Supreme Magus

Chapter 4273: Turning Red (Part 1)

The scales covering Solus’ abdomen gave it the pleasant look of washboard abs.

”On second thought, this is nice.” Everyone could tell from the tone of her voice that she was grinning under her face mask. ”I’m sorry, kids, it seems that the time for your jokes is over! I’m-”

Solus took a second look, and her eyes went wide in horror.

”Wait a minute. I haven’t been able to see my belly without a mirror ever since I hit puberty. What happened to my breasts? Where are my beloved twins?” She patted her chest, finding it hard and metallic like the rest of her body.

Only two small bumps remained where once her shapely bosom stood in defiance of gravity.

”Twins?” Aran tilted his head in confusion. ”Was Auntie Solus pregnant all along? When did she give birth?”

”Will I end as flat and Auntie Phloria as well if I awaken my bloodline, Uncle Lith?” Leria looked at the figures of the women of the family, and suddenly, becoming a Demon didn’t sound so good anymore.

”First, I’m offended.” Tista grunted. ”You should ask my advice, young lady, not Lith’s. Second, no, you won’t. Solus’ body is unchanged. When you shapeshift, part of your chest gets compressed not to offer an easy target.”

”Don’t worry, Solus.” Friya said. ”Tista and I went through the same thing, and I can assure you that everything is where it’s supposed to be. It’s just covered, as your face mask does with your teeth.”

”Thank the gods.” Solus sighed in relief. ”Wait a second. Face mask? I never had that before.”

She touched her face and sniffed her own breath, smelling the familiar scent of sulfur.

”You are right. I’m like Lith now, which means that maybe I’ve also gained Origin Flames. Being able to purify your materials on your own is the dream of every Forgemaster!”

Solus had fused more than once with Lith, both in mind and body. Controlling the scales of a face mask and conjuring Origin Flames were second nature to her, and she acted out of reflex.

”Solus, no!” Tista and Friya recognized the familiar clicking of sliding scales and jumped forward.

Tista even unfurled her wings, but alas, she was too far and too late. She barely managed to cover her friend’s nether regions with her longest pinions before Solus managed to remove the scales covering her maw, chest, and privates.

”Guys, look! I do have Origin Flames, and they are already violet!” Solus breathed a controlled burst of mystical fire as her breasts emerged from their armored shell, revealing that the transformation had diminished none of their glory.

As the Origin Flames faded and she realized her mistake, she even had the time to notice that her red skin underneath the scales closely resembled that of an Indech.

”Look away! Look away!” Solus wrapped her wings around herself, literally bursting into flames from the embarrassment.

”What’s her problem?” Aran shrugged.

”Yeah, that’s nothing much.” Teryon replied. ”My mom’s breasts are bigger. Isn’t that right, Mom?”

”Yes, but that’s not something you should say in public, dear.” Rena blushed hard. ”Even in front of our family.”

”That was interesting.” Morok pondered.

”Morok!” Quylla snarled, afraid of a rude comment.

”Hey, I just noticed her red skin and was wondering if it’s connected to her potential Indech side.” The Tyrant snarled back. ”I’m not staring at Solus wide-eyed like Nalrond.”

Everyone quickly turned to the Agni, who was even quicker in regaining his cool and feigning innocence.

”I don’t know what you are talking about.” He said, clearing his throat.

”Lith, are you red down under as well?” Morok ignored the pathetic denial. ”I’m not interested in the size of your wand. I’m only curious to understand if a Tiamat is an Indech covered in Dragon Scales.”

”There are way too many things off for a Tiamat to be something so simple, but I see your point.” Lith replied. ”The color is definitely red.”

”That’s not what I’m asking.” Morok sighed. ”I know this is awkward, man, but I too have scales in my Tyrant form. My skin underneath is turning reddish, and I want to know if it means that my life force is progressing in the right direction. Please.”

Lith wasn’t embarrassed by the question so much as he had never paid much attention to those details. He spent most of his time in human form, shapeshifting only for battle, training a specific bloodline ability, or adventurous role-plays.

”Kami?” He asked, inwardly praying that she would make no gestures and stick to the relevant facts.

”They are almost identical.” She replied, lowering her eyes in embarrassment.

”Why does Aunt Kami know-”

”Shush, Aran.” Raaz cut him short, eager to change the topic. ”I’ll explain it to you when you are older.”

”Why? In four years, I might enroll in an academy. What’s going to be different by then?” Aran grunted.

”Because.” Raaz frowned, putting an end to the conversation.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, Solus was still in hot water.

”The scales don’t go back! Why don’t they go back into place?” She whined, keeping her wings as tight as she could. ”What if they are jammed? Can they jam? What if they remain stuck like this?”

”They are not jammed.” Friya shook her head. ”The same happened to me. You just need to relax.”

”How can I relax when I just exposed myself in front of my entire family and friends?” Solus cried flaming tears.

”This is your tower, Solus. Warp them away, Warp yourself to your room, or conjure a wall. The possibilities are endless.” Tista said.

”Good point.” A quick Warp to her room and a few minutes of awkward silence later, Solus had learned how to control the scales that covered the different parts of her body and even to shapeshift back and forth in her human and new form.

”I’m still naked, though. What happened to my armor?” The Voidwalker armor crawled to her feet in the form of what looked like a sorry puddle. ”By my Mom, what happened?”

”You happened.” Menadion answered the call. ”During your breakthrough, you emitted violent bursts of Origin Flames plus whatever that molten metal that covered your body was.

”The only reason you didn’t harm the Sage Staff is that it abandoned the burning ship the moment the Staff smelled trouble.”

”Bad, Mom! Bad!” The Staff peeked in the room from the safety of the Armory. ”You scare me. You try hurt me!”

”I’m so sorry.” Solus extended her hand, and the Staff went to her. ”I didn’t know what was going to happen, I swear.”

”Me believe you.” The Staff replied. ”You back, Mom! All of you!”

”What do you- Fuck me sideways!” Solus looked in the mirror, finding her belly fat exactly where she had left it. ”Why? Gods, why? It was the only silver lining of this horrible day!”

”If you ask me, Mogar converted the extra weight into mass when you turned into a Divine Beast.” Menadion said. ”A few kilos are a drop in the ocean compared to the tons your body needed.

”When you revert to your human form, however, your life force remembers what you are supposed to look like.”