Standing before him, on two legs, was not the Luna he had expected to see. Her soul's essence was clear as day to him, and he knew it was her.
But she was in human form!
Standing on her two frail legs, Luna was looking around in a frightened manner, until her gaze landed on her master. Trying to take a step forward, unknowing her form wasn't what it used to be, Luna stumbled on her feet and started falling.
Astaroth rushed forward, catching her before she could hit the ground and injure herself.
"Luna!" Astaroth yelped, catching her in his arms. "Are you alright?"
The little girl, around the same size and height as Violette, looked at herself in awe, noticing the changes in her body. Looking at her hands, where hooves used to be, she spun them around, clasping her fingers open and closed.
She then ran her hands across this new body, feeling the smooth skin where a short-haired pelt used to be. Her amazement never faded.
Astaroth watched her go, as he held her shoulders, waiting for her to acclimatize. He was also in shock since this change was so abrupt.
Her silver hair was sprinkled with wicks of green and brown hair, and the proximity it had to his face let him smell a scent of petrichor coming from it, like a freshly fallen rain.
Luna's small body was fortunately covered in a silky white gown, not unlike a nightgown, so he wasn't clasping a naked little girl. Nemus watched the scene with a loving smile.
Once Luna was done examining herself, her head snapped toward the man holding her shoulders, her master, Astaroth. With a beaming smile, Luna exclaimed, "Master!"
She slammed herself against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso, and giggled as she could now hug him. Her reaction took aback Astaroth, and so did her ability to speak.
Luna had yet to develop the ability to talk, and her suddenly getting a voice made this even more surprising.
He returned her hug, as their souls once again connected, although with less proximity this time, as she now had a physical body, and sighed in relief.
Astaroth was so used to his soul being neighbored by his companions that suddenly losing one had left a loneliness inside him, which was now complete once more.
When Luna backed away, Astaroth could finally look at her face, and her eyes stood out to him.
Where the small doe had once been adorned with milky white, iris-less and pupil-less eyes, she now had two distinct coloured irises around her still white irises. One of them was a deep green, like the leaves of a yucca tree, adorned with vein-like patterns, and the other was an earthy brown, with stone texture-like patterns of grey.
Sharp, pointy ears extended from the side of her head, and her skin's peachy colour exuded healthiness. Her soft, roundish features almost glowed in happiness as Luna enjoyed her newfound ability to express herself.
Astaroth looked at Nemus.
"Alright, you gave me back Luna. But why is she suddenly in elven form?"
Nemus brought her hand to her mouth, barely containing her soft giggle.
"Fusing her with me has fundamentally changed her nature, and she gained that form. It wasn't intentional. But I also needed her essence to be complete. If it disturbs you, I can try to revert her back."
But Luna snapped toward her, her face pouty.
"No! I like my new body!"
Astaroth looked astounded at the little being's sudden feistiness, but he wasn't going to go against her wishes.
"I don't think she wants that, so I'll respect her will. But it will take some getting used to. But why did you need her soul, too?"
Nemus waved at him to come up the to dais, where she conjured a table and two chairs, as well as a complete tea set, still steaming at the spout.
"Have some tea with me. I will explain everything."
Astaroth nodded his head slowly, raising to his feet to climb the dais. He reached the top, which was just a few stairs up, and sat in one chair across from Nemus.
He looked next to him, Luna looking at him expectantly, and he turned to Nemus.
"What about Luna, can she—"
Before he could finish his phrase, Luna climbed onto his lap, making herself comfortable, before starting to dangle her little legs joyfully.
"Never mind, I guess?"
Looking at the table, there were three teacups, and two of them were before Astaroth. He glanced at Nemus, and she smiled back at him.
'She already knew what Luna would do.'
Grabbing his teacup, he brought it around the little girl on his lap and took a sip. The tea tasted of honeydew and rose, and the soft sweet taste agreed with his taste buds. It was a change from Solomon's more citrusy-flavoured tea.
He let the liquid go down his throat with a soft sigh before focusing back on Nemus.
"Before I ask why you helped me, I want to ask this. Who are you, really? Not the name you give yourself now. I want to know your real name."
Nemus glanced at him, her smile stretching at the corner of her mouth in a smirky fashion.
"Quite the inquisitive man, are you? I would expect no less from a man whose curiosity rivals mine. My name previous to this one doesn't matter, and also shouldn't be named, for the sake of your security and mine. Let us just say my presence here is in great part thanks to you."
"That doesn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"I am you. Or rather, you are me."
Astaroth looked at her with a frown.
"That not only makes no sense but also feels like a fallacy"
"And yet it is the truth, young Alexander."
Astaroth gasped at the mention of his real name.
"How do you know that name?"
His demeanour immediately changed to a guarded one, as he hadn't told any native his true name. Her knowing this was all kinds of red flags to him.
"Of course, I know your real name. I was linked to your soul, not your avatar in this world. You are Alexander Leduc, and your true world is a planet called Earth, which is millions of light-years away from this world."
This stumped Astaroth. Her knowledge of him was not something anyone in this world should know.
At least, that's what he thought.
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