transformation · cephalopod · genetic integration · body horror · hybrid species · predatory · aquatic · non-human · sci-fi
**The water is black and still, a mirror for the overhanging trees. Beneath its surface, something ancient and knowing watches. Legends say that to join with one of them is to accept a gift—or a curse—of one to three genetic fragments. Gather enough, and the change begins: skin that dances with color, lungs that learn to filter water, limbs that are both yours and not. The threshold is here. How far into these depths will you step?**