{Fourth day of Hannah's escape, bandit tower, late morning.}

Everyone was awoken the next day to the agonized screams of a dying person.

When Hannah dashed out of her tent, she saw a pale woman burning in the sun, the man she cursed with undead doing the same the moment the solar radiance graced his skin.

Quickly she threw her blanked, the screams stopping as she guided the pale women into her tent, taking Asceron with her.

"I think it would be best if we made sure that the lady arrives at her destination, now that she is no longer dead.

My connection to this one is very week, compared to the one I have to you. She definitely hasn't fed yet, but given her nature, I assume she is a creature similar to you, much less reliant on blood though. Better not give her any of yours.

Please ensure that she will not remember us."

Asceron nodded, feeling an overwhelming power from each of her words as his crimson eyes locked with those of his spawn.

"You will forget this encounter, and not remember our fight. You will progress as you always have, marrying the guy you are supposed to.

Once you reach the next group of people, you will have an aversion to any type of thing that damages you.

Avoid this forest in the future, and make sure that none, not even you, discover your new nature."

With those words, she was given a white robe and sent off, everyone hoping that this would prolong any consequences of their actions for a while.

Then, Hannah left her tent and gave a black robe to the undead that remained.

"Well, now that this has been established, I'll tell you two what we'll be doing in the near future. Firstly, Asceron is undead now. If you have any problems with that you can go, though I assume you do not have a lot of places to go to, now that you are a traitor and everything."

The guard nodded, somewhat disbelieving his own actions.

"I am not quite sure of all your names, but I assume that for our travels each of you should name themselves anew. I even know a chant to baptize everyone, though, given the nature of my recent spell work, it might have some major side effects."

The remaining bandit laughed.

"I'm going to the Infernal realm anyway if I die, so I might as well throw away my soul right now. Morgan would be an interesting name, let's see how that weird magic of yours works on people like me."

Hannah nodded, contemplating how to proceed.

"I could fill a helmet with water, or we go all out on the darkness that will surely commence and use a skull and my blood. I am open to both alternatives at this point."

The marauder nodded, cracking his back ad he looked around.

"Let's use the skull of my former boss, that should have some ritualistic effect, if my guess about your powers origin is right."

Hannah sighed as she took the skull out of the ground, already expecting this kind of thing to happen.

She took three buckets, and filled each with about three liters of water. Following that, she slashed her hand with the ritual knife and went to the first bucket, holding her hand inside and intoning the first blessing, indulging the whispers in her mind to change the learned incantation.

"Upon this water I place the curse of Phlegethon, to burn away impurities and melt those that stand its test to be reforged."

The water began to bubble and steam while it took a yellow color, and she pulled her hand out. Her hand was unchanged as she pushed it into the next one, her blood once again mixing with the liquid inside.

"Upon this water I place the curse of Achaikum, may its unending rivers know you truly."

The water formed a whirlpool around her hand, turning purple and oily as it did so.

Then, she brought her hand to the last bucket, sinking it inside and taking every ounce of will to not stop herself from intoning the heresy she spoke next.

"This water will be cursed by Alfikum, and in the ponds of the shadow grove we submit ourselves to change. Elven blood is sacrificed, and a thorn bush may replace the lush tree of life."

It hurt to speak those last words, every Elf was told of the shadow grove's dangers, and how it represented every aspect of nature that Naturikum rejected. Wild mutations were not uncommon in those who interacted with it.

Then, she pulled her hand from the swampy water, a bit of it clinging to her as she used the knife to cut it away.

"You offer yourself to me, and thus you will be reborn."

She put the head inside the first bucket, the flesh and skin burning away as only a pristine skull remained, at which point Hannah pulled it out again, the water inside still bubbling as she carried it towards the volunteer, violently throwing the liquid into his face.

"You are cleansed from your past, nothing you did will have an impact from now on, as you swear yourself to me. Now speak unnamed one, who died today?"

The Bandit screamed as the water melted his skin, like liquid fire it sunk into his clothes and skin, boiling him alive as he fell to his knees.

"His name was Leopold, he was a disappointment to his family and a damn good cheater."

He cried out, his body now raw and slowly melting even more.

"Then this body must be filled with purpose once more, and the water of Archaikum will grant you the knowledge of your new Identity."

She pushed the Skull into the second bucket, its eye hulls beginning to burn with ghastly light as she pulled it out once more, throwing its content at the screaming man, shutting him up as his eyes were ripped wide open, unbelievable distress clearly seen as he began to comprehend a minute fraction of the knowledge he was graced with.

"Who is the person that will be born today?" Hannah asked, her voice flowing eerily calm as the malformed mouth answered.

"My name is Morgan, and I am tasked to keep your lore, for your presence will change many futures."

He proclaimed as the skull was lowered into the first bucket, where it turned crystal clear, everyone getting a good look at the swampy juice that was thrown at Morgan.

"As by this ritual, I decree you reborn. Your body and purpose are one and the same, your oath of service one that needs no swearing, as it is the price of perfection."

Thus, the ritual concluded, and Morgan stepped out of a steaming cloud, an insectoid body had replaced his previous one.

Wings on his back looked like a cape behind him, while his segmented carapace gave the illusion of being plate armor, a overall dark green coloration and a few tentacles instead of the secondary limbs normally found on a bug turned him quite obviously into a monstrosity, though the antennae allowed for telepathy, as everyone nearby realized as he kneeled down.

"Dark mistress, I thank you for my body and mind, and will be of great service to you."

She nodded, repeating the process with the guard right after that.

He was renamed to Fafnir, his body now covered in red scales and his head lizard like in structure, like Morgan, he had gained a few centimeters in height, and like him, his back now held a pair of wings on it.

A tail jutted between his legs, and his feet had changed to now hold four claws each, three at the front and one on the back. His now position was as Hannah's defender.

Asceron could not be changed by the liquids, something about his form resilient to stay that way, even as the ritual intended to reform him.

The half elf then bathed herself in each of the liquids, somehow remaining conscious enough to speak the words as the remaining two and a half liter of each washed over her.

Her skin was molten away, replaced by the ashen one that differentiated the shadow grove's Alb from Naturas Elves.

During that period of transformation, the weird growths beneath that she had grown accustomed to in the previous days were freed from their confines.

Two gigantic feathered wings sprouted from her back, utilizing the moment's magic to fully unfurl. At the same time, the third appendage made itself known, a thin tail almost as long as her upper body, its movement more instinctual than even her arms.

She had never felt this strong as she spread her new limbs apart, not caring that everything but her hair, lips and eyes had taken on the ashen tone she had been told to fear.

They prepared during the day, packing up whatever they thought necessary and training their changed bodies before night fell.

Then they spread their wings, the guardian taking Asceron with him as all three began to approach the city, their ginormous wings beating in unison to start their reconnaissance.