I’ve rolled on my back. I am cradling my head in all four hands. Four hands. So far for immediate transformation back to the original form. I’ve scared the kids. They start crying. I can hear them and I cannot hear them. What is happening?

My aura sense is gone. Instinctively my antennae extend and a high pitched klicking sound forms in my throat. I am getting some shadowy picture in the back of my brain.

Z: Why can’t I hear properly?

The children rush to her.

L: The orb. The orb next to your complicated electronic tower. It speaks to you. I wants to be with you. It fixes you, if you accept it.

She makes a sniffing sound. I roll back and slowly open my eyes. Yep there is an orb pulsing blue and silver in sequence. A bit larger than a golf ball. I cradle it in my hand. It feels warm.

This new sense is actually better than this diminished form of vision. I close my eyes again. I get on my knees.

Interesting. Certain materials do not really exist for it. I must say I am distracted.

The orb is so warm. I want to kiss it. I invite it. An unknown female voice sort of complains. This has to stop. Lidija screams in her native language. „Danger“? I am not sure. I struggle to open my eyes again. My vision is drowned out by the light streaming out of the dissolving orb.

Something brutally kicks me in the back. Something else is protruding from my chest. Lidija’s bolt passes me by. My knees hit the ground. Greyness. I reach for the returning abilities. Is it enough? The greyness fades to black.

--

It must be decades past, that I felt better. I find myself in a bed in a room made out of marble. I am looking at a woman’s face. I have no idea who she is. Yet her eyes and her hair have the shimmering dark red of a ruby. A stethoscope is neatly tucked around her neck and she is watching my … hand? No, an oximeter attached to my hand.

I clear my throat. Surprise in her aura. Gloriously, it is back!

KN: You are awake. My name is Dr. vet. Karolína Nováková. You were wounded. As far as I can tell you are fine now. I am afraid that I cannot explain that. You are very different from any of my patients so far.

She seems a bit embarrassed

KN: Please do not take this to mean that I consider you less than human. We would call for additional help, if both our landline and cell phones were not down.

P: Thank you. If feel very well. I have magical healing. Are you aware of the transformation zones and essences?

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

KN: Dimly.

P: Oh and I am happy to be in the care of somebody experienced in helping many species. Would you mind turning around while I dress?

KN: What, your clothing … . It does not matter. I’ll wait outside.

I can conjur my clothing again. This feels so good.

I step out to find myself be expected by Maria, a boy and an elderly lady all transformed to the ruby red haired and eyed humanoids. All, except for Maria, shared an obvious physical resemblance to the medic. A family. Does the old lady discreetly carry a can of anti-insect spray half hidden behind her back?

Yes, she does. I cannot help myself. I burst out laughing. Slowly, in the most non-threatening way I can I lift my arms. My doctor has noticed the can and goes quite red in the face. I have no idea what she says, but it sounds … strained.

M: We are still in the zone. The machines are printing messages and something is wrong with the sun.

KN: Yes. It is directly above us in the center of the sky. It does not move.

P: I am afraid this is not our sun. In fact, it may not be a star at all.

M: We have to do something. The messages are clear.

She holds out a notice demandingly more or less under my nose.

Contingency 3B

Situation: Other parties have begun to take territories. Defeat the living anomalies in combat to make the boss entity appear. Defeating it will allow you to claim the territory and escape destruction.

P: Is that what attacked us?

M: Lidija and Stjepan have looted the remains of the centaur that speared you. They got something new.

KN: My husband and your other two friends are guarding the house. Your friends have been nice enough to try to explain to us, what is going on. It is my understanding that you were a professional wizard?

P: That is not entirely accurate. I was a ritualist in the auxillary services, not a full wizard.

KN: Auxillary services?

P: I was too old and sick to be regularly drafted into the army. So they drafted me as a civillian auxillary.

KN: So you are still with a foreign government?

P: No, no. The state of war has ended. I am definitely a regular civillian. How much service was performed may be a point of contention, but that does not change my basic status.

Somebody knocks and a man enters the room, leaning his rifle against a wall.

KN: My husband, Pavol.

I introduce myself.

PN: It is nice to see that nobody was killed. Frankly, I had little hope for you.

P: Understandable. How is the situation outside?

PN: We have communication. Our cars have been turned into carriages. We still have water and electricity for some reason. The centaurs, like the one who got you, are watching us from a distance.

P: Do you have a military background.

PN: Not directy. I am an engineer with the emergency services of Bratislava. We were visiting my mother-in-law.

I need to return the honesty.

P: We have been lured by an anonymous third party into coming here by a promise to transform us back to human. At this time we have no idea what the promise is based upon.

KN: Can you undo our transformation?

P: I don’t know. As I see it we have a choice between standing our ground in a defensible position versus following the advice of our … patrons.

PN: What about our neighbours?

I showed him the circle of the transformation zone on a map.

PN: That includes the whole city.