Dawn of a new day

I woke with a sharp intake of breath, opening my eyes to take in my surroundings. I stood in the room in which I had been resting mere hours before, though it felt much longer. Hardwood floors supported my bare feet, but the wood was cheap and warped from years of damp and weight. The walls were clean, but old insulation had left the room colder than even I found comfortable. The apartment was little more than a handful of rooms above a garage, a tiny cube of living space that seemed more insignificant by the moment.

I looked down at my body, altered to better channel magical and psychic energies. I was still mostly human in appearance, slightly taller than before, in a bit better shape, like I was when I was younger. My skin was the most obvious change, now a rich shade somewhere between blue and purple. I'd taken the opportunity for a few cosmetic choices, adjusting the shade of my long hair to a dark red, and giving myself a permanent undercut.

The tentacles were the most inhuman of the changes, but I'd chosen to make them retractable, extending from a layer of my physiology that existed slightly outside of traditional space. I could make them extend from any part of my body, but they would appear to begin an inch or two from the surface of my skin. The primary four would come from the area of my lower back and be anchored well enough that they could bear significant weight. I extended those four experimentally, touching each visibly smooth tendril to the floor and letting their microscopic setae grip the matter of the wood. I felt their grip lock in place, and both felt & tasted the texture of the wood in fine detail. A light push, and my feet lifted from the floor as I rose to nearly touch the ceiling. 'Tentacles' had been the requirement I was least interested in, but now that I had them, I could see I was going to enjoy them.

I felt a ripple of energy behind me and turned, settling back on my feet and retracting the tentacles. I was nude as I walked into the main room of the apartment (having lost my clothes as I changed my body) but unconcerned. I recognized the scent of Golthuem's magic as the air near the front door warped and darkened, becoming an indistinct portal hovering just above the floor.

A figure stepped through the portal, striding forward confidently with one shapely leg clad in an elegant boot. She was tall, dressed loosely in black silks covered in intricate designs. Her black shawl covered most of her stark white hair, but left her beautiful face uncovered. She raised one delicate white eyebrow as she took in my appearance, opening her mouth to begin an incantation.

I recognized Melissa from the images Golthuem had shared with me earlier. Despite Golthuem's earlier assurance that I would be able to "effortlessly and instantly" gain control of my victims, I was unwilling to take any chances with anyone as powerful as she was. I struck her with the full force of my psyche, and immediately sent my prepared commands.

• Take no action, magical, mental, or physical, until I release you from this command.
• You will never harm me, or manipulate my thoughts or actions. If you attempt to, your own magic will work against you to prevent it.
• You will never lie to me, or conceal from me any information I wish to know.
• You consider me a promising protégé, and actively want to help me achieve my full potential, and my every desire.
• You explain this to yourself by believing you can use my growing power to your advantage: first as a powerful ally, then as a receptacle for your consciousness. You believe that you can transfer your consciousness into me, and become the master of the hive mind I will create.
• You will devise a way to transfer your magical power & all your abilities to me, whether gained through your bargain with Golthuem or otherwise, in a way that does not require me to be celibate. You will not consider the idea that this may leave you powerless against me.
• When the time comes for you to join the hive mind directly, you will not resist my control in any way. You will instead lend your mental strength to my efforts whenever I choose.
• You are free from my first command, and may now act normally so long as it does not go against my other commands. You do not notice that any time has passed.