The Ritual One

Sophia POV

"You are a Chimera." Nina spoke again, in a gentler tone, like a kind teacher explaining to a child how things work. "Changing your appearance is not simple."

Nina's words changed the atmosphere in the room again. Everyone fell silent, absorbing the weight of that statement. Achilles approached me, as if he could protect me from the truths that were about to come. Khalid just watched, with a serious expression.

"Alright, I understand." I said and felt Achilles hugging me from behind, his hands passing around my waist, a silent form of comfort. "Continue."

"A Chimera is composed of several beings, several animals, mythological or not." Nina explained.

And then she looked me up and down, analyzing every aspect of me, both physically and my soul, and I noticed a touch of melancholy in her eyes.

"And you have lost several since we first met." Nina explained.

I felt a pang of pain in my chest, as I knew that meant I had died in agony each time one of those creatures left. Nina noticed the change in my aura and approached, holding my left hand, her touch as soft as a feather, even though her skin was cold, there was still care not to hurt me.

"But I see that you are much stronger in this incarnation." Nina continued to speak, and I saw a subtle smile on her lips, showing how proud she was of me. "Even though you have lost many parts of yourself, they have shaped you into what you are today."

Nina then stepped back and resumed her analysis of me.

"Do you already know the appearance you desire?" Nina asked patiently.

"Yes!" I replied determinedly.

I saw Perseus approach; he had been silent all this time, staying in the shadows. I shivered involuntarily as Perseus extended his hand and handed me my phone. The words got stuck in my throat, but I held the device. I could see the pain in Perseus's eyes, but he stepped back.

I held the phone tightly and soon found my photos as Sophia Turner, the woman with short hair, red as fire, a color that highlighted my green eyes, the fine nose, as well as the cheekbones, the lips not so heart-shaped.

This face I have now is very different from the one I aspire to and carried… My body, in general, is quite similar to what I am now, just a little smaller breasts and legs, the rest could be left the same.

Nina took the phone, looked at the photos, and then at me.

"I understand, but I can't guarantee this exact appearance, as you are not just Sophia Turner anymore..." Nina then looked at my companions. "Before, you were only linked to werewolves, now you are linked to a vampire."

"But I am still human in this incarnation..." I said, but not very sure of my words.

"Yes and no... You were born human, but you met Ivar, and after that, you died." Nina explained patiently. "Even if for a short time, that already made your body change... And from what I've heard, your heart has stopped a few times while you've been here, in this pack."

I sighed, feeling the weight of her words.

"Adding to the fact of the Balance, I changed... I am not just a human." I completed, in a low voice and shivered, as there were so many pieces of information, so many things I needed to assimilate in so little time.

"You were never just a human." Nina spoke a little more sharply, as if her patience was running out. "You are a Chimera! Forget about being just a human!"

I widened my eyes, as I didn't expect such a reaction from Nina.

"Now that you understand this, we can continue." Nina returned to her calm posture, as if the outburst had never happened. "The ritual will take into account the appearance you desire, but it doesn't mean that in the end, it will come out exactly as expected. It will also take into account what your companions desire, even if their words are that they would accept you in any form, unconsciously they have a standard."

I felt the air become a little heavier, as my companions didn't expect such a development.

"It's better if you don't think about anything like silver hair!" I said and gave a low laugh, as that is one of the things I hate the most about this appearance I have now.

Each of my companions had different reactions.

"Don't worry, Shi, silver hair is not my forte." Khalid commented.

I gave a low laugh, as I looked at Nina, who had such hair, instinctively knowing that she and Khalid had something in the past.

Achilles hugged me a little tighter and then gave me a kiss on my cheek.

"I prefer you, in any appearance." Achilles whispered, which made me relax a little more.

He always knew how to calm me, how to quiet the chaos inside me, even if it was for a moment. His touch anchored me.

"No matter your appearance, only you matter." Perseus said.

I looked at him, knowing he was speaking the truth, but I averted my gaze after a few seconds. The tension between us wouldn't disappear so soon; there was an abyss between us. An abyss that neither of us knew how to cross.

Nina took a deep breath and stepped back, moving her hand, and an object appeared in her other hand, a box made of bones from an animal that no longer existed, and I smiled, understanding that these bones were from some incarnation of mine so long ago that no one there could identify.

Nina slightly confirmed my thoughts with a nod and opened the box, and I saw a kind of sand there, but it was of a golden hue, a mix of silver and a soft purple hue, a mix of these three colors that made the sand iridescent.

"Achilles, I need you to step back." Nina explained.

My companion gave me another soft kiss and did as asked.

Nina raised her hand, and the sand followed its course, enveloping me, and I felt a strange pain as the sand penetrated my skin, and gradually I could hear the sound of bones breaking, and I screamed.

It was a pain I thought I would never feel again, it was practically the same pain I felt when Ivar broke me in several places, but now it was even more intense, and I tried to turn my face and ask for help, but before I could, I was enveloped by darkness, my body couldn't take it, and I fainted.