They had taken Melody straight to the ritual room, Cammine taking over healing duties as soon as they arrived.

“Velvet did better than she realized,” she commented, as she observed the wounds with her magic. “They’re connected to her magic, so until we get that stabilized, they’re going to keep bleeding.”

Kyla nodded, and kept feeding her magic into Melody, which seemed to be helping.

It didn’t take long for Velvet, Myne and Ruby to return. The demon had been defeated they said, they were just hoping that there wasn’t an additional trap. Myne had briefly checked on the status of the remaining demons, but they appeared to be safe for the moment with none in close vicinity. Which was good. They then got straight into the full stabilization ritual, Alice making some minor modifications to it to fit Melody. Cammine and Kyla stood off to the side of the circle as Myne held Melody in its centre. The magic of the circle flared up as Myne made to bite into her neck, but then abruptly faded.

“What happened?” Kyla asked, worry lacing her voice.

“She’s not compatible,” Myne stated looking thoughtful.

“Why not? It worked for the others.” Kyla asked, confused as to how Myne knew.

“I think it’s because she was never a true Rider to begin with,” Myne replied, to which Alice nodded. “Her magic doesn’t have its own form, so the circle isn’t appropriate.”

“But the Demon King managed it...” Kyla said, as she started to panic.

“He bonded her to him, along with some other tricks,” Myne stated.

“Then bond her to me!” Kyla declared. “Her magic seems to settle when I was feeding it to her.”

Myne contemplated it.

“That could work,” she stated. “Lyrissa, can you change the circle to a feline aspect?” she then asked.

“I should be able to,” Alice replied, before she suddenly looked uneasy and sighed.

Walking over to the circle, she laid her hands on it and closed her eyes. The circle lit up, its forms and runes dancing and changing, before they then settled down again. “There, it’s done.” Alice stated. “It’ll require Kyla as well though.”

Kyla got up, and joined Myne in the middle. She placed her hands on Melody again, feeding her magic into her, feeling Melody’s magic respond and settle down.

“Is this fine?” she asked.

Myne nodded.

The magic flared up again as Myne bit into Melody’s neck, enveloping them all in shades of soft purple and blue. Kyla could feel its warmth, the magic flowing through both her and Melody. Then it was done, the magic fading away, Melody sleeping peacefully in her arms, her magic settled, having taken on a new form. It had been a success.

“Thank you Myne,” Kyla said, as she looked at Melody anew. She hadn’t known how the magic would change her, but she had expected draconic features as Ruby and Cammine had gained. But she should have guessed, based on what Myne had said. Melody now looked like a Cat Feral, with soft black velvety ears with streaks of blue, a long and soft back tail, her fingernails also a matching blue. She also sported vamperic fangs, and a pair of small blue horns just in her hairline, the only indications of Myne’s magic in her, as her skin was no longer the pale white that it had been. She looked even more alluring than she had before. Kyla could also feel a connection to her like she could with Fang, though it was a lot stronger. They really had bonded. Melody was one of them now. Kyla smiled happily. She finally felt like she had found her place with them all.

---

 

Melody woke to Kyla sitting over her, a sparkle in her eyes and a mischievous smile on her face.

“You’re mine now,” Kyla teased, running a finger gently along her bare arm.

What have I gotten myself into. Melody panicked for a brief moment, before letting it fade. The situation wasn’t what she had expected.

Not that she actually minded. After all, she had been flirting with Kyla a lot, and she had actually meant it. Not to mention Kyla’s touch was kinda pleasant. But she was use to being in control and calling the shots, well as much as she could be while serving the Demon King, but right now it felt like it was the Cat Feral who was in charge. It made her feel out of sorts.

Her tail and ears twitched happily.

Wait what? What had happened to her?

Melody reached up to the side of her head, but her hands felt nothing there but smooth skin. Going further up, she discovered that she had a pair of soft, velvety cat ears. The sensation was pleasant as her hands stroked them, confirming that they were in fact part of her. That could be fun. She certainly wouldn’t mind if Kyla did that to her. Melody suppressed a blush.

Her tail and ears twitched again. So much for a poker face. Her new features were betraying her feelings. Not to mention her thoughts were all over the place.

Had she almost died as well? Things had been going downhill for her for the last few days, ever since she had been sent to the location of their base. She had tried to hide it from Kyla when she visited, but the girl was observant. She was feeling a lot better now though. Better than she had felt in a long time.

Speaking of Kyla, she could feel her presence. Yes, she was directly on her, watching her intently as realisations came to the surface, but it was more than that. It was like the way she could feel the Demon King. Or rather, used to feel the Demon King. She could no longer feel him at all. Her connection to him had been fully broken, and probably part of the reason she remembered nothing after Velvet’s magic had plunged into her. But that would mean...

“I’m like you now, aren’t I?” Melody asked, as the full realization hit her.

Kyla’s head tilted to the side and back as she gave a thoughtful smile.

“A bit like me, and a bit like Myne. The best of both perhaps?”

Kyla leaned over, gently running her finger down Melody’s other bare arm.

“Oh enough with the teasing already!” Melody exclaimed, pulling the now within reach Kyla closer to her, testing the waters with a passionate kiss.

Kyla was more than happy to oblige.

---

 

Velvet knew it was fortunate that she had returned when she did. Had she gotten back any later then they may have lost Melody, so the urgency had been well founded. The Demon King had let the magic that stabilized Melody start to fade, giving her a death sentence. As to why Velvet had no idea, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Demon King had been more aware of Melody’s actions that Melody had realized. That, and the trap that had been laid via her. Velvet had seen through the illusions created by the Demon King though, so they had been prepared and hadn’t inadvertently released the demon inside the ruins, however she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it all than just that, and that they had missed something important. She just wasn’t sure what it was, and was hoping that it wouldn’t be something crucial. The Demon King had a lifetime of experience on them, and his life was a very long one.

Melody’s conversion had been a bit of a surprise. Cammine and Ruby’s new forms had made sense when she had seen them upon her return. Being former Riders like Myne, they had become Dragon Ferals like her, along with the vamperic traits. Melody on the other hand was never one to begin with, but as her body had previously accepted the vamperic change by way of the Demon King’s magic, they’d all assumed she’d also become a Dragon Feral. But her magic had rejected it, and the only reason that they had been successful was because of Kyla’s intervention. Velvet had never seen Kyla so happy as when she was sitting there post ritual with Melody cradled in her arms, and they’d been together ever since. Velvet didn’t fully trust Melody, after all Melody had been one of Zorthac’s Masks, and her cheeky side could end up being dangerous, but for Kyla’s sake she would give her the benefit of the doubt.

The bigger surprise though had been Kyla, and it was becoming more and more apparent that everyone in their group was special in some way. That they were all together was surely more than coincidence, though one could instead argue that perhaps they were all more than special because they were together in the first place, and it was a contagious trait. In the end it didn’t matter either way though. Alice had theorized that the initial rift in reality from which Kyla had inadvertently absorbed her ability to walk through them had been caused by a combination of a pulse sent out by the Demon King that Myne had sensed, and the wards of the Academia de Magica. That she had the ability to absorb further magical capacity in the first place was also outside the norm, and perhaps explained why her magic had seemed so weak in the first instance even though she possessed a gem. Her gem had initially been a Chrysoberyl, now they had no idea, and the standard appraisal ritual was pulling a blank. Mind you, the ritual also didn’t work on those with Primal magic, but in that case it failed to work in spectacular fashion, showering magic everywhere.

Velvet was understandably shocked to learn that Kyla had been in Odinsphere, but commented that it made sense given that she had Fang now, and she was quite interested in what Kyla had learnt about the place. The footage of her battle against the defence bots was icing on the cake, and Velvet identified Merianne and Clocky to the group, which helped to provide some context for her tale when she told it. Fang’s capabilities were another unknown, but she was certain that they’d discover that in time. Having Fang and Melody with her had boosted Kyla’s confidence quite considerably, which Velvet was quite happy about, like a mother would be, seeing her daughter grow up.

While she was asked about it, Velvet only briefly touched on her magical tattoos. She knew it was unique to her, an aspect of her magic, and well outside of what was generally known about magic. It felt kind of odd being able to ignore all of the standard rules, but on the other hand, not knowing all of the rules in the first place had helped, as she wasn’t constrained in her thoughts by them. So while she had initially bemoaned the lack of background in magic, she now saw it as a blessing. The only rule that she did seem to have to obey was about the gender of Dragon Riders. Not that she was complaining on that one. Light had told her initially that it was her true form, and in retrospect she would agree with her, even ignoring the situation of her magic.

The information that Melody held was an interesting conundrum. She knew quite a bit about who directly served the Demon King, and some of what he had been up to in recent times, and what his current schemes were. But of course the Demon King was well aware that her loyalty was questionable, so the question arose how much of what she had been led to believe was accurate. Could he have deliberately fed her false information? Or perhaps missed out crucial bits of information? Melody had been unaware of the true nature of her familiar and her status as a Rider, and been used as a trap, so there was a precedent, but at the least the who would be accurate. There was always the possibility that she was a double agent or sleeper agent, to which Melody looked crestfallen at the accusation while Kyla had growled, but Velvet knew that she had removed all of the bonds, and confirmed as much to the rest of the group. Melody would need to earn their trust, but irrespective Velvet was willing to trust her in the now.

The direct servants of the Demon Lord, known as Masks and assigned elements, had numbered six for a number of years, though a seventh had just been added. Once their elemental titles had held meaning, their identities hidden behind it, and the assigned element used as a basis for the enhancing of their bodies, a twist of the way the corruption worked. But they had all long since given up on them, seeing no point as it hindered their ability to work together on the surface, with the exception of the Demon King, who still referred to them by their titles, and the Mask of Water. Beside that she was a Rider, Melody knew nothing on the Mask of Water. She normally worked with Byron, but spoke little, shared nothing of herself, and was not at all familiar. Melody harboured a suspicion that she might be from another clan, but it was just that. A suspicion.

On the others however there was a lot more to be said.

Lady Knight Sorene was the first of the Masks, the Mask of Air, and proud of it. She had been there since the Demon King’s unsealing, and was really now coming into the role of being the first chosen. She was also the head of the Dark Faction within the Clan, though why so many Riders were following her was a compete mystery. Her influence had been steadily growing, and they were guessing that there was some powerful magic behind it, as by herself she wasn’t that charismatic. The weapon she had wielded at the Port Muir was called the Soulrender, the sword of the Demon King, forged in times long past. Melody had said that she had jumped at the opportunity to channel his power. Perhaps to make up for past failures, perhaps because she actually didn’t have a choice, and perhaps because she craved more power. Her failure at Port Muir hadn’t gone down too well with her though, and Melody reckoned that Sorene was now teetering at the edge of sanity and Zorthac’s tolerance. Ruby looked sad as they talked about her, but said that the Sorene she had once known had long been gone, and any semblance of who she once knew in recent time would have just been a mask. Ironic really.

Byron the Black Hand, master assassin and the Mask of Metal, was the second of the Demon King’s servants, and probably the most naturally deadly, even though he had received no power from the Demon King. Even now, with Byron thought to be in his sixties, he was still regarded to be the best assassin by all those who knew of his trade, and in high demand. Not that he took on many jobs, as he was very picky. Melody respected him, and also feared him, more than she did the Demon King, and it showed as she talked about him. The Demon King had gifted him Silence of Night, the chosen weapon of an assassin from time long lost, and it had made him even more deadly. Exactly what it could do she did not know. They had worked together quite a bit when she had been brought to Zorthac, and she had learnt many of her skills from him, though Melody did bluntly point out that she was a musician more than a fighter, and most of what she’d learnt wasn’t about combat.

Tempest Reislord, the Mask of Earth, was one of the Guild Captains of the Fall Haven Guild. The sole Captain now, and likely Guildmaster as well, following the deaths of the remaining Captains. The Demon King had explicitly wanted control of that Guild, though they did have strong influence in the others. Melody was certain that Fall Haven was chosen due to their vast network, not just over the kingdom, but in other kingdoms as well, being the only guild of the kingdom that did so. Tempest had a silver tongue and a shrewd intellect, and was responsible for the rapid growth of the Demon King’s influence.

The most recent Mask was a man named Erragon, a bruiser from the Brotherhood of Craftsman. Velvet and Kyla both recognised his description instantly. The man who had inadvertently brought them together. Erragon had sought out the Demon King, Sorene having found him wandering and half mad, and fulfilled his wish. He was now the Mask of Black, the Demon King having inserted into Erragon the gems from his failed experiments, that he had somehow managed to crystallize into form. He was the closest amongst the Masks to being a true vampire like Myne, but still far shy of even the Dragon Ferals. His power was unstable, held together by the Demon King’s magic, but also dangerous. Melody had not seen him deployed, so she wasn’t sure of what he was capable of, but multiple gems couldn’t bode well.

The final Mask, as Melody, formerly the Mask of Sound, no longer counted in their number, was Princess Katherine D’Ava, the Mask of Fire. Katherine was the very definition of a princess, and in the bad sense. She had her eyes on the throne and looked down on everyone apart from the Demon King. In her own right she was actually quite powerful, but she had an unsatable hunger for more power, and she would do whatever it took to achieve her goals. Much like the others really, but she was of royal blood, and carried a misplaced sense of entitlement. The Princess had the potential to cause quite a few complications, especially if she ended up on the throne. All of the royal bloodlines had been ‘blessed’, bonded by powerful magical rituals to the lands to which they had been assigned following the Great War, something that Alice was quick to point out once the Princess had been mentioned. No one knew what the blessing actually did, but at the least the people of the land always recognized the legitimate heir of their lands. Katherine had the potential to become that heir.

Which made Melody’s next piece of intel even more worrying...

---

 

Princess Katherine D’Ava reclined on the throne, her hands caressing its wooden arms that had been well oiled by all the rulers that had sat on it before her, as she viewed the courtroom in front of her. Correction, make that Queen Katherine Avaraline. After all she was the ruler of the kingdom now, the only remaining heir of the royal bloodline. All of the others had died. The King from sickness, the rest from accidents that had become all to common in the capital city. There had been some mummers of discontent amongst the nobles of the city, but with both the Clan and the Guilds throwing their support behind her there was little they could actually do, and the smart ones had learnt to keep quiet and fall into line very quickly. The not so smart ones disappeared.

She’d been waiting for this day for a long time, and now that it was here, the kingdom hers, and she was actually a bit disappointed. It felt almost empty to her. But she knew why. Where once it had been the pinnacle achievement, now it was just the beginning of the next chapter, a foreshadowing of things to come. What she really desired now lay even further ahead, and she was going to relish the journey in getting there.

The plans of the Demon King had been ramping up in the last month, everything progressing along at a breakneck pace. It was really surprising how many had come to their side, and so easily too. The balance of power had completely shifted, and in no small part due to the actions of the other Masks. The Mask of Earth and leader of the Dark Hand, Tempest Reislord, now controlled the Fall Haven Guild and had influential control over the other two Guilds. Lady Knight Sorene now held sway over the Sisters of the Radiant Dawn, Lady Knight Amber having pledged allegiance to Sorene, and the majority of the surviving Riders in the kingdom being members of its dark faction. She had been surprised at how many Riders had been part of that faction, and those that weren’t had either died during the recent internal conflicts, or become part of Zorthac’s experiments. Lady Knight Sylph unfortunately was missing, as well as a number of Riders from the northern temple, but such a small force was inconsequential, and Sylph could well end up being stabbed in the back by one of the Riders currently with her. The rest of the temples had shared a similar fate to the Sky Temple. Sorene had said that Lady Knight Ruby had been left as good as dead, but Katherine was quite curious as to what had happened there, as she had come back with scars on one side her face and her lower left arm missing, not to mention that she hadn’t taken well to Melody’s teasing. That Melody was no longer one of their number had been a small consolation to Sorene, who had been forbidden from further retaliation to Melody’s prodding, but all that the Demon King had said was that Melody had other uses that didn’t necessarily require her being alive.

Byron was still en route to the capital city, but that wasn’t unusual, given the nature of the tasks that the Demon King assigned him, and formerly Melody. They were the Demon Kings true shadow operatives after all, and were often away for lengthy periods of time. But he had been recalled to the capital city along with all of the other Masks in order to witness a very important event.

She was going to wed the Demon King.