CW:

Ding

Congratulations! Your [Psychic Slash] is now rank 2

After I dismissed the notification, I felt a wave of exhaustion hit me. I had loot to attend to however, so I pushed through it as I flew down and placed my hand on the golden orb. 

Life Shard Splinter x1

Life Shard Heart x1

Gold Coin x2

Silver Coin x32

Copper Coin x6

Would you like to collect all loot?

Yes No

I hit yes immediately then opened up my inventory and used inspect on the splinter. 

Life Shard Splinter

Grade: Rare

Level: 25

Type: Sword

Damage: 12-18

Equip Bonus: 

8 Agility 

10 Vitality

8 Constitution 

10% increase to healing received

“Ooo, pretty! Definitely seems to be a tank weapon, though. Hopefully it’ll sell for a decent amount of gold,” I say as I take it out to look at it. The whole thing, the handle included, looked like a sword that had been carved out of the crystalline body of the Life Shard, with purple, red and blue swirls of light that randomly moved within it. It also fitted my hand and size perfectly, which made me wonder if anyone else but another fairy could use it? I suppose they could use it as a dagger. That thought made me giggle quietly to myself. It doesn’t have an ‘owned’ modifier so I should be able to resell it if I equip it, right? The bonuses it provides should help me survive a little better. Having decided, I placed the sword in my weapon slot in the inventory window, curious as to what would happen since I wasn’t wearing a scabbard or anything. The sword vanished and reappeared on my back, in between my wings. Miraculously, a scabbard with a belt that ran from my right shoulder down to my left hip appeared and held the sword in place. I thought that it looked really cool. 

 “Hmm, what about this heart I looted?” 

Life Shard Heart 

The heart of a shard from the Tree of Life. Can be used for enchanting materials. 

“Oh! Being able to enchant items would be great!” I excitedly tell literally no one. I sighed a little morosely, I realised it had been only a short while, but I was already feeling a little lonely. Apparently as much as I loved being out here, and having all these adventures, I already missed having company. “What’s the time?” I asked myself as I checked the UI clock, trying and failing to suppress a yawn. 

Local time: 6:37pm

“Oh, wow! The time has just flown by, it’s no wonder why I’m feeling tired. Tired and hungry!” 

I pulled out a few glow fruits and ate them slowly as I checked out my character sheet. 

Name: 

Azalea 

Species: 

Fairy

Age:

50

Gender:

Female

Class:

[Mentalist] (Epic)

Power Level:

289

Special Skills:

[Prior Life Experience] Knowledge from your prior life has given you an increased insight into the system in which you now find yourself. Bonus 50% to experience gained through combat. 

Racial Abilities:

[Flight (Magical, Wings)] As a fairy, you have the instinctual ability to fly using magic or with your wings. 

[Manaborne] As a creature born of magic, you have the ability to see magic when you concentrate on items or your surroundings. You also have a greater connection to magic as a whole. This provides you with an increased mana regeneration, and you will require less sleep per night than the average mortal race.

[Superior Vision] Despite their size, Fairies have incredible sight. They have almost peerless vision during the day, and nearly as good a vision in the dark as the Dark Elves do.  

[Fairy Agelessness] As a Fairy you are blessed with never ageing after reaching maturity. 

[Fairy Language Comprehension] As a fairy, you are born with the knowledge of how to speak, read, and write, Fairy. No other race has this ability. Words spoken or written in Fairy have the potential to be empowered by mana to create magical spells and effects. It is limited, however, by the rather high mana usage it requires. 

[Basic Language Comprehension] As a sentient being, you are born with the knowledge of how to speak, read, and write, Basic. Basic is the language all sentient beings share.

[Inspect] Allows the user to inspect a person or item for further information, such as health and mana, compared to the standard Inspect ability.

“Drat! So close to hitting 300 Power Level. I wonder if I will get something fun at that point?” I mumbled to myself just as I yawned. 

I noticed that [Inspect] was now an actual skill in my character sheets and not just something that was just somehow available to me without any information. Although I have noticed that the system has some quirks in it that it doesn’t tell you about, like how I can charge my attacks for greater effect. As I looked at it, I did have to wonder about the [Fairy Language Comprehension] skill, could that have been what Grams meant about Fairy magic? 

An idea came to me while I floated in midair as I thought about Fairy Magic. I lifted my arm up and stared at my hand then spoke in Fairy, “Fire!” A grand total of zero things happened. “Maybe it requires something extra? If it was just speaking Fairy, I would have been casting spells every time I spoke,” I thought out loud to myself. I thought about all of the movies and tv shows I had watched back on Earth, where they always had to visualise the magic that they wished to use, maybe this was the same way, so I lifted my arm up again and visualised seeing fire floating above my hand, “Fire!” There was a very brief flicker of magic that formed above my palm and I felt a surge of something flow through my arms, very similar to what it felt like when I used my pulses or slashes. 

I frowned as I considered what to do next. I thought I was on the right track with visualising what I wanted, but there was another part that I hadn’t considered, supplying my mana to the spell. For the third time in as many minutes I held up my arm, then hesitated, as I had to yawn, before I visualised flame hovering above my palm again, “Fire!” I said loudly and clearly, all the while I tried to repeat the feeling of power rushing down my arms when I used [Telekinetic Pulse]. A purple flame abruptly burst into life over my palm just as I had visualised it in my mind. I was mesmerised by the flames as they merrily burned away in the air above my hand, until they flickered then stuttered and went out. 

I was feeling really sleepy all of a sudden, and that was when I noticed that my UI was flashing a warning, but it was hard to focus on it all of a sudden. I felt the sensation of falling and as darkness shrouded my vision, I got a brief glimpse of both my health and mana bars flashing dangerously low before everything went completely dark as I hit the ground. 

***

“I absolutely hate my family!” I yelled into my pile of pillows, as my legs kicked up then crashed back down onto my bed several times. It had been nearly 3 years since I had chosen my class, and my family was still mocking me for it. Just because I had to transform for the class to be of any use didn’t make it bad. I sighed with frustration. I knew it wasn’t the fact that I transformed, it was what I transformed into, that made them mock me. They’d even do it when I defeated them in duels. Some days I wished I’d never chosen my class, but when I transformed, I felt like I was truly powerful, and could be the real me. 

I sighed again as I felt the desire to transform. It always made me feel better when I was in that form, but I always felt worse when I inevitably had to go back to my normal body. All that power I had was intoxicating, I guess. 

“Right, it’s decided then. I’m going to change!” I mumbled to myself, before I stood up and stepped into the middle of the room. 

I activated my transformation skill, and a bright magic circle formed under my feet on the floor. A magical wind created a soft breeze that ruffled my hair as it shot out and fell to the bottom of my back, turning a light pink as it did. I felt my body shifting as the transformation took effect, everything around me in my large room suddenly seeming to get much larger as I shrunk down from my normal 6ft to a mere 5ft,5. My body shape changed, from its normal ugly uncoordinated self, to a more curvy feminine shape, my hips expanding along with my chest. At the same time as my body shifted, my plain and boring male clothes changed to a much more comfortable and pleasing lilac coloured dress, with cute, but sturdy white boots that had small heels on them. 

As my heart raced with giddy excitement, I rushed over to my large mirror and checked out what I looked like in this form, as I did every time I transformed in my room. I pulled off the blanket I usually kept draped over it, and inspected myself. I couldn’t help but giggle as I twirled in my dress. I had admitted to my best friend once that I enjoyed being in this form and she took it that I meant being a girl, and called me a freak. We hadn’t spoken since, and that was over two years ago now. She ended up telling her parents, who told my parents, and I got into so much trouble. As I thought of the unfairness of it all, anger surged through my veins and the girl in the mirror scowled at me cutely, as her yellow eyes glared daggers at the injustice. 

“I should just run away,” I said to my reflection. I ignored the weird feeling that I had hearing my cute voice in this form, and contemplated what it would be like to actually, finally, run away. This wasn’t the first time, nor the last, I suspected. Even though I was 19 now, my family did have certain expectations about my future. I wasn’t the oldest child, thankfully, so I didn’t have that worry heaped on me. I was expected to help out whenever and wherever I could, and that included marrying to further the family's influence. It was all so barbaric. Ergh! 

Just as I started to plan - for the millionth time - the perfect escape from my horrible family, my door slammed open, causing me to jump as my younger brother strutted in like it was his own room. 

“Mum says that you have your blacksmi- Ergh, why are you using your ability?” He said with a disgusted look on his face, “Mum and Dad both said not to, remember. Freak!”

“What the hell? Get out of my room!” I screeched at him, my face red from equal parts being pissed and embarrassed. 

Iric just smirked at me. “Whatever, Freak, just get to your blacksmithing lesson. Oh, and don’t expect to get fed tonight after I tell mum you transformed again.” 

“I’m warning you!” My body was shaking. I was utterly and completely angry now. All of my embarrassment had been burned away in the fury that he had stoked in me. My fists were clenched so tightly they had gone white and my breath was coming out hard and fast as I contemplated whether or not to attack him. We weren’t in a safe zone, so he was fair game, after all. 

Iric’s smirk slipped a little on his dumb face at my expression, but his cocky attitude came back a moment later. “You wouldn’t dare,” he hissed at me, his own eyes burning with hatred, “A Freak like you is too cowardly to do anything to me, you’ll just continue leeching off of our family’s hard work.”

“Quit calling me a freak, asshole!” I yelled as I held up my fists to my own brother. I truly hated when they called me that. Just because I had a rare class that let me transform, and that I enjoyed it, they called me a freak for it. “You say one more word to me, and I swear-” 

“You swear what?” He interrupted. “We both know that you’re too cowardly to do anything to me, Freak.” 

“That’s it!” I said, “I warned you. Combat Transform!” I finished with a shout, one arm raised in the air, the magic circle from earlier reappearing at my feet, then lifted itself up and over my body. As it did, my shoes changed into pink and white armoured knee high boots and my dress became a pink and white lightly armoured skirt and chest piece. It was more frilly than armoured, but it protected me all the same. It also looked cute as heck. At the same time, a silver tiara with a pink diamond in the centre appeared on my head and my hair became one long ponytail. I pulled a large sword out of the magical circle as it was above my head before it vanished. I held the sword one handed and pointed right at my suddenly not so cocky little brother's chest. 

“Mu-mum and dad will be furious once they find out that you’ve done this!” Iric stammered out, trying to be brave in the face of my anger, and my sword. All of a sudden, I felt so drained. I was so done with all of it. My family, my so called friends. The wealth and luxury that our family lived with couldn’t be worth this soul shattering unhappiness I had experienced ever since I had chosen my class. Screw them! I thought as I subconsciously readjusted and tightened my grip on my sword. 

Iric must’ve seen something change on my face because he started sweating profusely, “Y-you would-wouldn’t attack your own brother would you?” He gulped, nervously. 

“Why not? It’s no different to you being an asshole for three consecutive years,” I respond with a furious growl. Even through all of the anger, I still felt like my voice was super cute like this. I lowered my sword and it vanished in pink sparkles as I dismissed it, I had finally come to a decision. “Right. Piss off, I’m going to pack and leave for good,” I told him, while I turned away and picked up the backpack I used to use when I camped with friends. 

“You’re not serious, are you?” He asked with an odd note in his voice. He was probably worried that if I left, he’d become the family punching bag, I thought to myself. I spun to briefly glare at him, before I turned back around and threw in a bunch of clothes. Blankets swiftly followed before I tied my favourite pillow to the top of the bag. I looked around and spotted some of my favourite books and threw them in as well. Probably not the smartest thing to do with limited space, but in this form I was more than strong enough to easily carry it. 

I tossed the backpack over one shoulder and turned around to walk out of my room for the final time, only to discover that Iric hadn’t left. He just stood there, awkward and uncertain all of a sudden. I barely even glanced at him as I walked past. He couldn’t even give me a moment's peace apparently. While I exited my room and started down the stairs, my hands felt cold and clammy, and it was suddenly hard to breathe as my heart attempted to beat its way out of my chest. I realised that I was in danger of a panic attack, and forced myself to focus on slow deep breaths while I made my way slowly down the stairs, my idiot brother bumbling behind me awkwardly. 

With each step I took, and each accompanying deep breath, I felt my heartbeat slow down a little and by the time I had reached the bottom, I felt like I was mostly back in control. My hands still shook slightly from my anger at my family. Yeah, let’s go with anger. 

“Where is mum and dad?” I asked Iric, my anger at my whole family stoked anew as my sword handle creaked from my tightened grip just from thinking about them. Their unfailing, horrible treatment of me ever since I chose the [Magical Girl] class as a boy had really soured any good memories that I might have had of them. 

Iric hesitated for a moment before answering, “Oh, um, they were down in the third paddock, inspecting the livestock. I’m not sure when they’ll be back, probably pretty soon?” 

I just gave a nod in response but otherwise ignored him. I knew he wouldn’t attack me, not that he isn’t above doing something underhanded like attacking me from behind- he’d absolutely do that- but it would be ineffective against me. He was a subpar mage, and as a result was still quite low level. 

Just as I was about to open the front doors, they opened themselves, and our parents walked in. I watched as mum took in the situation and her mouth tightened in anger as she looked at me. My heartbeat automatically tripled as fear shot up my spine, but I knew I had to confront them finally. It was past time. 

“What’s going on here?” Mum asked us, her cold voice making me all but shiver in response. Although the fact that frost was literally spreading out from where she stood probably had something to do with it as well. 

Marineer Carringwood 

Level 65 Frost Mage (Uncommon)

Mykil Carringwood

Level 59 Lightning Mage (Uncommon) 

I gulped as their levels revealed themselves in my heads up display. If this came to a fight, I would most certainly lose against both of them. It wouldn’t stop me, though. All of the pain and hurt that my parents had put me through over the past 3 years flared up, and it was all I could do to not attack them then and there. 

“I’m leaving,” I spat out angrily, “and you can’t stop me.” I finished with far more confidence than I was feeling. 

“Oh?” A single, delicate and meticulously groomed, eyebrow raised on dangerously. 

“Kenneth! Explain yourself right now, young man,” my father demanded suddenly. I internally winced at him speaking to me like that, but otherwise held my angry glare. If I let my anger go, I wouldn’t be able to stand up to my bullies. 

“I just did. I told you I was leaving,” I said, enunciating slowly and clearly as if I was speaking to a young child. 

“Don’t take that tone with me boy, you’ll regret it.”

I rolled my eyes at him and muttered a quick, “Whatever,” before speaking louder, “can you move please? I’m leaving and not coming back.”

“He threatened me with his sword!” My cowardly younger brother chose that moment to speak up behind me. 

“What?” Our mother practically shrieked at us. 

“Only a little, and only because he was being an ass.”

“I warned you about using your vulgar form, and to make it worse you attacked my son.” Mum hissed at me dangerously and lifted her hands just before she fired a frost bolt at me. Before I could even think my sword was up in front of me, just in time to deflect the bolt away from my face. The force of the hit still pushed me back several steps, despite my deflection. 

“What the hell?” I yelled in astonishment. My own mother had just attacked me!

“The hell is having a freak for a son!” The banshee wailed back at me. She looked, for lack of a better word, unhinged. Her hair had fallen out of its tight bun and spittle went everywhere as she screeched at me.

“Yeah! Get him, Mum!” I heard my weasel of a  brother yell. 

“Whoa! Dear, calm down. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding!” Dad tried to shout over everyone else as they yelled too. 

Unfortunately, no one else seemed to be listening as mum fired another frostbolt at me. This time I ducked it instead. My blade already showed some damage from the first hit that I had deflected, and wouldn’t be able to take many more. 

Dad stepped in between us and with a loud pzzt and a booming noise, and deflected the third shot into the ceiling. 

“Settle down, Marineer,” he said in an authoritative voice, right before getting knocked to the side as ice spread out in a wave from her, covering his entire body and rushing towards me. I dropped to my knees and slammed my sword into the floor just as the ice hit, splitting it apart around me. The ice stopped just in time, as my sword shattered a second later and vanished into pink light. 

Mum had a distraught look on her face as she stared at what she had done, so I lifted my hand up and fired a [Stun Bolt] at her while she was distracted. I couldn’t let her free him from her ice just yet. Pink light flashed out of my raised hand and hit her directly in the face. Unfortunately our level differences were too high for the ability to knock her out completely, but it would stun her for a good thirty seconds. I immediately rushed past both of my incapacitated parents and into the lobby of our mansion before I heard a shout behind me. 

“Get back here, Freak, this is all your fault!” My brother had apparently decided he was brave again while I was out of sword range. I just continued running, though I did stop briefly to place [Magical Trap] at the entrance. It showed up as a light pink magical circle to me, but invisible to anyone else not in my party. It wouldn’t stop my parents from chasing me, but it would slow them down significantly. It’s like running through knee high thick mud apparently. I wouldn’t know, my own spells don’t have any effect on me. 

I ran for as long as I could, before I had to switch to a lighter jog when my stamina ran out. I kept up that pace until, after nearly an hour of running, my transformation ability ran out. I couldn’t help but be disappointed as everything seemed to shrink and my plain old boring male clothes reappeared. I shuddered as I felt my facial hair once again. 

Suddenly, everything that had just happened struck me all at once, and I struggled to breath through a panic attack as I bent forward with my hands on my knees, panting heavily. 

“Oh my gods, I really did those things didn’t I?” I asked in wonderment. So, now what do I do?