The Bit Bucket

A Transgender Paranormal Romantasy

From the Paranormal Visitor Universe

Chapter 14: Identity Crisis

By Sasha Zarya Nexus

Can Wanda, Meda, and Eva meet the challenge of meeting to be a part of Dean Bronwen's team in pursuit of Aislinn's cup at Aislinn's College for the Blessed? How will they do in the first one and also to find the relics?

Copyright 2025 by Sasha Zarya Nexus.
All Rights Reserved.

Author's Note:

This book, in its entirety, is available on my Patreon. BCTS will get weekly postings on Saturdays to complete it here. Patreon Free Members can read my new complete book by chapters, Things We Do for Love

The morning after their discovery of the artifact locations brought with it a weight that seemed to press down on Meda's very soul. She stood before the mirror in their dorm room, watching her glamored reflection—tall, willowy, blonde—while feeling the ancient memories of Andromeda stirring beneath the surface like a tide threatening to overwhelm her consciousness

.The three scrolls appeared simultaneously on their respective beds just after evening meal, each bearing Dean Bronwen's distinctive silver seal. Meda found hers tucked beneath her pillow in the thirteen-year-old dormitory, while Eva discovered hers placed precisely on her nightstand. Wanda's scroll waited on her desk in the graduate quarters, positioned with the mathematical precision that characterized everything in Dean Bronwen's domain.

The message was brief but clear: "Team meeting. Midnight. Defense Tower, Third Level. Come prepared to discuss strategy and progress. - D.B."

The Midnight Gathering
The Defense Tower's third level had been transformed into an intimate war room, with floating maps of the college grounds and magical diagrams illustrating various defensive formations. Soft candlelight cast dancing shadows across the stone walls, creating an atmosphere of serious purpose mixed with ancient mystery.

Dean Bronwen stood at the center of the circular chamber, her silver hair gleaming in the candlelight as her six team members filed in quietly. Lydia Ashworth and Celeste Chen took positions near the tactical displays, while Rosalind Blackwater settled into one of the comfortable chairs arranged in a semicircle. The three sisters—Meda, Eva, and Wanda—found seats together, their bond as both teammates and family evident in their synchronized movements.

"Welcome to our first comprehensive strategy review," Dean Bronwen began, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had guided countless students through magical challenges. "Tonight, we assess where we stand, acknowledge our strengths, and prepare for the battles ahead."

She gestured to a floating scoreboard that materialized in the air, displaying the current team standings. "As you can see, we currently hold second place overall, with one victory and one strong second-place finish."

Reviewing Past Competitions
"Let's begin with the Community Competition," Dean Bronwen continued, her gaze settling on Eva with evident pride. "Eva, your performance was exemplary. You demonstrated exactly the kind of thoughtful leadership and empathetic guidance that defines our team's philosophy."

Eva straightened in her chair, though her expression remained modest. "Thank you, Dean. Though I have to admit, watching Aria Moonwhisper work was... humbling. She has years of experience that I'm still developing."

"Which is precisely why your second-place finish was so impressive," Celeste Chen interjected supportively. "You're competing against graduate students with a fraction of their experience."

Wanda nodded enthusiastically. "Eva, you had those volunteers eating out of your hand by the end. The way you helped that shy twelve-year-old find her confidence was beautiful to watch."

Dean Bronwen smiled approvingly. "Eva's performance in Community showed us that our defensive philosophy extends far beyond magical combat. True protection means nurturing others' growth and creating environments where everyone can succeed."

The Dean's expression grew more serious as she continued. "However, we must acknowledge that Team Molli Rose's victory was decisive. Aria Moonwhisper's legendary dedication to her peers isn't just reputation—it's a living example of what years of selfless service can accomplish."

Celebrating Academic Victory
The mood shifted as Dean Bronwen turned to address their triumph in the Scholarship Competition. "Wanda, your victory in Scholarship was nothing short of revolutionary. You didn't just answer the challenge—you advanced the entire field of magical theory."

Wanda's cheeks flushed with pride and embarrassment. "I just applied what I've been studying for years. The symbiotic relationship between defensive and metamorphic magic seemed... obvious, once I really thought about it."

"Obvious to a brilliant mind," Lydia Ashworth corrected with a grin. "I've been working with defensive ward construction for a decade, and I never conceived of adaptive defensive matrices. Your theoretical framework is going to change how we teach magic."

"The practical demonstration was equally impressive," Rosalind added. "Watching your ward learn and evolve in real-time was like seeing the future of magical defense."

Dean Bronwen nodded approvingly. "Wanda's victory proves that our team's emphasis on preparation and innovative thinking can triumph over raw power. She exemplified everything we stand for—strategic analysis, creative problem-solving, and the courage to present revolutionary ideas."

Current Training and Future Challenges
"Which brings us to our current training regimen," Dean Bronwen announced, moving to touch one of the floating tactical displays. "We've been focusing on integrated defensive strategies, where each team member's strengths complement the others. How are you finding the advanced ward construction exercises?"

"Challenging but enlightening," Eva replied thoughtfully. "Learning to coordinate my defensive instincts with Meda's intuitive magic and Wanda's theoretical knowledge is like learning a new language."

Meda spoke up, her voice gaining confidence. "I'm starting to understand how my... unique background... actually gives me advantages in defensive magic. The way I can sense magical signatures feels different from traditional training."

"That's because your magical development has been unconventional," Dean Bronwen explained. "Your instincts aren't constrained by traditional limitations, which makes you unpredictable—a valuable asset in both defense and offense."

Looking Ahead: Athletics and Spirits Magic
Dean Bronwen's expression grew more intense as she addressed the upcoming competitions. "The Athletics Competition is next, and Eva, you're our clear favorite. Your background gives you advantages that extend far beyond physical conditioning."

Eva nodded, her competitive spirit evident. "I've been training with both magical enhancement and traditional techniques. The integration feels... natural. Like my body remembers things my mind is still learning."

"Your performance in practice sessions has been extraordinary," Celeste observed. "The way you move through the obstacle courses—it's like watching poetry in motion."

"But we can't become overconfident," Dean Bronwen cautioned. "The other teams have strong athletes as well, and they'll be studying your techniques. We need to prepare for them to counter your strengths."

The Dean's gaze shifted to Meda, and her expression softened with something approaching awe. "And then we come to Spirits Magic—our final and most crucial competition."

Meda felt a familiar flutter of nerves mixed with anticipation. "I know everyone expects me to perform well, but sometimes the magic feels so... overwhelming. Like it's bigger than I am."

"That's because it is," Dean Bronwen said gently. "Meda, your magical potential is unlike anything I've seen in decades of teaching. But potential means nothing without control, focus, and the wisdom to use power responsibly."

Wanda reached over to squeeze her sister's hand. "You've been getting stronger every day. The way you handled that defensive exercise yesterday—even Lydia was impressed."

"More than impressed," Lydia confirmed. "Meda, when you created that multi-layered protection ward, it wasn't just powerful—it was elegant. You're developing an intuitive understanding of magic that most students take years to achieve."

Final Strategy and Team Unity
Dean Bronwen moved to stand directly in front of her team, her expression serious but warm. "Here's what I want you to remember: we're not just competing for points or glory. We're proving that defensive magic—protection, preparation, and strategic thinking—can triumph over flashy displays of raw power."

She gestured to the three sisters. "You three represent something unique in this competition. You're not just teammates—you're family. That bond gives you advantages that other teams can't replicate. Trust each other, support each other, and remember that your greatest strength lies in working together."

"Eva, your athletic prowess will showcase the physical discipline that underlies all great magic. Wanda, your scholarly achievements prove that knowledge and innovation can overcome any obstacle. And Meda..." She paused, her voice growing softer. "Nada, your magical gifts will demonstrate that true power comes from the heart, not from ambition."

As the meeting concluded, the three sisters exchanged glances filled with determination and mutual support. They had come so far from their origins in the Bit Bucket, and now they stood on the threshold of proving themselves in the most challenging competitions of their new lives.

"Two competitions down, two to go," Eva murmured as they prepared to return to their dormitories.

"And we're going to show everyone what Team Bronwen can accomplish," Wanda added with quiet confidence.

Meda nodded, feeling the magical energy that always seemed to pulse just beneath her skin. "Together," she said simply, and in that single word lay all the power of their unbreakable bond.

The midnight strategy session had reminded them not just of their individual strengths, but of the extraordinary force they became when united. Whatever challenges lay ahead in Athletics and Spirits Magic, they would face them as sisters, as teammates, and as the living embodiment of Dean Bronwen's philosophy that true strength comes from protecting and supporting one another

Fred's Memories

The crisis began during their Theoretical Magic class with Professor Ingris. As the professor discussed the historical implications of magical artifacts, Meda found herself slipping between identities like a person caught between waking and dreaming. One moment she was listening to the lecture as a thirteen-year-old student; the next, she was remembering the creation of the Stellar Prism from Andromeda's perspective, feeling the cosmic forces flowing through her hands as she shaped starlight into solid form.

"The ancient sorceresses understood that power without wisdom leads to destruction," Professor Ingris was saying, but Meda heard the words through a filter of three-thousand-year-old memories. She remembered speaking those very words to a council of cosmic guardians, remembered the weight of responsibility that came with wielding forces that could reshape reality itself.

Eva noticed her sister's distress immediately, her empathic abilities picking up the chaotic swirl of emotions radiating from Meda. "You're fragmenting," she whispered during a break between classes. "I can feel Fred's memories fighting with Andromeda's for control."

The observation hit Meda like a physical blow. She was fragmenting—caught between the man she had been for thirty-six years and the legendary sorceress whose essence now flowed through her veins. Fred's love of butterflies and simple magic warred with Andromeda's cosmic perspective and ancient wisdom, creating a dissonance that threatened to tear her consciousness apart.

Andromeda's Personality

The situation worsened during their afternoon practice session with Dean YseuIt. When asked to demonstrate basic matter manipulation, Meda found herself instinctively reaching for techniques that predated human civilization. Instead of the simple molecular restructuring the exercise required, she began weaving reality itself, her consciousness slipping fully into Andromeda's memories.

"The fundamental error in your approach," she said, her voice carrying the authority of millennia, "is assuming that matter and energy are separate phenomena. They are merely different expressions of the same cosmic principle."

Dean YseuIt's eyes widened as Meda—no, Andromeda—began reshaping the practice materials at the quantum level, creating structures that seemed to exist in multiple dimensions simultaneously. The other students backed away as power radiated from her in waves that made the air itself sing with harmonic frequencies.

"Meda," Eva called urgently, but the name felt foreign, distant. She was Andromeda now, the greatest sorceress of light, wielder of stellar fire and cosmic wisdom. The concerns of a thirteen-year-old girl seemed trivial compared to the vast responsibilities that pressed against her consciousness.

It was only when Eva's empathic touch reached her—not through magic but through the deep bond they shared as sisters—that Meda snapped back to herself. The quantum structures collapsed, and she found herself gasping on the laboratory floor, her body shaking from the magical backlash.

Internal Conflict

The episodes grew more frequent and more intense over the following days. During meals, Meda would find herself critiquing the college's magical defenses from Andromeda's perspective, seeing weaknesses and vulnerabilities that a thirteen-year-old shouldn't be able to perceive. In their dorm room at night, she would wake from dreams that weren't dreams but memories—battles fought across cosmic distances, loves lost to the passage of millennia, the terrible weight of decisions that affected entire civilizations.

"I'm losing myself," she confessed to Eva during one of their late-night conversations. "Every day, more of Fred disappears, and more of Andromeda takes his place. What if I forget who I really am? What if I forget our love, our journey together?"

Eva took her sister's hands, her touch warm and grounding. "You're not losing yourself," she said firmly. "You're integrating. Fred's memories, his love, his essential nature—they're not disappearing. They're becoming part of something larger, something more complete."

But even as Eva spoke the words, Meda could feel the truth of her fear. Fred's simple joy in magic was being overshadowed by Andromeda's vast knowledge. His human perspective was being subsumed by cosmic awareness that saw individual lives as brief flickers in an eternal dance of creation and destruction.

Eva's Support

Eva's own transformation was proceeding more smoothly, but she could feel her sister's struggle through their empathic bond. Where Meda was being overwhelmed by ancient memories, Eva found herself naturally integrating the emotional wisdom that came with her inherited abilities. She understood instinctively how to balance her own identity with the deeper knowledge flowing through her consciousness.

"The difference," she explained to Wanda during one of their study sessions, "is that I'm not fighting the integration. Meda is trying to hold onto Fred's identity while also embracing Andromeda's power. She's creating the very conflict she's afraid of."

Wanda nodded thoughtfully, her artifact fragment pulsing with sympathetic resonance. "The chimeric nature makes it more complex for her. Fred was already divided between male and female aspects. Now she's trying to integrate those with Andromeda's cosmic perspective. It's like trying to harmonize three different symphonies simultaneously."

Eva's support became Meda's anchor during the worst moments of identity confusion. When Andromeda's memories threatened to overwhelm Fred's consciousness entirely, Eva would reach out through their sisterly bond, reminding Meda of their shared journey, their love that had transcended death itself, their commitment to facing whatever came together.

"Remember the Butterfly Garden," Eva would whisper during the crisis moments. "Remember the man who believed in magic so deeply that he was willing to risk everything for it. That's who you are at your core—not just Andromeda, not just Fred, but someone who chooses love over power, hope over fear."

Magical Instability

The internal conflict began manifesting in dangerous ways. Meda's magical abilities fluctuated wildly, sometimes barely functioning and other times exploding with cosmic force that threatened to destabilize the college's reality matrix. During one particularly severe episode, her attempt to light a simple candle resulted in a pillar of stellar fire that burned through three floors of the crystalline spire before Dean Bronwen could contain it.

"The magical instability is getting worse," Aislinn observed during an emergency meeting with the faculty. "Her consciousness is fragmenting between multiple identities, and her power is reflecting that chaos. If we can't help her achieve integration soon, she could become a danger to herself and everyone around her."

The college's protective wards began showing strain as Meda's uncontrolled magical fluctuations created ripples in the dimensional fabric. Students reported nightmares filled with cosmic imagery, and several of the more sensitive empaths had to be moved to shielded quarters to protect them from the emotional chaos radiating from Meda's internal struggle.

Wanda worked frantically with her artifact fragment, trying to find some way to stabilize her sister's condition. "The problem is that she's trying to maintain three separate identities instead of allowing them to synthesize," she explained to Eva. "Fred, Andromeda, and the integrated female consciousness she's becoming—they're all fighting for dominance instead of finding harmony."

Breaking Point

The crisis reached its peak during a routine Transfiguration class. Professor Morfydd had assigned a simple exercise in reshaping crystalline structures when Meda's consciousness suddenly shattered completely. One moment she was a confused thirteen-year-old girl struggling with her homework; the next, she was Andromeda in her full cosmic glory, wielding power that made the classroom walls crack and the very air burn with stellar fire.

"Mortals," she said, her voice carrying harmonics that seemed to echo from the depths of space itself, "you play with forces you cannot comprehend. This institution is a pale shadow of the true academies where cosmic principles were taught to those worthy of such knowledge."

The other students fled as reality began warping around Meda's uncontrolled power. Crystalline structures grew from the floor like living things, and the windows showed not the college's usual cosmic vista but glimpses of distant galaxies where Andromeda had once walked among the stars.

Eva rushed to her sister's side, her empathic abilities reaching out desperately to find some trace of the person she loved beneath the overwhelming presence of the ancient sorceress. "Meda!" she called, but the name seemed to have no meaning to the being of cosmic fire that stood before her.

It was Wanda who provided the key to breaking through the crisis. She pressed her artifact fragment directly against Meda's forehead, using its resonance with their shared chimeric nature to create a bridge between the warring aspects of her sister's consciousness.

"You are not Andromeda," Wanda said firmly, her voice cutting through the cosmic chaos. "You are not Fred. You are Meda—someone new, someone who carries the best of both while being limited by neither. Stop fighting what you're becoming and embrace who you already are."

The words hit Meda like a revelation. She wasn't losing Fred or being consumed by Andromeda—she was becoming someone entirely new, someone who could love butterflies and wield stellar fire, who could remember being human while understanding cosmic principles. The conflict wasn't between different identities; it was between her fear of change and her potential for growth.

The stellar fire gradually subsided as Meda's consciousness found its new equilibrium. She was still tall, still blonde beneath Isabeta's glamor, still thirteen years old in body. But now she was also complete in a way that Fred had never been, integrated in a way that honored both her human origins and her cosmic destiny.

"I remember," she said quietly, her voice carrying both Fred's wonder and Andromeda's wisdom. "I remember all of it—the garden, the love, the magic, the responsibility. And I choose to be all of it, together."

Eva's smile was radiant as she felt her sister's consciousness stabilize at last. The identity crisis was over, but Meda's journey toward full integration was just beginning. The real test would come when they faced Morgana's forces, when the harmony she'd achieved would be tested against the chaos of cosmic conflict.

As the damaged classroom slowly returned to normal and the other students cautiously returned, Meda felt a new sense of purpose settling over her like a mantle of starlight. She was ready to face whatever came next—not as Fred trying to be Andromeda, but as Meda, the bridge between human love and cosmic power, between mortal dreams and eternal responsibility.

The breaking point had become a breakthrough, and the real battle for the future of all magical realms was about to begin