The Heavens Shall Fall

By the time Siu and Quillian returned to the Red Leaf, it was already dark. Lanterns had been lit along the Public Road, and the day’s rush had mostly ended. The shops that remained open did so with half-closed doors, while the workers prepared to leave. Not that Siu was paying any attention to any of that, because every sound or noise he heard was as if he was listening to them from underwater.

His legs hurt. His arms hurt. His back hurt. His fingers hurt. Even his thoughts hurt, and he felt like he now understood how an old, hunchbacked man was feeling at the end of a day. Well, looking at Quillian walking beside him, he wasn't that sure anymore, because the old man with an actual hunchback looked way too alert and awake. His contrast was the most visible against Arya and Marly, who were just as exhausted, only lying on Siu's shoulders without thinking about anything.

“You are walking like I broke both your legs, boy,” Quillian said suddenly.

“I feel like you did.”

“Bah, don't be such a wuss! This is what training is about! If you ain't coming back from it feeling like collapsing, you ain't doing it right.”

“I guess...”

“I'm serious.” Quillian said, his tone actually turning serious, "I told you, you have to empty yourself and then refill it. This is the emptying part. Otherwise, you won't expand yourself properly; this is how it works. You push your limits, always, until you can do it no longer. That is when you know you are ready for the next Circle."

They reached the Red Leaf soon after. The shop was dark except for one lamp burning behind the counter, and Quillian locked the door behind them and pointed toward the stairs.

“Go, have a bath, and then sleep. I would tell you to meditate, but you wouldn't be able to. After the first few such trainings, nobody really can.” He smiled, holding the notebook, filled with new ideas in his hands, "But you will get used to it later, and then, I will send you to proper meditation rooms when we are done with training."

"Thank you, Senior," Siu said, not arguing at all, and headed towards the stairs.

“Tomorrow, you rest until midday." He called after him, "After that, cultivation. I will book you an appropriate room.”

Siu barely heard the last part. After getting to his room, he filled his tub with water, climbed into it, and hissed loudly because, to his surprise, it hurt. There wasn't even any medicine in this one, so it shocked him, quite literally, but, considering all the bruises visible on his body, it made sense.

Arya and Marly were no better when they both sank into the water, although, to his surprise, neither of them complained, just floated atop the tub, half-awake. Sitting there, enjoying the moonlight coming through the window, it felt really peaceful. Maybe it was because of his tiredness that Siu missed the fact that whenever Arya turned over, floating in the water, her fur was glinting in a strange light. He even missed it when he got out, drying the two, thinking it was just the shine of her wet fur, before he collapsed onto the bed face-first, wanting to sleep.

Feeling the same way, Arya climbed onto his back while Marly squeezed herself against his side. Then Arya shifted, placing her chin between Siu’s shoulder blades, finally murmuring something.

“I am going to get stronger,” she said, quietly, "So nobody can insult us like that old bastard did..."

"Mhm," Siu opened one eye against the pillow. “I know.” He answered, missing the fact that Arya's words weren't coming from their bond, but from her mouth.

“I will be... Strong enough that no old rotten shelf-rat can look at me like that again...”

"Mhm..." Siu’s eye closed by then, humming his answer. He was too tired to speak his thoughts, but he was happy that Arya had her own motivation. It was probably dangerous to harbor hatred like that, but he would deal with it tomorrow.

That's how they went to sleep, with the moonlight shining across the bed, straight onto Arya, whose breathing slowed considerably in the following minutes. Then, around midnight, Arya’s ears twitched. A faint silver thread appeared along the edge of her fur, spreading, starting to go along her whole body, covering her from head to toe. The moonlight gathered around her like mist, and as she breathed, it disappeared into her lungs. However, it wasn't gone, because the white tips on her ears and tail began glowing, brighter and brighter as she kept swallowing it, until their rhythmic pulsing sent more and more moonlight over her body.

Despite it all, neither Siu nor Marly woke up to it. As Arya's body began growing warmer and warmer, her limbs soon started to stretch. Her tail lengthened first, flowing out across Siu's body. Then, her paws changed next, her claws turning into human hands with slightly longer nails. Then, her body shifted, and it didn't look painful or violent at all. Simply, the fur began receding, turning into pale, smooth skin, the color of moonlight. Siu’s back sank slightly under a new weight pressing him down, especially as Arya's body kept growing, growing, and growing. Evidently, all the meat she had eaten was finally finding a place to reappear.

It was then that Marly’s nose twitched, sensing a new smell, and she opened one sleepy eye. For three full seconds, she simply stared at the unknown woman sleeping on top of her Master. Then her eye widened, because the change was not over yet.

“Mmmhmhmh?!?”

Arya’s ears grew larger, and her fur changed into long, flowing black hair, still shining in the moonlight, especially when it danced across its silky threads. Siu finally also woke up because he could not breathe properly, feeling that something heavy was sitting on his back. His eyes opened slowly, and for a moment, he saw only darkness, his head stuck in his pillow, Arya's new black hair covering his face.

"What the..." He blinked as he managed to almost eat some of that hair, smacking his lips.

"Mhm..." Arya moaned in an enchanting, mature voice.

That was when Siu finally registered that something warm and pleasantly heavy lay across his back and side. Wasn't Arya there? But... This thing was much heavier than Arya. Wait... This thing was much larger than Arya. And it had arms?! He knew it did, because one such arm was draped over him. Trying to move and starting to grab around, he could feel her tail, impossibly long and soft, covering half his legs.

"Who...? What?" Siu’s mind, still mostly asleep, tried to solve the problem, with not much success.

“Mmm... Master?” Arya said, and Siu only knew it was her, because he felt her not only voice it, but think the question, too. However, the voice... it made him shiver, and his blood started to rush downward from his head.

Siu froze at once, quickly taking control of it, before he would do something weird. Now that Arya began moving, slowly, carefully, Siu turned his head and looked back over his shoulder and saw that a woman's face was yawning back at him. She looked beautiful, with big fox ears, with the same patterns Arya had. Then, as she opened her eyes, the familiar pair of gold and silver gems looked back at him, clearly, slightly confused. Then, she noticed Siu's weird expression, and a smug little smirk appeared on her face.

"Naughty Master!" She giggled, her voice way too seductive, "I can sense what you are thinking... fufufufu! Naughty, naughty!"

"Um... Big Sis? Is that you?" Marly asked, totally floored, and Arya finally flinched, because she realized that something was off.

"It is... me... Am I speaking?" She muttered, then she looked down, and she saw her hands, watching as there were fingers instead of paws. Her eyes widened even more, and she hurriedly pushed herself up. Siu made a strangled sound as her weight shifted onto his ribs and saw something heavy bouncing before Arya's chest, unbalancing her. "Whoa! LOOK AT THESE BADONKERS!"

“Arya—” Siu began, turning his back, with Arya still sitting atop of him, without clothes.

“I have hands!” She stretched them out, then grabbed onto herself, "DAMN! Look at this, Master! I'm perfect! I'm bigger than Seloryn, or Neya, or anyone! Bigger than that Grand Elder was! Nyahahaha! I'm the biggest! Look, look! They go boing-boing! They are even making that sound!"

"Elder Delia is bigger." Marly offered, but Arya just ignored that part.

“Yes. I noticed.” Siu muttered, trying to keep himself in check, which was harder than any training he had had until now.

“I have the thing, too!" Arya continued without listening, "Weird. It's smooth... And it's a bit chilly like this, isn't it?” she muttered, pushing her chest down to lean forward and look between her legs, "Huh. Oh well! Do you want to test it?!"

"..."

Maybe it was the best nobody answered anything, so Arya, amazed with how she looked, touched her own cheeks, and kept exploring her new body. Her hands moved to her ears, hair, and then her tail, making her giggle as it felt ticklish. Then she looked down at herself properly and saw how the moonlight had wrapped around her like transparent clothing, getting absorbed by her naked skin, making her feel... powerful.

“Oh.” She exclaimed, touching the moonlight as it stuck to her fingers like viscous liquid.

"Big Sis," Marly sniffed the edge of her. “You smell like... Like... I never smelled something like this.”

“You are, my dear," She grinned at her, "You are smelling the word beautiful.”

"..." Siu still just stared at her, and Arya turned her head to him, tilting it slightly, letting her hair fall over one shoulder, smiling again. The way her eyes shone, Siu felt her powers almost invading him, not menacingly but... She clearly didn't have full control over them at that moment. A bit afraid of what it would cause, he rubbed his face, pinching his own cheeks. “Congratulations on the transformation.”

“Nyahahaha! I transformed magnificently, didn't I?”

“You are heavy.”

“Oi, oi, oi, Master!" She pouted, looking down and pinching her stomach, playing with it, "I transformed to the right weight. You can hold me and snuggle with me, because I'm soft where I need to be. This is the golden ratio that all the cultivation books describe! Or something.”

“Arya.”

"So," She ignored him and lifted both hands, flexing her fingers again. "Want me to test them out on you, Master? I bet I can grip it well! Or, want me to do it with my legs? Oh! I got super legs!" Then her eyes flashed even more dangerously, “I can kick Pellan the next time we meet. Right in the balls... Egg-cracking time!”

"And we will stop right there!" Siu sat up, grabbing her waist, making her moan theatrically, as he was trying not to dislodge her too quickly, ignoring her shouts of being poked. “Can you stand?”

"Why?" Arya’s ears twitched, but she just shrugged, “Of course I can.”

That confidence lasted until she tried, because her first attempt resulted in her pushing one knee into Siu’s stomach.

“Oof!” He winced, the breath getting kicked out of him without being ready for it.

“Sorry...” She blushed, but then her second attempt tangled her in the blanket. "What the... Uuuu! Moving hands and legs feels weird!"

Marly tried to help by biting the blanket and pulling, which, of course, did not help. It took Siu a good minute to unwrap her again and pull her up from the bed, seeing her wobble a little. However... after standing... She was almost his height. Taller, if he counted the ears into it.

“I am tall!" She exclaimed, measuring herself to Siu with one hand. “With ears, I am taller.”

“That does not count,” Siu said flatly, but of course, it meant nothing.

“It does.”

"Big Sis, Big Sis!" Marly bounced in place. “Can you pick me up?”

Arya immediately reached down, grabbed Marly under the front legs, and lifted her, putting her between her breasts. At the same time, Marly had an expression that told everyone it was the softest, most comfortable place she had ever nestled in. Naturally, Arya’s face lit with pure triumph.

“I. Am. GREAT!”

"Soft!" Marly agreed, going limp. “I'm going back to sleep now...”

It was then that Arya turned toward the small mirror hanging beside the washing basin, trying to move closer. Her walking was awkward at first, but improved quickly, helped by her tail swinging behind her. It still felt weird to step on two legs instead of four, but she felt incredible, especially seeing her own face, checking out her lips and long eyelashes, sticking out her tongue with a giggle. Closing her mouth, Arya turned from the mirror with a grand sweep of hair that nearly knocked over the wash basin, which Siu caught just in time.

“Careful.”

“Sorry...” She muttered, blushing, but her tail was now swinging like the happiest puppy in the world.

Then, before Siu could stop her, she threw herself back onto the bed, and the entire mattress bounced, just like her body. The moment she did so, Marly went airborne for half a breath, getting shot out like a cork, making her squeak from being woken back up like that, and stretched herself out, landing straight back in her 'pillows.'

“Arya!”

“What?” She spread herself comfortably across the bed, tail curling around her seductively, glancing at Siu. “Come on, Master! I need to learn to move properly... I need to upgrade my... butt-wiggling!”

“Maybe one day,” Siu said without thinking, but Arya just began grinning even more, becoming super confident, enjoying the look on her Master's face.

For the next hour or so, Arya tried standing, walking, sitting, picking up things, then holding them without crushing any of them. Then she went back, touching her own ears, moving her tail on purpose, and of course, checking herself out as much as she could. Through it all, she kept speaking aloud instead of only through their bond. Of course, she could still speak through it, too, but she clearly loved hearing her own voice. It was while testing things that, when the moon's light disappeared behind the clouds, Arya also managed to blend into the room's shadows, almost becoming invisible. The only sign of her was the glow in her eyes, making Siu inhale sharply.

“I'm calling this Moon Form!” Arya exclaimed as she reappeared just as the moonlight came back.

“What do you feel?” Siu asked, also curious about it, but Arya's answer was simple.

“I feel better.”

“Stronger?”

"Mmm..." She considered that seriously, crossing her arms, puffing her chest up, “Yeah. And fuller.”

In the end, somehow, Siu made Arya put on his robes, which took some negotiation because she insisted her new form deserved the center of everyone's attention. Despite the excitement, it was still late at night, and Siu didn't want to make a fuss about it just yet... He was afraid that if he took Arya down now, she would start undressing and doing something stupid.

“Arya,” Siu muttered after he suggested that they should try to go back to bed, and got everyone lying down.

“Mmm?”

“You are still heavy.” He moaned because Arya refused to share the bed normally, and she just climbed on top of him.

“You like it. I know, because we share a bond, Master.” She grinned, their noses touching.

He was too tired to answer, so he decided to try to sleep instead of unpacking all that just then. As for the morning, it came quickly as the sunlight began spreading across the room a few hours later. When it reached Arya, her ear twitched, and then her whole body flashed, without any warning. When it happened, the silvery moonlight around her disappeared, replaced by the golden shine of the sun, and Arya's skin also changed, becoming a much more tanned version of her previous self. It was not all, because she began shrinking, and Siu woke to a sudden weightlessness, as the pressure on him disappeared.

“Ow... Tingly...” Arya muttered, her voice much more like how Siu remembered it.

Waking up and looking down at his stomach, a small figure sat there now. She didn't turn back to her original form, but she shrank, becoming not only smaller but flatter. Much flatter. Her hair remained long and dark, her ears still foxlike, her eyes still bright, but her body now only reached up to Siu's stomach.

"Eeeeeh?!" She looked down at her hands with a loud yell, "MAAASTEEEER! I'M DYING! I'M DISAPPEARING! I'M MELTING AWAY!"

"No, you are not." He said firmly, holding back a laugh, because his robe on her was now way too big, making her get lost in it.

Arya’s expression crumpled at the realization, her eyes filling up with tears.

“No...” She sniffled, "No... nonononono! I want my boing-boings back! There are no boings here at all! Nowhere! Master, someone cursed me! We need to find a fix! You need to heal me, Master!"

"Whoa," Marly muttered, also waking up, "Big Sis became Little Sis. How ugly."

“Nooooo!” Arya cried out, her tears coming out like waterfalls, dousing both Siu and Marly.

For almost ten minutes, she just trashed around, throwing a massive tantrum, kicking the blankets, swearing at the sun, yelling at her own powers, trying to hide under the bed, thinking the darkness would make her 'swell back up,' but none of that helped.

"Apparently," Siu said with a shrug, rubbing her head, trying to placate the pouting, sniffling, and moaning foxgirl, "Daylight has a different effect on you than moonlight. We just have to... investigate it, hm?"

"Old Quillian!" Arya's head snapped upwards, headbutting Siu, who had to groan, rubbing his nose that got almost broken, "Yes! The old man will know how to make me big again... Let's go!"

With a yell, she jumped off the bed, got her legs tangled up in Siu's oversized robes, and landed face-first on the floor, resulting in another loud tantrum before Siu managed to drag her down to the Red Leaf.