Chrysalis Ch4: Lyra (Patreon)

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By far the most insidious and loathsome of all fae kind are the changelings.

While any fae creature can obtain a glamour to conceal themselves, some fae take it one step further.   They seek out a child who appeals to them, draw them to a secluded place, and murder them without reservation.  After discarding the corpse, the fae will take the form of the child they have just replaced.  A monster masquerading as the dead.

Be wary of any child who, when left unattended, acts as an adult.  Knows things well beyond their years.   

It is in the knowing that we see them for who they really are.
-From the writing desk of Alastor O'Reilly, 1825



The room is silent, except for the sound of a clock, ticking nearby. Outside the window, the city lights shine far below.

Astraea lets go, looking away,
clearly less comfortable by the second.

"... I... I’m sure this is a lot for you." She offers, her voice hesitant. Lloyd just sits there. Frozen. Not quite sure what to think.

What she's saying... it sounds insane.
But he can’t think of a good reason for her to lie.

"A lot for me." He repeats. Tugging the chain again. Lloyd takes in a deep breath. He has to find some kind of solid ground to stand on. Some little bit of bedrock to cling to while he makes sense of this.

"O-okay.” He looks up at the ceiling, the last vestiges of Astraea's glow fading from his head. “To start... I... would feel better if you'd start talking to me and not...

...Lyra."

"But Lloyd..."   Astraea moves closer, shifting into his arms and pressing her body against his.  He scoots back slightly, giving ground, and Astraea leans over him. Her eye glints possessively.

"You are Lyra."

A burst of warmth washes over Lloyd at the name, and Astraea’s glow deepens. His wings flicker at the heat, and he holds up his hands as if he’s trying to ward her off.

"N-no, I'm not!  That's not what you said!
You said she... fused with me, right? I didn't just wake up with these, I've had them since I was a baby. They grew with me!"

He's speaking faster and faster, his wings fluttering in agitation. Behind him, a pillow tumbles to the floor, knocked askew by their motion.

"So it's not just her you're talking to, and the rest isn't just -
just some human shaped wrapper, okay? I'm Lloyd!"
He swallows, trying to calm himself down.
“I'm Lloyd.”  He repeats

"You're right.  You're not just a wrapper.... "  Astraea affirms, shifting away to give him space to calm down. "You're both.  I..."
"...I do understand that.  Lloyd I do understand that."

Astraea clambers up onto the sheets and perches on the edge of the bed, next to Lloyd.  Lloyd realizes he’s cornered against headboard and watches warily as she comes closer. But to his surprise she keeps her distance, studying him with an air of sad thoughtfulness.

"Lloyd, then."  She begins again.
"Let me ask you this."

"Wouldn't your life be easier if you were...
just Lloyd?"

Lloyd's brow screws up with confusion.
“Just Lloyd?
What do you…”

Astraea’s smile widens, kind and understanding.

“What Lyra did...
it can’t have been easy for you."

"She took your chance to be part of your human world, didn’t she? To live a human life."

"What if…
what if I could undo that for you. Give back what she took.”

Astraea slides her hand across the bed, stopping an inch or two away from him.

“I can, you know."
If you agree to it, I can unravel what she did, make you two different beings again."

"Lloyd, I know it has to hurt you, being this way. Alone and scared, not knowing who you are…
...you don’t have to be, not any more."

"Lyra can come back to the court, back to me, and you?
You can go home.  You can be just yourself.”

“ Let me unburden both of you.”

Lloyd flicks his wings again and looks down. Listening to her soft, soothing voice, it's hard not to see what she's saying as reasonable. To think about everything he'd missed or had to hide. How painful it is to stretch his wings after they'd spent a day being bound against his back. How he has to worry about something as simple as a date after work.

...but…

Both of us.

Lloyd looks up again, the true nature of her offer clear and terrible in his mind. He keeps his gaze fixed on the door as he speaks, just as softly as Astraea had.

"I... don't think you get it."

"If this is all real, then...
I’m not ‘just Lloyd’ any more than I’m ‘just Lyra’.
I don't know even who 'just Lloyd' is, and I don't think you do either.”

He pulls his legs back, and the chain clinks.

“Which parts of me are which?
Can you tell me that?

Which will I be?"

He's quiet a moment, some bit of clarity finally settling in.

"Or maybe... you do get it.
Don’t you.
After all, you didn’t ask first. You sent miss candy vampire to come get me."

Astraea shifts a little closer on her shins, her smile shrinking. A faint tremble enters her voice.

"L-Lloyd, listen to me. I'm asking now. I'm giving you a say. Wouldn't that be best?  Working together with me on this? Separating from Lyra and leaving all this... messiness, behind?"

She is taking short, shallow breaths, and her eyes begin to glow.

"I don't mean to pressure you like this, but we're working on borrowed time here.
You have to tell me clearly, right now.

Is it a yes?
Or a no?"

The light begins to drip off of her, surrounding her in a slowly brightening halo. Lloyd stays where he is. There's nowhere to back up to any longer, but this...all of this...it's starting to set something off in him.

"I didn't get a say about any of this." He snaps. Lloyd slides off the bed and lands awkwardly, beating his wings to keep upright in the heels.

"And if you don't let me walk out of here and leave, you're not giving me one now. You're just trying to make yourself feel better."

Lloyd takes a slow, shuffling step in the direction of the door. He can feel his skin crawling, his eyes snapping nervously back and forth between his goal and Astraea's glow.

He wants to look at it.
He wants to stare,
to drown in it,
until there's nothing else.

He takes another step.  Then turns and forces himself to stare Astraea dead in the eye, and say clearly.

"The answer...
is no."

"HA!"

Lloyd nearly topples backward at the sudden burst of laughter on the other side of the door. It bursts open as Neith kicks it in.  She's chuckling like she's heard the best joke in the world.

"Of COURSE... hehehehhe.... of course that's the answer you give... hahahaha!!"

Lloyd takes an awkward step away, his wings flaring out to fill the space around him.

"F-fuck, were you just waiting?" He stammers, stumbling back towards Astraea. The unseelie gives them both a smug grin, leaning up against the door frame.

"I told you that's the answer you'd get." Neith smirks. Her canines are long and needle-sharp. Her eyes are hollow bloodshot pits, surrounded by darkening circles. She leers at Lloyd, cracking her knuckles.

"So I suppose we're going to do this the fun way, Mistress?"

Astraea lowers her head, disappointed. Her glow dims as she slides off the bed

"... I wanted to give her the choice, at least." She murmurs.

Neith snorts and takes a step closer, keeping between Lloyd and the door. In response, Lloyd’s gaze flicks to the window. He might be able to make it...maybe if he scrambles across the bed and shoves it open in time...and then what? Trust his wings? After what happened last time?

His shoulders ache, disused muscles starting to complain about the earlier burst of activity, and Lloyd’s stomach drops as he dismisses the idea of jumping. He tenses, wondering if he should just make the first move and run.

Lloyd focuses instead on the woman in front of him.   Her eyes are run through with angry red veins, and dark circles are forming underneath.   Lloyd opens his mouth and speaks, mostly on autopilot.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?
You don't look so great, Neith..."

Neith’s smile curdles.

"And who's fault is that, lolly?   SOMEONE forced me to ruin my perfectly good stash."

She pushes off against the frame, her arms raised, her stance lowering as she approaches.

"Although if you feel bad about it, you could always offer a hit before we get started."

Neith lunges, Lloyd throws himself to the side, trying to scrabble past her - but with his legs chained, he only makes it a few short steps. She knocks him aside and shoves him against the wall, grabbing for his hands.

It’s not easy, though - Lloyd’s kicking and struggling, flapping his wings in her face and trying to elbow her away. Neith snarls, blinking grey-green dust out of her eye.  Lloyd’s knee bounces off her arm, and he almost wriggles free -

"That is it, you bloody insect."   She growls in frustration, and Neith’s palm hits him square in the back, just as she uses her foot to yank at the chain with startling force. The world goes sideways, and he hits the ground in a tangle of silk and wings.

“A-ah!” Lloyd gasps for breath, pain shooting through his battered skull. He clutches at his head, groaning in pain. It takes a moment for him to get his bearings.

He isn't given the chance.   She's dragging him across the floor by the chain, back toward the balcony.   His wings uselessly buffet the floor as they pass over the carpet, then into the hardwood dining area, through the doorwall and out onto the ceramic steps of the balcony.

Lloyd lifts his head as they approach the pool, still glowing. Still humming.

"NO!"

Lloyd grabs for the doorframe and misses, his hands scrabbling at the floor. He sweeps his wings back and forth, kicking at Neith's hands. Anything to slow her down.

None of it even makes her pause. Astraea trudges along behind them, her eyes downcast, refusing to watch him struggle. Lloyd raises his voice, hating how panicked he sounds.

"No, wait! Please, just listen! Astraea, LISTEN to me!"

Neith finally stops at the very edge of the pool. Her lip curls as she lets go of the chain. Before Lloyd can wriggle away, her foot comes down on his chest, pinning him in place. He claws at her boot, and she snorts dismissively.

"You’re the one who’s not listening, penny sweet. Poor bewildered human, fluttery little courtesan...either way, you’re just a consumable.”

She leans harder on her leg, making Lloyd wheeze. Behind them, Astraea flinches as she wades into the pool, but keeps going. Neith bares her fangs, staring down with red, dry eyes.

"Why a court member like her would even consider going to all this trouble for something like you is beyond me - "

"That's enough, Neith.” Astraea says. She’s looking down into the glimmering water, her face hidden in her hair. "Let's just get this over with."

"It would be my pleasure." Neith says with relish. She reaches into her jacket once again, producing a small fruit and a waxy leaf, both pale white. Lloyd stops struggling with her foot, staring at them in apprehension.

“W...what’s that?” His voice cracks. Neith doesn’t answer, just tucking the leaf under her arm and splitting open the fruit with a flourish. Inside, dozens - maybe hundreds - of translucent golden seeds glitter like gemstones.

Every bit of folklore Lloyd’s ever read about fae food flashes back into his mind. He clamps his mouth shut and turns his head to the side, his eyes wide and terrified.

"No, stop, don't."  Neith starts, delight dripping between each bored syllable. Leaning forward, she grabs Lloyd’s nose between her fingers and clamps down, cutting off his air even as she pulls him closer. He groans at the yank, and something approaching satisfaction flashes across her face.

"Please, please hold your breath until you pass out. I would delight to see you asphyxiate."

Lloyd can feel his face start to turn red. His wings flap frantically, and he scrabbles at her...

...the flapping becomes a weak, trembling flutter...
...his wings go still, drooping...
...his face relaxes, his arms drop...

...

Neith sighs in disappointment, shrugs, and lets go of Lloyd’s nose to pry his mouth open. As soon as her hand moves, his eyes snap open and his head shoots up. Lloyd clamps his teeth down on the side of her arm as hard as he can. Neith howls in surprise and pain, but he doesn’t hear it.

The taste of blood floods his mouth. The world stinks of copper.

And then Lloyd isn’t on the balcony any longer.

He’s standing in a crimson-shadowed room. Beneath the copper are other, sweeter smells - baby powder. An unidentifiable nursery odor. Toys are scattered at his feet, blocks and soft stuffed animals and friendly cardboard picture books. A mobile tinkles out a soft little lullaby as it turns.

In front of him is a crib... a small black haired boy looking up at him. He's scooped the little boy up in his arms.  The boy reaches curiously for the white hair dangling down around his own face.

He tenses, then reaches back with his free hand, sharp dagger like claws hovering just above the baby’s head.

It will be quick, and that seems like kindness enough.  Then it will be  a simple matter of disposing of the body and taking his place.

He’s hesitating though. Hesitating without knowing why.

Something about the child’s eyes. The way they’re unaware of what’s about to happen.
Dark and serious

and trusting.

The moment is interrupted by something creaking outside the door.

Lloyd turns, drawing back. As he does, he catches sight of himself in a mirror -

but no. It isn’t him. It isn’t him at all. The face looking back at him is strange and alien, yellow eyes and red markings, framed by long white hair and soft antennae, four downy arms raised in sudden startled understanding. Her skin is too pale to ever be mistaken for human-

It’s him after all.

Her.

Lyra.

The world blurs and swirls and drains away, and suddenly he’s back on the balcony, limp in Neith’s grip. Lloyd’s jaw hangs open, a little blood trickling out of his mouth. He stares hazily out over the pool, his wings draping him like a blanket.

"...what was...
a... memory...?
...was I going to...

... to me?

But why - "

"Mother fucker!"   Neith curses, cutting off Lloyd's scrambled thoughts, then slams a fistful of the golden orbs into his mouth. They taste sweet and heady and cool all at once, and Lloyd immediately tries to cough them back out.

Before he can get them past his lips, Neith shoves the leaf down on top of them. It tingles, glowing the same color as the water.

And the edge melts into his face, sealing over his mouth.

The seeds trapped inside.

Lloyd’s eyes widen, and he scrabbles at the leaf covering his mouth and sealing the seeds inside.

“Hmmmghh!”

...but there’s nothing to get purchase on.
No way to yank it off.

Neith seizes his arm, dragging him up and onto his knees.
“All yours” She spits, shoving him forward and over the edge of the pool.

Lloyd splashes face-first into the illuminated waters with a muffled yell, kicking his bound legs. It’s not deep, easy for him to get upright again - but by the time he does, Neith’s stepped back. She’s muttering under her breath and holding a small amber crystal between her hands.

As she holds it aloft, shimmering golden light rises up around the edge of the pool, forming a dome over it... trapping Lloyd inside with...

Lloyd tears his gaze free, turns -  Astraea’s standing right in front of him, the ends of her hair floating in the water. Closing her eyes, her glow intensifies blazing into a hypnotically bright white sun.  Her form extends down with heavy roots securing her in place, her torso expanding into a trunk, her arms reaching upwards into branches.   She grows and shifts and climbs, warping until she's returned to the tree-creature from before,

The Dryad.

The water shines with her, light spreading out, and as the radiance reaches Lloyd the orbs tucked into the side of his mouth begin to shift. Twitch.

Wriggle.

"Hmmgghh! GHHLLKH!"

Lloyd sputters and sucks in air through his nose, trying as hard as he can not to swallow any of the moving objects. He reaches up and claws at the leaf again - and it shifts, stabbing at him with translucent thorns. They slice across his thumb and he cries out, blood hissing as it spirals and diffuses into the glowing water. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the thorns are gone again. But the shock is just enough distraction.

A seed slips down his throat, all on its own. Then another. And another. Lloyd’s stomach cramps, then warms. The tingling and heat and haziness is back, but inside him this time. Velvety and insidious. Spreading through his body. His bones move and shrink. His skin feels softer. His hips wider. There’s a weight on his chest, his body’s changing, shifting into -

“You’re right. You’re more than a wrapper.”

Astraea’s voice echoes around the balcony. Something moves and shifts at the heart of the tree, a torso emerging with Astraea's face.

“I can’t tear you apart.  Not if you’re unwilling.
But I can return the wrapper to its original form. “

She sounds sad. Detached....
defeated.

“You’re coming back.
One way or another, Lyra.”

Lloyd’s stomach twists. He splashes through the water, thumping helplessly against the wall of light, wrestling with the seeds still in his mouth. There’s nowhere to go. The glow has spread through the entire pool, and -

Lloyd’s wings flick, then blur, moving on instinct. The soaking-wet, suddenly well-fitting dress weighs him down, but he manages to clear the surface and suddenly he’s in the air. As soon as he does, the remaining seeds still trapped in his mouth grow still. Careening haphazardly, Lloyd shoots upward.

When he strikes the top of the glowing dome he bounces off of it as if he'd hit thick plated glass.   Lloyd hurls himself against the barrier, thumping against the gleaming dome over and over again.

Behind him there's a creaking crackle of transluscent branches that surge forth,  lashing out and snatching him around his thighs.   He struggles to break free, but the grasp holds fast, beginning to draw him back towards the glowing water below.   Silvery-gold warmth creeps its way up his body, inch by inch, crawling toward the seeds lurking in his mouth. As he beats his wings in desperation, Astraea’s tattered voice rasps, growing more and more insistent.

"There's no point in struggling, flutterfly!
You're only going to hurt yourself!"

The concern in Astraea's voice hitches, then shifts to desperation.

"I'm just trying to help you."

Lloyd tears free, leaving his legs scraped and the dress ripped, barely hovering above the water. Free of Astraea's grasp and still above the water, the warmth fades and the seeds settle down...

waiting.

Lloyd evades Astraea as she lunges for him again, a huge branch splashing into the pool and sending an explosion of water into the air.  He knows he can’t last forever.  He has to find a way out of here.   He has to...

...and then he sees her.  Neith still on the other side of the barrier, holding the crystal.  Her expression screwed up in concentration.

She's concentrating.
Maybe if he can break that concentration.

Lloyd flaps frantically at her, slamming against the wall.   She blinks, the dome flickering for just a moment, but grits her teeth and the glow strengthens, forcing Lloyd back.

He returns, banging his fists into the wall of light right in front of her face.

"HMMGHH! HmmMMNHHH! H-hllkkh-kkHH!"

Lloyd swings a wild punch at the barrier, right in front of Neith’s face. It does little more than jar his wrist, ripples flowing through the light with a musical chime. The unseelie growls in frustration, scowling at Lloyd.

Something shifts.  Her expression changes. Focuses.

Lloyd blinks, hovering unsteadily, as he tries to see what’s caught her attention.

A tiny droplet of blood from the wound on his thumb, smeared across the barrier. Neith licks her lips, her eyes moving unsteadily as she tries not to look. For an instant, the light dims.

And a glowing golden limb crashes into Lloyd’s back, shoving him up against the barrier.

"WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING ME?!"  Astraea crackles. "WHY…”

The light pours through him, shining from behind his eyes and just below his skin, a torrent of welcoming, terrible warmth. All at once, the seeds spring to life. Lloyd chokes and screams as they cram themselves toward the back of his mouth.

He can’t stop them.

One after another, they squirm down his throat, pouring their power through his form. Lloyd’s sides itch. His hair lengthens and pales. Some of it grows soft and supple and rises, sending frantic waves of information through his mind as it brushes against the barrier. He kicks helplessly, pinned in place, Neith staring through the wall in vindictive triumph. A soothing branch settles on his shoulder, and Lloyd knocks it away. Astraea’s all but screaming now, bewildered and in pain.

“WHY DID YOU LEAVE?"

Lloyd lifts a shaking hand. The world’s starting to take on the reddish tinge from his vision...his memory. Lyra’s memory. Not quite as strong, but…

"You were my special one, my golden wings, my favorite. Why wasn't that enough for you??" Astraea howls. Lloyd squeezes his hand into a fist, wrestling the last handful of seeds to the front of his mouth.

Grips the leaf
And slides.

As the thorns emerge, they slice a large gash across his palm, blood gushing forth and spilling across his hand.

Turning, he slaps the glowing dome wall he's pinned against with his bloodied hand, dragging it across it.  In its wake is a long crimson trail of fresh blood.

Inches from Neith's hollowed, bloodshot face.

Neith’s breath hitches, then catches.   She starts coughing, as her body convulses with its own instinctual craving.   She tries to step back and away, but her foot catches

Slips

... and the amber crystal drops from her shaking hands. She gasps in horror, kicking back and propelling herself forward to catch it.  It juggles as she struggles to gain purchase, only to accidentally strike it sending it flying forward

When the crystal hits the hard tile flooring, it's like a small bomb goes off.   The force blows Neith backwards, flying through the air until she hits and cracks the glass wall behind her.   The crystal has burst into shards of brilliant rock skittering blistering as they bounce across the tile floor.  A second later the barrier splinters, shatters, and dissolves into insubstantial golden motes that float upward and dissipate into nothing.

Nothing left to be pinned against, Lloyd is propelled forward with so much force he careens into a pair of outdoor pool chairs, but the confusion is enough for him to break free of Astraea's grasp.  The moment Astraea loses contact with him, the seeds grow still, and the dizzying light fogging his mind fades along with it.

Pulling himself to his feet with the exhausted energy only adrenaline can afford, he stumbles back, newly fragile skin screaming in the cool wind, barely catching himself on the railing behind him.

He reels, desperately looking for anything.  Any escape.  Any way away from the horrible glowing pool.  His new antennae jitter and twitch as he reels.   He sees the door, the one that leads back into the hotel suite.   Then to Neith, who hasn't yet recovered.

Maybe he can-

The door slams shut hard enough the glass cracks.  One of Astraea's limbs have reached out and closed it off.   From behind it, Neith is picking herself up, her face twisted in a murderous grimace, her teeth long and jagged enough to dig into her own lips.

“We’re all tired of this game.“ She spits. “There’s nowhere for you to go, lolly.”

And Lloyd realizes
She's right.
Except

For one.

Turning, he looks down below to see the street crawls with tiny lights, no bigger than ants.
Vertigo hits him.  The wind is strong up here, this high up.   He can't even hear the traffic below.  Or the people.

The people, so many people, just living their lives.   Unaware that he even exists.  Unaware of how frightened he's been of them.  Unaware that any of this was happening.  

What was it all for.   After everything he'd done, all the things he'd denied himself, all the decisions he'd made for one single thing.

Safety First.

Lloyd grips the railing.  
Using it, he hoists himself up.   Exhausted, wet, sore, bruised and bleeding, he wobbles a moment as he gets his balance.

"Lolly what-"  Neith's voice stumbles.

Lloyd’s wings snap open, spraying drops of water out in a glittering fan.  He glances back one moment.

He sees Astraea's face, still glowing ember at the center of the tree.   Her expression twists in sudden horror as she realizes what’s about to happen.

"NO!!"
She screams.  She reaches for her prize, branch-arms snaking out across the balcony..

... but it’s too late.
Lloyd shakes his head at her.

Turns.

And hurls himself from the ledge.

+

The wind is so loud as the world spins and swirls, end over end, his new antennae frantically trying to track which way is up.  The wind rips at his clothes.  His heart is pounding so hard it hurts. Holding his breath, Lloyd closes his eyes, shuts all of it out. No light.  No warmth.   Just the darkness.

He focuses only on his wings, willing them to move.   To do what he needed them to do.   To do what they've always been meant for.

They flap once, then twice, then blur into a hum... faster and faster, picking up speed and strength trying to combat his own downward velocity and careening body

as he drops down…
Down…
Down into the night.

++++


The night...

The buzz of the failing neon sign, interrupted by soft thumps from bewildered moths.

thup thup thup

The overpowering smell of artificial lemons, sharp and insistent.

thup thup thup

The hum of the TV in the background. They’ve caught the predator, but he’s claiming to be innocent of the latest crimes.

thup thup thup

The squeak of the mop bucket on the floor. One wheel threatening to spin in a completely different direction from the rest.

thup thup thup

It’s all too much.

Ian shoves the bucket violently across the room. Instead of sliding through the open door like usual, it bounces off the frame, sloshing soapy water over the tiles. He presses his hand over reddened eyes, trying to calm himself down.

thup-

He whirls around, staring furiously at the moths clustered around the store’s sign. Ian storms over to the switch behind the counter. He’s not supposed to turn it off while they’re open, but right now, he doesn’t care.

“Get lost!” Ian snarls through the glass, his voice hoarse and crackling. “It’s just me here, do you get it? Go find something else to do!”

He flips the light on and off, flashing it at the confused insects, before slamming the switch down with a vindictive shove. The parking lot plunges into into shadow. Ian turns away, shaking.

THUNP.

He whirls back around, jumping at the noise.
The darkness outside the convenience store window has filled with a

blurred,

pale

shape.

A figure. Pressed against the glass. Bruised and scraped and shoeless.
They're smaller than before. Softer, somehow, a little more fragile.  They're wearing a blood-spattered gauzy dress. Their shape is undeniably feminine. A chain stretches between their ankles, and the skin around their mouth is red.  Abraded.

"...h...hey, Ian."

Their voice is different.  Soft antennae dangle from their head, sprouting from too-pale hair. Moth wings flutter wearily behind their back. Reddish-purple spots dance in the very center of their tired brown eyes, swirling to life and fading away as quickly as they appear.

“Lloyd?”

Ian whispers in shock, taking everything in.

Moving slowly, like he’s in a dream, he walks toward the window. He reaches out, as if to touch the strange figure, only for his hand to flatten against the window. Lloyd moves to match him, pressing palm to palm against the glass. They stand there for a long moment, looking at each other, the window fogging slightly between them.

“I changed my mind.”

Lloyd looks like they’re about to collapse. Or cry. Or laugh. They smile, wings flickering open.

“Still want to get that bite?”

Above them, a cloud of agitated moths swirls back and forth in light-drunk fascination, hovering in front of the store. The rush of air as the door opens blows through them, gently scattering the insects through the still, silent air. As the lights inside finally go dark, they drift into the night sky, one by one.

Free to disappear into the night.

+++

continue reading* ->


*Well… looks like Lloyd has a bit of explaining to do!

Thank you so much for reading and (hopefully) enjoying our story! Chrysalis was initially written as a short story, available publicly, and this chapter marks the original ending. Another thanks and congratulations on following us all the way through!

But as we wrote and illustrated it, we fell in love with the characters, conflict, and world of the Fae Market… so much so, in fact, that we decided to adopt Chrysalis as a full HeartWorks project and release it as a long-form web novel! Over twenty chapters have already been written and illustrated, and you can access them all NOW by supporting the HeartWorks Patreon! Simply join our Small Project Backer Tier for exclusive access.

On behalf of the entire HeartWorks team, thanks for stopping by and thanks again for joining us on our journey through Chrysalis!


- Lehanna