It all began with the desire to perfect the Penumbra dance of Glomdoring. To make one eternally beautiful and young. The top researchers of Hallifax that specialized in various fields of temporal aging worked on their science and magic mixtures to bring this dream to a reality.... However, it seems the basic design of the world lashes against those who try to go against its laws.

* * *

"How are you doing... Nine is it? Or are you an Eight now?" spoke a scientist in a traditional white lab coat.

"Six actually. Maybe. Perhaps Seven. I guess it is the time between them?" Spoke a small furrikin who looked to be around eighteen.

"Six? What happen to Seven... and most of Eight? You shouldn't be anywhere close to Six..." the sound of intrigue and panic echoed out from the scientist's voice. "Please tell me what happened. And start from the very beginning, I want to see if your memory is still intact as well."

The furrikin sat up in a chair and started to speak, a tiny squeak in her voice.

"Well. It started as a research project by the Matrix Research Institute. There was some intrigue within the Penumbra ritual. Some of the scientists here wanted to recreate those secrets known by the Night Coven..."

The furrikin known as Six started to recount the actions that lead up this moment, the memories still vivid within her mind...
* * *

"It's simple! The Wyrd rushes into the skin and regenerates the damage caused by aging."

"Don't be silly. Shards don't show signs of aging unless we desire it. Part of our very nature is our ability to change rather easily. The Fates are rather forgiving and willing to reweave such things at a whim."

Two researchers went back and forth, countering each other's arguments with their own, trying to solve one of the many secrets hidden within the dark forest of Glomdoring.

"Smooth skin and increased charisma. These are the two goals we need. The first is rather easy and doesn't need forestal magics to do. The second is a bit harder. Maybe a temporal imposition?"

The female lucidian nodded slightly to the male trill. "Perhaps, Nelaedree. How about we get a few test subjects and see what we can do?"

"Of course, Aqukii" Nelaedree responded as he tapped on a screen and put in a request for three servants to be used as test subjects.

A few days later, three servants were bought to the laboratory being used; a furrikin, a loboshigaru and a tae'dae.

"Welcome, servants. You all are servants by contract to the city. By agreeing to help us with our experiments, your contract terms will be reduced by three years."

First to receive the magics was the loboshigaru. Temporal power flooded into the shard's body as the two scientists watched with hopeful gazes. It was only a few seconds before the loboshigaru's fur and body started to gain a shine to it. Moments passed and the loboshigaru looked younger. And then came the screams. Pain filled the room, a piercing howl from the shade as his body started to tear itself apart. The magic was fading but not in a pleasant way. The magics were trying to keep him young while nature was trying to return him to his proper age. It was over in a few seconds. The loboshigaru collapsed to the floor and it was over.

"Wh... what happened? What were those screams?" the tae'dae asked.

A soft reassuring smile came from Nelaedree, "You have nothing to worry about. A setback as occurred and an error has revealed itself. It will be fixed before we continue. Please just relax and enjoy yourself before we require you."

It was several days of research as the two scientists tried to figure out what went wrong.

"Maybe it is not actually deaging anyone. It could be just a glorified illusion at the base of it. A play of shadows."

"Maybe, Aqukii. That might make this easier. Perhaps using an illusion base and a temporal side effect to make it last forever?" replied Nelaedree as she called in the tae'dae.

* * *

Six smiled as the retelling passed his lips, "Aqukii and you started to fight over technical terms and theory." Six looked at Nelaedree, "I'm not sure what you changed for the tae'dae, but you managed to stop the person from outright dying."

Nelaedree listened to Six speak, taking down notes of how good her memory was leading up to the events. The furrikin spoke of the tae'dae. How at first it seemed everything worked. On the outside, her form was perfectly young. On the inside, all her organs were giving fine readings on bloodwork.

"You never did find out what happen, did you?" Six spoke, her voice trembling at the thought. "His organs just stopped."

The fear in her voice vanished. "And then there is me. Perfectly young. Minus the whole part where I'm slowly going to die. Although it does seem less painful than the others. This whole deaging into death doesn't seem that bad. I don't show any signs of it. In a way, it is kind of nice to be young forever. Even if the end of the life does appear to me much faster..."

The latest form of the project had seemed to solved all of the original issues. No instant death. No random death. The subject had increased charisma and looked young. The only part is it seemed the deaging didn't stop.

"Yes, dear Six" smiled Nelaedree. "At first it seemed you only lowered in age every few years. But once you hit sixteen, everything went down hill. Your age started to lower much more quickly. First it was months and now it seems to be mere days...." A concerned tone entered the scientist's voice. "I fear that any moment now and you will be at a single day of deaging."

The furrikin stood up. "Maybe. It's odd that I can 'feel' my age. Even now I can feel that I'm at the edge of Six."

Nelaedree watched the furrikin, still surprised at the simplest of things the shard could do despite the true age of the body.

"I have always wanted to know, why did you prefer to go by your age instead of a real name. It would change so quickly. It perhaps would add a bit of personal touch to you instead of just being some object."

"It makes it sound like I'm some super-secret spy. Changing names so I don't get caught. I always loved spy novels." the furrikin squeaked out of her voice.

In the coming days, final tests were done as the last of the data on the project was gathered. Having been declared a failure, Nelaedree and Aqukii's project to mimic the penumbra dance was over. However, all was not lost. Something interesting about the nature of temporal aging was found. The various methods that mortals can perform is an amazing thing.

As the final moments of Six's life, now called One, came, a few more things showed up. First was a glossy texture started to form over the furrikin's skin in patches. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, One knew how the end was going to come. Perhaps it was a mercy of the Fates but she told Nelaedree that there would be no body. That the death would be a painless and peaceful thing.

And then, in a flash of bright crystal-green light, One vanished. Her body gone and her soul returning to the Fates.