The heavy oak door to White's bedroom clicked shut behind me, leaving the scent of expensive tea and the lingering metallic tang of the "tasting session" behind. My mind was buzzing. The notification from Plasma was still scrolling across my vision like a neon ticker-tape:
Shapeshift- skill to physically transform any living being willingly, required DNA or simply blood to access its form. Only the body is shapeshifted, not the clothes. Skills and stats will not change.
I leaned against the cool stone wall of the corridor, taking a steadying breath. I needed to test this, but I needed a head start. Spotting Kiera… Miera's older sister… straightening a portrait further down the hall, I smoothed my hair and approached with a casual stride.
"Hey, Kiera, have you seen Miera? I wanted to... uh, apologize for being a difficult 'blood critic' earlier." I called out, keeping my voice neutral.
Kiera looked up, offering a polite smile.
"You just missed her, Roxy. She took the large wicker baskets and headed into town for the weekly grocery shopping. She won't be back for at least an hour or two. Why? Did you need something urgent?"
"No, no, just curious. Thanks, Kiera."
I waved a hand dismissively, a small smirk playing on my lips.
I turned on my heel and bolted. I didn't head for the kitchen or the training grounds. I retreated to the one place I could be alone: my room.
Once inside, I slid the bolt home and stood before the full-length vanity mirror. I looked at myself… the pale skin, the sharp fangs, and heterochromic eyes of a fourth evolution, the messy hair of a girl who spent more time slaying monsters than brushing tresses.
"Plasma initiates DNA resonance. Target: Miera Amber." I whispered.
"Pathetic Roxy, using your first shapeshift is a maid! You should've shapeshifted White, or Maine."
"Shut up Plasma, do my work."
Then, an icon appeared out of nowhere, my vision blocked off that clearly says…
[Analyzing genetic data... 100% match found in blood reservoir. Commencing Morphological Shift.]
It was more than tingly. It felt like my skin was becoming liquid. I watched in the mirror, mesmerized and horrified, as my height dropped by several inches. My shoulders narrowed, and my messy dark hair lightened into a soft, chestnut brown, smoothing itself into Miera's signature style.
The shapeshift only works on the body, not the clothes. But I luckily wore the same maid dress as Miera. As my body was changing, I noticed that the maid dress I wore fits perfectly at Miera's body.
I reached up, touching my face. The skin was softer. My fingers were shorter. Even the faint scent of laundry soap and wild lilies… Miera's scent… began to radiate from me.
Then, a miracle happened. My left arm grew back, it regenerated profusely as I shapeshifted into Miera,
"My arm, my arm grew back."
"Savor it Roxy, that left arm of yours is just temporary. When you reverted back to your real body. That severed arm will not change."
"Oh…"
Even though it was a temporal form as Miera, my arm wouldn't grow back. Ordinary healing magic cannot grow back limbs, only high healing magic will do the job.
I tried to smile. It wasn't my usual cynical smirk; it was Miera's bright, slightly clumsy grin.
"Unbelievable! I don't just look like her. I am her." I said. My voice had jumped an octave, losing its raspy edge and gaining a melodic, youthful lilt.
Then another icon appears through my vision. It was a different one.
[Visual confirmation: 100% accuracy. Heart rate, scent, and vocal cords successfully calibrated. Successfully shapeshifted into Miera Amber]
"Look at me, Plasma. Am I perfect?"
"Ugh, I guess the shapeshifting works. Anyways be careful, Roxy. If you stay in this form too long, you might start feeling the urge to scrub the floors."
"Shut up, Plasma,"
"Just try not to act like a brooding hero, or you'll blow the cover."
"I know how to act, Plasma. Do I have to say this a second time?"
I giggled, and even the giggle sounded exactly like Miera.
Out of curiosity, I used my inspect skill to view my current stats as Miera.
Miera Amber
Skill: Inspect, Blood Curse, Blood Sword, Defense Reduction, Blood Bow, Pain Manipulation, Shapeshift
Vitality:5500
Strength: 7550
Defense: 5350
Agility: 4500
Mana: 10000
However, both my skills and stats remained
Even though I copied Miera's identity, the shapeshifting ability didn't copy her stats and skills. Meaning that I can still fight even in this body.
"Well, since Miera is out shopping, I think it's time to see just how 'perfect' this disguise really is."
I whispered to the reflection, adjusting the lace sleeves.
I turned away from the mirror and headed for the door, my heart pounding with a mix of adrenaline and dread. It was time to take this new body for a test drive.
The power was intoxicating. With a liter of royal and noble blood circulating in my system, I felt a strange heat beneath my skin. Being a blood gourmand wasn't just about the flavor anymore…it was about the utility. I had Miera's identity, now I could move through the manor, or even the city, without the "Hero Roxy" baggage.
I stepped out of my room, keeping my head down and my hands clasped in front of my apron, adopting Miera's slightly bouncy gait. As I rounded the corner toward the kitchen, I nearly collided with White.
"Oh! Miera! I thought you went grocery shopping with the others? Did you forget something?"
White stopped, blinking in surprise.
I felt a bead of sweat, not because of the heat, but because White was sharp. I lowered my gaze, putting on that "ecstatic" expression Miera had earlier.
"I... I just had to come back for a different basket, Miss White. The one I took had a loose handle."
White tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned me. My heart hammered against my ribs, but the shapeshift held firm.
"You're acting a bit stiff, is it because of what happened earlier? Are you still reeling from Roxy tasting you? Honestly, you looked like you were in heaven."
White noted, then giggled, leaning in close.
"I… I don't know what you mean!"
I squeaked, perfectly mimicking Miera's tendency to flush red when flustered.
"Keep that energy, don't be too long, we need those ingredients for dinner!"
White laughed, patting my shoulder before walking past.
As she walked away, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. This skill was a literal game-changer. I could become Snow, I could become Maine… I could become anyone as long as I had a tasting.
The stone hallways of the manor felt different through the eyes of a maid. As I navigated the corridors in Miera's form, the rustle of the starched apron and the rhythmic clack of heels against marble were a strange contrast to my usual silent, predatory stride.
I was just starting to enjoy the novelty of being invisible when a shadow fell across the path.
"Miera? I... I've been looking for you. I have something to talk to you about."
It was Maine. His voice was polite, but there was an uncharacteristic tremor in his tone.
"Not now, Maine, I still have plenty of work to do."
I said, pitching my voice into Miera's cheerful lilt.
I tried to breeze past him, but Maine was faster. He reached out, his hand closing firmly, yet gently, around my wrist.
"Please. Could we have just a bit of time?"
He led me, or rather, the girl he
thought Miera, to the secluded garden at the rear of the manor. We sat on a weathered stone bench, the scent of blooming jasmine heavy in the air. The silence was agonizing.
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of the stolen DNA in my veins.
"Really, Maine, the chores… I need to buy some groceries"
I started to stand, but Maine's grip tightened on my hand. He wasn't letting go. He looked at me with an intensity that made my borrowed heart skip a beat.
"I'm not supposed to say this, but I've loved you since the start. Ever since you first arrived at the manor... your energy, your kindness. I can't focus on my research anymore without seeing your face in the margins."
He began, his voice dropping to a vulnerable whisper.
He took a jagged breath, his face flushing a deep crimson.
"Miera... will you be my girlfriend?"
My mind raced at a thousand miles per hour. Behind my "Miera" mask, my eyes widened in genuine shock. This was a disaster.
If I rejected him as Miera, I would destroy a relationship that hadn't even truly begun.
If I told him the truth… that he was confessing to a shapeshifting half-vampire… he'd never recover from the humiliation.
"Hey you dickless assistant! What should I do?"
"Dont shush me Roxy, I didn't involve in that scheme of yours."
Plasma's response made me more mad about his attitude, he is no wingman, nor an assistant , so I shifted my gaze to Maine.
I looked at Maine's hopeful, terrified eyes. I couldn't shatter them. I leaned in, putting on the softest smile Miera possessed.
"Yes, Maine. I'd like that." I whispered.
The look of pure, unadulterated shock that crossed his face was worth the lie. For a moment, the world stood still. Then, panic set in. I had to get out of there before the real Miera walked through the gates.
"I… I have to go! Chores! Busy!"
I stammered, pulling my hand away and sprinting toward the thick hydrangea bushes at the edge of the garden.
"Miera? Wait!" Maine called out, sounding dazed, but I didn't look back.
I dove into the dense foliage, the leaves scratching at the maid's uniform. Once hidden from sight, I felt the surge of mana ripple through my body. The sensation was like a fever breaking. My bones shifted, my height increased by a few inches, and the restrictive lace of the dress gave way to my familiar traveling gear.
[DNA trace depleted. Shapeshift deactivated.]
I sat there in the dirt, panting, as I reverted back to Roxy. My eyes flickered in the shadows of the bushes. My left hand dissipated, returning to its mutilated state, there I sighed a relief.
"That was way too close," I hissed, wiping a stray leaf from my hair.
"Such audacity to pull that stunt off, you're a menace, Roxy."
"Oh come on Plasma, you didn't help me back there, you worthless assistant."
"Oh, you've really done it now, Roxy, you didn't just steal a DNA profile; you just committed a felony against romance."
"Shut up, Plasma! What was I supposed to do, break his heart while wearing her face? He would have been devastated! I had to ensure Miera didn't lose a boyfriend before she even knew she had one."
I muttered, looking back at the bench where Maine was still sitting, staring at his hands in disbelief.
"I just saved their future. Now I just have to make sure Miera doesn't kill me when she finds out she's taken."
"No shit Sherlock. And what happens when the "real" Miera comes back from the grocery store and has no idea she's officially off the market? You've created a massive continuity error in their relationship."
I groaned, leaning my forehead against the cool damp earth of the garden bed. Plasma was right. Maine was a man of science and logic; if Miera started acting like she didn't remember the proposal, he'd think she was having a stroke or… worse… that he'd hallucinated the whole thing.
I had to find Miera before she ran into Maine. I needed to brief her on her own love life.
I slipped out of the bushes, keeping low until I reached the stone perimeter of the manor. I used my enhanced agility to vault onto the second-floor balcony, slipping back into my room through the window. I needed to act fast. If I could catch Miera at the gates when she returned with the groceries, I could explain... Well, I'd have to explain something.
Just as I was about to head for the door, I caught my reflection in the mirror again. My face was still slightly flushed from the adrenaline.
"Maine likes Miera…And I'm the one who said 'yes' for her."
I muttered, a strange, tiny pang of something, maybe guilt, maybe something else, flickering in my chest.
I shook my head, clearing the thoughts. I had a new evolution to worry about and a blood curse to manage. But first, I had to play matchmaker for a relationship I accidentally started.