The words struck Madame Beatrice like a physical blow. Her breathing became labored, shallow gasps that echoed in the suddenly oppressive silence. The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the very atmosphere had turned hostile.
"Dead?" The word escaped her lips as barely more than a whisper, but it carried the weight of a scream. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, panic clawing at her throat. "What do you mean dead?"
The question came out strangled, her voice climbing higher with each syllable. Her hands trembled as she gripped the edges of the couch, knuckles white against the dark velvet. The hollow sensation she'd felt moments before now seemed to expand, threatening to consume her entirely.
Lara's expression remained composed, though a flicker of something—perhaps regret, perhaps pity—crossed her features. She leaned forward slightly, her voice measured and clinical.
"We don't currently have access to any beyonder ingredients nor potions for your use," she began, her words deliberate and careful. "The Council monitors such things too closely. So Capella... she injected some of her own blood and essence inside of you."
Beatrice's eyes widened, her breathing becoming more erratic. "What does that—"
"It caused you to retain some of her powers," Lara continued, cutting through the rising hysteria. "But in the process, you perished. However, Capella used a soul-type ritualistic magic—something she learned through her divine connection. She trapped almost three-quarters of your spirit within your body, still anchoring you to this realm."
The words seemed to echo in the chamber, each syllable hanging heavy in the air. Beatrice's face cycled through expressions of confusion, terror, and dawning understanding. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a fish gasping for air.
"But... but what does this mean?" she finally managed, her voice cracking.
Lara's lips curved into something that might have been a smile, though it held no warmth. "It means you finally got your wish. You've become something extraordinary. Something beyond the mundane world that once confined you."
The explanation settled over Beatrice like a shroud. She sat in stunned silence, processing the magnitude of what had been done to her. The hunger she'd felt, and the hollow sensation that gnawed at her being.
"Am I..." she whispered, the words barely audible above the ambient sounds of the outside lightning striking in the distance. "Am I like a beyonder now?"
A wide, almost manic smile spread across Lara's face. She leaned closer, her breath warm against Beatrice's ear as she whispered, "You have obtained the power you wished for. Power beyond your wildest dreams. You no longer shall live the life of normalcy you dreaded, you have become a part of something extraordinary. And all you must do is continue to serve Capella faithfully."
The revelation hit Beatrice like a thunderbolt. Her mind reeled, struggling to process the enormity of what had transpired. The influx of emotions—joy, terror, excitement, loss—crashed over her in waves, each one threatening to drag her under. Her sanity, already strained by the transformation, began to fray at the edges.
She understood, with crystalline clarity, that she was no longer human. She was something else entirely. Finally something extraordinary.
A low chuckle escaped her lips, quiet at first but growing in intensity. Her shoulders shook as the laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep within her chest. "This was all I ever wanted," she gasped between fits of hysterical mirth. "All I ever dreamed of!"
Tears streamed down her face, though whether from joy or grief, she couldn't say. The laughter continued for several long moments before gradually subsiding, leaving her spent and hollow-eyed.
When she finally composed herself, something fundamental had shifted. The light in her eyes had changed—no longer the desperate longing of a woman seeking purpose, but something colder, more calculating. The transformation had awakened something predatory within her.
"What's next?" she asked, her voice now carrying an edge of steel that hadn't been there before.
Lara straightened, apparently pleased with the change she observed. "You must continue your role at the orphanage. Act as you always have—interact with no one unnecessarily, maintain your position, and continue to consolidate your influence among the staff. When I give the signal, you will propose to step down as head of the orphanage and recommend me as your replacement."
Beatrice nodded solemnly, the instructions settling into her mind with focused clarity. It was then that both women became aware of a spiritual disturbance—waves of spirituality emanating from Capella's meditation circle.
For the first time, Beatrice could feel the supernatural forces at work. The sensation was intoxicating, a validation of her transformation that sent a thrill through her newly altered form. She had never experienced such spiritual sensitivity before, and this instantly filled her with dark satisfaction.
The two women then completely turned their attention to Capella, whose body had begun to emit an otherworldly aura. Dark reddish and pink energies swirled around her form, so potent that they manifested visibly in the physical realm—something that should have been impossible outside of cogitation and spiritual sight.
Massive veins began to spread beneath the girl's skin like a network of black spider webs. Her flesh took on a rougher texture, resembling tree bark more than human skin. The transformation looked excruciatingly painful and terrifying to witness.
Lara's eyes narrowed with concern as she recognized the signs of her daughter beginning to lose control, but she dared not interrupt the delicate ritual process. To do so could prove catastrophic.
Capella's skin tone darkened, shifting from its usual pale complexion to a deep red, then settling into a light brown hue. Small branches began to sprout from various points on her body—her shoulders, her arms, even from her temples. Yet through it all, she maintained her meditative posture, her breathing steady and controlled.
Gradually, the effects began to subside. The branches withdrew, and the veins faded, and her skin returned to its normal appearance. The process had taken several minutes, but felt like an eternity to the two women watching.
Finally, Capella's eyes opened slowly, revealing orbs of pure darkness—no whites visible, only an endless void that seemed to swallow light itself. When she spoke, her voice carried a resonance that seemed to come from somewhere beyond the physical realm.
"I am The Mother Tree of Desire; Father of Devils; Lord of Deviants; Source of Curses; Perpetual Blatherer; Heartless God; I am Capella Emerada Lugunica."
The words hung in the air like an incantation, each syllable thrumming with power. As the chant concluded, the whites slowly returned to her eyes, and the candle flames around her flared with an unnatural black light before extinguishing completely.
Capella's face showed no emotion yet on the inside, she was brimming with joy and excitement. At last she had achieved her plan to stand on equal footing with the divine!
'So it worked, I can chant 'Her' full honorific name without any backlash nor will she be notified. After finally absorbing a piece of her essence, everything has now truly started! I am essentially slowly replacing 'Her' until I can ascend past the sequence and become the new Mother Tree Of Desire.'
Reaching between her breasts, Capella withdrew a small piece of paper bearing an intricate drawing of the Mother Tree of Desire. She held it tightly in her palm, and when she opened her hand, the paper had been reduced to charred ash that scattered in the still air.
Standing slowly, she dispelled the wall of spirituality that had surrounded her meditation space. "My spiritual power should now be equivalent to that of a Sequence 4 demigod," she announced with quiet satisfaction.
"No attacks that affect the soul from a sequence four or under no longer have the capabilities to severely harm me, and that is all I've needed."
Hearing this, both Lara and Beatrice began to offer words of praise, but Capella raised her hand, silencing them immediately. Her expression turned serious, almost grave.
"From now on, we won't have to worry about 'Her' interfering with our plans," she declared. "Mother, we can immediately proceed with the ascension ritual to Sequence 8: Sex Addict." She said turning her head to face Lara with a sinister grin.
A lustful expression flickered across Capella's features as she contemplated the powers of the advancement, but Lara visibly shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the pathway's name. The reaction went unnoticed by Capella, who was already moving on to other matters.
Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to the immediate concerns. "I will be entering the exploration team soon. It's time I truly lived up to my reputation as the holy child after all."
Lara solemnly nodded and devotedly replied, "It is as you wish."
The room then fell into a deep silence as the weight of her words settled over them. All of the pieces were falling into place, and their grand design was finally beginning to take shape in the forsaken City Of Silver.