Author's note: * Before someone asked, this chapter should/will be rearranged after chapter 17. And yes, this is to cover up the plot hole.

<< Warning, twisted mindset ahead. >>

Nusia knew that she shouldn’t have done it with him, but she just couldn’t help herself. No one could have. It might have come out like an excuse to have sex with who that used to call her son, but the situation had demanded it. She might have been able to adapt to the new body within a few days but they didn’t even have a few days to waste. Artus, on the other hand, might have to take a few weeks before he could move properly again. She would never take that risk.

Besides, he had turned out so handsome, she could barely contain herself after being so close to his warm beautiful body. What happened after that was inevitable, and her only fear that he would hate her for what she had done. 

It was the final lesson she had learned while in her pilgrimage to understand these humans. 

Humans were slaves to their instinct.

They may have abhorred it, but the fact still remains true. The instinct buried in their genes would find its way around their logic and reason without themselves realizing it. Their only salvation was unshakeable willpower backed by accumulated wisdom. Something Artus could only learn by himself as she would have stopped anyone trying to hurt him.

Nusia sighed and stopped on her feet. She felt uneasy leaving him right now. She had to be sure that he was able to gain allies or win some favors on his own. She didn’t even care if he was to use her as leverage.

Her cover probably had been blown sometime in the past, and so there was no need to stay in this puny human form. She loved what he had done for her new body but she couldn’t stay in this human form anymore. If that was the case, then she only had to make this new body her new main body.

Nusia smiled and brought Catherine's core out from her belly. The Core of the boy’s blood mother shined dimly and as fragile as glass. She would never survive to be reborn as a Celestial but Nusia now had a solution for that, thanks to Artus.

Catherine would be born from within her own womb. Nusia would use Artus’s Essence to nurture the new life who would be birthed from the body Artus had made for her. This way the fates of the three of them would be intertwined together forever and ever as it should have been. A shiver ran up her spines as she thought about their reunion.

After making her decision, Nusia drew a large magic circle to summon her old main body.

She would absorb both her old body and Catherine's core to become a new being. 

A unique Celestial in her own terms.

A new path of her own choosing.

It took her hours to get enough blood to supply enough Essence for the ritual. She was lucky that there was an abundance of creatures that had offered themselves to her as sacrifices or it might have taken longer. The long night always had its own use for anyone who had the ability and guts. These creature’s foolishness reminded her of the humans. These lower realm creatures were nothing to a Celestial like her but underestimating the humans would only lead to her doom.

It was a fine line to balance on, especially when she was alone. No matter how strong she was, she could never ward off thousands of awakened humans. Even insects could bring down large animals if they had a strong conviction to do so.

Dripping her own blood into the large magic circle triggered the summoning ritual. 

Blood red lightning ripped down from the sky and hit the center of the circuit. No thunder echoed after the lightning but creatures of the lower realm all scattered away from it. Anything that was stubborn enough to stay was torn apart down to their Essences by the Aether shockwave.

The Essences regathered as the blood pooled up at the center. The surrounding temperature increased tenfold before her old body emerged from the smoke. It would have sucked if she was aware during the summoning. Nusia’s old body was still sitting in meditation just like before her journey to understand the potential adversary called humans.

Knowing them and knowing herself would serve her well in the future.

The first Artus wise words were right on the mark, like always.

It was funny to think that a single cored human could be a threat to a Celestial, but history had proved its point. Human greed knew no bounds. Sooner or later, these humans would cross the realm boundary in numbers, and try to conquer it just because they think they could.

She placed her hand on the temple of her former body with Catherine’s core on her other hand. Nusia knew it would be unbelievably painful doing it this way but she was determined.

She wanted him to recognize her in one glance whenever they meet again.

Her old body turned into motes of light before it combined into Catherine’s core and enhanced the core chance of her survival. Nusia absorbed the love of her life’s core into hers and the mutation process began.

She gritted her teeth before a terrifying scream echoed through the lower realm. It felt like every bone in her body had snapped apart and every muscle torn asunder. Nusia only realized the scream was hers after she regained some sense again.

Another wave of pain tore through her body as a new set of bones pierced out of her back and pointed up to the skies. Blood swirled to cover the pure white bones and slowly it turned into flesh and skin. Feathers as black as Catherine's hair sprout out from the newly formed skin and Nusia uncontrollably wailed once again from the pain.

‘Well that is new,’ she said to herself after the pain subsided.

Two small bumps rose above her forehead.

Nusia pressed her palm on her stomach and suppressed any further change from happening. The other Celestials might look down on her without the horns but she didn’t really care what they think. Unlike what the humans thought about them, the Celestials were a dying race, and foolishly too proud to even realize that. 

Immortals who were too weak to or too scared procreate. She hoped that her connection with Artus would breathe a new future for the race, but that if he could survive his own tribulations. Nusia believed in him, but even she didn't dare to place her hope too high.

No one could predict the future. Some had tried but there were simply too many unknown factors involved in it. Trying to play God would only ruin themselves and the realm in the long run.

Her own core now had two smaller cores spinning around it. The core walls had expanded to accommodate the new Core center and the satellite Cores. Her HP now doubled along with a much larger MP count. The new change meant losing a limb was no longer a problem.

Nusia spread apart her new black wings as she stretched. Divided into two main parts, the total length of her wings doubled her height. A smaller hand-like limb with its three clawed fingers moved freely at her will. 

She wouldn’t miss her old pure white feathers as these black ones would remind her of Catherine. Her spirit was not ready for a merge, and so Nusia had postponed it. Catherine was simply too weak to grow a new body in her womb. 

Nusia kneeled down as she looked up into the dark sky. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness until she could see everything in pale greys.

She flew straight up with a push of her leg and her wings spread wide apart right after she had cleared the trees. An artificial strong updraft kept her hovering in the sky as she peered towards the town where she left her beloved behind. Nusia could have swept down and brought him with her. She wanted nothing more than to keep him close but that would only bring into more danger than he already was in.

Other Celestials or even the other races would have noticed the fragile human in her care, and she didn’t want to choose between him and her survival. Whatever her ultimate choice would be, it would definitely tear him and her apart. 

What she could do was float high up in the dark sky and watch over him for a few days, and hoped for the best. Any longer than that, someone might notice it. 

She was relieved when he finally was able to gain some allies to protect him from bigger threats. Nusia chuckled at the puny humans who thought that they could catch up with her.

Even the humans in the upper realm wouldn’t be as sure. Their arrogance had no limit.

“Goodbye, Artus,” she whispered into the air. “Until we meet again, love.”