"Please, WHAT!?"

 

"Uh?"

 

"Stop! So we don’t get any further. Vil, let me start, ok?"

 

Dario spoke.

 

"Fine."

 

Reluctantly, Vilavil agreed.

 

"So, Eris, I start at the beginning."

 

"We know that you have a magic core, and that's why you can't be a simple Werebeast. Vil has seen your mana stream, and therefore your core."

 

"Uh? Okay?"

 

"I've seen your rabbit form, and now we're wondering if you're a Tamorph."

 

"And what would that be?"

 

"Vil, now it's your turn."

 

"...grgh! What is a Tamorph? Tamorph is a creature created in experiments, and researching in this field is illegal."

 

"That still doesn't quite explain what Tamorphs are."

 

"Take a human and plant a magical core into him/her. This human would die to an almost 100% probability. There are only a few cores where the death rate for a human being is only 73%. A core of the Elves would work, but the core of us Albe wouldn't work."

 

"So, a Temorph is a race without a magic core, but received a core because of experiments?”

 

"Well, not quite. Someone only becomes a Tamorph if he or she survives the "almost 100% death rate" cores. With you, I think a combination between a human and a rabbit of the magical races, so of two mammals, that couldn't be more different. Hence rabbit ears and the ability to assume the shape of a rabbit."

 

"HA? So you think I am a Tamorph, and you want to find out how I became one? This task would be yours, or not? You and your special department?"

 

"Exactly!"

 

I got angry, and my head started to hurt.

 

"I don't know how you handle it, but don't you just immaginate cases? What about the case of the horned rabbits! Why don't you try reach for an answer in that case!? No, thank you, I don't need this kind of help!"

 

"How did we end up by the horned rabbits again? They don't matter right now, more imp-..."

 

"Doesn't MATTER! DOESN'T MATTER, you say!"

 

I felt how my hair began to flicker, my ears to vibrate, and to swing up and down.

 

"Wah!?"

 

"What is with her?"

 

"Daria! Dario! Go back! Her magic is out of control. Nymira comes here and helps me."

 

"It's good."

 

Everything went so fast, and before I knew it, I was pushed down by roots that grew out of the dryad's hand.

 

A drawn sword blade appeared before my eyes.

 

"Calm down, or my sword will help you."

 

I looked up at Vilavil's face. She had a dead-serious expression.

 

Remove (Disguise) Tyche.

 

(What!?)

 

Just do it!

 

I felt, how my horn grew on my forehead, and my feathers and wings returning.

 

I tensed my wings and destroyed the roots that had held me down to the ground.

 

"What's going on?"

 

It was Vilavil herself, irritated by what had just happened. I took advantage of her confusion and counterattacked. I ram her with my whole body to the ground. My two hands were on her throat.

 

"Temorph or how you call these fucking critters, I don't care! I want to know where my family is! What do you think, what it's like to wake up and realize that 12 years have passed? And when you return home, do you find out that this fucking town was build in the same place..."

 

I felt how tears ran down my face.

 

"...and then you give me this protocol! This log where it says that probably all my family and relatives are prisoners elsewhere!"

 

I had lost all my strength in my arms and didn't shut her throat anymore. I was just crying.

 

More and more strength left me, and finally, my vision turned black...

 

=== POV Daria

 

"Did she just say she is a horned rabbit?"

 

I asked the question into the room, and the others turned their eyes to me.

 

"It sounded like that, but we don't know exactly."

 

Nymira answered to me.

 

"Dario, are you taking her off of me?"

 

"Immediately!"

 

Dario took Eris in his arms and carried her like a princess.

 

"Hey, Dario! I didn't know you were into little girls."

 

"Stop with your bad jokes, Daria! Help me and open the door."

 

*Tch*

 

I opened the door for him.

 

Eris's head leaned against Dario's upper arm. I couldn't see her complete face, but it looked like she was still crying.

 

"Huh?"

 

"What's up, sister?"

 

"Is she crying in her sleep?"

 

Dario looked down at her.

 

"It must be very traumatic for her..."

 

He looked down at her with compassionate eyes.

 

...I know it's wrong, but somehow, I'm jealous...

 

Dario was gone, and only Nymira, Vil, and I stayed inside the room.

 

"Did you hear it, Nymira?"

 

"Yeah, I did."

 

Both of them started to talk about something that wasn't understandable to me.

 

"What are you two talking about?"

 

"You couldn't hear it, Daria, but when Eris was unconscious on my chest, she whispered something."

 

Vil told me.

 

"And?"

 

"She said, "Crete.""

 

Nymira gave me the answer to my question.

 

"Who is that?"

 

"Crete is the name of a dryad."

 

"Don't exist so many dryads, like trees in the forest? Besides, how do you know she's talked about this dryad?"

 

"Did you ever saw anyone named Crete? The name has a historical meaning, even when the meaning was lost. Crete isn't a dryad, like me! She is a Hesperide and not a simple dryad, I would be a simple citizen in the human hierarchy and she a princess."

 

"So a high ranked person?"

 

"Correct."

 

"Hmm..."

 

Vil looked like she was thinking about something.

 

"Daria, I will get some documents. Please pay attention to Dario and Eris if she is a horned rabbit, then we have to take care of her, and maybe, we will also learn why she has a human form."

 

"Ok."

 

=== POV Dario

 

"Eris..."

 

I placed her on Daria's bed.

 

I was about to pull my arms away when Eris grabbed my right arm.

 

"...not!"

 

Huh!?

 

She was still crying.

 

I tried to release my arm from her grip, which leads Eris's grab to get stronger.

 

I looked around and found the desk chair not too far away. I tried to grab the chair with my free hand, but it was out of reach.

 

Damn it!

 

I leaned left and right so that my foot reached one of the chair legs.

 

*Boom*

 

Shit!

 

The chair fell so bad that I can't reach it anymore. Eris gripped my arm harder without waking up.

 

*knock* *knock*

 

Someone knocked on the door.

 

"Yes?"

 

"It's me. Is everything, ok? I heard something fell to the ground?"

 

"Yes... the chair just fell over."

 

Daria opened the door.

 

"You could have asked."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

She pointed to the chair.

 

"I've been standing in front of the door for 5 minutes already."

 

"...please"

 

"Gladly!"

 

She picked up the chair and set it for me.

 

"She's still crying?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Vil said she's got some documents and is back soon. It's also about the possibility that Eris may be a horned rabbit. "

 

"...Mom¹Kyoku..."

 

" "..." "

 

Daria and I looked at each other silently.

 

"I'll wait outside."

 

"... ok."

 

Silence returned and the only sounds were the incomprehensible murmurs and sobs of Eris. 

 

=== POV Eris

 

Where am I?

 

"Huh?"

 

My arms clasped something, and as I looked up, I found Dario sleeping in a chair. My hands hugged his arm.

 

"Uwah!"

 

I released my hands from his arm and slipped to the other side of the bed.

 

"Ngh?"

 

"H-h-hello?"

 

"...ah. You're awake. Thanks to the Goddess Artemis."

 

"What happened?"

 

"Can you remember our conversation?"

 

My thoughts circled a bit, but I remembered everything.

 

"I... I..."

 

Before I could say anything, Dario put his hand on my head and gently stroked my hair.

 

"Don't worry, everything is fine. Even Daria was worried about you. You were crying in your sleep for a while. Even Vil is ready to help you. "

 

I couldn't speak, and it seemed Dario felt it.

 

"Look, it is already dark outside. Try to sleep some more, ok? We can talk about everything tomorrow."