The Transformation – Iola

Months turned into seasons, and Alina became more than just a healer for the humrex; she became one of them. She donned the intricate exoskeletal armor they forged from the shells of their fallen, embedding fragments into her own skin in rituals that blurred the line between human and humrex.

The transformation was more than physical. To fully integrate into their society, she underwent the Chrysalis Rite—a process where humrex neural patterns were bonded to her own through bio-organic implants. The procedure was irreversible, and many humans would have balked at the loss of individuality it entailed. But Alina embraced it, knowing it was the only way to truly understand their pain, their hopes, their fears.

At first, the new sensations overwhelmed her. She could hear the faint hum of their collective thoughts, feel their emotional echoes ripple through her mind. She had become a conduit, her identity intertwined with theirs.

Her former name—Alina Veyra—felt distant, like a shadow of a life she no longer recognized. The humrex gave her a new name: Vey’Iola, which meant “bound by choice.”