Novaris. Duodecir. 903. AGC.

Jasmine was having problems adjusting, and it wasn’t just because of the extra voice in her head or their head, if she was being realistic.

That was the first thing that had thrown her off, but definitely not the only one. Though she had been unconscious or because she had been unconscious, the memories of that night still remained fresh in her mind. Her brother had offered to consume them from their minds or at least dull them with his darkness, but she had refused. She wanted to remember that night, even as horrible as it was, and use it as fuel to keep her moving forward.

Further adding to her concerns was the sudden change of status. She had essentially gone from being some nobody living in a small room to some supposed important person living in a small luxurious house just for them.

She had her own bathroom that was as large as her old room and could easily pass as one from a highly luxurious inn. There was also a small library that seemed to hold more books than should be possible.

Taking it even further was a training room that was around half the size of the orphanage, which was saying a lot. The training room was filled with all sorts of contraptions. The most interesting one was a giant square filled with water. She had asked Annale what the thing was a day or so ago, and apparently, it was called a water pool, which was rather obvious in hindsight. Annale had said that it could be used for training, but those who could afford it would install them in their homes as a sign of luxury and a place of relaxation.

Then, there was a small closet fitted with all sorts of clothes that were magically enchanted to fit the wearer. Something she had only seen and never dreamed of wearing. Then, of course, the small guest room she liked to spend her time in. She also had a small kitchen area with a variety of snacks from which she could choose. Then, as if all that wasn’t enough, the whole space had voice-controlled temperature and light, letting her make the entire place or just one particular room be just the right level of comfy.

However, even with all that, sharing your mind with someone was definitely the oddest thing. They could hear and see everything the other was hearing, feel all emotions, smell all the smells, and even taste everything. Luckily, however, they could essentially keep their two consciousnesses separate when thinking and would only share thoughts if they willed for the other to hear them. That was something Jasmine was very thankful for as her brother was getting on her nerves.

Jasmine herself was adjusting to this change in her life, and so should Arelion. She had learned that her brother had experienced life through her all his life, so in her mind, he should be as shocked as her, but no, he was just fine. He told her that it was because even if he had experienced everything with her, he had still been a passenger and had some level of detachment for the entire ride.

He had also explained that it was because of how they were. In order to function, their psyches had attached themselves to the two gods they were connected with. This gave them traits based on the two deities while also allowing their connection to each other to remain via their soul. In summary, they had two different paths and two different minds, which were affected by two different gods, yet they still managed to be the people they could have been, even if certain aspects of themselves manifested stronger than they otherwise would have.

It was all very odd, and they had spent their time awake so far speaking with each other about what to expect from their future. They had theorized how they would function, some possible goals for their future like finding a way to split themselves. The one thing they didn’t talk much about was the past, as there was nothing to say. They both knew what had happened.

Something they actually did discuss was how they had come to be, as by all accounts, their very existence shouldn’t be possible. They simply just knew that a creature of flesh and blood could not exist like they were.

They had just ended one of such discussions, and as Jasmine was going to begin reading the latest release of the Journey with Dragons series, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Figuring it was Annale or another priestess, Jasmine had called out to let them come in.

It turned out it was not Annale or a priestess but some other cleric she had never seen. The cleric was a silver-scaled dragonkin with glowing silver eyes. Jasmine knew it was a female dragonkin due to her lithe body and much shorter snout. However, the still-too-toothy smile and the symbol marking the dragonkin as a Grand Cleric put Jasmine on edge.

The Grand Cleric began to speak with the gruff voice that dragonkin are known to have. However, she was trying to make herself sound nice as she introduced herself as Grand Cleric Ravnica.

Arelion, for his part, immediately advised Jasmine not to say a word. Her brother was not very trusting, and he didn’t believe for a second that Luxana or even Setiel had any plans for them that they would actually like. So, following her brother's advice, she stayed silent, letting the cleric speak.

Ravnica first spoke about replacing Annale as the other cleric was sent somewhere else. This surprised Jasmine, but she kept her face neutral. However, when the cleric spoke of Jasmine not being able to leave the temple, she couldn’t help but frown just a bit. Arelion also gave her the feeling equivalent of “See, what did I tell you,” though not in the usual sarcastic way.

In the dragonkin’s defense, her following explanation made some sense to Jasmine, and Arelion agreed with the cleric on the whole you are being hunted thing. Apparently, Setiel had tried to probe through her brother’s connection, but the connection was a one-way door in favor of Arelion.

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Sadly, Ravnica brought up the assassin and the possibility that Rose or the orphanage would also be targeted because of them causing a wave of emotions that she could do nothing about. Thankfully, Ravnica had continued to say that proper measures were being put in place to prohibit any more casualties, which, at the very least, helped put Jasmine at ease.

The conversation then ended as Ravnica explained the church's plans for them. They would essentially be taught and trained in a variety of topics. From world history to more focused topics that most commoners didn’t really learn about. There was also going to be combat and magic training which had brought some joy to Jasmine at the idea of using magic. On the other hand, Arelion was excited to learn how to kill things better.

However, having said all that she came to say, Ravnica left Jasmine to her reading with a promise that she would be back at another time.

Following Ravnica’s visit, there was a week or so of relaxation as the cleric seemed to be preparing everything for their studies. This time of relaxation was even stretched out until after the new year's celebrations, which gave Jasmine time to thoroughly inspect the changes that came with their new state of existence.

Novaris. Unus. 904. AGC.

The first thing they learned was that their body was on a cycle, which itself had been a hell of a revelation. At first, they weren’t sure what the cycle was attached to, but a bit of reading into Luxana’s and the world’s history had given them the answer. And it was something not many people knew as the information was kept to Luxana’s clergy. Well, technically, Setiel’s clergy did know as well, but both goddesses had valid reasons to keep this nearly forgotten knowledge secret.

According to the literature they had found, even though their planet’s moon, Nodel, was under the control of the Eldritch God, the moon still orbited around their planet. Furthermore, something that many had forgotten was the fact that Luxana’s and Setiel’s clergy received boosts of power when the moon was in certain phases. During the full moon, Luxana’s clergy received their boost, while for Setiel’s clergy, it was during a new moon. So even though the phases of the moon can’t be seen, the two goddesses are still able to tap into that aspect of their embodiment and, with assistance from the World Crystal can give boosts of power to their followers.

This meant that, as they were connected to the two goddesses and due to their new existence, they, too, were affected by the moon's unseen and ever-changing phases.

On the Full Moon, it was Jasmine's time to shine.

Their body became fully female, their hair and eyes turned fully silver, and all traces of Arelion and Setiel were suppressed. All in all, Jasmine was in full control of their vibrant pale body.

From there, and during the Waning Gibbous period, Jasmine slowly lost her vibrancy as Luxana’s presence began to wane. During this time Arelion was still suppressed, but he could still “speak” with her, though it felt muddled.

Then came the Last Quarter. At this point, Jasmine still had a fully female body, but their body had returned to the original mix of silver-black hair and eyes. At this point, Arelion was lucid again, but Jasmine still controlled their body.

Next was the Waning Crescent. At this point, their hair and eyes would begin to turn fully black. Their body would still be female, and Jasmine’s thoughts could be muddled, causing her to stumble as their body was still under her control. This was one of their weakest states. However, Arelion could wrestle for control during the brief periods of befuddlement while Jasmine was recovering.

Afterward came the New Moon, and it was Arelion’s time to become one with the darkness.

Their body would lose all femininity and become fully male. Luxana and Jasmine were fully suppressed as Arelion gained full control of their body. Their hair and eyes also turned fully black and they gained a deathly pale complexion.

Then came the Waxing Crescent, as light tinges of silver appeared on their hair and their eyes turned grey. Their body was still male, though Jasmine’s thoughts broke the suppression but were still muddled and weak. And, of course, Arelion was still in control.

In the First Quarter, they would then be back to their original selves. However, Arelion was still in control of their still male body.

Then came the Waxing Gibbous, which was another of their weakest states. As their eyes and hair began to change into silver, Arelion’s thoughts could become muddled. Of course opposite of the Waning Crescent, Jasmine could take control for these brief periods of befuddlement.

And once again the cycle began as the full moon came back around.

They were still shocked and amazed at just how much their body changed and they knew it was going to be a while before they could properly function. Thankfully, from what they have been learning about their future plans, they were probably going to be in the church's care for quite a while.

So, with that in mind, they had been looking into what exactly they wanted to learn and train for. One of the topics they were both interested in was their actual story. Where had they come from? Where were their parents? How was their existence possible? Sadly, Ravnica had been avoiding the questions, telling them they weren’t ready for that yet. However she did answer that one of their parents was an elf, which explained their new pointy ears.

Getting back to actually finding what they wanted to do. Jasmine felt she would prefer to be a caster, just relaxing in the back while helping and healing. On the other hand, Arelion wanted to be close and personal as he wielded daggers. From what Ravnica had told them, the church was more than happy to provide them with assistance in their training.

That answer had caused Arelion to become highly suspicious of the church. It made sense for them to train Jasmine, but why train him as well?

Jasmine had told him that it was probably due to him being in control half the time, and they wanted him to help keep her alive. Now, even though that made sense, Arelion still wasn’t convinced but sadly, he just didn’t have any information to truly believe otherwise.