“Uh… maybe?” I struggle under the disapproving gaze of my girlfriend, completely unable to even pretend I am anything but guilty. She says nothing for a while, simply staring me down until I lower my head and apologize. “Sorry.”
Letting out a long drawn out sign, Alice places her hands on her hips and shakes her head. “It’s fine. I had several demons watching over you to make sure you were safe and I finished my ascension quickly enough to help with the healing.” I feel my face heat up at the obvious implications that she was prepared for me to do something stupid and my own demons aiding her without telling me.
Looking around the room I see all the protective enchantments in the walls are gone, and space itself feeling burnt.
“How bad was it?” I can’t stop myself from asking after getting a proper sense of the damage. She mentioned healing, which must mean I was in a pretty nasty state.
A trembling glare fixes itself on me as Alice clenches her fists. “Those grey flames were burning away at your soul, I barely managed to get you stabilized, even with my new strength.
Floating in front of the glaring tan and leggy dryad girl are a set of arms made up of her golden green mana that has been solidified into this world. They extend from her shoulders and are in the same angrily crossed position as her real arms as she scolds me.
“Sorry.” I dip my head again, knowing how much I must have made her worry.
“Please take better care of yourself. I can’t live without you. You should know how I feel.” There is a soft quivering in her voice and a redness around her eyes.
I really messed up here.
“I do, I would never be the same if you died. I will be safer, I promise.” And I really meant it.
“Good. Now, what nonsense did you get up to this time? I can see the wings, which I am sure you are happy about, but I doubt they are the culprit for your soul damage. What happened to the Demon Lord and Hero essences?” Alice is already recovering as we talk, my health reassuring her that I am okay now. It is interesting to see her already moving her new arms around to point at and lecture me as if she had them all along.
“I-I uh, well you see… I made a pseudo dragon core out of blending them and my Reality together into a ball the size of your fist in my chest.” I quickly and slightly incoherently spill all the details from my position sitting on my knees. It really was a stupid decision to merge everything together like that…
Projecting my vision from my place on the ground, I look at my body from every direction. There don’t seem to be any new physical changes to my base form, which I suppose is to be expected. This ascension is about my magic becoming a physical part of my body after the previous evolutions had already primed my body for it.
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No, wait. It is subtle, but the cracks that cover my clay-like skin are shallowly filled with the same grey as my new core. I wonder if I can even shift that back? There is some instinctual part of me telling my mind that the cracks must stay somewhere on my body. Hopefully I can hide them when playing my Demon Lord role.
“Hey, I just had an idea. Let me see if I can show you the core.” Showing is better than telling, and well, I personally want to get a good look at the thing myself.
Pulling on my flesh with my mind, I open a hole in my chest to reveal the core. Floating in the center of my body with a few threads of whatever clay-like substance I am made out of attached to it, the core refuses to become fully detached from my flesh. When I tried to detach it, the core just moved along with the last section that was connected. Well, it is meant to be a part of me, detaching it would be weird I guess.
“That… It certainly feels powerful just looking at it.” Alice is nearly speechless when she finally lays eyes on the core. She tries to reach out and touch it absentmindedly before I reach up a hand to stop her.
“I am not sure how safe it is for anyone but me to touch.”
Alice knocks her head to the side while letting out a little grunt. “Fair point.” And she quickly retracts her hand.
Closing up the hole in my chest, I decide to change back to my normal Hero persona to see if that instinct is accurate. And loe and behold I find my more human body, with the starfield displayed under my skin and in sapphire crystal eyes, with new additions. My new wings are still gently spread out behind my back and I can feel the core nestled within my chest.
Everything looks the same, aside from the white cracks that used to break out from my eyes. Those are now grey. Certainly less holy than the bright white they used to be, and makes me look a bit spooky if I am being honest. I may need to work on that.
No matter what I do though, I can’t seem to change them back to white without moving the grey to some other part of my body. For now, I will just leave the cracks where they are. No point in moving them, and I need something to display as part of the Hero Aura being materialized.
“Here.” Reaching out, Alice offers me a hand. And not a normal one, but one of her new ones.
I take it, feeling the warmth of the new limb in my hand. It is soothing as the life mana seeps through and into my body. I wish I could hold it forever.
Standing up as Alice pulls me off the floor, I can’t help but notice a small problem. “I really could use some clothes.” Speaking slowly I let a tiny grin form on my lips. “But before that, I would love to help you test out your new hands.”
Alice snorts at that and just walks out of the room. “Put something on for the walk to the bedroom at least.”
I grin madly for a second, only to then realize a bigger problem than the lack of clothing on my body. Reaching back, I touch my wings. “Fuck, those are rather solid.” Right… Most Mats can’t just pass through objects, at least not without years of practice. “Uh… Looks like I am going to need a lot of backless outfits.”
Hearing my murmur, Alice turns back to look at me with a finger on her chin. “How are you going to sleep like that?”
“Fuck…”
