Callista's masks

“Keep in mind that each mask depicts something you’ll become,” Callista said. “You’ll see differently, hear differently, move differently. Choose something that appeals to you. Don’t forget that you’re heading into battle and that you need to travel. With the mask on, you’ll enjoy a host of benefits. You won’t need rest. You won’t require food. You’ll have increased strength. And it will be virtually impossible for anyone to change you into something else.”

“Can we try some out?” Mira asked.

“It wouldn’t be wise to sample more than one,” Callista cautioned. “You can lose yourself in these masks. Each new mask you try significantly increases the risk of submerging your identity. Once you select a mask, you should go outside, put it on, and never touch another one.”

“We can forget who we are?” Dalton asked.

Callista nodded. “With the mask, you become yourself as a falcon, or a bear, or a knight. It’s then up to you whether you remain the falcon, or the bear, or the knight. Only you can remove the mask. If you choose to leave it on, you will live out your days in your new form. You would only last a few months. You’d burn bright and strong, and then you would be gone. It has happened before. I only lend these masks in times of great need.”

“What about if we wear one for a few days?” Twitch asked.

“You will cause no permanent damage, so long as you remove it in the end,” Callista said. “I would strongly discourage wearing one for more than a week.”

Chapter 35