Chapter 8: A Powerful Expression

I woke up to a soft shake on my shoulder.

“Eli… Eli… are you awake?” A familiar voice called out to me. My head was throbbing, and the voice, even though delicate, was like nails on a chalkboard in my current condition. I began to open my eyes in a haze. I looked around until I spotted a familiar pair of crystal blue eyes. However, they weren’t as welcoming as they had been previously.

“What is that in your hand?” I noticed a bright red, spear-like glow emitting from her hand.

“Oh. This? It’s just a… precaution.” Grace seemed to be nervous and slightly frightened. I wasn’t sure why she looked this way, but it made me uncomfortable.

“Grace, are you alright?” I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Y-you remember me? Oh, thank goodness…” The bright glow that had been previously emitting from her hand vanished and she sighed.

“We were worried you wouldn’t be yourself.”

“Why? Did something happen?” I wasn’t sure what she meant.

“It worked Eli! It worked! We were getting worried when you passed out, but seconds later, your Divine Power expressed itself to save your life!” She smiled broadly.

“Wait… What?!” I was surprised at what she had told me. If I was actually a Divine One, what would happen to me? Am I special in some way?

Wait a second… I looked down at my leg that had previously been non-existent and discovered it had grown back completely.

“My leg is back! I can’t believe it!” It was odd to see my leg reappear after losing it. It looked just like my other leg. However, a faint scar formed around where my leg had been amputated earlier.

“We were surprised also. It was remarkable to see. We think it has to do with where your power expressed itself.” Felicia came into view from the corner of the room.

“It expresses itself in a particular area?” I was confused by what she meant.

“Yes. Depending on where the Divine Power expresses itself, determines the powers the Divine One will have. In the past, we have had those who have had it expressed in arms, legs, and chest. You are the first one, in recorded history, to have it expressed from your head.”

“Expressed from my head? What do you mean by that?” The entire concept of powers, expressions, and divine ones was a new thing to me so this could have been in another language, and I wouldn’t have known the difference.

“When your power is activated, it becomes expressed from your body in the form of a gemstone. One of the Divine Ones in our history had her gemstone expressed from her arms. She had incredible strength in her arms and could transmit an unlimited amount of transmaculation through her arms. Further, she could concentrate her transmaculation in her arms without the use of a transmaculation mold. There are different molds for different types of transmaculation. I used one previously on your leg.”

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That explains what those objects were that Felicia had used previously. However, the expression of a power was still confusing to me. If mine was expressed from my head, what kind of powers would I have. My head still ached, and I felt exhausted.

“How long have I been out for?”

“About three days. We have been monitoring you the entire time. We were a little worried it has taken so long, but we kept a close eye on you.”

Three days! That is insane! How can someone sleep for so long?! Wait… am I in pajamas?

“Quick question, how did I get into these clothes?”

“Someone had to do it.” Suri opened the door, which she had used to conceal herself, and walked up to the bed to stand beside me. Something was off about her… her eyes! Suri no longer had long elongated pupils and red irises. Instead, her pupils were circular, and her irises were a beautiful emerald green. It seemed to suit her quite well.

“You what?! Also, what happened to your eyes?” Suri put her hand over her face as if I had offended her.

“I was using transmaculation on my eyes to make them appear that way. My eyes have never been normal.” Suri hung her head.

“What do you mean by normal? I like your eyes like this. You look great!” Suri shyly blushed and pushed her black hair to one side.

“People in my species that are purebred, like my father, have pupils that are elongated and red irises. Many see it as a way of differentiating us from other species. My mother, being human, passed her eyes down to me. Since I was little, I have been treated as an outsider. Once I learned of my capacity for transmaculation, I just changed my eyes to look like everyone else’s. It was easier that way.”

“Why did you decide to change them back to normal now?”

“I didn’t. That little stunt we did with you caused me to use up my capacities of transmaculation. I won’t be able to make my eyes look that way until I regain my capacity back over time.”

“Suri, if I were you, I would just leave them how they are. They are perfect that way. Trust me.” I grinned toward Suri.

“Eli, we recognize you are tired, but do you think you could bring forth the power again? You have been asleep for three days and things have deteriorated since then.” Grace quickly interjected with a worried expression.

“I guess I can try. I have no clue what to do though. Do I just shake my hands or something?” Felicia giggled from behind Grace.

“No, no. Try focusing all of your transmaculation to the point where your power had expressed itself earlier.”

Felicia rested her hand on an area of my forehead to direct me to the point where I should focus. I closed my eyes and began focusing… focusing… focusing. Nothing happened.

“This is odd. Having previously expressed your power, you should be able to use your power at will. Felicia, we may have to visit him. No one knows more about the Divine Ones than him.”

Grace glanced back Felicia. Felicia had turned a pale white and seemed to be sweating slightly. It was an odd sight to witness after seeing her deal with so much already in such a graceful manner.

“Empress Grace, you know that I would do anything for you, but I don’t think I can do that.”

“It’s our only chance Felicia. He is the only one who studied volumes on Divine Ones that we have never heard of. He may know something that can help Eli and the Empire.”

“I guess we don’t really have a choice then… do we?” Felicia looked down at her feet as she finished. Whatever was going on made her extremely uncomfortable.

“So… where are we planning to go? I’m happy to meet anyone who thinks they can help me but who is this person?”

“It’s… my father.” Felicia let out an exasperated sigh.

“Your father? You told me he had passed when we were in the carriage. Am I wrong? I just assumed that is what you meant when you referred to him as your ‘late’ father.”

“No. He’s alive. I just wish he was dead.” A disgusted look appeared on Felicia’s face. Grace interjected.

“Well, it’s a long journey. So, we should let Eli rest for the rest of the night. It would be wise for all of us to rest as well. Eli, we will see you in the morning.” Grace and the others scurried out of the room, and I was left alone in my bed.

What was up with Felicia when talking about her father? I know that every family has issues but that seemed like something that went beyond normal family fights. It seemed as if every fiber of her being was being torn apart when Grace mentioned him. These thoughts swirled in my head as I flipped my pillow over and closed my eyes. I let out a deep breath and found myself asleep in a short time.