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Now that the two had acknowledged what they were, Dean had noticed that the experiments had taken a slight turn. Rather than poking and prodding him, the experiments were more about Dean giving a lecture.
He recounted the history that was passed down to him, and explained the intricacies of the werewolf world, including their lives and customs. All of the data was being inputted into a tablet, and even his voice was being recorded.
At times, Dean second-guessed himself. In a lot of ways, this could be seen as a betrayal of their kind. Dean and the rest of his pack had been werewolves for an incredibly long time. Yet, it didn’t feel like that anymore, perhaps because Dean no longer felt like he was truly part of them. Sometimes, Dean was asked to explain certain rules and rituals.
While this was happening, Rickle was off using his strange powers elsewhere. It didn’t give Dean a lot of confidence because it seemed like Rickle was analyzing his own strange power, the one that turned and changed items into another form. It was almost as if he was trying to figure out the rules himself.
Then one day, when Dean came in, instead of the normal large glass test tube that he would be placed in, there was a specially made chair, and next to it was a large tube filled with glowing liquid. It was shining so bright it was radiating light on the other side of the glass.
“What is that?” Dean gulped, worried he was about to be injected with the strange substance.
“That is the pure form of beast crystals!” Rickle explained. “You should know by now that we use the special Nest Crystal to give life to the fossils. In turn, the fossils transform into beasts, and then we harvest the crystals. Using the great energy of these crystals, we are able to make the Altered that we have today—a strong fighting force making humans better than ever!”
“Do the vampires even want humans to be stronger?” Dean asked as he observed the chair. “I mean, wouldn’t that just give the vampires something else to worry about?”
“Do you not see vampires and werewolves as part of human society as well?” Rickle asked. “Do you wish for them to stay in the same state as they currently are, so we can just consider ourselves above them? You are right that some vampires might view it that way, but I see our race as a collective. After all, we all stemmed from humans in the first place; our bodies are just altered a little. You could even consider us a different type of Altered if it makes things easier. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen in the future or who we are going to be attacked by? The human race might need to be stronger than ever!”
Dean began to place himself in the seat, knowing he would eventually have to, so he might as well get a head start. He even began to strap himself in.
“I didn’t know all researchers were so crazy to start talking about aliens.”
“And you don’t believe in aliens? I think you would be considered the crazier one, especially considering what you already know about the world,” Rickle said as he got into position, standing between the liquid and Dean.
“Point taken,” Dean replied. “So care to explain what is going on today?”
“Today is the day where you will feel a big change. All of the experiments haven’t gone to waste!” Rickle explained. “You see, when I use my powers, I need to understand everything. After all, how do you weigh up your powers? The fact that you are stronger than others, the fact that you can hear better and even live slightly longer. For some people, that would be something they would be willing to exchange great value for, while for others like yourself, not so much. So the worth of what you have needed to be dissected. Over the years, I have learned about my power quite well. Now I have an idea of what your power is worth and what is needed to remove it. Sometimes, the energy I use when employing my power is enough to remove such a thing, but at other times it’s not. The energy in here is a Nest Crystal—something very rare and hard to get one’s hands on, which is why you owe me a very big favor.”
Rickle then placed one hand on top of Dean’s head and the other on the large glass tube of liquid.
“If this works, that is…” Rickle said.
The liquid started to bubble in the container, and immediately Dean could feel his heart thumping. It was thumping just the same as it would on a full moon, the thump sending shockwaves through his entire body.
Almost immediately, he could feel his body changing, fur growing out of him, his teeth shape-shifting along with other features of his body.
“Arghh!” Dean shouted and screamed.
“Keep it going!” Rickle shouted, not sure if his words were getting through. He was keeping an eye on Dean and could see his forearm growing incredibly large to the point where the straps were starting to bend, even though they were made of a special type of metal.
Dean’s body continued to transform and grow larger, and it was far more painful than when he usually turned. If anything, it reminded him of the first turning when his skin was shedding. The pain of it ripping apart was quite familiar and one he wouldn’t forget. So why now, of all times, was he feeling this pain? His eyes were closed; they had to be to try and focus on dulling the pain.
“ARGHH!” Dean gave out one last frightful scream, and it felt like there was one large spike of pain, like tearing off a band-aid. His heart started to settle down, and as it did, he slowly opened his eyes. He could see something on the floor.
It was dark in color, fairly large and brown like a rug, but it was moving.
“Is that my… is that my fur!”