Poor Misguided Soul
Chapter 2: The Transformation
Grim wriggled and complained as Sebek carried him out of Diasomnia by the scruff of his neck.
"Lemme go lemme go lemme go!" He shouted at him over and over.
"SILENCE CAT MONSTER!" He tossed him across the hall. "Go back to your mistress and tell her to mop up her tears. I will not have her increase the pain and guilt on Master Malleus' heart!"
"Yuu's not my mistress and I don't give a damn what Malleus is feeling! He made Yuu cry and say mean things and I won't ever forgive him for it!"
"Humph!" Sebek turned his nose up at Grim. "Be that as it may, their relationship is their own business. You shouldn't butt in!"
"Says the pot to the kettle…" Grim crossed his arms with a huff. "Fine, but you tell him he better not show his face around Ramshackle Dorm ever again!"
"Lord Malleus can go wherever he likes! You've no right to-" Sebek stepped forward, practically foaming at the mouth with anger.
"Grim?" Ace stepped through the Heartslabyul portal, raising a brow at the squabble. "What'd you do now?"
"Why does everyone assume I'M the one who did something wrong?!" He cries and plops onto his butt, rubbing his eyes with his paws. "Ace… Deuce… I'm losing her."
"What do you mean? Who are you losing." Deuce blinked in confusion. "Are you talking about Yuu?"
"No, I'm talking about Mary Poppins… OF COURSE I'M TALKING ABOUT YUU!" Grim shouted and then wailed. "Her and Malleus broke up, and she's been so depressed. I tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Now she's saying mean and untrue things like I'll be fine on my own, and She never really belonged here. She didn't even chase after me when I threatened to go cause trouble. I don't know what to do!"
"This sounds serious…" Deuce held his mouth and Ace lowered his eyes. They'd both noticed Yuu's behavior, but never expected it to be this bad.
"What am I gonna do if Yuu leaves? Who's gonna defend me from the ghosts when they tease me? Who's gonna cuddle with me when I go to sleep? Who's gonna feed me my favorite cans of tuna?!"
"Well we know where his priorities lie…" Ace frowned then looked at Deuce concerned. "Yuu wouldn't really leave, would she?"
"I dunno, she's been feeling pretty down lately. If she's that home sick there may be nothing we can do." Deuce crossed his arms, but scowled at the thought. "Hopefully this is just a faze and she'll be back to her usual cheerful self."
"I dunno, man. Women are really emotional. I think we'd better go check on her, just in case." Ace picked up the crying Grim and pat his back. "Come on, buddy, let's go check in on your partner."
"Humph…" Sebek's eyes followed them… but his stance shifted as worry set in. What if the cat was right, and the human did leave? It would trouble his master greatly if she left so suddenly without reconciling their friendship. "I'd best go make sure that human doesn't do anything stupid."
He hastened after them.
~Ramshackle Dorm~
Yuu finished packing the last of her belongings, and now sat on the bed with the yearbook she and Grim had made together. It had an entire collection of photographs and stories of their time here at NRC, and it was a physical representation of what she cherished most.
"Why am I doing this?" She asked herself, cracking open the book to file through the pictures. Tears formed as she traced over the faces of her friends. "One guy isn't worth losing my entire life. I should go back and see if Azul would be willing to call the whole thing off."
She started to close the book, but a page caught her eye. She held it back open and the tears spilled out again. There displayed on a full page was a photograph of her and Malleus at the New Year festival. Vil had designed a beautiful Yukata with dragons patterning the soft elegant fabric. Malleus had given her the ribbon she wore in her hair and the picture captured the moment where he'd taken the end of it and place a gentle and intimate kiss.
"If I could freeze time for eternity… it would be this moment I would choose."
A sob escaped her throat and she tossed the book across the room. She hefted up her bag and ran out the door, ignoring the ghosts as they called after her. While Yuu veered off the path to cut behind the botanical gardens and make the fastest trip to the main building, Ace, Deuce, Grim, and Sebek who followed from a small distance, took the direct path coming from the Student Store.
Not bothering to knock, Ace walked right into the dorm and called out.
"Yo! Miss Prefect! We found a lost kitty!" Ace held Grim up by his collar, making him squirm. "I think it's yours!"
"Put me down, Ace! You're choking me!" Grim wriggled and finally got free and landed on his hind legs. "Yuu! That stupid giant kicked me out of Diasomnia but I gave them hell!" he looked around for any sign of her. "Yuu, are you still upstairs?!"
Grim bounded up the steps.
"Is it just me, or does something feel off?" Deuce rubbed his arms, feeling a chill. "This place almost seems abandoned again. It's so quiet."
"Yeah… I don't like this. Yuu?! Where are you hiding?!" Ace wandered into the ground floor rooms, checking the living room, kitchen, and even the bathrooms for her. "Come on, man, this isn't funny!"
"ACE! DEUCE! THIS IS TERRIBLE!" Grim rushed back down the steps wailing and even tripped down the last few steps in his hurry. He curled up and whined. "All of Yuu's stuff is cleaned out. She's gone! Yuu's gone!"
"What!?" Both Ace and Deuce shouted in complete disbelief.
"We're sorry…" The Ramshackle Ghosts all appeared, one of them holding the yearbook Yuu had thrown. He handed it to Ace who opened it, the bind had broken, fixing it open on the page of Malleus and Yuu. "We tried to stop her from leaving… but Yuu was so upset."
"You mean that's it? She just left?" Ace's hands clutched the book tight. "She didn't even say goodbye?"
"This can't be happening." Deuce's own eyes teared up.
"Yuu!" Grim wailed and he hugged onto Deuce's leg.
"How long ago did she leave?" Ace demanded of the ghosts.
"You just missed her by moments." the ghosts informed. "We'd hoped you guys would have seen her and stopped her… now there's no telling where she ran off to."
From outside, Sebek had overheard the conversation and his face went blue with dread. He could only imagine what his Lord's reaction to this would be.
"Oh dear, this is terrible! I must inform the others at once! Better yet, I must find her before word of this reaches Malleus-sama's ears" Sebek turned on his heel and ran back towards the school. "Perhaps if I'm lucky I shall spot her before she gets too far."
"Yuu's not from this world… there's only so many places she could go." Ace turned to the crying duo. "Stop blubbering and think! Where could Yuu go to find her way back home?"
"Crowley's been no help…" Grim sniffed and wiped at his face. "If I were her… I'd look for other influential and powerful wizards. Someone with plenty of connections and access to all kinds of information."
…
"ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY!" They all exclaimed together and hurried out.
~Octavinelle~
"Do you have everything you need?" Azul smiled at Yuu, gently taking her shoulders. "You sure you haven't forgotten anything?"
"I'm about to forget everything so why does it matter?" Yuu frowned at him, eyes still red and puffy from crying the whole way here.
"Do you want to change your mind?" Azul held up the contract. "Just say the word, and I'll tear it up right now."
"I thought about it…" Yuu sniffed wiping her eyes again. "I really don't want to say goodbye to my friends… I don't even know if this plan is gonna work or if it'll be worth all the trouble in the end."
Azul waited a beat., holding the contract out as if he were about to tear it up.
"...but?"
"...but," Yuu relinquished with a heavy sigh. "It's just not the same without Malleus. At the very least with this transformation, I could start over. I can make friends with everyone again, and be able to look at Tsu-" she cracked a wry smile and shut her eyes. "-at Malleus without all this pain and discomfort weighing on me."
"So you were serious about the changes you wanted made to the contract?" Azul turned the paper around to read it aloud. "You wish to relinquish ALL of your memories to me, in exchange for becoming a Fae?"
"A new look, a new life, a fresh start… yes, that's exactly what I want." She lifted her head up and held her hand out. "Do I need to resign it?"
"That won't be necessary. I haven't performed the spell yet, so the contract isn't in effect. Once I do, however, there's no turning back." Azul's expression turned serious. "So I'll ask you one last time, Yuu-san. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"Yes…" Yuu handed over her belongings, Jade took them and set them on Azul's desk.
"Very well… and you've selected a name to call yourself?"
"Yes… it is a name which means "transformation" where I'm from. I think it suits my purpose." She handed Azul the slip of paper with her written name. Azul peeked at it, and smiled.
"Mmmm quite lovely indeed, and well suited for a Fae I think." Azul folded the piece of paper in hand, and then nodded to Jade. His vice prez pressed a button and the wall opened revealing a wide room with a pool that led out to the ocean. "We'll need to do this exchange fast, I'd give you a potion, but I don't want it affecting the spell I've concocted. So be sure to take a deep long breath and hold on tight to Floyd and Jade.
"Okay…" Yuu nodded and took a long deep breath in and out. "I'm ready."
"Alright then…" Azul eyed his two lackeys and pointed a finger at them. "Don't let her kick to the surface until it's time… and don't let go until I tell you to."
"As you wish." Jade agreed taking Yuu's right arm. .
"Okayyy…" Floyd said with a more lazy tone and took Yuu's left.
Nerves had frogs leaping inside Yuu's belly. Her mind kept screaming at her to run, to have them stop, but she stood firm. She took a couple more deep breaths, and then when Azul leapt into the pool she inhaled deep and shut her eyes. The rush of icy cold water nearly made her expel it all out, but she managed to hold it in as Jade and Floyd propel her through the murky dark bottom of the ocean. Azul had set up an altar and was already in the process of mixing potions and items into a large cauldron. His eyes were a bit crazed as he worked hastily with all his tentacles.
"Alright, nearly complete… and now for the words!" Azul hefted up the contract in one tentacle and slapped the written name onto the sheet before tossing it all into the cauldron. The light that spurned from the cauldron shined various colors, highlighting Azul's face. The tides shifted, nearly creating a kind of whirlpool around them.
"Beluga, sevruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea! Amor, amici, omnes memorias to me!"
As Azul finished the words of the spell, a ghostly pair of hands emerged from the cauldron and stretched out over Azul's head.
"Now, Yuu-san! Open your eyes, look up at me, and don't you dare lose eye contact!" Azul ordered.
Yuu's eyes squinted open, and though her vision blurred from not having her glasses on she peered at the tentacle figure in front of her. She was losing consciousness, and her lungs were burning. Through her blurry vision she saw the hands move towards her, but she kept her focus on Azul. His eyes were an electric blue now, piercing through the black and blur of the sea.
The hands reached into her, The contact was painful, like something stabbing straight into her skull. Her mouth open and she screamed. Bubbles escaped her mouth and she started to choke on water and flail about.
"No Yuu! Don't move!" Azul cursed as the spell started to go awry, Jade and Floyd struggled and both of them let out a shout of their own as the spell started to effect them as well.
"Jade! Floyd! Release her!"
"With pleasure!" Floyd angrily screamed and both of them pulled away. Yuu was then encompassed fully by the spell as it reached further into her.
A bubble formed around her, isolating her within the spell. Her body glowed a brilliant aquamarine and right before their eyes she began to change. Her hair whipped around,shifting to a deep purple color and extended out past her shoulders in a luscious curly wave of locks. Gills formed under her jaw and along her neck, allowing her to finally breathe. She took a deep inhale and her arms clutched around her body as it wracked with pain from the transformation. Her skin took on a bluish tint, and scales formed along her arms, legs and torso. Her clothing vanished, and a tail whipped out long and a luminescent purple like her hair.
"Wow…." Floyd floated beside Azul who now held a shining orb that seemed to be made of liquid glass. Peering inside he saw the memories floating around, like a kaleidoscope of visions. "It worked. You're kind of amazing, Azul."
"It's not over yet…" Azul frowned, as the bubble released and Yuu spun out and floundered a bit, as if trying to figure out how to use her newly acquired tail. Jade rushed back to her, gently taking her hand.
"Calm yourself, if you panic it'll only-." He hissed out a breath when Yuu's hand whipped out and smacked him across the cheek. He scurried back a little, eyes wide as he looked into the face of the young woman who'd struck him. Through the long waves of hair that danced around her face he saw a pair of eyes that were a mix of green and blue, and seemed to glow in the low light of the sea. The look in them was sharp and reminded him a little too much of his brother.
"Don't touch me, Jade!"
"Ja-" Azul stammered and he glanced down at the memory orb and softly set it down on the altar beside his cauldron. "You still have some of your memories?"
"Hah?" Those sharp eyes turned to him now, and Azul felt a chill run up and down his spine. "My memories? Heh…" her grin flashed, and her teeth, while not fully sharpened, had a few additional canines that gleamed like shark's teeth. "Is this your doing then, Azul?"
"It would appear something has gone wrong with your spell, Azul." Jade murmured as he flanked him opposite Floyd. He nursed his injured cheek, and kept a beady eyed expression on this fiercely violent, yet beautiful young mermaid.
"It must have been when she started to struggle and you two wound up caught in the spell's path…" he murmured back. He cleared his throat, doing his best to remain calm in the moment. "I changed you into a mermaid at your request, my dear. What do you remember of your past life?"
"My request?" Yuu's brow furrowed and she glanced around at the faces. She held her temple and laughed a bit. "Ah… I see now. That would explain why I have visions and memories that are not my own. It would seem you bungled it, Azul." She laughed and clapped. "Bravo, bravo, oh great wizard."
"Yes, it would seem I have." Azul scowled. "Though I did warn you beforehand not to move. We'll chalk this up to an accident, and move on shall we? You still want to achieve your goal, don't you?"
"Do you mean seducing Malleus so that I can be his queen and give you a place on the council?" Yuu laughed, holding the back of her hand to her mouth in an amused gesture. Her amusement increased when she saw the look of shock and panic on Azul's face.
"Hahahaha!" Floyd laughed, enjoying this twist. "Too bad, Azul. Guess she found you out. Hahahaha!"
"Oh dear, oh dear…" Jade said with false sympathy, his own amused smile too apparent.
"Ugh, this is a disaster." Azul held his head and shook it. "Let me just rip up the contract and we can start from scra-" Azul held up the scroll, prepared to rip it in two, but a blur of violet rushed past him, ripping the scroll from his hand. "EH!? What in the-"
"Now, now… no need to be so hasty." Yuu held the scroll up, bouncing it up and down. "The memories inside me are just blurry visions… and are most likely echoes from the spell since it would appear Jade and Floyd still retain all of their memories. Besides…" Yuu's smile spread wide and a little sadistic. "I never said I wouldn't help you, tubby-chan."
"Don't call me that!" Azul huffed and extended his hand out for the scroll. "Give me back the scroll, Yuu, so that I may turn you back and we can-"
"Start over?" Yuu's head tilted to the side. "Oh but my dear sweet Azul..." She swam closer to him, taking his hand in hers and placing the contract in the open palm. "We had a deal, didn't we? We both have roles to play… and I fully intend to keep my end of the bargain, so long as you keep yours."
"Do you really mean that?" Azul frowned, his brow furrowed and he glanced down at the golden contract.
"Every word…" She held both his cheeks and lifted his gaze back up to hers. "I shall make Malleus Draconia fall in love with me… I will become his queen, and gain all the joys and riches that come with it. In return, I will give you exactly what it is you desire."
Azul, caught between his affections for Yuu and his need for stature and wealth, hesitated. He looked into those eyes, eyes that once held such kindness and affection. Now there was something inside them that left him uneasy and frightened for the future. Still, she would be doing exactly what he wanted, and give him everything he asked for. Not to mention that once she and Malleus were married, Yuu's memories would return and all would be well again.
"Very well, Yuu-san. If that is what you wish." He passed the document up to Jade who immediately headed back for the vault to keep it safe.
"It is… oh, but you needn't call me Yuu." She swam a circle around him, and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "After all, that's not my name anymore."
"Ah, that's right." Azul laughed and placed his hands on his hips. "My apologies for my rudeness. Welcome to Night Raven College… Vanessa."
"Hehehe…" The woman formerly known as Yuu, smiled and gave a little mock curtsey. "It is a pleasure to be here, Mr. Ashengrotto."
They returned to the surface. Azul had expected the transformation from mermaid to human would be a bit tricky, but he was surprised to see her take form all on her own.
"It would seem you've attained some magic with your transformation, Vanessa. Your previous self was magicless."
"Yet another reason I'm glad to be rid of her." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and accepted the robe Jade held out to her. "I'm not sure just how much magic I've attained… I did that last spell on a bit of a whim using Floyd's memories. So it'll be interesting to test the waters… haha… so to speak."
"Indeed it shall." Azul laughed as well. "Speaking of Yuu-san, we will need to do something regarding her disappearance. I'm sure nearly half the school knows that she's gone missing by now."
"Hmmm…" Vanessa toyed with the ends of her damp hair, as a plan formed in her mind and her lips quirked up into that devilish smile of hers. "I think I might know of a way for them to keep their dear friend Yuu and maintain my form without it affecting you. That is…" She flicked her lashes in a flirtatious move. "...if you're willing to trust me."
"Oh?" Azul pushed up his glasses, smirking. "Just what did you have in mind, my dear?"
~Mirror Hall~
"Gone!? What do you mean she's gone!?" Riddle waved a hand in the air, his face turning red with anger. "Ace, Deuce, Explain yourselves!"
"It's just like we said, Dorm Head!" Ace shouted back, waving his hands around erratically. "The ghosts said she packed up all her stuff and ran out! We've looked all over campus, and even took Idia-san's magic cycle to RSA to see if she'd gone there, but no one's seen her. She's vanished!"
"You're a bunch of idiots, you know that? That herbivore doesn't have any magic so she's gotta be around here somewhere. She's probably just hiding from you loud mouths." Leona grumbled, holding his head. He was clearly annoyed at being dragged to yet another emergency prefect meeting.
"Hah!? You wanna try that again, Senpai!?" Deuce scowled.
"Calm down, all of you!" Vil flicked his hand in the air. "Us screaming at each other is not gonna find Yuu any quicker." Vil turned to the headmaster. "Why don't we just ask the magic mirror where to find her?"
"I have already made an inquiry through the mirror. However-"
"I have search through all the worlds, through rain and mist, but even I cannot find what does not exist…"
"-is what he said."
"THAT'S BULL!" The entire group shouted, startling Crowley.
"Yuu does exist! She's real! I have proof!" Grim held up the yearbook he'd been carrying around with him as a picture source. "She's real! She's not a dream or a figment! She's been with us this whole time! Now she's in trouble, and we have to find her!"
"Calm yourself, Grim-san." Azul's voice spoke up as he entered the hall. "Forgive my lateness, I was held up."
"Held up with what, counting the souls you've stolen?" Vil accused with a sneer.
"Very funny, Shoenhiet… as it happens, Jade and Floyd saw our intrepid wanderer leave the campus. They're in the process of tracking her down as we speak."
"Really?!"
"Of course…" Azul posed elaborately. "Any moment now jade and Floyd will…" he paused when his cell phone rang, and he laughed. "Ah speak of the devils." Azul answered the video call and turned so the others could crowd around him and see. "Good timing, boys, did you secure-"
"AZUL!" Jade's normally calm expression was stricken, a look he had only shown when Azul had Overplotted. "There's been a complication. Yuu-san wandered too close to the cliffs and has fallen into the sea. Floyd jumped after her, but neither of them emerged.
"What!?" Azul grit his teeth. "Well don't just stand there, you fool! Go in after them!"
"Yes!" Jade started to hang up, but Floyd's voice called out. The camera angle shifted as Jade looked down and spotted floyd in merman form.
"Jade! Shrimpy's stuck! I can't get her out!"
"Give her some air! I'm coming!" Forgetting to turn off his phone, Jade transformed and dived down. The Cellphone came loose from his grip, but the image remained clear as it showed Jade zipping over trying to pry a wriggling form in the dark water.
"The phone's still working even though it's underwater?" Ace asked, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
"We're mermen, what did you expect?" Azul grunted and cursed. "The image is too dark, I can't see a thing. Jade! Floyd! Can you still hear me?"
"We should go help too!" Deuce slammed his fist into his palm.
"And do what exactly? None of us can breathe underwater except for Azul, and we don't even know where exactly they are. By the time we get there it'll be too late!" Riddle snatched the phone and shout. "Oi! Floyd! If you let that girl die I'll never forgive you!"
"Stay out of this, Goldfish!" Annoyed, Floyd swam over picking up the phone. "She's stuck under a pile of rubble, if i break it apart with my magic it'll crush us all… or so jade says." He grumbled and turned the phone to jade who was attempting to give Yuu mouth to mouth.
"Oi, oi, oi stop kissing her and save her already!" This from Leona who growled at the sight.
"It's not working…" Jade said grimly as Yuu went limp in his arms. "I'm out of ideas, Azul!"
"Yuu!" Grim wailed from atop Ace's shoulder. "Don't die on me!"
"Jade…" Azul spoke in a serious tone, his eyes shut tight. "Do you recall that spell we were working on?"
"Azul… we can't, it's too dangerous. The transformation alone could kill her if we don't do it correctly." Jade said ominously.
"She's gonna die regardless! Just do it!" Azul ordered. "I won't lose the only woman who's ever accepted me as I am! I will take the blame if it goes wrong, so just DO IT!"
"Azul…" Jade closed his eyes but then nodded and placed a hand over his heart. "Understood… Floyd, take the phone, and step back." He passed the phone to his brother.
"You're not gonna wanna see this." Floyd laughed cheekily into the phone. "It's gonna get messy."
"Floyd don't you dare hang up-" Azul cursed when the screen went black. "Idiot!"
"Azul, what spell is Floyd talking about? What were you and Jade working on?" Riddle crossed his arms.
"Well…" Azul turned his back to them, feigning guilt. "Truth be told, I was working on a spell to turn humans into merpeople."
"HAH!?" The whole group shouted.
"We merfolk adapted by learning how to become human when walking upon land… so I thought if I could perform a reversal of that and create a spell that allows humans to be transformed into merpeople, then we'd be able to advance further. There'd be no barriers between our worlds, think of the investment market!" Azul whirled around holding his arms out and a grin spreading across his lips. "It would be a marvel… but unfortunately-" Azul sighed heavily. "We've had complications with it. The transformation process is rather gruesome, and unfortunately we haven't been able to find a way to transform them back completely once turned."
"You mean you've actually tested this on people!?" Ace gawked.
"Only those that were willing, and who signed a waiver carefully listing all of the possible dangers of the spell. I'm not a monster, Mr. Trappola."
"Yeah well Yuu hasn't signed any of that stuff and you're still gonna do it?" Ace grabbed him by the lapels and gave him one good shake. "If she dies-"
"She'd be no better off than where she was before…" Azul glared and shoved Ace off. "At least with my spell, there's a chance she'll live. Now I suggest we figure out where exactly they are and bring medical supplies. Surely one if not all of them will be injured."
"Mr. Ashengrotto is right. Miss Emcee's safety takes precedence." Crowley signaled the other teachers. "Let's fan out and check the cliff sides in the nearby areas."
"What about Malleus? Shouldn't he be informed of the situation? After all this was HIS doing. If there are any injuries, he should take responsibility for them."
"Unfortunately it would seem Malleus and his group went off on their own search for Miss Emcee and have yet to return. We cannot wait for them. We must act now!"
"Let's all spread out, and then shoot off a flare from our wands if we find anything!" Riddle announced and waved his hand in the air. "Let's go!"
It took the group nearly an hour before they found them. Dripping wet and scraped up, Floyd and Jade, both leaned over Yuu's limp body… all of them still in merform.
"Yuu! What have they done to you!?" Grim raced to the body, his big blue eyes dripping tears as he collapsed over her sobbing.
"Ungrateful, much?" Floyd said with annoyance and rubbed at his shoulder. "We saved Shrimpy's life, you know. Look." Floyd pointed to the chest which was slowly breathing in and out.
"Oh thank goodness!" Deuce collapsed onto his backside, unable to feel his legs anymore.
"Did it work then… the spell?" This from Azul who stood back and away from the group.
"It did… but she's yet to awaken." Jade lowered his head. "I've spent all of my magic, I don't even have the energy to turn back myself."
"Allow me…" Azul waved his wand over both of them, and then did the same to Yuu.
"Huh?" Grim pulled back when only the tail and scales disappeared. "Why does she still look like this? Her skin's all weirdly colored, and her hair-"
"It's an improvement from the last few times we've tried, but still not quite a perfect spell." Azul scowled and he ran a thumb over the bruise on her temple. "We should get her back to the school so her wounds can be treated."
"All in all, you three saved her life." Crowley hoisted Yuu up into his arms. "I'm sure she'll be grateful of your assistance."
Oh I am, Vanessa thought with a hidden smile, indeed I am grateful. Those three managed to pull off this elaborate ruse without suspicion, and now I can reap the benefits from both of my personas without the weight and burden of guilt.
Oh Azul… Vanessa continued in her mind, feigning a moan of pain to play up her supposed injury… This little game we're playing together is going to be so much fun.
