Liga didn’t move a muscle for a good five minutes. Daemon kept watching him, expecting some explanation on how to manage the shift. But it apparently wasn’t forthcoming.

“You know,” Fairy finally said as she poured black liquid into a vial of red powder, “when humans start sentences, they usually finish them. Within a few seconds.”

Liga looked at her and smiled as if this were fascinating. “Really?”

“Um, yes?” She sneaked a look over at Daemon and mouthed, Are we sure about him?

Daemon smirked. Still, he liked Liga. His brother was a little . . . different, but what did they expect? Unlike Sola, Luna, Vespre, and Zomuri, Liga had never been on earth before. All he knew of mortals were stories he’d been told in Celestae. It also explained why his speech was so odd—deities didn’t speak human languages in the heavens, so talking to Daemon and Fairy like this was a completely new experience for Liga.

“So about the shift?” Daemon prompted.

“You need more conviction,” Liga said.

“Which means?”

“Embrace your identity, and show us who you really are.”

Daemon sighed. Typical Liga, trying to be helpful but coming out nonsensically cryptic instead.

“Wolf, you did it the other day,” Fairy said.

“By accident. I’m terrible at magic—taiga and demigod.”

“I have faith in you,” Fairy said.

“That’s it precisely,” Liga said. “Wolf, you haven’t been able to shift forms at will because you haven’t believed in yourself.”

Daemon grumbled. “To be fair, I haven’t known I was a demigod for that long.”

“A valid point,” Liga said, pacing like one of the Society teachers would in front of a classroom. “But from what I’ve gathered, you’ve not believed in yourself for much longer than that. It’s time you accepted who you are and everything you can do.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. I don’t know what I can do.”

Liga nodded thoughtfully. “Let me show you.” He leaped into the air and hovered there, as if a current kept him buoyed. “All demigods can fly, as well as conjure small things.” He snapped his fingers, and the sound of lutes filled the chestnut grove.

“We are stronger, faster, and more agile than taigas and ryuu could ever dream of.” Liga zipped through the trees in a blur, so quickly that Daemon swore he could still see the silhouette of an alligator between the branches even after Liga had already returned to where he started. “We’re not immortal, but we can heal ourselves if given the chance.” He sliced his skin with a talon. Fairy gasped, but his flesh melded itself together before their eyes.