Chapter 3928: Runic Patterns (Part 1)

"My point exactly." Baba Yaga nodded. "Until this moment, you’ve shaped your human appearance with Body Sculpting to resemble your original body because you had no other choice.

"You were limited to your Divine Beast form despite also possessing a human and a troll side because your Dragon aspect was the only one strong enough to contain your conflicting life forces, but now it’s different.

"The different sides and aspects of your life forces are no longer a jumbled mess. You should have gained a humanoid form as well."

"Humanoid?" Solus echoed. "Why not human?"

"Because Zoreth is still a hybrid, Solus." The Red Mother replied. "If her life force were perfect, she might have multiple forms like Lith, but as it is, Zoreth’s troll side and human aspect are too deeply connected to manifest separately."

"What am I supposed to do to change my form?" The Shadow Dragon asked.

"Just listen to the melody of your human and troll life forces and let it carry you." Lith replied. "It’s easier than it sounds. Just give it a try."

"What are you talking about? Since when do life forces play music?" Zoreth was flabbergasted.

"I forgot you need to be a talented Healer to notice the melody, and I don’t have the patience to wait for Zoreth to learn." Baba Yaga snorted. "I’m going to do it for you so that you can experience it and find a way to do it on your own.

"Just don’t resist my spell and tell me the moment you feel any kind of discomfort. Okay?"

"Okay." Zoreth nodded. "But seriously, if anyone else tried to convince me that I have a humanoid form and that life forces produce music, I..."

Once Baba Yaga activated her tier five Body Sculpting spell, Cradle of Life, the change happened smoothly and quickly.

"Would think that they are either pulling my leg or batshit crazy." Zoreth said. "Did you just grow up, or did I shrink without even noticing?"

Suddenly, she could look Lith in the eyes without craning her neck. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Bytra was beet red up to her ears, and a high-pitched squeal came out of her throat.

"The latter." Lith conjured a mirror construct in front of Zoreth.

The troll-Balor hybrid was about 1.84 (6’) meters tall, with lush shoulder-length silver hair and four eyes. Two on the sides of her nose, where they were supposed to be, and the other two on her forehead.

Her skin was a dull blue, and an extra set of arms came out of her shoulder blades. She had no wings, but complex runic patterns covered her forearms, each of a different elemental color.

What shocked Zoreth the most, however, was the beauty of that form. Her face now had perfect features, and her soft curves pushed against the fabric of her sundress as though they were trying to break free.

"What the fuck?" Zoreth blurted out, using both sets of arms to cover her chest. "I wear an armor capable of fitting my Dragon form! How can it be so tight while I am this small?"

"It does cover you." Tista pointed at the skirt that was still as long as before the transformation. "The sundress adjusted its size to your new form, but retained its proportions.

"You have to set it to be looser, Big Sis. You can’t afford to wear form-fitting clothes like that anymore. At least in public."

"Dammit, you are right." It took Zoreth a thought to make herself presentable and Bytra whine. "Byt! What’s with the whining?

"You sound like a puppy who lost her favorite toy."

"I..." The Fourth Ruler of the Flames had a hard time forming a coherent thought until she focused on Zoreth’s nose. "I was just disappointed you don’t have wings. They would look beautiful on you."

"Yeah, right. We’ll talk about this later." Zoreth snarled. "What is this, by the way? Why do I look like this? It’s... too eye-catching."

"Trolls are engineered to have perfect bodies, and you’ve seen what Urhen looks like." Baba Yaga replied while studying the runic patterns on Zoreth’s arms. "Your current form is a mix of both and you keep yourself in tip-top shape. What did you expect?"

"Something more like my old self and less out of my teenage wild fantasies." Zoreth sighed. "I always dreamed of having a figure like this, but now that I’ve got it, it just feels weird and embarrassing."

"Then shapeshift into your old appearance." Baba Yaga shrugged. "I’m done with my tests."

"Thank the gods." Zoreth exhaled in relief as her body shrunk into the form she was used to. "What are those tattoos?"

"They are not mere ink." The Red Mother replied. "They are a manifestation of the world energy entering your body through the arms of your hybrid form in a similar way it would through a Balor’s wings."

"Does that mean I’ve gained the abilities of a Balor, a troll, or both?" Zoreth asked.

"That’s something up to you to discover." Baba Yaga said. "Whenever you or the Master perform any experiment, go slow and steady. Remember that Balors are not supposed to have a mana core and trolls to use more than light and darkness.

"You break all those limits, and there’s no telling if over time that is going to further your evolution or trigger some sort of rejection between your life forces. Don’t rush it and give yourself time to grow and adapt."

"I will. Thank you." Zoreth said. "Do you mind coming to my room and forcing me into my humanoid form a few more times? I need to get the feel of it, or I’ll never be able to do it by myself."

"With pleasure." Baba Yaga’s answer made Bytra squeal in approval.

"Just the two of us." Zoreth scowled at the Raiju, who lowered her gaze and kicked the sand in disappointment. "Okay, fine. You can come along, but I don’t want to hear a word about this in the future."

"A word about what?" Bytra said, acting all naïve and innocent.

"Nice try." Zoreth grunted. "But not nice enough."

***

Baba Yaga worked on Zoreth’s humanoid aspect for a few hours, but made little progress. Cradle of Life triggered the transformation and slowed it down to allow Zoreth to perceive the difference between shapeshifting into a Dragon and into a humanoid.

Baba Yaga then assigned Zoreth simple tasks like juggling small objects with all her arms or conjuring four elements at a time from her eyes to familiarize herself with her condition before reverting the transformation.

They took short breaks in between sessions to ensure Zoreth’s life forces had time to recover from the strain and study how they reacted to the experiments.

"I have good news." Baba Yaga said when Rena knocked on the door to inform them that dinner was almost ready. "I’m certain that your hybrid life force is stable. The treatment worked, and unless you fall into the clutches of another Raum, you are safe.

"On top of that, we have confirmed my theory. Shapeshifting into your humanoid aspect strengthens the bond between your human and troll life forces."

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