The night is bright from the full moonlight. Crisp nightly weaves seamlessly with the hushed murmurs of the night bazaar. With bread and cheese on the table, and a fire crackling by the hearth, the night is perfect for the long wait ahead. These past few days have seen fewer customers for Alec’s service. Was it because of the Church of Zelianthose who frowned upon his powers? Or was it the ebb of seasons? The mid-years sees fewer people passing through Alabaster. And with a war against the horde of Malekith brewing on the horizon, people are shying away from the pristine white walls of Alabaster. Alec blames all three but puts more pressure on the Church of Zelianthos.
Alec’s silent ruminations were brought to a halt when two figures appeared on the tent flaps. One stood twice taller than Alec, while the other was a little smaller. They are hooded but proceeded to unfurl their facade when they sat in front of Alec. The big one is a hulking giant with mud-colored hair. His face may be of a marauder, but there’s a hidden kindness underneath that muscle. Alec could describe him as a gentle heart nestled in the body of a giant. As for the other - Alec would mistake him for a girl if it weren’t for the mark of Hestia’s acolyte branded on his neck. This runt has flowing golden hair and everything about him screams the opposite of the giant beside him.
“Welcome to my humble abode. What can I help you with?”
The two looked at Alec with equal fascination and fear. It’s expected since Alec’s face is foreign-looking by these parts - especially his reddish-brown hair which signified men kissed by the fires of a demon. In their eyes, Alec is a denizen of hell. Well, with the otherworldly services he provided - he is as much as a demon as they described.
“We heard from a merchant that you can swap people’s bodies and well… we thought we wanted to do it” The little runt said.
“Before we can start talking about transactions, I would like to ask first why do you want to swap bodies? If you heard my powers from the merchants, you must have heard that there are no take-backs once I have done the spell.” Alec was lying. He can reverse the spell as easily as he made them. He just doesn’t want people to waste his time when they regret the swap.
“We talked about it for weeks and we are pretty sure we would like to do it.”
“How about you?” Alec looked at the big guy. “You don’t talk much do you?”
The guy nodded in agreement, for the former and latter questions. With that said and done, the three introduced themselves. Alec as the host of the night, Theo Decrux the female-looking runt and Derry Crownshield as the big guy. Their story begins simultaneously at the start of their lives, but Theo decided to begin with his.
Theo Decrux came from a minor family that has lived in Alabaster for centuries. The Decrux family is known for their strict devotion to the Church of Hestia - where they imposed a tradition of offering one female per generation as a nun for the church. Not everyone from the family wants to be a nun, but they deem it necessary for the continuous recognition of their family’s status. That is until two hundred years ago, one of their family members took a deal with the devil and cursed them so that only males can be born of their line henceforth. And thus, a new tradition is made to replace the last. At least one boy in a generation will be groomed as a woman from birth. The boy’s life will all be for the good of the church of Hestia. He shall dress like a woman, act like a woman and everything he will ever experience is through the lens of womanhood. Theo got the short end of the stick and well, he hated everything about it. He’s a man, heart, soul, and body. He tried to break free from tradition, but all of it was met with harsh punishments. They’d often starve him until he lowered the pitch of his voice and talked like a woman. He cut his hair once and that got him a single lash on his back. Ever since then, Theo hid his true feelings from the others until Derry Crownshield met him while he was bathing by the forest creek.
Derry Crownshield came from a family of proud knights sworn to protect the crown of Alabaster. Well, that duty is reserved for the direct Crownshield line. Whereas Derry’s lineage can be found in the edges of the family tree. Those in the indirect line cannot become protectors of the king. They can’t build businesses too, as it will go against the interest of the direct family line. And so, those in the indirect line find themselves as lowly hedge knights - warriors without real masters except for the decision of the direct line. With the talks of war against the horde of Malekith, those in the indirect line are called upon to prepare for the upcoming war. As for Derry, he doesn’t want to become a knight. He may have a warrior’s body but he has a poet’s heart. His relatives often made fun of him for being such a waste. He received the hulking body only select Crownshield members have and he is wasting it for writing petty thoughts on paper. And worse of all, he chose Hestia as his patron saint. Hestia - the deity of motherhood. What’s he going to do? Cradle his enemies and feed them milk from his pecs? His relatives always made fun of him with words, because they don’t want to temper the beast with sticks lest they want to have a severe beating from Derry’s bulging arms. One time, his cousin’s provocation stepped out of line that he beat him bloody with his training sword. The edges are blunted so bruises are the worst his cousin received but still, the sight of him yielding with eyes full of fear, made Derry afraid as well. He jumped across their family yard and escaped to the forest near Alabaster’s walls. And that’s when he met Theo who’s bathing naked by the creek. He mistook her for a maiden until he saw the thing dangling between his legs.
From the embarrassing meeting, their relationship grew to that of a brotherhood camaraderie. They shared disdain for their families and their dreams of breaking from their preordained destiny. One that of an acolyte hating his divine role, and a knight destined to die just because a relative deemed it so. They hated their destiny but when they gave it thought, they realized - they loved the other’s life. Theo sees that the life of a knight on the battlefield is the peak of manhood. To kill your opponents with brute strength is a dream come true for him. As for Derry, life in a convent is pretty nice. There, he can write poetry without worry and he can serve his patron goddess too. For a moment, they wished they had the life of another. It remained a wish until they heard a tall tale rumor of a merchant in the night bazaar. A rumor that leads them to the very place they are today.
“Hestia is all-knowing and her will is for the good of all,” Theo said, “but I think she mixed up our souls when we were born.” Derry nodded in agreement.
These past few months, those that asked for Alec’s services are due to greed or the search for a new experience. Men wanted to become stronger so they stole the body of their brothers. Some husbands and wives agreed to swap so they could feel the pleasure of the other side - then they came to regret it when they realized that it cannot be reversed (even if it can). Alec has never seen a desire to swap like this, and for that, he was interested to see where this will lead.
“Do you know the price for the spell?” Alec asked. The two opened their satchel and laid fifty gold dragon coins each on the table. It is a little expensive but Alec knew that this amount is just pocket change even for a minor house. “There’s no backing away from this. Are you both ready?”
Both of them nodded their heads.
Alec laid his hands on both of their heads and uttered the spell [Soul Manipulation: Body Swap Retain]. It’s a modified version of the skill [Soul Manipulation: Body Swap] where the skills are left in the body. So, the swordsmanship skills that Derry fostered will remain in his body which Theo can use to his liking. The same can be said for Theo’s aptitude for light magic thanks to his faith.
Alec’s body is a conduit of souls, a guide that ensures Theo’s and Derry’s soul find their way in the other’s body. Whilst their souls are finding their way, Alec had the privilege to grasp the emotions emanating from their souls. Theo is like fire ready to blossom into a fiery explosion while Derry is probably the biggest soul Alec has ever felt. Before they could grasp at them more, they flung out as if they were excited about their new home.
Their eyes fluttered as they rose from the ground. The emotions displayed on their face looked better as opposed to the ones before. Derry who was solemn-looking fit better in Theo’s pinkish and smooth as baby's cheeks. He touched his face apprehensively before latching on to his arms and legs. He admired how smooth they were, how they passed through the tips of his fingers like the smoothest of silk. Next, he combed his golden hair with his fingers and smelled the lilac blossoms in them. He was happy now that his soul found a better place to express his true self.
As for Theo, well, he was more than happy. He is practically grinning from ear to ear. The first thing he checked was the meat between his legs. And from his looks alone, Alec knows that it was big. Real big. Alec could see his growing boner under that tunic. After checking his package, he flexed his big beefy muscles and clapped at his bulging biceps. He punched the air and jabbed at a non-existent enemy. His soul that was hushed by his family is now free to release its excitement without prejudice. Theo looked back at Derry and hugged him with all his might. He carried him in the air with ease, something he could not easily do with his old body.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Theo repeated in Derry’s voice. He repeated twice before facing Alec and thanking him twice more.
They didn’t take advantage of their stay. They bid their final thanks and goodbyes and set off back into their respective houses.