FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Curled up in its nest, at the very peak of the seemingly infinite Phantom Tower, Lord laid. Dark, vivid flames of all colors surrounded the wood and stone walls of its domain, casting the room in long shadows.

It stirred awake, feeling contentment as its numerous charges laid languishing within the depths of the tower. However, there was an itch; an additional permanent visitor. One brought to the Tower through means less than natural.

Its long avian neck rose from its plumage, and letting out a great screech, flames shifting and trembling at its might, the phoenix beast willed its servants to bring the intruder now resident before it.

Far below, at the tower's base Kalil's eyes adjusted to the darkness of his surroundings. His blue hair clung to his sweat-tinged face, teeth grit at the unfathomable pain which continued to shoot through his head, despite the fact it had seemingly receded moments prior. All he could truly recall was a flash of white light–and then a falling sensation as the world around him crumbled to dust–followed by the flicker of flames.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to rise to his feet, attempting to search for answers amidst his hazy memories. Memories blurred by both tears and time, he sifted through them for anything which could lead him to where he possibly could have ended up.

How... Why had he come here? Something surely had called him to this place–an otherworldly power beyond even his comprehension. This tower, where a power unlike any other seemed to dwell. Where flames of vivid crimson flickered across the exterior of the structure, dancing across an alien sky with no sun nor moon.

...Was that why he was here? Maybe the power that had called him here... could give him reason. Somewhere within all those lost pieces of knowledge, an answer had to lurk.

But first, that screech. That ghastly, bone-chilling screech from far above–echoing through the walls and causing his ears to ring–gave him no chance to draw his sword, as he had to focus on maintaining his footing and refrain from stumbling to his knees. A disquieting silence replaced the screech as it faded–and with it, numerous presences all around him.

From the shadows, dark beasts with manes of roiling earth, furious storms, raging flames, and chaotic waters emerged. Their number seemed endless as one by one, they surrounded him–though curiously, they did not attack.

Instead, a portion parted to create a gap in their formation–revealing a clear pathway up the grand stairs of the tower, as though silently gesturing for him to proceed.

He hesitated briefly, biting his lip as he steadied atop his shaking legs, observing the spirits with a twinge of curiosity at the mysterious aura they radiated. One that felt awfully familiar, yet he knew it not to be the same as whatever faint memory itched in his mind.

Without wasting time and keeping his hand cautiously close to the hilt of his sheathed blade, the blue-haired wanderer quickly started down the path the beasts had formed, climbing to ascend the vast steps with renewed purpose.

The ascent up the stairs could have taken seconds to decades, and yet there was no way for him to know for certain. It could have been minutes, or hours, or even days. All he could do was trust his instincts, and that was telling him to hurry.

After a bit more climbing, he found himself approaching a walkway to a suspended platform, where a great white feathered beast lay perched; its dull, gray eyes staring directly at him. The phoenix-like creature rose from its nest, and rearing out with its grand plumage, gave another deafening screech at his approach.

Part of him threatened to break under the sheer intensity of its cry–the very air seeming to shiver and ripple from the sheer might of its sublime presence. But he would not yield, moving further along the walkway with a fierce glare in his blazing blue eyes–even as the wind rushed past him and the flames along the tower surged, the verdant cloak at his back trailing at his side.

“How have you entered here human? It has been a long time since one such as yourself has arrived here." Lord spoke with a deep voice, cocking its head curiously as it observed the approaching warrior.

“If I knew, I would tell you." Kalil assured, halting before its nest at the edge of the walkway, lifting his eyes to meet its own after giving a respectful bow. “I... I do not know what it is that has drawn me to this tower–or how I even arrived here. You are the guardian of this tower, correct? Where am I?"

Lord gave a long, low chuckle. “You stand within the Phantom Tower. Home to those who died in tragedies of tides, flame, storm, and earth. None are permitted leave, including those who still live." It stated plainly, cold as fact. “If you do not remember how you entered this Tower, then of what use are you to me?""

Kalil's expression hardened, though he could feel the anxiety clawing at his back as the fanged Tower wardens growled behind him. Fighting for his life against an endless barrage of creatures he'd never faced before would not be wise, even with all he was.

And it seemed his mere presence was already irritating enough to the beast.

“...You presume me to be human. And surely weak." He spoke quietly, though his tone was stern. “But please, do not let my appearance deceive you."

The beast-phoenix cocked its head, observing the young man. “Are you more than meets the eyes then? I rescind my previous statement then. It seems humans truly are well and dead now in this era. Only their descendants, ever changed, remain." An odd hint of melancholy tinted its voice. “Alas, it does not matter what you are. Dragon, demon; reveal your true form if you wish. At the very least it will pique my curiosity."

“Wait. Humans are... what?" The blue-haired youth's eyes widened, his brows furrowing at the beast's solemn voice, his own rising. “E-Explain yourself! You mean to tell me humans are extinct?!"

Anger did not flow through him. There would be no reason for a creature of such sheer power and might to stoop toward deception and lies. But what it was saying... They couldn't be… how?

Surely it spoke to resign him to his fate.

“Humans are extinct. Though of course, in your permanent visit here you could always have the pleasure of conversing with them yourself." The phoenix stretched out its neck, lowering it so that Kalil and he were eye to eye. “Living humans perished long ago. An incomprehensible amount for one such as yourself. Entire planes of existence were eradicated by malice of the divine. And after the Lone War, the Phantom Tower grew to near infinite heights, and my work has grown ever so tiresome. You could spend an eternity scouring the wreckage that existence has become, and find nothing but ash and ruin."

“You… you can't be…" the boy protested faintly, mouth agape.

“But–it was inevitable, ever the just and inevitable consequence of such hubris. But enough preening, let us return to the reason you're here…" The guardian beast continued. “Are you perhaps jesting? I do not employ court fools if that is what you are trying to do."

“Jest?! You think my disbelief to be nothing more than some tasteless joke!?"

Kalil's cries echoed throughout the lurid sky, his head going limp as his eyes fell to the ground–shoulders sagging as he tried to reclaim his breath, feeling though his heart would burst.

Now he was angry. He could feel it surge within him. A vile, uncontrollable hatred.

But it all felt so... empty. Misplaced. And hollow.

His knees gave out from under him despite his attempts to remain upright, and he narrowly managed to catch himself with his hands–uncaring of how pitiful he looked, or how much he had disrespected this guardian.

“I see no reason why I should be the villain when all I have done is state common knowledge." Lord scoffed, indifferent to his outburst. “You puzzle me, child of man. Surely you must remember something. Avoiding the destruction of nearly every plane of existence is not a feat one simply achieves in their sleep."

“I already told you." Kalil's eyes remained fixed to the ground, unwilling to meet the phoenix's apathetic glower. “I can't remember anything. Not my past. Not my home. All I know is that protecting humans was my purpose... And I needed to save…"

He felt an ache in his chest, his voice trailing off.

Save… who?

Something was missing.

Something was… actually missing.

He'd failed a task of great importance, and lost something–someone. Was that why he was here? Some divine punishment for a past sin? A past failure? Atonement?

This creature mentioned the destruction of nearly every plane. Was he... from one of those destroyed? Was he dead? No, the beast deemed him among one of those still living... So he couldn't be dead.

So then… why?

“You must protect the humans, yes?" The phoenix lifted its head, fixing him with its piercing gaze. “Well in the land of the living I assure you there is not a single human left. Unless you think it is easier to believe that in the timespan since the war, not a single one has perished from nature's wrath." It inched closer, a glint in its colorless eyes. "That being the case, if your purpose is to protect the humans–their souls, that is, then you are right at home…"

The shadowy beasts moved closer to surround Kalil, their forms pressing up against his.

“Oftentimes the souls of this place believe the uncompromising void to be more suitable than eternal life here. You could be a warden. Diffuse riots and fights in which residents may be violent towards their own. Perhaps in your eternity here, you may even find some of your now dead family. Though that would require a fair bit of sifting through the many souls here, what say you…" It trailed off dramatically, cocking its beak. “...What was your name, perchance?"

Kalil sighed, closing his eyes.

A new purpose... As a guardian of this place. Under this beast's patronage.

If humanity was well and truly gone, then to cling to his past purpose would be pointless. It would be no better than grasping at ash and dust. A past he could not reclaim.

He struggled to stand–mostly because of the heft of the numerous bodies squeezing against him, locking eyes with the feathered beast.

“My name is Kalil." Pausing, he took to carefully drawing the weapon at his side–clutching it tight in front of him with the flats of the white blade facing him and the phoenix before him. “My sword... I cannot recall its name. But I swear to you, our combined strength is yours. Whatever task you give me, I will see it through…"

“It seems it was worth bringing you here after all." Lord made a face distantly reminiscent of a yawn, beak stretching into a smile.“Your servitude is accepted. Welcome to the Phantom Tower, and my flock, young one."

All at once the beasts around him disappeared, except for one. With a roiling mane of pure water, a color deep as the ocean, and one that near perfectly matched Kalil's own hair and eyes, the canine-like beast roared, before lunging toward him.

Out of pure instinct Kalil attempted to raise his blade against the attacking monster, but instead found the creature harmless as it simply phased through–turning to ash and dust–entering his body.

He blinked and stepped back, a gasp caught in his throat as a foreign power surged through his body, like a torrent–boiling over within him.

The youth spared a hesitant glance to the feathered beast, feeling his stomach turn as he struggled to maintain his balance. “W-What's happening..?"

“Your current body is... unsuitable for your new calling. This new one will be much more up to the task." Lord answered curtly, lifting up its head to stare at the now-transforming human in clear anticipation.

He winced, staggering to his knees with a groan as he was unable to remain steady any further, sword clattering to the floor as it slipped from his aching fingers. “B-But... what am I becoming?"

“Something more."

His skin began to blacken, hair lengthening to the back and sides of his neck; becoming a great mane. He could feel the sublime power tear through him like a shroud–tanned skin rifled with darkened patches, eyes and teeth clenching tight as claws jutted from his fingertips.

It felt as if his whole body was going to explode from the sheer might of this overflowing power. His tunic and cloak were already straining against him, impossibly hot, face caked with sweat, the parted bangs of his hair clinging to his face, the new mane of blue cascading over his shoulders.

His vision expanded as two more eyes opened up and joined his existing pair on the sides of his head, their corneas a deep sea-green. Two nubs, formed at the base of his waist, growing swiftly into two long tails.

The transforming youth gasped–disoriented as he blinked with a new pair of eyes, nearly falling over on his side–before gagging as a long, thick tongue spilled from his mouth. With black clawed hands, he struggled to undo the verdant cloak around his shoulders–giving up entirely as he ran the sharpened digits clean through before tossing it aside. His tunic clung impossibly tight against his enlarging torso, the tight sleeves preventing his arms from being able to slip free.

A roar rumbled deep in his chest, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his fingertips itch with the desire to strike. The garment finally snapped as another set of arms burst forth from his sides, blackening and morphing into beast-like limbs.

His head began to feel heavier as two thick black tendrils began to grow from the sides of his face, expanding forward akin to horns yet completely prehensile.

The sensations were utterly alien–beyond mortal comprehension. His mouth–no, his maw extended outwards with a thick crack–the claws of both sets of arms digging into the top of the walkway as his horn-tendrils and twin tails wriggled and writhed alongside him.

His legs surged with power, thickening; stretching the tattered remains of the lower half of his tunic and shorts which still attempted to maintain modesty. His boots strained against his growing feet, the outline of the growing digits beginning to bulge outwards.

All this, and Kalil could naught but try to lift his head to spare a glance to the feathered beast with his two pairs of eyes, the changes unrelenting.

“Mhm, you are progressing well. You are unusually compatible with the blessings of the Phantom Tower. This is a form I have not seen any other soul take as well... Do continue to intrigue me."

The remnants of his clothes were all but tatters as his skin was now covered in a strange substance, not quite fur, not quite ash.

“I won't... f-fail you... mmpfh–!"

He moaned, back arching and tails rising as the waist of his tunic and shorts tore to shreds, three large clawed toes exploding from his boots, the tattered, confining remains of the leather footwear quickly kicked away as he squirmed against the ground.

Lifting one of his clawed digits and clenching his maw, he nipped at the fabric of the loincloth at his crotch–letting it fall to a heap as he fully let himself be exposed to the cool air, curling his tails together with a series of pants.

“It seems that you won't indeed."

His mane seemed to dissolve, fur turning into strong tidal waters that flowed angrily, akin to the seas themselves during a harsh storm.

It was unlike anything he'd ever felt. Nothing like the dryness of scales, the softness of fur, or the plainness of his soft skin. It was as though he was made of the water itself–a physical embodiment of it.

But the gentle coolness, both from the waves and breeze was offset by the heat which stirred in his loins, now exposed. One of his lower arms moved to grasp at it, a quivering breath leaking past his jaws as he rolled to his back, chest rising and falling as he gave a tight squeeze.

“Hmph. It seems you're already getting distracted. We'll have to rectify that sooner rather than later."

With a clench of its talons, Kalil rasped as a dense layer of ash-like material coated his groin, leaving nothing but a visible bulge that formed a ridge between his legs.

“Mmf, not yet…" He whimpered, tracing his claws futilely against the substance encompassing his crotch, deriving only a fraction of the pleasure from before. “Hah…"

Still, after a few moments, he took to pushing himself up with a groan–the hand of one arm still clutching his bulge, whilst he lifted another to hold it in front of his face, lowering it as he shifted his gaze to scan his new form, clenching his toes, swishing his tails, and moving the horned-tendrils at his face in evident admiration.

His physique had grown larger, and as he lifted the nameless sword he'd awoken alongside within this tower, it seemed no more than a dagger in his monstrous grasp.

“You will need your blade no longer when your claws will make swift work of all who defy my will. Though, you may retain it as a keepsake. Where to store it though...."

The blade hovered from his grasp, moving in front of him. For a moment it sat still, suspended–before pointing toward him blade-first, and lunging directly into his chest.

Kalil gasped harshly, expecting to feel the piercing sting of the tip at any moment. Instead it dispersed, much like the beast had, and he noticed his claws now contained a steel sheen not that unlike his sword.

Blinking, he gave his claws a curious flex–the shimmering white glint an echo of the brilliant white sword. Now it was truly part of him. Something he would never be without.

Slowly, he rose to his feet–the increase in size evident as he staggered forward, stilling with a breath as he steadied, grinding his bare heels into the floor to maintain balance, though not before kicking the tattered scraps of clothing behind him.

With a small smile, or as small of a smile he could muster with his maw, Kalil looked up to the white phoenix beast, giving another bow.

"I thank you... once more. I cannot express my gratitude enough, dear Lord..." He silently lifted his head to meet its eyes.

“Now that your transformation is complete. It is time for you to get to work my new servant. You will be a proud addition to my... no, our flock." Lord rose up, to deliver one last commanding roar. Its mighty wings spread gloriously high. Body shining with ethereal power. “There are prisoners to be kept in line, all escape must not be tolerated. Go on now, my beast."

Kalil flinched, though he did not shy away or shield his eyes from the creature's radiant aura–the sight far too beautiful for words.

“I am yours to command, the sword to cut down those who would threaten our flock."

With a nod, he stood proudly to full height, lifting his head high, spinning on his heels, before retreating his steps back down the walkway–mane of roiling waves flaring out behind him.