As soon as Alice stepped in, her gaze landed on me.

"Are you alright?" she inquired.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, I felt relieved to alleviate it. I recounted my story once more, now including the part Lynx and I had pieced together about my transformation into a level one-hundred-four lynx.

"You had quite the battle!" she remarked with concern, sighing. "You may feel strong now, but wouldn't it be wiser to have me, Ju, or Lynx accompany you next time? Even if it's just for some quiet time in a glade..."

I wanted to argue that I could defend myself, but then I sighed. She had a point. I was fortunate that they were caught off guard and unaware of my abilities, and even so, they nearly overpowered me. There are always spells and counterspells, and if they could prevent my transformation, I wouldn't stand much of a chance in a fight.

After I nodded, she turned her gaze to the wobbling walls.

"I had a chat with a mage about spatial tools," she started. "He bragged about knowing tricks to gauge their remaining lifespan. These spatial tools are crazy expensive, and there's a whole market dedicated to the discounted ones as their lifespan nears its end. There's high demand for them, despite the risks involved."

She explained further, "It seems that when the walls start to wobble internally, they may still have several months to live. But if the ring itself begins to vibrate, that's a sign that collapse is imminent, and it may only have a couple of weeks left."

"What happens when they collapse?" I pondered aloud.

"Most of the time, they just vanish with a whimper, taking everything inside with them. Other times, they seem to disintegrate, scattering their contents. And occasionally, they explode. There are even rare, bizarre cases where they create new caves with spatial anomalies."

I glanced at Sid. "Okay, we don't want to test that, but it means we have at least a couple of months to find a solution, right?"

She nodded.

"Something like that," she confirmed.

"Well, if that's the case, shouldn't we use it to travel faster? One of us riding Lynx would get much faster through?"

"It would not implode right now, but that doesn't mean it's safe," she sighed. "The thing is, the parts currently wobbling are unstable. This means that somebody may pass through that wobbling wall and end up, who knows where. Also, such unstable areas can appear on the floor too, so it must be continuously monitored."

"Ugh, that's bad! What about Sid then?"

"He's so big that even if small patches under him become unstable, he will still remain here. We need to keep an eye on him and inspect from time to time to be sure."

"Oh, well, walking it is then. Do you have any other good news for me?" I wondered.

She looked at me with a rare grin on her lips.

"You know, this transformation into a lynx gave me an idea!"

She then directed her attention to Lynx.

"Did she identify as a demon or as a lynx?" she inquired.

"Clearly as a lynx," he replied without hesitation.

"Are you sure? Should we check?" she pressed.

"No, no, it was definitely a lynx," Lynx confirmed.

She turned to me with a toothy grin.

“What if you try transforming into a human? Nobody would have any problems with you, even if you forget to use your special skill. I don't know how it is at the court of this king, but sometimes they ask you to drop some skills. That would be a real problem now, but once you're human? No problem!"

I watched her, dumbfounded. I hadn't thought of that, but it was an enticing possibility! And potentially a level one-hundred-four human!

“Wow, Alice, you're a genius! How did I not think of it? I need to try it now!” I exclaimed. “Just give me a moment!”

Hmm, how would I look as a human? Hopefully, it doesn't change my appearance too much. I could always say I had a disguise before, that's why my face changed. Besides, not many people have seen my face in this world yet. Maybe I can use some transmutation magic too; I need to read about that. I've done those spells before when I removed my wings, and they worked. Why shouldn't they work now if I want to give myself a new nose or tweak my appearance a little? My imagination and enthusiasm started soaring. So many possibilities were opening up with these transformations!

"It would be cool if I had wings again. I had wings before when I was human!" I exclaimed.

Alice chuckled, while Lynx burst into laughter.

"Don't you want to think things through? There's no rush! Humans aren't known for being able to fly," Alice remarked, while Lynx continued to laugh.

"Don't turn into a chicken, Lores! You'd look like food!" Lynx teased.

I snorted and shook my head. Dolores did have wings and was definitely human. If I had the chance to transform now, I wouldn't give up on my wings!

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“Well, the book mentions a limited number of transformations you can cast on one person. If I create a new persona, I want at least one that can fly! That would be very useful!”

“Why would there be a limit on transformations?” Lynx pondered.

“I'm not entirely sure. It was in one of the chapters that I skimmed through. There was some dull stuff about souls and meditation exercises. I'll go back and read those chapters later when I have more time to focus and meditate. Let me start concentrating on the spell!”

I tried to envision Dolores from before my trip to Hades, and my magic found an answer. I knew I wasn't purely human at the time, with Flo's influence on me, but still, I was mostly human! I focused on solidifying that image and let the spell wash over me.

It took longer than expected, the spell enveloping me hesitantly at first, as if unsure, but then I willed it to completion. Once the spell was done, I stumbled on my feet. Of course, I was weak and out of mana, but I could feel the wings on my back. I fluttered them happily, while almost falling on my butt. Luckily, Alice and Lynx caught me.

“What's wrong?” Alice asked, rushing to support me.

I sighed. “I'm just not feeling well. The spell must have drained a lot of mana. I feel weak and tired,” I told her, trying not to alarm her, but I definitely wasn't feeling well.

“Well, we could consider it partially successful,” Lynx remarked from his side.

“Partially?” I raised a brow.

“You identify as a human hybrid for me, about level fifty-two,” Lynx answered.

“Human hybrid? Fifty-two? So, still demoted, eh...” I mused.

“Half-human for me,” Alice said, but her tone made me uneasy.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“Well, half-human is much better than a demon,” she said, hesitatingly eyeing me. “But you have slightly larger horns. Can you do something about them?”

“Maybe not right now. I'm not that skilled with transformations,” I confessed. “I can try, but there were several warnings in the book against it.”

"What were the warnings about?" Alice insisted.

"Involuntarily changes to the magic attributes. Shit happens. I actually had such a problem when I wanted to remove my horns and lost a great degree of my mana manipulation skill. It was hard enough to get it back. The other was that transformation spells anchor themselves to a certain structure, and you would either transform back to what you were at the first transformation, or the whole spell may run awry. My understanding of body structure and magic is too limited to accurately assess the potential consequences of certain changes."

"Oh. I did not know that transformation was so complex," she answered, nodding in understanding.

“So, how big are my horns? What else?” I questioned, feeling a bit alarmed.

"You look mostly the same!" Alice said.

"Medium horns, tiny dragonfly wings, and a few other things," Lynx explained.

A few other things? I couldn't stand it anymore. Ignoring the lack of mana, I still found enough to summon a mirror in the air. I gazed at this new Lores.

My horns were now larger and curved, forming a half-circle above my head. Not only that, but beneath the larger pair of horns, there stood another, smaller pair, and beneath them, my ears. My ears were now somewhat akin to elven ears but not as long, triangular in shape, positioned below the second pair of horns, with the ear tips hanging slightly downward.

I gulped. Probably there are sufficient differences in the physiognomy of a demon and a human to justify those different horns to keep the same magic attributes. Obviously, I cannot do without horns. But what was with the ears?

I sighed. Oh, well, that'll have to do it for now.

Tired, I crumpled to my knees, lacking the energy to stand. Alice caught me and pulled me up in her arms in a princess carry. I rested my head on her shoulder.

“Something is not okay with her,” she told Lynx. “Let's go to Ju.”

Lynx's worried gaze met mine. "I see that," he replied, his concern evident.

We left the ring and found a worried Ju pacing in the room. She was now fully clothed, no longer in her pajamas. As soon as she saw me, she rushed to my side and placed her hand on my forehead.

“Put her on this bed,” she said, “and tell me what happened and why does she have a new haircut?”

A new haircut! Even as nauseated as I was, I chuckled hearing her question. As she listened to the shortened version of the story from Alice, she shook her head and turned to look at me. She fumed.

“This is not just an out-of-mana problem. This is worse. She's got a soul issue!”

“A soul issue?” Lynx wondered.

Ju let out a deep sigh.

“What she does is true transformation and not shape-shifting. This means that each transformation spell is anchored into her soul. Her soul must adapt to host her new persona. She did one too many and overstretched her soul,” she turned to me. “We should try some soul-strengthening exercises for you, meditation, and quietude. You need not stress yourself for at least the next couple of weeks. Just enjoy being! No new transformations, at least for a year from now, if not ever!”

"What do you mean?" I mumbled, puzzled. "Can't I transform into a lynx?"

"You can do that. That transformation is already defined, you've already done the damage," Ju clarified, her tone serious. "But don't try to learn a new one!"

"Oh, good," I replied, relieved to have her approval. Then I pondered, "But why can some people do more than a couple of transformations?"

Ju's frustration seemed to intensify as she perceived my question as a challenge to her recommendations.

"Shapeshifting or cosmetic transformations are different. A shapeshifter doesn't fully embody the power of the beasts; they merely imitate it. Unlike druids. But why do you think druids have just a limited number of transformations? It's because of the constraints imposed by their souls," she explained emphatically. "I believe three is the most any druid can reach. And why do shamans have only one beast they synchronize their souls with? It's because transformations like the ones you're attempting are soul-modifying spells. A soul can only stretch so far before it breaks. If your soul breaks, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to repair! Doesn't your book clarify any of this for you? What kind of transformation book is that?" she asked, her frustration evident as she directed her anger toward the book.

"I'm sorry, it was my idea!" Alice confessed, looking crestfallen, but Ju didn't let her take the blame.

"She's the mage doing it! She should know better!" Ju asserted.

I sighed. Okay, I made a mistake, nobody got hurt but me. I wasn't feeling so bad that I couldn't function, just a bit apathetic and weak. And did I get a mandated holiday from my own personal doctor?

"Well, your concern is noted. No more transformations for a while," I conceded. "I was right to make my wings, though. You see, I can fly! I'm happy! And now, maybe a good coffee would be just what I need to shake off this headache?" I suggested, raising a brow. Was it too much to ask?

"You don't even know if those puny wings work, but they are decorative, I'll give you that!" Lynx remarked with a grin.