viaelyr

Apologies for the wait, it wasn't my intent to let this lapse for as long as it did. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 9 - Compromise (cw: possession) Annie’s eyes fluttered, opening slowly as the weight of her eyelids made the small action feel insurmountable. An unusual silence lay over the apartment as Annie pushed past her exhaustion to fully awaken. “Annie!” Sam cried aloud and rushed over to the crib where Annie was beginning to fidget. Confusion and surprise were emanating from Annie and Sam steadied himself against the railings outside of the crib to keep from falling over with excitement. “Bwwa?” “It’s okay Annie, you're safe and so are Alex and Jacob.” Sam replied, not sure what Annie had asked but he hoped that from the growing concern tinging Annie’s aura that he had guessed correctly. Annie sat up in the crib and leaned against the bars, trying to remember her dream. It had been a terrible nightmare, with a spectral voice that seemed to taunt her while hurting the people she loved. Annie looked around the apartment and only saw Sam, leaving her still worried about Jacob and Alex. Annie struggled to form the words to ask where both of their caretakers were and reluctantly tried using the one word she knew she knew she could say. “Dwaddee?” Annie asked hesitantly. But before Sam could reply a thin outline of magic traced the outline of a door in the middle of the room and in a flash Alex and Jacob came walking out of the light. “Dwadde!” Annie exclaimed, unaware that two other mages were also crossing the threshold of the portal. "Annie!" Both Alex and Jacob exclaimed as they rushed to the crib to embrace Annie and Sam in their arms. The four of them rocked side to side in the comfort of the hug as the other two mages closed the portal behind them. Annie was laid back in the crib despite her protests to Jacob, who nodded back at her, but still lowered her down. Sam stumbled slightly as he was returned to the ground and caught sight of the two visiting mages. “Hello Sam!” Vanessa said with a smile. Sam awkwardly blushed and waved a hand back towards Vanessa. Terri simply grunted and nodded towards him. Jacob and Alex had awoken from the hex that had been laid upon them and had soothed Sam as best as they could before seeking the help of Vanessa and Terri in channeling a summoning circle for the spirit within Annie. "Hi Vanessa! I um, I'm glad you and Terri are here, thanks for coming!" Sam stammered as he tried to overcome an unexpected embarrassment at being seen by Vanessa and Terri as a toddler. "Of course! I'm glad you decided to stay with Alex and Jacob while you recover. You're in good hands." Vanessa replied with a smile. “Aww, I told you Annie would wake up while we were gone.” Alex remarked as Jacob grinned and nodded. The couple motioned for Terri and Vanessa to join them beside the crib. “And how did our little mage sleep?” Jacob asked. “Bwa!” Annie said while shaking her head. Her dream was fading, but some of the details she could recall were terrible. She wanted to be out of the crib but knew that further protesting wouldn't help her case. “I bet!” Jacob said before falling silent. He looked at Alex for support before turning back to Annie. “Annie, something unusual happened when you fell asleep, and while we have some answers, we need to make sure you’re okay. Terri is going to help you fall into a trance while we ask you some questions. All you need to do is answer with the first thing that comes to mind and I’ll translate for everyone. How does that sound?” Sam could feel worry and confusion ebbing through Annie and turned away from Vanessa to try to comfort Annie. Sam walked over to stand beside Jacob and extended a hand for Annie to hold which she grasped firmly. "Ready?" Terri asked, hands already beginning to trace sigils into the air around the apartment. "...mm...dwaddee…" Annie squirmed slightly, fear rising within her. Parts of her dream were becoming clearer and she was on the verge of crying as something stirring within her. Alex and Jacob smiled, but there was worry in their eyes. Annie nodded, squeezing Sam's hand and closing her eyes. Vanessa quietly moved between Alex and Annie and watched patiently as each of the sigils Terri had traced began to glow, each one casting a thin ray of light upon Annie. It took only a few moments before Annie was gently breathing and the ritual could begin. "Come out exile, we need to speak with you." Vanessa whispered into Annie's ear. With a sudden jerk, Annie's eyelids opened, revealing eyes of a red hue and fear twisting across Annie's face. Sam involuntarily pulled his hand out from Annie's as she became controlled by some other entity. "What will you do to me?" A hushed voice quivered through Annie's lips. "We will do no harm to you, we only wish to understand you." Vanessa replied in a soft tone. "I don't understand myself anymore." "Then let us discover that together. Sam has told us some of your story. What was done to you was atrocious. If we could punish those who locked away your consciousness into that artifact we absolutely would. But the spells used to seal you away have long been forgotten to time, and the practitioners of those profane arts have long since passed into dust. Your past may be lost to us, but your present and future can still be shaped to your desire. Annie didn't know what would happen when both of your magics combined, but it seems she has given you shelter within her body without being aware of it." "Can you free me from this body?" Vanessa paused and exchanged a pained look with Terri before shaking her head. "I'm very sorry, but no, it isn't within our power to do so. Taking you out of this body would likely harm you and Annie both, if not end one or both of your lives. What we can do is help you and Annie communicate with each other and live together." "I doubt she will want anything to do with me. I intended to kill…" The voice trailed off, turning its attention towards Jacob and Alex. "You did give us quite the shock! But there is no bad blood between us." Alex remarked. "I'll admit it wasn't the best introduction, but it's nowhere near the worst I've had. Right, Terri?" Jacob joked, looking over at Terri with a smile only to receive a frown and glare from Terri. "I...can feel her stirring, she wants to speak." The voice hesitated in admitting. Annie's eyes closed and reopened, subtly shifting the color of her iris. "Gwa ah ba somma? Buh gam ba!" Annie exclaimed. "Annie is remembering what happened this evening." Jacob translated. "It's okay Annie, you're not in trouble and everyone is fine." Jacob soothed. "Buh ba naa dah bwah...buh!" "Annie doesn't want to let our new friend speak through her." "But Annie, it may be the only way for them to communicate." Alex replied. "And they are a part of you now. Likely in ways we have only just begun to understand." Vanessa added. "Waamy pah na nah?" "Annie wants to talk with them directly then." Jacob then looked to Terri who raised a hand and began muttering incantations. The glyphs floating around the room began glowing a crimson hue and Annie's eyes began to flutter. Annie felt herself transported to another world. The landscape was mostly barren, but stars streaking through the dark sky overhead illuminated the cracked land that ran off into the horizon. A small campfire was burning beside Annie and the form of a small child with long silver hair and red eyes was sitting cross-legged by the fire. “Sit with me. It's cold here.” The figure said. Annie took a seat across from them and looked them over through the flickering flames between them. “What is this place?” Annie asked, confused but also happy to be able to speak once more. “It isn’t familiar? This is your mind. I’ve been here since you freed me from that artifact.” “I…" Annie stumbled on her words as the realization of another being in her mind still unsettled her. Annie took a breath and closed her eyes before turning to look away. "I'm sorry, I had no idea what would happen and I used you like you were an object.” As Annie prepared to continue the figure held up a hand and shook their head. “I made mistakes as well when I was given control of this body. If we are stuck together like this we will need to learn to forgive each other. I forgive you, do you forgive me?” “Of course!” “Then we can look towards what comes next.” The figure paused and ran their fingers through their silver hair, brushing it aside to frame their face. “I must ask for your help. I need a name if we are to know one another, but I have long since forgotten what I was once called. I’ve thought about it, and there is one I am fond of, but…” Without speech, the name floated invisibly between the figure and Annie, a wordless confession to Annie from her headmate. “I...I’m not sure why you would want to be called that, but I can call you by that name from now on!” Annie tried to mask the surprise she felt, but knew that she was unable to. The figure's eyes widened as Annie's understanding of the name filtered back between them wordlessly. After some time the figure shook their head and recounted their own tale, a story about an outsider cast out from their home and sent to fall among the stars. "It is a tale as old as I am, and for the curses and hexes I’ve gathered I find it appropriate. Though from your reaction I can see that the story may not be the same as it was. Could I be called...” the voice trailed off as the name dawned upon them in the same instant. “Absolutely, Lucy.” Annie said, trying to smile but a feeling of distance began to run through her. The fire seemed to slow as the embers shifted color and the distance between Annie and Lucy began to distort and widen. “Annie!” Lucy exclaimed, reaching out a hand that Annie dazedly tried to grab. “Remember I’m here Annie! Don't forget me!” Annie blinked back the haze from her eyes and looked around to see Jacob, Alex, Vanessa, and Terri standing over her and looking down with love and concern on their faces. "How did it go?" Sam asked, from beside the crib, offering a hand that Annie took hold of. "Bwah gwa oamee Looce!" Annie excitedly announced. "Cwa da tead dwo dah?" "Annie wants to know how she can talk to her new friend Lucy for longer periods of time." Jacob translated. "We can teach you Annie. For some time I've considered bringing together a circle of mages together to help unravel the mysteries within, and after Jacob's persuasion I'd like to begin doing so. I would be honored to tutor you, Lucy, and Sam alongside the other mages that would join my circle." Vanessa replied. "And I'll be watching over each of you to make sure you don't get in over your heads." Terri declared while beginning to wave away the floating glyphs in the air. Annie smiled and closed her eyes, processing everything that had happened and the future that lay ahead. She felt something stir within her and she sent waves of warmth to that part of herself. Annie felt relief and happiness in response. The connection between Annie and Lucy was weak, but Annie focused on embracing an image of Lucy and soon felt a faint touch return the embrace. Regardless of the hurdles ahead, Annie knew that she wouldn't be alone in facing them, and for that she let out a small yawn and reached out to be lifted up into the arms of her friends and family.

I don't have much to say for this update, so I'll let you all get to reading the new chapter! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 8 - Playtime (cw: possession) Annie watched in delight as the wooden letter blocks hovered in the air above her. Jacob had snuck the blocks in during their afternoon nap and as soon as she awoke Annie was transfixed on spelling out sentences. "Jacob I can speak now!" Annie emphatically waved the sentence composed of blocks around Jacob's face with her magic thrumming through her fingers. "Annie, are you forgetting that I could understand you just fine before you started lifting blocks around?" "But now Alex talk me!" Annie replied, scrambling to arrange the scarce letter blocks into complete sentences. "I don't know Annie, this feels like a lazy way for you to get out of learning how to speak like a big girl." "No way! This is…" Annie waved the blocks around to spell out the rest of her thoughts as her concentration began to wane. "...really cool and…" "... rewarding and easy…" "...and…" "...fuck…" Annie let the blocks dramatically fall to the floor and huffed in frustration. "Bhu wroon ewewing!" "I do not ruin everything! Annie I think we should work on your language. It's pretty early for you to start swearing up a storm." "Gah faak buue." "Seriously? Where's this streak of naughtiness coming from? Where's my happy little Annie huh?" Jacob lifted Annie up into his arms as she folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "Where's my smile Annie? You know I won't stop till I see one! Smile for me Annie!" Jacob exclaimed and began tickling Annie's stomach. Annie struggled in vain to avoid giggling but soon was kicking and squealing laughter in Jacob's arms. "Um...hi Jacob! Hi Annie!" Sam mumbled as he rubbed his tired eyes open. Annie's begrudging excitement and secret enjoyment of her baby rituals with Jacob warmed Sam's heart, though he would never mention his awareness of it to Annie or Jacob. "Sam! You're awake and not a moment too soon! Annie has been waiting to show you her blocks. Isn't that right Annie?" Annie nodded and reached out towards the blocks, attempting to connect to the flow of magic to begin spelling for Sam when she felt something inside of her come to life. The spell convulsed outward out of control and seized the blocks in one sudden motion. Before Annie could discharge the spell, the blocks were sent flying like shrapnel across the room towards the crib that Sam sat up in. Only Jacob's own magic prevented the blocks from pelting Sam, a small round portal swirling into shape around the child moments before the blocks would have done their damage. As the spell ended and Annie felt her flow of magic undistort itself, Jacob set Annie down and raced over to Sam. "Sam! Are you okay?!" Jacob asked as the portal spell Jacob had summoned faded away. "Ubba!" Sam replied hesitantly, scared and now regressed once again into a younger state. "Annie! What happened?" Jacob asked. "Ba! Ba..na ba gwah?" "Okay, well, for the rest of the day I'd like you to only meditate, no magic until we make sure you've got proper control. Understood?" Annie nodded and felt pangs of guilt and confusion wash over her. She had never felt anything like what had happened just then, and suddenly the magic that had felt so liberating and healing felt like a source of pain and guilt. Unknown to Annie, another set of emotions were within her aura, a sensation of pride at what had occurred. A sinister sense of accomplishment and a feeling of assuredness that plans were coming together. Sam stared at this foreign series of emotions within Annie, scared of its intent but also perplexed at its appearance within Annie. Noticing his attention on her, Annie turned and furrowed her brows before looking away. "Mmnn sworry!" Annie whispered in apology for her misfiring spell. "Otay!" Sam replied and reached out for Jacob to lift him out of the crib. Jacob obliged and Sam pointed to the floor next to Annie. As soon as Sam was put next to Annie he fell into her in a massive hug. Annie returned the embrace and the two began to laugh together, spurred into the joy that simple forgiveness can bring. Jacob watched as the two mages crawled around the apartment collecting the blocks that had been scattered everywhere and suppressed a smile when the two began playing with the blocks completely carefree. Annie made stacks of blocks and would knock them down while pretending to be a big monster as Sam spelled words in reaction to Annie's actions. For the moment, everything seemed to have returned to a quiet normalcy. The misfiring spell worried Jacob and he began to wonder if he could manage tutoring two mages of such young age on his own. He had taken in plenty of mages over the years and guided them as best as he could towards their awakening, but never anyone at the ages that Annie and Sam had regressed to. The only person Jacob knew with expertise in this area was Vanessa, and she was a...special case. Still, as Jacob had some time before Alex got back from work, he began meditating, forming a sigil and a message to send to Vanessa's caretaker Terri. In the moment of time it took for Jacob to send his mental missive, both Annie and Sam had grown bored of the blocks and Annie was attempting to give Sam a tour of the apartment, albeit their progress was slow as Sam was forced to waddle behind a crawling Annie. For what felt like the hundredth time since Annie had awoken, Jacob felt his heart melt at the adorable display before him. The rest of the afternoon was full of one peaceful adventure after the next for Annie and Sam, and the two shared the plethora of toys with one another while talking and giggling with one another. Jacob fixed up a peanut butter sandwich for Sam who happily munched it down in his highchair while Annie drank her bottle in Jacob's arms. Shortly after being fed Annie’s eyes began to flutter and she gently clutched Jacob’s shirt for comfort. Jacob laid Annie down for a nap but failed to notice that once separated from Jacob’s embrace that Annie was beginning to squirm and kick in her sleep. Nightmares plagued Annie’s consciousness as a terrible apparition hovered just out of sight in the dark visage of her mind. Some invisible force had taken hold of Annie’s limbs and she felt rooted in place within the unfolding nightmare around her. Streaks of falling stars above her illuminated an otherwise bleak and desolate landscape surrounding her. “Soon you will submit to my will mage-to-be. Everything that you love will be reduced to ash in my wake.” The voice was eerie yet familiar. “Who are you? Let me go!” Annie demanded as she struggled to free herself from the invisible bonds holding her in place. “You once made demands of me for your own quest to power! You abused my magic and ripped from my consciousness the seeds of profound knowledge that you misuse for idle amusement. I bestowed my power to you for a quest of revenge and you have chosen to abandon it all! But I will take back my power and your body as repayment.” “I...what? I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about!” “Tell me you are not so hopeless as to have no idea what you unleashed when you wielded me?” The voice boomed around Annie like a thunderclap and as the words echoed they transformed into the rhythm of beating drums. A roaring fire came swirling into existence in a ring around Annie. Embers and smoke clouded Annie’s eyes as the drums bombarded her ears. “Enough! Show yourself!” “Very well.” Annie let out a wail that brought Jacob and Sam’s attention to her crib. When they both arrived to check on Annie however she was deeply asleep, curled up on her side holding a plushie close to her face. “Let’s dim the lights a bit and let Annie rest, okay Sam?” Jacob whispered while spreading a blanket over Annie. Sam stared at Annie with concern, as her wail had been accompanied by a desperate emotional plea for help, yet now nothing in Annie’s aura displayed any duress. Sam tentatively turned away from the crib with Jacob unsure of what to make of the strange signs in Annie’s aura. Sam considered voicing his concern to Jacob, as he had control of his voice once more, but decided to ask Annie about it first when she awoke from her nap. Sam and Jacob softly conversed and meditated until Alex arrived home from work. It was just as Jacob began recounting the events of the day to Alex that a noise began emanating from across the apartment. At first it had sounded as if Annie was trying to announce something but had choked mid-sentence. It was then that sounds of hissing and growling became audible from the crib and both Alex and Jacob rushed towards Annie. “Annie!” Jacob cried out. Sam clung to the side of the wall nearest to him, unable to react as waves of hate and disgust filled the space between him and the crib Just as Alex and Jacob reached the side of the crib a red tendril of light uncoiled from within the crib and in a flash struck both mages in their chests, sending them backwards and unconscious on the floor. Sam watched in horror as Annie crawled over the bars of the crib in a jerky inhuman series of movements. Her eyes were glowing a crimson red and the light seemed to trail behind the motions of her head. Sam felt those eyes settle on him and could only cling to the wall as Annie's possessed body slowly moved across the floor towards him. “Tell me, what do you fear more mage? Losing this one or that one?” A demonic voice threatened using Annie’s mouth to form the words. Annie’s hand pointed between the still bodies of Alex and Jacob. Sam felt himself terrified and could feel himself slipping slowly into a further regressed state. A faint tinge in Annie’s aura was all that Sam could see as a way to survive the next few moments. “Please, don’t hurt us, I know this isn’t what you truly want!” Annie’s head rolled back unnaturally and laughed. When her head finally settled, slightly drooping to one side, her eyes pierced into Sam. “What do you know of my wants?” “You don’t want to hurt any of us. I can see it.” “Oh? And why would that be?” Sam stared hard at the quivering body now only a few feet away from him and knew if he failed to answer correctly that all would be lost. Annie’s body was overflowing with magic and with just a thought Sam could be rendered unconscious or worse before he could react with any magic of his own. “You didn’t kill Alex or Jacob just now...and you’re talking to me. Which is what you want right? You just want someone to talk to!” Sam exclaimed. “Wrong.” Annie’s jaw fell slack at the end of the word and Sam had to fall to the floor to avoid being struck by a bolt of magical energy. “No! I can tell I’m right! You want to tell your story, you have something you’ve been forced to carry, some kind of burden, and you want to be rid of it!” “The only thing I wish to be rid of is you and these worthless mages!” Another barrage of energy lashed outwards from Annie’s body but the attack was less coordinated and Sam was able to narrowly avoid being struck by rolling quickly to the side as the bolts seared the walls and floor. “Yes! That’s it! Why do you hate mages? What did they do to you?” “Enough! You will not trick me!” “There is no trick! Talk to me, please, just tell me what led you here. I promise to listen.” “No one listens! I yearned to be freed from my prison for ages, sealed away by my elders out of fear for my power. No mage ever heard my pleas for release, they only sapped my strength and memories, passing me from one mage to the other to be used as they pleased.” “Until Annie found you, right?” “That foolish mage-to-be unleashed me, seeking my power to surpass their rival only to trap themselves as a child!” “And why do you think Annie is a child?” “It does not matter to me how the mage-to-be failed to consume my power, only that their failure has freed me from that terrible prison I had been trapped within for ages.” “I think it should matter to you. You’re a part of her now, whether you like it or not.” “Soon I will cut the mage-to-be from myself.” The body quivered in response, suddenly releasing uncertainty into its aura. “You’ve tried haven’t you?” “Each night I cast every hex, curse, and spell upon this body to free myself. I will succeed in being free of this prison and then I will finally be free!” “You won’t though.” Sam replied, slowly rising from the floor while the menace inside of Annie fumed with rage and impatience. The energy crackling around Annie’s outstretched hand kept Sam on edge, but a slow confidence was building inside of him. “Why?” The possessed body spat out, hands beginning to swirl with another wave of magical energy, despite the curiosity in their aura. “Because you and Annie are inseparable, even if you are two different entities. What do you remember of your life before you were imprisoned?” Silence fell between Sam and Annie’s possessed body. The aura around Annie’s body was filled with conflicting emotions, each vying for dominance in the frail frame shaking before Sam. “I...cannot remember.” “So all you’ve known for as long as you can remember is being isolated and angry at being misunderstood for the powers you have?” “Yes.” “Didn’t Annie feel the same way before she encountered you?” “Yes! That was why I shared my power!” “Then you discovered you were stuck in a powerless body, confused and scared. You wanted to be comforted, to know that you would not be rendered helpless again, but Annie didn’t know you were there. But now that we know you’re here, we can help you both. I promise we can help you remember who you are!” A raised hand from Annie began pulsing with energy, its fingers pointed towards Sam. Sam tried desperately to think of anything more to say but the words failed to form as more energy swirled around Anne’s outstretched hand. The confidence that had empowered Sam had left them in the silence following their declaration. As the moments passed, Annie’s hand fluctuated with energy, ebbing and flowing with the current of the racing thoughts in the entity’s mind. “No.” The voice replied in a distant tone. Sam squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the bolt of energy to slam into him any moment, but suddenly a thud pulled Sam’s attention back to the room. Annie’s body lay on the floor, drained of magic and unmoving. In the quiet stillness of the apartment, Sam slowly fell beside Annie, desperately shaking her as Alex and Jacob recovered nearby.

Posting an update today and I will be writing more over the coming days. Let me know your thoughts on the story so far! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 7 - Growing Pains (cw: messing) While breakfast was blissful, it slowly dawned on Sam that the flow of conversation was ebbing around him at the table. Alex and Jacob shared stories and Annie would interject and usually cause Jacob to laugh, but Sam had no way to communicate yet. And Sam had an urgent issue he needed to communicate. The cinnamon oatmeal was starting to churn in his stomach and recognized in horror that he would need to get to a bathroom immediately. "Gahba baffom?" Sam squeaked as Alex finished recounting the story of his first court case before his awakening. "Oh Sam, what is it?" Alex asked as Sam crossed his legs and fidgeted in his highchair. "Baffom! Baffooom!" Sam repeated with his focus more internally focused. "Baffom?" Annie asked Jacob, who raised an eyebrow before snapping his fingers. "Oh! Sam needs to use the bathroom!" Jacob exclaimed. Sam nodded and bit his lower lip, folding into himself as his last ounce of restraint collapsed. In a series of muffled spurts the room was filled with a stench unlike anything a mere mortal could produce. Sam promised himself he wouldn't cry, but quickly found tears streaming down his face in pure embarrassment. "It's okay Sam, that's why we keep white sage to burn for just these occasions." Alex offered as comfort while also quickly retrieving a bundle of herbs to light. "Yeah, trust me when I say that's not even half as bad as some of Annie's." Jacob teased. "Bwah!" "Oh Annie, you know I love you even if you're a little skunk!" "Bwah dah bwah." Annie folded her arms and watched while Jacob gently nodded and rose from the table to change Sam. "I agree with Annie, let's get you changed okay?" Jacob lifted Sam up from his highchair and carried him over to the changing table where he gently laid Sam on his back. "Gwah fa shim bah?" Sam managed to say through choked sobs. "I'm sorry Sam, I'm not sure I understand?" "Gwa...gwa...ga bah!" Sam stammered and he slammed a small fist into his head. Jacob immediately pulled Sam into his arms and held him tightly. "Sam, Sam, Sam, hush now and hear me out. You did nothing wrong, you are not in trouble and I am absolutely proud of you for speaking up when you needed attention. I'm sorry we didn't understand at first. It's okay now, you're safe and I'm going to get you cleaned up okay?" Sam felt genuine pride radiating downwards towards him from Jacob through his empathy sense and some of the discomfort was eased. Sam nodded and looked towards Annie who was watching while also kicking her feet and smiling at Sam. The affection within the exchange was tangible to him and the sensation helped him relax as Jacob undid the clasps to his clothing and removed the soiled diaper. With a gentle touch that made Sam blush, Jacob cleaned Sam with wet wipes and a special baby poultice. When the dry diaper was snugly affixed between Sam's legs he felt the last of the tears drying on his face and for a moment he locked eyes with Jacob. Jacob's emotions were transparently displayed for Sam, a mixture of pride, affection, and hope in Sam's recovery. A cluster of emotions from Annie gathered on Sam's periphery and suddenly Sam felt kinship, compassion, and concern. Sam was washed in the emotions pouring outwards from Alex, filling him with joy, sympathy, and love. Bursts of vivid emotional resonances echoed inside of Sam, and he looked around at each of the three other mages with wide eyes. Absent-mindedly Sam sucked at his left thumb in the quiet surrounding the room and let each person communicate with him through their emotions. Before long, Sam was asleep, blissfully filled with the affection he had struggled to ask for from Jacob before his changing. While Jacob redressed Sam and placed them in the crib Alex began getting ready for work, using a number of charms and spells to expedite the process as he made up for lost time. Annie quietly waited in her highchair watching everyone move through the apartment and for a moment she could reflect. Annie felt connected to Sam as both a mage in a similar predicament, but also as a sibling. The sensation was so strong, despite not having known Sam for very long, but Annie didn't question the intensity. The morning had been filled with a whirlwind of changes, and sharing space between each other with their diminished communication had formed a bond between them. Discovering Alex had known about Annie's background had brought up old emotions of shame and embarrassment alongside resentment at her former mistakes, as though they were committed by another entity rather than a previous extension of herself. She felt a distance between herself and who she had been, something that surprised her as she had not long ago wanted nothing more than to apologize for her former self's mistakes. A strange coldness bubbled up within her and she tried to shift her focus as Alex prepared to walk out of the apartment. With a kiss and an embrace from Jacob, Alex waved goodbye to Annie and left for a day of reviewing petitions for signs of magical involvement. Annie was a young mage, but she understood the importance of keeping the mundane world unaware of the existence of magic. The few mortals that discovered the profound secrets of mages had historically led to catastrophe. Even in more modern times, supernatural hunters worked in the shadows to guard what they perceived as threats to the mortal world. Alex worked for a group of mages dedicated to protecting the majority of humanity from discovering the true existence of magic while also endeavoring to bring justice to disputes within mage communities without involving the mortal justice system. Jacob had less lofty employment, usually working odd jobs from ads in papers and online forums, but the work suited him as Jacob got to choose when to work and could be incredibly self-motivated when the mood struck him. More often than not Jacob wandered through the city offering guidance to aspiring mages, teaching them survival skills and minor charms to practice. Currently Jacob surveyed the apartment and noted that Annie had begun to doze off in her highchair. With delicate grace, Jacob gently carried Annie to the crib where Sam was already sleeping and laid her down beside him. Jacob set about cleaning the apartment and by the time Alex arrived on his lunch break the apartment had been completely reimagined into a larger space with an open floor layout, exposed brick walls, towering windows to view the city skyline, and plenty of new baby toys for Sam and Annie to discover upon waking from their naps.

Hey everyone! I hope folks are enjoying the story so far! This next chapter came together really quickly, let me know your thoughts and I hope everyone has a great weekend. - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 6 - Guidance (cw: regression, wetting) As sleep lifted from Sam he became aware of his body laying in the soft comfort of a crib in an unknown room and instantly felt panic. He looked around and saw a baby lightly dozing in a pile of blankets on the other end of the crib. Sam tapped into his connection to magic to try to reassure himself that he would be safe and found a brilliant swirl of emotions and vague impressions emanating from the waking child across from him. “Are...are you really a baby?” Sam asked as the infant across from him began to stir. Sam let out a sigh of relief that he somehow retained his ability to speak after all the changes to his body had finished. Sunlight streamed into the room from a skylight above the crib and Sam felt even greater waves of complex emotions swirling from the smaller child across from them. Annie looked up startled and saw that Sam was awake and rubbing his eyes from the other side of the crib. Annie shook her head, afraid that if she spoke she would miss her chance to communicate with someone other than Jacob. "So you are like me, just younger." Sam nodded to himself and tried to keep his composure at his new form. "Can you talk?" Once again Annie bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, this must be so much harder as an infant. I used to be a lot different then I am now, I wonder what you must have been like before turning into this." "Bwa." Annie responded and frowned while shaking her head. Annie thought of herself before her transformation with a great degree of shame. "I understand how you feel. I was ashamed of myself as well. Honestly I was such a wreck I couldn't see it until it was almost too late. But I got a second chance that I still don't know if I deserve." Sam trailed off as he sat up and abruptly discovered that the diaper wrapped around his waist was wet. "Nwa da na nah." Annie said hoping to lessen the embarrassment that Sam likely felt. "Ah, sorry. I um, can only really understand your emotions and when you nod or shake your head. I was a really strong empathy mage before but now my power is a lot less potent. And I'm a little uh...distracted." Sam replied as he gestured down to his diaper. Annie nodded and looked over at the door to Jacob and Alex's bedroom and thought of trying to wake them to help Sam, but also wanted to continue conversing as it was the only real interaction she'd had since her transformation where someone wasn't babying her. "Hey, you seem really concerned about something. Is it safe here?" Annie nodded and pointed towards the bedroom door while trying to express within her emotional response that they were both safe. "Oh! Someone you love is here. Are you trying to say your parents are over there? I can call them for you." Sam said, tottering up to his feet and steadying himself along the bars to the crib. Annie tried shaking her head but Sam was already calling out before he could see her response. She chided herself and wondered at how her feelings towards Jacob and Alex could be interpreted as parental affection. The thought wasn't foreign to her, but the frequency of it made her worry that she may be regressing even further. A part of her felt comfort in the idea, regardless of her transformation, as Jacob and Alex had proven to be better guardians then Annie’s parents had ever been for her. Alex came out immediately, already in the process of putting on a suit for work while Jacob made noises from the other room to indicate he was becoming conscious but was not quite awake. "Hello Alex! I think your child needs you." Sam said, trying to divert attention to Annie while covering his diaper with a blanket. "Sam! You can talk! I'm so sorry for what you've gone through, Vanessa told us everything!" "Oh, I uh, really wish she hadn't honestly." Sam said with tears forming around his eyes. In that moment Sam looked like a devastated child and Alex instinctively reached out towards him to embrace him. Alex hesitated though, unsure of whether the gesture would be welcomed. Annie however reached out and hugged Sam's legs, trying to send positive emotions towards Sam to cheer him up. "I'm sorry Sam, please, if we can offer you any comfort right now let us know. We've opened our apartment to traveling mages of all walks of life before and you are a mage we would adore having stay with us." Sam simply nodded and wiped his tears away. Alex then looked at Annie and reached over to pick her up. "Now, what's this about Annie needing me?" Annie let go of Sam and was scooped into Alex's arms. She let out a small mewling sound and curled against Alex's chest. "Well, uh, she pointed to your bedroom and I can feel some of what she feels so I thought she needed you." Annie nodded and pointed towards Sam. Alex's eyes widened and a wide smile crossed his face. "That's wonderful! I can't believe you can communicate with Annie. I need to tell Jacob!" Alex carried Annie to the bedroom door allowing her to see the silhouette of Jacob sitting up on the bed. Alex knocked lightly on the door before exclaiming, “Jacob! You’ll never believe this! Sam can communicate with Annie! We’ll be able to have a little interpreter for our budding mage.” Alex let his words sink in before adding, "Just think of what it will be like to talk to Annie as if she was an adult!" Jacob twisted around with a jerk and saw Annie in Alex’s arms sticking her tongue out at him. She was emphatically nodding her head and pointing at herself and Jacob, which in truth just looked as if she was being fussy. Jacob sighed and began to speak. “I guess the jig is up. I'm sorry Alex, the truth is Annie and I could always talk to each other. She was my former - “ “I don’t think Annie wants you to continue.” Sam piped up from the other room. He could feel Annie’s uneasiness and instinctively wanted to help her. Annie looked up at Alex and saw him already looking down with a smile. “Oh Annie, did you think I didn’t know who you were before we met? Jacob is a wonderful mage but an awful liar honey. And it's my job to find the truth in magical matters. Annie, I love you for who you are right now, and if you would have me as your guardian while you grow I would feel so honored.” Surprise overwhelmed Annie, and so many questions filled her head. She squirmed and opened her mouth to speak but then stopped as she considered her own relationships to Alex and Jacob since her awakening. The embarrassment had been dreadful at first, and in small ways still persisted, but she had grown to need Alex and Jacob as more than just fellow mages. Annie squirmed and tried to form the only word she knew would express the myriad of emotions stirring within her. “Dwa wa dwad...dada Dadee!” Alex squeezed Annie tight and peppered her head with kisses. Annie giggled and laughed. It would have crushed her previous self to witness this display of tender affection, but her recent experiences with vulnerability had tempered her to be able to accept the warmth being showered upon her in this moment. The exchange of love between Alex and Annie surged through Sam's enhanced empathy and he was moved to quiet joyful tears from feeling the powerful weight of Annie's experience of healing. "So, how about this; we get Annie dressed and conjure some clothes for Sam, Jacob and I work a bit of kitchen magic for our breakfast, and we enjoy our first meal as a family?" Alex asked after a comfortable silence had lingered between the four of them. "Bwa na samm napp." Annie said with a blush and pointing towards Sam. Jacob stood and stretched before moving towards Sam. Sam probed the emotions from Annie and realized with a blush what she had tried to say. “Uh, Annie is concerned about me, but it’s okay! I’m doing really well all things considered.” Sam spoke up, but Jacob was already moving towards Sam while continuing to slightly stretch with each step. Jacob stopped by the crib, resting an arm along the railing with a slight grin on his face. “That's wonderful to hear! But according to Annie you need a change of clothes Sam. There is no judgement from either of us, and I can help you change if you need it.” Jacob offered as he reached out to lift Sam out of the crib. Sam reluctantly obliged, letting go of the blanket he had used to cover himself and with a deeper blush was lifted out of the crib and carried over to the changing table. “Ahh, um, I think I want to try to manage this myself.” Sam stuttered as he was placed on the table. “Bah da lem lem.” Annie called from Alex’s arms. “What did Annie say exactly?” Sam asked Jacob who produced a small set of overalls and a t-shirt that prominently displayed a cute giraffe graphic from under the changing table alongside a thick pink diaper with charms emboldened along the padding. “She says it gets less embarrassing after the first few times.” “Hmm.” Sam replied, while looking at Annie with questioning eyes. Sam couldn’t tell if Annie was lying for his benefit or not, but it was clear from Annie’s emotions that she cared about him. “Well, I think I can manage without a diaper.” “You sure about that? You seem like you needed a diaper last night.” “I...I didn’t mean to. But I’m sure I can tell from now on.” “There isn’t anything to be ashamed of Sam. Why not wear one for safety and you just let us know when you need to use the bathroom?” Alex offered as he carried Annie over. “Bwa!” Annie chimed in. As Alex used a bit of magic to gently hold her in place in the air as he gathered supplies to change her for the morning. “That’s all really kind, it's just a lot to adjust to.” Sam replied while mulled it over. After a few moments of considering Alex’s offer while nodding Sam spoke up. “I can wear one for a day, but I don’t think I need help, I should be able to manage getting it on.” Sam tried to take the diaper from Jacob who gently pulled it away and out of reach before Sam could grab it. “Sam, it must be hard to accept, but you have limits now that you might not recognize yet. I won’t stand in your way, but you should know that it’s okay to accept help from others.” Jacob replied before handing the diaper to Sam. Jacob and Alex turned their attention towards Annie and began dressing her for the day. Still determined to be self-sufficient, Sam began trying to undress from his soiled diaper and tape the new diaper to himself in a clumsy comedy of errors. Now, close to tears and with the new diaper sagging around his waist, he tried to start over but discovered he had hastily stuck the tapes down and couldn’t pry them back open on his own. “Um...Jacob, about lending a hand...I need your help, I’m…sorry.” Jacob turned with Annie in his arms fully dressed in a pink onesie and Sam crumbled under both of their gazes. They looked at him with sympathy and concern and their emotions overstimulated an already flustered Sam. “I’m sorry! I should have just listened to you, now I’m all messed up and I wasted this diaper and I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be difficult!” Sam cried out as tears streamed down his face. Alex came over and bent beside him, silently embracing Sam as more tears came out. “I’m so lost, I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want to bother you both but I’m stuck like this now and I...I just suck at asking for help.” “Sam, no matter what you ask for we will promise to listen and help however we can.” Jacob offered as he set Annie beside Sam and knelt down beside the troubled mage. “You’re both so kind. But, why? I mean, I’m just a stranger, I don’t even know who I am anymore. I can’t repay you, and honestly, I can’t even manage to pay rent this month.” A sudden barrage of thoughts bombarded him and he struggled to wipe the tears from their eyes. Sam's body began to shimmer slightly and with each tearful outburst he began regressing physically. “What do I do about my apartment? Or my car? I can’t...I can’t…” Sam clutched his head and they lost their words in a spasm of crying. “Sam, it’s okay. You don’t have to figure all of this out on your own.” Alex comforted. “But I have to! I can’t ask for help!” “Bwa!” Annie challenged, reaching out to Sam and trying to convey her intentions emotionally. "I can't!" "Bwa!" "No Annie, I can't!" "Bwa! Bah ish Bwa buh ba!" "Annee! I caaaaan't!" "Bwa! Bwa! Bah do!" "Annee bah nab, nwa dah nah! Dah nah!" Sam quipped back, sounding more frustrated than sorrowful. At this point the saggy diaper slipped off from around Sam's waist and he found his reduced body harder to keep standing, causing him to fall to his knees and clench his hands at his sides. "Sam, it's really okay to ask for help. We're happy to give it! Annie once gave up everything they had to pursue their awakening. I had to lose myself completely before I found my awakening. It's the price we pay for the gifts we have. Let me and Alex put our heads together on ideas and we won't do anything until we have your permission. For now all you need to worry about is what you'd like for breakfast after I get you changed. How does that sound?" Sam felt a soothing sensation of warmth radiate in his chest from Jacob's words and slowly nodded. Sam admitted to himself that the idea of starting over didn't seem as daunting knowing that he wouldn't face it alone. Sam felt a small amount of calm wash over the intense shame and sorrow. Yet despite this relief, Sam realized he had lost control and was now stuck further regressed then when he had woken and feared what would happen if the process continued. Sensing this very concern, Annie tugged on Jacob's leg and babbled a hasty explanation. The look of horror on Sam's face was one that Annie remembered from the first time she had regressed even younger than she was now. It seemed to Annie that having the powers that she and Sam had, even as limited as they were, caused physiological changes under duress after the powerful weight of their awakenings. "Oh, Sam, Annie wants me to tell you that you'll grow back up to where you were this morning after some time. She has a similar situation with her regression as you, and her temper tantrums can sometimes slip her back pretty far." Sam nodded, noting Annie's displeasure at her behavior being referred to as a "temper tantrum". Sam cautiously ventured a few words but quickly frowned when nonsensical babble came tumbling out instead. Jacob scooped Sam up and turned to Alex who in turn placed Annie into his arms. "You mind starting breakfast while I help Sam?" "Not at all! I have a surprise in mind that I could use a little hand with!" Alex turned to look down at Annie at the end of his response, and Annie smiled and nodded in return. Jacob took Sam to the changing table and placed him gently on his back. Sam felt waves of gentle memories come flooding in from previous times he had been in this position before. He realized what would happen next as Jacob produced a fluffy diaper from under the table and instinctively lifted his waist up to make the process easier. A blush spread across his face and he closed his eyes as tightly as he could. "Sam...that's too cute! But you're starting to tremble. Here, let me hold you up." Jacob scooped Sam up by his legs effortlessly with one hand and slid the diaper under him. Sam nearly fainted from the embarrassment that consumed him. He wanted desperately to say something to make the process of being changed less awkward but could only manage to murmur and babble as Jacob pulled the diaper around him and snugly taped it into place around him. Next came the giraffe t-shirt and overalls that made Sam feel both ridiculous and surprisingly comfortable. He tried to feel some measure of relief that he was finally wearing something over his diaper, but became distracted by the discovery that he couldn't undo the clasps on his overall. Realizing he was stuck in this outfit until Jacob or Alex decided to change him filled him with a dread and sense of panic. He doubted they would do anything mean-spirited, but the feeling of being backed into a corner persisted. Sam continued to grapple with his newfound dependency on Jacob and Alex and struggled harder to fiddle with the clasp on his clothing. Helpless to do much else but be carried along and fidget with his clothing, Sam was picked up by Jacob and both mages rejoined Annie and Alex in the kitchen. Nestled between them were a set of bar stools along a kitchen island and a pair of freshly conjured high chairs which stood prominently between the polish and sheen of the rest of the room. "So what do you think? It's something me and Annie conjured together and I think we did a spectacular job!" Alex exclaimed as he bustled to and fro around the kitchen gathering and chopping ingredients. "Isn't this the first time you've cast a spell with Annie?" Jacob asked as he set Sam into the high chair opposite Annie. "Oh no, we cast light spells that one night remember? We pretended the conjured lights were fireflies…" Sam soon tuned out the conversation between Jacob and Alex and waved to Annie who waved back. Sam could feel nervous energy ebbing outwards from her and wondered what was putting her on edge. Before Sam could attempt to ask however Alex and Jacob returned with plates and bowls full of food. "I hope you don't mind Sam, but I made you some oatmeal to start off with. We have other options, but I wanted to play it safe while you're on the younger side right now." Alex said while sliding a small bowl of cinnamon oatmeal to him. "Samm gwa oamee?" Annie huffed while crossing her arms across her chest. "Yes Annie, Sam gets some yummy oatmeal. One day you'll be there too!" Jacob replied while reaching over and pinching Annie's cheek. Annie pouted and turned away from Jacob. "Aww, Annie, you're not shy about your ba ba because of Sam are you?" Annie's face became a mask of red, both from embarrassment and frustration. Alex opened the fridge and produced a small baby bottle of formula for Annie who covered her face before peeking out through her fingers to look at Sam. Sam shrugged and smiled, aware that Annie's emotions were bouncing between shame and desire. Annie reluctantly took the bottle from Alex and after a moment's hesitation, began guzzling down the formula in pure delight. Annie paused only once to burp, a sound that filled the apartment with laughter and giggles.

Hey everyone, this will be a short chapter with a much longer one to follow it soon. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the story thus far.- Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 5 - Reprieve (cw: possession) As Alex returned both Annie and Jacob were shocked to find a toddler cradled in his arms. “Jacob, Annie, this is Sam. He is going to be staying with us until they sort out a few things.” “Of course!” Jacob said without hesitation. “But what happened?” “I’m guessing some kind of spell transformed him while we were on the phone...and he did mention Vanessa.” “Oh wow, you think what happened to Vanessa happened to him as well?” “I think so, but I’ll try to reach out to her to find out for sure.” Alex said as they looked down at the still sleeping toddler in his arms. “Oh Annie, can you imagine? Being transformed into a baby!” Jacob teased, and Annie felt a pang of anger at him. “I bet you are happy to have a friend though, regardless of the circumstances.” Annie moaned in exasperation and looked over to Sam. Annie felt a sense of doomed kinship to him and she pointed towards him and made mewling noises. “We should let them both rest don’t you think?” Alex asked and Jacob nodded with a wicked smile. Annie looked up at Jacob with worry, not sure what was meant in the exchange until the pair brought both babies to Annie’s crib. Jacob set Annie down in the crib while Alex began changing Sam into a diaper as a precaution. Jacob began expanding the size of the crib with a set of gestures and mumbled incantations. “Twa no goomp ba!” Annie tried to protest. “Oh Annie, remember, it’s nice to share!” Jacob replied while fetching extra pillows, stuffies, and blankets from out of thin air above Annie. As each item fell into the crib Annie determinedly tried to toss it over the bars around her but Jacob just laughed and summoned more plushies and baby toys in response. “Gwah! Bwa no ba!” “I know you are used to being an only child but remember we love you as much as we did before Sam arrived.” Jacob said, offering a tender hand down towards Annie. “Gwah! Gwah, boohbah!” Annie responded while slapping Jacob’s hand aside. “Now Annie, be nice! Sam has been through a lot, he could use a friend right now.” Annie clutched her head and tried not to start crying from frustration. She felt wretched for Sam, and understood what he was going through better than Jacob or Alex, but she didn’t want to share her crib when they could just as easily conjure a second one for Sam. Annie considered explaining this again to Jacob when Alex returned with Sam and placed him gently next to Annie. “They look so adorable together.” Alex remarked as he leaned into an embrace from Jacob. “I hope we can help Sam. Too many mages have been leaving us lately.” “I hope we can too. Why don’t we excuse ourselves and see if we can send a message to Vanessa?” Jacob asked while Annie started to crawl to the other side of the crib. Annie watched as Jacob and Alex dimmed the lights and walked to the other side of the apartment and then turned her attention to Sam. Annie folded her arms and huffed that she was sharing her crib, but tried to make the best of it by bundling some of the extra pillows and blankets into a small ball around her. Annie fell asleep moments after curling up in her blankets, and Sam lay still across from her. The pair of young mages began blissfully resting through the night. But in her dreams Annie began to feel a presence beyond her own chasing after her. In her dream she was unable to move faster than a crawl and her thoughts kept racing as the presence grew closer and closer. Faintly Annie kicked her tiny feet in protest of her sleep paralysis, her mind set upon waking from her nightmare. As Annie reached the cusp of waking, her dream began shifting and the presence began to speak as it approached, sealing Annie into frightened slumber. "Sleep, you worthless child. There is much left to be done and you will not ruin this for me yet again." The voice echoed all around Annie and something in the tone of voice felt uncanny yet familiar. "Who are you?" Annie spoke, feeling elation at forming words despite also being aware of their own slumber. "You will curse me soon enough, mage-to-be. Sleep." Annie felt a weight begin to press in around her from every side and the nightmare became all-consuming. Annie's body twisted and contorted in the crib, threatening at one point to rouse Sam from his deep sleep, but in time the motions grew still. In the darkness of the night, Annie opened her eyes, only to reveal they had been transformed into strange orbs of pale red light. Effortlessly the body of Annie climbed over the railing of the crib and unnaturally forced its way towards a stack of books on the floor. In near silence the books opened before the possessed infant and turned to various pages detailing gruesome rituals and painful hexes. All through the night Annie's body lurched and chanted faintly, weaving an enchantment both cruel and terrifying. Deep in the shadows of Annie's mind, an evil presence labored with dark intent unknown to all that might prevent the coming catastrophe.

Hey everyone, it's been a rough couple of days but I hope we're all enduring and thriving this week. Here is the next chapter of Dark Rattle, I hope you enjoy it! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 4 - Reflections (cw: gender dysphoria, regression, mention of suicide) Sam paced in their apartment, struggling to find anything they could wear while holding the business card in their hand. They had so many questions and yet they found themselves unable to stop their racing mind to try to find answers. In desperation they threw themselves onto their couch and traced a finger along the text on the card from Vanessa. The name printed on the card was Alexander Montana, which was likely a fake name given the dangers of being a practicing mage in a city full of supernatural hunters and enemy mages. Below the name was a title that proclaimed magical legal aid and a number to call under the title. Sam struggled with what to do, and while they wished they could just fall asleep in their apartment and try to remove the powerful incantation that they had been sealed within, they knew the energy and adrenaline they felt would keep them unfocused and awake for sometime. They wondered at the types of individuals who would take it upon themselves to curse someone with a body unfamiliar to their victim yet at the same time Sam tried desperately to justify their own meddling in the lives of strangers. Questions of whether their own interjections into the grief and pain of others swirled to mind. They wondered if they had been selfish to try to control the feelings of others to always be positive by absorbing the pain and grief of others. In their reduced state they could no longer feel the pull of other human emotions and felt a profound sense of relief and emptiness within themselves. Curious at their full appearance they cautiously approached the full length mirror in their bedroom. The figure of a young boy stood before them, hair laying over his head in a messy fluff. The boy couldn't have been older than nineteen years old and while he pressed his hand across his body, his skin grew goosebumps across its surface. He shuddered and decided it would be too much to explore any further, as just the sensation of touching his new body made every inch of him radiate with unfamiliar sensations. Scouring his closet he did his best to find clothes he could wear and came up with an old dress that was just short enough to reach their ankles in his new body. Returning to the mirror, the image of the boy became familiar in an almost inexplicable way. The boy swayed from side to side and slowly began to smile. They had never dreamed of taking on the frame and appearance that now stood reflected in the glass before them but the boy knew that this was the body they were meant to have all along. So many of the people the boy had tried to save from their own doom had talked about their own experience of gender transition, and while they never acknowledged it in the moment, the resonance of those stories within the young mage had always led them to seek more of the same individuals on their nightly rescues. Finally standing before them was the person they knew that had wanted to be and all the worries and insecurities melted away. “Hi, I’m Sam!” the boy said and curtsied with a grin from ear to ear. The reflection did not respond, but in saying the name aloud, the boy felt a certain magic swirl around them. Sam reached out to the flow of Mana that had been so easily conjured previously and found it distant but with a great deal of concentrated effort was able to produce a small glowing orb of light between his hands. He let out a giggle and suddenly lost all concentration. The orb faded, it's light slowly flickering out as Sam stared wide-eyed at his own reflection in the mirror. He had been certain he was no younger than nineteen just a moment ago, but now realized that he was growing shorter and more infantile in the blink of an eye. It was hard to place his exact age but the realization that he was still regressing filled him with panic. Sam ran back into the living room and grabbed the paper slip he had been handed from Venessa and swiped his phone open. After the number rang twice Sam let out a cry and crumbled to his knees. Sam's legs now felt extremely weak and in horror he realized he could no longer stand or walk. "Hello? Who is this?" The voice from the phone startled them and they paused for a moment before realizing that they may not have another chance to ask for help. "My name is Samm...Sam! I need help and Vanessa said you could keep me safe. I don't know what's happening to me but I…" Sam replied desperately into the receiver. As he tried to speak he found his mouth unable to make the same sounds he had learned how to say when conjugating words. "Sam? Sam! Okay listen to me Sam, I can find your location, but I need you to remain calm. If you are a friend of Vanessa's then you're a friend of mine. Just stay calm okay?" Sam tried to reply, but only the sounds of baby cooing and gurgles poured forth from his mouth. He felt a wellspring of fear rise within him as memories long suppressed flooded his mind. Memories of his mother and father screaming at one another as he watched in terror from his crib. His father was running water much too hot for a bath, and the trauma of being helpless and submerged in the scalding water brought tears to his eyes. His mother yelling at him that he was unwanted and ruining her relationship with his father made him cry out into the phone in a wail. “Sam! Please, whatever is happening be calm and still! I’m coming, but this will only work if you don’t freak out.” Upon hearing the voice respond on the phone Sam tried his hardest to resist the surge of thoughts and repressed memories. In an attempt to center himself, Sam began observing his surroundings that now seemed foreign to him. The couch that he had laid upon when he first returned to the apartment now appeared as a gargantuan mountain of fabric towering over him. The coffee table was nearby and Sam crawled his way underneath it, in a feeble attempt to feel safe from the thoughts within. Years of feelings and pain that had been buried were now resurfacing and Sam couldn’t contain it any longer. The world seemed so large and scary, and Sam began crying in complete anguish. Just as Sam let out a torrent of tears, his phone began to shake and rise up from the flow. There was a static buzz that pierced the air and drowned out the sounds of the crying infant nestled beside it. In a swirl of swift motion that left trails of green and blue light, the phone lifted and traced the outline of a door in the air. Sam was still consumed in sorrow and only noticed the magic being woven before him when a tall figure emerged from the door of light that now stood in the center of the room. “Sam! Sam! Where are you?” The bulky bodied man called out and began looking around the living room. Sam looked up at the stranger and realized that from their vantage point the large barrel chested man could not see him on the ground. Sam felt a mix of shame that he would be seen in his current state, but the panic that had set in overwhelmed any feelings of embarrassment. Sam slowly crawled out from under the table and mewled a small murmur to get the man’s attention. “Sam? Oh wow. Let's get you off the ground and out from that piece of soaked clothing.” Sam stared up in confusion then realized they still had the dress they had put on tangled around them. To their further embarrassment and astonishment they had soaked the dress at some point during their regression into a small toddler. He let out a cry of shame right as the man reached down and pulled Sam to his chest. “Hey, it’s alright, remember to just stay calm. You were talking to me not a few minutes before so I’m hoping you can still understand me while you are in this state. I told you when you called me that if you are a friend of any of my friends then you are my friend too. My name is Alex Montana, and I’m going to call you Sam until you are able to tell me otherwise, I hope that's okay.” Sam stared up into the eyes of Alex and felt reassured that he was in safe hands. Sam looked down at his diminished body and felt snug in the arms of the large mage who had come to their rescue. Sam let out a series of cooing noises and tried to reach up to thank the man for his kindness. In doing so Sam only managed to grab a tuft of exposed hair from the man’s chest and in surprise giggled. Alex let out a laugh and smiled down at the toddler. “You’ve found my fur haven’t you little one? Many people tell me it's my most desirable feature. I’d like for you to meet my boyfriend and his young charge. I think you and Annie will get along just fine. She’s a lot like you, and until we sort out all of this, you might appreciate the company of someone your age.” Sam didn’t know what to think or say, but felt the thumping of the man’s heart against his body and the rhythm sounded like a soft drum lulling him into sleep. His last thoughts before falling asleep were of Vanessa and wondering what to do if he ever got to see her again

Hey everyone, I hope to have a frequency worked out soon for releasing updates but my life is still pretty disrupted at the moment. Until things start to settle, I wanted to share the next chapter. Enjoy! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 3 - Meditations Annie pouted from across the room where several books were scattered about and open to pages displaying ancient mystics conjuring shadows. Across from Annie, Jacob sat cross-legged and meditated silently. Annie wiggled her fingers and tried to mimic the incantations from inside the book, but found that the magic she needed was beyond what she could wield. Her frustration boiled to the surface and made her yell out gibberish towards Jacob. "Annie, I know you can do this. We agreed that you would practice until I was finished meditating." "Bwauh bawaga ga goo!" Annie cried out with arms folded across her chest. "Yes it was an hour ago that we started but I'm still not quite finished. Try again." "Gwah!" Annie turned her head to the side and tried to avoid devolving into a temper tantrum, as the last time she had lost control she had slipped further into her regressive state and was truly trapped in her own mind as her body felt completely foreign to her. She shuddered and pushed the memory of being further regressed as far away as possible. While she still couldn't talk coherently or retain many functions from her life prior, Annie had a profound awareness as a mage which many times caused her body's age to clash with her mind's desires. Jacob had shown Annie that they shared a universal unspoken language between each other through the foundation of magic that Jacob had instructed Annie in prior to her awakening. While not as powerful as telepathy, it would enable Jacob to understand Annie's baby talk without any difficulty. A fact Jacob kept hidden, despite Annie's desperate pleas for Jacob to be a translator for her when other mages passed through the apartment. There had been an uptick in visits from traveling mages in the time since Annie’s transformation, many of whom spoke openly of their disgust with Jacob’s former roommate while gushing over Annie. The memories Annie had of her life prior filled her with shame and she wanted desperately to explain or apologize to the mages whom Annie had previously only felt jealousy towards. Jacob refused to explain Annie’s true situation and instead concocted outlandish stories each time he was asked how he became her caretaker. For her part, Annie could do little to not play the part of Jacob’s cute baby despite her growing mastery of arcana. It was as if there existed some lingering curse from the artifact that prevented Annie from regaining control of her physical form. Annie looked over herself and the plush diaper that swaddled her bottom. She glanced over at Jacob who continued to silently meditate to determine if he was paying any attention to her. She decided to risk embarrassment and checked her own diaper. It was dry and Annie let out a sigh of relief. It was the sound of a bell ringing that stirred Annie’s attention back towards Jacob. With a stretch and a yawn Jacob stood and produced a piece of chalk from his pocket, drawing the outline of a door while the bell continued to jingle. Annie smiled despite herself as the door opened to reveal Alexander carrying groceries. “Well hello my little mage!” Alexander greeted Annie with a bow as the bags of groceries began to float around the apartment. “And how does my lover feel after taking a nap?” “I was meditating, not napping!” Jacob quipped back as he gathered items from the floating bags and began putting the food and household goods away. “I’ve watched you meditate, it is napping.” “Bhuba!” Annie agreed. “See Annie agrees!” Alexander said while poking a finger into Jacob’s side. “Dwa ba la do gah.” Annie grumbled towards Jacob. Jacob ignored Annie’s newest demand for him to be her translator and instead bent over Annie and picked her up. “Does Annie have something to say? Huh? What does Annie want to say? Tell me Annie, tell me!” Annie’s face turned a dark crimson and she kept her mouth shut, refusing to play along with another one of Jacob’s torturous games. “Aww, is someone making Annie shy? Is it Alex? Did you forget Alex is your other Daddy?” Annie winced at the last word and quickly dared a glance towards Alex, afraid that he’d overheard. Alex returned Annie’s stare with a grin and slowly walked over. “Oh Annie! It's Daddy! You’re not shy around Daddy. Can you say Daddy? How about it? Say it with me! Daddy! Daddy!” Annie shut her eyes in frustration and embarrassment as both Jacob and Alex tried to coax her into calling them Daddy. The pair had only been together for a few months, but they doted on Annie as if they’d been her lifelong parents. Annie hated her dependency in her current form, but begrudgingly had grown to enjoy the affection that Alex showered on her. In her current state Annie had to rely on others for help with everything and Jacob always seemed to insist on teasing her throughout the process. But Alex had no idea that her awareness was vastly different then her outward age implied, and instead treated her with nothing but tenderness and warmth. Alex wiggled a finger in front of Annie’s face and continued to ask for her to talk. But Annie refused to speak, as much out of protest as being unable to coherently communicate. She would ensure that her first words were something to be proud of as a mage, and not some silly infantile name for her caretakers. Jacob raised Annie up in the air and then slowly brought her back into his arms and chest as Alex pulled the pair into a mighty hug. In that moment Annie felt warm and snug between them and only realized that Alex was checking her diaper as Jacob pulled away from the embrace. “Gaw!” Annie exclaimed indignantly. Despite the countless diaper changes since her transformation, Annie still hadn’t adjusted to her lack of physical control and the discovery that she was wet was news to her. “Aww, looks like someone is fussy in their wet diaper! Let me get you cleaned up little mage!” Alex said while patting Annie’s head. “Here let me take her, you just got back from running errands. Besides, I have a special surprise for Annie!” Jacob replied. Annie tried to wiggle out of Jacob’s arms to avoid another awkward changing experience, but to no avail. “Oh Annie! It looks like you can hardly contain your excitement! I’m sure you’ll love what I picked out for you!” Jacob moved over to the changing station and pulled out a large box with colorful packaging. After laying Annie on the table Jacob pulled out a diaper with a pink star wand and with small charms decorating the outside of the diaper. Annie rolled her eyes and Jacob let out a laugh. “Pmmph bauba bo!” Annie complained as Jacob began changing her. “Oh c’mon! They look cute on you! And the charms on the padding are supposed to disappear when the diaper gets wet. Now you’ll be able to ask me to change you if you need it.” Annie thought about it and nodded. Jacob continued changing her, applying a generous amount of baby powder which made Annie sneeze. “Poor baby! I think someone needs a snuggly onesie to keep them warm!” Jacob cooed as a pink onesie began to dance through the air towards Annie. “Bha do ga ba?” Annie asked with a blush. “Hmm? Oh, no I think it’s just us tonight. No one’s reached out to me about needing a place to crash.” “Goomp” Annie replied and let out a sigh of relief. The sound of clanging chimes interrupted Jacob as he pulled the onesie into place over Annie. The pair turned their attention to Alex who casually picked up his phone. "Hello? Who is this?" While the reply was muffled the sense of urgency was clear. Jacob quickly finished changing Annie and approached Alex with her in his arms when the voice on the phone seemed to yell in pain. "Sam? Sam! Okay listen to me Sam, I can find your location, but I need you to remain calm. If you are a friend of Vanessa's then you're a friend of mine. Just stay calm okay?" “Alex, what do you need me to do?” Jacob asked, gently bouncing Annie on his hip. “I need a portal to this caller’s location, think you can do it?” Alex replied with their hand over the phone as they turned to Jacob. Another painful yell from the phone brought Alex’s attention back to the caller. “Sam! Please, whatever is happening be calm and still! I’m coming, but this will only work if you don’t freak out.” Jacob quickly set to sketching a door into the air from a conjured piece of chalk. Annie reached out to the emerging door from the crook of Jacob’s other arm and admired his handiwork. With nothing to go on but a cellular connection Jacob was able to trace the call and conjure a teleportation portal all while holding Annie. Jacob pulled open the door and stood to the side as Alex stepped through the magical door into what looked like a messy apartment. Jacob and Annie waited by the portal and heard muffled noises out of sight. The moments stretched past and a discomforting silence passed between Annie and Jacob as they stared at the portal.

A lot more time passed then I initially anticipated between updates and for anyone who has been waiting I want to thank you for being patient! Once major life events settle into place for me I will set a goal to release weekly updates. Until then, here is the next chapter! - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 2 - Jumper (cw: attempted suicide, gender dysphoria, trauma) The heart of the city stood on the precipice of death on a Thursday night. A mage in her late thirties stared over the edge of the rooftop of her apartment building and prepared herself to jump. Wounds both tangible and intangible lay covered across her body and the hurt that she felt was the culmination of all the broken hearts of every city dweller in that precinct. What had started as a loving affection for her peer’s humanity had driven the mage to the most extreme outcome imaginable. When Sammy had awakened as a mage she had been standing in a similar position, though the scenery and building had looked quite different. She had held her pain in for so long that it had become as hard and precious as a diamond. In her moment of spiritual awakening she found that all of her own emotions were replaced by the thousands of inner emotions within the strangers surrounding her for miles in every direction. It had been a hellish nirvana of joy, sorrow, excitement, loathing, and desire. In the ten years since she had found a semblance of balance amidst the storm of magical empathy that her awakening had bestowed upon her. Yet this awakening had still ruined Sammy, making her accept the troubles of every stranger she encountered. Her own emotions were a blur of hundreds of stranger’s feelings, and her needs were based around the desires of those surrounding her at any given time. She had lived in a state of constant flux for so long that she had lost herself in the flow of everything around her, and in time the negative psychic scars of her neighbors found permanent roots within her. She thought it was darkly humorous that she should leave the world in the same way that she had unexpectedly been invited to experience the world once before through her emergence as a mage. As she prepared to take her last step, a voice startled her into hesitation. “Can you tell me your name?” a soft voice questioned from behind Sammy. “Who...who are you?” Sammy whirled around to see two figures behind her on the rooftop. One of an adolescent girl who wore a white dress and wide brimmed hat that stirred from the gusts of wind from the height of the apartment building. The other stranger did not speak but seemed to stare daggers into Sammy from eyes that were tired and set in a wrinkled face that seemed ancient despite belonging to a fit and muscular body. “I’m Vanessa, and this is Terri. We’re both mages like you. Well, I suppose I’m more like you in a way, but Terri understands what you are going through as well.” Vanessa spoke with a voice that seemed almost musical in tone while Terri simply grunted an affirmation. “How did you get up here? Why are you even here?” “We arrived here when I felt you in distress, and we have our ways of being exactly where we need to be.” “I’ve been in distress for ten years, this is me making peace with myself. I don’t need anyone to try to save me, I finally know how to set myself free.” “No Sammy, you are only ending pain that is not yours to bear. There is another option.” “How do you know my name?” “We’re all mages Sammy, we know entirely too much about one another from that fact alone.” There was something uncanny about Vanessa that pushed Sammy to take a step backwards, her heel now hanging over the edge of the rooftop. Somehow she felt as though Vanessa was seeing through her, past the myriad of imbued emotions from others and into her deepest core of self. Vanessa took a step forward and raised a hand towards Sammy. “Sammy, please come down from there and hear what we have to offer. We will leave if you believe anything we say to be incorrect.” Vanessa beckoned with her outstretched hand and Sammy found that she could not resist taking a few steps towards the strangers who had arrived moments before her planned end. “You awakened on your own in a very dangerous frame of mind, and for ten years you have worked to bring harmony and balance to others at the expense of your own health. You’ve had no teachers, no spiritual lessons, and yet you have survived and wielded magic like a natural prodigy. Your gift is profound, but so are the wounds in your psyche. They stretch further back then you can even know. But you must believe that you can be healed, just as you have healed strangers who have faced death as closely as you have just now.” Sammy thought of the numerous nights she had stayed awake on subway station platforms to speak to the desperate in their most dire time of need and felt her head nod in agreeance. “Sammy, let us show you where to begin your journey. It will be difficult, and you will lose a considerable amount of your magic in the process at first, but by the end of your journey you will have grown into a mage who is able to heal the broken hearts of the city without carving wounds into yourself at the same time. Wouldn’t that be better then to lose yourself here and not be around for when others need you?” “...I...yes, it would, but...what would it take?” Sammy stammered back in reply, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. She could feel an overwhelming amount of warmth from Vanessa and despite her attempts to detach from it, the warm feelings of unconditional love washed over the errant feelings of the city-dwellers below. “Just an open mind. Terri, can you help me with the spell?” “Are you sure she knows what she is getting into?” Terri responded, breaking her silence. “No, but did I when you saved me?” Terri grunted once more in response and raised her arthritic hands. A faint glow of purple and blue swirled around them as strange runes flashed in Sammy's mind. “Wha...what are you doing to me?!” Sammy exclaimed as she raised her hands to grasp her head before falling on her knees. A growing sensation pulsated around her shoulders and pelvis as she felt the rest of her body begin to shift and reduce in size. Every fraction of a millimeter of reduction brought with it the discharge of a stranger's emotions and thoughts, slowly bringing the sounds of a sobbing child into focus. Sammy felt her mind become a dark sanctum for herself and the child that lay curled up on the ground within it. The inner sanctum within Sammy was a bleak landscape that stretched outwards towards a foggy horizon in all directions. The form of a sobbing young boy drew near and Sammy let out a gasp and fell to her knees in shock. Overwhelming sensations of panic, fear, and shame blasted Sammy's senses and she tentatively reached a hand towards the youth. As the hand pressed against the neck of the sobbing boy Sammy felt the body under her jerk suddenly and in a flash her vision blurred. She clutched her sides and tried to calm the feelings that were bombarding her senses. When she finally grabbed hold of her senses she could not see the youth any longer, yet she felt that something was off. The attention of the violently open hearted mage stared blankly as the horizon began to fade back into the familiar surroundings of the top of the building. The awareness of something being wrong increased as the mage realized that their clothing was now greatly oversized for their frame and hung awkwardly along their body. "What did you...do...to…" the mage trailed off as their voice now had a different cadence and slightly was deeper in pitch around certain syllables. "We showed you the person you've been neglecting the most while you were taking in emotions that weren't yours to keep." Terri responded while folding their arms around their chest. "But who was that?" "It was you." Vanessa spoke as she knelt beside the confused mage. "I'm going to call you Sam now, since, well, you've got a few things to sort out and your old name may not sit quite right anymore." “My old name? I’m...am I a boy?” Sam asked while raising a hand to their face. Somehow the recognition of their transformation was not as alarming as they would have expected. Whether through the image of the boy in their mind during the incantation or from the now recalled daydreams of their youth, the young mage felt a strange comfort wash over their mind. “You are the only one who can determine that. You spent so much time running from a pain within yourself that it may be hard to recognize who you actually are once stripped of the needs and desires of others.” “But I never wanted to be...well, I never thought about this…” “Then why do you look the way you look now? Vanessa, it's time we left. The night is still full of other fools to help.” Terri interjected while turning and beginning to move towards the apartment complex door. “Wait! You can’t do this to me and just abandon me here! I’ll...I could still jump!” “You won’t. I added a bit of my own magic to ensure that.” Terri responded without looking back. Sam realized the older mage was right, some mental barrier had arisen within themselves at the thought of jumping. They tried to conjure other lethal alternatives within their mind and found repulsion and fear at each one. For the first time they could feel their own self-preservation mechanism responding to imagery that had plagued them their entire life. “I know you have your own apartment to stay in, but I would feel better if you stayed with a friend of ours. Please take this.” Vanessa pressed a small business card into the palm of Sam’s hand and then turned to leave with Terri. At the door Vanessa turned and looked at Sam with a warm smile. “I hope we meet again Sam. I’d like to get to know the real you once you’ve sorted that out for yourself. Stay strong!” Vanessa and Terri shut the door behind them and Sam got up and made haste across the roof in oversized clothes. By the time they reached the door and threw it open both Terri and Vanessa had disappeared, leaving Sam to stand in the doorframe in an oversized t-shirt staring down at the silent stairwell.

This is the first story I'll be posting here and I'm really excited to share what I've written! This is an ongoing story that looks at the intersection of identity, healing trauma, and regression through the lens of a newly awakened mage in a modern magical setting. - Vi Dark Rattle: Chapter 1 - Shadows (cw: gender dysphoria, familial trauma) Dark shadows draped the interior of a young mage’s cluttered studio apartment as the sun began to set. The mage lay motionless in bed, staring at the ceiling, wishing the night would come quicker. He held in his hands a strange object, resembling a ceremonial drum with a gourd tied around the stretched leather surface like a hybrid percussion stick and rattle. “You’re my ticket to a better life. Don’t disappoint me, or I will break you apart.” The mage whispered towards the relic in his hands. A small sound of beads moving slightly emanated from the device in response as a ray of sunlight spread across the bed from the sinking sun. The mage grinned wildly and began to speak once more. “The broker who sold you to me claims you are a spiritual tuner. I hope they’re right. I’ve been living in squalor with Jacob for almost a year now and I still haven’t had my awakening. I can perform parlor tricks at best.” The sound of rattling once again filled the room and the young mage began to shake with anger. “I’ve done everything Jacob has told me, I’ve severed the ties to my former life, I’ve moved into this shit apartment with him, and I’ve done all of his stupid rituals for nothing! I’m tired of it! I will become a modern practitioner of magic on my own terms, at my own pace! Fuck Jacob!” The rattling became stronger and a single thump of the drum responded to the last exclamation. It was then that the mage smiled wickedly and let out a cackle as his grasp on the relic tightened. “Yes! You understand! This is my journey and you will be the first tool of many I use to surpass Jacob and all the other snobbish mages that look down on me. Together we won’t hear another lecture of caution or of patience! Oh no, we’ll finally get the praise we deserve.” The rattling intensified and only stopped when footsteps in the hallway outside the apartment came to stop outside the door. With a quick jerk, the relic was shoved under the pillows beneath the mage, who then pretended to wake from a nap as his roommate entered the apartment. “Yo. You fall asleep while meditating again? Remember what I told you: focus is key.” Jacob said as he shut the door behind him and set down a handful of takeout bags on the crowded counter near the fridge. “And what gives with the dishes? I thought I asked you to clean them while I was at work?” “Jacob, I am not your maid. I’m here to learn what I need to and then move on with my journey as a mage.” “You might not be my maid, Andy, but you are my roommate until you learn to wield the power within you. And, since you’ve taken the longest out of anyone I've helped awaken to their powers, the least you could do to repay me for my trouble is to help out around the apartment.” Jacob retorted as he stuffed his takeout into the fridge. “You make it seem like I’ve done nothing to help you, Master. ” “Ew, cool it with that master and apprentice nonsense, this is the twenty-first century not some fake-ass fantasy novel. You’re my friend, not my apprentice. Now look, I got a date uptown and I plan to bring them back home for some good times. Can you promise me you’ll practice the incantations I taught you then find a place to crash tonight?” “Jacob, believe me, by the time you get back here with whatever poor soul you've stuck your talons into I will be long gone.” “Awesome. I’m off then, good luck studying!” Jacob replied after raising an eyebrow at Andy. Andy looked away and muttered an insult under his breath as Jacob sighed and gathered a few belongings into a bag. Andy watched Jacob as he pulled a small piece of chalk from his bag. With a flourish and a few words of power, he drew an outline of a rectangle into the air and in a flash it assumed the form of a door. Jacob smiled and waved goodbye to Andy who simply turned his head away, feigning indifference as Jacob opened the door and stepped into an alleyway in another part of the city. As the door shut behind Jacob, the chalk outline ceased, its glowing aura evaporating in a cloud of dust. Andy produced the relic from under his pillows and placed it flat on his bed before getting up to rummage through the fridge. “Ugh, what a slut. And it's just like Jacob to constantly think of himself and not get me anything! I bet he won’t mind if I take a few bites of his food, he can always conjure more.” Andy chuckled and began scarfing down the food within the small containers. Absorbed in this act of petty vengeance, Andy failed to notice the relic trembling softly as the last ray of light expired during the sun's disappearance from the sky. By the time the thumping noise was audible to Andy, it was already too late. “Hey, what are you doing? I didn’t command you to make noise!” Andy exclaimed through a mouth full of food. As he moved across the apartment to reach his bed, he realized something strange was happening. His foot struck a pile of books on the floor and he fell forward unto the ground, spewing food from his mouth and spilling the takeout container onto the floor. “Fuck!” exclaimed a voice that sounded very different than the one Andy was used to hearing. As the relic began to play a steady beat and the rattling became a vibration that echoed within Andy’s skull, he found it difficult to regain his composure and rise up from the floor. By the time Andy had gotten his feet under him, he realized the bed was almost the same height as himself. He reached out desperately towards the relic, his fingers just barely brushing the rattle as it shook and drummed against itself of its own accord, before he collapsed onto the floor. Visions of dancers in ceremonial garb from an age long past filled Andy’s mind as he writhed in pain, knocking over stacks of books and occult clutter across the apartment. The dancers marched around a blazing fire that seemed to reach up into the twilight sky and lick the strange twinkling stars that had appeared above him. Andy’s mind began to buckle under the weight of his vision and the sound of chanting in a foreign tongue permeated his thoughts. He cried out in pain, but the sound was closer to the screaming of a newly born infant. The stars overhead descended one-by-one into the fire, and Andy saw the body of a small toddler within the flames, being filled with the knowledge and power of the universe. He had just enough time to recognize that this was his awakening, before all conscious thought left his mind. In the middle of the floor, amidst a pile of messy clothing and scattered books lay the newly awakened mage. Their eyes fluttered open and darted around a now unfamiliar landscape. Their head felt as though it were aflame with thoughts that were too complex to understand. They attempted to stand but their body faltered under their effort almost immediately. When taking in their surroundings, the mage quickly realized something was horribly amiss, as they were no longer clothed and they seemed diminutive compared to their surroundings. With horror they held their fingers next to a nearby book and found the spine was bigger than they could hold with one hand. In an attempt to calm themselves they began moving their hands across their body, starting with their face which now had a layer of fat that had not existed just moments prior. A small tuft of hair arose from their scalp, but beyond that they had lost the rest of the hair on their head, including the full beard that had taken them months to grow. A plump roundness of the belly now protruded from beneath their upper torso, and chubby legs stuck out from under their body. With a sudden jerking motion they squished their stomach flat and stared in disbelief at what lay below. “Am I a girl now?” the mage attempted to say, but the words came out in a squished and garbled mess of mewling and gaggling. They explored several other utterances with mounting suspicion and disgust as they realized they could no longer speak coherently. With a sinking feeling, the mage determined that they had somehow become the young infant from their awakening vision. Once more they tried in vain to stand, falling back onto their butt just as soon as they lifted themselves off the ground. They let out a cry of shock and anguish, tears streaming down their uncharacteristically rosy cheeks. The sensations they felt now seemed incredibly vivid and more visceral. The rejuvenation of the body to match their spiritual form was too much to take and revulsion filled them as they realized the consequences of their forced transformation. As the moments passed, they grew more and more upset, their wailing becoming ear splitting and their discomfort growing. It was only when a long gaseous fart erupted from them that they were roused from their sorrow. The discomfort that was stirring within them was more than just disgust at their new form, but a sudden intense urge to vacate their bowels. The mage struggled to stand again, and fell forward onto their hands and knees. They desperately looked around for something to help them stand as they cursed their weak limbs. The mage’s eyes caught sight of the relic atop their bed that now loomed above them like a mountain. They needed to crane their neck all the way back to take in the immense size and shape of the bed, and despair filled them once more. The thought of climbing up to the relic seemed impossible, but they could think of no other way to attempt to undo the magic that had been woven into their body. Magic! That’s it! With a happy giggle that went undetected by the mage, they set to work locating a book of incantations amongst the scattered texts on the floor. The mounting sounds of indigestion shook their body and they quickly crawled over to a thick leather-bound book from the 13th century that contained a number of spells for the young mage to practice. The book had always been one of their favorites as an adult for its beautiful illustrations, a detail which they had kept a secret for fear of being accused of only enjoying the text for its pictures and not its esoteric contents. Upon opening the book the mage was left dumbstruck by the illustrations they now saw. The shapes and lines seemed to move across the pictures of mages conjuring spells and weaving reality. The colors shifted as though animated on the page in hues from unknowable spectra of vivid light. The young mage relished in delight at the discovery that their perception had become altered by their spiritual awakening, and they celebrated their ascension to true magical mastery with a set of adorable cooing noises. They patted the pictures with trusting enthusiasm as the colors and shapes bended to their touch. Only the sounds of their stomach’s imminent need to empty its contents across the floor brought them back to their senses. A wave of repulsion spread out from the mage’s inner sense of self. They questioned their body’s lack of self control and were jarringly brought back to the reality of their situation. If they did not quickly revert back to their previous body they would be utterly lost as their mind continued to regress. The image of them lying in their own shit in the apartment as an infant, when Jacob brought home his latest catch of the night, was too much for the young mage to handle. They would not allow themselves to be the laughing stock of the mage community for the rest of their life. Not after they had sacrificed so much in their journey towards enlightenment! They frantically turned their attention back towards the book to see what spells they could cast to counter or somehow reverse the magical effects of the relic, only to cry out in terror. They stared at the strange runes of the book, reduced to indecipherable blotches. They could not read words in this language any longer as their mind released its grip on rational thought and linear memory. However, simultaneous to this it was also expanding into understanding other abstract and impressionistic memories of their experience from their awakening into true mysticism. Runic symbols from ages long lost flooded their mage's mind like night stars alighting in the sky after the sun has set and before the moon appears to blot out the twilight. They remembered the lives of powerful mages whom they had never heard of prior to their awakening. They were losing the ability to do long division and more advanced mathematics for a wider mental vocabulary surrounding the way the seasons shift from Spring to Summer, a metaphor for their own rebirth that was not lost to them in that moment. Ideas for spells and rituals flooded their mind as the details of the past year became more and more difficult to recall. To center themselves they began the process of casting a spell that came to mind during their period of revelation. They attempted an incantation that they could still remember and awkwardly gestured with their tiny hands to mimic what they had been taught. To their surprise, the incantation finally worked for them and a streak of light materialized in the space between their hands. They willed the color to change and it shifted between brilliant warm hues. Burnt sienna gave way to a rich dark orange and the mage laughed with euphoria at having cast their first spell. The sound of their laughter caught them unguarded, as it pulled at memories lost to them since their early childhood. Brief flashes of their joy in manipulating conjuration and illusion magic as an infant enveloped their mind, and they were left awestruck as the colors of the spell before them flickered violently between different extremes of vermillion and deep sea blue. To their horror they realized that they had cast spells prior to this, as a young infant whose parents were absolutely contemptuous and terrified of their child’s gift. Despite being so young, they remembered long periods, sometimes entire days, when they were locked in their small bedroom in a misshapen crib. They would cast small enchantments and rudimentary spells to comfort themselves, but they were powerless to affect material change to their conditions. Their emotions swirled inside them with the intensity of a violent hurricane. They questioned why their parents could have been so negligent, and at what age they had begun unconsciously suppressing their abilities to receive the affection and love that their parents had starved them of. The streak of color that had been conjured before them evolved once more in hue and saturation to match their distress and formed a weightless blanket around them. A longing had finally been answered with comfort and warmth, and in that moment they briefly forgot the trauma they had endured and the journey they had taken to awaken to their inner truth. The spell allowed them to enter a state of relief, which had they been less distraught they would have been vehemently against. By the time they realized what they had done, there was no changing course. They felt their stomach lurch forward, and before they could physically react, their bowels exploded outwards. They let out a howl as matter poured from their body. In their rejuvenated form they felt a sensation of immense pleasure and satisfaction as their body moved to vacate its waste. However, mentally they were overwhelmingly upset and they tried to give voice to their frustration, but could only muster a yelp that caused drool to slip down the side of their chin. The shame and disgust within them was reflected in the magical blanket of light wrapped around them as it alternated between a jaundiced yellow and a vomitous green. It was then that a thin line of white pierced the air in front and above the mage whose tears were now causing ripples in the floating imagery around them. The resulting door that was carved out of the air allowed Jacob to return to the apartment, carried by a bulky bodied bear of a man. Jacob stroked the man’s chest and pulled at his exposed brown chest hair. Their hopes of time alone were unceremoniously dashed by recognition of a powerful stench. Jacob looked down to find the apartment in complete disarray. His takeout was left smeared across the kitchen counter and the laminate floor beneath it. Books were tossed about across every surface available, many left carelessly open and left together without purpose. An ivory and black jewel encrusted tribal drum with a small attached gourd rattle made a percussive beat that echoed around the room. And in the middle of it all was an infant crying out in despair atop a pile of soiled clothes. "Andy?!" Jacob gasped, slipping out of their midnight lover's arms to reach down to the infant mage and scoop them up into his hands. As Jacob picked the infant up, their minor prestidigitation of light evaporated, revealing their entire new form for both men to observe. "Or should I say… Annie?" A shrewd smile spreading across his face upon examining his roommate's new body. "You didn't tell me you had a tyke. I'm guessing you'd want me gone?" The gruff man behind Jacob remarked, producing chalk of his own. "Oh! Well, this is my daughter Annie! She's a new addition to my life, but I love her very much and she has just made me very proud actually! You wouldn't hold a single father responsible for the mess a talented baby can cause unsupervised—would you?" "Only if that single father agrees to never leave their little girl unattended again! I'm surprised though, Jacob. You never struck me as a parent." The infantile mage squirmed in the hands of their teacher and former roommate. They wanted to puke at the new name they had been given, and yet they felt something else behind their shame. They looked at Jacob with hatred behind tear stained eyes and tried to communicate with them, but only managed a small gurgle. "Don't you worry, Annie. I'm going to get you cleaned up and put you to bed while me and Alexander have some time together." "You still wanna go through with tonight?" "Annie here is a sweet little girl who is up way past her bedtime! With just a bit of magic, she'll be too busy playing poker with Merlin in her dreams to cause any more fuss." "Good. You know, to be honest, I didn't want to give you up to a certain little harlot." Alexander snickered. He then picked the infant mage up from Jacob's hands. The exchange happened so fast that the young mage was too shocked to protest. Jacob lifted a hand and a glowing aura encircled his hands and forehead. Small beads of glowing matter swirled into the air before Jacob as the books were rearranged and the entire room was transformed from a cramped bachelor pad in disarray to a gorgeous spacious apartment with adjoining rooms. With pools of pale fog, dimmed lights, and rose petals swirling around a bed of satin sheets visible in the newly conjured master bedroom, Jacob slowed the transformation spell down and looked to Alexander for approval. Alexander smiled at the sight of the bed and slowly repositioned the infant in his hands into a position on their back in midair, suspended from what seemed like invisible wires. With a quick flourish of his right hand, Alexander conjured a small garment into his grasp. The baby mage struggled against the firm hold of Alexander's magic to no avail as the older mage cleaned and diapered her. Within the mage's mind a battle of conflicting thoughts and sensations arose. Embarrassment and shame swirled against pure delight at being cleaned and wrapped in the smooth satin cloth. The sensation of the cloth tying itself around their body brought forth emotions that had long been forgotten in the mage's mind. Feelings of comfort, security, and love surged inside of them in a way that they had not felt since early childhood. The smooth material of the diaper made them cease their struggling and they absently stuck a thumb into their mouth without realizing they had done so. In their tender reflection a lost memory emerged of being called Annie during their prior infancy. As a young child, the mage's family members had always teased them with the name Annie until they grew into an older and much meaner child. The name originally came about during the period of time when they were still being brought to term, as their mother had insisted she would be giving birth to a girl and had chosen the name Annie for her child. Warm thoughts of being held in the womb and hearing the comforting sounds of their mother whispering the same name that Jacob and Alexander had begun calling them seemed to lull the mage into a trance where they simply laid back and allowed themselves to be overcome with happiness and bliss. New thoughts emerged as they remembered more and more of their early childhood. They had been bullied and called names for being too feminine as a little kid and while these thoughts had once brought intense shame and rage, they seemed to mean nothing to them now. In fact, given their current position, it was comical enough to cause them to giggle. Alexander noticed the infant’s mewling and smiled warmly down at the child. Alexander began tickling the toddler across their stomach and the young mage seemed absolutely delighted with the action. A small voice within them screamed in agony at the situation, but it was growing distant and beginning to recede, lost in the intensity of newfound comforting emotions. The mage found that they could accept that they were a girl now, perhaps even recognize that they were always meant to be a girl, but had been too terrified before to ever consider the possibility. Jacob had often asked them if they were living in their own deception and now it seemed to click in their awoken mind. Yet despite the gradual comfort of the name and change, the image of themselves being diapered was still too much to process fully. The voice that had screamed in defiance came back to the forefront of their mind and they began swinging their hands wildly against Alexander's tickling embrace. The motion was wasted as a deterrent, but the act brought their attention back to their surroundings. They realized that they had lost their opportunity to fight off the diapering, as the material was now snugly slipped into place around their waist. While Annie pawed in futility against the diaper wrapped firmly around their bottom, feeling the satin glide across her skin and begrudgingly releasing a coo of delight, Jacob orchestrated his magic towards the ever growing matter surrounding his hand. In a swift and graceful bow he completed the transformation spell by conjuring a bright pink crib with soft blankets, a mobile of stars and the moon, a teddy to match the crib, and a golden pacifier between his fingers. Seeing this, Alexander waved his hands around Annie and made an exaggerated gasp and exhale which coincided with an invisible force gently rocking Annie over and into their new crib. Jacob placed a hand over Annie and as soon as she opened her mouth to protest and inserted the golden pacifier into her mouth. Annie struggled to remove the pacifier but found herself unable to pry it free. Fighting against the urge to suckle and the exhausted weight under their eyes, Annie looked up towards the mobile and saw both Jacob and Alexander grinning above her. The blankets began to swirl and and swaddle Annie into a cocoon. Despite knowing she was stronger then the blankets, Annie's limbs felt heavier than lead. Alexander moved towards the rose covered bed in the other room, gliding a hand across Jacob's face as they departed from the crib. Jacob blew a kiss after him before turning his attention towards Annie. "Don't think I didn't see your little artifact on the bed. Using a crutch to awaken has consequences, as you are now aware of. If I had known you would be swayed by such folly I would have been more firm in my warnings, but now we are here. Your mind is likely going to change very much now, and you'll need more attention and guidance than you needed before. And don't worry little one, I won't tell a soul you shit yourself when you awakened, so long as someone continues to behave like a good little girl!" Jacob switched on the mobile as Annie tried to speak through their pacifier, to give some indication that they had retained their awareness through their rejuvenation but the pacifier in their mouth clamped their lips firmly around it. Annie watched through a narrow slit between the bars of her crib, as Jacob and Alexander began embracing each other in the doorway to the bedroom. As clothes began to be pulled off, the mages began inciting incantations, conjuring small lights and warmth to spread around their bodies as they entered a state of magical euphoria. They pair moved in synchronized motion into the bedroom and disappeared from Annie's view. She remembered how upset and revolted she had been when she discovered that Jacob was gay. Though as she reflected she began to realize that the emotions within herself were becoming clearer. The longing that existed within her for the power that Jacob could wield magically was not the only reason for their jealousy. The freedom Jacob had as an openly queer man was more sexual liberating then Annie had ever imagined would be possible, especially for herself. Annie's own attraction towards dating men had boiled rage and envy within her since the first string of hook ups that Jacob brought home in the time they had both lived together. Annie felt more tired then she could ever remember being as an adult. As she reached the edge of waking and sleeping, she heard Jacob's voice enter her head and whisper softly, "Rest well little one, you've a new life to live come the next dawn." Annie tried to say they were sorry for the multitude of aggressions and insincerity they had shown their caretaker, and that they felt horrible that they could ever have been so cruel to Jacob, but their thoughts were already drifting towards sleep. Jacob simply smiled from the bed beside his sleeping lover and let the connection between him and Annie cease. He closed his eyes and said in a soft voice, "I know Annie, you're forgiven. I'll tell you a thousand times over if I have to. I'll show you how wonderful this life can be with love and a bit of magic."