Urgh, shit. Where am I?
…W-who am I?
I…I can't see anything… What is this place?
No, I knew exactly what was happening.
The events of yesterday afternoon are of particular interest. I found myself around my property before heading back home in a bored dazed and it struck me that I had no idea why I was here or what I was even looking for, but something was drawing me onward, as though an invisible hand was leading me on a leash. At my cabin I found myself walking through the back door. A part of my mind I couldn't focus on was freaking out because I knew with certainty there was no rear entrance. To enter this room I crossed through a glowing archway and found myself in an eerie dark fault illuminated by green and blue torches. In the corners were stacked small mountains of books, some looking like they might crumble away into nothing if I breathed to hard in their direction. Amidst this mass grave of knowledge that I didn't doubt would drive any scholar catatonic, one tome drew my eyes. Its cover is bound in flesh, cruddy stitched to a knucklebone spine. My spectral leash jerked me forward to approach the gothic lectern cradling the grimoire
Time seemed to skip forward like a dream. I woke to find myself in bed with the grimoire in my hand reading strange symbols inscribed in what looked suspiciously like fresh blood. To my surprise and confusion, I could understand the ancient language with no more difficulty than English. The same passage was written several times in different handwritings;
"Greetings mortal. A wise choice you've made reading this. Soon your dull existence will be made more amusing. But first, accept our gift."
Pain shot through my entire body. Like a thousand pins and needles under my skin. The edges of my vision closed in as my vision went dark
An unknown amount of time later I woke feeling… perfect. Confused I continued where I left off
"Much better! The pact has been formed. No need to thank us mortal. None in their right mind would refuse such a gift. The optimization of your future meat bag has granted you perfect function. Poor diet shant diminish your chosen form. Immunity to disease and poison and as an extra boon, full control of your fertility. However, our services aren't free. You owe us a debt."
'Pact, debt, wait what!'
"We will get into payment later. First, know who you will be offering your services to. We are the Lion of the Night. We travel many realms in many forms and shift shape as we will it. We believe in the obliteration of stagnation. Be it growth or shrinkage. Mortals should change and this is the creed you shall live by."
That's not too bad right, stagnation doesn't sound good to me.'
"Indeed how shall you pledge yourself, through the mark, contract or your soul?"
'My soul?'
"A wise choice the soul pledge."
'Wait! What? I…"
I didn't have any reaction to this, As I thought about refusing an oppressive amount of power pressed down upon me warning me it could wink me out of existence on a whim. So I did the strange act of nodding my acceptance to a book.
"Though you shall be as vulnerable as any mortal, your current abilities shall be a great boon if used wisely".
'Hmm. We grow tired of these explanations. The final thing you should know is we have nudged people's perception of you to not question your physical changes. We have been generous to you mortal."
A green leather-bound book materialized itself into my hands.
"This shall give you an overview of your new abilities.Try not to be a bore. The pact is sealed. Extrait Fantal. Extrait Chelid. An."
As I read the final line the tome glowed a slightly green and crumbled into dust allowing me to see the same crest of the Lion in the Night that was on the cover of book inscribe itself into my palms and fade from existence as well. I couldn't help the feeling the I had been tricked into this pact but I was certain it was too late to go back if that was ever a real possibility. Exhausted I fell back into bed asleep.
"Fuck, my head hurts" I groaned as I opened his eyes and immediately screwed then shut again, the lights seemed to be stabbing into my very brain.
"Ahhhh", that felt like the world's worst hangover, wracking my brain, nope, I had not gone on a bender last night, that I could remember, it was a 'school night' as they say.
I listened out; all I heard was white noise with the faintest sounds of air moving, like really quiet air conditioning.
I was lying naked on a gigantic but comfortable bed. What felt like silk sheets above and below me. I wriggled a little, something felt wrong about my body, I reached an arm up and put it under the covers, where before there had been the flabby body of a middle-aged IT professional, my hands instead touched smooth, hard muscle that implied a level of dedication to fitness I'd never possessed. I ran my hand over my stomach, stone hard abs greeted me, further up pectorals sculpted and broad met my fingers. I snapped my eyes open, to be greeted with the bedroom that wouldn't have looked out of place in the middle ages.
"What? THE? FUCK?" I exclaimed, gazing around before I remembered why he had really opened his eyes in the first place. I threw back the deep blue silk sheet and took a look down.
"YES!" I exclaimed, fist pumping the air, I was now the proud owner of a set of genitalia that would beat 99% of all males in its size and girth. I spied a full-length mirror and I hopped out of bed, feeling a spring in my step like I had had not felt in years. Looking at myself in the mirror I realized I looked nothing like I had looked previously, and that this body that would shame the most dedicated of muscle sculptors and fitness fanatics. My new body was not one of those cartoonish bodybuilder types, it was lean and sculpted but with sufficient bulk in the right places to look damn good!
As I gave himself a once over in the mirror a disembodied voice whispered: "Welcome to your new physical shell."
"Fuck Yeah!" I exclaim "Bitches gonna be gettin' laid! No more friend zone for this motherfucker!"
After spending a lot of time admiring my new self I eventually moved on to important things, like getting dressed and finding out who I was and when I was. A look out the window had me recognizing the Grand Sept of Baelor telling me that I was in the world of ice and fire.
I turned around and saw the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes upon staring at me from the bed I had just left, nude as the day she was born and clearly was comfortable with the openness of bare flesh. Her emerald eyes staring at me in quiet consideration.
Oh fuck...