Google link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/.....it?usp=sharing

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Chapter 2

Reaching the academy was both easier and harder than the girls expected it to be. Easier because no one really wanted to get in the way of a 120ft. long, 6 ton snake. Especially since it didn’t really seem to know how to move properly. On the other hand, Jessica kept accidentally crushing small things, like vehicles, under her new bulk whenever she forgot just how much more of her there was. Or accidently knocking things down with her wings.

Or breaking windows on the third story.

It was something of a relief to finally make it to the Academy grounds. The large, winding paths through the gardens made it easy to move without accidentally crushing something or knocking something over, and the white marble buildings that made up the Academy proper were quite hard to damage by mistake. Even the windows. Of course, this is where they found a new problem.

“How, exactly, am I going to fit through the doors?” Jessica asked, looking at the large, but still only meant for a human, doorway in front of her. Her head was wider than it was, so it was a very valid question.

“Switch back to your human form?” Jasmine suggested. Jessica gave her a silent glare. “It was just a suggestion? I mean, mythics are supposed to be able to switch whenever they want. Useful, considering how large most of you are supposed to be.”

“Supposedly. But it’s not like I haven’t been trying this entire time. It would have made things so much easier if I could have simply walked like normal.” Jessica said with a shake of her head. “Maybe you should just go in and see if you can bring the Headmaster here?”

“I suppose.” Jasmine said. “Just don’t move too far. I hate it when you wander off and we have to find you again.”

“Yes. Because you’re going to have so much trouble finding a 120ft. rainbow snake.” Jessica returned.

“Er. Right.” Jasmine coughed. She turned to leave. “I’ll just go get the Headmaster, now.” With that, she made her way into the academy proper.

Jessica sighed as her friend left. While she normally would wander a little bit, she was afraid she’d break something if she did that as she was now. Having to wait for Jasmine to get back with the Headmaster was going to be an annoying wait. She had to run all the way to the third floor where his office was, convince him to come down, and then actually make it back.

Wait, third floor. Wasn’t she accidently knocking out windows on the third floor? Maybe she could just knock on his window?

With that thought, Jessica quickly moved around the building until she was under where she thought the Headmaster's office was. Slowly raising herself off the ground until her head was level with the window. She gently, or as gently as she could, tapped it with her nose.

Well, slammed it with her nose, really. Still, it only made the window shake, even if she really wanted to rub her nose, now.

More importantly, it worked. A moment after her ‘tap’, the headmaster came over to the window and looked out. A moment of surprise passed across his bearded face before he simply stepped forward and opened the window. “Now, who sent you?” He asked, confidence clear in his voice.

“Er, no one sent me.” Jessica said, with a small shake of her head. “We were actually hoping you could help me. See, I just found out I was a Mythic. And Jasmine was hit with a soul harvesting spell. She should be up in a minute.”

“Jasmine? And Jessica, I presume?” The snake nodded. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you, of all our students, to awaken this type of power. Not that there’s really a way to predict it, admittedly.” He turned around and walked back to one of his bookcases and began looking through them. “I take it you need somewhere to start with your practice?” He asked without turning around.

“I’d like to start with turning back my human self. It’s rather difficult to move without breaking things, like I am now.” Jessica said, looking back towards the path of, relatively minor, destruction she caused getting here. “I’d rather not have to worry about accidentally crushing someone's lift every time I shift.”

The Headmaster chuckled. “Understandable. Don’t worry, I have a book that might help you figure out the basics.”

And that’s when the Headmaster's door slammed open and Jasmine rushed in. “Headmaster! You have to come down and help us! Jessica turned into aaaa, er…” She trailed off as she noticed Jessica's head outside the window. “Oh. Hi Jessica. What are you doing there?”

“Oh, well, I figured this was faster.” Jessica said, quickly looking away from her friend.

“Ah. Well. I guess it is. Um. I guess the Headmaster knows?” Jasmine asked.

“That I do.” He said. “Give me a minute, I’ll give you a quick check up. Better safe than sorry where soul magic is concerned. First, however…” He pulled a book off of the bookshelf and walked back over to Jessica. “This book details some of the basics of being a Mythic. It’s rather vague in most places, but it should, in the very least, help you change back to being human.” He quickly paged through the book until he found what he was looking for, and placed it on the window sill where Jessica could see. “That should tell you what you need to know.”

“Uhm, right. The words are so small, though…”

“Now, Jasmine, if you’d come stand over here, please? We’ll start on you.” The Headmaster motioned towards a small circle on the floor. Jasmine nodded and moved into it so that he could begin.

Jessica turned to the book. While she might not particularly like the Headmaster, that was mostly just him being an authority figure, really. He’d never done anything to imply he didn’t have his students best interest in mind.

Not that she was aware of, anyways.

Regardless. The pages of the book were covered in small print, so a bit harder to read at her size than she was used to, but she found that her eyes could adjust themselves for small detail really easily. Took her a minute to get used to the trick, though. Once she did, however, she found that the text was a ‘quick and dirty’ solution to her shape shifting problem. Unlike most magic books she’d seen, it completely skipped all the theory and general fiddly bits that mages liked to put in.

Almost as if it was intended for someone with no background to simply pick up and use when they’ve suddenly found themselves in a form they didn’t know they had…

As it turned out, the process was fairly simple. She’d actually guessed most of it, already. She needed to picture her old self in her mind first. Simple step, and from what she knew, the first step of most transformation spells. Next, she had to push it out. Harder to do than it sounded, of course, but simple. And so on like that. What she hadn’t guessed was the need to pull an image of her current self in at the same time. So she did that.

Well, tried to, anyways. Turned out to be rather difficult to do two things in opposite directions at once without some practice. Still, she got it on her third try, so no harm done.

Once she did manage, however, she found the world was much duller than it was before. Sound and color muted. Light and details less defined. Coupled with the sudden feeling of being really small, she could understand why most mythic supposedly spent most of their time in their monstrous forms. The world just seemed better that way.

Of course, now she had to walk all the way up the stairs to check on Jasmine, but at least she could now fit through the door.

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As much as she hated climbing so many stairs at once, Jessica had to admit, they weren't as bad as they used to be. Maybe her awakening had changed her human form, to? Something to find out about later, she supposed.

The Headmaster was just finishing up with Jasmine as Jessica walked through the door, and she turned to look at her friend with a grin. “I'm a ok.” Jasmine said, “Just like I told you I would be. And you figured out how to be human again.”

“I.. did, yeah.” Jessica said, looking around the room. “Everything seems so much different than I remember, though.”

The headmaster chuckled. “That makes sense.” He said. “Awakenings tend to involve a large shift in perspective. Regardless, everything seems to be fine with both of you. Why don't you head on home and let me know if anything else comes up tomorrow?” The girls nod. “And Jessica, go ahead and take that book with you.”

“Ah, right. Thanks.” Jessica said, before moving over to take the book off the window sill. “Thank you so much. For everything.”

With that, the girls made for the door, the Headmaster waving them on their way.

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After everything that had happened in the last few hours, the walk home was surprisingly mundane. The girls walked in silence until they had to go different ways, each considering how their lives would change.

And they avoided the alleys.