If you like my art, sketches, stories, transformations you can find more like this on my Patreon page or in DeviatArt Premium Early Access folder for subscribers here. Every bit of support is truly appreciated, but just having you here means the most to me - without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you very much!
Check also my shop at DeviantArt for other works
— I don't think there was a transformation... — Dan said quietly but firmly, avoiding making eye contact with Emma.
— Oh, there's someone in a long dark cloak... Strange, looks creepy, like they're staring right at me, — Jessica said, averting her gaze from the image.
But Emma seemed not to notice at all what Jessica had said; she had already clenched her fists and turned to Dan.
— You said you saw the jester talking to you, that you understood everything and believed me, and now you're back to your "it wasn’t a transformation"?! — Emma glared at Dan, her voice tinged with fury. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. — I knew you were lying when you said you believed me! Why the hell did you even say that? To impress me?!
— Um, that's not what I meant! — he snapped, trying to explain himself. — It's just... maybe it was something else, I don't know. I saw the jester, I know he's doing something, but that doesn't mean... you were a man!
— You're an idiot, Dan! — Emma exploded, stomping her foot. — You saw the jester, you heard me, and you still think it was some glitch?! I didn't ask for your help, what the hell are you even following me for?! Are you trying to be some kind of hero? Save the poor "girl," who turns out isn't a girl, but a guy just trying to figure out what's happening to him?! — Emma finished, her voice trembling with emotion. She looked at Dan as if she wanted to pierce him with her gaze.
Dan sighed heavily, his hands clenched into fists, but he restrained himself, trying not to lash out in return.
— Enough of this nonsense! — Dan shouted, his voice harsh, but there was more desperation in it than anger. — Damn it, Emma, I don't even know what happened to you, but you can't keep stuck in this "I'm a man, I'm not a man" thing! You're driving me crazy! You and what's happening to you. And yeah, I don't understand everything, but I'm trying! I'm trying to understand, to help you, because I do care.
Jessica, who had been sitting with the book in her hands all this time, finally couldn't take it anymore.
— Stop! — Jessica jumped to her feet, her voice so loud it made both Dan and Emma fall silent. — You’re both so stubborn you can't even see the obvious! Emma, you keep acting like you're some poor thing, but you're cooler and stronger than anyone here! And admit it already, that you care, that someone might matter to you! Is that really so hard?! And you, Dan! — Jessica turned to him with the same accusatory look, her face flushed with anger. — You’re following Emma around like a puppy, trying to prove something, but you're only making things worse! If you really want to help her, stop acting like some noble knight and start listening, instead of proving you know everything! — Jessica paused, her breath heavy, her face burning with rage.
Jessica said all of this while holding the book she had grabbed earlier. Her voice was filled with both anger and desperation, as if she had finally said everything she had been holding in.
She wanted to say more, but her angry monologue was suddenly interrupted by a tremor in her hands. Jessica looked down at the book she was still holding and saw its pages shaking, as if someone were trying to break free.
— What the... — Jessica stared at it, and then screamed and let go when it began vibrating more intensely. The book fell to the wooden floor of the gazebo and sparked, as if an electric charge had run through it.
— Jessica, get back! — Emma shouted, pushing her friend backward.
The book slipped from Jessica's hands and fell onto the wooden floor of the gazebo. A strange light emanated from it, and the pages began rapidly flipping, as though an invisible wind were turning them. Then a figure rose from the book — the same person in the long dark cloak that Jessica had seen on page thirty-four. Their face was hidden by a deep hood, but from beneath it emanated a faint reddish glow.
The figure in the long dark cloak, enveloped in a faint reddish light, slowly rose from the book, causing everyone to take a step back. Its movements were smooth, as if it were floating in the air, and the head under the hood turned from side to side, as though trying to understand where it was.
— Who awakened me? — a low, vibrating voice rang out, seeming to come not from outside, but directly inside their heads. The voice was soft, but there was a power to it that made even Emma lose her composure for a moment. — My awakening requires a wish. That is the deal. Who among you summoned me?
Emma, Dan, and Jessica were silent, stunned by what was happening. Emma spoke first, her voice shaking.
— Who are you? — she asked sharply, her gaze full of tension. — What does "awakening" and "deal" mean? And what the hell are you even doing here?
The figure tilted its head, as if studying Emma. Then, with a slight motion of its arms, it spoke:
— I am a spirit, imprisoned in these books long ago, when the magicians of the past sealed my power. — Its voice was calm, but there was a deep bitterness in it. — My purpose is to grant the wishes of those who awaken me, — the cloaked being continued, its voice calm but filled with profound sadness. — I was once an ordinary man, but an old mage, possessing great power, trapped my soul in these books. He believed that by doing so, he could create tools that would only bring good. Books imbued with magic, fulfilling wishes.
Emma let out a bitter, loud laugh, her voice cutting through the tense silence.
— Good books? — she said with clear sarcasm, pointing at the figure in front of her. — I’ve seen one of your kind, and trust me, he was far from "good." That jester certainly wasn't trying to help. If anything, he messed everything up.