The first thing that struck Ryan when he woke up was a deep feeling of exhaustion. His whole body felt numb, and he struggled to remember where he was. He lay there, confusedly trying to bring back order into his mind. Slowly, everything came back to him. The antique shop, the old man, and finally the bracelet and then passing out. Struggling through the numbness, Ryan pulled his body up, panic once more flooding his veins.

Looking around, Ryan realized that the sun had set. He could still distinguish a few trees and benches through the dark, and recognized the setting after a few seconds. He was in a park, a few blocks from his parents’ house. This intrigued him, as it wasn’t on his usual path to school, but he didn't give it much more thought than that. He had much more important questions on his mind.

His mind getting clearer, Ryan also became aware of something else. Beyond being numb, his body felt wrong. It was a difficult sensation to describe, everything felt just a bit off, like his limbs, were disporportionate, and he could sense a weight pressing on his chest. All the little details he'd overlooked in his panic were suddenly becoming impossible to ignore. Hair was faintly dangling in his peripheral vision, difficult to see in the darkness. His breathing, which was getting quicker and shallower, sounded higher than usual. His arms and hands felt too short, as if he'd been shrunk.

Ryan didn't know what was going on, and the panic was threatening to overwhelm him. He scrambled up and tripped on his shoes, which didn’t seem to fit him anymore. His balance was off, his clothes felt uncomfortable, too tight in certain places, too loose in others. Some part of his mind was screaming at him, telling him what exactly had happened to him, but he ruthlessly squashed it down.

Ryan shakily tried to get up again, his movements erratic. He wasn’t thinking logically anymore, He looked around, his eyes desperately searching for an answer to his problems. Stumbling at random through the mercifully empty park, he found himself in front of a tree. He put his back to it and gripped it with his arms, his breathing still rapid.

Ryan held tightly onto the tree, letting the feelings of alarm and confusion was over him. Over the next few minutes, his mind calmed down a little bit, and his breathing slowed down to a more manageable pace. Dimly, Ryan noted that he had been crying a little, his cheeks wet from the tears he'd shed. He knew what had happened to it, yet he didn't want to voice it out loud.

Ryan sat down, his back still against the tree, and wiped his eyes as best as he could with the back of his hand. Taking heavy breaths, he thought about his options. He obviously couldn’t go back home the way he was. He'd obviously gone through a very important change, and so his parents wouldn’t recognize him. Becker was an option, but one that Ryan really didn’t want to think about. In his vulnerable state, the professor could ask anything from him in exchange of his help. Being dependent on the selfish man was the last thing he needed right now.

Magically speaking, there wasn’t much he could think of either. The few spells he knew were mostly useful for defense or offense, not much else. The few other spells he knew might as well have been party tricks. He knew of no spell, no matrix, that could result in such an incredibly complex change. Frustration was building up inside of him, and then anger. Anger against himself for not learning more about magic, against Becker, for being such a despicable human being. Anger at the mysterious old man, who had ruined his already difficult life under the pretense of helping him. Ryan tried to calm down, fighting against the tears once again springing into his eyes. Why was he being so emotive all of a sudden? He'd been in much more dangerous situations before, and he hadn't suddenly felt the need to repeatedly burst into tears. He needed to find a solution, and he needed to find it quickly.

Thinking about the old man and his shop again brought back a memory to his mind. Ryan remembered the spell matrix he’d studied, its  patterns intertwining in his mind. According to the book, it was used to see magic, but that was something Ryan could already do. If he focused enough, he could faintly distinguish the magic that permeated things if it was strong enough. Why of all spells in this book had he learned the only one that was completely useless to him?

Taking a deep breath, Ryan decided that he was desperate, and that he couldn’t make the situation any worse anyway. If nothing else, he should cast the spell at least once, to see what it really did. Bringing the matrix back at the forefront of his mind, he called his magic forth, meticulously weaving it into the correct shapes. The act calmed him somewhat, the anxiety that had been eating at him receding slightly. This was something he was familiar with, and the familiar action was like a balm to his heart. Once his spell was ready, he pushed more power into it, and bright lights appeared everywhere.

All around him he could now see wisps and particles of light, dancing around the parc in a multitude of colors. Looking down, Ryan let out a small gasp when he saw himself. He could see his own magic, white strands of energy going through his body, originating from a central point near his heart, and going through his limbs. It all looked very similar to his nervous system, he dimly noted. He noticed a blue strand of energy, however, distinct from the rest. It went from his center to the bracelet attached to his right wrist. The bracelet ! With everything going on, he’d completely forgotten it was still there.

Looking with his new sight into the bracelet was an interesting experience. Its magic seemed exceedingly complex, blue strands of light meshing in what seemed to be noticeable patterns, almost like dozens of spell matrixes intertwined together. Mesmerized, Ryan kept looking at it, his gaze getting lost in the swirling blue lights. The patterns were getting more distinct, and he felt like he could almost read them, their purpose and meaning. The longer he looked, the clearer it became. The clearer it became, the more it made sense to him. Understanding started pouring into Ryan, the bracelet’s mechanisms revealing themselves to his eyes.

It was an extremely complicated magical artifact. Many of the patterns still were a mystery, but he could discern a few things. The bracelet was a focus; an artifact in which magic could be poured to achieve very complex spells. It was also very much bound to his magic, tethered to his spring, the origin of his power. Ryan had a feeling he would not be able to take the bracelet off, not through conventional means at least.

Ryan kept looking for a while, hoping to glean more. The last thing he was able to discern from the bracelet sent adrenalin through his veins. Another spell matrix. It looked different from the ones he was used to, more angular than the curved designs he knew, but it was recognizable nonetheless. Knowledge about the matrix kept pouring into his brain, its design burned into his mind, and Ryan knew he’d found what he was looking for. Without waiting more, Ryan cut off his new vision spell, and poured magic into the bracelet. Weaving power through the angular matrix, Ryan found it surprisingly easy, almost as if the bracelet were guiding him. He’d never used a focus before, only read about them, as they were extremely rare, but he guessed this was what they did. Guide their user through spells.

The changes happened the moment he triggered the spell. He became dizzy, and could feel his body change. In less than a second, Ryan grew taller, his face moved around, his arms and legs got a bit longer and thicker, his torso wider, his hair shorter. He was back to normal.

Relief flooded his veins, then happiness, then exhaustion. He was far from being back to his usual level of energy, and the spell was very taxing, it seemed. Still, this bracelet would be a very useful tool, just like the old man had said. The fact that the only spell he’d had time to study in the antique shop had been the one he would later need was something that bothered him, however. What were the odds? Ryan was almost certain there had been more to the shop than he’d been aware of. Plus, the old man hadn’t tried to hide the fact he wasn’t telling him everything.

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Ryan noticed it was almost eleven in the evening, and his mom had tried to call him several times. That wasn’t good. He needed to get home as soon as possible. He usually tried to avoid coming back home late twice in a week, and he’d mostly managed it. Two nights in a row, however, that was a first. It might even be enough for his parents to take action.

Without waiting longer, Ryan briskly walked in the direction of his home. Running would be useless, he was already out far too late and a few minutes longer wouldn't change anything. Once he arrived in front of his house’s door, Ryan made sure his clothes weren’t too messy from lying in the grass, and entered.

The moment he opened the door, he could see his parents, sitting on the couch as usual, watching the television. Their gazes snapped up to Ryan.

“You’re late again.” Said his father, sitting on the couch. “That’s two nights in a row.” A heavy frown was present on his face, Ryan’s mother was sitting next to him, her expression mirroring his.

“It won’t happen again, I’m sorry. I lost track of time,” said Ryan, trying to sound apologetic. He was still very tired and sore and just wanted to go to bed, but he had to try to appease his parents first.

“What won’t happen again ? You coming late twice in a row ? We know you don’t plan on changing anything, you’ll just keep riding the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not. What is it you’re always doing out so late?” This was really bad. Dad was pushing, trying to learn more, which he usually didn’t do. Ryan really needed to get out of this.

“I was out at a friend’s place, and I forgot the time, that’s it.” He answered, before going to the fridge. He hurried, wanting to leave the room as quickly as possible.

“Oh, you mean one of those friends we’ve never seen? I think there’s a reason you’ve never introduced them to us, Ryan.” His father’s frown was deepening.

“There isn’t a reason, dad. You’re just getting paranoid. They’re not bad people or anything. I promise.” Not wishing to push his lies any further, Ryan left for his room, his cold meal in his hands.

“This isn’t over, Ryan. Things are going to change soon.” He heard his dad say, already halfway up the stairs.

Things are going to change. Ryan’s father couldn’t have chosen his words any better. Ryan was now really getting worried. He’d need to be on his best behavior in the coming weeks, if he wanted to erase some of the damage the last two days had done. No more adventures out late with Becker.

At least, his parents hadn’t commented on his bracelet. They might not have seen it, magic was very difficult to perceive to people who didn't have the gift, and the bracelet positively thrummed with power.

Sluggishly going through his nightly routine, Ryan ate his supper, took a shower, and got ready for bed.

-

A surprise was waiting for Ryan when he woke up the next morning. His body was feeling strange, and he quickly recognized the sensation. With a jolt, he got up and looked at himself. He’d been turned back into a girl.

Ryan flinched at that thought. He'd tried to avoid thinking it, but it seemed like he couldn't ignore the reality of his situation any longer. His bracelet had transformed him into a girl.

Without even looking at himself, Ryan weaved his magic through the bracelet, activating the angular matrix once again and getting his body back to normal. For just a moment, he’d felt curious about his body and what he looked like, but he quickly quelled the feeling. He couldn’t get distracted now. He needed to find a way to fix this.

He’d transformed again. Ryan had been a bit too hopeful last night, all too quick to believe he’d gotten rid of his latest problem. It seemed the situation was a bit more complicated than he thought. He needed to figure out how the transformation worked, and quickly. Transforming in the middle of class was potentially the worst thing that could happen to him. Somehow, he doubted people around him would miss that, inability to notice magic or not.

Ryan cast his vision spell, and took a look at his bracelet. He couldn’t discern any more than last night, but he could see that the spell he’d cast to transform himself back was still active. This probably meant the bracelet was trying to keep him turned into a girl, and the spell he’d just cast was the only thing keeping him as he was.

Now that he was aware of it, he could feel the spell pulling onto his spring. It wasn’t a huge strain on his magical reserves, but it explained why he’d turned back. Holding a spell while sleeping wasn’t possible, as far as Ryan knew. He’d probably transformed the moment he fell asleep. Ryan’s face paled the moment he understood the implications. If he released the spell for any reason, he’d be discovered. That meant he couldn’t be seen sleeping, and if he got too exhausted his spell would collapse, and he’d turn back into a girl.

With a heavy sigh, Ryan put on his clothes and left the house. He couldn't afford to skip school, especially not after what his parents had told him last night. They'd always been disapproving of his nightly expeditions, but it seemed like he'd just crossed a line. He just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him later. He needed to do something.