Panic. That was what it woke up to, the feeling overwhelming as wave after wave of magical energy washed over it. It jerked around in the air unsteadily for a few moments as it tried to get its bearings, before it finally reigned in its more primal and instinctive side. The feeling of panic had died down somewhat, not completely gone though, and replaced with a cold annoyance. Whatever had just happened had robbed it of its lair of many years, the Watchers would come swooping down soon enough. In fact, in all likelihood many of its kin would swarm here, in search of a feast. 

It moved around the small cavern quickly, gliding through the air effortlessly. Organized as its home was, it took only a few moments to get things in order. Troves of valuables were disintegrated, vanishing completely and without a trace. More valuable and magical treasures were given the attention of an eyestalk, the air shimmering about them as they floated alongside it. With its lair cleaned out, it took one finally look around before it made its way towards the source of all its problems so far.

The anomaly had formed near the back of its lair, and as it drifted closer and closer, the sheer volume of magic in the air stunned it briefly. Its approach slowed, and numerous eyes observed the shimmering object cautiously. Despite the ambient magical energies, the main bulk seemed to be safely contained at the moment. It was actually quite pleasant to bathe in the energies surrounding the anomaly, it couldn’t recall the last time it had been exposed to such a large amount of magical energy; not for at least a decade now. 

Nevertheless, reassured by the neutral nature of this magical energy, it was emboldened and neared the mass of energy. How to interact with this strange anomaly though… None of its abilities would do anything, save one, and hitting a mass of magical energy with Anti-Magic hardly seemed smart. Its options were limited, unfortunately, and if it didn’t leave soon enough it would be torn apart, quite literally, when the others arrived. Briefly it considered slipping away through one of the numerous escape routes it had carved in its lair through the years, but the thought of hiding away underground for years on end, barely getting by brought a surge of anger. No… if it could somehow master and contain this anomaly, surely it would be more than enough power to hold its ground. Though it did wish it had more time to study and observe the anomaly, it would have to make do with what it had.

It touched the anomaly with a single eyestalk, intending to only breach the containment to sap some energy, but the action was not without reaction. The moment it made contact, a strong tug pulled on its entire body. A fresh wave of panic hit it as it felt its body being stretched in every direction, yet at the same time being crushed. The sounds of its treasures clattering to the floor behind it didn’t even catch its attention, so focused on the excruciating sensations it felt. In a last ditch effort, it opened its central eye and hit the anomaly with a full wave of anti-magic. For a moment the sensations faded, but before it could feel relief, they returned, stronger than ever, and its mind and body were torn apart in a blinding flash.

---

It awoken to a myriad of strange sensations, but most annoyingly was the pounding headache. Yet, despite being most annoying, it was not what concerned it the most. No, the most concerning was the strange body it now had. It could feel the difference from what it had known all its life, the arms and legs felt odd… unnatural to it. It tried to open its eyes, but even the faintest light caused sharp pain and it scrunched its eyelids shut in a hiss. Its left eye throbbed painfully even when closed. Clutching at it with his hand, the feeling of its hand against its face was disturbingly odd, but no less than the fact that its face, left side at the least, seemed disfigured and marred. 

Lost amidst these more pressing concerns were things such as; the smooth, yet cool wooden floor it laid out on, the slightly warm light that streamed in through a nearby window, the sound of a door clicking shut just behind it, and even the old, and slightly musty, smell to the air. Many sensations, too much for it to consider at once. Tired from the strange ordeal of being ripped from one world to another, all while being shoved into an entirely new body, the Beholderkin allowed sleep to overtake it and fell to its embrace.