I watch through the shimmering veil of the barrier as Terrance's flight module carries us upward through the exploded ceiling of Justice's facility. The transformation device's energies still crackle around my changed form, and I struggle to understand what has happened to me. My body feels different - lighter in some places, heavier in others, with unfamiliar curves and proportions that make every movement feel foreign. The golden coin containing my essence as Bart rests safely in Terrance's possession, a tangible reminder of who I was before this interrupted transformation.

"Hold tight, Bertrice," Terrance calls over the rushing wind, his voice steady despite our precarious situation. The name feels strange on my tongue when I try to repeat it, like wearing clothes that don't quite fit. Below us, Justice's shouts fade into the night as we ascend toward the waiting airship.

My memories feel fragmented, pieces of Bart's life mixing chaotically with this new identity. I remember the caves, the artifacts, my father's disappointment - but they seem distant now, viewed through a haze of incomplete transformation. The dual life forces that once sang through Bart's body now pulse erratically through mine, neither fully Regalian nor compatible with what lies beyond the barrier.

Boarding the Airship
George's face appears at the cargo bay opening as we approach, his eyes widening in shock at my transformed appearance. "Bart?" he whispers, then catches himself. "I mean... what happened?"

Terrance guides us through the opening with practiced precision, his flight module's thrusters cutting out as we land heavily on the metal deck. I collapse immediately, my legs unable to support this unfamiliar body. The physical sensations overwhelm me - everything from the weight distribution to the way air moves across my skin feels alien.

"The transformation was interrupted," Terrance explains tersely, helping me sit against a supply crate. "Justice's process was only partially complete when I extracted her."

Richard emerges from the pilot's cabin, his observer's training evident in how quickly he assesses the situation. "We need to leave Regalian airspace immediately," he announces, already moving toward the controls. "The explosion will have attracted attention."

Through the cargo bay opening, I can see the airship's eagle camouflage shimmering around us, hiding our true nature from any Regalians below. The technology fascinates me even in my disoriented state - another reminder of how much I still don't understand about the worlds I'm caught between.

The Physical Crisis
George kneels beside me as my condition rapidly deteriorates. "Something's wrong," he says, his voice tight with concern. "Look at her hands."

I raise my hands, watching in horror as they begin to take on a grayish pallor. The interrupted transformation has left me vulnerable to both types of life force poisoning. My hybrid physiology, caught between two energy systems, struggles to process either one properly.

"Life force deprivation," Richard diagnoses grimly, pulling out monitoring equipment from the medical bay. "The incomplete transformation left her unable to properly channel either Regalian or foreign energy. She's essentially starving."

The readings on his instruments confirm my worst fears. My vital signs fluctuate wildly as my body fights against itself, neither fully accepting nor rejecting the competing energies. I can feel myself weakening with each passing moment, the strange hunger that once drove me now turning into a desperate need.

"How long do we have?" Terrance asks, his hand moving to a device concealed beneath his uniform.

"Minutes, maybe less," Richard replies, his face pale. "Unless we can stabilize her somehow."

Terrance reveals the device he obtained from Justice - a cylindrical object covered in spiral etchings that pulse with soft blue light. "Justice gave me this before I rescued her. It's designed to sustain life force in hybrid cases."

Installing the Life Support System
Richard's hands move with desperate efficiency as he examines Terrance's device in the airship's engine room. The installation requires precise calibration to balance both Regalian and foreign energy frequencies - a task made more complex by the airship's existing power systems.

"This is incredibly sophisticated," Richard mutters, connecting crystalline components to the ship's energy grid. "Justice must have been working on this for years."

George assists by holding components steady while Terrance monitors my weakening condition from the doorway. My breathing has become shallow and labored, each breath a struggle against the conflicting energies tearing at my transformed physiology.

"The device needs to harmonize both life forces simultaneously," Richard explains, his voice strained with concentration. "Too much of either one will kill her, but too little of both will have the same result."

Technical readouts cascade across his instruments as he makes minute adjustments to the frequency modulators. The device begins to hum with a strange, harmonized energy that makes my skin tingle even from across the room. I can feel something responding deep within my altered body, a resonance that promises relief from the chaos consuming me.

"Almost there," Richard says, sweat beading on his forehead as he completes the final connections. The device's hum grows stronger, its blue light pulsing in rhythm with the airship's power core.

Airship Modifications for Barrier Crossing
With the life support system stabilizing my condition, Richard turns his attention to the airship's other modifications. He leads us to the control cabin, where banks of unfamiliar instruments line the walls.

"I've been preparing for this possibility for months," he explains, his hands dancing across the controls. "The hull has been reinforced with materials that can withstand the energy differential between worlds."

The modifications are extensive and impressive. Navigation systems have been recalibrated to account for the barrier's distortion effects, while the ship's cloaking technology has been enhanced to avoid detection on both sides. Richard demonstrates the new controls, his years of observation finally put to practical use.

"The barrier's energy patterns are chaotic," he continues, pulling up holographic displays showing the swirling forces we'll need to navigate. "But there are stable corridors if you know where to look."

I watch the displays with growing fascination, my fragmented memories of Bart's scientific training helping me understand the complexity of what Richard has accomplished. The barrier isn't just a wall - it's a living system of energy that requires precise navigation to cross safely.

"The ship's power core has been modified to resonate with both life forces," Richard adds. "It should provide enough stability to get us through, but the crossing will still be dangerous."

My Adaptation Struggle
As the life support system continues its work, I begin to adapt to my new body and identity. George brings me a mirror from the medical bay, and I stare at my reflection with a mixture of wonder and confusion.

The face looking back at me is undeniably feminine, with delicate features and long dark hair that frames my face in waves. My body has curves where Bart's was angular, softness where he was hard. Even my hands are different - smaller, with slender fingers that seem designed for more delicate work.

"Do you remember anything?" George asks gently, sitting beside me on the passenger cabin's cushioned bench.

"Fragments," I reply, my voice higher and softer than Bart's ever was. "I remember the caves, the artifacts, saving the girl from beyond the barrier. But it's like looking at someone else's memories through frosted glass."

The physical differences are profound and go far beyond mere appearance. My body processes energy differently now, responding to stimuli in ways that feel completely foreign. When I move, the weight distribution is all wrong. When I breathe, even the rhythm feels different.

"The transformation changed more than just your appearance," George observes, watching me struggle to coordinate my movements. "It's like you're learning to exist all over again."

I nod, frustrated by my body's refusal to obey my mental commands. Simple tasks like walking or reaching for objects require conscious thought and effort. The dual life forces that once flowed naturally through Bart's system now feel chaotic and unpredictable in mine.

Preparing for the Unknown
On the airship's observation deck, our group gathers to discuss the plan as we approach the barrier. The ethereal wall looms ahead of us, its surface rippling with energy patterns that Richard has studied for years but never attempted to cross.

George pulled tight the straps from his parachute, preparing to exit the Airship via the cargo bay door. "I wish I could continue the trip with you all, but I'm needed in Regalia to help preserve our work there."

I mustered all my strength to smile at George and tell him, "Thank you George for all you have done and what you are going to do. Do you have the translation device? If so, please give it to Terrance."

"Of course, ah, Bertrice. Here it is, Terrance." George handed Terrance the Decretian translation device that had been entrusted to him for safe keeping.

Both Terrance and Richard gave thanks to George themselves, as he positioned himself in front of the cargo bay door which opened.

"I believe this is my stop" said George as he leapt out of the door which closed behind him. Richard traced George's progress and announced to the others that the parachute had opened.

Once George's safety was concerned my mind returned to my impending peril as i turned my attention back to Terrance.

"Your unique physiology may be the key to surviving beyond the barrier," Terrance explains, his internal life force generator humming softly beneath his uniform. "The transformation has made you compatible with their energy systems."

Richard plots our course through the barrier's thinnest point, using decades of observation data to find the safest passage. "The crossing will be violent," he warns. "The conflicting energies will try to tear the ship apart."

I experience strange sensations as we near the crossing point, my transformed body resonating with both the Regalian energy behind us and the foreign forces ahead. The life support system pulses faster, working to maintain the delicate balance within my hybrid physiology.

"Terrance's modifications allow him temporary survival in either world," Richard continues, "though he appears as a harmless lamb to those beyond the barrier. His internal generator can sustain him for limited periods."

The implications are staggering. We're about to attempt something no Regalian has ever survived - a conscious crossing of the threshold between worlds. My transformation, incomplete as it is, may be our only hope of success.

The Barrier Approaches
The barrier fills our view now, its ethereal surface rippling with energy patterns that defy description. Standing on the airship's bridge, I watch the swirling forces with a mixture of awe and terror. This is the wall that has separated our world from what lies beyond for generations, and we're about to pierce it.

Richard's hands move across the modified controls with practiced precision. "The barrier's energy field extends for several kilometers," he explains, his voice tight with concentration. "Once we enter it, there's no turning back."

My body responds strangely to our proximity to the crossing point. The life support system fluctuates as competing energies wash over the ship, and I can feel both life forces pulling at me with increasing intensity. The sensation is both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Warning lights indicate we're approaching the point of no return," George observes, watching the instrument panels with growing concern.

Terrance checks his equipment one final time, his military training evident in his methodical preparations. "Remember, once we cross, we'll be in hostile territory. Stay close and follow my lead."

The airship's modified systems begin their final preparations for barrier penetration. Energy readings spike across all instruments as we approach the threshold, and I can feel the ship straining against forces it was never designed to handle.

Crossing the Threshold
The airship enters the barrier's energy field with a violent shudder that throws us all against the walls. The modified systems strain against the conflicting forces as alarms sound throughout the ship, their urgent warnings barely audible over the chaos of competing energies.

I convulse as my hybrid physiology reacts violently to the crossing, the life support system fluctuating dangerously as it struggles to maintain the delicate balance within my transformed body. The dual life forces that have been carefully harmonized suddenly turn chaotic, each trying to dominate the other.

"Hold on!" Richard shouts over the din, fighting to maintain control as the barrier's energies threaten to tear the vessel apart. The ship's hull groans under the stress, its reinforced materials pushed to their absolute limits.

Through the chaos, we catch our first glimpse of Decretia's landscape below - rolling hills covered in organic architecture that seems to grow from the earth itself. But something is wrong with the readings. Richard's instruments show massive energy disturbances throughout the region, far beyond what should be normal.

"We've got company," Terrance announces grimly, pointing through the observation windows. Below us, what appears to be a military response is mobilizing toward our crossing point, their forces moving with coordinated precision that suggests our arrival has been detected.

The realization hits us like a physical blow - we're flying directly into unknown danger. Whatever awaits us in Decretia, it's clear that our crossing hasn't gone unnoticed. As the airship struggles through the final layers of the barrier, I can only wonder what new challenges await us in this alien world, and whether my transformed body will be enough to keep us all alive.

The barrier's energy field releases us with a final, violent shudder, and we emerge into Decretian airspace with alarms still blaring and our destination uncertain. Below us, the mobilizing forces continue their approach, and I realize that our greatest challenges may be just beginning.