POOF!
A ripple of light coursed through the circle as Tian Yuxi's form began to shift. Her silhouette blurred once, then twice, and a soft CRACK echoed through the cavern.
When the light receded, a half-human, half-avian maiden stood where the human elder had been.
Her skin, the hue of rich earth, was flecked with obsidian shadows that pulsed like living ink.
Two broad wings unfurled from her shoulder blades—each feather a deep, smoky brown at its base, shading into pale quartz at the tips, with veins of twilight black tracing their edges.
Her eyes glowed faintly emerald, as though lit from within by hidden darkness and the very essence of the soil.
"She's the Earth-Shadow Phoenixkin," whispered one guard in awe. "Daughter of Flame and Shadow."
Tian Yuxi bowed her head in acknowledgment. Her metamorphosis had drawn upon her mother's nurturing grace and her father's living flame—even though her true form was deeply bound to earth and shadow.
