I stood on the edge of a forest, looking up at the shy. The smoke and ash that filled the sky filled the gaps in the cloud cover, blocking out all sunlight. All of it tinted orange.
Lowering my gaze, I saw the flames. In the distance, a grand city burned.
The voice of an ancient crone flooded my mind. "stagnation brings decay. If you don't maintain a building, nature will reclaim it, and it will fall to ruin. Some things can last forever if maintained properly, but as you try to fix the damage, you may find flaws in its design. Sometimes, it is better to create something new that addresses these flaws to replace the old."
"Those that benefit from things staying as they are will fight to keep them that way." the crone's voice continued. "They will try to demonize the harbingers of change. They will try to drive them from society, discredit them, and vilify them."
"This does not mean every change is good, but it is inevitable. If you prevent change for too long, no matter how hard you try, it will come. Violently, if necessary. How well do you deal with change, young one." the crone's voice finishes. Everything goes black, and it feels like I'm falling.
I awoke to the sound of someone screaming. Looking around, I find myself lying on the floor of my workshop. Vayla is in the doorway on her knees, looking at something, crying.
After following Vayla's line of sight, I see something quite unsettling. My body lay lifeless on the ground.
It was strange; I could feel the stone floor and the breeze against my skin. I don't think I am dead, yet my body lies on the floor, dead, only a few feet away from me. I sit up, keeping my eyes on the corpse.
As I settle on the floor, the cold of the stone burns my butt, immediately making me realize just how naked I am. Looking down, I couldn't see past the rather substantial breasts on my chest.
"I did not expect that." The voice that came out of my mouth was, in a single word, cute.
Silence fills the room as Vayla's quiet sobbing comes to an abrupt halt. Vayla looked at me with a thin determination, which collapsed as soon as our eyes met. Pure terror took over her face.
Vayla scrambles out the door, slamming it shut on her way out. The loud clunk that came a moment later let me know she had locked me in the workshop.
I got up and walked over to my corpse. I had considered taking the clothes from it, but the thought made my skin crawl. Reaching down, I took my necklace off the carcass and hung it around my neck.
I took a seat in front of the door, leaning against it. Taking my necklace in hand, I push a small amount of mana into it. Having recognized my mana, the enchantment which had gone dormant after my body died was now reactivating.
I have no idea how long I sat against the door. When I heard the loud clunk of the lock, I stood up and took a few steps away from the door.
The door opened in one swift motion. Lyra stood in the doorway looking around the room, her eyes stopping on my corpse before she looked at me. Her eyes settled on my necklace.
"You better have a good reason for wearing that necklace." Lyra sounded furious.
"Well, it is my necklace. It even recognized my mana. " I said, giving Lyra a slight smirk." I think I may have messed up really bad, Lyra. I kinda turned myself into a Demon Blade."
The sound of Lyras's hand striking her face with enough force to concuss a ram dominates the room. After a moment, Lyra looked me directly in the eyes and asked a question. "Are you saying you're August?"
I opened my mouth, but something wouldn't let me say that I was. "I don't think I'm allowed to use that name anymore." was all I managed to get out, the floorboards suddenly becoming very interesting.
"Why are you not allowed to use the name anymore?" Lyra asked dryly.
"Well, I mean, isn't August kind of dead on the floor behind me? Like my souls in here now. but isn't that still August?" I say, pointing at the corpse.
"And you soul, isn't August?" she continued the line of questioning.
"I'd say I was August, but I don't think who I am now is called August." I answered
"Are you saying you're a different person now?" was her next question.
"I don't think so." I answered, a little uncertain about that myself.
She sighed heavily. " if you are no longer August, what should we call you."
Before I even had time to think about it, an answer had already left my mouth. "September."
Lyra gives me a soft smile. "Alright, September, let's get you some clothes for now. I'm going to get in touch with Asra and Lady Sofia afterward. When they get here, you'll explain to us exactly what happened."
I nod, and Lyra leads me out of the workshop to her room. whe starts looking through her clothes while I sit on the bed.
After a few minutes, she offered me a loose shirt and trousers. I put on the shirt, but I hesitate at the trousers.
"Something wrong with the trousers." Lyra asks, giving me a concerned look.
"no, not the trousers themself. It's just August always wore trousers, and now that I'm not him, I was just thinking maybe trying something new might be fun," I said, my words getting quieter as I went on.
"Oh." was all she said as she started looking through her clothes again.
A few minutes later, she dropped a skirt and a pair of underwear on the bed. "Here, if you want to try something new, why not a skirt?"
I looked down at the skirt, lost for words. Lyra continued, paying no mind to my stunned state. "I'm going out to the living room. I'm going to try to get in touch with Asra and Lady Sophia. When you're done getting dressed, come out to the living room. I have some more questions for you before they arrive."
I give her a thumbs up, and she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. I looked down at the skirt again, just looking at it for a few minutes.
Eventually, I picked it up. I had thought about wearing skirts as August. I would have never heard the end of it in the guild, though, and something about August in a skirt just felt wrong. September in a skirt, though...
gNatonthewall Hello everyone. The story passed 200 readers! Thank you all for reading, favoriting, and commenting. I love reading all your comments and seeing your thoughts on the story. Thank you, and have a nice day.
I stood on the edge of a forest, looking up at the shy. The smoke and ash that filled the sky filled the gaps in the cloud cover, blocking out all sunlight. All of it tinted orange.
Lowering my gaze, I saw the flames. In the distance, a grand city burned.
The voice of an ancient crone flooded my mind. "stagnation brings decay. If you don't maintain a building, nature will reclaim it, and it will fall to ruin. Some things can last forever if maintained properly, but as you try to fix the damage, you may find flaws in its design. Sometimes, it is better to create something new that addresses these flaws to replace the old."
"Those that benefit from things staying as they are will fight to keep them that way." the crone's voice continued. "They will try to demonize the harbingers of change. They will try to drive them from society, discredit them, and vilify them."
"This does not mean every change is good, but it is inevitable. If you prevent change for too long, no matter how hard you try, it will come. Violently, if necessary. How well do you deal with change, young one." the crone's voice finishes. Everything goes black, and it feels like I'm falling.
I awoke to the sound of someone screaming. Looking around, I find myself lying on the floor of my workshop. Vayla is in the doorway on her knees, looking at something, crying.
After following Vayla's line of sight, I see something quite unsettling. My body lay lifeless on the ground.
It was strange; I could feel the stone floor and the breeze against my skin. I don't think I am dead, yet my body lies on the floor, dead, only a few feet away from me. I sit up, keeping my eyes on the corpse.
As I settle on the floor, the cold of the stone burns my butt, immediately making me realize just how naked I am. Looking down, I couldn't see past the rather substantial breasts on my chest.
"I did not expect that." The voice that came out of my mouth was, in a single word, cute.
Silence fills the room as Vayla's quiet sobbing comes to an abrupt halt. Vayla looked at me with a thin determination, which collapsed as soon as our eyes met. Pure terror took over her face.
Vayla scrambles out the door, slamming it shut on her way out. The loud clunk that came a moment later let me know she had locked me in the workshop.
I got up and walked over to my corpse. I had considered taking the clothes from it, but the thought made my skin crawl. Reaching down, I took my necklace off the carcass and hung it around my neck.
I took a seat in front of the door, leaning against it. Taking my necklace in hand, I push a small amount of mana into it. Having recognized my mana, the enchantment which had gone dormant after my body died was now reactivating.
I have no idea how long I sat against the door. When I heard the loud clunk of the lock, I stood up and took a few steps away from the door.
The door opened in one swift motion. Lyra stood in the doorway looking around the room, her eyes stopping on my corpse before she looked at me. Her eyes settled on my necklace.
"You better have a good reason for wearing that necklace." Lyra sounded furious.
"Well, it is my necklace. It even recognized my mana. " I said, giving Lyra a slight smirk." I think I may have messed up really bad, Lyra. I kinda turned myself into a Demon Blade."
The sound of Lyras's hand striking her face with enough force to concuss a ram dominates the room. After a moment, Lyra looked me directly in the eyes and asked a question. "Are you saying you're August?"
I opened my mouth, but something wouldn't let me say that I was. "I don't think I'm allowed to use that name anymore." was all I managed to get out, the floorboards suddenly becoming very interesting.
"Why are you not allowed to use the name anymore?" Lyra asked dryly.
"Well, I mean, isn't August kind of dead on the floor behind me? Like my souls in here now. but isn't that still August?" I say, pointing at the corpse.
"And you soul, isn't August?" she continued the line of questioning.
"I'd say I was August, but I don't think who I am now is called August." I answered
"Are you saying you're a different person now?" was her next question.
"I don't think so." I answered, a little uncertain about that myself.
She sighed heavily. " if you are no longer August, what should we call you."
Before I even had time to think about it, an answer had already left my mouth. "September."
Lyra gives me a soft smile. "Alright, September, let's get you some clothes for now. I'm going to get in touch with Asra and Lady Sofia afterward. When they get here, you'll explain to us exactly what happened."
I nod, and Lyra leads me out of the workshop to her room. whe starts looking through her clothes while I sit on the bed.
After a few minutes, she offered me a loose shirt and trousers. I put on the shirt, but I hesitate at the trousers.
"Something wrong with the trousers." Lyra asks, giving me a concerned look.
"no, not the trousers themself. It's just August always wore trousers, and now that I'm not him, I was just thinking maybe trying something new might be fun," I said, my words getting quieter as I went on.
"Oh." was all she said as she started looking through her clothes again.
A few minutes later, she dropped a skirt and a pair of underwear on the bed. "Here, if you want to try something new, why not a skirt?"
I looked down at the skirt, lost for words. Lyra continued, paying no mind to my stunned state. "I'm going out to the living room. I'm going to try to get in touch with Asra and Lady Sophia. When you're done getting dressed, come out to the living room. I have some more questions for you before they arrive."
I give her a thumbs up, and she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. I looked down at the skirt again, just looking at it for a few minutes.
Eventually, I picked it up. I had thought about wearing skirts as August. I would have never heard the end of it in the guild, though, and something about August in a skirt just felt wrong. September in a skirt, though...
gNatonthewall Hello everyone. The story passed 200 readers! Thank you all for reading, favoriting, and commenting. I love reading all your comments and seeing your thoughts on the story. Thank you, and have a nice day.
