"No", whispered Mat breathlessly, his voice now way lighter and softer, "No way."
He had finally dared to open his eyes and dared to look down at his body, only to discover his changes. He would of screamed, had he not been entirely stunned and unable to process the sight.
His body was now svelt, his skin silky smooth (and so, so much softer as a result) and now a creamy white, his soulders rounder, his torso having lost all of its muscle and hair as his waist had drawn in and his stomach flattened. His torso had become very thin, making his already big hips look even bigger. His chest ached, as he realized two large breasts had sprouted forth from it. They were of average size... and completely covered in orange fish scales. The change had worked its way up to his head and neck, as he felt his neck begin had shrivel and became skinnier. His Adam's apple had dissolved from within his throat so fast that he didn't even have time to gag and hack. His nose lost its general shape, as it became softer and lost any sign of acne. His eyebrows shrank, as bits of his bushy brows fell onto the ground. He now possessed a pair of very thin feminine eyebrows.
His cheeks became softer and much more rosy, as his goatee had fallen off of his chin in one small clump. His eyelashes had grown and became much longer, as his lips became less dry and puffed out slightly. His face had apparently shifted into a more feminine structure, losing most of its masculine shape in the process. Not the slightest facial hints of Mat's previous gender remained, his face now looked like it belonged to a young woman! However, the transformation still wasn't done. His scalp had been set aflame and his hair had grown out at an alarming rate. His short brown hair had quickly turned into long flowing orange locks. This hair had quickly reached his shoulders at a speed to fast for him to notice back then.
But the most noticeable of all of his changes, was that where his smooth, hairless legs once stood, a majestic fish tail now proudly sat, bronze and orange scales glimmering in the faint sunlight, a couple of golden patches here and there outlining it all. At the end of his new member, the tail turned to a darker orange, becoming a crimson red. And beyond then, was his regal fin. It was oh so beautiful to him – who was now a her.
No, wait. She – he... couldn't be okay with this. It wasn't right. It wasn't possible, he didn't want it, it was forced onto him and absolutely unappropria-
"Do not think your rebirth is achieved", said the voice once more, this time seeming far more familiar to him now that he had... changed.
"This is but the first step of reshaping your body. Now is the time for your mind to be vanquished."
As soon as those words were spoken, Mat felt an unbearable pain inside of his head. Placing his soft hands onto it, he started screaming in his now higher-pitched voice, the pain from his change coming back again, only stronger. It was as if someone was taking his memories and tearing them away – destroying his humanity, destroying his identity. He tried to fight, to stop the process, but all it did was make it even more painful. All he could do, was lie down in impossible pain as his entire mind was torn to pieces, until he was still.
Minutes passed, not a single movement coming from the body.
Until the empty mind was filled with a new life, just like a new page is written down.
Opening her eyes slowly, she looked up at the sky above her, smiling at the feeling of wellness that took hold of her. She was at home, in the sea, lying onto the ocean floor, her fin moving up and down lazily in the cool water. But most importantly, she was in the gentle embrace of Lady Ocean, holding her through the water around her. She was not something material, consistant, existant. And yet, her presence could be felt all around in the welcoming environment of the ocean.
"How are you feeling, child?"
The mermaid slapped her tail against the sand, the serene smile remaining on her face, absolutely loving the calmness of the sea around her. The gentle voice of her Lady enchanted her soul, reminding her of a caring mother.
"I'm feeling good, mother."
A small, cristalline laugh echoed in her mind, making her smile widen. It was as if Ocean did not speak as much as she sung her words; she was but a voice and a presence, but what a voice she was.
"Go then, Océane. You have all the ocean for yourself, after all."
The warm, nurturing voice stopped talking, and the mermaid took in her surroundings.
The sea was calm, still, and its silence was reassuring. She could feel her apprehension of the world lessen, as she kicked her tail, gasping in surprise at the force of the appendage; she was sent rocketing through the water!
But her fright was soon replaced by a relaxed smile, as she kicked it again, not as powerfully this time, and enjoyed completely the feeling of wellness and control as she progressed through the infinity of her home.
It had taken her four days. Four entire days to recover; and, during these four days, the wildlife worried and ceased to really live. The wolves were wary, the hawks patrolled the borders of the lands with anxiety, the rabbits peaked out of their holes worriedly, the squirrels took refuge in the trunk of their trees, the deers hid away, too stressed to get to the river.
The forest and the plains of Ilshal were in a climate of tension.
That was until Lillia finally rose, having cried all the tears she could for now, and walked slowly away from her tree, the other part of herself, after a last glance at it.
She petted a wolfling as she passed by him, the small creature whimpering as he saw her tear-strained face, trying to wrap itself around her legs like a furball, to which she smiled weakly.
The dryad felt terrible; never before had she known such despair. Betrayed by the one human she trusted, cast aside like a spent torch, treated like nothing more than a monstruosity.
And yet, slowly, her cheery and optimistic personnality kicked in once more, as she saw all of the animals, her people, visibly perking up at her approach, the rabbits rushing to her feet and snuggling against her, the hawks screeching proudly as they came down onto a nearby rock and opened their wings, bowing their heads toward her, the deers ran alongside her through the plains, bringing a genuine smile onto her lips.
That human may have broken her heart, but now, she knew. She knew that his kind was not to be trusted... and that her true family, the animals of Ilshal, were there for her. Even the trees seemed to rustle at her approach; after all, she was more spiritually aking to them than to a human, and they knew that. They knew that she was Lillia, dryad linked to the first tree of this forest, their protector and sister.
The sun approached its fall, and, feeling like she needed a change in order to forget Mat, that human who stabed at her heart, she dared to go at the boundary beetween her lands, and the territory of the Ocean; the shore.
Her feet danced gracefully as she went there, innocently curious, admiring how different the sand felt under her feet; so much different than the green grass of her home.
She was standing beetween two worlds, at the rift of two different powers, and a solemn feeling took hold of her soul as she sat down and looked up at the sky, watching in silence the sun slowly lowering itself at the horizon, the sea seeming to glimmer under its dying light.
It was a beautiful scenery, a sight she had never seen before, preferring to stand onto a branch and see the sun going down along the mountains that marked the end of the lands of Ilshal.
Her lips curled up in a smile once again, and for an instant, she was the happy, bubbly Lillia once more.
A splash of water ended her tranquility. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, and her eyes widened at the sight before her.
A dozen of feet away, where the ocean floor went up to rush and embrace the sand of the shore, a figure emerged from the water, before looking straightly at her, and looking just as surprised.
It was a girl. Her face showed traits so beautiful, it was as if some being had chiseled them with great care, so that they would be utterly perfect; her long hair were a bright, vibrant orange, and her eyes two pools of chocolate brown, staring at her with a mix of shock, shyness, and curiosity.
They stared at each other for what felt like hours, the dryad taking in the face of the young woman in front of her, which made her blush, visibly uncomfortable as the green-haired girl in front of her stared at her.
Slowly, the dryad stoop up and walked toward the girl, who looked with confusion and apprehension, still immobile, her head the only part of her body above the water.
Lillia's steps led her to the water; slowly, more and more of her form advanced in the cool water, her long, green hair falling behind her like a shroud as she advanced toward that person who looked too shocked to move, or talk.
She stopped when the water reached around her waist, and reached out her hand toward the girl.
After considering it with hesitation for a minute, the latter swam closer to her, faster than she normally could have, and in a way that seemed odd ot the daugther of the earth.
Nevertheless, the gap was filled, and the orange-haired beauty slowly moved her arm up, her hand touching the dryad's, their fingers intertwining, taking a soft gasp out of them. What was a normal contact for humans, felt like the most intimate of touches for them; it was as if a warmth was spreading from their fingertips to their entire body from their point of contact. Lillia couldn't help but notice how different the stranger's hand felt; there was some sort of... webbing, beetween her fingers.
She was about to question it, when she felt something brush against her legs.
It felt large, scaly, and yet, graceful. Looking down, she raised an eyebrow, and her eyes widened as she saw a large tail moving around in the water...
Seconds later, the other girl pulled away and disappeared into the waves, visibly scared by her reaction.
"Wait!" called the dryad desperatly after the stranger, her whole body feeling suddenly cold as the contact ended.
A dozen of feet away, the girl's head resurfaced, looking back at her with an expression of longing, and apprehension. The dryad rushed in the water after her, but the figure shook her head and dove back, not to surface again.
After long minutes of silence, Lillia let out a sigh, looking at where the strange, strange girl had disappeared, and whispered softly into the night.
"Who are you?"
Océane sway away, away and away, both terrified and ashamed.
She only stopped kicking her tail when the beating of her heart went back to a normal rythm, and she settled herself onto the sand of the ocean floor, closing her eyes and laying her head against the ground.
She expected to be filled with the feeling of well-being the ocean normally gave her, but nothing more than a slight pang in her stomach came.
Opening her eyes and frowning, she tried to wrap up her mind about what was wrong.
That girl... that enchanting, beautiful, green-haired girl, with her innocent, adorable face, her round blue eyes, her revealed body and the utter grace in the way she moved...
Shaking her head, Océane looked down at her hands. She had felt so warm when the both of them held hands... for a moment, it seemed to her that she was feeling even better than when she swam peacefully in the ocean and enjoyed the underwater world. It was not a peaceful, calm feeling; it was powerful, vibrant, and yet warm sensation.
Her mind was clouded. She had always been a mermaid, and yet... it seemed to her as if it was the day she was born onto this earth. The feeling was odd; she knew things, but there were great voids in her memory, which she couldn't quite put her finger on. She had swam for the entire day, filled with calmness and joy as she explored the depths of her home, but there was this feeling gnawing at the back of her mind, this doubt, these questions; who was she?
And who was that girl who came up to her?