A few years ago, Cassandra, as a little girl, lived with her parents. Growing up, her mother was obsessed with her and forced her to be just like her.
One day, she combed her daughter's hair.
Cassandra muttered that she wanted to play outside.
Her mother ignored her pleas and remarked that her daughter had to be beautiful.
At that moment, Cassandra's father intervened and commented that his wife was beautiful. He wore a lab coat with a hood. He hugged his wife from behind, and she laughed. He argued that his daughter was nothing like her.
Her father rejected her.
His wife turned around and glared at him. She was angered, and she slapped him across the face.
Cassandra was startled.
Her father was hurt, and he apologized. He observed his daughter with disdain.
Cassandra's mother turned back to their daughter and muttered that everything would be alright. As she combed her hair, she claimed that her daughter was wonderful.
Cassandra had a blank expression.
As his wife hummed, Cassandra's father walked out of the room.
Cassandra's mother smiled and questioned what the difference between them and an ordinary human was. She inquired how she expected her to behave.
Cassandra answered that she had to be noble, one with a strong presence and one that would lead and relinquish all doubt.
Her mother coughed and exclaimed that she was correct, and she giggled. Her giggle turned into a maniacal laugh. She proclaimed that her daughter was perfect.
Cassandra glanced up at her. She was dressed like a princess, and her face was caked with makeup.
After some time, her mother was sick and bedridden.
Thus, Cassandra left her home in an adventure to look for her uncle as her father was never around.
If anything, his father saw her as a nuisance and wanted to get rid of her.
As a kid, she heard stories of the heroic deeds of her uncle, and she was committed to meet him. Her mother was sick, so she thought her uncle could help. In return, her parents would be nicer.
In a forest, she was deprived when she stumbled into him, Old Man Blacksmith.
Concerned for her, Old Man Blacksmith took her in and made her his apprentice.
Cassandra trained hard with her uncle.
Old Man Blacksmith realized that she was a prodigy as she learned quickly.
One day, Cassandra asked her uncle if he could cure the disease that her mother had conjured.
Unfortunately, Old Man Blacksmith admitted that he could not create miracles.
Just then, a boy, Pepe, stumbled into their cave.
Old Man Blacksmith also took him in as a student, and Pepe trained with Cassandra.
As her only fellow student, they grew closer to each other and became friends. Even though Cassandra was more talented than him, Pepe would consider her a rival of his.
When she fully recovered, Cassandra would return home, and she would secretly visit Old Man Blacksmith's cave to train.
Later, Old Man Blacksmith learned news that his sister-in-law had died. He left with Cassandra to attend the funeral.
At the funeral, Cassandra was surprised and saddened when she found out that her mother died.
As her father caught up with Old Man Blacksmith, he didn't notice her, hiding behind her uncle.
Cassandra was afraid to be seen by her father as he rejected her.
By the end of their conversation, her father noticed her and asked who she was.
Realizing that he didn't recognize her, Cassandra looked down and didn't answer.
Old Man Blacksmith replied that she was his remarkable apprentice.
With large eyebags under his eyes, her father suggested that she should be studying. He continued that she was wasting her time.
Old Man Blacksmith was appalled. He disagreed, and he asserted that she was talented. He was proud of her.
Cassandra raised her head and glanced towards Old Man Blacksmith. She had a faint smile on her face.
Old Man Blacksmith looked at her and smiled.
Her father, a little intrigued, thanked her for coming and chuckled. He walked away and left.
After the funeral, Old Man Blacksmith found out from a member of the family that Cassandra was his niece.
When he asked her if it was true, Cassandra confirmed that it was.
Old Man Blacksmith wondered why she did not tell him.
Cassandra admitted that she didn't know how to bring it up.
Old Man Blacksmith patted her shoulder and assured her not to worry about it.
When Cassandra returned home, her father was there, but her brother was missing.
In a room, her father grieved for the death of his wife.
When she approached him, she was madly kicked out of the house by her father, and he sent her away to her uncle. Thus, she stayed with her uncle.
In her next training session with Pepe, Pepe finally outdid Cassandra. However, he noticed that she wasn't herself, and he asked her what was wrong.
Cassandra sat on a rock and answered that her mother passed away.
Pepe sympathized for her.
Cassandra was confused and hurt. She also didn't understand why her father despised her. She wondered if she should just give up on her life. She questioned if her life was a waste, worthless with no purpose.
Pepe stood in front of her. He encouraged her to fight. He reminded her that she would always be special to him. He reached his hand out to her.
Surprised, Cassandra looked at him.
Pepe remarked that no matter what, he would stand by her.
Cassandra stared at his hand and thanked Pepe.
Just then, Old Man Blacksmith called out to them. He yelled that their food was ready, and they went inside.
A few years after the funeral, Cassandra continued training with Pepe. However, she started to look sick, and it started to feel as if her mind was becoming more feral as time passed.
One afternoon, she sparred with Pepe while Old Man Blacksmith supervised. All of a sudden, she felt fury build up inside of her, and her mind went blank.
The next thing she knew, Old Man Blacksmith pushed her away from an unrecognizable body on the floor.
Cassandra instinctively tried to bite him.
However, Old Man Blacksmith pushed her head away and locked her inside her room.
After a while, Cassandra calmed down. As drool fell down her chin, she rapidly wiped it off and smeared blood on her face. Her arms were covered in blood. She worried about what was wrong with her.
When Old Man Blacksmith checked on her, Cassandra got the urge to lunge and eat him, but she resisted.
Two days later, Cassandra sat by the door in her dark room and heard his uncle explaining to Pepe that she was becoming a zombie. She was devastated. She stared at herself in a mirror and hated what she had become.
In the days inside the room, Cassandra discovered her regeneration and a unique transformation when she drank her own blood. It satiated her hunger, but she would get more feral. Her body was more flexible but more fragile than before, as well. She slowly grew in size.
During that time, Old Man Blacksmith took in more students, and Pepe walked past her room during their tour.
While her uncle and Pepe were gone, Cassandra grew bigger and bigger. Eventually, she got so big that the room could not contain her. She grabbed one of her uncle's daggers and broke out. She wandered to the outside of the forest.
Normal zombies followed her around and declared their love for her.
However, Cassandra couldn't care anymore because her life was now ruined.
Word about her spread around the zombie community.
Cassandra received a message, from a messenger zombie, to visit Zombie King and Zombie Queen, so she paid them a visit.
After being left alone by her parents and locked away by her master, what was next for Cassandra? Why was she turned into a zombie?