Chapter 1: The Sky Fell Over Me

"Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse."

There was a sudden shift in the world around me. It no longer smelled of the ashen innsense the Fade had, but instead, it smelled of mortals. Humans had a strange smell really, like of salt and rust. It was too...disgusting for me to actually like it here, but their way of life held my interest. However, the moment I had opened all of my new senses and took in all that I could. My eyes flickered open and instantly scanned the area around me. From what I could tell, I was on the ground and in pain for some odd reason. My hands grazed the soft, fleecy blue surrounding my new body and it felt odd to wear clothing. I looked at my strange new hands and took in the creamy peach color. It was contrasted my usual light plum color, but I still found it intruiging nonetheless. Still, as I began to take in my new surroundings, I heard people rushing to my side to aid me. Quietly I stared at them with my new human eyes, and I noted that all of their faces were different but shared one emotion; concern. I stared at them but then smiled as the youngest spoke, almost as if I knew him distantly.

"R-Rose?...Are you alright?"

However, as I looked at the young dark-ginger colored hair man before me, a single word appeared in my thoughts: Cullen. Still, as he probed me with stuttered questions, I only smiled at him, this man who I was presumed "Cullen", I answered back sweetly.

"You must be the infamous Cullen, yes? If you must know, my name isn't Rose, it's Lyria." However, they all returned my words as if I had sinned against their God. They all gave me a peculiar look but concern was still there. I on the other hand, simply smiled at them and suddenly the old one said

"Child, you must be mistaken; your name is Rose Amell. You just finished your Harrowing."

"It's not that I don't know, it's the fact that I'm not her." I replied as I smiled genuinely at the old man hovering over me. My eyes shifted to anoter man clad in the same suit of armour as Cullen and he gave me a dirty glare. However, I scooted away from them to got up and stretch. Moments later, the man who glared at me said to the older one who just informed me that I had finished the thing called the "Harrowing". My ears picked up the harsh sneering of his words.

"Irving, there's something wrong with her, she's not the same. What if she's possessed, hm? We should kill her to make sure she isn't one of those damned things."

"Greagoir, you say that about every mage who just finished their Harrowing. She's fine, trust me on this one." The older man responded to him. Were they honestly this dim-witted, or were all humans this stupid in nature? I mean, I just point-blankly admitted that I wasn't this Rose girl and yet they still question me about it. Oh, how humans were such fools at times... However, ignoring all of these little thoughts, I turned back around to the ginger man behind me and stared at him. He stared back at me with that same worried looked plastered on his face. Smiling gently at him, I questioned him.

"You never answered me; you're Cullen, right?"

"I-I am, you should know t-that Rose. I've been your friend since you first c-came here…" The younger man replied and he sounded hurt by all of this. With that same smile, I wandered over to him and looked him dead in the eye. His eyes were a gentle hazel color and contrasted Rose's gray ones. He shifted his eyes to the ground however, and only mumbled something to me. This body was a good few inches shorter than him but I was glad about that. I never had a taste for tall bodies, they were always so...tall. As I neared him more though, he continued to back away from me until he was up against a wall. Cullen then shifted his eyes to stare into mine, question was entertwined in those hazel eyes and uttered sweet words to him.

"Cullen, why don't you and I leave this place...shall we? It would be much more...enthralling if we did."

"Rose, what are you doing? This is inappropriate…please stop!" He pleaded quietly, hoping for the others to not here while their conversation heated.

"No, this is inappropriate…" I responded and smiled at him, then suddenly placing my lips to his. His were very unsure and deffinitely unwilling. I on the other hand, simply did the best I could to make him accept the kiss but nothing seemed to of have worked. A few seconds later, I let him go and heard the gasping along with other sounds of shock errupt from behind me. This man's expression however, was the most amusing thing that I had ever seen in quite a long while. It appeared as if he would faint at any moment given and just barely held on. My lips curled into a pout though, it wasn't what I wanted for I knew he wanted more than justs a simple kiss. I could literally taste it on his lips from all the wanting and needing that rolled off of him. Just one of the many traits of being a Succubus. However, I stared at him with a small ping of hurt and he stared back with great unmusement but then all of a sudden the Greagoir guy yelled behind us.

"Rose, what is the meaning of this! Explain yourself at once!"

"For the last time, I'm not Rose! Do you not realize this even after all of the times I have told you?" I bellowed as I turned around. Anger surged throughout this body and my soul from the utter denseness of this creature named Greagoir. Surely he was a smarter man than this, so what caused all of stupidity? Would they ever believe me that I wasn't Rose? How many times would I have to tell them? Suddenly my skin began to feel hot as Greagoir and I glared at one another. The anger rolled off of him just as the iritation ebbed from this body. We held eye contact and I began to feel the change more and more. The warmth heated to boiling point and the feeling of the human flesh boiled to the point in which the clothes singed off of the body. The skin on the other hand, began to melt and changed to a disfigured purple color, but then changed into my normal light plum color. Not once had I looked away from that man who only stared me back in the eye. The darker purple stripes formed upon my body and my black tail sprouted out as well. No longer did this body have it's gentle, brown locks but now my own deep indigo color. Moments passed, and I was finally the real me again. I smiled at them and cocked my head to the side to get a better look at their faces, which were now even more horrified and angry.

My bangs hung over my crimson eyes and I touched my tail, in which it curled around my hand like a snake. My boots clicked lightly as I smiled at them, inviting them to say anything they wanted. However, before they could say anything I stated in my dark voice.

"I'm Lyria, not the thing you call Rose."

"What have you done to her!" Cullen bellowed behind me. I turned around just in time to be pummelled to the ground with Cullen and a sword in my face. We smashed with such a force that it caused the little lyrium pool to be spilled and a few books as well. Everyone stared at us as Cullen held the blade to my throat but I only smiled at him, urging him to say anything. However, it only seemed to of have gotten him angrier, which gave me joy.