The ride to the shop was fairly uneventful. Grace had left the kids home for the time being; the bar wouldn’t be open for a few more hours, after all. It only took us about ten minutes to make the drive. I was fairly quiet most of the ride, considering what I wanted for my new body. The thought seemed almost too bizarre to really seriously consider. I figured most people had thought about what kind of changes they would make to their bodies to make them perfect, but I doubted any of them had very reliable ways of making those dreams a reality. Yet here I was, seeing all of those dreams becoming a reality. It was more intimidating than one might think. 

Suddenly all of my thoughts of what a perfect body would look like were not only having to be reimagined because I could actually be a girl now, but also being shoved into the scope of reality. I had heard tell of girls hating having larger chests due to back strain. I didn’t want that. 

As was my lot in life, though, I was unable to complete my mental design process before I was forced away from my thoughts. We had arrived.

The building Grace parked in front of was much like many of the other buildings around the area. It was a residential area still, not a business district, but the house was clearly marked with a sign above the door reading “Madame Iridia, Master Enchantress (by appointment only)”. The dull red brick of the walls seemed faded, and nearly all of the windows were blocked by black curtains. Nothing about the building really shouted ‘magic shop’ to my mind, though admittedly I was likely biased due to the copious amount of time I’d spent consuming fantasy novels and video games back home. 

Grace checked the clock and then got out of the car. I followed suit and stood as well. At the door, she knocked three times rapidly before taking a step back. 

“Please, be respectful while here. Madame Iridia is a powerful mage, but also an old friend. She has been helping with the LGBT community here in the city for nearly a century now and is rather protective of us. If you do something to displease her, you will have to deal with the consequences. There is no one else I would trust more with these things, though. You could say that she has a natural talent for transformational magic.”

I was about to ask why that was when the door opened and I found myself understanding without the need for an explanation. 

In the doorway stood a woman who to my uneducated eyes only looked to be in her late twenties. She was of median height, but the silver hair was odd on someone of her apparent age and the white furred ears rising from her head certainly added to the mystique. Further enhancing the woman’s decidedly inhuman appearance were her piercing red eyes and the long and fluffy white tail gently swaying behind her. Madame Iridia was a kitsune. If my likely flawed knowledge was at all accurate, she was undoubtedly quite the natural talent with transformational magic indeed. 

When the kitsune woman spoke, it was with a voice that showed no hint of her age.

“Hi there! Grace! Good to see you! So sorry I couldn’t make personal time to visit yesterday, you know how work can be! And this must be the young lady you told me about! Oh, isn’t she just the cutest? Good choice for the form, too! Not quite right for her, of course, but these premades never really are, are they? Care to share your name, Miss? I would hate to use the other one I was given when it obviously isn’t yours.”

I blushed hard at the woman’s enthusiastic greeting. 

“Uh, it’s Jaylyn, Ma’am. Jaylyn Kae. Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice, Madame Iridia.” I gave her a slight bow in respect, unsure of how to properly convey my respect for the skilled mage. She laughed at me for my efforts with Grace joining her. 

“Oh, there is no need for that, dear. As long as you keep your wits about you, I won’t have any reason to cause unseemly issues in this whole process.” A foxy grin flashed at me. “Well, come in, come in! No use standing out in the cold!

The two of us were ushered into the building and I found myself in a well appointed room. Two couches and four armchairs made for a large sitting area in what seemed to be a rather cushy waiting room. There were no open hallways from the room, but three doors seemed to lead to different areas of the house. Between the couches and chairs were a few tables of varied size holding magazines and catalogues. On the center table sat a much larger book that was obviously not mass produced as the others around it were. 

Madame Iridia led us to the seating area and motioned for us to sit before moving to another table in the corner to pick up a previously prepared tea service tray. When asked, I accepted a cup of the floral-smelling tea with a bit of cream and sugar added to taste. It was quite good. 

Once we had settled, Madame Iridia took a seat in one of the larger arm chairs.

“So then, Miss Jaylyn, you wish to commission a new enchantment? You are aware of what sorts of enchantments I provide, correct? Before we begin, I need a spoken statement as to what it is you are here for. I can not and will not provide any service that you do not truly want, and I will know if you are lying.” 

I felt as much as I saw her ruby red eyes on me. Once again, I felt the twinge within my inner being that told me that magic was in use around me. Madame Iridia’s eyebrows rose slightly at me, as if somehow knowing that I could feel her magic. I gathered up my meagre confidence before speaking. 

“I am here because I want to acquire an enchanted necklace which will give me a form better suited to who I am inside. I want to be a girl, ma’am…” 

My voice trailed off into an almost whisper as I said that. I was as much reinforcing my own will to reach for what I wanted as I was telling the enchantress what I wanted. It seemed that her large fox ears heard me, though, and I saw the woman’s expression soften. 

“I would say that you already are one, young lady. Do you know what manner of enchantment you would like? I have a few that could fit the bill for what you want. Payment has already been discussed with your sponsor here.” She nodded at Grace. “So whatever it is you would like is available to you.”

“I-I think I want one like Grace has. She said it would read my soul or something like that?”

“Yes,” she said. “That is within my ability. Others are available as well though, should you wish. You could spend days here browsing through the options and designing your own unique form.” 

I shook my head, I didn’t know if I had time for all of that, nor the mental fortitude. The kitsune nodded once in understanding. 

“Very well, then. Please follow me to the bonding chamber. Grace, I’m sure you know to stay here. I would not want to risk the bonding process having issues in reaction to your own enchantment.” With that said, Madame Iridia opened one of the doors leading deeper and stood just within, waiting for me. 

“Good luck, Jaylyn. I know you’re going to look great.” Grace hugged me and I accepted it gratefully.

“Now, it is unfortunate, but I am going to have to ask you to deactivate your current enchantment and return to your birth form. My magics can not bind a new one to you while the previous enchantment is still active.” Madame Iridia’s voice shook me from my excitement.

My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t want to be him again. That was the old me. It was necessary, though, I told myself. I felt a hand on my knee and looked over to see Grace giving me a kind look. 

“It’s okay, Jaylyn. You will still be you. And soon, everyone will be able to see who that really is.”

With shaking hands, I reached up to the crystal pendant and undid the enchantment. Once the static faded, I could feel that I was back to my old self. I adjusted the clothes and pulled my feet out of the then too small slippers. It all felt wrong to me and I felt like crying. Whether due to my own inhibitions or physical limitations, though, I managed to hold the tears back. 

“Now go, I can’t wait to meet the new you.” I hugged Grace again and stood to follow Madame Iridia.

I was led down the hall and to a smaller room with no furniture except for a small table with a glass case on top sitting against the far wall. Two large cushions sat on the wooden floor and arcane sigils were drawn on every surface of the room itself. Only a single dim ceiling light kept the room illuminated once Iridia closed the door behind us. 

“Please sit. We may be here for a while.”

I complied and sat down on the cushion cross legged. Madame Iridia did the same, though she sat with her knees under her. 

“You are the traveller, yes? The one who came from another realm beyond our own? I and a few others sensed your arrival. Do not worry, though, not many have the ability to feel such things. Only those with much more experience than the common mage could begin to feel the connection of a gateway. Hmm…” 

I felt her magical gaze sweep over me again. 

“And from a realm without magic. Fascinating. Quite rare as well. I have met six travelers in my lifetime thus far, only one of whom likewise came from a world without its own core. It should be fascinating to see if what happened to her will also happen to you. Already you seem receptive to the mana around you. You lived without, and yet you sit here with the touch of it upon your soul. You interest me, Outworlder.”

“Do you mean that I have magic inside of me?” The implications were incredible. It could explain why I was able to feel it when she had touched me with it before, along with several similar feelings I had gotten over the past few days. 

“I doubt that you did previously, but you carry a touch of it, yes. It is possible that your exposure to the magic of the gate that brought you here left you vulnerable to the magic of this world. In theory, if you were to remain exposed to mana in one form or another for a long enough time, you would gain some ability to channel magic.”

She let that sink in for a moment before continuing. 

“Now then, shall we accomplish the task that you came here for?”

I nodded enthusiastically. I didn’t want to stay in that body for any longer than I needed to. 

Madame Iridia smiled at me and nodded. I felt a small surge of magic and watched as her form flickered briefly. When the magic settled, I was met by an even more impressive sight than before. Iridia’s ears were larger and her eyes brighter. Her face had pushed out into a small vulpine muzzle as well. Most notably of all were the six extra tails that joined the first, all moving behind the kitsune. 

“I find enchanting much easier in this form, though I will admit that the added tails do get in the way more often than not.” She reached back and a necklace rose from the class case and moved to her hand, contained within a ghostly blue aura. 

This necklace was very different from the one I already wore. A thread of dark wire wove within the silver chain. From that chain hung a beautiful silver pendant with a large round moonstone taking the central spot. Four deep purple amethysts spread out at each cardinal point like rays of a star. Every bit of surface not covered by gems was instead engraved with runes and a larger sigil was etched on the back side of the pendant.

“These enchantments are not as simple as the ones that are sold premade, as you might realize. Enchantments such as these must be bound to a single person in order to do their magic, and once bound, cannot be used by another person until the bond is broken and the enchantment redone for another. Remove your current necklace, please. I will take it in return for this one. The premades are much easier to resell than these of course.”

I fumbled with the clasp and then held the necklace out to her. She took it and gently placed the other in my hand. I could feel the gems almost vibrating with potential, though perhaps that was more due to my own excitement. 

“Hold it in your hands near your heart and breath deeply. We must meditate now.” 

Her hand moved to a small incense burner I had not noticed before and it lit with a puff of blue fire as her finger brushed the cone within. A pleasant aroma filled the air and I breathed in deeply, allowing the smoke to fill my lungs. I was concerned by the airy feeling that began creeping into my mind, but rationalized it as a necessary part of the process. The feeling was peaceful and left me somewhat dazed. 

The magic in the air began thrumming with power as Madame Iridia began to chant in arcane tongues. Much like the mages before, my ears could not decipher the meaning, but somehow I could feel the meaning resonating with me. She was calling for me to know my true self. 

The room faded from my vision as I felt my mind slip free of its mortal shell. 

I found myself in an open area, though I could not see far through the fog that blanketed the ground. The sky was dark and only a light from ahead kept me from being blinded by the shadows. I stumbled through the mists until I broke through into an open clearing. I then knew exactly where I was. I needed to find myself and this was, of course, where I would do it. 

A black iron frame wrapped in elaborate silver wire stood in the middle of the clearing, the light shining from the mirror suspended within. I did not fear it this time. I knew what I was supposed to be doing. I walked to it and looked into its depths.

In the mirror's surface I saw a girl standing. Her wavy brown hair hung just past her shoulders and did nothing to hide her pretty face. She stood much shorter than I did and her build was more petite than I had ever been, though she was far from skin and bones. 

Her eyes, though, they were what caught me. They reflected my own hazel almost perfectly, but lacked the dullness that mine had gained over the years. Instead, hers were bright with flecks of green and blue dancing through the irises as they took in everything that could be seen. There was life in those eyes. Her entire face showed a scope of expression I thought I had locked away years before. 

In this moment, though, her eyes were locked on me, her expression showing fear. Her glances flickered to my hands before returning to my face. It broke my heart, knowing what I had done to this mirror and to her so many times before in my dreams. 

I approached the mirror slowly, hands held out in surrender. 

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I have hurt you so much through the years. I denied your existence and tried to be rid of you. But I was wrong. Now I want to make it up. I want to become the real me. No more hiding."

Hope blossomed in the girl's face as I looked at her with only regret and desire in my heart. I held a hand up to her, and she held hers out to me from within the mirror. My hand touched the surface, matching against her own. 

"I accept you. You are me and I am you."

The surface rippled and I stepped into the mirror. 

A voice boomed out, filling the area with Madame Iridia's words. I found myself back in the room and in my own head once more.

“State your name, child. Tell these stones who they will help you be.”

With the smoke of the incense filling my lungs and magic tingling in my hands, I held the pendant to my chest and spoke. The words that flowed from my lips were not from my mind, but truly from my soul, unfiltered and laden with the knowledge that I had hidden from myself for so many years. 

“I am Jaylyn Kae, traveler of worlds. I seek to become whole. I seek true life.”

Light flashed from within my hands and I looked down to see the pendant glowing brightly with ethereal light pouring out from the runes and gems. I could feel something within me latch on to it as the key rune on the back side grew warm.

"So you have said, so mote it be." She motioned a hand at the clutched pendant.

Working by only instinct and intuition I held a finger to the key rune and turned the amethyst points around the moonstone centerpiece. I felt the pendant click and my senses were overcome by the magic of change, mana exploding all around me.

Where the change between my old self and the temporary form had been strange to experience, the static only felt skin deep. This time I could feel it completely through me. Not a single part of me was spared from the magically induced sensory blackout. For a brief moment, it almost felt as if my mind was floating completely free of physical form before being dragged back into the physical plane and back within myself. The sensory feedback from the magic was intense and all encompassing. 

After what nearly felt like an eternity, my senses came slowly back to life as the static receded. The difference was obvious straight away. Things felt right. My old body had been a shell, but this was my real self. Nothing else could describe it. I didn't need a mirror to know exactly what I looked like in that moment because I had just stared myself in the face during my vision. I was her and she was me. I would never have to go back to the person I had pretended to be. 

I cried with relief and happiness. 

I was finally me. 

Madame Iridia gave me a few minutes to myself as I pulled myself together again. The entire time, she only smiled at me gently on occasion as she cleaned up from the ritual and finalized a few of the runes on my new necklace using the small table and a few tools she pulled out of a pocket. I was too occupied with my new body to pay much attention though. 

Everything felt so soft to my much smaller hands. I probably spent several minutes just touching my legs and feeling the smooth layer of fat that covered my belly. There were no bulging muscles anywhere, but I had obviously maintained my level of fitness gained from years of hiking nearly every weekend, which suited me well. 

I could find nothing of this body that didn't feel perfect. My birthmark still sat on my upper left thigh. My tan lines were still mostly intact, showing the fact that I regularly wore pants and a t-shirt. Even a few of the more prominent scars I had gained from various trips and falls and in one case, a car crash, still dotted my skin.

Tears fell again when Iridia returned the necklace to me, nestled safely within a satin lined dark wooden box with my new name engraved in the top. 

"Thank you Madame. This is incredible." I was shaken again by my new voice. Though somewhat lower than my temporary form's soprano, my new voice flowed like honey in my ears and I nearly started crying again. 

"Of course my dear, I wouldn't do this if I didn't enjoy it after all. Please now, stay here and I will return in a moment to see if I can give you some help with your attire. It may not be quite to your taste, but I can get you into something that fits."