Luther wasn't sure what to process first.
The fact that Eldric—grumpy, quiet, normal-haired Eldric—was now glowing with an ethereal golden shimmer, pointy ears sharp enough to cut through moral principles, hair cascading down like a shampoo commercial gone divine…
Or the fact that the monster they thought was dead lifted its ruined, half-melted head from the ground again and screamed like it had swallowed a choir of dying goats.
Hard to pick.
Luther slowly dragged a palm down his face.
…Of course it's an elf.
Of course Eldric was secretly a girl.
Of course I was right all along that something about him—her? them??—was off.
Why? Why can't ONE DAY be normal?
The monster's body trembled as it stumbled back to its massive feet. A thick, bubbling hatred rolled off it as it glared straight at the freshly transformed blonde elf. Its eye sockets vibrated as it focused on Eldric… Eldrette… whatever her name was now.
