Alice had opened the portal a couple of times to let some fresh air in, and I could tell it was getting light outside. I should have gone to get ready for school, but I remained there with them.

Tina had fallen asleep. She was wrapped up in her blanket near Alice, who sat by the nearly extinguished fire, preparing another cup of tea and chatting with me. I hadn't slept at all, but it didn't seem necessary. I still felt quite alert.

In the end, I felt sorry for Alice, seeing how she struggled to keep her eyes open. I said my goodbyes and left her to get some rest, promising to return soon.

I took one last look around at the impressive transformation of the former barn into a cozy greenhouse.

When I stepped outside, there was no sign of the Lynx. Given our current level disparity, I knew that even if he were standing right beside me, I wouldn't be able to see him unless he wanted to be seen.

The sun was already up in the sky, its rays piercing through the leafy canopy that enveloped the area. The air was crisp and pure, and a light mist clung to the damp grass, winding its way lazily through the underbrush. If you gazed around for a moment, you could observe the shifting transparency in the air as it fluctuated with the direction of the breeze, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

I inhaled the deep air deeply, at the same time pondering why I felt a stronger connection to Cala than to White Flower?

As a caster, I should naturally resonate more with Flo, but perhaps it was the nature of my magic that influenced my preferences. Cala delved into the darker aspects of magic, and maybe that resonated with me more. Did I feel like I was Dolores? No. Or, maybe, in a way, with Dolores playing Cala.

I let out a sigh. I realized it was best not to express this thought aloud. Even Alice got mad at me in the end after I mentioned that I was Cala.

I pondered for a moment what to do.

Obviously, it was far too late for my evening meeting with the boys at the hospital, but not too late for school. I spread my wings, filling them with mana, and soared above the damp forest, heading west in the direction of the road.

The rain had ceased a while ago, and the clouds were gradually breaking up. The fog remained thicker in the heart of the forest but was slowly dissipating.

I had to stop and make a short break to replenish my mana.

Once I reached the main road, I turned south onto it, with the sun on my left, exerting my wings to their fullest. I was slightly annoyed that I wasn't faster than the fastest cars. It seemed like my speed had diminished along with my demoted levels. However, I still should have been thankful for being this swift. My mana was again depleting rapidly, so I landed as gently as I could on my belly atop a car with an additional luggage box on its roof.

Even casting a basic illusion spell to hide myself was depleting my mana, so I decided to do only the bare minimum to make me less recognizable for what I was and remain as inconspicuous as possible. With a minimalistic illusion spell in place, I finally felt my mana slowly, very slowly, replenishing.

The driver of the car was in a hurry, and he was speeding. The road was mostly dry, with the occasional wet patches and puddles, and the fog was confined to the forest on the left. The wind was whipping against my face, and it tousled my hair, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. When the driver had to brake abruptly, I used my wings to help keep myself steady.

All I needed to remember was to renew that basic illusion that concealed me from view.

I guess that the sight of a demoness riding on top of a car could cause some accidents.

I took flight from the car's roof as soon as I spotted the small mall where I had parked my bike.

To conceal myself, I cast masking illusions on either side and another beneath me. The synchronization wasn't flawless, and the quality was a bit off, but it ought to be adequate.

An onlooker might perceive it as a distortion in the image, perhaps dismissing it as a trick of their own eyes.

I quickly found the same secluded corner I had used before and transformed into the lovely Dolores, the biker. Well... transformed had become a way of speaking, as all I did was hide my horns, claws, and wings with a spell as well as I could.

Once I left the place, a few early risers exchanged greetings with me, and I responded in kind. I retrieved my bike, headed to the gas station to refill the tank, and then entered the shop. Arriving just as the night shift was concluding, I had to wait briefly for a fatigued guy to complete the cash register handover to the morning staff until I could pay my bill. Once done, with my less-than-ideal disguise, I made a quick exit from the shop.

Concealing my wings beneath my jacket, I only needed illusions to hide my horns. This made my task simpler and spared me a significant mana drain.

While riding the bike, I could have enjoyed more with my wings unfurled, enhancing aerodynamics and potentially taking flight for brief intervals.

Just envision the excitement of soaring over a traffic jam! Well, that would be a blast!

With those ideas whirling in my mind, I steered straight to Gonzo's repair shop. I must admit, I indulged in a couple of wild dashes with the bike. But, despite zipping around town at high speed, it still consumed some time to reach there. It was probably just before seven when I rolled into his courtyard. Although the gate was shut, I was familiar by now with how to unlatch it, and I smoothly parked the bike in the yard.

I strolled through the yard in search of him, but he was nowhere in sight. Knowing he was an early riser, and since there was no note left at the gate, I presumed he was indoors.

Hearing a commotion from above, I flapped my wings and leaped to the upper level of the house. A spacious terrace awaited me, featuring two wide glass doors standing ajar. Long, white satin drapes gently fluttered in the morning breeze. Inside there, I spotted the source of the noise—Gonzo, sprawled on his back, snoring away, in all his glory, with a half-naked Helen nestled at his side.

I approached his side of the bed and gave his shoulder a gentle shake while whispering his name.

“Gonzo! Hey, Gonzo!”

Helen jolted awake with a yelp, rousing him in the process. I sighed, glancing at her wide, startled eyes.

“Good morning! Hi, Dotty! Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up!” I said, suddenly remembering the importance of politeness. “I need Gonzo's help... It's kind of an urgent request!” I mumbled.

“Zetta?” she mumbled back, still half-asleep. “How... how did you get in here?”

It had been amusing to find them there, but perhaps they didn't enjoy it as much as I did.

"Ahm, I'll wait for you downstairs..." I replied without addressing her question and returned to the terrace, leaping back over the balustrade and into the yard.

Another yelp echoed from above, followed by the sound of her bare feet scurrying on the terrace's stones. Soon, she glanced down at me from above.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"He'll be with you in a minute," she reassured.

The rest was no longer as amusing. After waiting for about ten minutes in his garage for him to get ready, it only took another twenty minutes to cut my wings, horns, and claws. Twenty minutes filled with tears and pained mumbles on my part.

We started with the claws, the easier and less painful part, akin to cutting nails. The horns were more painful and took longer. The wings proved to be the most painful part, but maybe as divine clemency, they also took less time to cut.

By the time he finished, both of us were sweaty and tired.

"I need a shower!" he exclaimed. "What a start to the day!"

I took a deep breath after he left and started to check myself.

What I always find amazing about Gonzo is that he doesn't question me and simply helps with whatever I ask.

I was taken aback as Helen walked in, holding two cups of warm coffee.

"Would you like to drink a coffee?" she asked, her voice much calmer than I anticipated.

She handed me a cup of hot coffee, which I took with my trembling hands.

"A client is here for Gonzo," she informed me. "I told him the shop opens only in half an hour, but the idiot said he is waiting for when he has time to talk to him, so Gonzo will probably have to deal with him now."

I nodded while sipping from the coffee. Coffee is my special mojo drink; it always manages to raise my morale.

“Oh, poor you! How often do you have to go through this?” she asked, looking at me.

I must have had a pathetic appearance, covered with blood stains and wounds, but she had already seen me in a similar situation before when I crashed their gamers' meeting.

She seemed genuinely concerned about me.

I took a deep breath and shrugged instead of giving a straight answer.

I was badly missing Alice; she could always tell me if people were expressing genuine sentiments or lying. Without her, I would have to guess, but I am much too trusting.

"Would it be okay if I go for a shower?" I asked.

"We have a cabin in the back of the garage. You could use that," she said. "Do you need any help with those wounds on your back? Should I disinfect those?"

Even as I registered what she said, I continued with my thoughts. Flo had a spell for it, "truth rays" was the name, and it compelled the target to speak the truth for a certain period, but that was a white magic spell that I could no longer use.

I chuckled at the thought of trying it. It would certainly bring some erratic results. I wonder if it would force people to lie?

She raised a brow at my chuckle.

"Let me first take the shower," I answered.

Once I emerged from the shower, wrapped in a bath towel, she placed her cup of coffee down.

"Let me first disinfect those wounds before you dress, please."

She had some ointment prepared. As she did that, she asked me.

“I'm done; you're clean! Do you stay for breakfast?”

She asked that, as it would be the most natural thing to ask. I nodded absentmindedly.

“If you are so kind...”

Maybe I had been too harsh in how I judged her. Helen is one of the few who knows of me and my horns and did not make much fuss about it. Maybe it is also due to Gonzo, but would Hew invite me for breakfast if he knew that I have horns?

"By the way, how do you feel now?" I asked.

She watched me, surprised.

"Better," she hesitated, "I wanted to ask you about this; I had been ill, it was getting worse, and then it was suddenly gone. Did you have something to do with it? I vaguely remember that you have been here that day when I got better."

I sighed and decided to go for the truth.

"Yeah, I did it. I wanted to talk to you about that."

"OK?" she wondered, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Helen, do you remember the conversation we had at that time?" I asked, wondering if it would not have been better if I hadn't broached the subject. But now it was too late.

"No, and maybe you can help me understand why?"

I sighed and took a deep breath.

"Your memory loss was not intentional, but it could have resulted from the treatment. It consisted of flooding you with adverse magic. You've become a caster, do you know?"

"A caster? Me?" she wondered.

"Do you remember the way they treated kids in Mephisto's land? They got various magic-infused toys to see if they might develop any affinities?"

She looked confused at me.

"Yes, I do. But what do you mean by that?"

"Well, you had that ring to 'play' with; the ring had white magic, and you did show magic affinity for white magic. What you have is still at very low levels, but exists. You should be able to heal small wounds by now."

"Really? You are making fun of me!" - she chuckled.

I shook my head.

"No. As you had experimented with the ring, you know how healing works; you should try, but for small scratches first; for big wounds, you might not yet see the difference."

"Well, yes, I did some healings with it. Some gamers had pretty serious wounds and were reluctant to go to the hospital, afraid of being arrested, but after three healings, it did not really work properly."

"But it still did work, isn't it?"

"Somehow, partially..."

"Helen, there were only three healings stored in that ring; there were also a couple of other spells, but no more healings. You have forced it to work only as a healing ring, and your own mana has slowly filled in the ring; that's why it did still work."

"Oh!" she took some time to consider it. "OK... Is there a particular reason why you do tell me this?"

"Sooner or later, someone might find out about you. Remember what happened with those kids in Mephisto that showed affinities? Most of them got recruited by various shady organizations. It might happen the same way here; you should tread carefully. That's all I wanted to say."