Dryads of the Stars

Chapter 9 : Resurrection

After they all sat down in the living room and slowly calmed down, they started noticing things that they didn't before. The temperature was low in the previously cozy and warm house they remembered. Although light got inside from the windows, it felt as if they were standing in the middle of a dark cold forest. The wind outside was the only thing breaking the cold silence appart, with a howling that could bring shivers down one's spine. Something seemed to be off. The male Ignis was standing up like a butler waiting for something and Altera was right beside him. Nobody spoke. And after a few minutes of observation, it hit them.

Where was Lumius?

They all thought the exact same thing at the exact same time. They looked at each other and then, as if they had understood, they turned to face the two strangers. But before they could even open their mouths to speak, as if their thoughts had been heard, a voice was heard from behind them.

"No need to wander, I am right here friends."

They all turned around to face the familiar, yet a little changed, voice. It was Lumius, but he was different. His long dark hair that reached his waist were gone. He had now short hair that were gently falling on his eyebrows, following his ears and then his nape. He looked more manly than before. His face looked calm and his golden eyes seemed colder than before. It looked like he had thrown a burden off of his shoulders. He slowly walked towards them with an odd expression. His eyes were completely empty, as if they were facing a deep darkness and the corners of his lips were tilting a little bit upwards, as if he was trying to smile but couldn't. Eris seemed to recognize that type of face. It reminded him of Miriam when they had first met, although not completely similar, they were close.

"Why are you all looking at me with that face?"

Lumius tilted his head slightly to the right, while smiling in an intense manner that made his eyes close, forming an ironic smiley face. He seemed to not understand. The first to answer was Garland.

"Well you seem to have changed a lot since the last time we saw you. What happened?"

Lumius returned to his previous expression as he sat down in front of them. He thought for a while and then answered.

"Oh! You mean my hair? I just returned them to their previous state. It is nothing special."

"Previous state?" Garland continued while looking even more troubled. "Last time I saw you, you did not look like this."

Lumius was calm. As if their voices could not even reach him, as if he could not be affected by anything. His tone was gentle.

"You only just met me, friend. I have been on this earth far longer than you. And during most of my time here I prefered to use the female sex. Thus with time my hair got longer. It was about time that I let it go."

The three men facing him looked even more confused that before. This time Lumius seemed to understand their expressions and he continued before they could ask.

"My species, the so called Gods can change their sex depending on their needs or wants whenever they like. Although we all have a core sex that is our main sex, after maturity we can change it. Do you understand now?"

They seemed to get it. They were just unable to grasp the nature of it, since they were just humans. They calmed down a bit, but the shock they just went through remained. They had so many questions to ask. What happened to this place? Why did it feel so cold? What happened to him? Why did he look so empty? Where had his playful attitude gone? They felt as if something bad would happen if they started asking. Silence fell in the cold living room. After a couple of seconds Lumius spoke in a low tone while looking gently at the male Ignis.