A flash of green light emanated from the watch and engulfed Ben.
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Transformation sequence — Duration: 0.00 seconds
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In a flash, his skin transformed into dark red volcanic rock. Ben's consciousness flickered — some senses dissolving while others blazed to life. Cracks spread instantly across his body, bursting into living flames.
Heat flooded through him, not burning but belonging, as fragments of instincts sparked: the urge to burn, to consume, to reduce everything to ash. His clothes vanished as a blaze erupted from his head, rising about twenty centimeters high like a wild, dancing crown.
Weight shifted and density changed as his eyes disappeared, leaving behind fiery sockets that glowed with intense heat. The watch melted away from his wrist, and a new dial with the same symbol ( 〉〈 ) materialized in the center of his burning chest.
The strangest part: nothing felt strange. It was like becoming another version of what he'd always been.
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The green light that triggered this change faded, leaving only the fierce orange glow of his flaming body.
Ben looked at his hands — they were bigger, rockier, hotter, on fire!
The carpet turned charred black at his feet.
Why doesn't it hurt me? Why do my senses feel different?! In any case…
He ran toward the RV's open door, his fiery footsteps leaving scorched marks across the carpet. As he burst outside, each step onto the grass left blackened, charred patches spreading outward from where his feet touched the ground.
Let's not set our only way of travel on fire… Well… WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?
He gripped his head.
A shout erupted from the campsite. "Look! What is this thing?!"
Ben turned. "Don't worry, I can expl—"
"A DEMON! Call the police!"
So it can get worse!
He ran toward the forest.
Two minutes later, Ben stood at the edge of what used to be a peaceful forest, watching orange flames devour the treeline he had just entered.
Right. He stared at his flaming hands, then at the growing inferno. Fire plus forest equals…
The screaming from the campsite was getting louder.
Maybe I should've thought this through.
Ben glanced around at the spreading flames, then noticed the fire stopping at the many stone paths cutting through the trees like firebreaks. The campsite behind him was cleared land too, safe from the blaze.
So it can get far worse… If only I could fix it. Or not, since doing something equals a bad thing happening.
Yet he'd sensed an instinct from the moment he transformed. He extended his right hand toward the burning forest. A jet of flame suddenly launched from his hand, striking the trees and making them burst into even brighter flames.
In retrospect, it might have been obvious… I give up.
"THE DEMON RETURNED!"
A few minutes later, Ben ran down a stone path until he stopped short. In front of him flowed a stream of water.
The only place where it can't get worse.
He dropped to his knees and plunged his hands into the flowing water. Steam erupted, the water boiling endlessly around his burning skin. The contact stung, a sharp discomfort that made him wince.
So I can't cool down…
He looked at his reflection in the water. The pointy hair he thought he saw in the black figure was the fire of his head.
Looks cool to be honest.
He puffed, releasing smoke.
Will I be in this form forever? Will I be chained as a monster? I refuse to live that way. I still have nothing worthwhile in my life and I intend to find it!
I just need to find a way…
He looked again at his reflection, glancing lower at his torso and noticing the dial symbol of the watch was present.
Maybe if I touch it…
He stopped when he thought of everything he did, only worsening the situation.
No, the risks are worthless.
He gently pressed the dial.
What's worse than staying in this form forever?
Suddenly, imitating the previous scene, a green flash emanated from the dial and engulfed him.
It worked!
His heartbeat quickened, then he exhaled in relief. Looking at his hands — they were back in flesh — he then looked at his clothes, still present.
They didn't burn? But they disappeared completely when I transformed.
Thinking about monsters…
He pressed the watch button and turned the dial.
So, 10 of those I can transform into… do they each have something special?
This is… this is… So cool!
There was a clear difference between transforming into a monster permanently and temporarily.
His thoughts about the watch quickly vanished as he thought of the biggest elephant in the room.
Why does Grandpa have this thing?! He's just an old plumber in his sixties. Monster transformation seems like overkill for unclogging toilets, and how is any of this even possible?!
Following a stone path, he ran back to the motorhome, the vehicle his grandfather called the Rust Bucket.
Before Ben could knock, the door swung open and a wrinkled hand gripped his arm. His grandfather yanked him inside and quickly closed the door behind them.
"Ben, what did you do?" Max said sternly.
"I looked into your belongings, which was a clear lack of respect. Sorry." Ben bowed, his tone and speech no-nonsense.
"It's irrelevant now. Did you set the forest on fire? Or more precisely, did the device on your wrist do it?"
"Yes," Ben said bluntly, his full attention on his grandfather.
"You did what?!" Gwen exclaimed as she took several steps back, but Max glanced at her with the unspoken order to shut up.
"So, Grandpa… care to explain what this device is, why you had it, why you were leaving this device — clearly important — without surveillance, and how to remove it (in case it's harmful)?"
His grandfather exhaled, then contemplated, then spoke. "I honestly don't know what this device does nor how to remove it. For the rest, I have no time to explain… nor do I want to." He murmured the last part but both cousins clearly heard him.
"Wait, what?"
"Anyway, kids, hang on." Max ran to the driver's seat and started the engine. Oddly, the engine roared even more wildly than usual as if there was a beast inside.
"What about the fire—" Gwen started to ask, but the RV's sudden acceleration threw her into the nearest seat as Ben scrambled for another. The Rust Bucket lurched forward with violent acceleration, throwing Ben off balance. He abandoned any hope of sitting, instead gripping whatever he could find as the vehicle rocketed away from the campsite.
"What is this watch, Ben?!" Gwen shouted over the roaring engine, her body pressed back against her seat by the force of acceleration, her hair whipping around her face. "How did you even manage to burn down the forest?!"
"Ask Grandpa! And it was an accident!" Ben yelled back as he fought to keep his grip while the Rust Bucket continued its mad burst of speed.
"Always an accident with you, Ben! Never taking responsibility for what you do!" Despite shouting, her condescending tone could perfectly be understood.
"You know, I could have another fire accident, but with you! So shut up!" Ben's grip loosened as the speeding Rust Bucket hit a road bump.
A silence passed.
"Do you think Grandpa will explain? He seems different." Ben finally shouted.
"Of course, he is trustworthy, unlike you…" She paused, unsure. "But he's got a lot of explaining to do, starting with the speed of the Rust Bucket."
"And how this watch can transform me into 10 monsters."
"Wait, what? This isn't the time for your jokes, Ben."
"Do I seem like I'm joking?" Ben looked at her sternly. "I literally transformed into a monster of rock, lava, and fire."
Gwen blinked several times, her expression growing more uneasy with each passing second.
"Did you take drugs?"
Ben blinked several times, his expression growing increasingly angry with each passing second.
"OF COURSE NOT—"
The Rust Bucket finally hit another road bump, and Ben's grip released.
Dozens of minutes later, Ben was on the ground of the Rust Bucket, panting, getting his bearings.
"This speed was over the top." He shook his head, then stood up, looking at his grandfather as his cousin was doing, her gaze alternating between him, his watch, and the driver board as she trembled in pure terror.
Ben decided to cut the silence.
"Explain yourself, Grandpa." There were too many questions to enumerate them all.
His grandfather was looking at a small screen on the driver board.
"You want an explanation? First, I saved us from this fate."
Ben frowned as he stepped forward, each step feeling wrong and heavy. He looked at the screen that was broadcasting the news.
Everyone and everything present in the Bellwood forest and their surroundings… were presumed dead, with further details awaiting.
Something churned in Ben's stomach, but he managed to keep it inside. His eyes widened as he looked at his grandfather. "What happened?!"
It couldn't be the fire. Ben shook his head — there were too many cleared areas and stone paths for anyone to die from his blaze.
"An explanation is irrelevant. Just keep in mind that something is after this watch…" His grandfather looked at his device. "Since we are still alive, I assume that it doesn't release a signal when not used… Keep it that way. Soon it will be off your wrist and everything will just be a bad dream." The Rust Bucket started again, but this time at a legal speed on the road.
Suddenly, the silent Gwen exclaimed. "What do you mean by bad dream, Grandpa? A few hundred are missing, presumed dead!"
Guilt filled Ben… before it vanished. It was Max's fault for leaving the device without surveillance! "Who are you? And why leave this device without surveillance? What is this device?"
The elderly man exhaled before stopping the vehicle on the roadside.
"Look, kids, I'm trying. It may seem bizarre and frightening, but the less you know, the better. In any case, remember that I'm here to protect you. We need to go to a certain place to get the watch removed."
"Where?"
"Mt. Rhumorse. It contains the necessary tools to remove the watch. Just… Stay calm."
Both cousins looked at his tired face. Fine. They wouldn't bother him… For now.
The Rust Bucket rolled again.
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Distance Bellwood - Mt. Rhumorse: 1'600 Kilometers
Distance covered: ~400 kilometers
Remaining distance: ~1'200 kilometers
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To be continued…