The Wall of Beasts:
When any creature passes through the archway, regardless of its kind,
it shall gain a new body resembling that of a human.
But if a human, no matter how high or low their station,
passes through the archway, they shall gain a new body resembling a beast.
Titles and ranks will beco nothing but skin upon their forms,
and their true character will be the asure of how beastly
they truly are.
.....
"What does this even an?" Siegfried exclaid, confusion evident in his voice. The phrase how beastly they truly are echoed repeatedly in his mind as his body continued its inexplicable transformation.
"I think it ans we're turning into…"
Chang Long's voice trailed off as both she and Siegfried suddenly began to glow brightly. Two soft thuds followed, and Chang Long blinked in confusion, realizing her head had hit the ground. Next to her was a small Labrador puppy with light brown fur, its front paw rubbing its head in pain.
'Where did this dog co from?' Chang Long wondered with confusion. She rembered that only she, Siegfried, and the swan pair-turned-humans had been there. Panic set in as she looked around for Siegfried but could not find him. When she glanced back at the puppy, it was staring at her with a look of shock that matched her own.
"Woof!" The puppy barked. Chang Long flinched, and even the puppy seed startled by its own bark.
"owww~"
Chang Long tried to call Siegfried's na, but the sound that ca out was a cat's ow. The Labrador puppy and a black-furred Ragdoll cat stared at each other in disbelief. They had truly transford into animals. What were they supposed to do? With their voices had turning into animal sounds, how were they going to talk to soone or as for help?
"Huh, it seems the two humans who ca to help us have turned into a puppy and a kitten,"
White observed, stepping away from Black's injured form to pick up the two small creatures.
"Take them back with us, White. I'm sure Queen Anna will know how to help them,"
Black suggested. White nodded, handing Chang Long—the kitten—to his partner and carrying the puppy himself.
The swans began their journey through the dark park, led by the guiding flas that belonged to Chang Long and Siegfried, now reduced to small, fur-covered forms.
At the Central Lake, Queen Anna waited in a waterside pavilion, as if she already knew that Chang Long and Siegfried had succeeded in finding the two swans. As dawn broke, the white and black swans reverted to their original forms, leaving Chang Long and Siegfried to walk on their own again. The swans led them nimbly through the winding paths of Dunne Royal Conservatory, eventually reaching the main path paved with gray stones.
"owww! (How much farther?)"
Chang Long called out, exhausted. Her tiny paws were on the verge of giving up, and she could not take another step.
"Woof, woof. (Hang in there, we're almost there.)"
Siegfried barked back after glancing up to look for a signpost. But Chang Long's eyes widened, and she collapsed onto the ground dramatically, making it clear she was not going anywhere without a break. Siegfried turned to look at the two swans walking far ahead, showing no sign of waiting for them. With a sigh, he walked over to the little black cat and nudged her gently with his head to get her to stand. Instead of cooperating, Chang Long went limp and rolled over playfully, thoroughly enjoying rolling along to his pushes.
"C... Chang Long, please don't play around. Those swans are getting farther away."
Siegfried stamred, blinking in disbelief as the little cat made a ga out of his efforts.
"I'm tired, my paws hurt, and I'm not walking anymore. Got it?"
Chang Long declared, her large, round, bright eyes fixed on the little Labrador with a stare that made Siegfried's resolve lt unexpectedly.
"B... But if we slow down, how will we return to normal?"
Siegfried whined softly. He wanted to complete the quest and find help quickly, but he also could not bear to force Chang Long to do sothing she did not want.
"Right. In that case!"
Siegfried suddenly exclaid, catching Chang Long's attention.
"ow?"
"Get on my back, Chang Long. You can rest while I carry you, and we'll still keep up with the swans."
Siegfried's suggestion made Chang Long blink in surprise, hesitating. A kitten riding on a puppy's back sounded like an absurd sight. Even so, before she could decide, the Labrador lay down, ready for her to climb aboard.
"Are you sure you can handle it?"
Chang Long sat up and tilted her head in doubt.
"Of course. I'm strong as can be,"
Siegfried replied with confidence.
"Well, alright,"
Chang Long said after a mont of deliberation, finally climbing onto his back.
Once the demanding little kitten was settled, the puppy rose and carefully began walking forward.
"La la la~"
To Siegfried's surprise, Chang Long started humming a tune. His ears perked up in bewildernt—it was the first ti he had ever heard her hum.
"Chang Long, are you in a good mood? You're humming,"
he asked, feeling strangely cheerful himself.
"Huh? I am? I didn't even realize,"
Chang Long replied, equally surprised.
"You are. It's nice, too,"
Siegfried said, his tone bright.
"Really? Now that you ntion it, I guess I do feel pretty good. Riding on your back like this is actually kind of fun."
"Woof…"
Siegfried blushed at her reply, feeling flustered but pleased. Determined to keep her in a good mood, he focused on walking smoothly. Soon, as their conversation trailed off, Chang Long began humming again. Though, her tune sounded more like the soft grumbles of a cat complaining than an actual lody.
It took so ti for Chang Long and Siegfried to adjust to understand each other's words. At first, they were stiff as statues, filled with fear and uncertainty. Their attempts to communicate sounded like chaotic barking and owing. However, once they cald down and tried again, they discovered that, despite being different species, they could understand each other perfectly.
Not only that, but they could also understand the other animals in Dunne Royal Conservatory. Chang Long's Animal Language Skill leveled up to 5, and Siegfried, despite the misfortune, gained the skill as well.
"Hey, look. A weird pair—a dog and a cat together!"
A squirrel on a tree called out to its companion and other animals in the vicinity to look. Startled, Chang Long and Siegfried looked around and saw several squirrels laughing. Annoyed, Chang Long hissed at them imdiately.
"What's so funny? Don't let get my original body back, or I'll skewer you all and roast you on a stick!"
Chang Long yelled angrily at the squirrels.
"Oooh~ so scary. Why don't you climb up here first, kitty-cat? ow, ow. Hahaha." The squirrel laughed so hard it did not notice when it had lost its footing and fell from the tree, landing directly in front of Chang Long and Siegfried.
Chang Long leapt down from Siegfried's back and approached the squirrel, still dazed from the fall. As the squirrel looked up, it paled in terror, seeing the little black cat standing over it. It tried to scramble away, but Chang Long pinned its tail with her paw.
"Look at that—no need to climb the tree. A snack just fell right into my paws."
Chang Long said with a sinister tone, causing the squirrel's eyes to widen in panic. It turned toward the kind-looking Labrador puppy with a hopeful look, silently pleading for Siegfried to save it. Siegfried sighed, looking at the squirrel's tearful eyes. He walked over to Chang Long, and the squirrel's hopes soared, believing the puppy would negotiate its release.
"Good boy, kind puppy. Thank you for saving ,"
the squirrel cried out joyfully. However, upon hearing the words good boy, Siegfried's desire to help vanished instantly. Walking to Chang Long, he said to her,
"One squirrel probably isn't enough to fill us up."
The squirrel's expression froze in sheer shock. It could not believe the seemingly kind puppy was now part of the snack conspiracy.
"Eek! Let go. Crazy cat. Stupid dog. You can't eat !"
The squirrel shrieked, causing Chang Long to laugh uncontrollably.
"What are you laughing at? Is it funny that I'm about to die? Crazy cat. Crazy, crazy, crazy!"
the squirrel yelled in a tirade. Chang Long exhaled through her nose and released the squirrel's tail. The squirrel wasted no ti running back to the base of the tree from which it had fallen, not caring to know the reason she let it go.
"Who'd want to eat you. You sll terrible,"
Chang Long muttered, shaking her head. Siegfried chuckled as the squirrel, visibly shaken, began sniffing itself in disbelief.
"Hey, you two. Hurry up. We're almost at the central lake!"
White called out, returning to fetch them. Chang Long and Siegfried quickly followed the swans, leaving the squirrel behind.
At the Central Lake, a group of Queen Anna's soldiers and attendants waited near the waterside pavilion. Upon receiving a report the swans had been found, the queen imdiately walked to the swan. Looking around however, she could not find the two who had received her quest. All she could see were a playful puppy and a seemingly annoyed cat.
"Black, White, you've returned. I'm so happy."
The queen threw her arms around the swans, tears streaming down her cheeks. The swans wept as well, they had also missed her.
"But where are the two who helped you? Why aren't they with you?"
Queen Anna asked, looking around for the man and a woman who had offered to go on a quest to search for her swans. Black and White gestured toward the small dog and cat sitting not far away, but Queen Anna did not notice. Instead, she walked over to Chang Long and Siegfried, now in their animal forms, and picked them up for a closer look, her expression full of fondness. The two tried to communicate, hoping the queen would realize they were the very people she was looking for. However, their bodies were that of furry animals, a dog and a cat.
"How strange. Where could those two be? If they got lost and accidentally passed through the Wall of Beasts, it could be disastrous,"
Queen Anna murmured as she held Chang Long, now a kitten, close to her chest. Upon hearing this, Chang Long let out a loud, protesting ow, wildly waving her paws and pointing at herself while nodding. anwhile, Siegfried, who had been set down on the ground, barked loudly and started running in circles around the queen, catching everyone's attention.
Queen Anna looked between the kitten in her arms and the little Labrador spinning at her feet. Her amused smile faded, replaced by a growing sense of dread. Picking up Chang Long, she examined her closely for the first ti and noticed a small white wristwatch, strapped to the cat's right paw.
A wristwatch was not sothing a normal cat would have. It was an item exclusive to adventurers (players) who probably ran into so incident and had lost their human forms. In their case, the incident was probably them passing through the Wall of Beasts archway.
"You…"
Queen Anna whispered in disbelief, her voice trembling.
"Did you pass through the Wall of Beasts?"
The Ragdoll kitten hung her head in defeat and sighed, nodding as if to say, 'that's exactly what I've been trying to tell you.' The queen and her attendants were stunned. Siegfried barked once and wagged his tail, sitting obediently as if to confirm the queen's suspicions.
"Kitten, are you Chang Long?"
Queen Anna asked.
"ow!"
Chang Long owed in affirmation.
"Then that puppy… must be Siegfried."
She turned to the Labrador who was sitting and wagging his tail. Siegfried barked happily. He was relieved that soone had finally realized what had happened to them, cursed by the Wall of Beasts to turn into a dog and a cat. The two had been worried that if no one recognized their plight, they might never find a way to break the curse and would have to continue playing the ga in their animal forms.
"Oh… I can't believe this. What have you two done? Do you have any idea how difficult it will be to fully reverse this curse? Well, at least the quest I gave you was a success. Now it's up to you to figure out how to break the curse. I believe Elder Gareb might know how to lift the Wall of Beasts' curse. You, take the swans to the central lake. Let's head back to Ark City." quest
The queen turned to her attendants, issuing further instructions.
"Players Siegfried and Chang Long have successfully completed the Tear of Swans quest. You may collect your rewards at the Ark City Palace."
With Queen Anna's words, the system announcent rang out, confirming their success. Chang Long and Siegfried sighed in relief—a sight that looked comical, as no one had ever seen a dog and cat sigh before.
Queen Anna led the group out of Dunne Royal Conservatory. anwhile, the pair's pets, left behind at the park's entrance, looked toward the gate in unison. Though they could sll their masters' familiar scent, they could not see even a shadow of them anywhere.
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