Maxi paced up and down the room. Her mind was all over the place where she had bitten her nails short from panicking. Azula was still unconscious on the floor and she had no idea what to do. She could not take her out of here and back at Aldric’s castle where he could look after her, no, she wouldn’t even walk ten ters before the guards stopped her.
She couldn’t contact Aldric either. The fool would lose his cool before thinking of the consequences. At this point, she could do nothing but sit still and pray. And that was saying a lot since she had not prayed in like centuries.
Islinda woke up with a loud gasp, her eyes regaining its focus. She sat up abruptly, breathing heavily as if she had been underwater for too long and had just surfaced. The light felt harsh, and she groaned, the sounds around her seed amplified as well. She took a mont to gather herself, reeling from everything.
Maxi, who had been anxiously pacing the room, froze when she heard the gasp. She rushed to her side, her face a mix of concern and relief.
"Azula, You....!" Maxi froze, her eyes widening at the sight of her.
Islinda turned to face her, a small, victorious smile forming on her lips. "It’s , Islinda. I’m back." she confird, her voice steady but carrying the undertone of exhaustion.
"Oh, Islinda...?" Maxi said, her tone quite bland and high-pitched with what almost sounded like anxiety. Islinda assud that Maxi, her sister and a friend, would be the most excited to have her back. But that didn’t seem to be the case here.
"Yes, it’s . The one and only." Islinda giggled in excitent. But that didn’t seem to convince Maxi.
"Urm, you sure you’re Islinda?" Maxi asked her, unsure.
Islinda frowned and replied, "I already told you that I’m Islinda! Look, I know Azula ssed up a lot of things in my absence, but I managed to overthrow her and I’m back in this body. I’m the real Islinda!" She beat her chest to emphasize her point. "Also, why are you staring at like that? Do I have sothing on my face or what?"
Maxi’s eyes remained wide, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I think you should take a look at yourself in the mirror."
"Huh?"
Islinda’s confusion turned to concern as she saw the serious expression on Maxi’s face. Anxiety gnawed at her chest.
Without waiting for a response, Islinda scrambled to her feet and began searching for a mirror. Her heart raced as she moved around the room, finally spotting a mirror on the dresser.
She finally stood in front of it only for the breath to get knocked out of her lungs. You have got to be kidding her. It wasn’t the fact that her hair was completely white in contrast to her once brown hair. No, she had seen that coming with its ergence weeks back. What truly left her speechless, however, were the gleaming black runic writings etched across her face, extending down her neck and over her shoulders. The intricate symbols seed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.
She was marked. Like a dark Fae.
"This... t-this....." Islinda’s hands trembled as she traced the runes, the alien markings on her skin feeling surreal.
That was not the end because Islinda’s once rounded ears were now slightly pointed, evidence of her half Fae ancestry. Now that she looked at her brown eyes, it seed lighter, if not golden. No, it was almost glowing.
Islinda jumped back when she thought she saw sothing flash in those eyes. Her own eyes. Eyes that no longer seed familiar to her. More like her own whole body.
Islinda had always envied the Fae because they held an allure that drew the eye with their inhumanly perfect features. Yet now that Islinda stared at herself in the mirror, she could see that she was not far behind them.
Her strange blonde hair was soft, lustrous, and radiant, than it ever was in her lifeti. Her skin was flawless and luminous, every blemish and scar—such as the childish scar on her arm—had vanished. It was almost as if she was born afresh; she was bewitching, a more beautiful version of herself.
"Tell , I’m dreaming," Islinda whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief, as if hoping that soone would wake her from this impossible reality.
However, Maxi stepped towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Islinda turned to face her, slightly surpised when she saw the sa markings reflected on Maxi’s face — the dark Fae horse shifter took off her glamor.
Maxi said to her. "It’s not a dream. Your glamor has lost its effect on you at the age of twenty two and your true form has been revealed. Half human, half dark Fae. This was always what you were ant to be, Islinda. This is your true form."
Islinda had mixed feelings listening to those words from Maxi. She turned to the mirror and felt her face once more. It felt like a dream right now. Though Azula said it, it took until now for it to dawn on her. She was a dark Fae? She was like Maxi? Like.... Aldric?
However, the mont was suddenly disrupted by the knock on the door.
Maxi jumped out of her skin, putting on the ring and activating her glamor at once, only to look up and discover that Islinda had none.
"Shit!" Maxi cursed when she saw Islinda’s appearance. She was a dark Fae. The markings were visible on her body. They would find her out.
The knock sounded again.
"Islinda, open up. It’s ."
"By the gods, thats Valerie," Islinda recognized his voice.
"By the gods, we are dood!" Maxi exclaid. "He cannot see you like this, Islinda. He would know that you are dark Fae!" She panicked.
"Oh, right...." Islinda felt her face, recalling that she now had a new look. "What am I going to do?"
"I don’t know!" Maxi replied frantically. "I can’t give you my ring; it’s customized for my use and won’t work for you. You need a powerful glamor, one that high Fae like king Oberon can’t see through easily. We don’t have a witch, and the competition is tomorrow. Everyone will expect you, and they’ll know you’re a dark Fae!"
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