The Insane Regressor: Throne of Pride

The curse died in his mind as he felt the skin of his face shift, and he lowered his head toward the water again, fixing his gaze on his reflection as the features he had carried through the past few days, now sharpened further by his latest transformation, gradually receded.

He did not want the original Ravian’s face, nor the one he had worn in the capital, but the appearance he had seen in these waters after leaving the cave for the first time.

Using Absolute Focus, he recalled that image, bringing the details he needed into clear focus: the shape of his jaw and nose, the fullness of his cheeks, and the way his hair framed his face. Then he compared the memory with the reflection before him, directing the ability to correct each difference in turn.

This was easier than taking Shiro’s form, at least in one respect. He knew what it felt like to wear this face, and there were no tusks to get in the way every time he closed his mouth.

Still, he took his time with it. Settling for a face that only vaguely resembled the one he remembered would defeat the point of choosing this particular appearance.

His cheekbones softened, and the striking precision of his features diminished, though his jaw retained its defined line and his nose remained straight. His face gradually became less arresting until it settled into the quiet handsomeness of a young nobleman: above average, masculine and composed, without making everyone who saw him stop to wonder whether he was human at all.

Ravian tilted his head slightly, then turned the other way to check his profile.

’Yes, that’s it.’

His hair remained white, retaining the gloss and length it had gained after his first transformation, its strands settling around his face just as he remembered. His eyes needed no change in their crimson color, though the softer features surrounding them made his gaze look closer to what it had been then.

He raised a hand to his jaw and ran his fingers along it, then paused.

’Still handsome, anyway.’

No answer appeared from the System.

’No comment necessary.’

The change spread through the rest of his body next, narrowing his shoulders slightly and reducing the fullness of his arms and chest beneath his clothes. His muscles did not disappear, but lost the dense appearance they had gained after absorbing the camp, returning to a balanced, athletic build whose strength was apparent without revealing what it truly concealed.

His viewpoint lowered slightly as he returned to his former height, and he had to adjust his stance as the proportions of his chosen form shifted over his feet. The fabric loosened at his shoulders and waist, so he smoothed it with his fingers and tightened what needed securing before raising his arm again.

He slowly closed his hand.

It looked just as he remembered, but the strength behind the movement had not diminished.

His new physique remained beneath the appearance he had chosen, with all its acquired toughness and power; the ability had done nothing to restore the weakness of his former body.

That was exactly what he wanted.

The problem was that he would have to remember it when he reached camp. His appearance would be useless if he shattered the first seat he sat on or broke someone’s hand simply by gripping it a little too hard.

’Wonderful. Now I have to think before sitting down, too.’

He opened his hand and tried again, closing his fingers with less force this time. The movement itself was easy; deciding how much strength an ordinary gesture required was going to take some getting used to.

He touched his thumb to each fingertip, then took hold of the edge of his sleeve and tugged it straight without damaging the cloth.

At least he could still dress himself without destroying anything.

A handshake could wait.

Ravian lowered his hand and turned his attention to his spiritual presence.

Changing his face and body alone would not be enough; some people could identify his rank before coming close enough to see his features. He therefore directed the ability to conceal his Walker signature and display the weaker presence he had possessed during the stage whose appearance he had chosen to restore.

He followed the change until the new signature stabilized, then gave himself a few more moments to ensure it did not waver with his movements or breathing.

He shifted his weight, turned his shoulders, and drew a deeper breath, keeping part of his attention on the presence he was presenting. Nothing obvious slipped through, though that was only what he could judge for himself.

He did not know whether this would be enough to fool a direct examination by Karius, and he had no intention of building his plan around the assumption that it would.

At the very least, however, he would not arrive at the camp’s gate announcing everything that had happened since his disappearance.

That left the questions he would actually have to answer. Where had he been? Why had he left? What had happened to him?

He could already imagine himself growing irritated before Karius finished asking the third one, which would hardly help matters.

’Let him finish speaking first, at least.’

It sounded like a reasonable precaution. Whether he would remember it once the conversation began was another matter.

Ravian straightened and stepped back from the water’s edge, then looked at his reflection one last time.

A young man with white hair, crimson eyes, calm features, and a strong but unexaggerated build.

Different from the boy who had left the human camp, certainly, but an appearance he could at least partly explain without mentioning the nightmare palace, the Taboos, or the orc camp that no longer existed.

’All right, I can work with this.’

He adjusted his clothes one last time, then raised his head toward the route leading back to camp.

He had finished choosing the face he would return with.

As for the expression Karius would greet him with, no reflection in the water could tell him that.