Half an hour had passed, and both teens were now sitting down next to one another. They’d broken off the hug a few moments ago, but Sarah wanted to give whatever support she could to Ryan. They still barely knew each other, having only really talked yesterday for the first time, but she could see he was hurting, and she couldn’t help but feel compassion for him.

Ryan, still in his female form, was hugging his knees to his chest. He still had a hard time looking Sarah in the eyes, slightly ashamed by his outburst. He’d ended the hug somewhat reluctantly once he’d calmed down, and had been surprised to note he’d felt much better. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, but his heart felt lighter than it had for a long time. The anguish, though not completely gone, was relegated to the back of his mind for now.

Sarah, seeing that Ryan was still avoiding her gaze, decided it was a good time to restart their conversation, to distract him from his thoughts. They’d gone through the most difficult part, but their talk from yesterday had left out plenty of details because of their lack of time, and she thought talking about it might help Ryan. Still, she was hesitant to question him any more than she already had. Bringing herself closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, she decided her best option was to simply be honest.

“Ryan,” She started “I want you to know that you can talk to me anytime you need to. No one should have to go through what you have alone, and I’m really worried about how you’re coping with all of it. I don’t want to keep stressing you out with my questions, so I’ll let you decide what to do, but please talk to me, or to someone else if that’s what you’d prefer. I’m sorry I pressured you so much, I didn’t know your situation was that complicated,” she said, trying to convex as much emotion as she could through her words.

Ryan looked up, a tiny smile on his face. Her words comforted him. They felt genuine. Sarah really seemed to care, she didn’t think that he was weird, or a freak. He’d never really talked about his problems with anyone, content to deal with them by himself, but he now realized that he'd always acted that way out of necessity more than anything. He still felt a bit uneasy at the idea of sharing his thoughts and secrets to someone else, but he was starting to think that doing so might help him in the long run. Getting his problems out of his chest had felt so utterly relieving, and Ryan wanted to feel like that again. Becker had always told him that showing weakness was a good way of getting hurt, but the professor wasn't exactly the best role model. Even Ryan could see that.

Sighing, Ryan decided to listen to Sarah’s advice over Becker's, and see what would come of it. “I still don’t know what to do. I have to transform every day to limit the strain, but I can’t just hide all the time. What if I’m in a situation where I can’t transform ? Plus, what if the spell starts needing more power with time? I could end up stuck like this!” Ryan said, his hands gripping his jeans tightly.

“Do you dislike being a girl?” Sarah asked. The question took Ryan by surprise. He didn’t see how it was relevant to his problems, but it had the benefit of distracting him from his thoughts.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it, I guess. Why?”

“Then you could try to go out in public like that. You don’t have to hide all the time,” she said, smiling. It wasn't very hard to understand Ryan was a very static person. Change scared him, and it led him to bad decisions at times. He needed to get a bit bolder, worry less about the future. “You could even pick a name for your other form. I don’t think you should concern yourself too much with what might happen. Focus on the present, you’ve got enough to worry about without thinking of what might maybe possibly happen.”

"I don't know, I already have enough secrets to keep, adding a new persona on top of everything else just sounds like more things to deal with."

Sarah sighed, “Ryan, I’m not telling you to create a whole new identity. Just be yourself, but with a different name.”

Ryan bit his lip, going over the idea in his head, before finally nodding. “Okay, I’ll think about it.” He said, his tone still a bit hesitant. “I’m still wondering how you figured out my bracelet was magical, by the way. Yesterday you said you could tell it was special just by looking at it ?”

“Yeah, I look at it, and I just know things about it. I can tell you can’t take it off, for example,” She said, glancing at it. “Also, I can tell it can transform you, now. Strange, I couldn’t tell that before. Is that something you can do, too ?” She asked, a trace of hope in her voice.

“I have a spell for it. I can sort of tell the bracelet is magical by looking at it, but I had to use the spell to figure out what it did, and how to turn back. It’s weird, I really don’t know how you’re able to do that, I’d need to look it up or ask Becker. He might know something.” Ryan said, frowning in thought.

“I’d rather not go to Becker, if that’s alright with you. He doesn’t sound like someone I’d want to meet,” She said, eyebrows scrunching in distate. She was almost certain Becker was responsible for a lot of the bad traits Ryan had accumulated over the years. She didn’t want to get involved with him, and she also wished to avoid Ryan getting indebted to him even more, especially for her sake.

“Me neither, I’d prefer not go to him if I don’t have to, but if I can’t figure it out by myself he’s the only one I know of that might be able to help. Information about magic is really hard to find.”

They both went silent, pondering what they’d just learned, which was not much, unfortunately. Sarah’s ability to discern magic with such precision intrigued both of them. The thought of having magical powers also excited Sarah quite a bit. She didn’t want to set herself up for disappointment, but she couldn’t stop herself from dreaming a bit. What if she could do the same things as Ryan ? What if she could do things Ryan wasn’t able to ? The idea was pretty endearing.

Finally, they decided it was time to leave. The afternoon was ending, the sun nearing the horizon. They both needed to go home before it went dark. They stood up and walked towards the car, Ryan triggering his bracelet’s transformation beforehand. Dimly, he noticed the strain had diminished quite a bit, though not as much as he had expected. He still needed to get used to the bracelet, he thought. Sarah and Ryan both exchanged their phone numbers before getting into the car.

As they made their way back to their respective homes, Ryan found himself surprised by the slight smile he could feel tugging at the corner of his lips. He’d woken up yesterday morning thinking his life was over, but now was hopeful for the future. More than that, he had someone he could talk to. Thinking about it only made his smile wider.

-

A while later, Sarah was back home, lying on her bed. Ryan had dropped her off in front of her house, which was a bit out of his path. She’d offered him a hug as a way of saying thanks, which he’d returned after the surprise had worn off. All in all, she considered the day to be a success. Ryan seemed like a really nice person, if very private. All in all, she was really glad to have met him, especially knowing she could help him to overcome his troubles. Plus, magic was real! The thought sent her mind spinning, and she couldn't help but wonder what its limits were, dozens of scenarios whirling in her head. She was very eager to see what the future would be made of.

 She felt a bit hypocritical. She’d told Ryan not to worry about the future, but she couldn't stop wondering about her own abilities. She'd tried looking up her abilities on the internet, and had found many things. Too many things, actually. She had no way to decipher the truth from the fabrications, and had been forced to give up only minutes in her search.

Staring at the wooden ceiling of her room, Sarah's mind went back to Ryan. He had been surprisingly laid back at the idea of being a girl. Sarah was certain she would have been much less composed if she’d been forced to become a boy for extended periods of time every day. She wasn’t even sure she could have coped. Ryan had actually been more focused on the consequences of his transformation than on the change itself. Strange.

Still, Sarah thought that was a good thing. Ryan really didn't need to have to worry about hating his own body and gender on top of everything else. Now, all he needed to do was become more comfortable with the idea of being a girl in public. If he could do that, Sarah thought, then he might just be fine.

-

Meanwhile, in the middle of the Eriz forest, further than Ryan, and even Becker, had ever gone, something strange was taking place. Powerful tremors were disturbing the silence that usually permeated the deepest part of the forest. Energy was pulsing through the many ley lines that streaked underneath and beyond the forest, reverberating through the canopy. An aura of extremely powerful magic was spreading through the entire forest, its thrum creating an electrifying atmosphere.

All throughout the forest, the wildlife picked up on the change, feeling the sudden surges of magic. Most of them were used to the mystical and unpredictable nature of the forest, but this felt different. The sheer amount of power present in the air was enough to make the strongest and scariest creatures uneasy, and many ran away, fearful of what they didn’t understand. Monsters unseen by human eyes for eons fled for their lives, seeking to distance themselves from the danger they perceived.

Somewhere else, close to where Sarah and Ryan had spent the afternoon, Becker stood, dread spreading through his veins. Even from so far away, he’d been able to faintly feel it. He looked through the foliage, as if it would help him understand what had just taken place, but his questions remained unanswered. All he could do was wait. Wait, and prepare for the worst.