Chapter 38

So, the next dawn, we left for the Great Forest, we informed the Guildmaster of the city we lived in that we would be embarking on a journey for a few weeks, so we wouldn't be available for any quests he needed us for.

We obviously couldn't activate my artifact so close to the city, so close to prying eyes, who knew who was watching.

Due to this we had decided beforehand to use Empyrian's Starlight Dew when we were out of sight.

We continued marching on for several hours before entering a local forest, the sun was beginning to fully lift itself up into the sky, and that was where we planned to fully disguise ourselves through the illusions afforded to us by my stolen treasure.

So, after traveling deep enough, we stopped, and I brandished the artifact, the silvery pendant gleamed with untold power as I activated it, enveloping us all in a magical mist that shifted into the form I commanded it to.

When it was all done, we all stood changed, at least nearly all of us.

Eve was unchanged, not exactly needing a disguise, since that would defeat the entire purpose for our mission.

Wrai's snow-like hair turned gold, a luscious blond, and it wasn't just him, Bastien and Verica also joined him with the same hair color.

Though Verica already had blonde hair, I changed its shade to avoid association.

All three of them also now sported green eyes, and their ears lengthened and became pointed and sharp.

They now all looked like proper elves, perfectly capable of hiding their true identity, even with my advanced senses that were even more developed than the average elf due to my high level, couldn't tell that they weren't what they seemed.

The light had also changed me, though, the difference was that they weren't hiding their true selves, no, they left me instead. Revealing to the world, for the first time in the last five years, what I truly looked like.

All of them, after inspecting each other were staring at me, in naked astonishment, it felt weird, not having to wear the disguise, no longer having that weight upon my frame.

But it also felt freeing, liberating, as I could feel the world around me, without the thin membrane surrounding, protecting me, but also slightly inhibiting my senses.

I could see my monochrome hair fall over my discolored eyes, and I could feel a wave of nostalgia fill me, something I was completely unprepared for, the slight change in my skin tone, being just a little more pale than I was used to, my ears returning to their natural form and all the other minor variations that now left me.

I was perfectly aware that they were all still staring at me, and I felt a little self conscious.

"What?"

My voice seemed to snap them all out of their trances, all but one, Eve stayed like that, and a look of familiarity settled in her eyes.

"So, you give us all identical looks, but you get the special treatment. Prettying yourself up like that, a little out of character, wouldn't you say?

Though, I guess you always had a bit of an ego." These comments were provided by none other than our esteemed premier mage, who spoke with a smirk decorating her unchanged face.

They evidently didn't put together the pieces, that this was my true form.

I didn't bother correcting her, I already promised to discuss this when this was all over.

I just smiled at her.

Partly out of amusement, but mostly due to the massive amounts of irony coloring her statement.

The truth was, I didn't want to reveal how I really looked like this way, but I had no other choice, the Empyrian's Starlight Dew couldn't support that many illusions at the same time, that was why I had to forfeit the disguise I had worn for the past few years.

Even now, I had to be careful to charge it up repeatedly, otherwise it would all fall apart.

It was all too strange, I felt like I was simultaneously floating and drowning at the same time. It has been some time since I felt this vulnerable, perhaps not since the first time my mother thought it fit to teach me.

It was all going to be over soon anyways.

This was most likely going to be our final adventure together, and that idea kinda hurt me.

Something I didn't expect, but that's just par for the course nowadays isn't it, it always felt like I was constantly unprepared for all the eventualities I find myself in.

I don't think we can survive my betrayal.

From a different perspective, this might have seemed funny in a way, the most powerful team of adventurers in the entire nation, felled by one of their own.

But it wasn't for me.

In fact, it was all just a little sad.