There's no way. It can't be, but I'm supposed to be a guy. So what am I then, a woman?
Even calling you a woman is a bit of an exaggeration.
I look down at myself again. The differences are small in some places and impossible to ignore in others. It's still me… just not in the way I'm used to.
How long have you known about this?
During your Astral Evolution. I witnessed everything that happened, including your little... gender alteration.
Wait, so you saw everything. Then, could you describe what it was like?
Another time; for now, though, I need to clarify a few things. For one, you're not a male anymore.
Thanks for rubbing it in.
My pleasure. Anyway, you're not a male, but you're not a female either. You're kinda a blank page. Although your looks are quite feminine. And you are quite short for a guy. You could pass for either gender.
...I guess. But I don't really see the use in that.
If you ever need to change identity, all you have to do is just act like a female.
...You're not actually being serious about this, are you?
It's just a suggestion.
Well, I suppose there's some truth to what you're saying. In fact, you've actually given me a very good idea.
Oh really. And that is?
Claudia was told to give the Dragon Claw to Noir, but although she's assuming it's a male, Luna never explicitly told her I was male.
No, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna work. From what she said, I'm assuming Luna mentioned you using male pronouns.
I can just say I was pretending to —.
Stop. All you're going to do is just make yourself feel guilty. You have no reason to hide that you're Noir. Unless... is there a reason you don't want to tell her? Don't use the whole "I'm trying to keep the fact that I was strong this whole time a secret" trope. You know you can do that without lying.
You're right. I'd just rather not. I can't explain why, but something's telling me to keep my mouth shut.
Is there another consciousness within your body I'm not aware of?
No, at least not that I'm aware of.
Then stop worrying about it. If you're stressed out, it's going to affect me too. I don't need your worries to interfere with me.
"Is there something wrong?" Claudia asks.
"No," I respond.
Right now, during my conversation with Khaos, Claudia has been scrubbing my back while covering herself with a towel.
The bathhouse is massive, so there's enough space to fit about fifty people in here. The mana soldiers really took advantage of the whole infinite space thing. Gotta remember to thank them for it later. Maybe I'll give them actual titles instead of calling them mana soldiers.
But in this case, I'm not so thrilled.
Remind me again, how old is Claudia?
Well, she recently turned thirteen before you left for the trial, and since it's been a whole year, I would say fourteen, give or take.
Really? Well, I never knew a fourteen-year-old could grow this much. She's much taller and a bit more mature.
But I guess her stubbornness won't ever change. Keep being you, Claudia.
"By the way, Abel, what exactly does your Astral Skill do anyway?"
I knew this question was coming, but I was hoping to avoid this as well. Well, I can share some information about it. I'll just keep quiet about the whole sentient thing.
"Well, I don't know everything, but I'll tell you what I know so far."
"I'm all ears." She replies as she shifts from washing my back to rinsing my hair.
I don't know how she managed to talk me into this, but she did nonetheless.
"My Astral Skill is called Khaos — Lord of Null. It allows me to mess with things that are fixed in a way." I explain.
"Go on." She replies.
To sum it up...
• Trinity allows me to exists beyond the normal constraints of space and time. By reducing my physical presence to a state of unformed, chaotic probability, I can instantly manifest at any point across the past, present, and future.
At least, that's how it's suppose to be, but so far, the best I can do is resist time-based attacks and use long-range spatial movement.
But if you ask me, with the time I had, it's pretty impressive I'm already able to do this much.
• Perfect Control is split into two parts. Part one allows me to analyze any form of energy I physically encounter. Once fully assessed I can break down the components to a subatomic level. Once I fully understand, I can then use that energy even if my body doesn't have a constitution for it. Part two allows me to take control of any energy that I've assessed and manipulate it, even if I'm not the one using it. That's how I was able to analyze Azar's attack and copy it. An additional perk is that I can control any energy in my body perfectly, so there's absolutely no waste.
• Fate Collapse is a bit more complicated. It allows me to disrupt the certainty of anything absolute. Say someone has a defense that can't be penetrated, Fate Collapse basically injects an unknown variable into the "absolute" part and completely disables it. I haven't actually used it yet, and for good reason. I'm kind of scared of what might happen if I make a mistake. The mere thought makes me shudder.
• Zero Hour is an evolved version of my Dead Time. If Dead Time allows me to speed up my perception by hundreds of thousands, Zero Hour accelerates it by millions of thousands of times. Essentially the whole world is frozen to me. When paired up with Trinity, it allows me to view possible futures, hence how I was able to predict Azar's claw attacks.
I give Claudia a basic rundown of the skills while intentionally keeping out one specific factor. Two, if you count the fact I'm keeping Khaos sentience a secret.
"I see," Claudia says. "No wonder you went through an Astral Evolution. With that type of skill, your body would definitely need to adapt."
"I guess. Anyway, aren't you done by now?"
"Patience Abel. I can't properly wash your hair if you rush me."
"Fine, fine," I mutter, closing my eyes as the warm water flows down my face.
"Ok, now it's your turn t—."
Before Claudia can finish her sentence I immediately create a body double and use Trinity to escape from the bathhouse.
I know exactly what she's gonna say and I'd rather not wash her hair. Not because I can't or because I'm a jerk, but simply because I'm already embarrassed as is. Washing her hair would mean I've watch her from the back and I'm not willing to cross that line even if I'm technically not a male anymore.
I guess even a god can get flustered. Hahaha
Shut up.
I instantly appear at the entrance and run away...until I realize I forgot my clothes inside. At this point, it's too late to go back, so I dash towards my room.
It's weird when I think about it. Since when have you ever cared about these type of things?
That's what regaining your emotions will do to you. Especially if you haven't felt them for thousands of years.
If you say so.
As I talk with Khaos, I feel something hit me, forcing me to tumble on the ground.
"When I look up, a woman is standing — or rather sitting — right in front of me. She has pale skin, striking red eyes, and hair the color of light lavender. She's wearing a white, high-collared shirt under a navy blue blazer that tightly hugs her voluptuous figure. Instead of pants, she has a pitch-black pleated skirt and sleek thigh-high socks.
For a moment, neither of us says anything. We simply stare at each other.
That is until, I remember — and she realizes — I'm naked.