Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 28: Caught

Connor hadn't finished his meal when he got up and left. He mentioned having lost his appetite as he picked up his pace and rushed out of the cafeteria. Keith's comment hit him harder than I expected.

Lucy hesitated briefly before choosing to follow him. Jack stood up too, though he simply grabbed a small box from the table and walked to me. "This one is yours," he said, presenting it to me. He then looked around and added, "And, please, no marriage jokes."

"Thanks." I received the gift with both hands and opened it. As expected, another ring rested in the middle.

"It's pretty," Allison commented.

I agreed. This one was a dull dark green, as if it were covered with a cooked spinach leaf. Just like Connor's, however, it was decorated with a single amethyst. It didn't match with anything, but I really liked it. It looked unique. "Does it have the same enchantment as the other one?" I asked, placing the box on the table and taking a mouthful of mushroom stew.

"It does," Keith replied. He stared in silence for a moment and asked, "Are you not going to try it on?"

I shook my head, covering my mouth as I tried to down the food quickly to speak. "There's no reason to," I finally answered. "Everyone here knows me, and I like how I look."

"It doesn't mean you can't test it," Dr. Blake countered. "As things stand, you will have to use it in the future. You should make sure it fits and works properly, at least."

He had a point. I could remove it right after, anyway. Following that logic, I put the spoon down and opened the box again. Despite its stone appearance, the ring was actually metallic. I had suspected it was something closer to jade or marble. I fiddled with it briefly before I slipped it through my left ring finger. Surprisingly, it was a perfect fit. I then remembered that they had measured my entire body weeks ago, so it wasn't as impressive. With the trinket in place, I looked at my hands and tail. Nothing had changed. I poked at the gem with my finger.

"It's not broken," Jack commented. "We just told you. Unlike Connor, you know how to manipulate mana, so a flyttium ring was not necessary."

"What material is that, then?" Dr. Blake asked, bringing out his tablet to take notes. "Does it also have special properties?"

"Yes," Keith answered. "It's called Aernyth, and it has similar properties to those of Flyttium. The only real difference between them is that Flyttium transfers mana on its own, while Aernyth only does it when the mana is supplied into it. It allows for better control of the spell. It also has an additional property that we'll witness when Nora uses it."

"How do I use it then?" I asked, tilting my head. "Do I just send mana to it?"

"Yes. Try visualising your human form as you do."

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting the mana flow through my arm and into the ring. I heard gasps all around me. The first thing I saw after that was a pair of clawless hands. My nails looked... normal? They were a bit long, sure, but that's how I usually kept them as a human. Even the ring was gone, probably hidden by the spell. After weeks of having dark blue nails, these pink ones didn't sit well with me. I couldn't help thinking that they looked naked. The feeling intensified when I examined the rest of my body. No tail, no wings or anything of the sort. I knew they were there. I could still feel them attached to me, and yet, it made me uncomfortable.

"So this is what you looked like..." I heard from behind me. Sylvia was staring at me, wide eyed. No, it wasn't at me, but something above my head.

"How does it feel?" Keith asked.

"Weird," I replied. "This isn't me. Not anymore."

Sylvia kept staring at that point in space. I knew Allison was sitting there, but she was much taller than whatever had Sylvia's attention. "What are you looking at?" She asked, searching for something behind her.