Jeff stared at the Chronivac emitter in his hands, his mind racing with possibilities. While scrolling through the list of options on his computer screen, he pondered his first transformation. Suddenly, the device lit up, scanning his surroundings. Before he could react, a whirring noise filled the room.
"Whoa, what's happening?" Jeff muttered to himself, trying to decipher the glowing symbols on the device.
Before his eyes, energy coalesced into a small, anthropomorphic fox cub. The creature's details formed in layers—the soft fur appearing first, followed by bushy, triangular ears, and a pair of expressive eyes. The fox cub was outfitted in a hoodie splashed with vibrant colors, a baseball cap perched askew on his head. He wore slightly baggy pants tucked into sturdy boots, a can of spray paint hanging from his belt. His look was completed by a pair of reflective goggles.
Jeff's jaw dropped.
The fox cub opened his eyes, zeroing in on Jeff with unsettling precision. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled, his voice sharp and aggressive.
Without warning, the fox lunged at Jeff, slamming him against the nearest wall. Jeff braced himself for the impact, but felt nothing. Instead, his vision skewed and he realized, with mounting horror, that he had become fused with the wall itself. His body frozen, only his consciousness remained intact, providing him a static view of the room.
"What... what is this?! I can see everything," Jeff thought in panic.
The fox cub, now more menacing up close, leaned in, inspecting his work with a satisfied smirk. "Who are you?" he demanded again, annoyance in his voice. When Jeff didn’t respond, mainly because he couldn’t, the fox’s expression darkened.
"Not talking, huh? Fine, let's fix that." The fox extended a paw into the painting, effortlessly pulling Jeff’s head out into the three-dimensional world. Jeff’s eyes widened in sheer terror.
"Speak," the fox growled, his claws grazing Jeff’s cheek.
Jeff stammered, "I-I’m Jeff! Please, I don’t know what’s happening!"
The fox scoffed. "Names Vandal, by the way," he said, still holding Jeff’s head firmly. "Now, explain yourself."
Jeff gulped. "It’s this device! It’s called the Chronivac. It lets you change people and stuff. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!"
Vandal tilted his head, looking mildly interested. "So this little gizmo can do all that? Sounds like fun!" he teased, pulling out his spray can. "But I don’t need your Chronivac," he sneered.
With malicious intent, Vandal pushed Jeff’s head back into the wall, rendering him a motionless painting once more. Jeff's vision remained clear, but he felt his sense of self slipping further into the wall-bound prison.
Vandal shook his spray can, the rattle unnervingly loud. He aimed it at the wall, adding cat ears to Jeff’s painted form. The spray instantly transformed into reality as he pulled Jeff’s head out again, this time adorned with real, twitching cat ears.
"See? I've got all the tools I need," Vandal said with a sinister grin. Jeff’s newfound feline ears flattened against his head in fear.
Jeff's voice quivered, "Please, you don't have to do this! Let me go!"
Vandal merely chuckled darkly. "That's a cute request, kitty. But no can do. You're my new canvas."