Eliora sat stiffly as Agastya moved behind her with scissors in hand. For the next ten to fifteen minutes, she could only helplessly watch in the mirror before her as golden hair strands fell around her shoulders and onto the floor.
A part of her wanted to flinch, but she remained still. What did it matter? Her long, flowing hair she cared for so much, was now nothing more than a liability. But that didn't mean she liked her new haircut. If anything, she hated it. It looked messy and uneven... in simple terms, absolutely disgusting.
This grand image Agastya gave off earlier dimmed quite a lot.
"This should do," Agastya muttered, tilting his head as he examined his work. Her once waist-length blonde hair was now cut short, just barely reaching her chin. Messy and uneven for sure, but effective in his view.
Without another word, he pulled out a small container of black dye. Eliora caught her own reflection in the mirror and felt a strange detachment. "I already couldn't recognize myself. But it's still not enough?"
She kept her thoughts to herself as Agastya ran his fingers through her hair, coating every golden strand with the dark liquid. By the time he was done, not a single trace of her original color remained.
Next, he handed her a small case. "Contact lenses. Put them on."
Eliora took the case and opened it. Two dark lenses lay inside. She slipped them in without complaint, blinking a few times as her blue eyes turned black.
Agastya leaned in, inspecting her closely. "Hmm. Not bad. You could almost pass as an ordinary orphan girl who was working for a meal, now."
He then tossed a set of clothes onto her lap. "Put these on."
Eliora picked up the garments and examined them. A loose, oversized shirt and a pair of shorts that seemed just a bit too big. They were old, slightly worn, but looked clean. However, the perfume still lingered on the dress. It was the Royal Jasmine-Tuberose fragrance, which naturally gives off an intoxicating scent that felt both elegant and seductive. Typically, it is used by those who were in the line of s*x work, though. At the same time, she felt something else from the clothes.
But Eliora, who had no idea about it, could only glance at Agasty, wondering, "These looked like normal female clothes, but I can sense a high-ranking healing spell in these clothes, which uses natural energy in the surroundings to heal the wounds in the body beneath these clothes automatically. These are by no means cheap, although they were useless to me. I'm a healer myself."
Agastya smirked. "What, you thought I was going to hand you my spare tunics? I do have some common sense, Princess."
For a moment, she considered asking where he got them and who exactly he is. But she swallowed the question.
No… Now is not the time to ask unnecessary things. He is the only one I could depend on in order to survive.
She simply nodded and turned away, heading to the restroom to change instead of heading upstairs.
When she stepped back out, Agastya gave her a look, scanning her from head to toes, before nodding in approval. "Not bad. You look like a completely different person now."
Eliora turned to the mirror. Gone was the royal princess of Iberica.
What stared back at her was someone even she didn't recognize anymore.
"Oh, and by the way, one last thing," Agastya said, stretching as he walked toward the door. "Your name is no longer Eliora Bat-El. From now on until you reach the academy, you're Thea, an orphan child I took in after your father recently left you to travel for work. Your mother was my elder sister, and so, I'm your uncle. When in public, you shall address me as Uncle, Got it?"
She didn't object to it. Honestly, if she wanted a new name, she wanted to pick her own. But she also felt that Thea was a good name.
Hence, she nodded. "Understood."
Agastya gave a pleasant smile. "Good. Now let's wait for the dawn, Thea."
With the first light of dawn breaking over the City of Valencia Nova, they stepped out into the streets, riding in a vehicle.
Agastya kept one hand on the wheel while his gaze flickered between the rearview mirror and the open road ahead.
Soon, their vehicle, a modified cargo hauler, rumbled quietly as it sped across the highway leading toward the outer districts. The industrial sectors were safer and less patrolled, but no route was ever completely secure. On Earth, the presence of Raiders and the monitoring drones was inescapable.
Surprisingly, only Agastya was seen in the vehicle. Thea was nowhere to be seen at all.
He had taken jobs like this before, smuggling a celestial blooline into the academy, and he knew that this job was going to be on an entirely different level. Hence, he was extra careful.
As he expected, the first obstacle came at him, just twenty minutes into the ride.
A Raider vehicle emerged from the side street ahead. It was a sleek, armored hovercraft, with the insignia of the skull with crossbones etched into its hull. A flashing signal pulsed on its side, indicating it was ordering them to stop.
"Okay, stay calm..." Agastya muttered under his breath, slowly hitting the brakes to stop. He couldn't help but glance at the empty front seat before stepping out of the vehicle.
The Raider craft hovered a few feet above the ground before two figures dropped down. They were clad in advanced combat suits with their helmets glowing with red visors. Their presence alone was enough to make most civilians tremble in fear.
"Identification," the lead Raider demanded.
Agastya forced a casual grin and reached into his coat, pulling out a small ID chip. "Agastya Vren, a scrap dealer. Just making my way to the industrial district to offload some junk."
The Raider took the chip and scanned it. A soft beep confirmed the ID's authenticity.
On the panel, it showed Agastya's entire details that were registered in the citizen database.
The second Raider circled the vehicle, running a gloved hand along its dusty frame. "You're transporting cargo?"
"Junk," Agastya corrected him and explained politely. "Some broken machinery and old parts from decommissioned teleportation gates. Nothing worth your time, Sir."
The lead Raider nodded to his partner. "Check the vehicle."
The second Raider moved to the back and activated a portable scanner, sweeping it across the hauler's cargo bay. The device let out a few soft beeps but showed nothing suspicious.
Agastya maintained his relaxed posture, watching them carefully. So far, so good…
The first Raider handed the ID chip back. "You're clear to go."
Agastya exhaled, reaching for the door. "Appreciate it, Sir. I'll..."
"Wait."
The second Raider raised his hand. "One last check."
Agastya's stomach twisted as the Raider pulled out a Grade-1 Thermal Scanner, all of a sudden, a device capable of detecting biological signatures hidden behind layers of any material.
Agastya's fingers curled up into fists, but he forced himself to stay still.
The Raider activated the scanner and swept it across the vehicle. The device's display remained neutral at first. Then...
Beep.
The Raider's head snapped up at once. Thea, hidden beneath the false floorboard under the front passenger seat, gasped as the Raider shouted while his grip tightened on his weapon. "There's something... no, someone... inside."