บท 8: Chapter 7 - Evolution

"Grrraaaaar!" Letting out a powerful roar I got on all fours and charged, ready to charge hard at that green-skinned, almost goblin-like, child-like entity. Moving with great agility thanks to his size and shape, the green-skinned child dodged my charge, causing me to crash hard into a tree that then fell with a loud sound.

Shaking my head gently to prevent the dagger embedded in my neck from coming out, I turned around to face that child-like being again, then took out my claws and charged at him this time in a bipedal fight. Being close to him, I got up on two legs to start throwing punches and claws, only for that entity to easily dodge them; even in my last attack I managed to grab my front legs, stopping my frenzied attacks.

"Grrrrr!" Growling, I began to exert more force on my paws and even use my body weight to break free from its grip, only for it to have no effect against that creature. Frustrated, I also began to try to bite its head or neck, only for it to keep its head or body away from my mouth full of sharp teeth; it was then that I remembered that it was no longer a bear like before.

Moving my enormous scorpion tail, I tried to pierce its abdomen with my stinger only to have it push me back with a force that surprised even me, and dodge my stinger backwards. "Damn, what the hell entity is this? I've never heard of something like this living in the Amazon," letting out a slight growl, I began to walk around that entity… "How did it attack him? He's very agile and fast, as well as having tremendous strength, what should I do?"

Taking the form of a tiger, I charged at that entity with more speed, jumping to its side and then to the other and jumping towards the trunk of a tree, I used it as support to then jump towards its throat. Only for that entity to easily dodge it and with a kick I was sent flying, then crashing into the ground and quickly getting up, I took the form of a bear again.

"Shit, the bear's brute strength doesn't work, neither does the feline speed and agility; what should I do?" Growling lightly, I stood on two legs so as not to show signs of weakness and continue thinking of a way to defeat or even kill that entity. "Now, what do I do? I can't use a humanoid form and create traps, since I would die immediately from the dagger in my neck." It was then that I glanced at my small brown tail, which had previously become a huge scorpion tail. An idea came to me, and I couldn't help but smile. "If strength, speed, and agility don't work separately, I guess I'll put them together... I just hope it works."

Then I felt my body start to deform drastically and it even seemed like my body was mutating. My bones started to grow and lengthen more and more, my muscles started to get thicker and wider, my fur started to change color until it turned silver, the fur around my torso started to decrease until it disappeared, revealing brown skin. My head was still that of a bear, the posture was similar to that of a gorilla with somewhat short legs and long arms, as well as fingers with huge claws.

"GRUUUUAAARRR!" Rising up on my hind legs, reaching almost the same size as the trees, I let out a loud roar, slapping my pectorals hard, causing the nearby animals to run away and fly away, and even that entity was amazed. Taking advantage of his surprise, I charged at him with my fist raised and then tried to crush him, only for that entity to dodge it with difficulty; while recovering, I grabbed a handful of dirt and then threw it at him.

That entity had to cover its eyes and, taking advantage of that, I interlaced my fingers to connect a strong blow that sent it crashing into several trees. Letting out a snort, I pulled out a tree and threw it hard to the place where that entity should have fallen. The place was silent, I didn't know if he was still alive or if he was already dead; walking slowly towards where he should be, I didn't notice that the trees began to move suspiciously.

"What the hell?!" I watched in disbelief as the branches of the trees began to tie my arms and legs, and even my neck, and then with a strong pull made me fall hard to the ground, immobilized. It was then that that entity appeared from the trees, falling on my back. As I tried to free myself using my newly acquired strength and enormous size, the branches that immobilized me tightened, making my efforts more futile.

It was then that entity walked backwards on my back until it reached my neck. My whole body tensed up as I felt its hand on my neck, right where the dagger had been swallowed when I transformed. "GRRRRAAAAH!" Letting out a loud grunt of pain, I felt that entity stick its arm into the hole in my neck and then with a strong pull pull out the dagger.

"Damn it, I swear that before I die from bleeding, I will kill you... Wait, what are you doing?" My fury was replaced by disbelief as I saw how that entity, after throwing the dagger away, touched the hole in my neck with both hands, and then, with a green glow, the pain in the hole began to disappear. A few moments later, I removed its hands and then got off my back, and with that the trees released my previously tied limbs.

Instinctively I got up from the ground and touched my neck, noticing that there was no wound on my neck anymore, not even a small wound. I looked curiously at that entity only for it to nod its head and then disappear into the thicket of the Amazonian jungle. "So, he was just trying to heal my wound? And I tried to kill him, what a shame," shaking my head I began to walk in the opposite direction from where that entity disappeared.

"Now that I think about it, I just mutated, huh," I looked at my new mutated form through the reflection of a river. "If I can take mutated forms, I guess I can take fantasy forms too, right?" With that thought in mind I closed my eyes and focused on a draconic form, a huge lizard with scales and powerful wings. Opening my eyes again, my form had changed to that of a crocodile. "I guess this fits into a huge scaly lizard, only the wings are missing," letting out a sigh, I started trying to take another fantasy form like a unicorn, werewolf, angel, demon, fairy and many more without success, to finally take the form of a grizzly bear again.

"Apparently, my transformation only allows me to take the form of existing animals; I guess it's enough merit that I can mutate my body by fusing two beings... It's time to find the angels," with a smile I focused all my senses on that feeling again, and then my body deformed and mutated again. My head and my two front legs began to deform until they took the form of a bald eagle, huge wings came out of my back and my entire body, from my back to my tail, took the form of a lion.

"A tap, I like the way it feels, it's time to rule the skies and make contact with the angels," spreading my wings I began to flap slowly and then go with more force, lifting myself a little from the ground only to then crash into a tree. "Ouch, I forgot that I've never flown with wings in my life, I've never even flown; I guess I have to learn again by hard work." Getting up from the ground, I shook my head and spread my wings again. "As Nikola Tesla said in the anime Shūmatsu no Valkyrie, through trial and error is how humanity will evolve, so maximum effort."

...

After spending almost the entire day trying to fly and earning several blows to the body, I managed to soar through the skies, which were now ruled by the beautiful night. "So this is flying; I would have continued to envy the birds, otherwise I would be doing it now," I inhaled deeply the fresh air of the heights. I had long since left the Amazon thanks to my enormous wings and to dive from time to time to gain more strength when flying.

Bang!

A loud bang resounded loudly, even reaching the enormous heights I was flying. Searching for the origin of the sound, I turned everywhere until in the distance I could see a small town being victim to the ravages of a battle between angels and demons, the latter being the ones who seemed to have the advantage, remembering what happened in the town where I had previously stayed. I began to fly with more force until I was at the indicated distance and then I fell into a dive closing my wings.

Before falling completely, I could see how a woman dressed in a loincloth and cotton bibs, as well as a necklace on her neck and torso, was hugging her daughter who was wearing only a skirt and cotton bib, about to be killed by a demon's sword. Just before his back cut them in half vertically, I opened my wings, suddenly slowing down and then landed hard in front of him. Before his perplexed gaze, I opened my beak and forcefully crushed his head…

After that, I lowered my head to see how the woman and her daughter, who were below me, fell to the ground in shock. Letting out a soft noise, they came back to reality and with a soft movement of my head they ran away. When they left, my gaze focused on the crowd of demons who had focused their sights on me, clenching their weapons tightly and pointing them at me.

"A griffin?"

"How is a griffin in the human world?"

"Leave the questions for later, it seems this griffin is not here to make friends."

When they finished speaking, they launched themselves at me, with their weapons raised and circles appearing on the palms of their hands. "I seem to understand what you're saying. I would have liked to talk to you. Unfortunately, you're my enemies." After that, I repelled the attack of several demons by opening my wings and flapping them vigorously, then running towards the demons that had created magic circles, avoiding their attacks with difficulty and finally, tearing off their heads or destroying their bodies with the enormous eagle claws I possessed.

With a few burns from fire and lightning, I managed to completely kill the demons that used magic, which were around fifteen, then I focused my attention on those that used weapons, and just as I was about to slit their throats, a strong pressure appeared. Looking up, I could see a humanoid figure with wings of fire. "A griffin? By itself, it's rare to find wild griffins in the underworld and now to find one in the human world." His gaze lowered towards the pile of corpses of the demons he had killed. "I would take you to the underworld as my pet, but it seems you killed my servants and as the head of the Phoenix family, I can't let a simple griffin kill them."

It was then that the fiery-winged demon disappeared from my sight and then appeared in the blink of an eye in front of me. I couldn't react when a strong blow sent me flying through the air; his force was so strong that I seemed like a truck in my human form. When I luckily managed to recompose myself in the air, a huge sphere of fire appeared above him. "Die," with those words, the huge sphere of fire was launched towards me.

When the sphere reached me, the pain was immense and if that wasn't enough, I was about to collide with a mountain. "Shit, come on, it doesn't matter if you burn, just get away from this mini sun." Grabbing the sphere with my paws, I try to exert enough force to fly to the side and escape the imminent collision. "Come on, almost there, just a little more, already th."

Bang!

Just when I had managed to exert enough force to create a small distance from the sphere of fire and fly away at full speed, the collision had come sooner than I had predicted, causing a huge wave of heat to run through my body and with the explosion sending my burning body flying away into a forest…

...

Within the heart of a forest, a griffin could be seen at death's door. Its front legs had turned to ash leaving only stumps, its legs had been roasted until they turned black, and its wings had been completely shattered leaving only bones. The torso was black with red spots and its head disfigured by huge burns.

"It hurts like hell, it's worse than when the first demons almost killed me... I feel my strength slowly going away... I can't feel any of my limbs... Am I going to die?" I felt death coming closer and closer; Closing my eyes, I saw my life pass by like a movie. Remembering my family, what I suffered when I got here, the pain I went through to survive, the battles I had and my first lost friend, I clenched my beak tightly.

"I refuse... I don't plan on dying... Much less at the hands of a demon... Through trial and error, humanity advances, right? So... stop being stupid and evolve!" My mind recalled all kinds of animals I remembered and their abilities, looking for the animal that regenerates burned cells; then I remembered that immortal Medusa that could rejuvenate its cells. "I can't take its forms... but I need its ability... so... evolve... evolve and change your cells!" I felt like an enormous tingling combined with chills ran through my entire body while little by little my vision darkened and I finally lost consciousness.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Now if I'm tired, without ideas and very sleepy, see you, take care.

∧,,,∧ ~ ┏━━━━━━━━━┓

( ̳• · • ̳) ~ ♡ Thanks for reading. ♡

/ づ ~ ┗━━━━━━━━━┛