A Magical Transformation

Inside the cafe, Lucio turned on the electrical switch, revealing cozy ceiling lights and lamps, sets of tables and chairs, bookshelves, couches, artworks and a brewing station. The rustic aesthetic of wood and bricks also set the mood for a relaxing place.

Unfortunately, I'm not here to relax.

"I don't get it….this place looks complete," I said. "So why hasn't it opened yet?"

"Well, there are some complications…I'm about to show it to you," Lucio said.

We walked past the bookshelves and went down a flight of stairs to the basement.

Dustin and I looked in awe at what we saw.

Below the cafe was a double floor atrium that resembled a classical library composed mostly of vintage bookshelves covered with dust and cobwebs on our floor and old-school study tables at the bottom floor.

“This place used to be an old library buried long before the resort was built. When we discovered this place by accident, I immediately thought of the idea of building a cafe over it and combining them to create a unique sense of architecture to it, ” Lucio said. “Pretty cool, don’t you think?”

“Yeah…..” Dustin said.

“So, um…what’s the problem?” I asked.

Lucio smiled at me.

“Follow me, this is the main attraction.”

We followed Lucio to the bottom floor and he stopped in front of a random bookshelf.

He pulled on one of the books, which seemed to activate something because I heard some strange mechanical noise.

“What…..”

The bookshelf opened inward, revealing a secret passageway.

We went down another flight of stairs before finally reaching the very bottom, which was a wide open area covered with cold dark bricks of stone.

Lucio’s staff lit up some lamps and handed out one for each of us to hold.

“Is this place some sort of dungeon?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Lucio said. “According to my research, the owner of this library used to be a slave owner, so I guess this was what it was used for.”

“W-what are we doing in this creepy place anyway? Are we doing a test of courage?” Dustin said.

RAAAAAAAAAAH!

“Eeeeeek!” Dustin and I screamed.

There were zombies inside the cells…..

“Lucio! What the hell is going on? Why are there zombies down here?” I said.

Wait…I looked at one of the zombies stretching its arms out towards me and saw that it looked somewhat familiar…

That black hair…..

Damien……

I looked at another cell and saw another zombie with brown hair and blue eyes surrounded by a sclera of black.

Bryce…..

“What the fuck is going on?! Why are they here?! And why are they zombies?!” I said.

“I-I’m scared…..” Dustin was shaking and hugging himself.

“Calm down, let me explain,” Lucio said. “Basically, I’ve turned them into my test subjects!”

He said this with that same angelic smile, which honestly made me feel like puking.

“How can you do this?! Why can’t you just let them all rest in peace?!” I said, grabbing his shirt.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you..”

The staff members watched me closely, which caused me to let go of Lucio.

Damn it…..

“You see, during the apocalypse, I had a very strange encounter with a particular zombie. I noticed that it was acting differently from the rest,” Lucio said. “Instead of attacking humans like they usually do, that zombie attacked its own kind to protect a group of kids on the road.”

“Are you serious, Lucio?”

“It’s up to you to believe me,” Lucio said. “Anyways, that zombie was by far, way stronger and smarter than the rest, displaying feats of inhuman power and speed all while maintaining its intelligence. I wanted to get a closer look at the zombie, but he was ambushed by a group of people with weapons. What surprised me was that he didn’t fight back. Instead, it stood still and kneeled down on the ground with a smile, as if it accepted its fate.”

“T-that’s crazy….”

A zombie…that doesn’t attack humans?

“It was such a waste of a specimen, so I thought it would be a good idea to try and recreate the zombie I saw. No, it’s not just a zombie. It is something new. Perhaps the next evolution of humankind. A new species. One that is not a zombie, nor a human. Why wouldn’t I?”

“So you’re telling me you’ve been experimenting on these people? It seems to be working perfectly well,” I said mockingly.

"I'll admit, we haven't had any successful attempts so far. But that's all right. The occurrence of a hybrid is pretty rare, so the chances of it happening is probably way down there. But, as long as I keep getting more test subjects, the closer I can get to achieving this goal."

"W-wait! Are you saying….I'm your next test subject?" Dustin said and stepped back.

"Precisely!"

"I can't do this!"

"But, you said you would do anything right?"

"Leave him alone, Lucio," I said.

Lucio ignored me.

"Think about it, Dustin! If you succeed, you'll become a superhuman far more powerful than anybody and you will never have to be afraid of anything ever again!" Lucio said.

"But…the chances are so low…" Dustin shrunk himself.

"He's right, Lucio! You're insane!" I said.

"Insane? Perhaps. But, I'm giving Dustin a chance to become a better person in an instant!"

Lucio walked over to Dustin and grabbed his shoulders.

"Who cares if the chances are low? Wouldn't you rather want to die trying to become the strongest person you could possibly be? Or give up and be a coward for the rest of your pathetic life?" Lucio said. "Aren't you tired of living like a weakling?"

Lucio, despite making all these absurd propositions, was still smiling the entire time, it was downright creepy.

"Stop forcing him!" I said and tried to grab Lucio's shoulder.

"Shut up, Ori!" Dustin screamed at me.

"H-huh?"

"I, Dustin, have been a coward my entire life. Every single day, I was always afraid, always being bullied, always alone, always being a loser! You even abandoned me because of my weakness! I can't take it anymore! It hurts! It sucks to be weak! If I'm never going to take any risks in life, then I'm never going to go anywhere! That's how my life has always been. But now, Lucio has given me a chance. From here on out, I'll stop being a coward! I'll bet my entire life to get the power I desire!"

"Dustin…." I muttered.

Lucio clapped his hands.

"Well said, Dustin! Better to die trying than live regretting, right?" Lucio said. "Now, let us begin!"

Dustin was brought to an empty cell by the staff and locked the door, trapping him inside.

Lucio brought out a vial of blood and handed it over to Dustin.

How long has he been collecting blood from zombies?

"Here, just drink this and you're good to go! Good luck!" Lucio said.

"Dustin…it's not too late to back out," I said.

"No. I won't back out. I've already decided," Dustin said.

This is too cruel….

Dustin opened the vial and slowly brought it closer to his mouth. His hand was shaking, trying to put it up with a hesitant look on his face.

"Stop….." I said.

Dustin bit his lip and suddenly drank it whole with a single gulp.

"I've done it!"

"Very good, Dustin! Now all we have to do is wait. Good luck!"

That stupid smile of his is pissing me off. This experiment is too inhumane!

That's who Lucio truly is. The boy with the smile of an angel and the heart of a demon.

But, I didn't think he could go this far…which was why I didn't really suspect too much of him.

After waiting for around 4 minutes, Dustin suddenly started twitching.

"Aghk!"

"The moment of truth," Lucio said.

Dustin held his head and started moving around rapidly.

"It hurts!"

He fell down to the floor, shaking chaotically like he had seizures.

I could hear the sound of bones cracking as he suddenly started to rise up in an abnormal manner, with his head looking downwards.

He stood there quietly for a moment.

"D-Dustin?"

Dustin looked up slowly with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, they opened, revealing his orange eyes filled up with black all over.

He looked around for a while, then turned at us and smiled.

"No way…." I said.

"Amazing! Hahahahaha!" Lucio said. "This is it!"

"I feel….reborn," Dustin said.

The manly tone in his voice signified that the once afraid Dustin was no more.

Dustin punched the wall with his bare fist, creating a huge crack mark on its surface.

"W-What power….." I muttered.

"I don't feel pain anymore…" Dustin said. "I don't feel afraid anymore! I only feel…power flowing in my veins! I feel like I have no weakness!"

He was an entirely different being.

The experiment succeeded!

"Finally, we've done it! We've achieved greatness! Humanity's new hero is now here!" Lucio put his hands up in the air.

The staff clapped to show their applause.

"Thank you, Lucio. Because of you, I can finally say goodbye to being a wimpy kid!" Dustin said.

"It's no problem, Dustin! It's you who I should be thanking! Be proud of what you have achieved! It's your win!"

"Yeah. It is I, the brand-new Dustin! The next evolution of mankind!"

"You're like that dude from Bandit King!" Lucio said.

"Bandit….King?" Dustin tilted his head.

"It's a webcomic where a weak boy becomes a powerful being with zombie powers…."

"Oh….."

I sighed.

"What are you planning to do now, Lucio?" I asked. "How are you going to explain this to everyone?"

"We'll do some more testing first before revealing him to the public. Is it ok for you to stay here, Dustin?"

"Of course. I'll do anything for the man who granted me this power."

"I'll come back for you tomorrow, goodbye for now!"

Lucio walked towards me and whispered into my ear.

"Follow me," he said with a serious tone.

I gulped down my throat and walked behind him.

Outside the cafe, Lucio and I had a small talk.

"Ori. Do you understand your situation right now?" Lucio said.

"N-no."

"Since you've seen too much, I guess now's the best time to tell you," Lucio said.

"Are you finally going to confess to me about Bryce's death?"

"No…"

"Ha? Then what do you want to tell me?"

"I didn't plan for Bryce to die."

Lucio looked at me with his sinister golden eyes.

"It was Perci who should have died," Lucio smiled.

"W-what…was that?"