Akari paced back and forth across Collins' office, shaking with anger and disbelief.

"I can't believe you put me through that!" she burst out. "Letting me think you were in real danger, when it was all just some twisted test!"

Collins sat stoically behind his desk, letting Akari's tirade wash over him without reaction. He had expected this.

"Do you have any idea what I've been going through the past two days?" Akari yelled, rounding on him. "Sick with worry over what that vile succubus might be doing to you? And now I find out it was all staged, and you never even told me!"

Collins let out a slow breath. "Akari, believe me when I say I regret causing you such distress. But this operation was strictly need-to-know."

He held up a hand to forestall her angry retort. "Hear me out. I couldn't risk compromising the integrity of the test by letting you in on it."

Akari crossed her arms, fuming. "Oh, so now I'm a liability who can't be trusted?"

"That's not what I said," Collins replied evenly. "Your reaction needed to appear genuine for Lilia's sake. Anything less could have tipped her off that it wasn't real."

He met her fiery gaze unflinchingly. "I know how personal this is for you. But the fact is, when it comes to succubi, your judgement has proven...compromised in the past."

Akari flinched, the barb striking deep. As much as she hated to admit it, Collins had a point. Her hatred of demons had clouded her reasoning before.

Collins' expression softened. "The test was my idea, not the Bureau's. If you're going to be angry with anyone, be angry with me."

Seeing Akari's fury abating, he continued gently, "Moira's aid has proven invaluable over the years. As distasteful as her proclivities may be, she provides intelligence that saves lives. This arrangement is a necessary evil."

Akari sank into a chair, emotionally drained. As frustrating as this was, she knew Collins cared for her deeply. Deception simply came with the territory in their line of work.

"I understand why you did it," she said finally. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Collins gave a faint smile. "Duly noted."

After giving Akari some time to cool down, Collins broached the real point of interest. "So, what do you make of Lilia's performance?"

Akari considered the question seriously. "She passed the test, clearly. Resisted Moira's advances and kept focused on the mission."

"Precisely." Collins nodded. "She had every opportunity to indulge her baser desires, yet maintained control. It confirms she is no ordinary succubus."

He tented his fingers pensively. "By all accounts, she should have revelled in Moira's attentions. The fact that she abstained implies a willpower beyond her kin."

Akari nodded slowly. "You're right. And she seemed genuinely invested in rescuing you. I don't think it was an act on her part."

"I concur. She gave no indication of ulterior motives," Collins said. "Of course, we can't rule out subtler machinations. But thus far, her goals seem aligned with doing good, however enigmatic her origins."

Akari bit her lip. "Do you really think she could be one of the ancient Lilin? The signs seem to point that way."

"Perhaps," Collins murmured. "If so, she may be key to unlocking secrets kept for millennia. We must keep a close eye on Lilia and learn all we can about her."

He smiled wryly. "Who knows, she may prove a powerful ally yet."

Despite lingering unease, Akari felt herself agreeing with Collins’ assessment. She had always been so quick to condemn Lilia as a threat. But the succubus had risen above expectations time and again.

Collins stood, wincing slightly from lingering bruises. "Now then, I believe we've both had quite enough excitement for one day. What do you say we call it a night?"

Akari couldn't help but chuckle. Even after enduring abduction and torture, Collins remained unflappably pragmatic. It was a quality she had always admired in him.

She rose and impulsively embraced Collins, catching him briefly off guard. "I'm just glad you're safe," she mumbled into his shirt.

Collins' expression softened and he returned the hug warmly. "Thanks to you, as always."

James sighed in relief as he slipped into his desk just in time for his last class of the day. After his abrupt transformation back from Lilia that morning, he considered staying home. But he couldn't afford to miss any more school after being "sick" for so long.

Of course, his maths teacher Mrs. Lin was quick to chide him. "Nice of you to finally join us, Mr. Brooks," she said sharply. "I hope whatever kept you this morning was more important than your education."

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James withered under her stern gaze. "S-sorry Mrs. Lin. I just...overslept a bit." Even to his own ears, the excuse sounded weak.

The teacher huffed. "Yes, well, I should hope three weeks of rest has cured any lingering fatigue. Because you have a lot of catching up ahead of you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Your prolonged absence does not exempt you from keeping up with your studies. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," James murmured, cheeks burning. He ducked his head and tried to focus on the lesson, all too aware of his classmates' whispered remarks and curious glances.

After what felt like an eternity, the final bell rang. James gathered his things hastily, hoping to make a quick exit. No such luck.

"A word, Mr. Brooks," Mrs. Lin called sternly. James grimaced and trudged to her desk as the other students filed out, stifling snickers at his predicament.

"James, you are a bright young man with a lot of potential," the teacher began, her tone softening slightly. "But you can't keep having these unexplained absences, especially in your last year. It will severely impact your future."

James stared at his shoes. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll work extra hard to catch up, I promise."

Mrs. Lin studied him a long moment before continuing. "See that you do. And I expect you to ace the test this Friday."

James winced, but nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'll make sure of that."

After a final warning, Mrs. Lin released him at last. James hurried from the classroom, equal parts relieved and uneasy. Keeping up the charade with his teachers was proving almost as difficult as hiding his transformation from his friends.

As James exited the building, he spotted Mia waiting by the gate. At the sight of him, her face lit up.

"There you are! Cutting more classes already?" She teased.

James rolled his eyes dramatically. "Ugh tell me about it. Mrs. Lin read me the riot act."

Mia laughed and fell into step beside him. "Well, it is your second day back. Maybe lay low for a bit longer before skipping classes."

James smiled ruefully. "Yeah, you're probably right."

As they walked, Mia's expression turned serious. "In all honesty though, is everything ok? I know you said you were sick, but..." She trailed off uncertainly.

James' throat tightened. He hated lying, especially to his closest friends. But what choice did he have?

"I'm alright, really," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "Just readjusting after being cooped up so long. But I'll get back on track."

Mia studied him a moment before nodding. "Well, you know I'm here if you need to talk. About anything," she added meaningfully.

James managed a faint smile. "Thanks Mia. That means a lot."

They chatted about lighter topics for the remainder of the walk to Mia's house. James had agreed to continue their magical training sessions today, after all. Besides, these sessions were really helping him—both as a Lilia and in taking his mind off things.

James and Mia spent the next couple hours immersed in magical training. Mia practiced summoning orbs of water, morphing them into a variety of shapes like flowing serpents or frozen spikes. Her mastery over the water and cold was growing steadily.

"Check this out!" She called excitedly. With a swirl of her fingers, Mia generated a small rainstorm, condensing moisture from the air into fat droplets that pattered musically onto the floor.

James looked suitably impressed. "Wow, you're getting really good!" he said. Mia beamed with pride.

On the other hand, James kept working to refine his control. He traced fiery glyphs again and again, focusing on making each summoning smooth and precise. The flames now sprang to life at his command without resistance.

Sweat beaded James' brow as he pushed himself, determined to hone his mystical arts. He hoped improving these skills might transfer to Lilia.

After two intense hours, both teens were thoroughly drained. They called it a day, making plans to meet again soon.

The next day after school, James headed over to his sister Ren's apartment. She had told him over the phone that she made some important discoveries related to his ability to transform into Lilia that he needed to hear.

When he arrived, Ren welcomed him in eagerly. "James! Come on back to the lab, I've got some fascinating data to show you."

James followed her, curiosity piqued. She motioned for James to have a seat as she pulled up some images on the screen.

"So I've been analysing the cellular samples I took from Lilia, and I made a remarkable finding," Ren explained. "Her body isn't composed of normal particles - it's made up entirely of tiny energy fields that mimic the properties of atoms!"

James' eyes widened. "What? So she's just...made of energy or something?"

Ren nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! This energy can mimic regular matter, yet on a fundamental level it's completely different. I hypothesize this uniqueness allows you to shapeshift so dramatically."

James shook his head in disbelief. "That's crazy...but it does explain how I can turn into her I guess." A thought struck him. "Can I still be considered human if my body transforms into that?"

"Well, that was my other discovery," Ren replied. She pulled up an image of a sample. "Seeing slight changes to your body I decided to compare your current cells to the sample I took when you were Lilia. Take a look."

James leaned in. To his shock, the structure looked identical.

Ren smiled at his reaction. "I know, right? Your body now have the exact same energy structure as Lilia's. So either your transformation changed your body permanently..."

"Or I was always like this," James finished, reeling from the implications.

Ren nodded. "Honestly, either is possible at this point. We'd need more data to determine which is the case."

She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But here's the thing - even though your body's composed of energy fields now, they still function just like regular matter. So in a real sense, you're still 100% human."

Ren gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's like how a chair made of wood or metal is still a chair. The material itself doesn't change its nature."

James took a shaky breath, feeling a bit better. "When you put it like that, it makes sense."

"Exactly," Ren said warmly. "This doesn't change who you are as a person."

After taking a moment to process this, a question occurred to James. "Do you have any idea what's causing the actual transformation though? Like, how I go from being me to Lilia?"

Ren pursed her lips. "Unfortunately, no. The cellular behaviour when you shift to Lilia is radically different. It's as if your energy fields reorganize and condense into an entirely new configuration."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I'm going to reach out to a colleague who specializes in morphic fields and biology. With your permission, I'd like to share some samples to get his insights."

James considered briefly before nodding. "Yeah, I trust your judgement. If you think it could help figure this out, let's do it."

Ren gave him another quick hug. "We'll get to the bottom of this, don't you worry. In the meantime, try not to stress too much. You're still you."

Despite his lingering anxiety, James felt a rush of gratitude for his sister's tireless efforts to help him. No matter what bizarre changes his body underwent, her faith in him remained unshakeable.

"Thanks, Ren," he said sincerely. "For everything. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ren smiled warmly. "Hey, what did I tell you about big sisters? Though I have to admit, this is probably my most unusual case to date." They both laughed, the tension easing.

The siblings shared a look of determination. Piece by piece, they would unravel the mystery of Lilia's existence. And maybe, just maybe, find a way for James to control transformations.