Nyxeria stood in the dimly lit chamber, the scent of old wood and incense mingling in the air. The Von Krahei family knelt before her, their eyes wide with a mixture of reverence and fear. It had taken weeks of careful manipulation, but they were hers now, willing to do whatever she commanded. Tonight, she would reward their loyalty with a transformation that would bind them to her service forever.

Nyxeria wielded a rare form of magic—Essence Manipulation. Unlike other deities who passively drew Mana or Aether from the worship of their followers, she relied on a darker, more active form of power. Essence, a potent form of raw Mana, could be harvested from various sources, and Nyxeria had perfected the art of extracting it from both fear and the remains of the deceased. By channeling her father's gifts, she could drain the essence directly through her minions, feeding on the terror of the living or the fading echoes of life from corpses.

For now, she had only a small reserve of essence, remnants salvaged from the bodies Nightmare had devoured earlier. It wasn't much, but it would suffice to begin crafting her first loyal followers. The key to securing loyalty, after all, was to foster dependency first—then cultivate love, followed by obsession.

Her father, Sitar, Lord of Nightmares, had once imparted his essence to a mortal, but only one—her mother, a woman of unparalleled strength who could withstand the strain of divine energy. Nyxeria, however, was unsure how this essence would affect weaker beings, especially mortals unprepared for such a transformation.

Nyxeria turned her attention back to the Von Krahei family. Lio, the eldest son, knelt at the forefront, his head bowed. His sisters, Sonja and Gwen, flanked him, their mother, Amelia, positioned just behind.

"Lio, Gwen, Sonja, Amelia," she said, her voice steady and commanding. "This is a gift—a blessing from the Lord of Nightmares himself. But with it comes a price. Show me your chests."

There was a moment of hesitation. Nyxeria could see the fear flicker in their eyes. Lio was the first to act. With a determined set to his jaw, he pulled off his shirt, exposing his chest. His sisters and mother followed suit, baring just enough for her to place the essence upon them.

Nyxeria summoned the dark essence to her hand, a pool of inky liquid that seemed to writhe and twist as if alive. With a flick of her wrist, she sent four tendrils of the dark essence flying into their exposed skin. The essence was quickly absorbed, disappearing into their bodies like ink soaking into parchment.

The reaction was immediate. Their eyes widened in shock as the essence began to take hold. A chorus of pain-filled cries filled the room as they clutched their chests. Gwen and Sonja screamed, their voices raw with agony, while Amelia bit down hard, her teeth grinding to muffle the sound. Lio remained silent, though his face was flushed with the effort of holding back a scream.

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The transformation was swift and violent. Their bodies convulsed, limbs jerking in unnatural ways as the essence twisted their forms. The room seemed to darken, the air thick with a malevolent energy as Nyxeria watched with a mix of fascination and anticipation.

Their eyes turned pitch black, devoid of irises, like endless voids reflecting nothing but darkness. Their skin paled to an unnatural white, while their hair bleached to stark silver or deepened into jet black. Teeth sharpened into pointed fangs, nails extended into claw-like talons, and their backs erupted with wings—long, skeletal appendages that resembled bird wings stripped of feathers. At the ends of these wings, sharp stinger-like tips formed, capable of slicing through flesh with ease.

Feather-like down began to sprout along their necks and shoulders. Nyxeria noted this with a pleased smile; they had inherited traits reminiscent of her own demonic lineage, along with the darker aspects of her father's essence.

As the transformation concluded, a heavy silence fell over the chamber. The Von Krahei family lay gasping, their bodies trembling from the ordeal.

But it was Lio who stood first, though unsteadily. His hands shook as he reached for his neck, fingers brushing over the strange feathered down that now grew there. The weight of his new wings caused him to stagger, and he glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

He opened his mouth to speak but paused, the sensation of his sharpened teeth feeling alien within his mouth, as if they belonged to something—or someone—else entirely. Lio stood, his hands trembling as he touched his now-feathered neck, the strange weight of the wings unsettling. His eyes were wide, darting to his sisters and mother, who were similarly altered, each of them struggling to comprehend what they had become.

"What... what have you done to us?" he whispered, his voice a shaky whisper filled with a blend of fear and awe.

Nyxeria stepped forward, her presence dominating the room.

"Lio," her voice cut through the silence, sharp as a blade. "You will listen to me." She leaned closer, her eyes glowing with an inner fire. "You are not who you once were. You are stronger now, closer to the divine than any mortal could ever dream. This is your ascension, your reward for loyalty to the Lord of Nightmares."

Lio's gaze flickered, confusion battling with the remnants of his former self. Nyxeria could see the cracks forming in his resolve, the first seeds of dependency she needed.

Amelia, Gwen, and Sonja slowly rose to their feet, their new wings twitching as they adjusted to their altered forms. The sisters looked at each other, horror and fascination mingling in their eyes. Amelia touched her lips, feeling the sharp edges of her new teeth, a shudder running down her spine.

Nyxeria smiled, a cold and satisfied grin. "Nightmare, take them to their rooms. Let them rest and acclimate to their new forms. They will need time to adjust before they are truly useful to me."

The hulking form of her loyal minion nodded and began gathering the still-dazed family members, carrying them away one by one.

Turning away from the scene, Nyxeria's thoughts shifted. There was little time. The King of Oriaet would eventually discover her presence, and she needed to solidify her power base before his forces arrived.

She whispered to herself. "Let the game begin."