The city library was a big, old stone building that had not just two floors but also a basement. It was the kind of place Kaz would expect a librarian to angrily shush people at the slightest indication of noise. What it was inside, though, was surprisingly open and inviting.
There was bright lighting and an openness to the building that defied the very concept of library, and to one side there was a young woman reading stories to children. The books were in the usual rows of shelves toward the back of the ground floor, but Kaz wanted to make his life easier—so he walked to the big front counter.
᱿Mmm, he looks cute.᱿ Miaow was working up a good purr in Kaz's head. She considered it fine to look so long as she was not in control. ᱿You should ask him out on a date.᱿
᱿I don't think I'll be doing that. I like girls, Miaow.᱿ Kaz, dressed in his usual shorts and shirt, and sporting vivid orange hair on his otherwise normal body, walked up and was happy to see the guy instantly turn toward him. "I was looking for a specific topic. I'd like to research Norse mythology, and wanted the most detailed books you have on it."
Justin adjusted his name-tag and almost had to bite his lip at the sight of Kaz. "We have a shelf and a half of books on that. Let me just get someone to cover the front desk and I'll lead the way." For a moment he wondered if he should say more, then decided it was worth a try. "I love the hair. Is that your natural color?"
᱿He's flirting!᱿
᱿He's not flirting—Okay, he might be flirting.᱿ Trying to drag his mind back to the topic that brought him to the library, Kaz let out a little laugh. "This? Of course it is. Do you see any roots?" Absolutely and without a doubt not a lie. Kaz hadn't just dyed his hair, he'd transformed into a clone of himself that had bright orange hair.
It was obvious the dye job had just been done given that there were no roots in sight and it was so vivid—or so Justin assumed. "It looks great on you. Ah, Cathy, can you take over the desk while I help this man?"
Cathy was spoken for, but she pondered—for just a moment—if she should resist Justin's monopolizing the time of every cute guy who walked in the door. She wanted to ogle some beefcake too. "Sure. Don't be too long or I'll send Sherpas."
Leading the way to the section of the library where mythology and folklore books were kept. "Okay, this whole shelf is specifically on Norse mythology. A lot of it is fun to read, but the most important thing about all non-Abrahamic religions of the era is most of what we now have about them is through the lens of missionaries who were sent there."
For just a moment Kaz thought about how freaked out the guy would get if he commented that he'd met Hel recently. ᱿You know I considered asking Hel out on a date?᱿
Miaow couldn't control her giggles. ᱿You should have! She had this wildness that made my fur bristle as if I was hunting.᱿
᱿Yeah, I just wasn't sure if it was me she was thinking about hunting.᱿ Kaz mentally shifted his focus back to the real world. "Yeah, I was talking to a friend who had a bad opinion about how some of it's been treated."
"Ah, a purist? Before you take their word as law, just remember that no one knows the truth of it all. Even Marvel's interpretation is just an interpretation of an interpretation. It'd be nicer if they were a little closer to what we do know, but if it gets kids interested in history it's a good thing."
᱿TELL HIM! IT WILL BLOW HIS MIND!᱿
᱿Miaow! I can't. For one, he wouldn't believe me, but also that would be showing my magic off, and last time I heard about that it was bad.᱿ All said, though, Kaz was still tempted to. "That's why I'm here. I want to judge for myself."
᱿It'd still be fun if you did.᱿
"Spoken like a true scholar. Well, this here is our entire collection. We have the various poems in loose-bound paperbacks up here and plenty of other reference material. Did you need any further assistance?" In his head, Justin begged Kaz to say yes. Better still would have been Kaz giving him his number.
"I think I can handle things from here. If I have any questions, you'll be at the front desk?" Kaz asked.
᱿He is so into you.᱿
᱿But I'm not into him.᱿
᱿Spoilsport.᱿
"Let me know if you do, I'll be sitting over at the desk on my tush." It was a gamble. Justin wanted Kaz to be thinking of his rear as he walked away—which he did now while putting his best assets rearward.
Kaz had already returned his focus to the shelves and was ignoring the perky librarian walking away. ᱿I guess I start at random. Okay, so apart from Hel, who would be a good starter?᱿
᱿How would I know? Wait, she mentioned her father. Who was he?᱿
᱿Pantheon of Norse Mythology. This should be a good starting point.᱿ Lifting the book off the shelf, Kaz walked over to where a bunch of desks were and sat down. Opening the book, he got to the table of contents that listed four fields: Æsir, Vanir, Jötunn, Other Beings, Places, and Events. Looking down the lists under each, he couldn't find Hel.
Flipping the page, he found there were more listings for Other Beings and there he found her name. Noting the page number, he started flipping pages to find her, and stopped a page before. Flipping that last page, he froze at the image on the page.
᱿Well, they screwed that up. Her hair is colored differently, but her body sure wasn't.᱿ The image on the page was curious to Miaow, mostly because she'd not thought of going with such an asymmetry. And, the moment she thought that, she giggled as she remembered her girlfriend.
᱿I prefer how she looks in real life.᱿ Kaz started reading and froze less than a paragraph in. "Loki…"
᱿Loki? Also, her figure was way better than that drawing.᱿
Fishing around in his pocket, Kaz pulled out sticky note fingers and wrote Hel on one then stuck it to the page. He flicked back to the start and looked through Other again until he found Loki. ᱿He's kinda the bad guy of the whole Norse thing, I think.᱿
᱿That's not so bad, still. Remember, Mal isn't exactly a goody-two-shoes herself, and bakeneko aren't known for being bastions of fair play.᱿
Kaz was already reading the page as Miaow chastised him for his assumption. ᱿Blood-brother by oath of Odin and Thor. Father of Hel, Fenrisulfr, and Jormungandr by Angrboda, father of Narfi and Nari by his wife Sigyn—᱿
᱿Wife and a mistress? Wow.᱿
᱿And mother of Sleipnir by Svadlifari.᱿ Kaz reread the last bit, trying to make sense of it. Miaow, he could tell, was actually speechless (or thoughtless) for once. ᱿Ah! He was a shapeshifter!
᱿A renowned trickster and prankster. Fought alongside Odin and Thor to protect the gods. I—I don't know what to think.᱿ Holding back his narrative, Kaz kept reading and discovered the fate of Loki. ᱿Oh. Oh shit.
᱿He assisted in the death of the god Baldr, and Odin was so angry he killed both Loki's sons to Sigyn, used their intestines to bind Loki, and then had a huge snake constantly drip venom onto him. Sigyn waits there, unable to free him, but diverts the venom with bowls—only when she moves them, it drips onto him and burns him.᱿ Kaz was stunned at the excerpt. ᱿This is horrifying.᱿
Miaow was silent a moment, but quickly spotted something. ᱿Read that bit—two paragraphs under there.᱿
᱿Loki and his children will break loose at the beginning of Ragnarok.᱿ Adding another bookmark, Kaz flipped back to the front and found Ragnarok under Events. ᱿The end of the world and a new beginning. That's what Hel was talking about. She's Loki's daughter, and she's—she's going to lead the dead legions against the Aesir in Ragnarok.᱿
᱿So is it the bad team or is it just another team?᱿ Miaow asked.
᱿I don't know, but it seems like Loki did some good stuff and some bad stuff.᱿
Miaow started purring again, not even sure when she'd stopped. ᱿Sounds like a pretty balanced guy. Why don't we find where he is and get him away from that snake?᱿
᱿Uh, before we go planning something like that, we should probably make sure that doesn't—you know—start Ragnarok. I'm pretty sure that starting Ragnarok would be bad for pretty much everyone. We should at least talk to Mal about that.᱿ Kaz flipped the book back to the start and started reading it from the beginning.
----------------------------------------
Three books later and Kaz had a good idea of what non-mages knew of Norse mythology. It was also mid-afternoon and he'd spent almost the whole day reading. Standing up from the table he'd been reading at, Kaz stretched his muscles and considered just using a quick hiding spell and leaving without dealing with the guy at the front counter. ᱿Alright, Miaow, I think I'm done here. Did you want to get anything done while we're out?᱿
᱿Milk. Oh, and cake. I'd like some coffee-flavored milk and cake.᱿ Being asked for her input warmed Miaow. She knew Puff wanted her to take more control in her relationship with Kaz, but for the most part Miaow was very content with how things were.
Removing his bookmarks, Kaz put the books he'd read back on the shelves in the right spots and turned for the front door. ᱿I can arrange both those things, but first we have to get past him. I think you were right, he was flirting.᱿
᱿So? Flirt back. It's not like you need to take him on a date. Just pay him a compliment and let him down by telling him you're spoken for.᱿
᱿You really think I can do that? It seems kinda—Screw it, I'll try.᱿ Kaz walked up to the front desk and spotted Justin tapping away on a computer while reading through a bunch of cards.
Spotting Kaz from the corner of his eye, Justin lifted his head up from the computer screen and froze a moment as the object of his attention leaned over the counter. For a moment his heart beat a little faster and his breath caught in his throat.
"I saw you watching me. I'm spoken for, but I really appreciate the attention. Have a great day, cutie." Leaning back, Kaz could see the pupil dilation and mouth-open stare Justin was giving him. "I'll see you 'round?"
"Y-Yeah!" His hopes dashed, Justin couldn't help but let out his breath at last in a wistful sigh.
Miaow was giggling as Kaz walked out the door. ᱿Did you hear that? He's going to have happy dreams about hunky college guys for weeks.᱿
᱿I had no idea what I was doing. I just pretended he was a girl.᱿ Kaz looked around the city street and saw an ice-creamery a block down.
Purring up a storm when she saw the destination, Miaow replied, ᱿You were pretending he was a nice person. Isn't that what counts?᱿
Kaz paused in his walk, took a deep breath, and then continued when he was finally happy he'd sorted out some things. ᱿I don't need to be physically attracted to someone to give them a compliment, no.᱿
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The school holidays passed without further incidents. Kaz found himself relaxing and getting used to being a cuddle-buddy of an affectionate harpy/air-spirit who was also dating the other being living in his body.
He spent his days researching Norse mythology, fishing in the back yard, and practicing forms. When two letters arrived—one addressed to him and one to Jaybird, he realized the new school year was kicking into gear.
The first day, for second-year students, started after all the new students were settled. At the main gate of the college, Kaz looked to Jaybird. "Well, I have Transformation studies and you have Witchcraft."
Without holding back at all, Jaybird jumped sideways at Kaz with their arms out, wrapping them around him to secure a good hug. "Just powering up."
Settling his arms around Jaybird, Kaz returned their hug. "Figured. If you need any help, call for Puff. I don't know if I can get out of this orientation thing, but they can't stop your familiar from being with you."
Jaybird was getting better at making emotions last when they borrowed them. Kaz's bravery and emotional strength poured into them and soaked their being. "Yeah. Witchcraft is big on familiars being part of the course. You take care in Transformation."
᱿You really, really should kiss them on the cheek.᱿
᱿Not going to, Miaow. Not until Jaybird is relaxed and not dealing with a stressful day.᱿ Kaz slowly let go of Jaybird but kept his hand in theirs. "You've got this."
"With all these positive vibes"—Jaybird took a breath and let go of Kaz's hand—"I really do."
When Jaybird walked off to their own class, Kaz let out a sigh. "Jaybird's so brave. With all this going on in our lives, they need to deal with their emotions too."
᱿You're talking out loud, you know? Also, I agree. Puff was saying how Jaybird used to be before moving in with us.᱿
"You know what, Miaow, I don't really care here. People know I have a familiar, so they can just put up with me talking to you out loud." Walking along, Kaz pulled out the small map he'd made to lead him to the right place.
Pausing at the door, Kaz pondered whether to go in as himself or something else. A brief moment of wild and inappropriate glee filled him at the idea of marching in looking like Hel. There was always the garappa form he'd been getting comfortable in or a monkey-human more like Tang.
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Kaz looked down at his right hand and pictured the dark magic that lived within it. He contemplated walking in as a boppy and young version of Mal. "I would get kicked out of school so fast my head would spin."
"What would get you kicked out?"
Spinning around at the voice, Kaz looked at a very tall man that had the longest Fu Manchu moustache he'd ever seen and an obvious Chinese cast to his features. He had a vaguely magical look about him, and something within Kaz could just tell that this wasn't his native form. "Going to the first class shapechanged, though I assume it's common?"
"Well spotted, young man. Not many would see past my illusion that easily, head inside in whatever shape you feel most comfortable."
᱿I told you not to talk out-loud.᱿ Miaow was nonetheless giggling. ᱿He's totally a teacher.᱿
᱿Yeah, I realize that—now.᱿ Straightening up, Kaz started to turn for the door, then paused. "My name's Kaz…"
"Ah, Kaz. I have been acquainted with your name and details. I am Shenlong." Shenlong gave a slight bow.
The name sounded odd for being of Chinese origin—at least to Kaz. He gave a similar bow to Shenlong. "I take it I'll be seeing more of you?"
Grinning now, Shenlong gestured into the lecture hall. "You definitely will—if you hurry inside and take a seat."
᱿There's something really odd about him. I don't know what it is, though.᱿ Kaz walked inside to find a little over fifty students already seated. On the lecture stage at the end of the room stood a woman in a knee-length dress and light, summer-style shirt. She had hair the color of flames—reds, yellows, and that particular white you get with a really hot flame.
Looking for a seat, Kaz found one a few rows from the front and took it just as Shenlong walked past, headed to the stage. ᱿Definitely a teacher, but from what I heard the woman with the flaming hair is the head of the Transformation department.᱿
"My name is Daenerys." She had a distinctly Welsh accent, though Daenerys kept the worst of her incomprehensible dialect well hidden so her new students would have a hope of understanding her. Raising a finger, she gestured to the clean chalkboard behind her. "Welcome to Transformation, second year."
It was welcome to hear. Kaz relaxed in his seat and started writing down the writing that appeared on the board, trying to ignore the gold flame it was written with.
"You should have all had it explained to you that there will be a curse placed upon you upon starting your second year. That will be done today. It will either be removed when you graduate or it will complete and become permanent should you fail to have it removed by the end of six years.
"The curse will test your abilities as a mage as well as be a serious encouragement to completing the class. Slowly, over the period of six years, it will cause your base-self to deteriorate. You will find yourself unable to assume more and more of your original form—forced to retain polymorphs only—until it completes and your self will be lost forever. All your magic will be bent inward to maintain your unnatural shape and you will no longer be capable of any other magic. Don't let that happen.
"Any of you who do not wish to continue with your selection of Transformation may leave—after having the last five minutes of your memory erased." When there was nothing more than a little nervous shuffling, Daenerys continued. "Very well. Shenlong will be undertaking your curse today. Lower any magical protection you have and remove any illusions or polymorphs."
It was Shenlong's turn to have some fun, and he delighted in sowing a little confusion. Stepping off the stage, he slowly released his own transformation and let his body spool out longer and longer.
Now Kaz was focusing more on Shenlong than the problem of the curse he was about to place on them. Dragon. That's what he'd been unable to figure out, but he was more than just a big, winged reptile-thing, he was a Chinese dragon. He stretched and stretched around the room, turning at each corner and continuing until he was resting his leonine head on his rump.
Letting magic flow into and through him was as easy as breathing for Shenlong. He felt the various students in the room who hadn't followed instructions gasp as their illusions and magic-held forms popped them back to their normal selves—but one felt strange. He turned his huge eyes on Kaz and examined him. "Daenerys, my love, this is a problem."
"What is it?" Stepping closer, Daenerys reached out a hand and set it on Shenlong's shoulder.
"That is a good summation of the problem. This student feels human, but his magic is not, and I am not sure what his natural form is. This feels like it is, but I feel others—myriad others." It was a puzzle, conundrum, and a riddle wrapped up into a neat, human shaped package. "What do I do with it?"
"Will the curse still work on it?"
"I don't know. Definitely not in the manner it's intended. Only Mal would know how this affects it. I spoke to it at the door. Kaz is its name."
Sitting and feeling very self-conscious, Kaz was sure both the two were staring at him as if he were some kind of dirt beneath their nails. ᱿Miaow? What the hell is going on?᱿
᱿I have no idea. They're trying to use magic to sense your nature. Maybe you should go up and tell them?᱿
Ignoring the stares of the other students, Kaz made his way to the center aisle and walked to the edge of the stage where Daenerys and Shenlong waited. "Is something wrong? Mal told you about me, right?"
"Dozens of faces and none of them are yours." Shenlong made room under himself for Kaz to climb out of the encirclement of his body.
With Kaz on stage, Daenerys focused her full attention on Kaz and took a quick step back. "Godling."
The word was muffled by fifty gasps as Shenlong worked his magic, though he heard it. Turning his head to look at Kaz, he felt Kaz's aura and shivered. "Who are you?"
"Can I explain after this is over? Mal should have explained it already." That's when it hit Kaz that he might not have mentioned to Mal how Hel's magic had changed his shapeshifting.
"Take your seat. If you try to leave before talking to us, we will hunt you down and drag you to Mal." Daenerys' eyes burned with the fire of her draconic soul. "Do we have an understanding?"
Staring at the head of his desired course, Kaz nodded and turned to take his seat. Everyone—every single mage in the crowd—now had eyes a different shade than they started the day with. Everyone except Kaz. Sitting in his seat, he tried to ignore the panicked racing of his heart. ᱿They're both dragons, Miaow. I don't know what Daenerys is, but she's a dragon too, and she's angry at me.᱿
᱿What do you think our chances are of running away and living with Hel until Ragnarok?᱿
Kaz sighed. ᱿Zero. I have the impression that we wouldn't even make it out the door.᱿
The lecture continued and Kaz took notes about where classes would be, what study group he was in, and what extra-curricular activities were recommended for Transformation students. It was all logistics and scheduling information with promises of sign-ups for specific classes at the end.
When that end came, Kaz had a pair of dragons in human disguises looking directly at him. There was probably nothing supernatural about the force urging him to his feet and to walk to the front of the lecture theater—it was gravity. When he reached there, he saw an actual smile come to both their scowls. "Well, here I am."
"Yes. Not trying to run was smart. Now, come with me to my office so we can get to the bottom of this." Turning on her heel, Daenerys led the way from the room, down an adjacent hall, and to her office. She'd had to leave all the rest of the details of sign-up to Shenlong, but trusted he could manage it. "Sit in that chair and let me establish some safeguards."
Kaz watched as Daenerys cast spell after spell using very little in the way of focus—relying on pure brute strength to force wards against spying into place. When he saw her draw her magic back down to normal levels, he sighed. "About four months ago I died. Some idiot, trying to grab me to be his vampire girlfriend's new play toy, left me unable to fight back for a river spirit to devour. Mal took me to—to someone powerful.
"My magic was gone, I was dead, and there wasn't anything a mortal could do about it." Kaz made sure to add emphasis in the right place to give Daenerys the information she would need. "They gave me a little of their magic to 'kick-start' my own, but now we're kinda linked."
The tale would have been completely insane if Daenerys wasn't completely sure it checked out. The divine touch of his magic now made sense, but there was one thing still remaining. "What exactly are you?"
"Yeah, that's an odd one. H—The one who saved me said that their family has a history of shapechanging." Kaz gestured to his chest. "This is how I looked before I came to college here—minus the blue hair."
"That's exactly the problem, though." Gesturing at Kaz's hair with her hand, Daenerys narrowed her eyes at the rootless, perfect coloration. "This is impossible. This can't be your native form."
It barely took a thought to change himself now. Kaz drew magic from his left hand and changed himself into his garappa form. He had gills, a wider mouth, lizard hide, and webbed hands and feet. "And now this is my native form." He changed again, becoming Miaow's stacked feline shape with similar ease. "And now this is my native form."
Leaning back in her seat, Daenerys let out a groan. "And we were going to curse you with—I'm going to strangle Mal for not telling me about this. It won't do anything to the old bag of bones, but it will be satisfying."
Deciding it was best to not reveal his association with Mal and their shared musings on the quality of modern chocolate ice cream, Kaz turned back into his normal self and opted on pink hair for a change. Then he looked down. "Damn, I stretched out another shirt."
"There's a spell to fix that. We teach it pretty early on. We have a problem now as to what to curse you with—that will actually affect you." Sitting back in her own seat, mirroring Kaz's action, Daenerys picked up a pen and started jotting down ideas. "Obviously anything to modify your transformational skills would be utterly useless. A simple death curse is not just against the school's rules, but I don't want whichever deity who is watching over you to be angry with me—to say nothing of it sticking at all."
There was a soft knock on the door before it opened to reveal Shenlong. He slipped in without a word and closed the door behind him. "I couldn't help but overhear—"
"I warded this room, Shen."
Beaming a smile, Shenlong reached a hand out to take Daenerys' hand. "And we both know you aren't the best at wards. Don't fear, I reinforced them."
Letting him kiss her hand, Daenerys sighed. "You have an idea for a curse?"
"I do! It's a simple one. I sense a second self within you—separate from your familiar—that stems from a divine source. I believe that having a curse to bring that out more and more—until it overlays your own mind completely—would suit the purpose of a curse." Tilting his head toward Kaz, Shenlong raised one eyebrow. "You haven't sensed it yourself, then?"
Confusion reigned. ᱿Miaow, do you know what he's talking about?᱿
᱿No.᱿
Shaking his head, Kaz felt a little uneasy.
"Stop playing games with the lad, Shen. Show us." Daenerys gave her husband a sharp look and struggled to keep her hair from becoming fire-like enough to incinerate the room.
"An aura, Kaz, is a combination of your creation and all the experiences of your life." It was something he truly enjoyed. Shenlong let his magic play out and tease an image of Kaz into being. A Japanese mystic burning with the energy his mother had given him as well as the temperance and determination of his father. "Potent already, but then this one bound its destiny to yours like the moth to a flame."
Now a feline stepped in behind Kaz's self and wrapped her forelegs around him.
᱿That's me!᱿ Miaow was fascinated by the progression of Kaz's life laid bare in such a manner.
"She protected you, however. She kept the flame of your magic alive despite the mundane world's attempts at its destruction." Shenlong was just as excited to perform the reading as Kaz was. Every life was interesting, but there had been so much happen to Kaz that Shenlong could revel in the experience. "But, as you reached maturity, her grip on you weakened. Your magic reached out for the comforting feline and pulled her back—though that was a bottle that couldn't be re-corked.
"You blossomed along with your magic, you shared yourself with many beings—water, blood, spirit, divine, even undeath." The last didn't surprise Shenlong until he realized it wasn't the divine touch he'd sensed. "You have so many huge lives touching yours that you swelled up and grew to meet them on their own terms."
Shenlong shuddered as the new change happened. "Then you died—snuffed out—and were taken into the arms of another. As your own bowl of spirit started to drain, she fed you from her own. Potent beyond measure, but the most changing of all touches. She tried to spare you, she loves you a lot, but there is no way to stop that."
What "that" Shenlong had referred to was three new presences in Kaz's spirit. The first (and largest) was death. It mounded up around him, permeated him, and poured like a river through his right side. The second, not so large, was a bond to a wild goddess who defied everyone but her family—and was the source of his newfound transformational ability. The final was smaller than the others, but no less intense. Yellow eyes stared from above a maw that hungered. A deep-seated part of Kaz was now lupine—wolf.
Sighing in the same way any great artisan does when seeing a piece of work nearing completion, Shenlong tip-toed the spirit reading finally to present day where two dragons now prowled—barely seen—among the menagerie Kaz had collected. One dragon was long and sinuous, its power anchored in the spirit world, the other was red and furious—but protective.
"The curse, therefore, will be an old one. You will become a werewolf. Each month you will lose a little more of your humanity as the wolf takes control for several days. It will want to hunt and kill and feed, and it will be your duty to tame it—or not—within the next six years," Shenlong said.
᱿What happens then?᱿ Miaow asked.
"What happens at six years?" Kaz wanted to hug Miaow. ᱿This is heavy stuff.᱿
Miaow wasn't purring. ᱿Yeah it is.᱿
Shenlong could appreciate how scared Kaz looked, it was a terrifying thing to contemplate, but it protected the world from mages who were too easily lost to their own skills. "Then you will be a wolf of mind and spirit. I will take you to your goddess and explain what happened."
"A-And the days I can't come to school because—"
"You will be excused, do not fear. The curses are always taken into account. You will be allowed to make up those missed days with private tutoring." Daenerys had to admit, in the safety of her own head, that the curse truly lived up to the terror of what it needed to be. "You can refuse, as the others did. We will remove a small piece of your memory and—"
"I'll do it. I'll do it, but you'd better make the teaching worth it." Kaz glared between the two dragons, feeling real anger rising. The fury startled him, leaving him wondering if that was part of that wolf side. Then he froze. "Wait, I need to talk to Miaow." When both dragons looked at him with confusion, he added, "My familiar."
᱿I don't like it, Kaz. What will happen to me if you become a wolf?᱿ It had seemed too easy to leave Kaz in charge of big decisions, but the truth was Miaow was terrified. ᱿Would I be in control when the wolf sleeps?᱿
᱿I don't know, Miaow. I'm not going to let it go that far. I'll graduate this course, I promise, or I'll find a way to get you your own body before the time limit is up.᱿ It was enough to get a purr out of Miaow, but Kaz had more to say. ᱿But, tell me right now, are you okay with this?᱿
The purring stopped and Miaow realized what he was offering. He would turn down college for her. It was crazy and insane, but she found herself loving Kaz all the more. ᱿Kazuma, I trust you, but that's not why I'll say yes. I believe in you. I've watched you grow and become this amazing mage… I want to see what you'll do next—what you'll become next. I might be scared of that curse taking full effect, but I can hold your strength up against it and promise myself that you won't let either of us down.᱿
᱿Miaow, I don't know what to say. I—᱿ Kaz rallied himself and tried to shove back the complicated emotions that threatened to pour forth. ᱿I will do my absolute best to not let you down. So, do we do this?᱿
᱿We do this.᱿
Kaz maintained his stillness for some time, slowly letting himself adjust to the idea of what would happen. At last he nodded his head. "We're willing to accept this. I want to be better, and she believes in me being able to pass this class."
"This won't take much. Certainly less effort than cursing an entire lecture hall." Shenlong didn't unspool his body, not for just one target. He focused his magic on Kaz, built up the curse in a way that would bind it to his spirit, and then released the magic into him.
Kaz could feel the magic bond not with him, but a particular part of him that he associated with Hel. Hel, daughter of Loki, sister of Fenrisulfr, aunt of Skoll and Hati. There was a lot of wolf in her family and Kaz wanted to keep from there being one more.
Miaow too felt the effects of the curse binding to part of Kaz. The part was in opposition to her, but she wasn't surprised that a wolf wouldn't like a cat. When the magic ceased, she let out a little whine and explored the new, stronger canine side of Kaz.
"It's itchy." Kaz could feel the curse, but not exactly where it was. It was a nebulous part of him that he couldn't tie down and that annoyed him greatly. "So, when I graduate, it will be gone and I'll be back to how I was, right?"
᱿The curse will get undone, Kaz, but the wolf was part of you before and it will be part of you after—only it will be bigger.᱿ Miaow nosed around inside Kaz's head, unable to find where the wolf was, but she knew it was somewhere.
"The wolf part of you will either gain significant strength in fighting you, or you will be at peace with the beast," Shenlong said.
"Come along, I'll get you signed up to the classes you need to be." Daenerys stood and walked to her door. She delivered a significant and serious look to Shenlong when Kaz couldn't see.
Standing up, Kaz ran a hand through his hair and tried to adjust to this change. He had some things he needed to do now, not the least of which was to tell Mal and Hel exactly what was going on. But, for now, he followed Daenerys out of her office and down a hallway to the lecture theater again. "There are two sets of classes running this year because we have so many new students. Lectures and study times are based on morning/afternoon and afternoon/evening."
"Morning/afternoon would be best for me. Otherwise you might end up teaching Miaow instead." Kaz noticed the table she'd led him to had two different timetables on them. He reached out for the one with all the morning times on it. "Do I need to get any textbooks for this?"
"They will be provided. I'll see you tomorrow morning for your first lecture. Don't forget to arrange something for the next full moon." It actually hurt Daenerys that they needed to use the curses, but she could see the wisdom of them. Things were done differently in her day, though she avoided rambling about that with students.
Kaz turned for the exit and made his way out of the lecture hall. His first target would be Mal, since she was closer.