Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1646: Transformation Spell - Cat
"I’m old, but not so old that I can’t move. Besides, the sixth Chosen One has appeared; I can’t just stay cooped up in Milestone forever."
Granny Cassandra smiled kindly as she spoke, not giving Shard and Miss Swift a chance to object:
"Rita, rest assured, I’ll definitely take you with me when the time comes. You did very well last time in the Randall Valley, and this time I’ll show you the power of a Dark Great Witch. Your witch’s path will be smoother from here on out."
Although Shard had not planned to stay long in Milestone, it was almost two-thirty in the afternoon before he was ready to leave. By this time, Sister Delphine had already returned to the Ritual Site, while the Red Butterfly Twins mysteriously asked Shard to wait a while before leaving.
Soon, they returned with a bottle of blood-red magic potion, heavily imbued with the Whisper Element. If it weren’t for the confirmation that the unique spirit’s waves matched that of the Red Butterflies, Shard would have thought it was a relic in potion form.
"Sir, when we treated your ’fever’ last time with a magic potion, since our potion was so effective for you, we’ve prepared a new unique potion. Drinking it will enhance your transformation abilities, making your [Scarlet Butterfly Form] easier to use."
Helen, in a black dress, said this cheerfully, while Grace, in a white dress, added with some anticipation:
"It might even grant you the [Red Butterfly] Spirit Rune."
The two girls, around fifteen or sixteen, watched him with eager anticipation.
"Isn’t this magic potion hard to make? Did it involve your blood and sweat again?"
Shard took the vial from them, and the girls laughed without answering, urging Shard to try it.
Shard had quite a bit of trust in Grace and Helen, so even though the Whisper Element in the blood-red magic potion was overwhelming, he still drank it.
"Oh!"
The taste was quite pleasant, reminiscent of the sweet and sour flavor of the magic potion the Red Butterfly Maidens had previously given Shard for his ailment, only this time with a heavier metallic flavor and a hard-to-describe taste, akin to earth after rain.
Shard savored the taste, placed the bottle on the table, and nodded in acknowledgment under Grace and Helen’s expectant gaze:
"I can feel the element affecting my body. Yes, it’s working."
His normal body temperature suddenly spiked, and even Shard’s skin began to turn red. He groaned, nearly collapsing onto the sofa’s back, as he nearly fainted from the surge of the spirit. Meanwhile, a gentle voice in his ear spoke sweetly.
[Outlander, you have encountered ’Whisper.’]
[This is the power of transformation. Your body is recalling past transformation states. Please remain still and be patient.]
It felt as though every muscle and bone screamed in agony, and his body felt like it was about to melt like mud. It wasn’t like the transformation of ’Scarlet Butterfly Form’; it felt more like...
Under the astonished gaze of Grace and Helen, Shard, sitting on the sofa, emitted a glimmer before disappearing entirely. Upon closer inspection, where Shard had sat was now a silver-white cat, lying there.
"Oh! Shard!"
They immediately stood up, and Helen in her black dress was the first to scoop up Shard, clearly experienced in handling cats.
And "she" spoke softly, her timing impeccable:
[Outlander, you have acquired the sorcery ’Transformation Spell - Cat.’]
That voice unmistakably carried a hint of amusement.
"I’m alright."
Shard, now in his feline form, spoke to the girls, looking down at his paws:
"Your magic potion did work; it indeed enhanced my transformation ability, but in the wrong direction."
Unlike the magic potion, at least using sorcery to transform included his clothing, a point Shard was quite satisfied with. Human transformation itself is a remarkably intricate field of study, and in the Sixth Era, the number of Shapeshifters and Druids is far lesser than in past eras. While it wasn’t a transformation into a unicorn or dragon-like supernatural creatures, turning into a cat was useful enough.
At this point, Shard possessed two transformation stances. The Scarlet Butterfly Form was more broadly applicable but couldn’t be used consecutively, while the cat form, though just an ordinary cat, could be sustained for an extended duration.
"Although cats are indeed cute, why not the Scarlet Butterfly? Did our magic potion make some mistake?"
Helen, feeling slightly downcast, reached out to stroke the cat in her arms, while Grace extended her hand to caress Shard’s back. Quickly, Shard leapt out of Grace’s embrace and transformed back into human form while descending in mid-air. The sisters’ contact with him had been a little too intimate.
"Sir, next time, we are confident we’ll succeed... so next time, should we increase the amount of blood or sweat we use?"
Shard almost fled from Midshire Fort, resolving to avoid assuming his cat form unless absolutely necessary. The witch, Mia, and the Red Butterfly Sisters harbored what he deemed "ill intentions" toward his cat form, but he was no real cat like Mia.
When he returned to No. 6, Saint Delan Square, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. Shard chose not to go out again, instead organizing the clues he had gathered in the Green Lake Region and planning his action plan for the following day.
Later that evening, he went out to have dinner with Dorothy, with Miss Danester also sending a letter agreeing to meet. Thus, by around seven in the evening, Shard’s figure reappeared in the central courtyard of the Saint Byrons Grand Library:
"Good evening, Miss Danester!"
As soon as he appeared, Shard immediately greeted, but his tone was somewhat weak.
"What did you just do? Why do you look like someone recovering from a severe illness after exhaustion? Did you go on a date with a high-ring female sorceress?"
The red-haired sorceress put down the small file she was using on her nails and smiled as she asked her only student. This was a very personal joke, also indicating that Shard and Miss Danester got along well.
"It’s not exhaustion, it’s..."
Shard, who had purposely run to the Randall Valley, the furthest from No. 6, Saint Delan Square, to throw his shoes, almost consuming his spirit, showed a hesitant expression:
"I encountered an unexpected situation. Yesterday, on the Central Island of Green Lake, I met a strong enemy and got injured, but I’m much better now."
"Injured?"
Miss Danester’s face showed a worried expression, and she asked with concern:
"How did you end up in such a sorry state? Do you still need healing? Do you need some magic potion, and then I’ll send someone to your door for treatment?"
"No need, I’m almost healed. It was an Arcane Technique - Dimensional Slash, which generally leaves severe aftereffects for ordinary circle sorcerers, but fortunately, I’m also proficient in spatial power."
He gestured with his hand, mimicking a forward slashing motion.
"Arcane Technique - Dimensional Slash? A space-related arcane technique that can only be learned by those above Ten Rings?"
Miss Danester frowned deeply:
"Did you encounter a high-ring sorcerer on that island? Can you recognize the other party?"
"I had Miss Dorothy Louisa from the same group turn my memory into photos."
Since he couldn’t deliver items in a projected state, Shard directly picked up the photos and displayed them.
Even though they were separated by a coffee table, she immediately recognized who was in the photo:
"Is this... the Mirror Keeper?"
"Is it really Thirteen Rings? I thought I misread the Ring of Fate in the fog."
Shard said, and Miss Danester, seeing his weak appearance, was momentarily at a loss for words:
"I... I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would encounter such danger... Shard, don’t investigate the Green Lake matter for now. I’ll handle it myself once I finish with Academy affairs."
She said with some guilt:
"Take good care of your injuries, I’ll visit you in some time. I’m truly sorry, the appearance of the Mirror Keeper was unexpected, but he went there..."
"No, having investigated to this extent, I will absolutely not let go." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Shard said adamantly:
"Moreover, by going to the island yesterday, I made a significant discovery. I encountered a very strange wandering soul on the island, and from it, learned that the origin of the Edwards family’s genealogy, the first generation lord Klein Edwards, was once a member of the Prophet’s Society. Yes, I’m very certain about this point."
Since Iluna and the others would soon inform the church about the Edwards matter, Shard couldn’t go into too much detail to avoid suspicion about his source of intelligence:
"The Edward family secret definitely exceeds original expectations. And the sun, moon, and stars pattern similar to the back of the Roder Card appearing in the family letters seems to provide an explanation."
"A diviner from the Prophet’s Society?"
This time, Miss Danester nearly stood up, more shocked than seeing the "Mirror Keeper" photo. Luckily, she remembered she must maintain the ritual; the sorceress widened her eyes, completely unexpecting this news:
"How is this possible? What does the Prophet’s Society aim to do? No, it couldn’t be the idea of the Prophet’s Society... Traitors, perhaps?"
She suddenly thought of more matters and said to Shard:
"You’ve done well, but now you truly must not get involved anymore. I originally thought a Six Rings Sorcerer would suffice for the investigation, but this matter involves more and more. As it stands, the Edwards family might even be linked to the Chosen One... stop the investigation, Shard."
"Miss Danester, right now, you can’t spare time to go to Green Lake, and besides me, you don’t want to inform others about matters related to your teacher. If I don’t investigate, do we let the Church and the Mirror Association obtain most of the clues?"
He took a deep breath:
"I will pay attention to my safety, please rest assured. I have a premonition, I’m close to part of the Edwards family secret. I want to ask you to investigate which diviner in the Prophet’s Society during Klein Edwards’ era fits his profile; maybe we can know everything through this."
He actually already knew, but still had to appear as if he only knew initial clues.
