Demon Lord Shapeshifting System

In the end, Harker feebly reached out for that thin thread. 

Right now, nothing could be worse than this nightmare he was in. At least he might see his friends and family for one last time again in this spider's domain. Just one last time...

That's what kept him pushing through and climbing. 

It was difficult with only his thumb, index finger and middle finger for both hands. But he kept on climbing, as the ceiling just vanished and revealed a clear blue sky. 

The heavens did not reveal where the source of the thread was. It stretched on for what seemed like forever. But Harker did not care. His torment also felt like an eternity, and so another eternity wouldn't matter to him.

He climbed and climbed and climbed….

Sometimes, the whole world would shake. The rumbling would disorient him, and the swirling laughter in his ear now turned into screams of anger, but he ignored it. 

He could almost hear words that weren't really there.

"How dare you!"

"He's mine!"

"Damhan alla, you'll pay for this!"

Harker could almost feel like something was tugging at the thread from below, trying to bring him down. But there was nothing.

Just the expanse of pure blue nothingness. Clouds fleeting through the breeze. No beginning, no end. 

Harker looked up, and continued his journey. The longer he climbed, the more his spirits recovered. It was like he found some salvation in the routine, in the constant predictable motions of his body. 

It was like pushing boulders uphill. It may seem pointless, but once you get into the grind, you find comfort in having a 'purpose'. 

Whether or not that purpose was your own, or you were simply made to believe it was for your own good and not just to take advantage of you. It didn't matter. It was better than sinking into that bottomless pit of sorrow. 

Finally…..

Harker found the end of the thread. 

It was a cloud. And yet he could sit on the cloud, though it does not make sense how. On that cloud, a tiny spider awaited him like an award-giver to congratulate him for a job well done. 

Harker took the tiny spider into the palm of his hand, and he also realized that the cloud was shaped like a hand. Curved as if asking for alms…..

Or offering blessings. 

At that moment, Harker knew the blessing he wanted to ask for. 

"I want to wake up."

The spider looked at him with its many eyes. It did not speak, yet Harker felt like it did anyway.

You do not even know what true awakening meant. But very well. I will return you to your former dream. 

SNAP!

The thread was cut.

------------------------------

Harker then woke up in his bed full of sweat. He quickly looked around for the alarm clock which showed both the date and time. 

It had only been the following day. He was just asleep, and those two eternities had only been a dream. 

Their house showed no signs of burning, and he didn't even sleep in. It was exactly right on time for him to make breakfast for his siblings. Take a bath, eat, drive them to school on weekdays or see them off as they deliver newspapers in their bikes on weekends. The usual routine.

His sister came by his doorstep, rubbing her eyes. "Harker…. A spider crawled on my bed and I woke up too early. So I made breakfast before you. Come eat."

Harker couldn't help but laugh. It truly was almost comical. 

"Hahahaha….. spiders….. spiders….. I'd rather be eaten by spiders…."

Chloe just gave him a look, as if he was being weird. "What are you saying?"

Harker shook his head, his smile a little too big and seemed to be almost fake. "Nothing... Let's go eat normal people food."

He can feel some of his mental injuries being stitched up as he went on his day. Stitch, stitch, stich…. Almost as if they never happened. 

And Harker was happy enough to treat them so.

He could still remember everything, but he won't tell anyone. Not Mina, not Joan, not Roland….. 

Hush now, everything would be alright.

And he would be alright. 

He was alright.

Everything will go according to the way it's supposed to be.

--------------------------------

Joan had gone to check up on Aiden Moore, the boy who broke the window of the antique shop. 

He was given some medications to calm him down. But even after 48 hours, he remained as paranoid and stressed as he was before. The doctors had decided to finally give him a diagnosis for PTSD and formulate a treatment plan for the poor boy.

Still, Joan could tell they were having a hard time. He won't tell them anything besides the same cryptic things about shadows and fire ladies. 

Joan was sent in to give him some sedatives, as he won't sleep. And according to the staff, he tried to break glasses several times or steal scissors and other sharp objects to attack other people. 

He would claim that he wanted to check if they were hollow or not. 

He wouldn't trust just about anyone. But for some reason, he felt calm enough around Joan's presence. 

Joan didn't know exactly what it was that made the boy trust her more. Maybe it was pure luck, since unless he saw you actually bleed some, he won't even let you approach him.

Still, it was to her advantage. She can ask more what the woman meant about the flame keeping away the shadows in hopes of putting an end to these attacks. 

When she asked Aiden about this, though:

"The flame could not kill the shadow. The shadow always exists, just like the night, and the madness, and the weaver of fate..... They will always exist, there is no way to kill them. She simply told me that the flame could protect me, but I must be alert. They can take me any time soon."

Joan frowned. "Then….. Do you have any clue how I could find this woman? So we can also have her protection?"

Aiden looked around, then gave her his lighter. 

"You don't ask the Lady in Red for protection. She just picks and chooses, and it's not without price."

As soon as Joan touched it, it started to burn her palm. 

"Fuck!" She exclaimed, and let go.

Aiden picked it up again. "The Lady had….. preferences. I don't know why she preferred me, but she said something about sensing a great destruction in my future. If right now, I ruin everything I touch... What more in the future?"

Joan left the room feeling more confused and annoyed than before. But if this 'lady' won't show up because of her damn preferences…..

Then maybe she'll just have to drag her out by force. 

Those old men must know something about her. And she will force it out from them no matter what. Even if…..

She would have to dangle herself up as bait.