The transition hit differently this time.
Not the usual disorientation or the brief swimming sensation of being poured from one container into another. This was more like being turned inside out, reshaped, and then slammed back into existence. The first thing I noticed was the strange, dark energy flowing through my veins, viscous and heavy, unlike the familiar currents of magic I'd grown accustomed to.
The second thing I noticed was much, much worse.
Something bounced. SOMETHING BOUNCED.
I looked down at my chest in frozen horror, the world tilting on its axis as my gaze fixed on two unmistakable protrusions straining against the fabric of my uniform.
"First a nervous droid, now a this????" I hiss, hands instantly flying up to places that, and I cannot emphasize this enough, were not there yesterday. "I am sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK, Wandering_Quill?!"
I heard Zephyr choke on his tea. "He Knows who to blame now. Progress."
"The student begins to understand the broader metaphysical implications of the Writers' Guild!" Bloombastic boomed gleefully. "The narrative demands what the narrative demands!"
I was wearing a form-fitting black uniform with white accents, reminiscent of a Japanese school uniform but clearly designed for combat. My hair, long, silky, and midnight black, cascaded down my shoulders. I took a shaky step forward and felt the unfamiliar shift in my center of gravity.
"This isn't happening," I muttered, my voice several octaves higher than usual. "This isn't…"
"Oh but it is!" Bloombastic interrupted with disturbing enthusiasm. "The Chaos-Father is now the CHAOS-MOTHER! What fertile ground for character development!"
I approached a nearby mirror with dread coiling in my stomach like a venomous serpent. The reflection confirmed my worst fears with brutal clarity. The face staring back at me wasn't mine. It was undeniably feminine, with high cheekbones that could cut glass, full lips curved in a permanent slight pout, and large expressive eyes framed by thick lashes that seemed to stretch impossibly long. The irises themselves were an unnatural amber color that seemed to glow with inner light. Objectively beautiful, but DEFINITELY NOT ME.
"I'm going to murder someone when I get out of here," I whispered. "Probably Liora."
"Lady Fortune has nothing to do with this particular transformation!" Professor Zephyr chimed in, "The Writers' Guild operates on narrative necessity and dramatic potential! And honestly, Mr. Ardent, your probability field makes you the most entertaining vessel for such transformations!"
I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, the unfamiliar expansion of my chest with each inhalation a constant reminder of my predicament. Okay, Asher. You've been a protocol droid. You've been a Hogwarts student. You can handle being a girl for one challenge.
That's when I felt it, the strange energy coursing through my veins again. It wasn't quite magic... it was darker, more primal, like the essence of nightmares distilled into liquid form. I raised my hand, focusing on the sensation, and watched in fascination tinged with horror as black-purple energy swirled around my fingers, coalescing into wisps of shadow that seemed to devour the light around them.
"Cursed energy," I murmured.
The room I was in appeared to be a dormitory of some sort, minimalist but comfortable, with traditional Japanese elements blended with modern functionality. A futon lay neatly folded in one corner. The walls were adorned with calligraphy scrolls depicting what looked like combat stances. A school uniform hung neatly on a rack nearby, and a phone sat charging on the nightstand. I picked it up, hoping for clues about who I was supposed to be.
The lock screen was a photo of... me, in this female form, standing next to a tall, elegant young man with familiar silver eyes and aristocratic features.
Elias? And we were... holding hands?
I nearly dropped the phone when it began to ring, the vibration sending a jolt through my already frayed nerves. The name "Takashi ❤️" flashed on the screen.
With trembling fingers, I answered, "Hello?"
"Mei, where are you?" came Elias's voice, though with a slightly different cadence, more commanding and less coldly analytical. "The briefing started five minutes ago. Nanami-sensei is getting impatient."
"I... I'm on my way," I stammered, frantically looking around for anything else I needed. A gleaming katana rested against the wall, its hilt wrapped in black and crimson cord that seemed to pulse with the same dark energy flowing through my veins.
"Hurry. They've located an unregistered special grade near Kyoto University. We're being deployed immediately." He paused, his tone shifting slightly. "Are you okay? You sound strange."
"Fine!" I squeaked, the pitch of my voice climbing even higher in panic. "Just... woke up. Coming now."
I hung up and moved with frantic energy, grabbing the katana and instinctively securing it across my back with practiced movements that felt both foreign and natural simultaneously.
"Okay," I muttered to myself, strapping the sword to my back. "I'm a female jujutsu sorcerer. I can do this."
I hurried out of the room, following signs to what appeared to be a meeting area. The hallways of what seemed to be a traditional Japanese compound blurred around me as I moved. My body moved with a grace I definitely didn't possess in real life, each step a fluid motion that spoke of years of combat training. Muscle memory from whoever "Mei" was supposed to be guided my movements.
The meeting room fell silent as I entered, the sudden cessation of conversation like a physical weight. Several people in similar uniforms turned to look at me, including the stern-faced man, Nanami-sensei. And there, standing by a tactical map was Elias, or rather, his character, "Takashi", looking impossibly composed.
"Nice of you to join us, Hoshino," Nanami said coolly, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Perhaps your fiancé can catch you up on what you've missed."
Fiancé?!
The word hit me like a physical blow. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I made my way to Elias's side, my newly acquired grace temporarily deserting me. Up close, I could see subtle differences in his appearance, slightly different facial structure, hair that was black instead of the usual platinum, but those silver eyes were unmistakable, carrying the same calculating intelligence that always made me feel like I was being dissected.
"Nice curves," Elias says with zero shame, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Didn't peg you for the fanservice archetype."
"Say that again and I swear I'll kill you," I hissed back.
"Relax. Just appreciating the, uh, character design. Very... visually appealing. The Writers' Guild outdid themselves this time." His lips curved into a smirk that made my fingers itch to draw the katana.
"How did you know it was me?" I whispered as Nanami continued briefing the others, his voice a droning background to our hushed conversation.
"The way you scowled when you entered. Some expressions transcend physical form," he replied smoothly.
Before I could reply, Nanami called the room to attention.
"The target is an unregistered special grade that appeared suddenly near Kyoto University's Agricultural Department," he explained, pointing to locations on the map where red warning symbols pulsed ominously. "It's already consumed three civilians and is growing stronger with each absorption."
"Takashi, Mei, you two are our strongest pair. You'll engage directly while the others evacuate the area and establish a perimeter." The matter-of-fact way he discussed sending us into mortal danger made my stomach clench.
Elias—Takashi—nodded confidently. "Understood."
"Reports indicate the curse has plant-based abilities," Nanami continued, bringing up more detailed scans that showed the internal structure of the curse. "Be prepared for rapid regeneration and possible toxic emissions. Its core appears to be located in the central mass, but it's heavily protected by layers of hardened cellular material."
Something about that description tickled my memory. Plant-based abilities...
"I think I know who the 'curse' is going to be." I whispered.
"Oh?" Elias raised an eyebrow.
"Must be one of the Level 3 environmental magic students whose plants got mutated in the incident." I continued. "Terrence Moss, maybe? He was always pushing the boundaries with his botanical experiments."
A smile played at the corners of Elias's mouth. "Your deductive reasoning is improving, Ardent."
We were transported by sleek black vehicles to Kyoto University, where chaos had already erupted. The campus was eerily empty save for the occasional abandoned belongings, backpacks slumped against benches, phones scattered on the ground, a bicycle tipped on its side, its wheel still spinning slowly. The air hung heavy with an acrid smell, somewhere between rotting vegetation and burning plastic.
"The tension rises!" Bloombastic announced dramatically, his voice echoing through the dimensional space. "Will our star-crossed lovers survive their encounter with botanical vengeance? Will the delicate flower of femininity wilt under pressure, or will she BLOOM in adversity?"
"You're not helping at all, Bloombastic," I muttered, adjusting the katana on my back. The weight of it was reassuring, even as the rest of my reality remained wildly disorienting.
Elias and I moved cautiously through the campus, following the trail of destruction, uprooted trees whose roots twisted grotesquely skyward, shattered windows that rained glass across manicured lawns, and strange vine-like growths snaking across the buildings like parasitic veins. The deeper we went, the more the vegetation seemed to pulse with malevolent life, leaves turning to follow our movements, flowers closing as we passed as if in anticipation.
"I can sense it," Elias said suddenly, stopping in his tracks. His eyes unfocused slightly, seeing something beyond the physical realm. "Northeast, about two hundred meters."
I concentrated, trying to tap into whatever sensory abilities this body possessed. Surprisingly, I could feel it to, a malevolent presence pulsing with rage and something else... resentment?
"This way," I agreed, changing direction toward a large greenhouse structure that loomed at the edge of the campus. As we approached, the air grew thicker, harder to breathe, filled with spores that glittered menacingly in the afternoon light.
The ground beneath us trembled without warning. I leapt backward instinctively, this body's reflexes saving me before my mind could even process the danger. Massive roots erupted from the earth where I'd been standing a split second earlier, their surfaces covered in wicked thorns that gleamed with some kind of toxin. The roots twisted like tentacles, seeking prey with unerring precision.
I drew the katana instinctively, the blade singing as it left its sheath. Black cursed energy flowed from my hands into the metal, causing it to glow with an ominous light. The sword felt like an extension of myself, perfectly balanced and humming with power.
"Remember the fundamentals," Elias said calmly, his own hands glowing with silver-blue power as he traced complex patterns in the air.
Combat fundamentals. Of course.
The greenhouse came into view, but it was no longer a normal structure. It had been transformed into a grotesque, pulsating dome of intertwined plants, flowers, and vines, all seemingly alive and writhing in unnatural synchronicity. The glass panels that once formed the walls and ceiling were now embedded within the plant matter like skeletal remains, catching the light and casting prismatic shadows across the ground. At its center stood a humanoid figure, but one composed entirely of plant matter, moss for skin, vines for limbs, and a face formed from twisted bark and blood-red flowers that opened and closed like hungry mouths.
"YOU!" the creature bellowed when it saw me, its voice a horrifying amalgamation of creaking wood and rustling leaves. It was indeed Terrence Moss. His normal scholarly demeanor was gone, replaced by pure vegetative rage. "YOU DEFILED MY CREATIONS!"
"Oh, so this is personal," I muttered, dropping into a combat stance.
Elias moved with incredible speed, his form blurring as he closed the distance to the plant-creature. His hands traced complex patterns in the air, cursed energy following his movements like luminous ribbons, and crackling energy formed around his fists.
"Domain Expansion: Thousand Futures Path!" he called out, his voice resonating with power.
The space around us warped dramatically, reality itself seeming to crack and peel away like old paint. The landscape dissolved into a strange void filled with countless branching paths that appeared and disappeared like lightning.
"Fascinating," Professor Zephyr commented. "Mr. Aurellian appears to have manifested a domain that reflects his natural abilities!"
Moss-Terrence roared in confusion as his attacks suddenly missed, striking phantom images of Elias instead of the real target. Massive vines lashed through the air, splitting and reshaping themselves into spears and blades, but Elias moved through them untouched, always exactly where the attack wasn't.
I tried to focus on what I knew about combat from Professor Blackthorn's teachings. Intent, control, and adaptation. The cursed energy flowing through me felt similar enough to magic that I could apply the same principles, though its nature was darker, more aggressive, almost hungry.
I channeled energy into my blade until it thrummed with power, the metal taking on an obsidian sheen, and lunged forward, aiming for what looked like a core of pulsating green energy at the center of the creature's chest. The sword connected with a satisfying resistance, sinking deep into the vegetative flesh, and the creature howled in pain, a sound like trees being torn apart in a hurricane.
"Good!" Elias called from where he was systematically dismantling another part of the creature's defenses. "But watch..."
Before he could finish his warning, a massive vine whipped around from an impossible angle and caught me square in the chest, sending me flying backward into a wall with bone-crushing force. The impact drove all the air from my lungs and sent spiderwebs of cracks racing through the concrete behind me. I slid to the ground, tasting copper as blood filled my mouth.
Pain exploded across my back and chest, radiating outward in waves of agony that threatened to black out my vision. My ribs screamed in protest as I gasped for breath. Right. Female body. Different center of gravity. Lighter bone structure. Adapt.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the stabbing pain that suggested at least two broken ribs, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. I lunged, moving differently now, using the body's natural agility rather than fighting against it, I circled the creature, analyzing its attack patterns with new eyes.
"Mei! Pattern three!" Elias shouted, his voice cutting through the cacophony of battle.
I had no idea what "pattern three" was, but apparently my body did. Without conscious thought, I found myself weaving a complex sequence of movements, my blade trailing cursed energy in geometric patterns that hung in the air for seconds after I'd moved on. Elias synchronized his attacks with mine perfectly, his silver-blue energy intersecting with my black-purple in precise formations that created resonance points where they crossed.
"That's it," he encouraged, his normally composed face showing a flash of genuine approval. "Just like we practiced."
We were actually fighting well together, I realized with surprise. Our movements complemented each other perfectly, his precision and foresight balancing my barely controlled chaos.
The plant creature lashed out again, this time sending a wave of spores into the air. They burst around us like tiny bombs, filling the air with a sickly sweet scent that immediately made my head swim.
"Don't breathe!" Elias warned sharply, pulling a cloth mask over his face.
Too late. I'd already inhaled some. My vision blurred instantly, the world taking on a nauseating kaleidoscopic quality as the toxin hit my system. My limbs grew heavy, and the world began to spin around me in dizzying circles.
"Ooh! A toxin challenge!" Bloombastic announced with inappropriate enthusiasm.
Wait. I'd learned about this in class. Professor Blackthorn's Principles of Foreign Energy Neutralization. I concentrated through the haze, visualizing the toxic energy as separate from my own, a foreign invader in my system. I focused on isolating it, containing it, then pushed it out through my pores as a fine mist of cursed energy that smelled of burnt cinnamon and ozone.
"Impressive adaptation," Elias noted as my vision cleared, the toxin purged from my system. Blood trickled from my nose from the strain of the technique, but I was functional again.
The plant creature howled in frustration at seeing its attack neutralized and slammed both massive vine-arms into the ground with earth-shaking force. The concrete split open like tissue paper, and from the fissures emerged two more figures, both humanoid, both radiating cursed energy, but clearly different from Terrence. The first was tall and elegant with what appeared to be crystalline growths protruding from its shoulders and arms; the second was smaller but densely muscled, with razor-like protrusions extending from every joint.
"You didn't think I'd come alone, did you?" Moss-Terrence growled, his voice like grinding branches. "My friends were very eager to join this little revenge party after what your chaos did to them."
The new arrivals stepped into the light, taking positions flanking Terrence. One was tall and regal, with an aura of arrogance that was unmistakable even in curse form; Augustin Valorian. The other was smaller but no less menacing, his body transformed into a weapon with blades protruding from elbows, knees, and shoulders, Edwin Blackwood, another first-year noble whose family specialized in physical enhancement magic.
"The Academy's disgrace," Augustin sneered, his voice retaining its cultured tone despite the crystalline structure that had partially consumed his face. "Even in this realm, your reputation precedes you."
"Three against two," I muttered, spitting more blood onto the ground and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Because of course. Why have a fair fight when you can stack the odds?"
"Actually," Elias said, his silver eyes gleaming with an intensity I rarely saw from him, "this is perfect."
"Perfect?! How?" I demanded. "We're outnumbered, I've already got broken ribs, and these guys clearly have a very personal vendetta."
"It's the exact scenario from Professor Blackthorn's third-tier combat exam; multiple opponents with varied attack patterns." He seemed almost excited. "Remember the theory? When outnumbered, control the engagement space."
Blackthorn had drilled into us that controlling where and how encounters occur was often more important than raw power. Position, environment, and timing could negate even substantial numerical advantages.
"We need to separate them," I said, understanding dawning despite the pain radiating through my chest. "Force them to fight on our terms, not theirs."
Elias nodded. "I'll take Valorian. His crystalline structures indicate precision-based attacks, my domain counters that effectively. You handle the plant specialist; your chaotic field will disrupt his precision-based control over the vegetation. We'll deal with the third one together once the others are weakened."
It was a solid plan, except for one thing: "How exactly am I supposed to beat a special grade curse on my own? Especially with broken ribs and in a body I barely know how to control?"
"You won't be fighting him conventionally," Elias replied, his eyes scanning our surroundings with analytical precision. "Look around us, what do you notice?"
I scanned the greenhouse, forcing myself to look beyond the immediate threats. Behind the writhing mass of corrupted plants, I could see laboratory equipment, irrigation systems, and... "The thermal regulation system," I breathed, the pieces clicking together. "Plants hate extreme temperature shifts."
"Precisely. Now go!"