Lowell

Chapter 8

His kind didn't take well to human forms. Lowell was beginning to learn that the hard way. The more he stayed this way for Hanna the less he could feel the movement of aer in the world or the power he had. Love had in a clichéd twist of irony made him weak.

Lowell's true form was now hard to hold for long periods of time. It seemed that the human shape was now replacing his old one. He wondered if this was what his brethren had been meaning when they told him not to linger. In three years, he'd already lost so much strength.

It felt odd to need a sword in battle and to rely on human artes. Hands were another oddity that Lowell had a hard time getting used to seeing when he woke up. He used to drift back into his form as he slept, but now he woke each day looking like a Krytian male. Lowell still didn't feel hunger though. If he started craving human food, then it would mean he had lost himself to this form.

At first, he took the form to spy on humans, but then he met Hanna. He fell for her and instead of being a phantom that spied on the knights he became a fixture who watched her. He loved her truly and didn't want to leave her. But, without that power how well could he really protect her.

Lowell thought of the pregnancy she had just announced. He'd never be able to protect that child like he could in

"Does it hurt?" Norien asked as she shaved at the base.

Yuri shook his head as he sat in the chair. "Not much. It sort of stings."

She hummed as she smoothed them over so they'd be better hidden under his hair. They'd grow back, but for now, he looked like a normal boy. "It's a shame."

"What is?" He asked as she fluffed his hair.

"The horns are quite pretty." Norien's smile shined from behind and Yuri fidgeted happily. "It's just sad that no one can see them."

Yuri handed Flynn the knife and leaned back in the chair bitterly. The horns never went away. By fifteen shaving them was an exact science for the boys. Flynn cut them down and held the horns in his hands. A few days prior Yuri had another flare. During those times the horns would grow back furiously and had to be sawed down completely. Most times Yuri could get away with only sanding the stubs down every few weeks. The bases stayed there always just out of sight as tiny bumps.

"You're enjoying this way too much," Yuri said as Flynn happily placed the horns into a knapsack before setting to sand. "Do you like it when I suffer?"

Flynn smiled as he took the rough paper to the stub. "I like it when we can make some cash." Over the years, the blonde had become rather devious. Sometimes, Yuri thinks that had they not already decided on the path of knighthood Flynn could have become a powerful member of the underground circles. Flynn had taken to selling the horns for quick cash over the years under the guise that the horns were a type of coral or some other oddity. "Your 'condition' hasn't acted up for a while."

Yuri sighed and stood from the chair. "Yeah." He walked to the dresser and slipped on a shirt. "I was hoping it wouldn't." He'd managed to go over two months without any problem.

He headed out to do odd jobs around the city. They had to make a living and surviving here was tough. Yuri put his efforts into making sure there was food and that Flynn didn't cook. The man was a disaster in the kitchen.

While doing a job that had him walking around in the sketchier parts of the city he walked by the scruffy looking man. Tanned skin and messy hair. Something about gave him a sense of déjà vu. Yuri was carrying crates into a shop for delivery. A hard job as the boxes were heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle.