Black_Paladyn
patreon
Last of the Fae Chapter 43: I'm Back
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 15:37:06 +0000 UTC“This is strange,” Thane muttered to himself as he looked around the oasis from a new perspective with everything seeming a far bit shorter. Of course Thane realized that the more likely scenario was that he had grown a staggering amount in a very short time, ‘Was the ritual a success?’
Walking over to the edge of the water Thane peered down at his reflection and froze at an unfamiliar face staring back at him. Reaching up Thane traced his fingers over his strong jawline and high cheekbones feeling the almost perfect lines that framed his chiseled face. Thane then brushed aside the long locks of curly green hair that had grown past his shoulders in a tangled mop, but as he did he caught sight of the long tapered ears that had been hiding.
For a long moment Thane simply stared at his ears, as a strange feeling welled up inside of him a mix of pride, hope and joy that culminated into something far more impactful. The ritual had been a success, Thane was no longer human, he was now Fae.
Thane let out a dark chuckle full of the stress and anxiety that had been culminating over the year, “All that just for some pointy ears…how the hell am I going to hide these things.”
Standing back up Thane paused for a moment before he dove into the water, somewhat desperate to get rid of the slimy film covering his body. The cold water washed over Thane who swam away from the shore with long elegant strokes that propelled him through the water.
At first Thane thought he was imagining it, but after a moment he realized that he was a fair amount stronger, his movements also felt far more coordinated. Swimming up to the surface, Thane took a great lung full of air before standing up and wishing for some toiletries. A second later the items appeared in front of him on a floating wooden raft and Thane eagerly began to clean himself including the laborious task of dematting his hair.
---
Stepping out of the oasis a half an hour later Thane let out a relaxed sigh as he stretched and cracked his joints, only for Ingrid to hiss at him, “What did I do this time?”
Ingrid hissed once more and Thane froze mid stretch as his eyes widened, “I’ve been asleep for how long? Why didn’t you say anything sooner!”
Instead of replying verbally Ingrid lowered her head down from the canopy and fixed Thane with a chilling gaze, “Alright, alright don’t bite my head off.”
Ingrid’s forked tongue flicked out once before she retreated back into the canopy and Thane let out a stressed sigh as he sat down on the ground and closed his eyes.
A second later Thane found himself standing in the Throne with Elara, Solara and Thalion all looking at him, with pride and joy clear in their eyes.
“It seems as if congratulations are in order,” Thalion announced loudly with a broad smile, “The Fae have finally returned to the world and the World Tree has sprouted!”
Solara and Elara erupted into applause and Thane’s momentary distress was promptly forgotten as he basked in the praise from his mentors. After a moment the applause died down and Thalion met Thane’s gaze, “You’ve taken the first step Thane, one that was far more dangerous and difficult than any of us could have imagined. But you managed to persevere, and overcome. Words are not enough to convey how you have exceeded every expectation we had for you.”
“Thank you…I'm glad I didn’t let any of you down,” Thane replied with a smile before he reached up and tapped his ears, “But I hope you have some way that I can hide these things. My second year might be starting tomorrow for all I know and I’ll need some way to explain where I disappeared off to.”
“Now that you are Fae there is a lot more we have to teach you, but controlling your appearance is as good a place to start as any,” Thalion replied before clearing his throat and launching into a lecture.
---
Opening his eyes as he retired to his body Thane stood up as his hair shifted from a dark green to its normal dark brown and his elongated ears transformed back into rounded human ears.
“Who would have thought that Metamorphmagus ability was an offshoot from humans and Fae having offspring together… .I wonder how many other magical abilities descend from Fae?”
Thane shoved the question to the back of his mind and focused on the more important task at hand, figuring out how he was going to explain his three month disappearance. After a bit of brainstorming Thane got his story together before getting dressed, deshelving his hair a bit, tearing a few rip in his clothes and summoning a door out of the Room of Requirement.
---
Professor McGonagall sat at her desk reviewing the list of new students that would be coming to but she couldn’t get her mind off of one student in particular, ‘Where did you go, Thane?’
Reflecting on her actions or better said inaction McGonagall couldn’t help but feel a deep guilt. She had known Thane’s background and witnessed the impact it had on him first hand, despite this she didn’t interfere when Thane needed her most. While most of the students liked to believe that their Professors were unaware of everything that happened the exact opposite was true.
McGonagall knew that the rest of the First Year student body had a less than stellar view of Thane, with some outright calling him evil and saying that he had used dark magic to kill the troll.
McGonagall watched one of the most eager outspoken and talented students she could recall in her long career slowly fall silent, still succeeding but with far less enthusiasm than before. McGonagall had considered trying to reach out and help, but wherever she observed Thane she got the sense that he was undergoing something far more stressful and burdening that McGonagall could comprehend or offer advice on.
‘I at least should have tried…what kind of Teacher am I?’ McGonagall lamented as she reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Just then McGonagall felt a ripple of mana pass through her office and she looked over as the wall opened and a disheveled boy in far too small clothing stepped through and fixed her with an emerald green gaze, “Professor?”
McGonagall stared at the boy in front of her, his voice a bit deeper, his face more mature and angular, his hair much longer and messy, but Thane was far from unrecognizable.
Standing up from her desk in a hurry, McGonagall turned to stare at Thane in disbelief, “Thane…h-how…where?”
“I-I don’t know,” Thane replied, his voice slightly wavering as his eyes scanned across McGonagall’s office, “I was walking back to the common room one night when a door appeared in front of me. I went inside to look around…but I couldn’t find my way out. How long have I been gone?”
“T-three months,” McGonagall stuttered, “H-how are you still alive?
“I just asked,” Thane replied simply, “The room had everything I needed: food and water, a place to sleep. But for some reason it wouldn’t let me out, until now. I guess it didn’t want me to miss school.”
