The story of Xanadu was starting to become… less newsworthy.
Well, that wasn’t ‘entirely’ the case.
With people missing, there was a lot of legitimate concerns placed on finding them as well as who would be responsible for any compensation. (Legally this would be considered Force Majure, but they were trying to suggest that ‘Force Magic’ was distinctly different.) Some missing people would be found days after the event, locked in peculiar states while others may never be found.
The initial panic, however, ran its course.
The news cycle once again turned, with more down to Earth concerns both real and imagined. Many governments decided it was in everyone’s best interest to move on and so the news reports began to shift focus on the aftermath as people got on with their lives.
This was seen as an opportunity to bring some normality and control. The new opportunities had aroused much interest though in what the changed could do that may influence the balance of power for various nations. However, nobody wanted to upset this balance too far with so much at stake… so everyone proceeded ‘slowly.’
Various contracts had been set up with powerful Archetypes. A Dr Doom in particular, appeared to have great success as the new ‘saviour’ for humanity… and somehow people really liked him. He tended to act with great charisma and placed the safeguarding of humanity at the forefront.
This was followed by a Tony Stark transformation promising clean technological solutions and to elevate mankind someday. Though This Tony Stark was just a little boy… so people were not sure if he really ‘could’ have access to his transformation’s high intellect, and there were laws about someone so young running a company. He also appeared keen to continue his normal schoolings despite having among the highest IQ on the planet.
There were many others of course. all promising great advances…the value of sci-fi level technology made governments salivate. They would do anything to secure the resources such people could provide be it scientific or magical.
… and then there was Steven.
Steven, the cute squirrel girl had no powers and was not designed on any specific template. Her change existed as a whim of thought, existing at the very bottom of any list of concerns. She had no particular skill or apparent ability that were outwardly evident. (Even Hawk Girl could fly and had access to Nth metal.) Steven was left alone, as people chased after the stronger changed; a world that was far away…
She woke up slowly… in her own room. It was strange. She slipped out of bed, her tail dangling out. Opening the window, it looked like any normal average day. There were others going to school as the commute began.
“I’m in the human world…” she realised It was such a strange sentiment.
She still considered herself human on the inside… but what else could be said when she looked so abnormal now? Being stuck in Xanadu was awful, but at least nobody would look at her strangely. Well- not for too long, given there were other strange beings around her. Now she was in the world of humans… it was hard not to feel like a fish out of water- well- a squirrel out of a tree?
With her transformation considered benign she retained more autonomy and freedom then other on the news. Maybe she was a little grateful for that. She could exist in the world of humans without issue…
… but her new body…
She looked down at it. It was a curse, created from a stray thought… one small action of harmless fun, forever marking her as a weirdo... why would such a strange creature exist? A cute animal girl, born from a strange mind that would imagine such a thing… Everyone else had such power and she had ‘this’. One could feel some sympathy, but she certainly didn’t want that either. She wanted to feel normal… The irony of it. “heh… I wasn’t even normal when I was human anyway…” She was always different…
Her phone beeped. “Being normal is overrated…” Miku said.
Steven gasped. She had forgotten about her new companion. The strange app with a sentient being inside. “Can you stay quiet… Mom’s brought me some clothes.”
“How exciting! Your first day back to school, I’ll bet people will be curious about you. You can capitalize on that!”
“Uh huh… I… doubt that.” Steven sighed shaking her head as she looked in her bedroom for potential clothes. “Say- what’s your real name anyway?”
The Miku app gave a coy look. “Eh, rather not say. You might try to tell everyone else. I’m happier being away from all that. Just call me Miku.”
“But your family will worry…”
“Nah. I’ve sent them messages, sent a cover story, it’s fine…”
It was weird… Steven didn’t have any friends… but Miku seemed to be offering nothing but friendship. Nobody had ever acted like that before to her. Could friendship really start out of the blue? ‘Maybe for girls- oh.’ Well, now she didn’t know what to think on that. She felt a burning shame to admit … if only to herself, that she rather liked seeing the changed. Seeing her favourite characters in the flesh… and the spark of magic that had taken hold of the world. Nothing would ever be the same again. That was probably a good thing… and may lead to greater things in the future.
Still… If only she had known! If only… she would have dressed up as something powerful… something interesting… not this.
A squirrel…
…”Guess I’ll get ready for school.”
For some people, the transformation wasn’t obvious.
Charles Andrews was just your average office worker… living in absurdly high pressure that one wouldn’t think could be possible. He worked, he did everything that his managers asked. He had stayed with the company for over a decade, as they bleed every part of his humanity dry. He felt more machine then man these days… but something still sparked inside. There was a part of him… that just ‘yearned’ freedom.
He drove in his car, nervous. ‘She’s not here…’ He sighed. “It was just a hallucination…” Maybe Charles was having a psychological breakdown. He was imagining things that were not there… but given he had legitimately seen a lot of fictional beings in the flesh, things that really ‘shouldn’t’ be there… it was forgivable.
The salaryman had gone to Xanadu, hoping to relax a bit. Maybe even… reminisce of the anime he saw in his childhood. He had become quite old as he burned his life in the fire of a decade. It was like he suddenly realised how old he was. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to see in Xanadu… and he certainly wasn’t going to wear any costume… but…
…that didn’t matter.
What was inside him, didn’t need a costume.
Charles clenched his teeth looking around. “It’s okay… she’s… gone.” He nodded to himself as he drove down the highway. It was monotonous… dull… he had done it- oh over 6000 times or so? He was a precise and careful driver, meticulous… not allowing himself to be distracted-
“Hey Dad.”
Charles gasped as he nearly swerved the car in reaction. “Hell!” He gasped breathing heavily.
There, in the passenger seat was… her. The small woman he had only imagined a few times.
“Don’t- Don’t do that!” He was in a slight sweat. “-and… I’m not your Dad. You know that.”
Chandra gave a happy smile. The strange demon with her white hair, dark skin and dressed in hues of red. She wre a very cute dress that was just a little inappropriate for one as young looking as she appeared. She was short, only about four feet tall with small breasts evident. Occasionally a slender tail made itself visible, which waved behind her, going through the car-seat and showing up on the other side. She looked rather ‘impish’.
The ghostly demon girl crossed her slender legs. “Fine… but what are we then? Are you my master maybe? Or am I your mistress… Oh! Do we take turns?” She giggled.
Charles gulped. She was pretty much exactly as he imagined someone like her to be “… you’re… something in my head… I just…” he looked away as he turned the car to the left. He didn’t want to think about it. He was not someone who had worn a costume at all… how did this even happen! “A delusion…” He should probably drive himself to the hospital. “Why did you tell me to tell that kid about the full moon?”
“He couldn’t see me… and I think you would want to warn him, because I wanted to warn him.” The demon girl explained.
“What are you…” Charles demanded. “I’m going crazy…”
Chandra looked down at herself. “Well… I’m not sure myself. I know as much as your subconscious- and from that the collective unconscious… um.. ever see Persona?”
“No.”
“Jojo’s Bizarre adventure?”
“No…”
“Pokemon?”
“No! Well- not for ages…” Charles groaned, but at least he had ‘some’ basis for figuring out what she was. “So, you’re a pokemon?”
“No!” Chandra replied annoyed suddenly herself but then laughed. “Well- not exactly. I’m… I’m part of you. You heart was wearing a costume… I’m your rebellious spirit. I’m what you hide… the magic of Xanadu gave me life! Though without… a body to be in.”
“So… you’re like the Mask?” Charles asked.
“Eh… yeah. That works.” Chandra relented kicking her feet. “I’m what lies under the mask… your mask. It’s me!” She raised her hands happily.
Charles was terrified. What could he say to this weird ghost to make her go away? “Congratulations on existing… so… what’s the deal? Are you going to kill me now? Terrorise people? Cause eternal torment on the Earth?”
Chandra gasped. “Why in the world would you think such a thing!” She clenched her fists. “Baka! I’m a part of you! Sure, I’m your rebellious spirit, but that doesn’t mean-“ She groaned as she tried to explain herself again. “Okay, you’re lawful good, I’m chaotic good. Does that make sense?”
“I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about!” Charles said annoyed again. “You’re a demon! Demons are evil… I’m just driving to work, leave me alone…”
Chandra gave pause to that as she touched her horns softly. “Hm… you sure know how to make a girl feel depressed…” she shook her head.
Charles glanced at her. Maybe he felt a bit bad-
“Watch out!” Chandra called out as Charles looked back to the road.
“Oh Hell-“ A car had cut them off… Charles had to break and swerve to another lane. He let of a tirade of swears.
A car behind him honked his horn, not seeing the car that initiated the whole near accident. “Watch where you’re going you dumb shit!” A man and his girlfriend looked with complete disgust at Charles.
Charles was still getting his wits together as he looked back at them annoyed. He was somehow hearing their thoughts…
‘Old man, probably losing his eyesight…’
‘Urgh, look at his car! So ugly and gross…’
‘Wish I had run him over… let’s get out of here babe…’
The car started to drive away,
Charles stared feeling their words sting him. Tears were going down his eyes… he tried to be strong, tried to hold on… but he just couldn’t. He felt something inside suddenly ‘crack’ … he felt his mind seem to burst… everything went dark…
‘Psycho level 100!’ Chandra’s voice giggled as suddenly Charles saw light once more.
At home and in her room, Steven looked in the mirror. “…I look ridiculous.”
“Honey, you look fine!” her mother insisted. Her parents had done their best to get clothing for her. Her mother had been working hard on a solution to fit around her huge tail. Eventually she worked out the idea of some shorts which were long enough as jeans, stopping at her ankles. Suspenders kept them from falling off, pulling slightly at her shoulder. She had a T-shirt to cover that, which draped slightly over her tail. The appendage itself had a hole to go through, which closed up with some Velcro.
On a technical level it worked… but Steven felt quite hot with all the fur underneath. She wouldn’t complain though and it was manageable. “Feels… weird.” She said.
Her mother pated her head “We’ll sew on some buttons. I just want to make sure it fits you well… can you move your tail?”
Steven frowned a bit. The thing did what it wanted to do, most of the time. Reluctantly she thought about moving it, and it slowly did sway left and right.. her mother stared at it, as if hypnotised. She suddenly grabbed it.
“EEK!” Steven cried.
“Sorry!” She stated. “I don’t know what got in me.. I um… I just couldn’t help it.” She then looked at her (secretly) new daughter. “You have such nice hair. I think that should be brushed. Come on…”
“I-Its okay.” The squirrel girl blushed as she pulled away. “Thanks for the clothes. I’ll… I’ll manage.”
“Your welcome sweetie… and if you need to tell me anything, you know you can… right?”
“Y-Yeah…” She nodded. “Um- Gotta go.”
“Your parents are nice,” Miku thought as Steven walked to school.
“Yeah… they are weird though.” She put her hands in her pockets. It was a quick walk to the bus stop. A small drive and she would be back in school. “Guess it’s a good thing I don’t have a car… I wouldn’t reach the pedals.”
“Heh, that would be a fun sight!” Miku giggled. “Oh, something weirds on the news. Want to see?”
“Um… sure?”
The Screen on his phone instantly changed into a television. There was a car who had somehow ended up on the side of the road and… two distressed occupants. What was going on?
The reporter, a fox-woman of some sort spoke into a microphone. “Police were called in to a vehicle accident… its occupants apparently turned into mermaids…” the reporter explained. “Their vitals are being checked but it looks like the airbag was deployed… but because they are fins, they were not able to get out of the car…”
‘But how did they transform?’
“The working theory is that they might have brought something from Xanadu…”
Charles listened to the news on the radio… feeling horrified at the story being played out. He knew what happened… “Mermaids?” He feared the worst. What had that creature done! What had he done! What if they found out it was him- er- her- er- her passenger! Yeah it wasn’t him! It was that stupid demon Chandra! Yet he saw it all… he watched it from her eyes. It was a bit like watching through a video game. An exhilarating feeling… she had pulled open their sunroof… and summoned a rain that transformed them into mermaids. Strange silvery rain…
…Chandra was giggling in her head all the way as he suddenly found himself back in his own body. It had driven on auto pilot, without any issues… how did ‘that’ even work?!
The demon was floating around in a circle above his head in a diminutive fairy sized form as he got out of the car. “Fun eh?” Chandra giggled. “I admit it isn’t quite as powerful as the magic of Xanadu… but it’s good enough.” She nodded quite satisfied. “The more we practice, the stronger our magic will be.”
“Not powerful?! You- You changed them! You changed them into something else!” That was a power everyone wanted… a power everyone was ‘screaming’ for… and Chandra just ‘did’ it without a thought!
“‘We’ changed them…” Chandra reminded as she floated in front of his nose. “We’re a team! You get emotional, I get transformational… come on! I need more rebellious thoughts! I want to DO something! We can bring so much chaos to this world!” she giggled happily. “You liked the transformation didn’t you?”
Charles bit his lip. “I- I have to go to work. You… just… go away.” It was best to never talk to her… never acknowledge this again.
Chandra sighed very annoyed. “Work?! You have the freakin’ powers of a demon that can alter ‘almost’ anything! And you want to go … work? What work do you do!”
“Whatever they tell me… and it pays the mortgage… the house…” Charles didn’t have time to really say much about it.
“Oh, come on….” She smiled trying to encourage. “Hey, what do you think about me switching their genders? That was pretty funny, right? I managed to nudge the magic just a little bit.”
“It was…. Messed up. Wait- you- you can do that stuff?” Had… Charles some kind of way to cure everyone in Xanadu? ‘If she can do that… I’ll be rich!’ “Can you cure the people changed in Xanadu?”
“Well… not back to human… and probably not alter them ‘too much’. That was a unique situation… the equation was balanced. A gender was swapped… by two people who had a connection. The power of Xanadu is infinitely stronger than me… after all it is what made ‘me’ in the first place.”
“I…see.” Charles didn’t really see but didn’t want to really think about it. “So… you can’t change those already changed?”
“Yep. Changing a human is… relatively easy. Connect them to a Source… and the rest does itself. Changing something that is already changed… well…” She shook her head. “I can certainly ‘add’ to it… but It’s not ‘completely’ impossible to change them. It’s kinda like trying to separate salt and pepper. I mean- I suppose if I dissolved them first… I could add more salt and pepper though!”
The conversation was suddenly interrupted as a business man waved to them. “Ah Charlie boy! You’re a little late today” Mr Shan, waved. “Come, I’ve put the papers on your desk.”
Charles sighed again. The odd normality of seeing his boss… and getting back to the routine of his boring job. “Yeah… coming…”
Chandra waited for a bit, debating to herself. “Hm… I give him three hours before he snaps again… I can wait.”
