The darkness was more twisted than the labyrinth I'd walked before. For some reason, I knew it not: I suffered in a recurring nightmare, not knowing what I wanted. I fought myself in many forms, some more twisted than others and all vying for consciousness and coherence. Other parts of me were not as cruel, but they were usually the first to be hunted down.
I awoke from my nightmare encased in solid crystal in a cold, dark cave where I was monitored closely. Even more disturbing was I couldn't feel the clothes on my body. The crystal started to melt away as I was approached by the lab techs. One brought me a set of clothes, but they said I might look much more different than I was used to. It took me a while to calm down and realize they were trying to help.
When I saw my reflection, however, I jumped back and scrambled into a corner, looking down at myself. I was not myself: not the me I knew. One of the temple's healers explained: "Our apologies, Eliza, for your finding out like this, but your body took on significant damage in the battle against Leafe, not all of which the clerics could heal. In order for you to survive, some difficult decisions had to be made and well... you were chimerized." "What," I asked in shock. I knew what chimerization meant, but the very thought of such a thing was appalling, horrifying.
Wait! I was alive! I felt the soft fur on my skin and returned to look in the mirror again in disbelief. The cross scar still remained, but I was intact. Even stranger was the feeling of an extra appendage behind me: a tail? I felt like a stranger to myself. as it was, I barely recognized the girl in front of me.
"Please get dressed," one of the technicians ordered," Grandmaster Angelus has been informed you are awake. The Holy Order's masquerade is tonight as well." A ball? How long had I been out? I took the dress, holding it against myself and shook, thinking of what it would mean attending a ball like this. Embarrassing!
This was when Felicia, Arcanjelo's daughter cut in," What's so wrong with having fur?!" She stood above me, with her arms crossed, appearing as if she were insulted. "Uh," I couldn't rightly answer. It just felt strange to me, being in a relatively new body. The leonid thwacked me on the head as I stood, then turned to walk away," Just get dressed!" Hesitantly, I looked back to the mirror, examining my newly leonid form and slipped into the elegantly feathered gown.
After I slipped it on, and observed myself in my reflection once more, I realized it wasn't so bad. I wondered what Arcanjelo would think. Arcanjelo... He saw me die. A single tear slid down my cheek. I was still alive. I could tell him what I'd been meaning to say! In fact, those very words drove me into a sprint. I finished getting ready and hurried, stumbling on legs that felt very much unfamiliar to me.
I joined the ball, with the others, but Arcanjelo avoided me. It was only later that I'd learned he was still loyal to his late wife, Amelia and was waiting for her. While heart-breaking, it was admirable. Who was this idiot to argue with his logic?
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