Lucy’s question was still present in my head as I laid on my bed, staring at the window. I was never partial to sleeping on my back. I could swear that resting in such a position made me thirsty, even though it made no sense. Now that there were wings attached to my back, this event went from rare to never happening. It didn’t hurt to do so. It just wasn’t comfortable at all. It felt like trying to sleep on top of a bunch of logs. Sitting was the real issue. Backrests were now my worst enemy.

That said, was the discomfort my new limbs brought enough to make me wish I didn’t have them?

It wasn’t. I could fly, thanks to them. After four days of training, I hadn’t graduated from parasailing, but even that was thrilling enough. This morning, the cable reached fifteen metres in length, and yet, my acrophobia never triggered. I was free from it! For the most part, at least. Despite having a limit, I could choose the height or manoeuvre a bit. The scene below was amazing. Now that I knew what to look for, I could even spot Viken and Belaury watching me from the forest a couple of times.

My eyes shifted to my waist, or rather, the new appendage draped over it. Thankfully, my tail didn’t bring much inconvenience. It made putting clothes on feel like threading a needle sometimes, but it rarely got in the way. Most of the time, I didn’t even notice it was there. At that thought, I moved it over to my left hand and examined it. It wasn’t hairless, although the tiny hairs were pretty much neglectable, almost invisible to the naked eye. I played with it for a few minutes before finally setting it free.

What about being a child?

It was probably the one thing I truly hated about my transformation. My sudden impulses and the change in my behaviour, the way others treated me, the limitations my size brought; they all could get very annoying. However, unlike the other changes, this was temporary. It would take many years, but, eventually, I’d be back to being an adult. As much as I disliked it, there was no point taking it into consideration.

Then came the magic. There were no negatives. I couldn’t think of a single thing for which I wouldn’t want to have the ability. It had been nothing but exciting and even useful. Lily had, indeed, been saved by it.

Damn. And here I was trying to forget about the voice for a bit.

I sighed. I already knew the answer to Lucy’s question. I did, even before it left her lips. I strongly believed that the virus itself was responsible in some way, yet it wasn’t the only factor. I liked being a demon. That was the new me. Society was far from ready for it, but I wasn’t. I was ready to fully accept what, and more importantly, who I was.

“Good.”

I jerked in my bed, taken by surprise.

I wasn’t expecting you yet.

There was no reply.

Are you a part of me?

Are you what Lucy thinks? A Tulpa? An Alter?

Nothing. Belaury’s words echoed in my head.

‘Occasionally, the blessed could hear voices or visions.’

‘Those entities called themselves gods or spirits.’

‘You were blessed!’

I gulped, steeling myself for my next question.

Are you a spirit?

“I am.”

How can I tell for sure?

I waited, but there was no reply.

Are you there?

“Yes.”

Why the short answers? I know you can speak more than that.

“Can’t”

What do you mean you can’t? You did it earlier.

Weren’t you the one who said Lily is alive because of my magic?

“Mus go.”

Mus? What’s mus?

Must go? Where?

Hello?

The spirit remained silent for the rest of the night. Thinking about the odd conversation I had with it kept me awake until the sun rose. I could only sleep five hours after that. I was so sleepy I almost forgot to put on a swimdress for my flight training.

I felt like a zombie walking into the cafeteria. Without thinking, the first thing I did was head straight to the warming tables and lifted a cloche labelled with my name. Under the cover awaited the plate with my breakfast. This had been the norm for the last few days after they realised I never made it in time for either meal anymore. I no longer had a choice in what I ate every day, but I didn’t mind it much. All the food was good, and it did save me time I would otherwise waste thinking of my choices. Alex was in a similar situation, although he woke up much later than I did.

As I took my plate to the table, I noticed Alex wasn’t the only one missing. Considering it was the first full week of Hostid, Lily and Dr. Blake's absence was expected. After all, this marked the first day of school everywhere, and the doctor did promise to make sure that the young fairy continued with her studies. As for Anna and Sylvia, I didn’t have a clue. By this time, it was already routine that they would be waiting for me so we could go for my flight training afterwards.

After greeting Rex, Allison and Lucy, who had decided to join our table of freaks, the giantess informed me that Sylvia was experiencing morning sickness after eating. Anna had taken her back to her room so she could recover, but would return after assigning one of the nurses to her for the rest of the day. Apparently, it was that bad.

Anna showed up after a few minutes. She confirmed Sylvia’s state, making it clear that she wouldn’t be leaving her room anytime soon. I made a mental note of visiting her before heading out of my magic lesson. Waiting for digestion to do its thing, we chatted over some tea and coffee regarding the news about the virus. From what Anna told us, the higher ups had already confirmed the coming announcement of the MAV and its effects to the world, but the date was still undecided. Supposedly, we still had plenty of time to prepare for it, although both she and Dr. Blake estimated it to be in two months at the most. While Eredel’s infection rate was still low, somehow, the rest of the world was not as lucky. A few of the eastern cities, like Ferdoa and Sizoa, were close to reaching a hundred patients each.

---<>----------<>----------<>---

Gary was busy readying up the boat for today’s session when we arrived. Once again, he was the pilot. Dr. Blake was too busy, after all. Rex sat next to him whilst the rest of us prepared my own equipment at the back of the boat. With Alex’s new schedule, Rex had been the one helping Anna at the back, but Lucy was here now. She told us there were no fully formed demons back in Sizoa, so this would be her first time seeing one of us fly.

The water scooters were back with the same assistants as drivers for this session. They stopped using them when they realised I had no problem keeping myself steady, so it was odd seeing them again.

“We’re going to do something a bit different this time,” Anna began explaining. “You’ve proven to us that you are quite good at parasailing, so it’s about time we take the next step.”

I gulped audibly at her suggestion.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“That’s right,” She said, smiling. “This time, you’re going to release the harness and stay up on your own. We’re only giving you the kickstart. Before we begin, do you remember the security measures? It’s been a while since we went over them.”

“Y-yeah. The vest inflates on contact with water. If it doesn’t, I must pull the cord or blow through this tube,” I replied, pointing at each item.

She nodded. “Good. As you can see, Theo and Miria volunteered to help us with the scooters once more. They’ll act as lifeguards, just like the first time. I hope they are not needed, but I do expect a few falls today. Try to stay close enough to the water to avoid injuries and remember, do not panic if anything goes wrong. We’ll do a warm up lap first, and I’ll give you the signal to detach after that. Are you ready?”

I took a deep breath to calm myself before responding. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

“We’re ready to go guys!” she shouted, causing everyone to get in position. The boats roared as we started moving.

---<>----------<>----------<>---

Just like we planned, the first lap around the lake was as it had been so far. By now, it was completely natural for me, although I didn’t play around like usual. I was nervous. This would be my first time flying alone. There were two ways to deal with it. The safest was to keep on gliding after setting myself free. That was what I had been doing so far, so I knew what to expect. In the worst case, I would keep on losing speed and height until I fell into the lake. The other option was to attempt powered flight. My wings were ready for at least twenty minutes of it, if I could control it. This decision could lead me to a quick fall or to an extended period in the air. I hoped for the latter. Less chance of hurting myself, even if my landing wasn’t as smooth as I would like.

I was still trying to make up my mind when I noticed Anna’s movement from below. She was already waving her arms, indicating it was time for me to let go. And so I did. Instant regret flooded my mind as I pulled back. My hands fumbled, trying to catch the cable once more, only for me to watch it fall and sink into the lake before they reeled it in. My wings acted on instinct to stabilise my body after the change. I was immediately going slower, but I remained up. I kept on gliding. It was time I made my decision. Or so I thought.

As if they had a mind of their own, my wings flapped once, and then again. Without my permission, they had chosen flight over gliding. I kept going straight, so I still had control of my direction. Turning to my left on command proved this once more. Now it made sense that other demons learned so quickly. Our bodies acted on instinct most of the time. Attempting to flap manually got me a positive response, although I could feel my wings correcting the movement to be more efficient. My heart was beating faster. I smiled with excitement as I saw the three boats below me. Everyone was waving, and I waved back. I didn’t spot Belaury this time, but I knew my teacher was there, watching me.

After nearly half an hour of continuous flight, my wings started protesting. They wanted to rest, and I needed to choose my final destination. As tempting as it was to try my first landing, I didn’t want to push my luck any further. And so, I chose the lake. Noticing my descent, the boats slowed down, giving me space to manoeuvre. Once I was a couple of metres above the surface, my wings forced me into an almost upright stance, beating rapidly before stopping and letting me drop. A yelp escaped my mouth, barely giving me time to hold my breath as my body dove into the water.

The vest inflated, bringing me back to the surface in an instant. It limited my movements, so I went limp, staring at the clouds as the motors got louder. I looked to my right to see the red boat coming to a stop before Anna set the ladder for me to climb. It went deep enough into the water, making it easy for me to get a hold of it. Getting to it with the vest on and my wings creating unnecessary drag was a pain, but I made it eventually.

“That went a lot better than I expected,” Anna commented as both she and Lucy took my hands and pulled me the rest of the way up. “I’ve heard it’s quite normal to mess up at least once on the first day,” She added, handing me my towel. “I wonder if being younger makes it easier for you. Could be the lesser weight or maybe a higher adaptability.”

“Children do tend to be more adaptable,” Lucy added, “but that has to do more with their lack of experience. Considering Nora’s actual age, though, I have my doubts on that.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t crash,” I replied, panting. They laughed.

Allison was already waiting for us at the docks when we came back. She helped me out of the boat and said, “Congratulations, little one!”

“Thanks, Allison. I wish you could join us.”

“Oh, don’t worry. There’s nothing we can do about my size. And it’s not like my seat has a terrible view. Is your fear of heights still in check?”

“Do you have acrophobia?” Lucy asked as the five of us started walking home. Gary and the other assistants stayed behind to secure and cover the boats. They would catch up soon enough.

I shrugged. “Yeah, a little. High places make me dizzy, but it’s a bit inconsistent.”

Lucy took out her tablet and took notes eagerly. “Could you give me some examples?”

I looked up as I tried picturing them. “Well, I guess one good example would be the staircase of a tall building. Climbing up isn’t bad, especially if there are walls all around, but if I dare take a peek past the bannister, and the lower floors are visible, that’s when it hits me. Oh, and never ask me to step into one of those elevators with a glass pane for a wall.”

“And flying doesn’t trigger it?” she inquired.

“It did for a second back there. When I let go of the hook that kept me linked to the harness. If it weren’t for my wings reacting to the change, I would’ve probably panicked.”

“Your wings reacted? You mean they moved on their own?”

“Yeah. It was almost like breathing. The difference is that the process remains automatic even if I become aware of it. It only changes when I add some manual input.”

Lucy wrote everything down. “I see. What’s your take on this, Anna?”

“Most patients did describe it as automatic,” she replied. “Like I said earlier, though, even with their wings acting on instinct, they lost control and fell at least once. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s the same with other demons around Nora’s age.”

Lucy let out a brief hum. “Do let me know what you hear about that.”

---<>----------<>----------<>---

We arrived just in time for lunch. Alex was already sitting at the table when I joined them, eating what he called his breakfast. It didn’t matter to him that it was late in the afternoon. I also located Dr. Blake and Lily by the desserts table, but Sylvia was still nowhere to be seen.

As usual, the rest were discussing some of the latest news. My flight session was the first topic for today, and everyone congratulated me for the progress I made. Lily was next. Dr. Blake told us she was doing fine as his student, although many of the hard sciences proved to be quite the challenge for her. I didn’t want to say anything, but I sensed worry in the doctor’s tone as he talked about it. Anna, Lucy and Alex had clearly noticed something too.

There was no news regarding the Day of Revelation, as many were already calling it, although Dr. Blake insisted that it would be soon enough. He also informed us that Jack’s mission was finally over, and that he would be back in a few days. Finally, a new carrier species had been discovered. The fesselian goose, also known as the saw-billed goose, was the very first avian MAV carrier, and since the discovery last week, there had been a dozen cases of these already aggressive birds attacking anyone on sight. Fortunately, as the name implied, this non-migratory species was endemic to the Fesselian Taiga, far to the north of the continent. This meant that the amount of people they could infect was quite limited. Though their presence in zoos and some farms did mean there were some cases further south.

Once I was done eating, I excused myself and went back to the living quarters to check on Sylvia. I knocked on the door when I arrived.

“Coming!” A familiar high-pitched voice chimed from inside the room. The door opened, revealing the nurse’s face. “Oh, it’s you, Nora. Came to check on her?”

“Hey, Jackie. Yeah, that’s why I’m here.”

In case it wasn’t obvious.

“My, how sweet of you. Miss Warren, you’ve got a little visitor~”

I simply rolled my eyes and walked into the room. I had tried to fix the way she spoke to me in the past, and I achieved nothing with her. “Could you step outside for a few minutes?” I asked, looking up at the nurse. There was no way I could stand being in the same room with her for so long.

“Sure thing,” she said before going back in, grabbing a tray full of empty dishes and walking out. I sighed heavily when the door closed, and I heard Jackie walk away.

Sylvia smirked at me. “You really don’t like her, do you?” She was sitting in her wheelchair, right next to her bed. There wasn’t a book in her hands, which told me that the nurse kept talking to her. She never stopped talking.

“What gave it away?” I asked back, smiling. “Tough morning?”

“Yes. I expected it to come. Just not this soon, or this strong. I'm mostly back to normal now, but they asked me to remain here, just in case.”

“I see.” I inspected her changes as I took a seat on her bed. Her transformation had been going at an almost similar pace mine did. The key word was almost. It wasn’t until I made this same observation a couple days ago that they realised that she wasn’t getting any younger. “Will you stay here for today’s magic lesson then?”

“Yes, and probably the next ones.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. I’ll let Bel know.”

“Does she even care?”

“Maybe not, but she’ll at least ask. If it was Alex, though, she’d probably celebrate.”

She chuckled. “Yes. I can see that happening. Although, I don’t understand what he did to anger her.”

I shrugged. “Asking too many questions, most likely. I mean, he speaks, like, twice per class, but she did make it very clear that she didn’t want to teach anyone else.”

“Right. Poor Alex.”

The sound of approaching steps interrupted our conversation. There was a knock on the door. “Can I come in now?” Jackie asked from the other side.

I clicked my tongue.

I wasn’t expecting her to return so quickly.

At least she’s not opening it.

“Just a moment!” I yelled, then turned back to address Sylvia. “I suppose that’s my queue to leave.”

She glanced at the door before responding. “You still have a bit over an hour before you head out. Are you sure you don’t want to stay a bit longer?”

“Not with her here.” I whispered. I faked a cough and raised my voice back to normal. “No, I think I’ll take a shower and change. That lake may be crystal clear, but I still feel the need.”

Sylvia nodded. “I understand. See you later, then.”

“Yeah,” I replied, opening the door. Jackie was leaning on the wall next to it, doing something with her tablet. I gave the nurse a quick, silent nod before walking towards my room to get ready for my magic lesson.