Metamorphoses. Book Four. Harpy. This transformation, in contrast to the ones that came before, retained a humanoid shape. Nue Kirisaki. The red-eyed girl’s arms changed midway into a pair of birdlike wings.
The feathers seemed to have been formed from what was originally her hair. Black just like the feathers, her hair was now wound around her shoulders and flowed into her wings, the span of which far surpassed the natural length of her arms. Like tree branches, they bifurcated repeatedly as they rampantly sprouted. In place of the rustle of leaves, there was the random, repetitive blinking of red eyes. The feathers each gazed in their own unique direction, looking down at the creatures crawling on the earth with contempt. She was a Titan, a Great One. A member of an ancient race.
Without saying a word, the child of Chimera alighted between Dill and Hero.
This is what had happened a short while before Nue appeared in the temple plaza.
“Don’t think badly of me. We’d already made this decision five years ago, but held off on putting it into action.” They were halfway up the slope of the Acropolis, on a narrow side street off the thoroughfare. Hathaway, adjutant of the Halberd Brigade, spoke to the girl with red eyes; his silver scabbard shone as he backed her into a corner.
“Be a good girl and show me your face. You are still a girl, after all, even though you’re a monster. I won’t make you suffer needlessly.”
“Grrrah...grr-gah. I’m...nada monster...!” came the reply. With a cul-de-sac behind her, the girl glared back at Hathaway and growled. There really was no word to describe her appearance right now except “monster,” though. Part of her black hair had transformed into crow-like wings. Her jaw had dislocated and its shape had twisted into something similar to a dog’s muzzle, sharp fangs sprouting from her gums.
Nue’s red eyes glowed, and she pounced at Hathaway like a beast, kicking off the opposite wall to attack him from above. Hathaway stayed calm, readied his slender blade, and rammed it precisely into Nue’s shoulder while she was still airborne. He then proceeded to thrust the sword deeper into her shoulder, slamming her back against the wall behind her. Without letting his guard down, Hathaway jumped back immediately after his blow struck. Nue’s attempt at retaliating hit only air.
Nue cried out in pain, and her voice wavered between the roar of a beast and the scream of a little girl. With a sword piercing her right shoulder, nailing her to the wall, Nue hung there in a strange, lopsided posture. Her feet could not quite reach the ground. As she struggled, the tips of her toes just barely brushed the floor. The slender blade had been driven into her shoulder up to the hilt, so no matter how much she struggled she could not pull it out. Her hostile snarling soon gave way to infantile whining, followed by sobs.
“Why are you doing this?”
Hathaway drew the second sword he had hanging from his belt. Without stopping to answer Nue’s plea, he moved to deliver the killing blow—but seeing the red eyes he had once seen in the Holy War, eyes that had appeared to him in nightmares, now wet with helpless tears, he was struck with pity.
“This is for Steel-Link’s sake.”
“Dill told you to kill me?”
Hathaway imagined that if he answered “yes,” the girl would cease her resistance. Still, he went on. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s not good for him to have you around. He is Aegisthus. He’s the last man Terea can hold up as a hero.”
“Dill...is just Dill...”
“Do you think heroes have time for nonsense like that? Aegisthus has a duty to claim victory in the fight with the Reincarnators and guide the people of Redguard. We cannot allow anything to cloud his judgment. For him to adopt a Titan like you is preposterous. Captain Halberd and I were both opposed to it from the start.”
Nue limply raised her head and looked up at the face of the slightly built man who was poised to kill her...or perhaps at the darkness lurking behind him.
“Thinking back now, you might have been the cause of it all. The man’s daughter, Iris, died, then you came along and took her place. As a result, Dill abandoned the Brigade. You have to give him back. You must return him to us, the people of Terea!”
“Stop,” murmured Nue.
“It’s no use begging.”
“Please. Stop.” Her red eyes were not looking at Hathaway.
“Pathetic. Your mother, Chimera, would never have...”
“Stop, Lycaon.”
Hathaway noticed the tepid stench of blood rising up from behind him. He swiftly changed his grip on his sword, holding it overhand instead, and turned around to bring the weapon down on the space just behind him. In that very instant, a blade tore its way into Hathaway’s shoulder and was drawn back almost as swiftly. Hathaway was then swept aside by an immense physical blow, and he kept on flying in that direction until he hit a wall.
“What the hell...are you doing here...?!” As Hathaway looked up, coughing blood, he saw the lurking darkness writhe...then take the form of a person.
“That was close, but I’m glad I made it in time.” The man now standing before Hathaway had red eyes and black hair, and an animal pelt was draped around his shoulders. Besides this pelt, he only wore light armor on his shoulders and over his hands and shins—a heavily simplified form of battle attire. He did not seem to be armed, but this man had no need to carry a blade. The chief of the beast clan proceeded to ignore Hathaway completely, turning his attention entirely toward Nue, who was still nailed to the wall.
“I’ve come to rescue you, Nue Kirisaki.”
“Liar...you were watching the whole time.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Lycaon lied transparently.