Chapter 04: Transformation

After the weekend camping trip, Noelle and her friends returned home and went their separate ways. The tapestries and artworks within the grottoes of Mamorizuru were still stuck in Noelle's mind. She also couldn't believe the fact that the Nozawa family were Obake Yokai. They just thought it was an old wives' tale, but deep down inside, Noelle knew that the Nozawa family were honest people. Why would they lie about things like that? But never the less, Noelle didn't change her mind about the Nozawa family, and even if they were not human, they were still friends to Noelle and her father. It's obvious that race and even species doesn't matter, nice people are nice people, human or otherwise.

Noelle packs up her backpack with her art supplies and steps outside, making her way into the woods. Since her father left a note on the table, stating that he was going to be working at Rudra's from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM just for today, Noelle locks all the doors to her house before she left.

As she was walking around the woods, looking for a suitable place to sit down and sketch. Noelle loved the Springtime and Autumn seasons in Hong Kong. It was not as dry and arid like it was in Nevada, though neither place experienced a blizzard nor snowfall, and Noelle was very thankful for that. She's never experienced snowfalls in all seventeen years of her life, and she hopes that it will stay that way.

When she started to make sketches of her surrounding environment, Noelle started to feel at ease. She liked the Hong Kong country side. It seemed so much quieter than the big cities that lays right outside the area. So far, she drew a sketch of a hallow log laying across a stream, surrounded by more trees and stumps.

“Marvelous....simply marvelous!” Noelle said to herself as she admired her sketch. 

The rural countryside reminded Noelle of a scene from an animated movie by Hayao Miyazaki, only, it was for real. Noelle liked to hang out here whenever she was living with her dad. She also didn't mind the landscapes of Nevada, that ranged from deserts and mountains to grasslands with a few scattered trees here and there. Both Hong Kong and Nevada had their ups and downs. No place is perfect, but those two places were like home sweet homes for Noelle.

Noelle looks up at the sky and notices that the sun is about to set. “Oh, I better get home! I don't like being out in the dark alone....!”

Just as she turns around, Noelle sees a bush moving and some growling noises as if there was a big cat in the area. “Crap! I don't like the sound of that...!”

Out of the bushes, a rare golden tiger that appears to be a hybrid of Bengal and Amur tiger species appeared. With the black harness and metal tag the tiger wore, It was more than obvious that this tiger was someone's exotic pet that escaped from its confines. But that's not what horrified Noelle. The horrifying thing about all this is that the tiger's face was coated in human blood and had a human finger or two dangling out of its maw.

“Oh god, I don't like the looks of that beast.” Noelle quietly groans to herself in terror. Suddenly, Noelle had these odd feelings pulse through her body. “Ugh! What's happening to me?”

As the tiger got closer to Noelle, the girl was suddenly flung up off the ground and was suspended in mid-air. “What is this?”

Suddenly, Noelle felt a physical and mental transformation taking place within her mind and body. Noelle grew from her average 4'11 height to a taller 5'7”. Her hair went from black to blueish green, her eyes were not brown, but now the same blueish green color that matched her hair. Her lavender paisley tunic like shirt, her red long sleeved under shirt, her denim shorts and gold leather sandals transformed into red armor that resembled a metal leotard, complete with a teal and white belted skirt and shawl, alongside red fingerless gloves and red, gold and green thigh high boots. She also wore some emerald green hair clips that resembled green jewel wings and a sacred pair of “morning star” earrings and necklace around her neck. Last, but not least, her backpack became the legendary Polaris lance, a sacred weapon that could only belong to a legendary Valkyrie known as Mist Elmbarn.

When the transformation was complete, Mist came plunging from the sky and digs her spear into the earth, sending a wave of sharp ice crystal to attack the tiger, the severed fingers flying out of its blood soaked maws. “Come on tiger, I don't fear you!”

The tiger shrinks down into the earth, getting ready to pounce on the divine battle maiden. As it started to pounce, Mist summons a huge ice crystal to rip out of the earth and flung the tiger away from her. However, the tiger did not give up that easily. It was determined to take down Mist, despite the fact that the big cat was no match for the battle maiden's divine strength and abilities. “Is that all you got?”

Now, the tiger was even more determined to take down Mist. As the tiger opens it's blood soaked mouth to take a bite out of the Valkyrie, Mist swung her lance and blinded the tiger by slashing horizontally across the eyes. Mist felt bad about blinding the big cat, but she had no other choice.

As the tiger wanders around aimlessly, a bladed device that resembled a flying guillotine came out of nowhere and clamped down on the big cat's head. Mist's eyes widen in shock as the device pulled back and decapitated the man eating tiger with ease. While the headless body was twitching around, Mist goes over to it and stabs the twitching body in the heart with her spear, making it go limp and motionless. 

While Mist stood over the tiger's headless body, she sensed a familiar presence nearby. “Hmmm....I sense someone around here....someone I know...”

“Are you okay Mist?” a familiar male voice asked in curiosity. As Mist looked behind her, she was greeted by a tall, avian-like devil. The devil god had the appearance of a blue bird with a slightly muscular humanoid build and wore nothing but a cauldron on his head, furry little booties and a flowing white loincloth. Your average human who'd run into such a devil would more than likely run away in terror, but not Mist Elmbarn (then again, Mist wasn't human to begin with). Mist recognized this devil to be Prince Amirani, one of the seven sons of Queen Hel and Mist's beloved husband, as well as the first demonic being to ever become a Greater Einheriar.

“Ah Amirani!” Mist cheered out as she puts her lance in it's sheathe and gives her beloved a hug. “I'm so glad you came by. Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem.” Amirani said as he hugged his beloved Valkyrie back. “I'm always willing to give you a helping hand.”

As the couple got down hugging, Amirani walks over to the headless carcass and hangs his head down in pity. “You know, I felt bad for the tiger, and didn't want to kill it...but....”

“I feel bad for it too, but it had to get done.” Mist said in a somber tone of voice as she approached the dead animal. “It already ate human flesh...once a wild animal loses its fear of humans and lives off their flesh, there is no other choice than to put the animal down.”

“I understand.” Amirani sighed as he turned away from the bloody carcass. “It's a nasty job, but someone has to do it.”

“Come on, let's go.” Mist said as she beckoned Amirani to follow her though the woods. As the got even darker out, Mist started to feel rather odd. “Ugh....what's happening...”

“Mist, are you okay?” Amirani asks in concern as he held Mist up. “What's wrong?”

Right before Amirani's eyes, Mist started to slowly revert back to being Noelle Wong. “What's happening. I don't remember anything...ugh!”

Once the transformation was complete, Amirani casts a sleeping spell on Noelle, so she wouldn't freak out and run away. As Amirani scooped up Noelle into his arms, a bat with glowing magenta eyes perched right next to him. Right there, the bat started to talk to the devil prince in a young, feminine tone of voice. “Is that the one you are searching for master?”

“Oh hi Lilith.” Amirani said, trying hard as he can to hide his nervousness. “What brings you here?”

“You didn't answer my question master...” Lilith groans impatiently. “Was that girl your beloved Valkyrie wife reincarnated as a human?”

“Yes, yes she is...” Amirani replies. “However...”

“However...however what?”

“When she becomes human, she is known as Noelle Wong, and her memories as Mist, as well as her divine powers, gets sealed away. Thus, she doesn't remember these memories as being real when she becomes human. She just remembers them as a dream, and nothing more.”

“That's too bad.” Lilith signed in dismay. “However...”

“Huh?” Amirani asked.

“I do know where Noelle lives...” Lilith replied as she beckoned her master to follow her. “Come, follow me!”

---

It was now night time, Amirani follows Lilith to where Noelle's home was located. After all the flying and trying to keep out of the sight of normal humans, the devil and the demonette finally came across a one story, white and brown western styled tea house. “This is Noelle's home. Be careful master. Make sure the girl does not wake up while you're like this.”

As Amirani and Lilith crept around the yard, they approach a window that led to Noelle's room. “Are you sure this is her room Lilith?”

“Of course I'm sure.” Lilith said in a cocky tone of voice as she started to pry the windows open. As she got them open, Amirani took Noelle and jumped into the open window and into the human girl's room. Noelle's room had her artwork pinned and nailed against the wall. The art ranged from color pencil and ink drawings to watercolor and oil paintings. Amirani wanted to stick around to admire the girl's artwork, but he had to hurry. He puts Noelle in bed, tucks her in and slides out the window as fast as he could.

“Whew...I'm glad she stayed asleep.” Amirani said in relief as he and Lilith got out of the yard.

“Come on, let's hurry back to Mistress Talana in Gen-Dei.” Lilith exclaimed. “Hurry, before a human or two sees us.”

“Yes little lady!” Amirani saluted as he and Lilith flew away from the rural country near Kowloon and headed back to their Alagablettur known as Gen Dei. It all went without a hitch, since no humans caught sight of these two demons....or so they thought. “Whew, that was close...too close! I got lucky here.”

Amirani felt relieved, but also felt concern too. Since Noelle had no memory of what happened that night, he had to try and keep these secrets from her as long as she is Noelle and not Mist. But how long will luck be on his side?