The Boy

“I am still shaking from being chosen as an Umbra Girl! I even got a squad and everything. Can you believe it? Me? Of all people? I’m so excited, I just can’t wait till they let me out into the field!”

The boy grew a bit wary seeing the talking dog get rid of his savior. However, his desire to be able to help others had overwritten any trepidation that had taken over him. If only he had power, then he could have saved them. That was all he could think about.

“Now, where were we? Oh yes, you want power to save others. Well first, let’s see your compatibility, stare at my eye please.”

“Your eye, don’t you mean your eyes?” To answer him a third eye opened up on her forehead. He cautiously stared directly into it, and felt as if she was looking into his very soul. After what seemed like an eternity it closed.

“You are absolutely perfect.” She raised her paws in joy and did a little dance. “You will make a great addition to our team. I can’t wait to see how you turn out!”

“So… what do I do to get this power? Also, what do you mean your team?”

She looked at him slyly then held out her paw. He stared at it for a second, then she coughed while holding out her paw even more enthusiastically. He mentally facepalmed and placed his hand in her paw. As soon as he took it, he felt a jolt of electricity flow throughout his entire being.

“What the heck did you do to me!?” His voice was pained and confused, the dog creature, however, didn’t seem to notice or care.

“You’re going to feel a bit of nausea, and some minor discomfort. You probably will lose consciousness. Don’t worry, this is completely normal, see you soon.” He was unable to react as she pushed him into a dark portal that opened up behind him. He fell into it, and as she had warned him, he felt as if he was going to throw up. The ‘minor discomfort,’ however, was not even close to what occurred. His body felt as if it was crushing him into a cube like a car in a junkyard. The pain was immense, and it caused him to fall into blackness.

“Kid, are you okay? Wake up, wake up!” a feminine voice spoke in the darkness. Her voice was a high soprano, and also was filled with compassion and caring and made him feel warm.

His eyes burst open but he couldn’t see anything. Everything was pure dark, and he started to panic. It was made worse by the fact he realized he was tied down with leather straps on a metal hospital bed. “Were am I? Who are you? Are you going to hurt me? Please don’t hurt me!” Tears fell from his eyes as he felt a gentle finger caressed his cheek.

“Kid, it’s okay. Your eyes are just adjusting, you’ll be able to see soon. Just calm down. I know you are scared, but it’s okay.” Suddenly he felt burning pain in his eyes. For the next minute or two he felt intense, agonizing heat coming from his iris. Just as he was beginning to fear it would last longer than he could stand, it abruptly stopped, and he found that despite being in pure darkness, mysteriously he could now see as clear as day. Before, he couldn’t see the purple flames he now saw lighting the room, but now that his eyes had adjusted he could see everything.

It looked like he was in a hospital bed, with multiple beds around him. He grimaced at the smell of disinfectant, then observed multiple surgical tools on a metal tray next to him. He saw the faint appearance of an intercom on the wall to the back. The walls were pure black and of a material he had never seen before. To his right he saw a closed curtain that barely peeked open. In the open slit he thought he saw strands of blonde hair and wondered if it was his savior. He turned his head slightly to try to see more of the open slit, but felt the same hand from before take a hold of his arm.

The girl standing over him wore a white lab coat with a business skirt and blouse. A stethoscope hung from her neck, dangling against her pure white dreads that offset the dark tone of her skin. She was a bit taller than him and had yellow irises. That was not a natural eye color.

“W-what are you going to do to me?” he asked, his eyes full of uncertainty.

Her voice turned stern and annoyed. “I don’t know why you think I’m going to do anything to you. If it weren’t for me you’d still be out of commission. First timers always get a little beat up from using the Dark Portals.” She looked at him with daggers in her eyes that seemed to say “How dare you think I’d ever hurt you.”

“O-oh, I’m sorry.” The poor boy looked downward like a kicked puppy and tears began to fall down his cheek once more. He noticed he was crying a lot more than he usually does. No one could blame him though, he was kidnapped by a strange dog and tied down to a bed. Anyone would be scared and most likely cry in that situation.

Her look softened and she took a hold of his hand. “Look, it’s going to be okay. I know you’re scared, I know you don’t know what’s happening to you, but I’m a doctor and I’m going to take care of you.” She looked at him with a warm smile, unfortunately that warmth faded from the room as the door flew open.

“Oh? Is the child awake?” The familiar voice of his captor rang throughout the room. She walked into the door with a smile on her face, and her tail wagging. Despite her joviality, his thoughts were of the agony of being in that portal.

“I thought you said it’d be ‘minor’ discomfort! I felt like I was being crushed into dust!”

“Well, it will be minor compared to when I finish giving you your power.”

Fear gripped his soul like ice, quickly becoming hysteria. How had she not finished yet? What more was she going to do to him? “N-no please don’t hurt me, please!”

The dog creature rolled her eyes. “Kid, you asked for power. Great power comes with great sacrifice. It’s too late to regret it now, just accept it and move forward.” Her face held no emotion. It wasn’t malicious, nor did it have compassion. Instead, it was almost robotic. Something about that frightened him more than the threat of pain.

“F-fine what do I have to do?”

“Just lay back and let me do all the work, Lamp Flower, is everything ready?”

The kind doctor that looked over him nodded. The dog creature clasped her paws with a smile. She walked away from his bed and towards the intercom.

“Attention all Umbra Girls, you are called to meet in the Ceremony Room. This is not a request, attendance is mandatory. Of course with the exception of a certain… troublemaker. Regardless, the rest of us must all be there to show support to your newest member.”

What had she meant their newest member? Was he going to be an Umbra Boy? Were there any Umbra Boys? He wasn’t sure. He’d heard of the Umbra Girls, everyone had. They saved people from the Luminescent. Though he had never heard of an Umbra Boy before, so he began to wonder if maybe he was special, or possibly the first of his kind. Dismissing any fears he had, he relished the idea of being able to protect others. He’d finally have the power he wanted, the power to save people, like those of his friends he lost.

“Lamp Flower, wheel him in.” With the command the dog creature left, and the one known as Lamp Flower grabbed onto his bed and then started wheeling him out the door.

The hallway was consumed in darkness just like the hospital room. It was nondescript, and pretty basic with multiple doorways on the sides. He couldn’t see anything special except a few nameplates on some of the doors he was wheeled past. Each one seemed to have a different style, some more flowered than others, while one had a skull in the name. The other ones seemed to have names associated with different things IE: Blue Bubbles, Lightning Dust, Dagger Flower, but the skull one was unlike the others . Oddly it appeared as if it originally was two words, instead all of it was scratched out with what looked like a sharp weapon. There was only a single visible word: Dragon. That name was awesome, it seemed to answer his question about Umbra Boys. He wondered if there were any more, and if he could meet them.

He’d calmed down after that revelation while Lamp Flower wheeled him into a room with a door that read “Ceremony Room.”. This room was not like the other he had been in. Those purple flames that he saw in the hallways and the room were now circling the ceiling. Even more bizarre was strange writings in an unknown language pulsated on the walls. He was wheeled towards the center. A sea of both natural and unnatural hair colors crammed themselves through the doorway. There actually weren’t that many, maybe ten at most, but they definitely seemed in quite the hurry. The ones he was able to see on the end, (he couldn’t see more as his head was firmly turned away) looked pretty girly. They seemed to have their nails painted, wearing high heels and skirts and dresses. Ignoring his stares they lined up as if at a bootcamp inspection. Then the dog creature walked in and examined the girls.

“Is this everyone?” She scrutinized the girls intensely, as if to count each one.

“Yeah, I think so,” a sweet girl with blue hair and blue eyes said. The dog creature frowned.

“Where is Princess Dragonberry?” Her voice dripped with annoyance. The boy could tell there was some tension between her and this “Princess Dragonberry.” For a brief moment he remembered the door, the one with Dragon on it. Was that who she was talking about?

“Well… uhhh… I think in hi-her room,” the blue haired one said. The dog creature shook her head.

“Go retrieve her, I want every Umbra Girl here.” The dog creature tapped her foot impatiently.

A girl with green hair stepped out of the line up and held her hand outwards. “I-I can go get Dragon if you want, we’re friends.”

“Dagger Flower, you know her name is Princess Dragonberry, why does everyone insist on shortening their names? I do not understand you mortals.” The dog creature pinched her nose and shook her head.

The one known as Dagger Flower’s skin was light brown, her long flowing hair was bright green, and her irises were silver. Almost a metallic kind of silver, which seemed impossible. She was lithe and short with a modest bust and high cheekbones. She wore a mid-thigh black pleated skirt over a pair of jeans along with a blue v-neck top, and a pair of sneakers. She looked kinda quirky to him, but also kinda cool. He felt he could get along with this girl. She skipped out the door, and down the hall and within moments he heard a loud crash and muffled yelling. In a matter of moments he saw Dagger Flower walk back towards the end of the line with a person that looked very different from all the other girls here.

They had pale skin with extremely short bright orange hair cut in a cool wave style, and red irises. They wore black jeans, a bright orange wife beater under a large black coat with black boots. They had a belt with a skull on it holding their jeans up. Their short and scrawny figure didn’t fit those clothes at all but they did their darndest to make it fit. It was difficult to tell this person’s gender, but he leaned towards male. It gave him his confirmation that this person was an Umbra Boy, just like he was going to be soon. In his mind he became a hero like the Umbra Knight, and rescued others with cool flashy attacks.

“You look lovely as always Princess Dragonberry,” the dog creature said. The one he thought was an Umbra Boy scowled.

“How many fucking times do I have to tell you, my name is DRAGON, not princess, not Dragonberry, D-R-A-G-O-N you goddamn literal bitch!” The boy was very put off by Dragon’s language. He also felt slightly guilty that he had mistaken another girl for a boy. However, even though she was upset he felt that reaction was a little uncalled for. The dog creature definitely didn’t appear amused either.

“Princess Dragonberry, you will not speak to me like that in front of a new recruit.”

The girl called Dragon spat on the floor. “Tskch, Fine, where is this girl anyway?” The moment she laid eyes on the boy her eyes enraged. “Are you fucking kidding me Raftilia? Do you know how much you are going to fuck this kid up? When are you going to stop doing th—”

Before the girl could finish, Raftilia, as he had learned she was called, held out her paw. Dragon’s mouth closed, and her body straightened. He watched as she walked back to the line like an automaton, and was completely silent and still. “We’ll discuss your attitude later, it’s time for the Adaption Ceremony.”

“Uh, okay, so am I going to become an Umbra Boy now?” Raftilia burst into laughter.

“Oh no no no, silly child. There are no Umbra Boys.”

“Th-then how am I going to join you all? You said I’m going to be a recruit!”

“Well yes, that’s what we’re here for. You simply need to be... Adapted.”

Those words didn’t sound good, they made every inch of his body visibly shake. Something awful was coming, his animal instincts kicked in and he tried to break free. Every ounce of his body supplied him with adrenaline as he struggled and pushed and fought against his binds to try to escape. Despite his favorite stories, no amount of willpower was going to save him. The straps remained unbroken as Raftilia approached.

“No more distractions, it’s time.” Raftilia wasted no time; she took the boy's hand in her paw. His entire body burned with agony as he saw dark lightning coursing around him. It felt like before, only this time it was much much worse. He felt as if she was draining out his life energy itself. The dark lightning condensed itself into her paw and then miraculously it formed a large black crystal.

“This is your Night Crystal. You will learn what it does in time, but that’s not important right now.” Before he could respond, she shoved the Night Crystal right into him. He expected it to collide with his chest, but instead it went right through him. As if she was pushing it into his very essence.

There would be no words out of his mouth for now he was subjected to incredible pain, the likes of which he had never had before. He felt every cell of his DNA twist and turn as his bones cracked and his skin turned bubbled. There was no end to the pain as he felt small bulbs push against his shirt, and as he felt his waist cave in, and his hips expand. Next his face felt like it was on fire as his skin twisted and turned while his face creaked and cracked. Every part of his body was changing into something new, none of it felt like his own. As if to make matters worse he felt stretching and tugging at his throat, which caused him to cough violently. His skin stopped bubbling and he saw pink strands of hair fall onto his face. With that the pain stopped and he somehow knew it was over.

“W-what did you to m—” he spoke but suddenly stopped. This voice wasn’t his own, It was sweet as strawberries, it was adorable, it was… cute. Raftilia seemed pleased.

“The Adaption Ceremony went well. You are absolutely precious.” The girl known as Dragon looked at him with pity. Somehow she had broken through Raftilia’s spell, at least partially anyway.

“W-why me? Why did you do this to me? I’m a girl, why did you turn me into a girl?” His emotions were all over the place. She had promised him power, but this? Was this worth it? Not to mention he didn’t feel anymore powerful, had she tricked him? To make matters worse his clothes felt so loose now.

“Lamp Flower, release her bonds, we don’t want her restrained for this part.” Lamp Flower nodded, then undid his straps. He immediately got up off the bed and landed in front of Raftilia. He stood tall and looked her in the eye when suddenly he couldn’t move. “Now show us who you really are.”

A dark cocoon completely enveloped him as a strange sensation fell over him. He heard a slurping sound as he felt his ears disappear into his head. Then he felt them move upwards onto his crown. Something soft and fluffy grew out from his behind and it pushed against his jeans finally making them fall down. In front of him something extraordinary happened, he saw sparkling bright red cherries circling around his head. They flew down towards his feet and then swirled around starting at the bottom and then spiraling towards the top. His shoes changed to black mary janes with a red cherry buckle. White tights crawled up and encased his legs. A poofy light red skirt with a cute little petticoat shimmered into reality. A pink top with short princess puff sleeves with a single sparkling cherry embroidered on the ends appeared. He felt a pull as his hair split into pigtails with two ribbons that each had a cherry in the center. A dark portal opened up and a golden stafff with a sparkling cherry at the top, and a pink gem in the middle dropped into his hands. With that, the cocoon dissipated and he completely examined himself. He looked even more adorable from before, to make matters worse his outfit made him look a few years younger than his actual age.

“This is an extraordinary day, we haven’t seen one with your type of magick in a long time.” Raftilia’s tail wagged as she doted over him and examined him from head to toe, even crawling over him and ruffling through his hair.

“C-can you not do that please?”

“Oh, sorry, just you don’t understand how serious this is. You are a Sparkle!” He looked at her like she had grown a second head. “Ah, right, of course you wouldn’t know. It doesn’t matter, you’ll learn soon enough.”

“I-if you say so, it’s bad enough I was turned into a girl, but now I look even younger than I did before!”

“It’s time for The Naming,” she said, completely ignoring him. With the words The Naming, he was filled with immense dread. Especially as she clasped his hands in her paws then looked into his face and smiled.

“Welcome to the Umbra Girls, Cherry Sparkles.”