The first snowflake fell on the seventh day of my transformation. It landed on my porcelain forearm, melting instantly into steam, as if the cold couldn't touch me anymore. Lila watched from the cabin door, her breath visible in the frosty air, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe.
"It's spreading faster," she said, her voice trembling. "Your neck… it's already—"
"I know," I interrupted, my voice hollow. The scales had reached my jawline overnight, their edges sharp as shards of glass. The bead in my chest pulsed with a new rhythm, a low thrumming that vibrated in my teeth.
Lila stepped closer, her boots crunching on the icy sand. "What do we do?"
I stared at the sea, its surface now frozen solid, a vast expanse of black ice that stretched to the horizon. "We go back to the kiln. The key… it's the only thing that can stop this."
She hesitated, then nodded. "I'll get the sled."
The journey was silent, the world around us muffled by snow. The kiln loomed ahead, its doors sealed with ice, their carvings hidden beneath a thick layer of frost.
I pressed my porcelain hand to the door, the blue veins glowing brighter. The ice cracked, then shattered, revealing the interior—a maze of bone china corridors, their walls throbbing with a faint red light.
At the center, the pedestal held a bone china urn, its lid open. Inside, a single bead floated in a pool of red fluid, etched with a spiral that matched the one in my chest.
"The key," I said, reaching for it.
Lila grabbed my arm. "Wait. What if it's a trap?"
I met her eyes. "It's the only chance we have."
She let go, stepping back.
I plunged my hand into the fluid. It burned like acid, but I didn't pull back. The bead merged with the one in my chest, and the world dissolved.
I opened my eyes.
I stood in a vast, submerged city, its spires made of bone china, their surfaces alive with wriggling tendrils. The Deep's shadow loomed above, but instead of fear, I felt… calling.
A figure emerged from the shadows—Xiao Xu, her face smooth, her eyes glowing with a soft light. "You're one of us now," she said, her voice echoing. "A bridge between worlds."
I reached for her, and she dissolved into tendrils, which wrapped around me, merging with my porcelain skin.
I opened my eyes.
I stood on the beach, the sun warm on my skin. Lila stood next to me, her eyes wide.
"What happened?" she asked.
I looked at my hands—the scales were gone, replaced by smooth, unmarked skin. The bead in my chest had faded.
"The Deep is… balanced," I said. "It's part of me now, and I'm part of it."
Lila nodded, her face solemn. "What now?"
I smiled faintly. "Now, we rebuild."
But as we turned to leave, the ground shook, and a fissure opened at my feet, oozing red fluid. The bead in my chest pulsed, and I felt the Deep's presence—weaker, but still there.
"Not yet," I said, staring at the fissure. "It's still here."
Lila took my hand, her grip firm. "We'll fight it. Together."
The sea roared, and a new wave rose—smaller, but still menacing. At its crest, a figure stood—Xiao Xu, her face smooth, her eyes glowing.
"Wake," she said, her voice a whisper in the wind.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the bead.
The wave receded, and the fissure sealed.
When I opened my eyes, the beach was calm again.
Lila smiled. "We did it."
But as we turned to leave, a single bone china bead washed ashore, its surface etched with a single word:
"Hunger."