’What do you mean you can’t tell me yet?!’
Leo couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge after hearing Mors’ cryptic explanation. However before the chaotic ego could egg him on further, Astra chimed in and interrupted him.
’He actually doesn’t know Leo. I don’t know either. My Brother is just messing with you..’
’Tch! Way to spoil my fun...’
Leo didn’t know if he should laugh or cry
He dragged a hand down his face. The fact that Astra had to step in meant Mors had gone just far enough to be annoying without technically lying. Again.
’You’re both exhausting,’ Leo muttered.
’We’re companions, not therapists,’ Mors replied cheerfully.
’Speak for yourself,’ Astra said in a calmer tone. ’I at least try to be helpful.’
Leo sighed. ’So neither of you knows what this system actually is?’
There was a pause. Long enough to be telling.
’I wouldn’t say that,’ Astra said gently. ’The information is... there, but not in the way you’re expecting.’
’That’s one way to put it,’ Mors chimed in. ’It’s like walking through a dark hallway and suddenly knowing where the next door is without remembering ever seeing it. Weird, right?’
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly. ’So I’m just supposed to trust it?’
’You’ve already used it,’ Astra replied. ’And it worked. That says something.’
’Not enough,’ Leo said under his breath.
Still, as much as it made his skin crawl to admit, the idea that he could gain new forms without any backlash seemed a bit strange to him. No cost. It was just... there, waiting for him. Something was definitely off about it.
However, the only one who seemed to be ill at ease with the idea of Leo getting a new ’form’ was the man himself. Penny’s eyes in particular. were practically glittering with curiosity
"Okay but seriously," she said, practically bouncing on her heels, "you have to show us the Poison one. Just a glimpse. Come on, don’t be stingy."
Leo didn’t bother turning. "No."
"But what if it’s all dramatic and toxic and weirdly hot?" Penny pressed. "What if it’s even better than the Daddy Form?"
Leo’s eye twitched. "Still no."
Penny gasped. "So you have seen it."
She stepped closer, practically invading his space. "That’s a yes. Oh my god, it totally is. I knew it."
Leo closed his eyes, drew in a breath, and let it out slowly. "Let me just ask this. If I say no, clearly and definitively, will that finally shut this down?"
Greg shrugged. "Not likely."
"I’m going to bother you forever," Penny said without hesitation.
Aria smiled sweetly. "It would genuinely help to study the differences between the elemental forms."
Leo turned, exasperated, to the last shred of hope in the room. "Crystal?"
Crystal was silent for a moment. Then she tilted her head at him and said somewhat guiltily "Honestly...I’m curious too."
Leo made a soft choking noise. "Not you too."
"It’s a new form. Of course I want to see it," she said with a faint shrug. "But I won’t beg you if you say no."
"But I will!" Penny added without skipping a beat.
Leo stared at the sky for a few seconds, then muttered, "This is psychological warfare."
Greg clapped him on the shoulder. "This is love, buddy."
"I need a new party."
Greg laughed heartily before he pointed out
"We are the new party~!"
Aria then drove the final nail into the argument.
"It could be worse. You could have Lily and Nyx here too instead of just Rose."
Leo’s shoulders slumped.
"Thanks for the nightmare fuel," he muttered.
Penny perked up. "Wait, do you think Lily would call it the Toxic Daddy Form?"
Leo spun toward her, finger raised. "Absolutely not. No one tells her. If she finds out I’ll never know peace again."
"She’ll find out," Crystal said, deadpan.
"Pretty sure Rose will tell her even if she doesn’t mean to," Aria added softly.
Greg was already chuckling again. "Man, I want to be there when it happens."
Leo looked between them all, then let out a slow breath. "Fine."
"I’ll show it. Once. No comments. No weird names. No chants. No attempts to poke me or throw things or...Rose are you listening?!"
Penny gave two enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Zero weirdness. Totally respectful. I promise."
Leo looked at her like she had just claimed the sky was green. Then he stepped away from the group, closed his eyes, and focused.
Green and violet energy rippled from Leo’s skin like rising mist. The air grew heavier, the glow around him deepening with every breath. His silhouette twisted, stretched, and reformed in subtle yet striking ways.
His hair lengthened, falling in sharp, layered strands that hung over his eyes. The color darkened to a black so rich it shimmered violet at the edges, like oil on water. His skin paled to a perfect porcelain tone, smooth and cold like it had never seen sunlight. Dark veins pulsed faintly beneath the surface, only visible where the light struck them just right.
His bracelets transformed into a pair of long barrelled guns, however there were tubes filled with a sickly looking black liquid connected to where the magazine was supposed to be that connected to Leo’s back. The guns themselves were a mixture of black, purple and green that gave off an eerie impression but were not crude or bulky. They looked like they had been artfully crafted, weapons fit for a cursed prince.
Black lacquer coated the nails on his fingers, and a silver choker appeared around his throat. A curled serpent crest shimmered at its center. His eyes opened last, revealing dark violet pupils glowing softly under thick lashes.
He looked like he had stepped off a stage at a dark cathedral concert. Lethal. Beautiful. Unreachable.
"Happy now?" he asked, voice low and smooth, like velvet dragged over broken glass.
Penny looked like she had just seen God and didn’t know how to process it. Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "I... that’s not fair. That’s not even remotely fair."
Aria pressed a hand to her chest, expression caught somewhere between awe and curiosity. "Now that’s what I call a visual overhaul."
Greg blinked twice. "Leo. You look like you start underground raves and then vanish before dawn."
Crystal was still and observant. Her voice was soft. "I didn’t expect it to suit you so well."
Penny’s enthusiasm knew no bounds and began to speak her mind.
"Yeah you look really hot! Like some kind of Gothic E-Boy. Oooh~! That’s it! Let’s call it the E-Boy Form!"
Leo’s violet eyes narrowed into a glare directed at Penny. He then raised his right arm and leveled his gun at her. Staring down the barrel of a gun unexpectedly caused Penny to freeze up.
Her head snapped back as a bullet hit her square between the eyes and she shit the ground, steam rising from her head. Everyone else was in shock as Leo growled
"I said no names. Be respectful!"