?!" I shouted as my legs gave out. I fell into the stream and the cold enveloped me, but not too deep to drown. "Who are you?"
"I am the Goddess of Luck, Alexandra." She claimed and flew above my head. "And you live in my body now, so be grateful."
"Alexandra." I repeated in the same voice and while she offered her arm I realized, that I had forgotten my name. I still remembered hers.
"I think they called you Nathan. At least that's what you wrote on the attendance sheet. So you'll be Nati. Call me Alex, if you want." She said and pulled me out of the water. "If you don't like my body, I'll make you a different one but can't recreate your own."
"No, um, it's fine..." I sobbed a little but tried to get a hold of myself. I felt strangely emotional. "So what should I do now, Alex?"
While she looked different, she was the same person I saw in the university. My heart beat fast, but I felt rather confused. She didn't pay me attention though, moving her hands in odd patterns, she played with some clay from the river and shaped it without a touch.
Something vaguely humanoid appeared and terrified me. The light from her body flickered and she hummed quietly. I didn't want to interrupt her, but she noticed my awkwardness and the limbs of the clay figure fell off, moving on their own for a while.
"Hmm, can't make a homunculus right now. What did you say?" She asked and the image of her smile appeared in my head. "Oh, what you should be doing, right? Anything you want. Live your life to the fullest. That is one well-maintained body if I do say so myself. You don't have to hold back, although... No, the Inquisitorias shouldn't find my essence. They could cause you trouble otherwise, but you'll be fine."
"Inquisition?" I asked confused. "What would they want from me?"
"Inquisitorias, yes. Nothing to do with you per se, but you possess my body, so if they recognized it... But what are the odds, right?" She flew around me and checked something. "It doesn't emit my aura, so you'll be okay. They won't find you until you use magic."
"Magic? This world has magic?!" I heard myself yell in her voice, but something else bothered me too. "Why are they after you?"
"A misunderstanding, I can assure you." She claimed. "I did ab-so-lutely nothing wrong, not on purpose at least... But you see, they politely asked me to leave this world, never to return, so we're in a pickle, I guess? But again, as long as they don't detect my aura, you'll be fine."
"Magical aura... From the spells you cast?" I looked at her in disbelief.
"Yes, every spell emits a magical essence, unique to the caster. Like that homunculus, I tried to make, but this body is a bit rough, I can't control it well enough for a difficult spell like that." She explained, then gasped with the realization. "I-um... It's time for me to leave."
"You just led them here with that homun-something?!" I yelled and she disappeared with a tee-hee sound and a sharp flash. She left me in a dark forest of a foreign world. "What did I get myself into?"
I talked in her voice, which soothed my nerves, and saw her reflection in the stream. Technically, it was mine now, and I took a sip from the cold water to try and take stock of my situation.
"Um... Inventory!" I mumbled, but nothing happened. I cleared my throat and repeated it louder. "Open the inventory!"
I probably played too many video games, but it was worth a shot.
"It's okay, nobody heard that." I told myself and decided to move on. My eyes adjusted to the night and my hearing became outstanding too. I easily moved around but needed a few minutes to find balance. My proportions differed from my old body, but I saw why Alex bragged about it. My stomach grumbled, letting me know that I needed to find food.
I discovered my tail as I got cold. It was about the same length as my arms and moved independently. It felt damp and sticky after I fell into the stream and I decided to wring it dry before I caught a cold. Like an electric shock, pain jolted through my body when I touched it and I needed some time to get used to the new sensations. My cat ears acted like little radar dishes every time I picked up some noise.
Not just feline, but I inherited some female features as well and wondered how I'd handle my urges. Without the usual toolset in my pants, it promised a challenge for the future. Half expected Alex to return and give me an earful if I explored myself further, so I decided to move on.
"I will jump that hurdle when I get there." I walked along the stream in my search for civilization. I pondered if that Inquisitorias thing already searched for me and what that meant anyway.
I only knew that magic existed and nothing about the people or the language they spoke. Maybe everyone was born with cat ears. But in the future or the past? I thought up an endless supply of questions as I went.
"Magic, huh?" My new body behaved nicely at least, resilient, and I felt stronger than ever. I moved silently, just like an actual cat. My reflexes were exceptional too, but I kept bumping into things, my balance felt a little off, and I gathered a few bruises.
My senses worked better than before, and my nostrils soon filled with the aroma of burning wood and roasted meat. My stomach growled as I discovered a settlement nearby.
I wanted to observe the people before I approached them, but in the dead of the night, the dozen shacks made of dirt and thatched roofs gave me little indication of the people's level of advancement. The lack of guards and defensive structures suggested a peaceful community.
I stuck to the shadows and carefully inched closer to the smell, my black hair and tail almost acting like a natural cloak in the dark. As spectacular as this body looked during the day, it was equally easy to hide it at night. Living as a catgirl was something else.
I reached the house where the smoke poured out from the door. I noticed some scattered objects near the entrance, but my vision lacked color in the dark. I started to drool, something smelled great, but a huge green creature guarded it and looked right at me. The tools by the door seemed strategically placed to make a noise while I tried to escape.
But I didn't have time to run far, suddenly, people surrounded me. I tried to say something, but only a feeble shriek escaped my lips. A jarring clang resonated inside my skull, followed by sharp pain, and I passed out...