Elmar looked at the different diagrams of animal parts and frowned. If he tried to remember everything, he was going to be lost. So, he tried with something easy. A jellyfish.

A jellyfish had a body and tentacles, a stomach, a mouth that also acted as waste disposal and muscle rings. It sounded simple enough. He read the spell’s incantation, and then he channeled his mana, and suddenly, he began to shrink. His body became like jelly and his arms became longer.

He was struggling to breathe, but found he could not. No matter how much he struggled, he found he was suffocating. He tried to remind himself he didn’t need to breathe, but his mind was still panicking.

Rozimer came from the kitchen and waved his hand and suddenly Elmar was human again, well, not human, a Litch.

“What did you attempt?” Asked Rozimer with a sly grin on his face.

“A jellyfish.” Said Elmar as he fought to take calm breaths. He was failing spectacularly, and he sounded like an overworked ox.

“You have to start with something that is close to your form before attempting the complex act of changing into something so different as a jellyfish. Why don’t you try with an elf? Then with a worker elf. Thereafter, you can try with an ogre.” Said Rozimer, and he picked up the fallen shapeshifting manual and handed it back to Elmar.

“There is no difference between a human and an elf.” Protested Elmar as he tried to find the page on elves.

“Yes, there is. The ear shape, for one. Furthermore, elves have bigger lungs than humans. Moreover, they have more muscled legs. Have you seen an elf do a backflip? It is a thing of beauty, I tell you.” Said Rozimer with a wishful expression on his face.

Elmar finally found the page on elves and found that what Rozimer had said was true. He said the incantation and his ears became sharper and slightly longer, his lungs expanded, and his legs became firmer. Elmar looked at Rozimer for approval.

“Have you ever seen an elf with gray skin, boy?” Asked the wizard, tutting. “If you are going to transform, do it properly. Now, focus on lightening your skin.”

Elmar held his breath until his puffed up cheeks became red. He released the breath he was holding and looked at Rozimer.

“How do I do it?” He asked.

“Would you like me to show you my true form? Maybe then you will have a clue?” Asked Rozimer, and he began to change before Elmar.

Gone were the delicate features, in their place were green skin and tusks under the now larger nose.

“You are an ogre?” Asked Elmar, astonished. “But your name doesn’t end in gog!”

“It doesn’t, does it? My mother was an elf, well versed in shapeshifting magic. She didn’t want me to live in No Man’s Land. I have been practicing hiding myself since I was about two.” Said Rozimer with a shrug. Then he went back to his handsome human form.

“Why a human if your mother was an elf?” Asked Elmar, now curious.

“Why not? I can be anything. Watch!” And Rozimer turned into a white wolf. He barked and then howled, and then he turned back into a human.

“Look, boy, if you manage to change your organs in time, they will be as good as new. You can live thousands of years thanks to that trick. I see you have a life-extending ring.” Said Rozimer as he pointed at Elmar’s finger. The life-extending ring glimmered in the dim light, illuminated by its magic.

“But such things can get stolen, lost. In battle, someone can cut off your finger. Do you know how long Litches live for?” Asked Rozimer, and there was a hint of pity in his voice as he asked his question.

“Forever? I mean, they are dead already and can’t suffer from hunger if they eat enough souls.” Said Elmar. Rozimer sighed.

“One year.” Said Rozimer, holding up a finger. Elmar paled.

“Just one.” Continued Rozimer. “You eat souls and that nourishes yours, but what nourishes your body? It can’t process food anymore. You are still flesh and blood. Do you know where Litches go to when their body fails?”

Elmar shook his head. A slight shiver went down his spine.

“They disappear completely. There is no afterlife for a Litch. They are cursed as soul eaters, regardless if they have ever eaten a soul or not. People forget about them, in time, and they die truly, completely. I don’t envy you. This ring you are wearing will keep you tethered as a ghost for a couple of years, and then even it will fail.” Rozimer tapped the picture of elven anatomy before Elmar.

“Practice if you want to stay alive. You are lucky you found me. How long have you been a Litch?” Asked Rozimer as he sat down opposite Elmar.

“Two months.” Said the boy, the realization that he had ten months to figure out how to transform his internal organs completely back to a healthy state dawning on him.

“People have managed with less time.” Said Rozimer with a shrug. “And you are a quick study. Remember: elf, worker elf and finally ogre. Once you are done, in that order, then we can move onto human anatomy.”

“I don’t have time.” Said Elmar urgently. “In two months I need to leave. I have a mission and if I don’t complete it, people will lose their souls.”

“If you don’t learn how to fix your internal organs and put flesh on your bones once in a while, you will die. Then, whoever threatens these people will go ahead and take their souls either way. Elf, worker elf, ogre.”

With this Rozimer went back to the kitchen where he was making tea for himself. Elmar watched at the picture of the elf. Apart from the skin color, he had done it. He needed to lighten the skin on his body. But how?