By the time Felix finally managed to return to his humanoid form, the sky outside had turned into a curtain of deep indigo streaked with glowing city lights. Though the victory of his return to a humanoid appearance took a bit of a nosedive when he noticed the “souvenirs” left behind through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room—most notably, the ears and tail. Despite his best efforts, the silky white cat ears stubbornly peeked out from his silvery mane, twitching every now and then with an annoyingly lifelike vigor. Meanwhile, the plume-like tail continued to swish restlessly behind him.

“This is just great,” Felix glared at his reflection in the glossy windows before muttering again through gritted teeth, “Okay, just focus again. No ears. No tail. Just be…normal. Come on!”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut in concentration for the nth time.

After several more moments of grunting, straining, and focusing as hard as he could (complete with several butchered yoga poses that would’ve looked ridiculous to anyone watching) he gave up. Dropping to the floor in a dramatic sprawl, he rested his cheek on the plush carpet, staring at his reflection in a daze.

“This is the worst,” he grumbled to no one in particular.

The ears flicked irritably at him, as if in a mocking response. Rolling his eyes, Felix turned over to face the other way, tail curling around him like an overly fluffy boa.

After a few minutes of staring defeated at nothing in particular, Felix noticed the corner of a messy stack of papers poking out from beneath the coffee table he was facing. As the only thing that was not meticulously organized in this apartment, his curiosity was instantly piqued. So he stretched a hand out to grab the stack, his tail swishing idly behind him. As he pulled the papers into view, he immediately noticed two cards clipped neatly at the top. 

The first was a sleek student ID labeled with the words Ivory Sanctuary in script and under it a green crest with motifs of lion-headed serpents, white roses and green pines. On the back was his photo and name along with the years 2006-2024, supposedly the amount of time he had been there. And the second was an official city ID for Mzia that was made of a strange material, transparent and hard like crystal, embossed with a shimmering gold insignia that gave Felix various helpful knowledge.

Name: Felix Bloodstone
Species: Felimorphus daemonica
Address: 700 Sphinx Tower Apt. 33B, Mzia Capital, Mzia
Regal One Power Rank: A-level

The events of the morning replayed in his mind, each strange detail weaving a tapestry that made up this bizarre new reality. The unfamiliar body. The surreal voice message and call. The peculiar apartment. The city outside.

“Okay, well if it isn’t any clearer this is no longer Earth,” he muttered, flipping through the documents. “Now let’s see what sort of mess this world’s ‘Felix Bloodstone’ has left me in.”

His attention was quickly drawn to the profiles beneath the IDs. Each one was accompanied by a professional headshot of a human, their names printed in bold letters at the top.

“Wait a second…” Felix’s eyes narrowed as he shuffled through the papers. “Are these…my pets?”

He skimmed the first page, his eyebrows climbing higher with every line.

Profile 1: Virgil St. Lilith

Age: 22
Gender: Male
Height: 181cm
Weight: 67kg
Blood Type: AB

“Highly intelligent but socially challenged. Excels in strategy and logical reasoning. Known for a sharp wit, but prone to laziness and the occasional ‘morbid tendencies.’”

The photo featured a smiling man with sharp, angular features framed by wavy chocolate brown hair and narrow eyes the color of whiskey. The smile did not reach his eyes.

“Morbid tendencies? What does that even mean?” Felix muttered, squinting at the paper. He leaned in closer, as if the photo might somehow reveal the answer. “Does he spend his free time brooding over existential crises or something?”

He flipped the page over, half-expecting to find additional notes about Virgil’s hobbies, maybe something ominous like “collecting cursed objects” or “writing haikus about death.” Instead, there was just more bureaucratic jargon.

Felix sighed and glanced back at the profile. The smile in the photo was unsettling in its precision, as if it had been constructed for the camera rather than offered naturally.

“That’s not a ‘happy to be here’ smile,” Felix said, holding up the paper to the light as if inspecting it for hidden subtext. “That’s a ‘you’re already losing at chess and don’t even know it’ smile.”

Despite the sardonic tone of his thoughts, Felix felt a flicker of genuine curiosity. Strategy and logical reasoning were undeniably useful traits, especially in a world as dangerous as this one. If nothing else, having someone who could think ten steps ahead might be a blessing in disguise.

On the other hand, laziness and morbid tendencies sounded like a recipe for sarcasm, dark humor, and absolutely no help when dishes needed to be done.

Felix rested the profile back on the coffee table, shaking his head. “Well, at least he looks like he could star in a noir film,” he mused. “Maybe I’ll call him ‘Detective Whiskey Eyes.’”

Before moving on to the next page, Felix couldn’t help but mutter to himself. “Note to self: don’t leave sharp objects lying around with this one. Who knows what he might do…or write.”

Profile 2: Sorath Ariel Goodwine

Age: 21
Gender: Male
Height: 185cm
Weight: 71kg
Blood Type: B

“Charismatic and quick-witted. Displays a natural talent for cooking, grooming, and creative endeavors. Prone to bending rules and evading formal structures.”

The photo depicted a smirking man with striking good looks, shoulder length black curls that was artfully disheveled, and pale blue eyes that stood out against an olive complexion. He exuded a roguish charm that practically leapt off the page.

“Charismatic and quick-witted,” Felix read aloud, leaning back into the couch. “Okay, so he’s the guy who talks his way out of trouble.” His gaze darted back to the photo, and he raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Or into it, judging by that smirk.”

He scanned further down the page. “Displays a natural talent for cooking, grooming, and creative endeavors.”

“Well, that’s promising,” Felix muttered. “At least I won’t have to subsist on only milk and tuna.” He certainly didn’t know how to cook. Any self-respecting college boy lived on take-out and frozen food.

But as he continued reading, his optimism wavered. ‘Prone to bending rules and evading formal structures.’

“Ah, there it is.” Felix snorted. “Of course, the one guy who can cook is also the guy who’s going to be a complete nightmare to control. Why does he sound like the type who’d steal my credit card and max it out on a whim?”

He glanced at the photo again. Those pale blue eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement, as if the man was already laughing at him. “Peachy. I can feel the chaos radiating off him through the paper.”

Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair—and pausing briefly when his fingers brushed one of his stubborn cat ears. “Knowing my luck, he’ll probably charm his way out of every mess he causes. And I’ll be the one left cleaning it up.”

“Well,” Felix said with a resigned shrug, setting the profile back on the coffee table. “Here’s hoping his cooking skills are worth the headaches he’s clearly going to give me.”

He hesitated, then added under his breath, “And that he doesn’t burn the kitchen down before I figure out how to turn on the fire suppression system.”

Profile 3: Thel Malvolio Rosary

Age: 20
Gender: Male
Height: 191cm
Weight: 80kg
Blood Type: O

“Ambitious and disciplined. A top graduate from the Ivory Sanctuary of Mzia’s attached secondary school for humans. Has strong leadership skills and work ethic but may show symptoms of a superiority complex.”

The photo showed a classically handsome young man, with black coiffed curls neatly parted to the side, pale skin and carnelian eyes. His piercing gaze and upright posture gave off the air of someone who was quite judgmental and also took himself way too seriously.

Felix read the profile twice, then a third time, as if expecting the text to change into something less…daunting. His silvery-white ears twitched in disbelief, and his tail, which had been lazily draped over his lap, gave an irritable flick.

“Superiority complex?” he muttered, leaning closer to the paper. “Well, that’s just perfect. This guy’s not only ambitious and disciplined—he’s also probably going to judge my every move making sure I’m being the best ‘owner’ I can be.”

He could already picture the looming presence of this dominating CEO wannabe in the apartment: perfectly organized, perfectly punctual, and perfectly intimidating. Just looking at the photo, those carnelian eyes practically drilled into him, filled with an intensity that made Felix feel like he’d already failed some unspoken test. The man’s perfectly coiffed hair and upright posture screamed “high expectations.”

“Oh, fuck,” Felix said, throwing up his hands. “A judgmental overachiever. I can already hear the condescending sighs every time I mess something up.” He shook his head, mimicking an exaggeratedly snide voice. “‘Honestly, and you call yourself a grown man—um, cat—how do you even function?’”

There was one last page, and Felix prayed for a simple character. Three difficult personalities were already too much for him to handle. Unfortunately, his prayers fell on deaf ears.

Profile 4: Albrecht Thierry Luce Fitzgerald

Age: 22
Gender: Male
Height: 189cm
Weight: 78kg
Blood Type: O

“Optimistic and determined. Dreams of finding the ‘perfect owner’ and believes in the power of wealth. Dislikes rejection and can be proud and boastful.”

“Oh,” Felix said, dragging the word out as he read the description aloud. He paused, staring at the paper. “Proud and boastful? You don’t say. That grin alone looks like it could power an entire city.”

The man in the image practically radiated confidence—or maybe it was overconfidence. His perfectly combed blonde hair shimmered like gold under the camera’s light, and his wide, toothy grin seemed less friendly and more…challenging. As if he knew some joke Felix wasn’t in on. The way his chin tilted upward, combined with the glint in his clear green eyes, screamed: Look at me, I’m the main character of life, and you’re just here to admire me.

Felix set the documents down and leaned back, rubbing his temples. “So, let me get this straight. This guy is basically a walking ego who’s out here hunting for his dream cat. Wonderful. Just wonderful. And what happens if I’m not his idea of perfect? Does he pack up his gold hair and sparkly smile and walk out?”

He glanced back at the photo and groaned. “And what’s with that smile? Who smiles like that? It’s not even a normal smile—it’s like he’s trying to sell me life insurance or something. Bet he practices it in the mirror every morning. ‘Hello, my name’s Albrecht ‘Pompous Names’ Fitzgerald, and I’m better than you in every conceivable way. Ask me how!’”

His tail slapped the couch as he leaped upward to pace in a frazzled manner. “He believes in the power of wealth? What does that even mean? Is he out here solving all his problems by throwing money at them? Because let me tell you, buddy, I have a lot of problems, and I don’t think your sparkling personality or a sack of cash is going to fix them.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

But gradually Felix slowed down, and as if trying to convince himself, he muttered, “Optimistic and determined, huh? Alright, I guess there are worse traits to have. At least he’s not going to be moping around all day. And maybe that arrogance is just confidence taken up a notch. Maybe he’s…encouraging or something.”

Felix moved over to the couch and shuffled the documents into a neat stack, placing them on the coffee table in clear sight so he doesn’t forget them tomorrow, uh, this morning. Then he reached up and clutched at his cat ears, letting out a long, pained groan. 

“Just why did the original me choose these guys?!”

AN: This is a product of a tentacle wielding plot bunny. Please let me know what you think! I enjoy hearing speculations, ideas, even wishes on what readers might want to see more of!