The first chrysalis began hatching. The deep purple cocoon had light coming through very large noticeable cracks spidering down the center. The cracks began spreading and spreading like shattering ice.

     Then, just as the lights had begun carving intricate swirls, trees and mountain designs on the outside, the shell shattered.

     Inside stood a young man, around five foot five, with a thick trimmed beard. Dreadlocks hung down past his shoulders and his beard was neatly kept, framing his cocoa face in a handsome way. His nose was more round and less pointed than before and his muscles seemed more compact to match his stocky frame. A faint orange glow could be seen around the area of his heart, shining brightly as it slowly dimmed to a normal hue.

     Darnell stood up straight, stretching.

     Soon after, his pants fell down, causing Zippy and Jamie to both laugh loudly. The magnificent display of magical transformation didn’t discount the fact that Darnell’s pants were too large for him and that he was wearing ‘hello kitty’ underwear.

     “Looks like you burned off your bit of belly there!” Zippy laughed as the boxer clad man leaned down to pick up his jeans walking to the back of the town hall with a huff.

     Quickly returning wearing a pair of suspenders over his shirt the newly reborn dwarf smiled. “Ya know, I thought getting shorter would be awful for any reason but… I feel soooooo good. Like, complete, ya know?”

     Zippy just nodded. “Yes yes, great power, magical abilities, I’ve been through this whooey a few times before I came here.”

     Darnell's smile faded away as Jamie noticed the odd orange hue. “Still, so cool, what’s with the glowing heart anyway?”

     Zippy spoke up, “Oh, It’s a staple of true dwarves, the heart of iron and steel, honestly it’s any metal. We’d need something to look inside em to know what it is though. The molten blood handles heavy amounts of mana, strengthening dwarves' bodies. There’s a reason they’re miners you know. They can’t be crushed, not one has ever died due to a collapse crushing them, slow rescue on the other hand...” Zippy cringed remembering some ancient event.

     Darnell, upon hearing that he was invulnerable; decided to pick up a large piece of wood left over from renovations and smack himself in the head with it.

     “YOW!!” He fell over with a thump, rubbing his sore head.

     “I didn’t say you started at full power from square one did I?” Zippy asked looking down at the sprawled dwarf on the floor.

     A massive cacophony of cracking echoes through the town hall as five more cocoons begin opening. Three of them in the same pattern as Darnell’s but with slight differences. The other two appeared to be veering off in wild directions. Cracks splintering and spreading, without much form but as more spread two distinct and very different images form out of the glowing lines.

     Massive swords and holy symbols adorned the cracks in the red and yellow cocoon. While the green and black cocoon grew trees, gigantic cracks making their way from toe to top of the magical encasement.

     The three similar cocoons burst open with a bright glow forcing everyone to shield their eyes for a second.

     Jerome stood the exact same height of five foot eight, with a large afro making him top six. Behind him stood Clarise the butcher, her tan skin contrasted by long smooth flowing black hair. And further behind her stood one of her two children Darius.

     Just as Zippy was going to speak to greet them; the next two cocoons made screeching noises like metal grinding against itself. New lines formed their way onto the cocoons, small mountain shaped runes. As soon as the small additions had finished carving themselves into the protective coating, it shattered.

     Everyone covering their eyes once more as Clarise’s other son Gustav, or just ‘Gus’ as most of the town knows him. stepped forward. His hair was long and a deep golden brown, his blue eyes were more turquoise than blue, the lines in his iris almost looking like cracks in stone. His ears were pointed and his arms and legs were long and slender. The boy, the man stepped forward, now transformed into the unmistakable visage of a high elf.

     “What… are… you?” Zippy’s voice was hushed anger, how dare such a contemptible being be reborn here on such a holy mountain! Like a blue flame, so hot that it feels cold at first Zippy was at his most dangerous, his mana being summoned to his fingertips.

     Just as Zippy was ready to attack before giving the boy even a chance to speak a second form walked up next to Gus. Tall and green with a long face, almost animalistic. Two small nub-like tusks shot up from his jaw. Their arms were long, much like a gorilla but also a deep green color.

     Zippy deflated, a new form standing right in front of the wizard. Then, the unmistakable glow of orange came from both of their chests. The orange glow showing from behind the elves loose shirt and behind the orcs chest bindings.

     Soft and barely radiant, both of their hearts had the blood of the mountain. “What… What are you? You… You’re beautiful.” Zippy mumbled, visions of his old village filled with peaceful trolls came to his mind, contrasting heavily with the images of high-elves.

     Yet… The two of them embraced each other, giving a long heartfelt hug as the new being hadn’t responded yet.

     “A… A high elf… friends with… with…?” He mumbled absentmindedly.

     “An Orc” The green one said, a smile appearing on their face. “I’m pretty sure, I’m an Orc.”

     Jamie walked up behind Zippy, still looking very much human as the rebirth has not come to them just yet. “They’re new. Huh, didn’t expect newer mythical people to be options.”

     Zippy looked up at the human, completely at a loss for words. Soon, the rest of the town started to awake. Save one chrysalis in the far back, far larger than all the rest.

     Billy Joe was still among the slumbering.

     ***

     A Booming Voice filled the endless void of nothing.

     “Being of my blood! Gorge yourself on the power long been denied by the wretched ripping of the truth!”

     Billy Joe, normal, completely average Billy Joe who was floating in the middle of some massive void; laughed.

     “Whooo boy, that’s some cliche stuff right there ya know it?” She slapped her knee chuckling.

     The Booming Voice quieted, a sound which almost seemed to fade in the background ceased, creating a sense of unnerve in the young woman.

     Billy Joe steadied herself, quieting her laughing. “Whoo, sorry bout that, just, thing’s been pretty crazy lately, and if you, whatever you are, is the first thing to spout some cheesy cliche, no one will believe me.” She rested, crossing her legs, “Please, continue.”

     The voice and the ambient noise of the void return, like a white noise machine caught on repeat, but at least it was better than the eerie silence. “You hold the blood of champions, the blood of conquerors! Take your rightful power and spread your rule vast, claim the calves, slaves, land you are owed and rule in whatever manner you deem worthy of your peons!”

     Billy Joe, once again, burst out in hysterical laughter.

     “Wait, What? What’s so funny? I demand you tell me now!” The Booming Voice commanded.

     Billy Joe, taking her sweet time coming down from her over-the-top laughing fit.

     “You just…” Wheeze. “Said the MOST cliche…” Wheeze. “Dark god tempting villain, or whatever speech I have ever heard.” She said, barely stifling another laugh.

     “But… But I offer you power, more than your wildest dreams! All you need do is take it!” The Booming Voice countered, the endless void seemed to turn a lighter shade, slightly pink as if the cosmic being was blushing.

     “Listen, I’m not taking any soul corrupting power or no deal with the devil where I turn into some big bad evil queen or something.” The young woman shrugs, shaking her head for effect. “I know how this goes is all.”

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     “S… Soul Corrupting?” The Booming Voice seems taken back. “No, dear child, I do not offer you power with a cost. I hold no strings, it is yours to do as you see fit.”

     A form coalesces in the void in front of Billy Joe, an arm’s length away. A tall man, strikingly beautiful with an air of darkness around him. Raven black hair and one glowing red eye, the other seems to have been lost to a battle long ago. He looks muscular, overly so in fact, Billy Joe could see he was handsome but he was quite far from her type.

     “I… Am Lug.” The man slowly, gently raised his arm and placed a hand on Billy Joe’s cheek tenderly. She was filled with visions of an ancient race of giants.

     Over and over the giants invaded an island, took over, and were driven back again and again. Heroes rose and many fall, finally, the image of Lug, staring down a larger giant. Ancient and powerful, the massive form rode on, his army of monstrosities behind him.

     Billy Joe knew, somehow on a deep level that this large giant was Lug’s own grandfather. As the giant wielded a powerful weapon from its left eye Lug readied his sling, firing a large stone into his grandfather's face, digging deep into the giant's eye and killing him.

     The vision ended and Billy Joe saw genuine happiness, genuine kindness from the large and powerful being gently holding her cheek. His form started fading away, bits and pieces slowly flaked off and floated upward into the void, rejoining some larger spherical entity far in the distance.

     Just before Lug’s form completely disappeared, still smiling at Billy Joe he gave her a deep hug. Whispering in a voice so quiet that billy joe stopped her own breathing to listen.

     “And you… Are Fomorian.”

     ***

     Zippy, unable to match the image of High Elves in his own mind, against the mere existence of a halfling High Elf hugging his Half-Orc Half-Dwarf friend, felt like he was frying his own brain.

     Standing in the makeshift sheriff's office in the old pastor's study in the town hall Zippy was fuming at the newly reawakened Jerome.

     “He’s a HIGH ELF! You saw what Terrance did! They’re all like that, power-hungry monsters with no, none, not a lick of care about what happens to anyone else!” Zippy bellowed from his small chair.

     “Listen, Zippy, I know you’re scared. But that’s Gus, same old Gus as always too, he ain't done a thing wrong and we both know if I do anything then his mama is going to beat me six ways to Sunday.” Jerome shrugged.

     “You’re the sheriff!” Zippy nearly screamed.

     “Yeah, an elected one. I didn’t say how she’d beat me did I? Listen, I like being sheriff, I like enforcing fair law. And arresting someone just because you THINK they might be dangerous isn’t going to fly with me.” Jerome responded sternly, lightly slamming his hand on his table and rapping his fingers against his desk.

     “All High Elves are bad. They’re made bad. They only come from bad people who want to do bad things. They’re clouded-headed imbeciles!” Zippy stood, enthusiastically pleading his case.

     “You yourself said that there’s no real way to make someone a certain kind of being. You told the whooooole town that there’s no way to pick who you want to be. MULTIPLE TIMES! Yet here you are, acting like there’s a set path to High Elves.” Jerome shook his head. “Which is it, because we both know it can’t be both.”

     Zippy stood, hopping on his cloud and floating out the door while grumbling. Opting not to answer the sheriff’s question.

     Jerome let out a long sigh, “whew, could have gone worse I suppose.”

     A voice from behind Jerome also spoke, noble-sounding and feminine. “Oh yes, it really could have.”

     Jerome let out a loud unmanly scream as he leaned so far back in his chair it slipped out from under him. Falling to the floor in surprise and looking behind him a figure in a tall robe stood.

     Pulling back her hood, a dark-skinned woman with silvery hair stood before Jerome. Her face was not old, but neither was it young. Wisdom was almost visible behind her eyes and she exuded confidence. Honestly, Jerome felt she was pretty attractive all things considered, just before he started to look her up and down; her once beautiful eyes stared daggers into him.

     Sputtering, the man on the floor spoke, “What… Who are you? How did you get in here without me noticing!?”

     The woman let out a small laugh, the sound was as clear as pebbles being dropped into a pond. “I am Xiana, another wizard. I came with Zippy. As for your second question…”

     As the woman quit speaking a large funnel of pure black appeared in her outstretched left hand. All of the shadows in the room started to flow into the shape as it slowly gained the form of a goblet of pure darkness.

     “...I have a few tricks.” She smirked.

     Jerome nodded, sitting back down. Having gotten used to magical people showing up and trying to tell him what to do, he had to ask. “So, why are you here exactly?”

     “I come to see all of the rebirths that I can. My order is rather busy in your world. Humans have grown so large as a people. There are many who need our talents and tending.” She spoke again, her voice was almost exotic, definitely from Europe.. or Asia, maybe Africa, really anywhere but from here.

     “Then you would be….” Jerome paused, not wanting to offend.

     “A necromancer, yes. I am also one of Zippy’s oldest friends, you should ask about me sometime. Might help you believe what I say next.” She responded.

     “Which is?” Jerome impatiently said, getting tired of these games where people keep leaving off just enough information to make him ask.

     “Zippy has been lying to you.” She spoke slowly and clearly. “Not out of malice, but out of necessity. The forms gained by rebirth are documented, several easy paths to attaining certain forms were known, however… That’s when things get tricky. His own common sense from our time is getting in the way of the ideals he wishes to spread; that everyone is unique and that generalizing does a disservice to both sides.”

     “Howso?” Jerome spoke, annoyance clear in his voice.

     “You could say a troll, a large muscular form which normally likes to live in small communities inside of forests; come from tribespeople and such. You would be half-right, and that’s the same for everything else. Because for every one person who falls into the expected category, some other person might be some city slicker who’s always felt trapped inside the stone villages you lot seem to love to make now.” Xiana responded.

     “Oh, so it’s not that the exception proves the rule… so much that exceptions are the rule?” Jerome asked, holding his head in confusion, but Xiana gave him an affirmative nod.

     She looked out of the window into the main town hall as other beings are pulled out of their cocoons and families wait to be reunited. “It is so good seeing my blood go on like this, as well as my ideals.”

     Jerome looked up at her, the question obvious.

     “Clarice and her two children. Far-flung relatives through time. As for my ideals…” She gestures over her dark elf form. “Well, let's just say there are the people you are born to, and then there is family.”

     His face turned from confusion to realization as it dawned on Jerome. “Christia?”

     “Travelers, traders, merchants, performers. That’s what I did with my family. Clarise has chosen a place to settle and stay, and while I am so proud of my several-times great-granddaughter… However, Christia is a true treasure.” She spoke, her cheerful tone bringing a smile to Jerome’s face.

     “So… what do you think I should do about the kid?” Jerome asked the neutral woman, believing at the very least that she doesn’t have a grudge toward a kid she had never even talked to, unlike a certain gnome.

     “Halflings usually have two or more rebirths, one for each change… This one began as half so it ties him to the community. Reading rebirth is a lot like reading tea-leaves or cards without magic. Very unreliable, but if I was to guess, you should be fine, high elves can be valiant in their own right, as long as they don’t get too up on themselves. But really we are talking about people. Even if he holds some dangerous ideals, it is possible to change the heart, for the heart always stays.” Her noble tone and form wavered a bit toward the end but she smiled at the sheriff.

     Jerome thought about this for a moment, thinking about how even he himself has changed since coming to Barthel. The town, the community, the people have a way of growing on a person. “Thanks, I have a lot to think about.”

     “I pray you never need my services,” she said with a bow and flourish, her silver-gray robe fluttering as she tossed open the side, revealing of all things; hide leather armor.

     “I think we can agree there.” Jerome smiled.

     And just as she came, in a moment of darkness Xiana was gone.

     ***

     Billy Joe looked around, but Lug was gone. The voice was gone.

     A small glowing red orb hovered behind where Lug had stood. The red glow seemed warm and comforting but also dangerous, much like fire.

     A scroll appeared out of thin air, glowing words stood out from the ancient-looking paper.

     Current Wish: “I wish I had magic powers”

     Would you like to use ‘Wish’ In combination with ‘Ancient Bloodrite?’

     Yes./No.

     Billy Joe smiled to herself, selecting Yes.

     ***

     The world spun, no, all of the air in the town hall did as Jamie and Darnell looked at the last Chrysalis.

     Large, grey as stone, and menacing, Billie Joe’s was near twice the size of everyone else. Red cracks spread all over, instead of runes, intricate lines made entire pictures. Farmers tending a field, warriors off to battle, the Wright brothers taking off…

     Again, everyone in the room shielded their eyes as a massive crashing sound could be heard. When Jamie opened their eyes again, Billy Joe stood.

     Eight feet tall, maybe nine, covered in the stretched out and torn clothes from earlier giving her an almost hulkish style. Her pale skin was grainy and grey, almost like granite. Her hair was long, bangs covering her face as the entire mop was an unruly mess.

     Her freckled face shown under an overgrown mop of hair almost three feet long. Her muscles were toned slightly, but her form radiated the feeling of speed. Her fingernails were longer, almost clawed and almost palpable energy could be felt around her.

     Brushing back her hair she looked downward at her friend, “Hi Jamie.”

     Her smile was glowing, but so were her eyes. The right eye, iris completely red and glowing with magical energy. The left was a watery green, deep and inviting, instead of glowing it almost seemed to suck light in, casting her face in perpetual shadows.

     Zippy, from somewhere in the far back of the room, lets out a roar as his voice cracks,

     “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”