Chapter 1: I’m Going to Become Something That Isn’t Me Anymore ❤️❤️❤️

The hero screamed miserably, “Ahhh, don’t come any closer, don’t come any closer!”

Her throat felt torn as she cried out, her steps unsteady as she ran wildly through the dim corridor.

This body was far too weak, her limbs soft and powerless, every push against the ground feeling like stepping on cotton, her breathing so rapid it felt as if her lungs were about to burst.

She hated this body with all her heart—the strong male physique that once belonged to her had now been twisted into something so small and slender that even running away looked ridiculous.

“Hehehehehe…” Laughter coiled in from all directions, cold yet delighted, teasing its fleeing prey. “Run, run for me! What a cute little mouse—scurrying around inside its cage is so exciting to watch.”

“Damn it! Damn that Demon King!” the hero roared inside her heart, nails digging deep into her palms, yet even that pain was amplified by this overly sensitive body into a strange, tingling sensation.

“Why me of all people? And why in such a frail body like this! I can’t… I can’t escape at all! Damn it!”

She mustered all her strength to turn a corner, only for her back to slam heavily into an icy stone wall, finally reaching the end of a dead end.

Ahead of her, a thick stone wall mercilessly blocked every path forward—and with it, the hero’s last hope of escape.

“Why did you stop running?” That voice suddenly sounded right behind her ear, warm breath brushing her neck as it laughed. “Weren’t you running so happily just now? You made me chase you so hard~”

The hero’s whole body stiffened, cold sweat soaking through her thin clothes.

She spun around abruptly, pressing her back tightly against the wall, eyes wide with terror—yet there was no one there.

Still, the laughter echoed in her ears, full of mockery and greed.

At that moment, a vague figure slowly emerged into her field of vision.

White hair, red eyes, a face identical to her own—except that expression was filled with amusement and composure.

The phantom chuckled softly as it stepped closer, bare feet making no sound on the ground, clearly delighted and excited by the sight of the hero trembling nonstop.

“Stop hiding.” The phantom’s voice was bewitching as its fingertips lightly traced the hero’s trembling cheek, smiling as it asked, “You and I are one and the same—why resist so stubbornly? Wouldn’t it be easier to accept it sooner?”

“Get lost!” the hero roared, tears already welling up as she denied it desperately. “Get lost! I don’t want you! You’re not me!”

“Oh? Not you?” The phantom tilted its head and laughed softly, suddenly closing in, planting both hands beside her ears and trapping her completely between its arms.

Warm lips nearly brushed her ear as it whispered, “Run if you want, keep running… but you know it already—you can’t escape. The more you struggle, the more clearly you’ll feel my existence. One day, you’ll become me completely.”

The hero shook her head frantically, but the phantom grabbed the back of her head with one hand, forcing her to look straight into those eyes identical to her own yet filled with malice.

Helpless and pitiful, like an injured young beast—truly something that made one want to bully her thoroughly.

“Don’t come near me!” she screamed hoarsely. “I don’t want to become something that isn’t me! Let go of me!”

“Become something that isn’t you?”

The phantom giggled, its other hand slowly sliding down her back, rubbing against her tense waist through her clothes as if trying to shatter the hero’s will.

“Silly girl… I am you. Your heartbeat, your desires, your pain—I feel them all. Look, your body is shaking, but your heart is beating so fast. Are you afraid… or are you expecting something?”

“Don’t… don’t touch me!” She was overwhelmed with shame and fury as she tried to push it away, but her arms were weak and powerless, utterly unable to escape the phantom’s grip.

“Why not?” The phantom drew closer, its nose brushing her cheek, breaths intertwining as it laughed softly. “Come and enjoy the pleasures of monsters with me. That ultimate bliss is something humans can never understand. You’ve already tasted its sweetness, haven’t you?”

“Shut up! Be quiet! I don’t need that kind of thing!” The hero burst into tears, her voice breaking as she denied the terrifying truth. “I’m not a monster! I’m a hero! I want to go back! I want to become what I used to be!”

“What you used to be?” The phantom sighed softly, almost pitying. “That cold, rigid shell, that numb soul… back then, you couldn’t even feel happiness, could you? But now, every inch of your skin is singing, every breath is craving. This is the real you—the liberated you. Why run away? Why keep running away?”

As it spoke, its fingers deftly slipped to the edge of her collar, gently tracing the lines of her collarbone.

“No… I don’t want this… I don’t… ahhh—!” She collapsed into sobs, yet her body honestly flushed with a trembling blush from that faint touch.

The phantom gazed at the tear-streaked hero before it, obsession glinting in its eyes, and whispered with a soft laugh, “Ah, how adorable… so adorable my heart is melting. I really want to hurry, hurry and merge with you completely. Every second of separation is pure torment.”

The hero’s mind was completely overtaken by fear, her breathing rapid and chaotic, tears pouring endlessly from her reddened eyes as she sobbed like a helpless child, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Like a drenched young animal, pitiful beyond measure, making one unable to resist feeling sympathy.

The phantom slowly stepped closer and lifted the hero’s small, tear-stained face.

“Hero…” The phantom’s voice was as gentle as a lover’s whisper. “Stop crying now. You see, I can feel it—very soon, very soon you’ll return to the Demon King’s embrace. That warm, intoxicating embrace… don’t you look forward to it?”

“No! I don’t want to!” the hero shook her head in agony, her voice hoarse and broken. “I don’t want to be a monster! I don’t want to become something so vile! Let me go… please… let me go…”

“What a pity~” The phantom’s smile deepened, filled with a victor’s arrogance. “You’re already a monster now, you know. From the moment the Demon King transformed you, your soul began to split. And I am the fate you can never escape.”

As soon as the words fell, its figure suddenly dissolved into a mass of thick black smoke, writhing like a living thing as it rapidly coiled around her.

“No—! Don’t do this!” the hero cried in terror, clutching her head, but the black smoke had already forced its way into her body through her lips, nostrils, ear canals, and even every open pore.

The sensation was like countless red-hot needles stabbing into her nerves at once, or innumerable tiny tentacles stirring her memories inside her skull.

“Ahhh—! No! Stop! Stop!” She curled up on the ground, her body convulsing violently, hands clawing desperately at the floor. “My memories… my memories… that’s not me… those images… they’re not mine… ahhh—!”

Every time it was the same—from furious resistance at the beginning, to helpless sobbing, and in the end… was she meant to submit?

No one knew how long passed before everything finally fell into silence.