Boredom Vanquished

Liam Harriet was bored. Not kind of bored. Not bored in a way that you're bored until you watch a cat video, and then you're entertained. He was bored with everything. Life was boring.
"I think you're depressed" his best friend Jeff said as they were on lunch break.
"What do you mean depressed? I'm not depressed", Liam said in the manner of someone who was depressed.
"Oh, come on! Of course you are! I mean, you haven't even Logged On to WoW in the past week!"
Normally an avid MMO player, Liam really hadn’t even found the energy to care this past week, and it had been nearly a month since he’d genuinely enjoyed…well, anything.
“Yeah, well, maybe I just don’t enjoy gaming anymore”
With a false dramatic gasp, Jeff replies “And maybe pigs are flying. Look Liam, be honest. What’s the problem?”
Sighing and rubbing his Forehead, he says “Honestly…I’m not quite sure. I just wish there was something more. All of a sudden, he spies something hovering in the middle of the room that definitely shouldn’t be there. A ball of rainbow light with a swirl inside it, constantly spinning, in an almost hypnotic way.
“Hey Jeff?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you see that?”
“See What?” Jeff says, his eyes darting around the room as he’s looking for something invisible to all but Liam.
“Well, it’s a..uhh…” His eyes widen as the orb begins to vibrate and pulse.
“What? What is it Liam?” Jeff asks with a worried look.
“Well, I’m not sure how to describe it, it’s kind of a…” His eyes widen even more, and he leans backward a bit as he sees it begin to twitch and grow.
“L? You’re sort of freaking me out. What. Is. It?”
“I don’t know!” he quietly shouts. “It’s a-“ and then, with a simple popping sound, like a bubble bursting, the orb shatters and a blinding, searing light is branded into Liam’s eyes. “Aargh! OW!” he says, blinking several times and seeing that same swirl pattern. When his vision finally clears, all traces of the unidentified object are gone, and Jeff looks like he’s about to call a doctor. “Sorry Jeff, I guess it was just some kind of weird migraine or something”, Liam says, his ennui already returning.
“Okay, you had me worried there for a second man. I was about to call the insane asylum, heh heh”
“Yeah, very funny,” Liam replies in a way that suggests he didn’t find that funny at all. “It was nothing”, He says, and pauses. “Just…Nothing,” he sighs.
That night as Liam crawls into bed, the mysterious sight returns to the front of his mind. What was that? He thinks to himself. Was it a hallucination? A ghost? A UFO?! His eyebrows rise at the thought. Knowing my luck, it was probably a sign that I’m either going insane or dying of some rare disease. He chuckles humorlessly to himself, and then falls into an uneasy sleep. Liam finds himself in the most spectacular place he’s ever seen. All around are stars, galaxies, nebulae, and all manner of beautiful, cosmic sights. Wow, he thinks just wow. But uh…Where am I? As he ponders this for a moment, he hears a voice. It seems to be coming from all directions at once, and inside his head. The voice is rich and powerful, but with a definite feminine tone.
“Hello, young one”
He looks around quizzically, Who said that? He thinks.
“I did” the voice replies.
Woah! You can hear my thoughts?
“Of course I can.” The voice says, sounding a little amused.
Wow. That’s impressive. He thinks, forgetting how depressed he is. Still pondering, he thinks Oh! This is a dream then. In a more sad thought, this is a dream, not real.
The voice says serenely “This is indeed a dream, but it’s more real than anything you’ve ever experienced. You will return to where you’re going every night, and eventually, you will go there permanently.
'Well', he thinks 'I guess this will be fun while it lasts, so thanks mysterious dream voice.' By the way, do you have a name?
Sounding delighted to be asked this question, the voice replies “I am Horizon. The Spirit of everywhere, and everything, young one.”
Stunned, he thinks, So, you’re like…A god?
“In a way, I suppose. Ah! I’ve got it!”
Got what? He asks confusedly
“I know what you will be in this world, which just so you know, is also called Horizon.” The voice pauses before continuing, “You will become Pantarhei. The consummate shapeshifter, able to become almost anyone or anything. You will possess incredible magical abilities. You will possess powers that seem unfathomable to you now. But it will take time. You will need time to learn how to use your inherent abilities, and grow others. Now, it is time for your change”
Umm…Change?
“Yes. You’re not Pantarhei yet, but that will be resolved quickly.”
There is a sudden flash of light.
“There! All done!”
Liam gets the feeling that his body is radically different. It feels a lot smaller, and slimmer. There is a weird weight on his chest, and he also has the sensation that something is…Missing, but he can’t put his finger on what exactly it was. This feels a little weird… Liam thinks.
With an amused tone, the voice says “Would you like to see yourself?”
Ummm…Sure! Liam thinks back.
“Wonderful!” The voice says, and a large mirror appears.
He, or rather she, is quite shocked by what she sees. O-oh my… Liam thinks, gazing at her body. She is significantly shorter than she used to be, appearing about 5”4. She has a very slender build, with perky breasts, and bright yellow eyes. Her skin is flawless and pale, and she has shoulder length black hair with shining silver tips, and a pair of black cat ears and tail. She is wearing a short black dress, the long sleeves flaring out at the cuffs. She’s wearing no shoes, but black leggings. Both the dress and leggings have a silver swirl pattern woven in. Stunned, Liam thinks, her tail twitching curiously I-is that me? Liam tries waving, and the girl in the mirror does the same. She reaches down to feel where her private parts were before, but just found a flatness. As her hand brushed the area, a tingling, pleasurable feeling runs down her spine. Eep! Okay! No touching there. She thinks as she pulls her hand away quickly.
The voice chuckles softly, and says “Do you like your new form?” It should suit you well while you gain mastery of your powers.”
I…uhm…it’s nice, I guess, but why am I…
“Female? I am Horizon. I desire all those that become a part of me to experience new, exciting things. A different gender is just one of those.”
I guess that makes sense…And this is a dream, so it’s not like I’ll have to deal with this for a very long time…
The voice says happily “Would you like a new name? I’ve been thinking of it for a long time!”
Umm…Sure, the somewhat confused catgirl thought.
“Great! Your name…Will be Lika!”
Lika, huh? Alright, that sounds nice, but…wait. I’m going to a new world! How will I understand or know anything?
“Don’t worry, I’ve provided you with a working knowledge of this world. The Chancers don’t get it, so they sometimes have a hard time.”
Chancers? What are – oohh… She thinks, as the fact that Chancers are people who die and come to Horizon pops into her head.
“Exactly” The voice says.
Alright, standard dream logic. I get it. The newly christened Lika thinks to herself
“Anyway… It’s time for you to go, young one. I’ve already kept you too long. Have fun, and be safe! But not so safe that it impedes your fun! BYEEEE!!!!” Then all of a sudden, the majestic sights fade, and Lika’s world goes black.