Astral Power Chapter 2

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First

Chapter 2 of Astral Power, my Cassette Beasts themed TF story! This one is focused mainly on having the protagonists explore just what Ramtasm as a form can bring, and also gender. It also sets up a bit for later chapters, hopefully.

Shoutout to my partner Salex System ( https://www.tumblr.com/salexsystem ) for providing some sensitivity beta reading for this chapter!


Just after sundown, a small party gathered on the roof of an apartment. It wasn't a large group; only three people, standing outside, bathing in the moonlight. They had a goal in mind, collectively, as one of their number stepped forward, standing in the middle of the roof, while the other two hung back, closer to an edge bordered by a yet taller building than the one they lived in.

Wayne looked down at the tape in his hands, the cool evening air running along his skin. He was getting goosebumps from more than just the temperature as he remembered the haunting song on the tape, the soft gray a contrast to his human skin. In his other hand rested a player for the tape; on his head was a set of headphones. And yet he couldn't bring himself to listen to it again, even as he looked up at the sky, the full moon already starting to grow visible in the sky earlier than usual. He took a deep breath, looking at his audience.

Aurora was the first one he looked at; his roommate, standing confidently in a warm coat. Wayne shivered a little; he felt needed to dress light for what he was going to do, listening to the tape. She gave him a smile of encouragement, and he nodded back. As he prepared to listen to the tape once more, she turned on her video camera; an older one that used tapes, but perfectly functional for their purposes.

Meanwhile, the older man by the apartment door was a different story. His canine ears twitched, and he had a small scowl on his muzzle. He was Johansson, the landlord of the building; older than the other two by a large margin, the dogman was just there to make sure that Wayne's test wouldn't get himself hurt or the building damaged. Still, he was somewhat interested in the test too; his tail wagged in excitement when he saw his tennant slip the tape into the machine.

Wayne thought back to how he found the tape; how in a quest for greater magical power, he was led to this. How this tape was meant to do so wasn't clear to him, but he took a deep breath as he hit play, the sounds of the deceased slowly filling his ears again.

He found the song oddly soothing on a repeat listen, despite knowing what the effects of it would be; his body was still feeling them, in a small way. He swore it sounded different in some way, like it was... more in tune with him. Perhaps it was just the effect of hearing it twice, letting him notice different elements to the track, the soft pads, the occasional cry of a sheep. He didn't know what, if any, name the song had, but as he closed his eyes, feeling yet another tingling running down his skin, he knew what was happening to him.

The tape allowed for his form to change; specifically, it would change him into a specific, defined form. His legs felt lighter, weaker; Wayne noted they weren't the first to change last time. His skin burned a little, warmth and cold flashing across it. He opened his eyes briefly, and saw a heavy coating of static dancing across his body, clothes being consumed by the visual glitch in reality, and smiled before shutting his eyes once more. Knowing what was happening calmed him; while there were still a lot of unknowns, such as where his clothes were vanishing to as they were dissolved, he at least was at ease knowing the basics.

From the perspective of Aurora and Johansson, all they could easily see was a burst of static overtaking Wayne. It coated his skin quickly, reshaping as it covered his body. Aurora made sure to record the scene on her camera; Johansson wrote a few notes on a paper, as an additional witness to the study. Neither were versed in magic, but that didn't mean they were unable to help the young mage with his research into the tape.

Wayne, for his part, just let himself go with the flow. Not that he was trying to resist the transformation overtaking him the first time he used the tape, but now that he knew what it was meant to do, he fully allowed its effects to grip him as best he could.

The changes began to take full effect on Wayne's skin; it grew chillier, cooler, a comforting sensation that spread deeper inside himself. Soft hair pushed through, replacing the human hair with fur, coarser wool coating his upper chest; his head in particular began to grow a long, flowing potion of hair, as well as a thick tuft that curled upward near his forehead. He was grateful, in that moment, that most of his chest was obscured by wool, as the transformation began to spread there.

Breasts were growing in, cups swelling and growing back to full sensitivity. They were an odd, awkward sensation to the mage, comfortable but alien, welcome but not. His throat burned, growing sore, as his voice changed, pitch growing higher and lower at once as it was dragged between life and death. And in his crotch, he could feel changes to his shaft, genitals inverting themselves under his clothes. It was disquieting to feel his flesh shifting so much, internal organs all relocating themselves to make room. At least, he thought to himself, his body was also growing larger, helping alleviate the discomfort somewhat.

This new body was towering, imposing, nearly reaching the ceiling when in the apartment. As Wayne found himself completely nude, a natural skirt began to grow, surprisingly sensitive to the touch as it fell loosely around his waist. His legs were weakening, losing independent motion; this was probably the part he liked the least about the transformation, legs fusing together. At first, they appeared to be simply next to each other; then they melted further together, and eventually they were just a single tail, his spine running through while the rest of the old bones faded away.

His arms, thankfully, were spared such changes, but his fingers were melting together as well; their touch dulled as the nails turned a gray-blue color, turning into thick hooves. Soon each hand only possessed three fingers, less dexterous than before, but still usable at least. He held one up before his growing muzzle, teeth awkwardly reshaping, tongue growing larger and wider yet not losing its use in speech. Horns forced themselves from his skull, curling around lengthening ears; he wondered just how his brain was reshaping itself to properly fit the base of the new growth.

Power was starting to flow into his body once more, a connection to the astral plane forming. Wayne still wasn't clear on why this creature could do this; he didn't know if it was ever something he'd learn. And yet, he carried on, allowing the transformation to continue washing over him. The song kept playing, soft and sweet despite the somber undertones, as if in tune with his increased ease of the change, in tune with how it was faster than before.

The final parts of the transformation were soon at hoof; floating in the air, selectively tangible, Wayne felt two new extensions to his limbs forming, a set of wings poking from his back. They didn't actually connect to his body physically in any way, instead floating behind his shoulders, just behind the slight hunchback he'd grown in this form. He gave them a few flaps as the membrane formed, the wings batlike despite the angelic elements to this new form, the golden tips of his horns, the forming halo above his head.

This body's halo wasn't a traditional ring; it was a solid disk, dark golden and, like the wings, something he could sense as part of his body, despite the fact that it lacked a direct connection. He could put his hand in between the two, or an inanimate object, without severing the connection, and it was one of the stranger sensations of this new body. Still, it wasn't bad, at least. Soon the static began to dissipate, and the new Ramtasm floated proudly before his companions for the night.

"Well now, that is pretty..." Johansson said, before looking at Aurora. "Although you, uh, never said he'd be nude thanks to this." The human woman blushed a little, shrugging her shoulders at the oversight. In all the excitement after the first change, she'd overlooked how that was true, even if Wayne's new body meant nothing was visible. Setting her embarrassment aside, she turned to face her roommate, smiling at him.

"How long did that take?" Wayne asked, deep black eyes looking at her with curiosity.

"About... twenty seconds." she replied, much to Wayne's surprise. He felt as if the change took several minutes on his end, and began to wonder about the time dilation effect that was in play when he shifted. Perhaps it was similar to how dreams weren't on a consistent timescale to the waking world? It was something he was tempted to study, but he set that idea aside for the time being, as he was more focused on studying the results of the change itself.

He nodded in understanding, before turning to look out towards the open air at the front of the building. Wayne quickly glanced back at the others, before proceeding with their plan. First, he took a moment to briefly meditate on the world around himself, psychic tendrils invisibly extending out to feel around him. It was intense; if his usual power flow was like a live wire, this was like a blast of lightning. Still, unlike before, he wasn't getting a headache from the transformation itself anymore, so this was an improvement at least.

The next step after taking some of the power in, was to release it. Wayne thought over the various spells he knew, before releasing a burst of energy, a blast of raw power into the sky. It created a cascade of sparkles and sparks, glowing like the night sky would without any of the light pollution from the surrounding buildings, before safely dissipating. The sparkles floated around him, and in the background he could hear a small, impressed clap from the landlord.

"Impressive." he said, before turning around to return inside. "Alright, I'm gonna head to sleep now. Please clean up after yourselves if you make a mess, alright?"

Aurora sighed, before nodding. "I know, I know. You don't want a repeat of that artist you had who left paint all over." she said, although by the time she was finished Johansson was already halfway down the stairs back inside.

Wayne smiled, enjoying the relative privacy the two had now. They were still in the open air, of course, and folk in other buildings could probably see; while the magical blast was quiet, a few folk were looking outside their windows, curious about the remaining sparks. He took a deep breath, before charging up another spell, the fire extinguishing floating up into the sky. He could feel its position in the space around him, feel where it was relative to himself, to Aurora, to the buildings, and carefully and precisely guided it around, careful not to hit anything or accidentally spray it. Neither of them wanted to waste the extinguisher, even if Johansson wouldn't give them hell for it - and he definitely would if he caught them doing so.

As he set it down, he took a moment to reflect on his new form, on his new power. He was stronger, sure, but he would still need to study more of the principles of his power, learn more about the basics to better exploit the new ease with which spellcasting came. As he thought about the tomes of knowledge he'd need, he was suddenly surprised by a brief manifestation of just such a book; it fired a burst of cosmic energy before he could read the actual contents, although thankfully it left only a bare minimum of damage to the wall of the stairwell up to their roof. Not that this stopped him from looking sheepish in multiple ways as the two surveyed the damage.

"Alright, I think that's probably enough for tonight." Aurora said, and Wayne agreed.

Wayne floated around a little, taking a minute or so to enjoy his power of nearly free flight before he gave it up. The air floated around him, through him even, as he flew, and as he returned to the roof, he gave a small and uncertain smile toward his companion. After a moment, he closed his eyes, concentrating on ending the song, returning to human form.

It was still disorienting, but thankfully not as much as the first time, and certainly less painful. His legs reformed first as his body turned fully solid once more; shoes and pants returned to his body, covering him as he automatically drifted down to land. He wasn't sure which was more off-putting; the sensation of having his legs lengthen and spine shorten simultaneously, or of his natural skirt receding while fabric coated his crotch once more.

His halo and wings fading away was a likewise strange experience; as much as he found it strange to put his hooves in between them, it was stranger still to lose them again. His body felt oddly naked, between that and the wool coating his chest once more turning into body hair, even as new clothes took shape on his torso to keep him modest. One thing immediately stuck out, however, even more so than how strange it was to lose his muzzle, or the sensation of his fingers separating back into a typical human five.

A bra had formed alongside his shirt, gently supporting new breasts. They were small; Wayne guessed they'd only be an A-cup if they were to measure them. But they were there, and while in his crotch he still had a dick reform, he could tell after a moment's reflection it was smaller too. Aurora looked at him with an odd mix of emotions as she took notice of these changes, and both couldn't help but blush.

"Oh, that's..."

"Yeah, I noticed them the first time I changed too. It's... some sort of side effect, I think."

The two found themselves just resting there, on the rooftop. For a moment, neither of them talked, questions running through their minds. The sounds of distant cars and someone playing a television too loud were the only things to break up the awkward silence between the two, until Aurora asked something pertinent. "Do you like these, um, effects?"

Wayne looked at her in confusion, before mulling over things a bit more. He was jealous of her appearance, wasn't he? And the last time that Johansson had called him a "sir" felt off, a memory still vivid despite it being months old, before they'd established his distaste for formal titles. He ran a hand through his hair, noting the slightly lighter color it had than before. It was an odd order of events; he knew that normally one decided on changing their gender first, and then their physical body afterwards, assuming they were comfortable doing so. He brought a hand up to his chest, biting a lip as he brushed the small breasts, not just from the physical sensation but from how it felt better than before.

"I do, yeah." she said, smiling as she looked at her roommate. She smiled back, relief washing over her face.

"Well, I may be, well, cis, but you have my support if you wanna go in further with this." Aurora said, and Wayne nodded. "Gods, I just hope Johansson lets us update the lease easily."

"Update the lease?" Wayne asked, before realizing what she meant. "Oh, yeah, Wayne doesn't quite fit me, does it?"

"Yeah." Aurora replied, looking out at the skies. "Can I suggest Luna? That'll keep the moon theme of your name."

"Nah, I don't vibe with it." she replied, thinking about things. She knew that she could just try another name if she didn't get it right the first time, but still wanted to pick a good one quickly.

"Eve."

"Eve?" Aurora asked, looking at her friend with a bit of surprise. "Is it because you can turn into a giant sheep?"

"What? Oh, ewe, Eve, right." Eve replied, giggling as she thought about her own name. "It's not that- well, not just that now that you point it out." she explained. "Mom said if she had a daughter, she'd probably go for calling her Eve. Dad agreed with her, too." She fell silent for a moment, as she remembered them. Aurora wasn't familiar with either of them, and Eve rarely had talked about them, but she picked up on what happened from the somber tone of her voice.

"Is this your way of honoring them?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. Eve nodded, a few tears forming on her face.

"Yeah. I miss them. They weren't the best, I'll admit; it took convincing to get them on board with magic." she said, her smile returning as she looked at Aurora. "I... don't know if they'd be on board with this, honestly. But I'd like to imagine I could convince them if they weren't, they liked seeing me happy more than most other things."

Aurora smiled back, pulling her friend close and hugging her. "Well, Wa- Eve, sorry, you have me. And our other queer friends too." she explained. Eve paused for a moment in confusion, before remembering what her roommate had told her about her own past hookups, about how through trial and error she found out just how few folk she was really attracted to. In turn, she giggled as she realized just what Aurora's accidental misnaming sounded like.

"Wave would be a cute name, heh." she said. "But I'm fine with going for something dissimilar to my old one." Aurora giggled in turn, before addressing her friend again.

"Well, Eve, shall we go back inside?" she asked. Eve felt a small flurry of positivity in her chest at how quickly she adapted to her new name, and at how it just felt better, to be called by a name she chose for herself. Not that her old one was bad, but as she thought about it, it felt less fitting, somehow.

She looked down at the player in her hands, noting how the tape was conveniently reset back to the start. With a smile, she stood up, pressing play on it once more, feeling herself shifting back into her ghostly form; her breasts growing, skirt forming, horns curling up. It was even faster than before, and the details all blended together. She couldn't tell if this was just a natural consequence of her repeated use, or if using it in rapid succession was the cause. Either way, she gave a little twirl as she turned immaterial once more, giggling at her roommate's surprised face.

"I'll race ya!" she said, and without warning began to phase back down into the building, floating right through the stairs.

"Hey, no fair!" Aurora said, giggling as she chased after her. Seeing Eve happy like this made her happy in turn, even if her new haunting meant she was going to cheat at races like this. She couldn't help but giggle a little as she carefully climbed back down the stairs, finding the new Ramtasm already in the living room without having even touched the door directly.

Aurora smiled a little at the sight of her ghostly roommate just levitating around, jumping up a little for a light scare. It was a much more positive mirror of yesterday's meeting, and something about seeing Eve like this felt nice. She seemed happier now, and Aurora was glad to see it. She thought for a moment as she watched Eve transform herself back into a human, her chest still a bit larger than before, her outfit adjusting to match, knowing the rest of her clothes were unaffected.

"Hey, Eve?" Aurora asked, watching her roommate look over herself in the mirror. A few streaks of blue had leaked into her hair, and she was engrossed in the sight.

"Yeah?" she replied, pulling her attention away from the glass.

"Do you want me to like, help you with clothes shopping?" Aurora proposed. "I, um, don't know if you're gonna keep changing into that ghost form, so I don't quite know how big you'll be, but..."

Eve understood. She only had a small understanding of how things like bras and panties would realistically work, and even if the Ramtasm form was naturally nude, being able to stay clothed in human form would be a good help. "Sure, but... won't you have work?" she asked. Aurora just shrugged in response.

"Eh, I can take some days off." she said, pausing a little. "Honestly, we've been living together for like three months, and it's only now that I even learned about your, well, parents..." she said, stopping herself when it occurred to her she might be overstepping some boundaries. Eve just laughed a little in response, however, and Aurora smiled back.

"Haha, yeah, I guess that we haven't actually, well, talked much, huh?" she said. "I just sorta applied to be your roomie since you needed some rent split."

"Doesn't help you sleep during the day like, a lot." Aurora added.

"Hey, it's not my fault my courses this semester are all night classes!" Eve defended, before letting out a deep breath and she flopped into a seat and looked at her tape. "You know, we still don't know where this is from, do we?" she asked, and Aurora nodded before letting out a yawn.

"Well, maybe you can research it while I get some sleep." she said, already making her way to the bedroom. Eve waved her off to sleep, before returning her gaze to the tape.

"Ramtasm." she muttered, before switching on her computer. Once it was powered, she'd search for that name, and see what she could find.