Charlie was the one driving, and had been for the better part of four hours. The old Dodge Neon continued to groan and click and rattle under the strain of the trip. But they were almost there, and hopefully he and Andrea wouldn’t need the car after that.

He glanced over briefly at her. She had her nose in a book. Andrea was wearing a black leather jacket and long black skirt that matched her straight black hair. Since she was meeting someone new, she’d decided to put on plenty of dark makeup that morning, despite the many hours they’d be on the road without interacting with anyone. Charlie had always envied Andrea’s sense of aesthetic. He’d never go for anything goth himself, but damn did she pull it off.

Charlie wasn’t anything special by comparison. Just an ordinary guy. He’d never put much thought into his appearance. Short hair, tee shirts and cargo shorts, and occasionally a light jacket. What did Andrea see in a guy like him, anyway?

“You okay, Charlie?” Andrea asked, glancing up. “Car’s a little jittery.”

“I’m fine,” Charlie insisted. “Just nervous. You?”

She sighed and admitted, “Yeah, it’s a big decision. But we both want this, right?”

“Right. Just so long as I’m not pressuring you into it or anything.”

“No, of course not.” Andrea glanced down at the travel terrarium resting by her feet. “I wouldn’t have come this far if I didn’t want this.” The car jerked again. “Couldn’t we have gotten the car tuned up before this?”

“Didn’t want to waste a magician’s time,” Charlie replied. “We probably won’t be using it for much longer anyway. And if we do, Jason can help, probably.”

“Hopefully. A car would be faster than flying everywhere. You’re sure you’ll still be able to fit, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m sure. Probably. Jason knows what he’s doing.”

Charlie had known Jason since college. He’d always been willing to use his magic to help Charlie out with small things. This was not a small thing, but circumstances had changed.

They were getting close, so Charlie turned on the radio. There was only a little bit of static. He was relieved. They’d been without radio for hours. Jason’s home must be practically around the corner.

“By now, almost everybody has heard of it,” the voice on the radio announced. “In January of this year, the Guild of Magician’s claimed to have reached what they called the ‘magical singularity.’ The guild claims that this has drastically increased the scope and range of what magic is capable of, and has been taking steps to make changes to the world as we know it. These include large-scale cleanup and regrowing efforts, improved automation in industry, safe bodily transformations, and easily affordable healthcare options.

“The response has been far from universal acclaim. Skeptics, including religious activists, claim that magic on this scale is unpredictable and potentially very dangerous. Workers’ rights advocates cite fears that improved automation will severely reduce the number of available jobs—”

“That’s enough of that,” Charlie muttered, turning the radio off.

Andrea, as if sensing his nervousness, placed a warm hand on Charlie’s arm and squeezed. He appreciated the gesture. Everything would be okay. Even if people didn’t understand, Andrea would make everything okay.

The car crested a hill and a homestead appeared beneath them. A clearing in the forest was occupied by a small cottage and several sheds. The road came to an end just before the clearing. A large truck sat out in the open grass. Charlie pulled the Dodge up beside it and killed the engine.

“We’re here.”

They walked up to the front door and Charlie knocked. There was no answer. Charlie knocked again, but still no response. The two stepped away from the cottage, scanning the clearing for any sign of the magician.

“Amazing,” Andrea said, holding the little terrarium, “that someone who could have anything would choose to live with so little.”

Charlie shrugged and replied, “That’s just the kind of guy that Jason is. I guess if scarcity isn’t a factor, you start to really evaluate what you actually want out of life.”

The front door to the cottage opened, drawing their attention. A young dark-skinned man peeked his head out and glanced around until he spotted Charlie and Andrea. His face lit up and he stepped out of the doorway, gesturing for them to come closer.

“Jason!” Charlie cried, scooping the smaller man up in a hug. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“You too, Char,” Jason replied. “I didn’t expect you so soon. That or I lost track of time. When I heard the knock, I teleported back home as soon as I could.”

“It’s all good.” Charlie turned. “This is my girlfriend, Andrea Konishi.”

“Enchante,” Jason said, shaking Andrea’s hand gingerly. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the famous Andrea. You’re just as beautiful as he’s always insisting you are.”

“Oh my,” Andrea replied, blushing slightly. “Quite the charmer.”

Jason smiled and brought the two of them inside. The cottage was definitely bigger than it looked from the exterior. Still, it was not extravagant. In the den, Charlie saw a small TV opposite a little two-person couch. There were a few newspapers and magazines sitting on the coffee table. On the far wall, in between two windows, was a brick fireplace with a popping fire.

Jason grabbed a dining room chair and sat it down next to the coffee table for himself. Charlie and Andrea sat down on the scratchy couch. Andrea crossed her legs and folded her hands, already at home. The terrarium she’d sat on the coffee table.

“Have you been very busy?” Charlie asked.

“Yes, actually. Ever since the singularity, everyone in the guild has been working overtime. There are a lot of things in the world that need fixing up and a lot of people who need help. Too much to do in a reasonable amount of time, if I’m being honest.”

“The people who have the most power actually have the most responsibility, for once,” Andrea noted.

“Indeed,” Jason agreed. “I suppose it’s a good thing that we ended up with that power, then. Our job was already to help people at our own expense.”

“Just a shame that you’re the last people to benefit from the luxury you’re capable of.”

“It is what it is,” Jason said, waving a hand dismissively. “We are working toward a larger plan, though. The guild has ideas about how the world should be run, in a way that benefits everybody without limiting their freedoms or giving them the power to oppress anyone else.” He leaned back in his chair. “Naturally, there’s a lot of resistance to that, from people who have power, people who want power, and people who are afraid of change.” His expression darkened. “I know I’ve said this before, but: if you really want to go through with this, there could very well be consequences for you. There will no doubt be people who don’t like what’s going on.”

“We know what we’re getting into,” Andrea insisted. “Besides, people are generally better than anyone is willing to give them credit for. There are a few assholes, yes, but for the most part nobody really cares what you do with your life.” She took Jason’s hand. “It took me a little bit of time to get on board with Charlie’s idea, I’ll admit, but I’m excited about it.”

Charlie blushed, then admitted, “I think that people are going to come around to the idea faster than you think, Jason. People are afraid of change, true, but everyone is excited by new possibilities.”

Jason frowned, insisting, “I’m not entirely sure about that, but if you’re determined then I’m willing to help you out.” He clasped his hands together and continued, “Just to make sure that everything is done in a way that’ll make the guild happy: the plan is to give both of you a metamorphosis, to transform you—Charlie—into a humanoid moth, and you—Andrea—into a humanoid butterfly. Correct.”

“That’s right.” Charlie was fidgeting with excitement already.

He’d been wanting to do this for a very long time, actually. The idea of being able to fly was just mesmerizing. And being a big fluffy insect just sounded cool. Charlie had never really loved insects in particular, but something about this aesthetic called to him in a way that very little did.

Andrea was invested, too. She’d talked to him about how much she looked forward to having more arms to play with. The idea of having a more permanent control over her appearance also really appealed to her.

“These are the specimens?” Jason asked, leaning over and peering into the terrarium. “What was your thought process for these?”

“I chose a bat-wing butterfly,” Andrea said. “Black is kind of my core aesthetic, but I like the mixture of a bold red color in there too. I think it suits me.”

Jason nodded, then glanced at Charlie, who chewed his tongue for a moment before admitting, “Comet moths are big. That was kind of my main reason for picking it.”

“You’ll be bigger than you are now, for sure,” Jason said. “You sure you’re okay with that?”

Charlie nodded.

“In that case,” Jason stood up, “sit here for a moment.”

He exited the room. Charlie continued fidgeting, and Andrea squeezed his hands to calm him down. After a few minutes, Jason returned with a tray of two mugs.

“This tea will keep you energized throughout the entire process, since it’ll take several days and you won’t be able to eat while you’re all bundled up.”

The tea was nothing great, but Charlie drank it as quickly as he could. They were actually beginning the process. It was almost time! He squeezed Andrea’s hand tightly as he finished the dregs.

“Let’s begin, then,” Jason said, picking up the terrarium.

He brought them outside and toward one of the smaller sheds. He opened the door and flicked on the light. From the doorway, Charlie and Andrea peeked inside. The shed was empty except for two open silk cocoons suspended from the ceiling. Jason opened the terrarium and gently took out the butterfly before placing it inside the cocoon, where it attached itself to the wall. He did the same with the moth.

“You’ll need to get undressed,” he said.

Charlie stammered, but Andrea started stripping without question. After a moment, Charlie followed suit. Jason seemed disinterested. He was flipping through the pages of a small notebook.

While they disrobed, Jason explained, “Like I said before, once you’re inside the cocoon your body will be dissolved—painlessly—down to your brain and spinal column. The magic will then build your new bodies around you. It shouldn’t take more than a few days.” He glanced up, unfazed by their nudity. “This is your last chance to back out.”

“No, we’re committed,” Charlie said, taking Andrea’s hand and asking her, “Right?”

“Absolutely,” Andrea agreed. “I really want this.”

Jason nodded and said, “Alright, then. Get on in there. Charlie on the right, Andrea on the left.” He gestured to make sure they were all on the same page.

Charlie cupped Andrea’s cheeks and leaned down to give her a long kiss on the lips. It was going to be a long few days before they could see each other again. Andrea leaned into the kiss, placing her hands on his chest. When they separated, both of them were smiling.

“See you soon,” Andrea promised, stepping up to the cocoon on the left.

Charlie walked up to the other cocoon and felt the inside. It was wet and sticky. He shivered. This was not going to be a very pleasant experience. But it would be worth it. He stepped inside and wrapped his arms around his stomach, waiting for Jason.

When he was done with Andrea’s cocoon, Jason moved over to Charlie’s. He started at the bottom and pressed the open edges together. Kneading magic into the material, he was able to seal the cocoon without a seam. Before long, Charlie was in complete darkness, but by that point he had already started to drift off.

His sleep was dreamless. Charlie was vaguely aware of where he was, but it was hard to form any coherent thoughts. He couldn’t feel much of anything, though over time seemed to feel less and less. Charlie’s body was being dissolved. Some part of him knew that, dimly. But, honestly, it was hard to feel anything about that. He was just… a speck of consciousness, drifting in the void.

After a while, Charlie started to sense a rhythm. Was someone playing the drums in another room? No… That was his heartbeat. His heartbeat was back. He felt a twitch in another part of his body. That must be a leg. And that was his arm. No, wait… Was that his arm? Did he have four arms? Oh, that’s right: he had two four now. Slowly, ever so slowly, he found that he was able to make fingers on each twitch.

Viscous liquid surrounded Charlie, filling up his lungs and trapping him in the dark. He forced his body to move, pressing all his hands up against the tight walls with all his might. It was so small in there. He couldn’t even stand all the way up. Everything was too close.

Charlie started tearing. He clawed at the walls around him, but they remained firm. But he couldn’t stop. Somehow, Charlie had to get out of here! This was unbearable!

Finally, a speck of light! The tiniest hole. Charlie pressed all his hands against it and dug his nails in. Bracing himself on his legs, he started prying the edges with all his might. His fingers were outside the cocoon! He could do this!

With one last heave, Charlie thrust himself forward and stuck his body out of the hole. Gravity took hold and he started to fall, choking and sputtering up the goo that was in his lungs. Someone grabbed Charlie by the armpits and tried to help him up, whispering comforting words that Charlie couldn’t hear.

“Easy now. There we go. Can you stand?” Jason was asking.

Charlie nodded and got his shaky feet beneath him before looking down. His whole naked body was covered in yellow fur except for his hands and feet, which were completely black. He had four arms, now, and stood a good head taller than he had been before. Reaching up, Charlie felt a fluffy antenna poking out of his head. Giving it a squeeze caused him to spasm in pain. Two yellow and red wings with big round eyes hung limply from Charlie’s back, still too soaked in goo to be of any use.

“It worked,” Charlie said, clasping all his hands together in excitement. “It really worked.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, cupping his mouth with his hand, “it certainly… had a profound effect on you.”

Charlie blinked in confusion and looked back down. Now that he wasn’t so overwhelmed by the changes, something definitely looked different from what he’d expected.

“Jason, why do I have breasts?” he demanded.

QuillRabbit

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