The Empress of Magic

Chapter 126 : A God's Claim

Regulus let out a tired sigh, leaning over the sink in the bathroom until he could feel the cool glass of the mirror against his forehead, the vivid pools of amethyst of his reflection greeting him back as he took a closer look at his own appearance.

There were bags beneath his eyes, and his skin appeared even paler than usual - an almost unhealthy shade of white - and his last growth spurt had turned his formerly athletic build to bordering on the brink of being nothing but skin and bones.....

How he still had even a semblance of muscle left was beyond him, but it was probably yet another change he had to accept as 'normal' or at least not entirely worrisome in the aftermath of being claimed by a god.

Until he put on more weight though he would more than likely retain the gauntness and frailness that came with his changing body.....

, Couldn't you have let my hair grow longer to match yours instead?' questioned the Slytherin, glaring at the ring on his left middle finger that hosted Doombringer. , Hells, I would have even accepted you chopping one of my arms off if it could have spared me of whatever this is....'

Every step he took and every breath he tried to exhale was interrupted by throbs of pain shooting through his limbs, as if they were trying to remind him that although he may have survived his initial claiming his suffering wasn't over yet, nor would it ever be again.

Three of his ribs had already broken a few days prior, and he'd barely been able to breathe from the pain and most likely would have suffocated in his sleep if Celestia hadn't snapped awake and called for Aelius at the right moment.

He carefully lifted his right hand and pressed it against his left side where his freshly healed bones screamed out in protest, not bothering to hide his wince as he tried to keep breathing through his nose.

When he looked back at his reflection he almost snarled at the purple streaks fitting themselves between his otherwise black curls, feeling disgust and anguish claw their way up his throat by how much the god of Madness had managed to change in him in so little time.

, Even my abilities are failing me because of him......' he thought gritting his teeth as he willed his hair to change back, only to be met with failure. , What Metamorphmagus can't even fucking change their hair color?'

It was the first thing Metamorphmagi learned to control and was essential for building the base from which growth would be able to be encouraged in those with the ability....

If a child couldn't even manage to change the color of their hair at will then what was the point of trying to teach them any further?

He'd spent countless hours sitting in front of the fireplace in his grandfather Orion's former office staring at the walls while performing breathing exercises and supressing his emotions.... All for it to now amount to nothing because a god decided to meddle in his life.

Oh, how much wrath cursed through his body at the thought alone........

He could feel it clawing at him whenever he passed mourning parents and friends....... When he was forced to watch as Celestia stopped moving and stared at nothing, her eyes glazing over as she started muttering about what she saw in her visions only to be cut off by the blood streaming down her face because her body was fighting the claimings..... Or when he had to witness Blaise cling to Aelius as if willing himself to become part of the older Veela's shadow just so that he could avoid the leering stares aimed towards him......

It was madness, genuine madness that whispered in his ear and tried to tell him that if he let go of the small string of sanity left in his mind his world could go back to normal........