Blade Over Magic

Evolution

Xander watched as, from Mira’s body, a pink illusory mist began to emanate from her body, the mist growing thicker around her until it crystallized into an illusory, protective cocoon.

Xander knew it was protective because when he looked at it, he realized that his senses found it difficult to lock onto the cocoon, and if he shifted his attention even slightly, he’d be unable to ascertain the position of the cocoon.

Not just that, but when he observed everything through the Myriad Paths, he saw that within the cocoon, Mira’s paths and intent were wrapped tightly around herself, leaving almost no gaps, and he also saw that these paths began to rapidly change.

Some broke apart only to reform, becoming thicker. Others fused together, and some vanished entirely. It was like she was undergoing a metamorphosis, and perhaps that wouldn’t even be inaccurate to say.

Xander was honestly baffled by the whole thing.

’I get that I’m an anomaly, but is my intent truly that potent? That just a trace of it was able to make her evolve on the spot? Granted, there’s a high chance she was already on the verge of such an evolution, but even then...’ He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mind shifting to the whole reason Mira was even here. Samuel had somehow foreseen that they would meet, and he must have known that Xander would somehow make use of his ’existential razor’ status to sever Mira’s fate.

’Is this it, then? Or just a part of it?’ Suddenly, Xander found himself very interested in what the result would be. He seemed to have completely forgotten that if this evolution did not end soon, then Mira wouldn’t be able to carry out the instructions he’d given her.

Thankfully, though, it didn’t seem like the evolution would take long as a moment later.

CRACK

Cracks ran through the cocoon, and Xander watched Mira’s tightly bound intent begin to unwind once more as...

SHATTER

The cocoon shattered into a pink mist that filled the room, obscuring everything.

Xander’s nose twitched as he smelled the mist, and his eyes flickered. The smell was... sweet. Not obscenely so, but subtle in that way that made one want to get more of it, smelling more and more while not realizing that in doing so, they were slowly losing themselves, their senses becoming muddled.

’That’s dangerous...’ Acknowledged as he covered his nose.

Mia and Keir seemed unaffected by the mist, though, and they simply watched as it began to settle.

The first thing they saw... were the wings.

Mira’s wings were originally pretty small. At the very least, they were smaller than how people on earth usually portrayed humanoids with wings, and if not for magic being a thing, they would have been wholly impractical.

Now, though, black feathered wings nearly a meter and a half long flapped slowly, and they almost completely obscured Mira’s figure. The wings themselves looked different too, they weren’t just larger.

The markings that had been there before had spread, their colors carrying that same illusory feeling that would ensnare an unsuspecting individual if they looked at it without any defenses, and that was before any abilities related to them were activated.

The feathers were also different. They seemed... sharper, and more durable as well. Like blades.

Then there was Mira herself, and...

’Oh damn.’ Xander... had to avert his gaze.

Because Mira, well, for some reason, her transformation had rendered her completely naked. And had that just been it, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but as soon as he laid his eyes on her, they were uncontrollably pulled towards certain... parts.

This shocked him because before, he could effortlessly resist such a thing happening. But now he had to consciously control himself to prevent it.

’Is this her charm? It’s so...’ Xander frowned as he ascertained the feeling.

It felt like... a warm blanket. The charm wrapped around his body in a soft embrace, just making him want to let go and surrender. It made his senses want to go dormant, made him want to close his eyes and just... let it all go.

It wasn’t like before where it was forceful, making Mira a beacon that one couldn’t pull their eyes away from. Instead, it seemed like an ever-present warmth that lulled one to sleep. Like a lullaby...

’Ah, I see.’ Xander observed his paths and intent. And he saw how Mira’s were actually interacting with his, and the way they did...

Reminded him of how he would gently deflect the intent of his opponents to achieve a certain effect. Actually, it was almost exactly like that, like her evolution... had gone in that direction because it was how Xander’s intent worked.

”... Mm.” Xander shuddered, the voice was so soft, so gentle, like a delicate flower waking up after a long slumber.

He shifted his gaze to Mira again, his eyes consciously avoiding her intimate parts which he swore had gotten just a bit bigger, more curvaceous. Thankfully, Mira’s large wings hid most of her body, so only her face was visible, but even that almost made Xander’s breath hitch.

Mira’s face looked the same... but also different. The changes she experienced were subtle, but paradoxically meaningful in a way that amplified her beauty to incredible levels. But again, it wasn’t a sharp, grabbing beauty that forced one to look. Rather, it was the gentle sort that made one look before they even realized they had taken the action.

Other than that, though, Xander noticed something interesting. Her two horns which protruded from her forehead had grown longer. Before, they simply curved upward, but now, they curved almost into her hair, and they had also gotten thicker.

More importantly, her saw a second pair of smaller horns emerging from the sides of her head through her silky hair.

Her lovely eyes were dazed as she stared at nothing, and for a moment, no one said anything.

It was only after a few seconds that Xander called out carefully.

”... Mira?” The Succubus blinked, her eyes snapping to the present as she shifted her gaze into him, and as soon as she did, Xander had to force his intent to become firm, because the sheer potency of her charm was actually obscene, that sweet smell trying to fill his senses.

And terrifyingly, he knew that she wasn’t being malicious or trying to force something. No, she just... looked at him, but her charm moved along with her gaze, and the result was...

’Holy... I just realized, even the surrounding space and lesser concepts are docile!’ Xander realized with shock. Her charm wasn’t just affecting the physical plane. Even in its uncontrolled state, he could see the paths representing space and those lesser concepts in the surroundings become docile around her, almost reverent, if that made sense.

”... How do you feel?” Xander finally asked, and Mira blinked again before looking down at her hands, fists clenching and opening a few times. She then looked down at herself, hands coming up to feel her chest and the new weight, then feeling along the rest of her body. All of it was slow and tentative, like she wasn’t sure it was even her own body.

After a moment, she exhaled and grabbed her wings. Specifically, two feathers from them.

She swiped them across her body, and Xander watched as the feathers stretched and weaved across her body, turning into a devastating black dress that, when fully formed, hugged her stunning figure in a way that almost left nothing to the imagination.

”... Damn, saying I feel amazing would be an understatement. I feel reborn.” Mira finally spoke, her voice still carrying that same numbing gentleness, but it seemed more controlled now. Actually, Xander noticed that the charm that filled the room like a warm blanket was rapidly easing, all of it flowing back into Mira as she became a but more bearable to look at. But only a bit.

But despite that, her voice still carried that same tone of hers. So it was definitely her. Just more... soft.

”You seem different.” Xander pointed out directly, and Mira just huffed.

”No shit. But I see what you mean.” She raised her hand and looked at her carefully manicured nails closely.

”When I digested your intent, my abilities seemed to have... taken a shift in that direction. Not that I’m suddenly a sword expert. Rather, the way I can utilize my skills...” She took a step forward, and suddenly, Mira vanished from Xander’s sight.

No, not just his sight, but from his perception entirely.

Suddenly, he felt a strong sense of deja vu. Was this how people felt when he deflected their perception from himself to enter their blindspot?

That said, using Myriad Paths, he was able to ascertain Mira’s position through her paths and intent, and when he watched, he saw how her paths seemed to cause his own to move around them without touching, making him fail to perceive her.

”That’s... uncanny.” Xander admitted as Mira reappeared a moment later and nodded.

”Mhm. I use my charm to ’seduce’ the idea of being ’perceived’. Pretty neat, right?” She smiled, the gesture making Xander feel like someone was pressing down on his chest.

”... And what about dreams? Since that’s your specialization?” He asked, already watching the way her intent seemed to stretch out far.

Mira hummed, placing her hand against her bosom as she closed her eyes.

”I’m still figuring out just how far it goes, but what i can do currently...” She reopened her eyes, and Xander noticed a strange sheen to them.

”Seems like pulling off the tasks you gave me is gonna be a whole lot easier.”