Ethereal world, Classroom Light-1
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"Marisol. Look at me."
The phantom images of the real world impressed over the Ethereal. Only the illusions of the two women and the imprint of the spells were solid, aside from the two visitors.
"Marisol, look at me."
The [Priestess] ignored the voice and sunk deeper into her panic. Where was she? What was this place? Was she dead?
"Marisol, nothing here can harm you."
The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't think. Everything around her was spinning. Her hangover was now the executioner's noose strangling her by the stomach and pulling it out.
She vomited bile.
"{Cosmos Within}!" The voice shouted.
> You gaze into the Cosmos. Behold its glory and forget about the world.
She couldn't help it. Marisol turned around and stared at the glowing figure. Everything else, the world, her fears, her emotions, were secondary. All she could do was marvel at the depth of the soul before her. She recognized her childhood friend. The girl with which she clashed so many times. But now, laid bare before she was a mystery. A whole Cosmos, a timeline stretching beyond the infinite, a power greater than life itself. At the center, a golden orb, glowing with divine power, orbiting that orb the figures of several people, animals, and legendary figures. She felt soothing energy from the orb.
The girl wouldn't remember any of that later on, but the impression, the feeling, the wonder, would be forever engraved upon her soul. In her trance, she understood everything that creature was. Marisol could only stare at the majesty of the one she once called friend.
"Calm down, Marisol. I'm your friend. I wish you well and I think it is time for you to know everything about me. Sorry about the deception but people are not obliged to tell everything about them. It was never my intention to fool you. Here, take my hand."
To touch infinity. To brush one's hand against the endless stream of creation. To be embraced by that warmth, to be welcomed into the heart of the universe, and to find the universe's attention on oneself. To know that for a brief moment, one held true worth.
Then it was all gone, as suddenly as it started. Marisol couldn't remember much but she felt cherished. Warm arms embraced her and she was at peace.
"I'm sorry, Marisol," Haru's voice reached her ears at the same time the warmth was gone.
The young woman blinked and saw Haru standing a respectable distance away. Slowly, as the last remnants of that memory faded, she recalled the events that led to that moment.
"What are you, Haru?" She asked.
With a wave of an arm, Haru produced a piece of green and gold silk. She donned it. "Do you know what this is?"
> The Tabard of Windemere - Level 168
Marisol nodded. "There's no person in this country that wouldn't recognize it. Why do you have it?" And how can you wear it so casually, she dared not ask.
"Because I was its weaver and creator. Because I was the one to bring Windemere back from the dead with my silk and magic. Because I was the one to create a home for my Kin, my children," she explained as black fur slowly took over her body and she became a werecat.
No person in Windemere didn't know the meaning of a black were-jaguar. There was only one in the entire history of the world, after all.
"{Appraise} me, Marisol," she whispered.
> [God Slayer Truesilver Hero Grand Duchess]
>
> No further information is available.
Marisol's legs decided on their own it was a good time to stop working.
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Marisol's mind and soul were too weak to even comprehend my capstone Perk, much less keep any semblance of rational thought. I cut it off once she calmed down but fortunately it seemed there would be no lingering effect.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
My illusions were still. I could communicate with Marlowe through our {Spirit Pact} and I told him to inform the class that he had used a paralyzing spell to keep us from interrupting the class any further. Marisol explained to me what happened yesterday and why she was so cranky today. It was her special day and the girls only talked about me. I made a commitment to revealing myself to them as well. Her hangover was the straw that broke the camel's back and led her to overreact.
"Why does it say you're draining my MP?" She asked, still wary.
"I have a curse. A lot of them. This, in particular, drains divine energy around me. But you should be losing just a little bit of MP, less than your regeneration."
"How can I make it stop?" She waved her hand in front of Phyllis's face but she was in the wrong dimension to be noticed by the lamia.
"Git gud, gurl," I snapped then laughed. "Here, you can have this ring. It'll camouflage itself to appear as a simple copper band. This should compensate for what you lose by being near me. And let me fix you."
"Again with the stupidly expensive gifts? Are you made of kingmetal?" She whined.
I healed her hangover and kept using Pandora to calm her with the {Gifted Divinity} aspect. Once she was back on her feet, she grabbed my arm and brushed her hand against my midnight black fur.
"You're the Kin [Matriarch]! That's why Camilla and Melania keep fawning over you! Can I touch your fur?"
I ended up with an overexcited fangirl.
"Sure, just don't press my paws and poke my claws out. You'll become a werecat if you hurt yourself on them."
"Doesn't sound too bad," she smirked. "Boys like cat-kin girls."
As she reached for my paw, I shapeshifted back before she could screw her whole life by becoming an enraged were-beast. The were-kin of today trained from a tender age to control their aggressive impulses. Just remembering what happened to Isengar who awakened to his were-bear heritage later in life was enough to completely reject that.
"Not happening. One person becomes a werecat and everyone will know I'm around."
"Wasn't that what you did to Isengar?" She pressed.
"No. Isengar is an eighth were-bear. He got so enraged during our fight his bloodline ability triggered."
Miffed, she kept rambling on. Marisol's defense mechanism was to use a verbiage attack. "Are you immortal? Were you disguised in the Orphanage? Why would you even go there if you are the King? And the Duchess? And the Matriarch! Who else?" Her gaze drifted down to the lower half of my robe. "Damn, you've been a man!"
I held her chin and pushed it up. "Locksley was a girl, sorry. I have the [King] title, but I was crossdressing."
She frowned just like Mirina did when I told the [Princess] the same thing. "So you never had one?" She was disappointed.
I didn't bother to ask what she thought I had. One would think I understood women after all these centuries, but there's one secret we never tell. Most of the time, we just pretend to understand things. It's not a gender-exclusive thing, it's a fact of life that understanding people is hard.
"Nevermind. Question time is over."
Whining, she clung to me, "I have so many things I want to ask!"
"Later?" I negotiated while I peeled her off. "We should go back. People are starting to suspect my illusion."
We could see the classroom phantoms. Too many of our classmates were worried we weren't breathing.
"What should I call you?" She sheepishly asked. "Your Majesty?"
"Haru is fine. Bitch, trollop, all those things you used to call me at the orphanage work as well. I'm not picky," I grinned. "And no, I'm not a King or Queen this time, so no honorifics."
"This time, she says," Marisol threw her arms up.
"Stay quiet. I'm making chairs with Force magic, sit on one and try to match your illusion. Then I'll move us back to the real world. Good. Just like that. {Hold Person}."
I froze Marisol in the exact position of her illusion.
I made sure to turn off everything before swapping us with the illusions.
"I think I should release these two fools before they suffocate!" Marlowe said after we became real.
I made a show of gasping for air and slammed Marisol's back. She coughed.
Marlowe's voice was stern, "Can I proceed with the lecture, Miss Stouthammer?"
I colored my cheeks pink and nodded. I didn't even need to move blood around or anything.
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Class ended. A pigheaded Isengar left right behind Marlowe. The guy was avoiding everyone like the plague. I later learned he had trouble paying for our shopping trip but Mirina squeezed every little copper from him.
Before she could act, someone got in the way.
"Haru!" Euric called me, "I have some things I need to talk with you about. Are you free now?"
"Your Highness, I've been two weeks away from my friends, there are things I'm dying to tell them and some perishable souvenirs to give. Can we meet tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow it is. I won't stay in the way of your reunion," He smiled and went away.
Then Mirina flagged me, all haughty, "Haru, I need you with me. If you have to talk to the girls, bring them along. It's important."
"I have souvenirs from Lonid, girls. Come with me!" I called them. We all exchanged glances and giggles, then left the classroom as a tight pack behind Mirina.
Camilla ambushed the half-Eleon in the corridor, "Hey, Marisol, what was that 'Enemy of the Gods' thing you shouted at Haru?"
"A mistake," she hissed between her teeth. "You're heavy, get off!"
"Are we okay now?" Melania asked. "Because you've been frowning every time we mentioned Haru since yesterday."
"Yes, we're fine, I was upset, okay?" She huffed and confessed. "It was my day, and all you talked about was Haru. But I understand it now."
"Oh, do you?" Camilla rubbed the smaller girl's chubby cheeks. It was a quirk cat-kin inherited from their beastly ancestors. "All lovey-dovey now?"
"Leave her alone, calico girl," I pulled the cat-kin off of Marisol. "Stay quiet or I won't give you mermaid treats from Atlantis. They make the best fish dishes ever."
She clung to me instead and started to purr like a starved kitten.