sceNe 62 - ʀesuʟᴛs aNᴅ coNseǫueNces

Everything went as I planned, aside from Cryztal biting my head off. I woke up in Koko's bedroom, a bit after sunrise. I didn’t even remember the boundless drifting feeling or waking up partially formed and coughing. It just felt like waking up any other morning, aside from Koko’s mattress feeling like it was filled with straw. I really should have tried it out before making it the place I would be resurrected, but it wasn’t like I could have used Cryztal’s bed. What if she wanted to stream?

When I tried to pull the bedding over me a little, just to relax and celebrate the success of my potion, I noticed something tugging back. At the foot of the bed was Cryztal, hunched over by my side, and sleeping. As I sat up to get a better look at her, I noticed she had likely cried herself to sleep. I had a feeling it wouldn’t go over well, but we could talk about it when she woke up. No reason to rush that conversation.

I carefully got out of bed and reached for a robe I had placed on the standing coat rack by the bedroom door. I made sure not to look at my body, as to not ruin the surprise. I covered up and made my way to the bathroom, not because I needed the toilet, but because I wanted to see the results of my body in the mirror. My nails weren’t any longer than before, so I was feeling pretty confident.

Before I could even disrobe, I noticed my neck looked strange. I slowly loosed the shoulders of the robe, only to find that my neck now had a scar going all the way around it. Immediately I dropped the robe off my back and took my arms out of my sleeves. My upper arms were littered with all the scars I had before, and even then, there was another scar below my breasts, again going all the way around my body. I desperately tried turning the lights on and off in the bathroom, but the scars never disappeared.

I rushed into the witch’s study and immediately tried to call for Koko’s attention. She always showed up when it was convenient for her, but could I summon her? Maybe there was something tracking motion? As I moved around the room trying to find the motion tracker, while also just trying to create noise in general, she appeared in the center of the room, a floating head with floating hands like usual, yawning.

“You get that it is a little early in the morning, right?” She said, letting out another yawn.

“It's an emergency! I think we messed up the potion!” I slid my way in front of her, getting in her face. “I’m even worse than before! How did I get new scars?”

Koko’s face looked like her eyelids were heavy. How can a projection have heavy eyelids? As she looked at my chest, my arms, and my neck, she started to snicker.

“This isn’t funny! We have to fix this!” I said, trying not to shout and wake Cryztal.

“Nothing to fix, dearie. Your scars are clearly stable now.” She pointed to the scar below my chest. “Only now, you’ve also got scars from where you were bit.”

“What do you mean where I was bit? Like where Cryztal bit me?” My panic was turning into fear.

“The reason I had to manipulate my child’s memories is because the more that is ‘true’ about someone, the more their new form is influenced.” Koko said this with a smirk. “Meaning, if she knows about your scars, and knows that she bit you, then you are meant to have scars in those places.”

No. Nononononononono! This cannot be happening!

I continued to frantically check my body, hoping when I was looking away that the scars would fade like that had before, but nothing. And the new scars, they didn’t feel as raised, but they were clearly much wider. If they were based on where Cryztal bit me, it means the size of her teeth likely decided. I hadn’t even looked at my legs, but was afraid to see my thighs with two large red marks in the middle of all my other scars. I covered myself up before looking at the vials and bottles and other equipment we used for the potions.

Koko on the other hand looked like she was checking on a few spots, before floating by the door.

“You talked to her this time, right? Like she actually chose to eat you?” Koko said, an almost vacant look on her face.

“Y-Yeah. She bit my head off, so I don’t know what it was like, and I even told her about fixing my body.” I looked away and started to blush. “I let my emotions get the best of me, and thought she’d enjoy eating me. Like a treat or something.”

Koko laughed. “That’s because your body was unstable. You were more likely to make impulsive choices. You should be more clear headed now.” She was quiet for a moment, before grabbing the handle and opening the door to leave the room.

I could barely focus on what she was doing until I heard the door’s hinges creek.

“Where are you going? Can you even leave the room like that?” I hadn’t seen her projection anywhere outside of the study before.

“No, but I am leaving. You can use any of my supplies and research however you may need, but I’m not coming back. Even if you ask for help.”

What did she mean she wouldn’t be back? “But you’re her mom! You can’t abandon her! And I barely know what I’m doing!”

“You know enough. I am officially graduating you from a Silly Apprentice to a Silly Witch. Even if you don’t live up to the title, you’ll still have earned the name. That’s what being a Silly Witch is about.” She said this like it was supposed to encourage me.

“I don’t want to be a witch! I just wanted to fix my body! To make Cryztal happy!”

“And I’m sure you’ll continue to make her happy. No matter what it takes.” She completely turned away from me.

Once she floated through the doorway, the head and hands that projected Koko’s mind turned to stone. I tried to bring them back to the study to turn them back, but nothing changed. The head had basically become a stone bust, and the hands were already crumbling. I didn’t know how exactly, but I could tell that the room was different. It was no longer watching me. She really did cut me off.

There wasn’t much else I could really do at the time. I just laid on the floor of a witch’s study that I now had full reign over, trying to accept my fate. What should I even tell Cryztal? Could I even hide the scars? She acts like she doesn’t mind, but I don’t want her to blame herself. I thought I could give her a pretty girlfriend.

I guess I’m just broken forever.