Koba
[Monday, Dreyrune 23, 4310]
—Finn's townhouse—
"Well, aren't you just a pretty sight? I guess this proves our suspicions that you aren't a witch but are in fact a demon. You demons are too otherworldly good looking. If your new appearance doesn't at least make Nyxara Ajei give you a second look, I declare her a lost cause." I opened my eyes to scowl at Noxton who was quickly becoming like an older brother that loved to annoy me.
He and his parents are now the only ones I can trust in this enclave as I'm adjusting to this twist of fate of finding out I'm not who I thought I was. I'm not even the race I thought I was. I've fully transitioned into a demon, and that comes with its own complications and expectations that I have to come to terms with.
Luckily, the Creators weren't completely unkind. I have been blessed with a demon mentor who has been guiding me since my demon nature first emerged. At first, it was only Finn's suspicions because demons and witches have a lot of common traits. It wasn't until he had me go through essence manipulation exercises demons teach their children that I began to believe his suspicions may not be completely wrong.
I was still skeptical because one, I was already going through an identity crisis after finding out I'm not related to any of my parents and I didn't really want to add that I was a completely different race on top of that. I admitted to myself and Colt it hurt that I'm not blood-related to Papa Sullivan or Mama Azalea. I haven't even bothered to analyze the strange mix of positive and negative feelings I felt when I read the report that I wasn't related to Maeve and Xerxes Dillard either.
I suspect they know I'm not their child. None of the investigation reports Papa Sullivan and Uncle Finn have gathered conclusively prove they had anything to do with this situation, but my intuition says they are not innocent. Plus, despite how vile they are, I doubt they would actually allow their daughter to engage in the behavior she has shown towards me if they weren't aware I'm not actually related to her.
Minette, on the other hand…the investigation reports and testimonies from Sawyer and Robin indicate she most likely has an unhealthy obsession with me. I suspect she doesn't know; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so circumspect in her actions and enchantments. I could have been completely violated and not known it if she had known our true relation.
My second reason to be skeptical is that Noxton could do the exercises when he was a child. It was obvious from the videos that the exercises were difficult for him, but he was able to do them. I assumed that because I'm older and higher tiered than Noxton was when he performed the exercises at Seed tier, so of course it was easier for me to do the exercises. It made sense logically that I was most likely a demon-born witch too.
Finn smothered that train of assumption when he did demon essence manipulation exercises from low level to high level with ease, then had Noxton do them to show me that Noxton couldn't do the manipulation exercises beyond the mid-level, only to have me demonstrate that I could complete the first high-level exercise with ease.
A demon's essence system simply worked differently than that of a witch's—even a demon-born witch. Regardless, I remained stubborn about this until now. I really didn't want to add being a completely different race to my already full plate of matters to deal with, but here we are. Fuck.
Looking into the mirror the smiling father and son pair were holding up, I saw without a doubt that I was a full-blooded demon. There is a look and presence about a demon that is hard to hide unless actively suppressed, like I've been my whole life.
I accepted the mirror from them. Golden sun eyes stared back at me. My hair was now a light chocolate brown with a golden tint gleaming from each strand. I've wanted to cut my hair to a more manageable length for a while now, but I knew I couldn't. Not yet. Xerxes Dillard liked how much I looked like him with it long and braided. I wasn't ready to cut ties with the Dillard Enclave, so I could only suppress the desire for now. Under my left eye was a golden mandala tattoo.
The tattoo brought my attention to the fact that my face shape was fuller, and my skin tone had shifted from chocolate brown to a golden bronze. I couldn't tell from my sitting position, but I was pretty sure I was taller, and my arms were longer as well. No wonder each of these transformations hurt like a bitch. My body was changing internally and externally.
Finished examining my appearance, I set the mirror down to stand up. I'm definitely taller. Previously, I was half a head shorter than Noxton; now, I was the same height. In comparison, I am still leaner in body mass than he is, but I am significantly more muscular than I was in my suppressed form.
Noxton goofily posed and flexed under my probing gaze as he spoke. "Looks like the pup has finally grown to match his gran frè (big brother)." Uncle Finn promptly pushed him out of the way, thus sending him crashing into the nearby wall. Finn was walking around me, examining me as Noxton pulled himself out of the wall. After brushing his clothes off, he proceeded to lay his hand on the wall. Before my eyes, the damage his body caused to the wall was fixed.
One of his rings blinked in warning before going dull. "Bàba (dad), look what you made me do! Now I'm going to have to get this ring recharged sooner. Why are you always so rough with me? You better start treating ti frè just as rough. No playing favorites in this family!"
We both ignored his rants and threats. "Yes. I would say that was definitely your final shift. How do you feel? Nothing feels off?" I shook my head after doing an internal scan.
"In fact, I feel the best I've ever felt in my life." I felt myself smiling at feeling completely whole for the first time. Well, not completely whole. My happy mood dimmed a bit at the reminder of the dull needle pain I still felt in my heart core.
The feeling had been lessening, so my worry about Nyxara had lessened. But I couldn't help wondering what ritual the Ajei family had been doing for the last couple of days that would not only have them put their complex on lockdown but also affect Nyxara to the point I could feel it through the faint connection we somehow still had. The hollow-bind no longer existed between us, so I wasn't sure what this connection between us was exactly.
When Noxton questioned me yesterday, I only managed to dodge answering him because a business call he had been waiting for came in. Whatever this connection is, I intend to keep it. Even if Nyxara never accepts me as a mate again, any connection I can have with her is better than nothing. I haven't given up on trying to mend things between us, and maybe this twist of fate is the answer to my wish.
Maybe if I approach her not as Koba Dillard but as my true self, another chance for us might be possible.
Finn brought me out of my thoughts when he spoke with a formal tone. Noxton's serious expression and the box he held made me aware that whatever these two were up to now was possibly an important matter. I was still learning the difference between when they were actually serious and mock-serious.
"Despite how wonderful it is to have you return to the fold, young demon, it is not yet time for you to shed the life of Koba Dillard. So we offer this gift to you. It will be more useful to you than the talisman I previously gave you." I accepted the box. When I opened it, I found an intricate-looking purple mask with gold detailing. It would cover a good portion of my upper face when worn.
I looked at them, questioning. Uncle Finn pulled the mask out of the box, then placed it on my face. Noxton was holding up the mirror again. I had to admit the mask did suit me well, but I wasn't a superhero nor was I going to any masquerade ball, so the purpose of this gift was lost on me. It wasn't until Uncle Finn tapped on the white diamond embedded in the center of the mask that I witnessed what the mask's true function was.
"While you can totally wear the mask in its natural form, which I do recommend you do if you agree to my business proposal. As you can see, you can use this mask to conceal the change in your appearance. The talisman, as you noticed, needs to be charged daily. This mask is now synced to your essence directly." Noxton explained as I checked that the mask had truly returned me to my previous appearance.
"As long as you aren't completely without essence or dead, the mask will stay on your face. Only you or someone you give consent to can change it back to the physical mask form or remove it from your face. Pretty sweet gift, isn't it?" Noxton winked with a grin.
"I agree. It is a very nice gift you two gave him. Now can you take the mask off? We rushed over here to see what your true self looked like. Also, were we right that you are a demon?" The loud Creole accented voice of Sullivan Dillard boomed in the room.
With a smile, I tapped the spot between my brows. The mask manifested, and I took it off under the couple's curious stares.