The essence of past users lived on inside the moon magic, having their memories, knowledge, and experience up to when they died. I had met fourteen of them so far—some meaner and weirder than others—and they shared a common goal of warding off evil. But these were the last fourteen sorcerers to possess moon magic—I started training with the thirtieth user, then went backward. It seemed Esther's arrival had forced Mawu to change tactics, letting me skip the sixteenth user and go to the first.
"See you next month, Binti Nasra." Mawu snapped her fingers, transporting me to a dimension of the past user's choosing.
The pop sound in my ears, dizziness clouding my thoughts, and sour taste in my mouth that made me retch were always the worst part when Mawu teleported me away from the moon. Neither my teleportation magic nor Preacher Boy's ever made me feel like this. When I had asked Mawu why that was the case, she said it was the effect of entering the Spirit Realm—an afterlife dimension for past moon users, with each having their own domain.
Honestly, it explained why I didn't experience any side effects of stepping into the mirror dimension and speaking to Uriel.
The scenery changed from the darkness of space and the moon's brightness to the greenery of nature. I rolled my eyes at the chirping birds, rustling leaves, and flow of a nearby waterfall. What was this? The Jungle Book? I scoffed. It looked like it.
Before I walked around to observe the area, animals darted past me, chasing each other across the vast field of grass, jumping onto trees, or diving into holes on the ground.
"Watch where you're going, pricks!" I shook my fist at them.
"Binti!" a sweet, feminine voice said behind me.
I turned and saw a dark-skinned woman in a mini white dress and a flower crown on her head: Eve. It had to be her. She was absolutely breathtaking! The fake sun placed a spotlight on her, making her stand out from everything else. Now I understood why Adam and Lucifer simped for her.
"Hello, Binti Nasra. I'm Eve." She smiled before grabbing my hands and shaking them.
Oh! I felt like one of cupid's weird arrows struck my heart. Was I really simpin' over a dead woman? I mean, who cared. It was Eve—her essence. There was nothing wrong with crushing on presumably the first woman created. Presumably. Again, it was her essence. Not the real her.
"Hello." I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "I'm Binti Nasra."
"I know." She chuckled. "Welcome to Eden."
"Fake Eden," I corrected her. "The real Eden has the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. As you can see, they aren't here."
Eve's left eye twitched, and for a split second, a snarl replaced the smile on her face before she put up the facade again. "Right."
I pursed my lips, trying not to laugh. Her reaction reminded me of Lucifer calling me an asshole. I hadn't done it on purpose. I swear. She needed to know I wasn't some bum she could lie to. That was it.
Silence crossed between us for nearly a minute. I definitely struck a nerve. She kept looking anywhere but at me, with her jaw and hands clenched. I stared at her, trying hard not to laugh, waiting for her to say something. Even the animals stopped messing around and watched us.
"So, transmutation," I broke the awkward silence.
"Yes." She looked at me. "The second transmuter died before–"
"I thought she got banished?"
"Bitch, can you let me finish?"
I busted out laughing. I laughed so hard, tears streamed down my face, making my ribs hurt. Finally, she stopped pretending and acted like a real person. A lot of past users always tried to be these wise, old senseis from karate movies when all I wanted was for them to be themselves and teach me shit. It was why I intentionally annoyed them so they could drop the facade.
Eve cleared her throat. "As I was saying, the second transmuter got banished before unlocking the full potential of transmutation. She was so close too, but her greed cost her."
Every sorcerer knew of Medusa. She became the captain of the Smiling Jokers at eighteen, making her the youngest soul reaper to lead her own squad. Her transmutation magic was so powerful and destructive, the grim reapers feared her. Sadly, her need for more power and control corrupted her, forcing the grim reapers to banish her to Limbo.
Honestly, I didn't give a shit about soul reapers or revenants. They weren't my problem, and I wanted it to remain that way. But once in a while, I'd put my ear by the door on that side of magic whenever a powerful sorcerer joined them. And recently, Medusa's son joined her former squad—the Smiling Jokers—making me keep an eye on them.
"So, what now?" I asked, rubbing my hands in excitement. Transmutation had many applications. The thought of using it made me salivate. Bitches wouldn't mess with me after I mastered it. And by bitches, I meant The Supreme Sorcerers and The Fellowship. Exciting times up ahead.
"It's simple." She grabbed my hands. "Close your eyes."
I did.
"Breath in, breathe out. In, out. Repeat ten times. Don't stop, even when you feel pain."
"Pain?"
"Just do it!"
"OK. Damn. You didn't have to shout. I'm right in front of you."
Following her instructions, I took deep breaths. A burning sensation tore through my arms by the fifth exhale, making me think I'd go up in flames. I tried escaping her grip, but Eve gripped my hands. I had never felt that much pain in my life. It was a mixture of someone setting me on fire and breaking my bones and healing them repeatedly. Gahdamn, It hurt! Biting my tongue, the taste of iron spread in my mouth, forcing me to grit my teeth until the tenth breath.
When I was done, the pain stopped.
"Open your eyes," Eve said.
I opened my eyes to find my hands in the shape of sledgehammers. "What the..." I glanced at Eve, who smiled at me. "What the fuck?" My breathing spiked, and my heart went bazooka. "What's going on?"
"Relax, Binti Nasra." She placed her hands on my face and her forehead against mine. "Calm down. Breathe in, breathe out."
I took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm good."
She let go, taking a step back. "Now, look at your hands."
They were still sledgehammers.
She touched them, returning them to normal. "You can turn anything or anyone into whatever you want. But since you're still a beginner, you can practice by turning things into other things. It's easier and less messy. Or you can shape-shift one of your limbs. It'll work too. And the effects will wear off in less than two hours."
That sounded simple. No wonder Medusa went off the rails. "How do I do it, though?"
"Imagine what you want to happen, and it'll happen."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"Alright, stretch your hands."
Eve extended her arms towards me. I touched them, then closed my eyes. When I reopened them, they had turned into flutes. I smiled.
"Really?" She frowned.
"Not bad, eh?"
"Sure." She rolled her eyes. "Now try without closing your eyes."
I touched her hands and thought about something else. Within seconds, they transformed from flutes to USB cords. "It actually worked."
"It did." She pulled her hands away, wiggled them repeatedly, and they turned back to normal. "Congratulations. You're now a transmuter. Keep practicing so you get used to it. That's a formidable power you have now, so use it wisely and don't let it corrupt you."
"I won't."
The reminder was nice, but being full-on evil wasn't in my plans. It also wouldn't be a good look. I enjoyed being a condescending asshole who tiptoed on the line between good and bad. It made life easier.
"I heard about your upcoming fight with the necromancer. I hope you win. I like you."
"Thank you. I like me too." It seemed I had won over Evey. Yes, I gave her a nickname. "Be honest with me: do you think I can beat her?"
"Who?" Eve raised her brow.
"Esther."
"That's the necromancer's name?"
"Yes."
"No."
"No?"
"Yes."
I frowned. "Do you think I can beat her or not?"
"You won't."
Ouch! "Thank you for the vote of confidence."
"But I'm hoping you will." She crossed her fingers.
"That's reassuring." I rolled my eyes.
She laughed. "I'm glad I could help. Anyway, best of luck. Hopefully, we'll get to talk another time now that you've unlocked your fifteenth power."
"Wait, we can talk again?" I raised my brow.
"Of course. You didn't know?"
I shook my head.
"You can now talk to Mawu's descendants and the past users you've already met anytime you want."
"It doesn't have to be a full moon?"
"That's only for meeting Mawu."
I smiled. "Excellent." There were a few past users I wanted to talk to. They were fun to hang out with and had a lot of knowledge of life that could help me out. Everyone needed an OG to give them advice.
"Best of luck in your fight, Binti Nasra."
"You too."
Eve raised her brow. "I don't have anyone to fight."
I sighed. "You know what I mean."
Eve smiled. "Stay safe."
"You too."
Eve snapped her fingers, and I woke up back in my living room, sweat drenching my body.
I smelled myself, then grimaced. "I need to shower again."