For what was maybe the first time in his life, Mash was woken up by someone else. He had gone to bed late last night, after spending a short time celebrating with the others. It mainly involved food and showing off some skills, which Red was increasingly growing frustrated about. Still, Mash held nothing back in showing off and testing his new forms.

There were two that he had been able to test, the treant form that the king granted and the demon form that he had gained the day before. Both forms were useful, and he was surprised to find that the demon form didn’t use much energy. However, it only gave minor improvements to his physical abilities. It gave him a new affinity though, and it was over the black fire that it had used, but he hated the form. It turned his skin into a sickly grey and caused his body to stink like rotten eggs. The black flames were powerful, but the form bothered him. He would use it if needed but doubted that it would ever be his first choice.

The treant form was something he would use a lot more often. It improved his durability and the durability of his wood. It made it faster to make creations and even impart more life into them. That was something he had learned with help from Priscilla, but he understood what she had meant. The form allowed his creations to supply themselves mana from the environment, so he would not need to charge the imitations with mana anymore. The clones of Priscilla that he made would be able to grow on their own and generate their own lightning.

The treant imitation, on the other hand, proved to be mostly useless. The imitation would resemble a tree and impale itself into the ground. Furthermore, it was completely immobile in that state. Even the added limbs and durability were something he could replicate with his simpler creation skill. The demon imitation was also mostly useless. The humanoid shape was slightly easier to work with, but it didn’t provide the same compatibility as Priscilla’s imitation of the power of the dragon imitation. Still, he was glad to have them, and the new forms had even managed to raise his stats a bit.

Name: Mash Stellumbra Class: Draconic Thunder-wood Imitation

Level: 62 → 64

Health: 1630 / 1630

Energy: 2600 / 2600

Fortitude: 160 → 163

Endurance: 100

Strength: 110 → 115

Agility: 115 → 117 + 3 → 120

Intelligence: 150 → 153 + 7 → 160

Wisdom: 83

Charisma: 75 → 76

Free Stats: 10 → 0

Skills: Hunt, Thunder-wood Creation, Inhuman Hibernation, Monstrous Transformation, Thunder-wood Imitation, Draconic Domain, Adaptable Monster Core, Monstrous Humanity, Wooden Body, Mimic’s Avarice

Draconic Domain (Passive): Your eyes just weren’t enough. Sense the changes in the mana around you. Connect to the mana in your space and inherently understand the nature of the mana. Your presence suffuses the space, weakens the magic of enemies beneath you.

Current Range: 16 feet → 17 feet

It had surprised him to see how many stats he had gained from the forms, and he wondered if him eating the treant heart had given him the reward for the kill. The stat gain certainly implied it in his mind, as the cat thing hadn’t given him nearly as big of a boost. The improvements were nice, and he was happy with the results of the tournament even if others weren’t.

Finally, he shook himself out of bed, addressing the visitor who had woken him. It was his sister who had a wide smile on her face. Mash only grumbled in response but started using his meditation skill anyways. It would let him shake off the morning rust, and deal with any fatigue as well. His sister wasn’t going to wait for him and started to explain what she had scheduled for the day, and how he would be going with her.

“We are going out, before the big party today. I have scheduled something with a barber, as well as to meet with the clothier who made your other stuff. I had something special made for today.”

Mash considered arguing but didn’t want to ruin his sister’s fun. Plus, he had promised to be her companion for the dance and would acquiesce to her whims. So, he got up and headed to the bathroom, giving his sister a few words.

“Just give me twenty minutes.”

She nodded and went to do whatever she needed. While he was in the bathroom, he got a good look at himself and thought that he could use a haircut. He hadn’t been minding his personal care much, and his hair was growing a bit too long. It fell down his forehead but still hadn’t gotten to the point where it would cover his eyes. That was when he usually cut it. His eyes hadn’t changed with his recent transformations, but his hair felt different. Before it still felt vaguely grey, but, looking at it after the bath, it was clearly white. He was curious to see what someone could manage with his hair and even interested to see what his sister had planned.

Leaving the bathroom, he met up with his sister in the living room. Honestly, he expected the others to join them, but it seemed like it would only be the two of them. Of course, Alex would be coming, but he had grown used to her presence hovering around Luna. She still didn’t seem to like him much but wasn’t trying to separate him from Luna. That was enough for him, and the two of them headed off into town.

******************************************************************************

The party began later than he expected, or maybe his sister was just planning on being a little late. He was partnered with Luna for the night. Jill was going with princess Niviss, and Luke was with Red. His brother had apparently arrived much earlier, as he was a partner to the host, Princess Amara. They had only just arrived at the grand entrance to the venue, and Mash adjusted his suit a little as he raised an elbow toward Luna. She had gotten him a proper suit, and he had to agree that it looked nice. It was pure black, except for two white stripes that ran from the front, across his shoulder, and onto the back. His family’s emblem was repeated onto metal cuff links.

His sister wore something that matched his own suit. A long high-collared dress, that was colored in a depiction of the night. Black with tiny white crystals mixed with the fabric to replicate stars. It looked like a fancier version of the robes she had worn in the church. Even Alex had dressed to impress, wearing a full set of armor. It was similarly painted black, but the only splotch of color was a white moon painted onto the breastplate. The armor was striking, and he was surprised to see her wear it, considering that he had not seen even a glimpse of it yet.

The others had already arrived, and he was one of the last people. There were still a few people entering, but he was certain that they were a little late. He blamed Luna entirely, as it had taken her far too long to pick out her accessories. She settled on a single set of earrings and a simple necklace. Each was a gem cut into the shape of a crescent moon.

As they were let into the building, he flinched as a servant yelled an introduction loudly. It felt strangely similar to his entrances into an arena, though he probably wouldn’t be fighting anyone inside. The hall itself was large with several chandeliers providing light to the floor below. Large windows reached from the floor to the roof, and a crescent moon was completely visible outside.

He didn’t like how many heads turned to face him, but considering his family’s situation, it was understandable. He managed to not flinch in the slightest, and Luna seemed to bask in the attention. Mash managed to hold his composure, but also forcibly dragged Luna to where he saw Arthur. She grumbled something to him, but he ignored her as he moved. The crowd was surprisingly compliant and parted to let them pass.

Approaching his brother, he waved quickly. His brother wore a simpler black suit without any of the white stripes that were on his own. This style of formal wear was new to him, and he was a bit amazed to see that everyone was wearing one. Beside him, the princess wore a golden dress that shimmered under the light. The princess didn’t wear any jewelry, other than a crown of silvery metal that was embedded with a dozen gems. It drew his attention because he could feel it radiating magical power but didn’t bring it up. Instead, he opted to just greet them.

“Hello, it has been a while, Princess.”

Mash remembered a bit of his formality, though it didn’t look like the Princess appreciated it. Her face scrunched up in obvious frustration when he did so.

“Just Amara is fine.”

The princess spoke with a sigh, though she brightened up significantly as Luna hugged her. Another informal gesture, though it seemed like Amara was hoping for that. Mash decided to play along and started speaking much more informally. They talked for a little bit, and the others made their way over. Luke was also wearing a suit, though his was a shade of dark blue rather than black. Jill and Niviss wore matching dresses of gold, though Jill’s only accessory was the chain-link bands of her armor, whereas Niviss wore a crown-like her sisters. Red wore her blood dress rather than a tailored one like the others. He couldn’t blame her as it was as nice as the other dresses.

They talked a bit more once they were all together, but eventually, Luna decided that she wanted to dance. Mash was tempted to leave one of the others to it, but he would keep his promise.

“You know this won’t go well, right?”

Mash made sure to stress his uncertainty as he spoke. His sister only rolled her eyes at him, before responding quickly.

“You literally have over one hundred agility, I think you will be able to manage.”

It turned out that she was mostly right. He made a few small errors at the start but was quickly able to copy what he had seen of the other dancers. He didn’t even have to look at others to learn the dance, as there were plenty of people within his draconic domain. Most of the people present seemed to be around his level, though few held as much power as he did. It was only now that he realized how much mana his sister really had. It wasn’t as much as himself, but it was close. Closer even than some of those around them.

Within a short time, he had figured out the basic motions for the dance. Although he was surprised at how loud it was. The dance was accompanied by a loud stomping, as much of the dance involved stamping their feet in time with the music. He didn’t have a very good ear for it but could follow his sister’s motions.

They danced for a while but stopped as the day came to an end. Everyone broke up into smaller groups, uniting with friends and family for the start of the new year. Mash and Luna had done the same, joining with the others next to one of the windows. They watched the sky, waiting for the lights that would indicate the end of the year.

With the windows, they were able to see it clearly, as the moon flashed gold, and for a split second, the world pulsed with a similar light. Everything was illuminated with an outline of light. Luna and Arthur were shining with more light than others. His sister lit up white like a small star. His brother shone blue, and a quick glance showed the same thing happening to everyone around him. That was it though. All the people around him shone with an outline of light, but he remained without such a blessing. He seemed to be the singular source of darkness at that moment, and he was not the only one to notice it. Many gazes fell on him, though all he did was stare at his own hands.

This was the first time something like this had happened, normally he had glowed just like everyone else. What was the difference? Was it because of his class, or was he no longer deserving of the moon’s blessing? He didn’t get much time to contemplate the question, as the sound of horns rung loudly from the walls.