Teyva looked herself over in the mirror, it had taken a long time to get to this point. Weeks of tiresome practice and effort after returning to Osan. The Ability [Alter Self] was simple in its design but it offered a great deal of flexibility once you came to understand it. At its core, it allowed someone to change their appearance completely to that of another person. Such a direct change came with little drawback and would not extinguish even if she were to die. She’d taken advantage of that particular feature when she had thrown one of her lives away in exchange for Azrael’s safety. Now, however, she intended to dig deeper.

She had seen many faces, figures, and looks over the past month living in Osan and [Alter Self] had memorized every detail. It was frightening that she could call up a person’s face whom she didn’t even know in her mind with such clarity. Over time she had begun to mix and match features of the faces, tweaking details here and there in careful experimentation. Every alteration to a face had come with a price, though, more mana was consumed. Every alteration to her body had been even more costly and those costs had only continued to grow.

After living an entire month in a single place, Teyva’s [Naturalist] ability had finally triggered. She’d begun to take on features that were more familiar to Azar. Her jaw had become a bit more defined and the glow of her skin had dimmed along with the starry pattern fading almost entirely. She was happy that she hadn’t taken on the greyish tone that the Azar prided themselves on, she had grown fond of her paper-white complexion, it made her feel ethereal in a way. However, other changes had been far more dramatic.

Her second set of horns were coming in, the black points jutting from her temple now were just barely shorter than her first set that they stood with in parallel. Beneath her eyes, small slits had formed in her skin that she worried were going to grow into something awful as time went by. Her talons had completely joined with the bones of her fingers, though they disguised themselves well as simple fingernails they were far thicker and clearly dangerous. Her mouth had grown a bit wider than before, making even a simple smile without showing her needle-like teeth heart stopping for the common person. Her head had become more angular, taller even, though she did well enough to hide it with her hair. Her body was changing as her aspects developed, and she had the feeling that soon even more dramatic changes would be taking effect.

She cast [Alter Self] and her horns shrank into her head, the chain around her arm-a disguised third limb-melted into her skin, her fingernails shrank and her face became flawless. The glow completely faded from her skin and she felt her body shrink a few inches. She held the appearance for a few moments, admiring what a ‘normal’ Teyva would look like.

She clicked her tongue and released the change, glaring into the mirror. It would have to do. Just being able to get around without glowing would be hugely beneficial, not to mention it would help her avoid stares. She would have to be cautious about abusing it though, and fighting in her altered state would require planning.

“My queen,” Came a raspy but oddly playful voice from behind her.

“Hey Perry,” Teyva said, turning to look at him and firing off one of her just-a-bit-too-wide smiles, “How are things down below?”

“The Akurai are comfortable, but restless, they have been trapped in the University for centuries. They want to see this new world and get to know their Queen better,” The Lich said.

“I would be too,” Teyva said, walking over to the couch in her room. She glanced once at the bed, still a tangled mess of sheets after Yaga’s visit the previous night. The Lady of the Eastern Azar had left much earlier to return to her duties in the Wildlands between Osan and the Balthin Green Sea. Not far from it, a simple crib sat silently with a swaddled form sleeping quietly inside. She fell down into the cushions with a grunt. There was a flash of movement from the wardrobe just a few feet away from her. Nephral alighted on her lap and folded his wings, his eyes on the mighty lich as he curled back up. Teyva stroked the feline’s hair for a moment, thinking. “Some fresh air sounds good. Maybe they should start exploring or something?”

“Do you think the people of Osan are ready for that?” Paraklytus asked.

“No, they go goggle eyes over me still,” Teyva said with a sigh, “But it needs to happen eventually,’ The lich nodded and then hesitated, his glowing violet eyes flashing slightly in the dimly lit room. Teyva looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to ask something?”

“No, more a comment, my Queen,” The Lich inclined his head, “Your manner has changed this past week.”

Teyva glanced over at the child in the crib and looked back at Paraklytus, “Something made me realize that I needed to learn to compose myself all serious-like. It’s still a work in progress though,” She said, laughing a little, “I’ve always wanted to be an actress,” She hesitated, “You’re good to practice with as well, it’s hard to practice this face with Azrael. I just want to goof off when she’s around.”

“She is your sister, I think anyone could understand letting down your hair,” The lich laughed, “Though I marvel at your progress. It is as if someone beat your mistakes out of you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and smirked, “It does seem that way, doesn’t it, old fart,” She quipped and then eased her back into the couch, sighing. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately, Perry.”

The lich drifted through the air, drawing closer to her side. “I know I have yet to earn your full trust, but if you wish to share your thoughts, I am here. For what it’s worth, I would give you some advice to consider for the future. Think of it as your second lesson, following the King’s own. Consider all who are listening to you, read the room.”

She frowned and considered what he had to say, adding it to the list of small pieces to the overall puzzle of how to ‘be a queen’, “You’ve more than earned my trust, I hate what you did but I get why you did it, you’ve been helping me in tons of ways. With the Akurai, with the Mask, with Sorcery...” she trailed off.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Paraklytus confirmed, “Even if it is the work of that woman, such a mental block cannot hold forever. Sorcery will come to you, I have no doubt.”

Teyva clicked her tongue, “That bitch,” She hissed, “An itch I can’t scratch,” she grunted and picked up Nephral, looking into the feline’s eyes. “A thousand deaths is not enough for what she’s put me through,” she said dramatically.

“May they be miserable,” The feline purred, “I pray for your freedom, mother.”

“I know you do dearie,” She crooned, kissing the top of his head before laying him back down in her lap and sighed, “But besides that and caring for the Akurai, what do I do now? I swore I would make a name for myself in this world but I can’t do that sitting here in the Pinnacle looking pretty.”

“That begs the question of what kind of name you want for yourself,” Paraklytus pointed out.

Teyva glanced again at the child in the crib, her daughter, and back at Paraklytus, “I’ve told you once I’m no hero, I cast aside the desire to play nice with others. I want to be respected and feared. I want people to hear my name and tremble. I want the very thought of bringing harm to those I love to come with thoughts of suicide,” She growled, her yellow eyes flashing in the dim light.

The lich turned his head toward the child and paused, “I understand, but if you want this you must be ruthless, perhaps even cruel. You may gain a reputation not unlike the woman you detest so much.”

“I will not be Teyva Rani,” Teyva said quietly, “I care about my own. I want to see them thrive. I just…” She trailed off.

“It is okay to be greedy, my Queen,” Paraklytus insisted.

“If I could I’d build something of my own. Something I built, not something that's been promised to me. Something bigger, if only to keep those I love safe,” She looked at her hands, “When little Nephral here would talk about it before I always thought of it as a joke, something to laugh about. But now… I think that with the trajectory of my powers, I could do it, I think, I really could,” She shuddered, “If I had even considered it weeks ago I would have been repulsed, terrified of my own thoughts. Maybe it’s the Titan Aspect talking, but the idea sounds exhilarating now,” She breathed, "An Empire," Paraklytus froze, his glowing eyes fixed on Teyva. She looked up at him and frowned, “What?”

The Lich lowered himself to a knee, “It would seem I’ve chosen a worthy Queen to serve, I’m looking forward to helping you make your dream a reality.”

She barked out a laugh, “Just like that? You’re all in?”

“Without a shred of hesitation, my Lady.”

Teyva looked down at Nephral who looked up at her with approval in his big eyes. She scratched his chin and let out a small chuckle, “I guess it’s true, motherhood really does change you.”