Taste of Mud

(You are now a monster like all the rest, a cosmic being of unimaginable power.)

The voice finished, and with it the final image of a monster, its face similar to his own, standing amongst the debris of what could only be Earth slowly faded into view.

Looking at the unsettling sight, Noah's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he sank into deep thought.

'I'm a… monster?' He thought.

(Yes. A being destined for evil.) The voice replied.

'Why?'

(Why what?)

'Why am I destined for evil? Why am I a monster?'

(Think, boy. Remember how your body transformed? Even if you don't act like one, others will still see you as nothing more than a monster out to kill them! They will treat you like the plague, always giving you a wide birth. After all, what if you snap and decide to devour everyone in sight, your natural instincts taking over?)

'But… I wouldn't have done anything wrong! I could use my powers for good, like a superhero!' Noah retorted. The voice let out a tired sigh.

(Do whatever you want. Sooner or later, you'll realize the truth. A horrifying creature such as us will never be fully accepted, fully relied upon. You are much too naive if you think trivial ideologies such as good will will save you from this fate.)

After that, it never spoke again. It seemed it was done talking.

Noah sat there, floating in the dark abyss, alone with his thoughts. Thinking back on the words said by the voice in his head, he grew more and more frustrated, more angry, more… determined.

'Why should I believe anything an evil cosmic being like him tells me? It's probably all a trick anyways!'

Noah woke up, his eyes fixing upon the cavern's ceiling. Raising a hand to his still-aching head, he rubbed his temples and the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Then, realization slowly dawned upon him, and he brought his hand in front of his face.

'I can move now,' he thought, his throat still too dry to speak. Surveying his surroundings, he spotted a small underground stream running through the center of the spacious cavern. After trying and failing to get up, his vision tunneling, he began to crawl towards the water. As he went, he felt his body begin to twitch at random intervals, his limbs randomly rebelling against his mind and shooting out from underneath him, leading him to constantly smash his face into the surprisingly soft dirt that covered the ground.

After struggling for a while, he finally reached the stream, the rocky banks of the underground river going unheeded even as he shredded his knees and elbows crawling over them. The only thought on his mind was getting a nice, cold drink of water.

Finally coming within arms-reach of the stream, Noah reached out greedily with cupped hands and scooped the freezing cold water directly to his awaiting lips.

He let out a contented sigh, a slight smile gracing his lips, as he experienced the soothing sensation of his swollen and dry throat being appeased by the water. It tasted almost sweet, surpassing any flavor he had ever encountered before. Noah continued to drink until he felt satisfied, and then a little more, relishing in the refreshing taste. Once he had finished, he turned around and crawled a short distance before laying down on the ground to rest. Though his body remained fatigued, his mind was fully alert.

Noah's muscles thrashed beneath his skin, causing it to stretch intermittently. Surprisingly, the pain resulting from this was minimal, more akin to the uncomfortable sensation of being poked or pushed from the inside his body than outside. With effort, he could vaguely control the transformations, maintaining his usual human form, but he was aware of the potential consequences if he lost concentration, and that anything beyond this was completely outside his capabilities at the moment.

Ten minutes after drinking from the stream, he threw up most of the water. Having consumed too much after severe dehydration, he didn't realize nor particularly care about the side effects.

"Okay, Noah, let's focus on keeping your body stable for now. We can explore its capabilities later," he muttered aloud, attempting to divert his attention from his current predicament.

"Look on the bright side. I may possess the body of a super-powerful evil space monster, but I also have its powers! I wonder if I could fly or have super strength. That would be awesome!" Noah's mood brightened slightly as he contemplated the possibilities.

However, a momentary lapse in concentration caused his high aspirations to crash right back down to the ground, his leg transforming into a cricket-like limb that twitched uncontrollably, launching him into the air before he landed with a resounding thump, the impact jolting his tailbone. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the injured area. The pain suggested a potential fracture.

Examining his leg, Noah saw that it began to revert to its normal state after he had focused for a while, the cricket-like limb flaking off like dry skin and disintegrating into dust. In its place, a brand-new human limb had appeared. Meanwhile, the other leg appeared bent at an unnatural angle, but to his surprise, it caused no discomfort.

Fascinated, he watched as the deformed leg moved independently. Bones and muscles shifted until, with a distinct crack, the leg realigned itself, returning to its original state; good as new. Even the cuts and bruises on his face from the fall had vanished, as he detected no pain in those areas.

'This is… incredible! I have a regeneration factor, and it's so fast!' Noah marveled at himself, a wide grin illuminating his face. His moment of elation was abruptly interrupted by a loud growl emanating from his stomach. Hunger gnawed at him, demanding attention.

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Noah wasn't certain of the duration he had spent in the dark cave, but it had likely been several years since his initial awakening. Time held no meaning in this place, devoid of day and night, making it challenging to accurately gauge its passing. It might have been mere boredom that made it feel so long.

During this period, he subsisted on water from the underground stream and sustenance from moss clinging to the walls and floor of the cave. Occasionally, he managed to find small insects or the rare rat or mole, which he treated as cherished delicacies due to their scarcity. Initially repulsed by the notion of consuming raw animals, his desperate hunger superseded any reservations. He had even devoured a rat while it still wriggled with life when he had caught it.

Surprisingly, he remained impervious to illness. Despite periods of starvation and thirst, he never experienced anything less than optimal health. It merely sapped his energy slightly and nothing else. Not to mention eating the practical bacteria and virus factories that most rodents were.

His control over his transformations had made remarkable progress. Subconsciously, he could now suppress them entirely and switch between forms at will. However, the forms he assumed remained a matter of chance. He was unable to transform into what he wanted, wishing for a pair of dragon wings and instead getting two large elephant ears in place of arms.

And then there was the constant presence of the voice in his mind, whispering incessantly into his ear. Sometimes it was annoying, but as the only other sentient being to talk to in the dark and motionless cave, he found himself in, Noah would take what he could get, even if it was an ancient evil monster.

Plus, sometimes he could learn more about the time before humans when the voice was particularly chatty or bored. He learned of an ancient society of wizards, of the vampires that once prowled the earth, and of the first humans, who heralded a time without magic, or at least, very little magic.

Hearing that there was such thing as magic, Noah had pleaded with the voice to teach him but to no avail. There was too little magic in the surroundings for him to cast even the simplest of spells.

(The only explanation for magic's disappearance is if someone or something is siphoning it away so quickly that it doesn't have time to regenerate. However, what being could be so powerful to do this I do not know. It is most likely a cosmic entity like us, one with malicious intentions for the planet at that.) The voice said one day after Noah had asked where the magic went.

It made sense, but it also caused a seed of worry to begin growing in the young teen's heart. What could anyone need that much power for? What were they planning to do with it?

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A/N: I hope that these chapters aren't too much of an info-dump for you guys.

In case you were unaware, I started super early. We have to go through over a thousand years before we reach the time when the first episode of the series took place.