The town of Kilmarn.

It was the largest town situated in the frontier just before the lands entering Prismordia.

Located at the heart of the frontier, many pioneers and those seeking adventure would come to this town to resupply or come upon any knowledge they may need on their journeys.

Because of its location bordering the edges of multiple kingdoms, a myriad number of organizations use it as a hub for trade in goods and information. But perhaps what is best known of this town was the vast number of races and cultures that have taken root over the years.

Travelers from across the land who seek new ventures, rare and exotic goods, available work and land, and even a new lease on life are among the few reasons why so many have traveled to this remote region.

It was due to this diversity that the residents are well known to be unique among their lot and have come to be known as some of the most hardy and open-minded people across the varied kingdoms.

Of course, this doesn’t include everyone and there will always be a few who can’t ignore what they consider stains.

“Oi, freak! Wotch where yer goin!”

Mocked a boy seemingly no older than fifteen summers as he knocked down a small hooded figure.

“Get yer ass outta dis part o town if ya know wats gud fer ya!”

He kicked at it, laughing while he and his friends walked away with a wobble to their gait.

The figure clutched its abdomen where it was struck earlier before slowly getting up. The folds outlined a feminine form under the cloak while a cough slightly betrayed a flash of silver under the hood.

Looking around, the figure sighed as it saw the remnants of its earlier luggage. Shaking its head, it took whatever remained that was usable and left quickly without looking back.

Passing several turns around a few streets, the figure arrived at a slightly run-down but homey looking inn in the dead of night.

It entered as quietly as it could in hopes of not disturbing its residents, but the yellow light of a candle by the door had made the attempt moot.

“Dear, it’s quite late. You had us quite worried.”

Two small figures stood by the doorway with a concerned look. At first glance, they seemed like human children, but if one looked closer, they would notice a few wrinkles on their countenance and a bit of stubble growing on the male child’s face.

The figure, having been found out, let down her hood to reveal a beautiful young woman with light-brown skin, a well-defined face and silver hair tied in a ponytail. Given her features that vastly differed from the two by the doorway, only her stature indicated she was a halfling.

“Haha… good evening, Aunt Yura, Uncle Titus, w-what’re you two doing up so late?”

She barely let out the words as she tried to pass off their meeting as nothing unusual, but there was no reason the two would simply let her off that easily, especially seeing her state.

“Sharlua, you’ve been going to the west of town again, haven’t you?”

Hearing her uncle ask her in such a serious manner, she couldn’t help but shake her head and sigh.

“Dear, you need to stop. You know how dangerous it is for you to be there! Not only do you have to worry about the old clans, but that’s slaver territory!”

Her aunt teared up as she let out words of worry while her uncle supported her aunt from behind.

Sharlua took a deep breath as she turned to face her aunt and uncle with an expression of melancholy.

“I know, believe me, I do… but Aunt Yu, Uncle Tai… Mela doesn’t have much time.” said the silver-haired halfling as she took the halfling woman’s hand and placed a small purple spherical object.

The two halflings soon gasped upon seeing the object the girl gave them. It was a potent medicine in the form of a pill that was meant to cure diseases. The pill that was given to them in particular had a reputation for being one of the most effective pills while having the broadest range of maladies it was capable of remedying.

“By Rivald… little Sharl, where did you get this? No – HOW did you get this? Landula Pills have been getting harder and harder to find in the market as of late, so how?”

Giving off a slightly proud look, she sighed then shook her head at her uncle’s question.

“It doesn’t matter, uncle. All you have to know is that I found a reliable source for this. And I would’ve had more if I hadn’t run into some drunk fucks.” she said while muttering her last statement.

“B-But Sharl, w-we could never afford this kind of medicine! How in the heavens are we ever supposed to pay for this?”

Shaking her head once more, she grasped her uncle’s shoulder as she faced him with a look of confidence, “Don’t worry about that, uncle. Leave it to me. I know it wasn’t right to hide this from you two, but I’ve been at this for a while. Rest assured – I haven’t been doing anything that would put us in trouble.”

“Oh…m-my poor baby… *sniff*…”

While she was reassuring her uncle, her aunt had broken down in tears. It couldn’t be helped since their daughter had been bedridden for months. The doctors called it a wasting disease with a still mostly unknown cure, while the healers had called it a curse.

The pill Sharlua had acquired was one such remedy that was known as a potent cure-all and she would have had more had it not been for her unfortunate encounter.

With a stern look, her uncle questioned her once more with a tone of finality, “Sharl… you’re not doing anything dangerous… are you?”

She tensed at his look but with her expression unchanging she replied, “No… but unfortunately, I can’t give you any details. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to trust me on this.”

He closed his eyes upon her reply then let out a heavy sigh, “As long as it is as you say it is. Never forget, Sharl. You may be different from us, but we’re still family.”

Her eyes slightly widened as she let out a faint smile at her uncle’s words, “I know… thank you.”

Leaving her uncle to comfort her aunt, Sharlua went to her room. There she brought out a book and a rolled parchment on top of a desk as she lit a candle.

Unfurling the parchment, one could see what seemed to be the layout of a fortified structure, like a castle or fort. On a corner, the faded emblem of a pair of wings emblazoned with fangs could be barely made out.

“Alright, let’s hope this damned thing isn’t a bust…”

She muttered as she held onto an open locket with the image of a light-purple skinned and stocky man who seemed more hair than man standing next to what seemed to be a human girl who appeared to be a fair skinned and younger version of her.

– - –

In an office adorned with several hunting trophies and a few ornaments, a middle-aged man with stern looks in official clothing was looking through some documents at his desk, illuminated warmly by a lamp that contained a glowing orange sphere.

‘There have been multiple reports of varying packs of beasts sighted close to the borders of the town. If it were a simple migration, it wouldn’t be a problem, but what’s concerning is that… not only is it out of season… there were some beasts that don’t usually get along that were sighted together…’

The man continued to ruminate his thoughts until a knock was heard at the door.

“Come in.”

As he called out, a woman in a green, white, and brown uniform entered the office while holding a bundle of papers and parchments.

“Sir, the report from the teams have arrived. You… might want to see this personally.”

His eyes narrowing, he gave a nod before the woman stepped forward and handed him the documents she was holding on to.

Looking through the papers, his expression shifted from stern to grim as sweat began to form above his brows.

“Send a message to the heads above Iron. This is a lot more serious than we anticipated.”

The woman nodded before giving out a question, “Sir, as you know, Lord Magister of the Wilds is still within reach. Shall we extend a request to him as well?”

Giving it a thought, the man gave a look of affirmation before responding.

“Might as well. He’s probably still enjoying his blasted vacation, but there’s no way that old goat would ignore this. The preparations will take several days anyway, so there’s more than enough time for him to arrive and be ready for the operation.”

With a final look of confirmation, the woman nodded and turned to leave the office.

As the door closed, the man took another look at the papers before letting out a sigh while mumbling to himself.

“Of all the damned things, we just had to be right on the mark… I just hope it isn’t the worst case.”

Dropping the papers on his desk as he stared into the night, on a corner of the parchment; the image of an emblem with a pair of wings could be seen, emblazoned with fangs.

***

A formless shimmering mass that was becoming fainter with time emanated a lingering will that seemed to direct itself towards its observer.

[…]

Appearing to struggle, soon the entity began to produce something like words that were formed into thoughts.

[so… this is what… has become of me…]

Greeted by silence, the lingering will decided to continue before it truly faded away.

[you… I see… child… of void… but not… born from it…]

The one it addressed continued to remain silent, but it continued on; it’s words barely forming sense.

[masterless… but… potential… … mine own… they come… … weak now… so grow…]

The will had by then faded, leaving only a smoldering ember that soon completely died out.

It was then that the changeling had opened its eyes.

Sitting on a large boulder surrounded by woods, it gave a look as though it were meditating and had now just awoken from a dream.

The scene it had reproduced in its mind were the last thoughts formed by the Niskari Lord it had devoured. It still couldn’t understand the words directly, but with its further development it had come to sense direction, purpose, or intent through one’s communication.

It had taken time to fully take in its growth, but after succeeding, it became curious about its previous foe's final thoughts since it hadn’t felt resentment or malice back then.

What it felt from its thoughts were strangely acceptance, acknowledgement, and finally… a warning.

The changeling pondered on this point. It wasn’t a threat, but a warning instead.

When it consumed the black entity, it didn’t have the means to reflect on its final moments back then, but now thinking back; while it could no longer reproduce the words, it could discern the emotions it felt that came from it were anger and hostility directed towards it. What it could finally determine was that it directed a threat just before it faded away.

But this time, it was a warning. From these two events, the changeling speculated that it may eventually come into contact with more entities related to the two creatures in the future.

Normally, this would instill dread to any creature fearing for its own life, but to the changeling, this was a welcome situation.

Devouring the two entities felt strangely fulfilling while unsatisfying at the same time; something akin to having only a taste of a delicious meal only to be missing a large portion of the meal in its entirety – like an appetizer without the main course.

Perhaps consuming more of such entities would satisfy this sensation eventually, but for now, it was content at having consumed the whole of the two creatures prior.

While it was organizing its thoughts, four presences approached it without caution. Except for one.

“Did y’all really need to bring me along? I-I could’ve just gone on ahead and wait for the rest of you.”

Shaking her head, a nimble-looking woman in light leather garb with her brown hair in a ponytail chided the halfling.

“Come on, Orsley, we’ve been through this. Master Morph saved us, so its rude of you to keep being so afraid of him. Why would he even bother to hurt you after healing you?”

The halfling shook his head in fear as he looked towards the changeling, “I keep telling you two, h-he definitely wants to eat me! I-I’ve seen it in his eyes! I swear, h-he’s just waiting until I’m at my tastiest or something!”

The large man with a fuzzy brown moustache guffawed loudly after hearing Orsley’s claims.

“Wot are ya, a yella tropical fruit or sumthin? Tastiest ‘e sez! I swear, mate, ye’ve lost yer grit after nearly dyin to those rotters. We’ll ‘ave ta fix that when we get back.”

The halfling groaned at his friends’ words before suddenly getting shivers down his spine.

He turned towards the changeling and saw it standing over the rock it was previously sitting on while looking down at him.

It gave him a stare as one would think a predator would at its prey just before a kill. This was the scene Orsley saw and in the few seconds of quiet tension between the two, the changeling then suddenly… licked its lips with a smile.

Something finally snapped within the halfling when he saw this as he fainted from the sheer stimulation; mostly from his imagination.

His friends sighed and complained as they tried to wake him up.

The changeling found it amusing that this little creature was so afraid of it that it couldn’t help teasing it a little. It believed this “sensitivity” was probably instilled into the halfling due to the changeling's desire at the time to absorb it while it was in the process of restoring it.

Its rational mind was inwardly shaking its head at the primary mind’s childish actions, but didn’t stop it since ultimately it wasn’t acting on its desire to actually devour the halfling.

Now that it had its fun, it turned towards the last presence – the kaijin girl.

“My Lord, grandpa Jortus and Elder Uruwan is seeking an audience with you. I humbly request that you please join us back at the village.”

Misesha giggled as she feigned politeness thinking it would surprise the changeling. Though the grace in which she bowed would leave one thinking she had actually meant it.

The changeling tilted its head as it observed her, eliciting more giggles from her as she believed her goal was met. In truth, the changeling had been observing her everyday as her irregular growth had caused her to become far advanced in biological age from her peers.

In probably a few months, the girl would become a full-grown woman.

Unlike the wolf twins who had a shorter biological growth cycle in the first place, the changeling knew that a humanoid would have a longer cycle and thus have a wider observation window with a higher chance for problems to occur.

During this time, the changeling had made sure there were no abnormalities or deformities that would come from the unnatural speed of growth, but so far, the results have shown no irregularities. Rather, her physical conditions were quite stellar, showing aptitude far above normal adults of her species.

Finding her development was still well on its way, it then focused on the intent of her words.

It could sense admiration, affection, mischief, and direction. It felt like there was an intent from her for the changeling to move towards a direction and it could vaguely feel that this intent was directed towards her village.

It seems something was happening that required its presence, so it gave out a short howl towards the sky.

From a nearby tree, an oddly rounded tusked ape dropped down as it moved towards the group while two sudden gusts of wind came blasting from the woods, revealing themselves to be two tiny wolf pups that landed squarely by the changeling’s feet.

Seeing that its group was complete, the changeling dropped down from the boulder and turned towards Misesha and the rest.

Seeing the three companions of the changeling, Gern noticed something off about them and couldn't help but ask.

“Uh… is it jus me or do dees three look smoler?”

***