Novaris: Adventure in the Shattered Fang Continent

Novaris. Duodecir. 903. AGC.

Jasmine was having problems adjusting, and it wasn’t just because of the extra voice in her head or their head if she was being realistic.

That was the first thing that had thrown her off, but definitely not the only one. Though she had been unconscious or because she had been unconscious, the memories of that night still remained fresh in her mind. Her brother had offered to consume them from their minds or at least dull them with his darkness, but she had refused. She wanted to remember that night, even as horrible as it was, and use it as fuel to keep her moving forward.

Further adding to her concerns was the sudden change of status. She had essentially gone from being some nobody living in a small room to some supposed important person living in a small luxurious house made just for them.

She had her own bathroom that was as large as her old room and could easily pass as one from a highly luxurious inn. There was also a small library that held more books than should be possible.

Taking it even further was a training room that was around half the size of the orphanage, which was saying a lot. The training room was filled with all sorts of contraptions. The most interesting one was a giant square filled with water. She had asked Annale what the thing was a day or so ago, and apparently, it was called a water pool, which was rather obvious in hindsight. Annale had said that it could be used for training, but those who could afford it would install them in their homes as a sign of luxury and a place of relaxation.

Then, there was a small closet fitted with all sorts of clothes that were magically enchanted to fit the wearer. Something she had only seen and never dreamed of wearing. Then, of course, the small guest room she liked to spend her time in. She also had a small kitchen area with various snacks from which she could choose. Then, as if all that wasn’t enough, the whole space had voice-controlled temperature and light, letting her make the entire place or just one particular room be just the right level of comfy.

However, even with all that, sharing your mind with someone was definitely the oddest thing. They could hear and see everything the other was hearing, feel all emotions, smell all the smells, and even taste everything. Luckily, however, they could keep their two consciousnesses separate when thinking and would only share thoughts if they willed for the other to hear them. Jasmine was very thankful for that, as her brother was getting on her nerves.

Jasmine herself was adjusting to this change in her life, and so should Arelion. She had learned that her brother had experienced life through her all his life, so in her mind, he should be as shocked as her, but no, he was just fine. He told her that it was because even if he had experienced everything with her, he had still been a passenger and had some level of detachment for the entire ride.

He had also explained that it was because of how they were. In order to function, their psyches had attached themselves to the two gods they were connected with. This gave them traits based on the two deities while also allowing their connection to each other to remain via their soul. In summary, they had two different paths and two different minds, which were affected by two different gods, yet they still managed to be the people they could have been, even if certain aspects of themselves manifested stronger than they otherwise would have.

It was all very odd, and they had spent their time awake so far speaking with each other about what to expect from their future. They had theorized how they would function and some possible goals for their future, like finding a way to split themselves. The one thing they didn’t talk much about was the past, as there was nothing to say. They both knew what had happened.

They did discuss how they had come to be, as by all accounts, their very existence shouldn’t be possible. They just knew that a creature of flesh and blood could not exist like they were.

They had just ended one of such discussions, and as Jasmine was going to begin reading the latest release of the Journey with Dragons series, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Figuring it was Annale or another priestess, Jasmine had called out to let them come in.

It turned out it was not Annale or a priestess but some other cleric she had never seen. The cleric was a silver-scaled dragonkin with glowing silver eyes. Jasmine knew she was a female dragonkin due to her lithe body and much shorter snout. However, the still-too-toothy smile and the symbol marking the dragonkin as a Grand Cleric put Jasmine on edge.

The Grand Cleric began to speak with the gruff voice that dragonkin are known to have. However, she was trying to make herself sound nice as she introduced herself as Grand Cleric Ravnica.

Arelion, for his part, immediately advised Jasmine not to say a word. Her brother was not very trusting, and he didn’t believe for a second that Luxana or even Setiel had any plans for them that the two would like. So, following her brother's advice, she stayed silent, letting the cleric speak.

Ravnica first spoke about replacing Annale as the other cleric was sent elsewhere. This surprised Jasmine, but she kept her face neutral. However, when the cleric spoke of Jasmine not being able to leave the temple, she couldn’t help but frown just a bit. Arelion also gave her the feeling equivalent of “See, what did I tell you,” though not in the usual sarcastic way.

In the dragonkin’s defense, her following explanation made some sense to Jasmine, and Arelion agreed with the cleric, on the whole, you are being hunted thing. Apparently, Setiel had tried to probe through her brother’s connection, but the connection was a one-way door in favor of Arelion.

Sadly, Ravnica brought up the assassin and the possibility that Rose or the orphanage would also be targeted because of them, causing a wave of emotions that she could do nothing about. Thankfully, Ravnica had continued to say that proper measures were being put in place to prohibit any more casualties, which, at the very least, helped put Jasmine at ease.

The conversation then ended as Ravnica explained the church's plans for them. They would be taught and trained in a variety of topics. From world history to more focused topics that most commoners didn’t learn about. There was also going to be combat and magic training which had brought some joy to Jasmine at the idea of using magic. On the other hand, Arelion was excited to learn how to kill things better, even if he was suspicious as to the church's motives. It made sense for them to train Jasmine, but why train him as well?

Jasmine had told him that it was probably due to him being in control half the time and the church wanting him to help keep her alive. Arelion admitted that it made sense but still refused to believe the church outright, thinking they had ulterior motives.

Having said all she had come to say, Ravnica had left Jasmine to her reading with a promise that she would be back at another time.

Following Ravnica’s visit, there was a week or so of relaxation as the cleric seemed to be preparing everything for their studies. This time of relaxation was even stretched out until after the new year's celebrations, which gave Jasmine time to thoroughly inspect the changes that came with their new state of existence.

Novaris. Unus. 904. AGC.

The first thing they learned was that their body was on a cycle, which itself had been a hell of a revelation. At first, they weren’t sure what the cycle was attached to, but a bit of reading into Luxana’s and the world’s history had given them the answer. And it was something not many people knew as the information was usually kept to Luxana’s clergy. Well, technically, Setiel’s clergy did know as well, but both goddesses had valid reasons to keep this nearly forgotten knowledge secret.

According to the literature they had found, even though their planet’s moon, Nodel, was under the control of the Eldritch God, the moon still orbited around their planet. Furthermore, something that many had forgotten was the fact that Luxana’s and Setiel’s clergy received boosts of power when the moon was in certain phases. During the full moon, Luxana’s clergy received their boost, while for Setiel’s clergy, it was during a new moon. So even though the phases of the moon can’t be seen, the two goddesses can still tap into that aspect of their embodiment and, with assistance from the World Crystal, can give boosts of power to their followers.

This meant that, as they were connected to the two goddesses and due to their new existence, they, too, were affected by the moon's unseen and ever-changing phases.

Their changes came throughout the month and peaked at each Full or New Moon. Where the biggest change would happen, causing them to change genders. During the Full Moon, they became female as Jasmine gained control of their body, while the New Moon turned them male, giving Arelion control. From there, as the rest of the phases came and went, they brought some changes but nothing as grandiose as the Full and New Moon. These changes mainly involve some minor changes in their appearances or mental capabilities.

All of the changes were shocking, and they were amazed at just how much their body could change and knew it would be a while before they could properly function. Thankfully, from what they had been learning about their future plans, they were probably going to be in the church's care for quite a while, giving them plenty of time to adjust.

With that in mind, they had been looking into what exactly they wanted to learn and train for.

One of the topics they were both interested in was their actual story. Where had they come from? Where were their parents? How was their existence possible? Sadly, Ravnica had been avoiding the questions, telling them they weren’t ready for that yet.

Getting back to actually finding what they wanted to do.

Jasmine felt she would prefer to be a caster, just relaxing in the back, helping and healing. On the other hand, Arelion wanted to be close and personal while wielding daggers and killing things with darkness.