Chapter 3:
The mathematics lecture hall was abuzz with the murmur of students settling in for the morning class. The drone of the professor's voice was nearly drowned out by the undercurrent of whispered conversations and the shuffling of papers. Ethan was lounging at the back, surrounded by his friends, regaling them with anecdotes from the weekend, utterly detached from the lesson at hand.
Sophia, Ava, and Olivia sat together, exchanging furtive glances, while Luna sat a few rows behind, her gaze fixed on Ethan with an enigmatic expression.
"Mr. Harwood!" The sharp call from Mrs. Jensen, the math professor, sliced through the chatter. "Since you find your social life so much more engaging, perhaps you'd like to share your insights on the problem on the board?"
A collective hush fell over the room. Ethan looked up, his face the picture of feigned innocence. "Of course, Mrs. Jensen," he said smoothly, starting to stand. But as he rose, a tingling sensation began to crawl up his spine.
"What the—" Ethan's words caught in his throat as his voice began to deepen, morphing into a guttural growl that reverberated through the stunned classroom.
The transformation was gradual at first. His fingers elongated, nails sprouting into pointed claws that pierced through the fabric of his gloves with a series of sharp snaps. His friends recoiled in horror as the changes escalated.
His body began to expand, muscles bulging and bones reshaping with audible cracks and pops that made the students near him shuffle away in a mix of fear and disbelief. The seams of his shirt strained, giving way with tearing sounds as scales, iridescent and as dark as midnight, emerged on his skin.
Ethan's face contorted, his jaws stretching wide, teeth sharpening into fangs that tore through his cheeks, spilling droplets of blood that sizzled on the floor. His eyes, once a piercing blue, now glowed a fierce gold, and his hair receded into his scalp, which now began to sprout coarse, bristling spikes.
With a roar that shook the windows, Ethan's back erupted, shredding his shirt as two colossal, bat-like wings unfurled, knocking over desks and sending students scrambling for the exits. His pants, unable to contain the girth of his changing form, burst at the seams, revealing legs now structured with the powerful haunches and talons of a beast.
His shoes exploded in a flurry of leather and laces as his feet transformed into the hind claws of a dragon, each stomp resonating through the classroom like thunder. The transformation was nearly complete.
"Help me!" Ethan's voice was no longer human, but a cacophony of roars and whimpers, the sounds of a creature caught between two worlds.
Mrs. Jensen, petrified, could only gape as the dragon that was once Ethan spread its wings, the tips scraping the ceiling. Books and papers whirled in the vortex created by his new form.
As the chaos ensued, Luna stepped forward, her presence commanding silence. "Ethan," she said, her voice steady and clear, "you must calm yourself. Accept what you have become."
The dragon's eyes, wild with fear, met Luna's. In them, there was a flicker of understanding, a plea for help.
The girls looked on, their expressions a mixture of awe and horror at the power they had unwittingly unleashed. They had wanted justice, not this... monstrosity.
The classroom, now a tableau of destruction and shock, held its breath as Ethan, the dragon, let out a whimpering growl, his massive head bowing before Luna's unflinching gaze.
The spell had been cast, and there was no turning back.