“So, what do we know?” Becca asks, setting the mask down on the table. Marco sets the various pieces of what appear to be scrap metal onto the table as well. The trio lounge within the basement of Becca's home. The floors are stained wood and the couches are comfortable. The fireplace is stone and the television large. All in all, it's a comfortable room, especially considering Becca's father renovated the building himself.

  “That Jakob was an assassin, and there's a not insignificant chance he's dead.” Marco supplies, quite unhelpfully.

  “Anything else?” Becca hedges, slightly annoyed.

  “There are more things we don't know than what we do.” Marco shoots back, picking up the mask and flipping it over. The inside of the mask looks the same as the outside. Just some strange black material. Becca looks down at the mask.

  “Do you think he'd let me keep it?”

  “No idea.” Marco shrugs, handing the mask back to her. She fastens it onto her face and grins at the increased clarity she suddenly feels.

  “So, what are we going to do?” Alicia asks, leaning forward to look at the pieces of metal. As Alicia leans in, Becca notices something. She can see something in Alicia. And in Marco too…

  “Holy shit.” Becca mutters.

  “What is it?” Marco asks, glancing back up at her.

  “I can see your insides with this thing on.” She says, sounding shocked.

  “No way.” Alicia pokes the mask on her face with one finger, her eyes narrowing. “There's no room to put that kind of tech inside. Is it some sort of nanotechnology? That sort of thing costs millions.”

  “Well, I knew he was loaded, but not that loaded.” Marco mutters. “I can see how seeing someone's insides would help with his line of work...”

  “Does this knowledge help us in any way?” Becca asks, turning to look in every direction. She pauses when she faces northeast, turning to look a few degrees down.

  “Do you see something?” Alicia asks.

  “I see… veins.” Becca mutters. “Weird, translucent veins. Those were not there last time I put the mask on.”

  “We aren’t going to these vein things, right?” Marco asks, likely dreading the answer.

  “You have a better idea?” Becca shoots back. Alicia glances from Marco to Becca a few times before shrugging.

  “Maybe we just check it out first, then make a plan for what to do?” She offers.

  “I prefer that.” Marco agrees. Becca pouts, but eventually nods.

  “Yeah, that's an ok idea.” She mutters reluctantly. “Let's get dressed into something inconspicuous, and pack a few things in your bag. Meet at Marco's place in 2 hours.”

  <{0}>

  ‘Ugh!’ I groan, slamming a fist down on the table. The wood shatters from the impact and I wince. I take a moment to breathe and calm down, my tail lashing from side to side.

  “Pyro?” I turn to see Phoebe standing behind me.

  ‘Where are the kids?’ I ask, leaning against the table.

  “They're watching a movie in their room. I have a hidden camera on them, so you don't need to worry.” She says, coming to stand beside me. She runs a finger along the shattered wood, a contemplative expression splitting her lips.

  ‘Phoebe…’ I sigh. ‘What do we do?’

  “That's for you to decide.” she says softly, picking up a chunk of wood from the floor. “But if you want my opinion, I say we do the exact same thing as before. But this time, we do things a little differently.”

  ‘What do you mean?’ I ask, frowning.

  “You still go with them. But ride in a different plane. One as far from the one you would normally ride in as possible. Sneak away, wait until the fight's over. If that kid you fought also remembers everything, this fight will go very differently. You wait for it to be over.”

  ‘But what about you?’ I ask, frowning. ‘What about the kids?’

  “You give me an order to go out into the forest to hunt before you leave. Buy a hunting license. I'll take the kids with me. I'll use the opportunity to get to you.”

  ‘That…’ I pause, pushing myself off the table and opening the fridge. ‘That could work.’ I open the fridge and take out a bottle of root beer, then open my status menu, flicking through the options. ‘Can you gather up everything you would want to bring? I'll store it away.’

  “You have a storage skill?” she asks. “That's perfect.”

  ‘I don't yet, but I will.’ I say, opening the purchase screen and flipping through the various storage space skills until I find one I like.

  “What do you mean, you don't yet?” She asks, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

  ‘I can buy skills. It's an other-worlder thing I think, but I can't be sure.’ I say as I lock in the option and ten thousand essence points drain away into my new skill.

  {Skill gained: King's vault(Medium)Rare}

  “Strange. I’ve never heard of such a thing.” She says, turning to go. “I’ll be right back. Gotta gather up the kids' things.” With that, she leaves the room and closes the door behind her. I watch her go, then sigh. It sounds more like a wheeze than anything. I frown, raising a hand up to run a finger against the scar on my neck. Walking up to the bathroom, I flick on the light and stare at the scar. The scar is a darker shade than any other scars across my body. Those scars healed after enough levels. This one didn’t. The scar runs a line across my neck, coming up to the right side of my jaw. The scar is just slightly too dark to look normal, with tiny red veins here or there that aren’t too noticeable without looking closer.

  I lean against the sink with both hands, my claws scraping through the porcelain like a hot knife through butter, leaving deep grooves in the appliance. I look into the mirror, into my own eyes. The color hadn’t changed from my evolution, though it did from the mutation. Black thread eyes (A) was a good choice, all things considered. Something I noticed was that it’s more powerful than the description of it would have suggested. My best guess is that mutations that share my affinity are boosted by it, or some sort of resonant effect. Not that I plan to test it. I won’t cripple myself just to satisfy a curiosity.

  I pull back my eyelid to get a better view of my new eyes. The sclera are black. The kind of black no light escapes from. The pupils are blood red, while the irises are neon red. The sclera have soft, reddish black veins running through them that can only be seen when my eyelids are pulled back.

  I let go of my eyelid. I don’t try with the other eye. The scales would make it too difficult, even if it’s the eye I’m more interested in. Unfortunate, I suppose. The other eye looks pretty much the exact same, but with the only difference being that the pupil is a slit rather than a circle, like a lizard.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Hey, Jim?

  {Jim:Yes?}

  What should I do?

  {Jim:That’s up to you. I prefer not to have an opinion on this}

  I guess thats fair. Actually, can I ask you a question?

  {Jim:Go ahead}

  Did you know those two we fought?

  {Jim:Yes, I did. Abhor named me.}

  Wait, really? That’s cool.

  {Jim:I would prefer literally any other name.}

  Bah. Stop complaining. I got my name shoved onto me, you can deal with yours.

  I shove myself away from the sink and leave the room, shoving those thoughts to the side for now. Moral dilemmas can come later. For now, I have to keep Phoebe and her kids safe.

  The door opens and Phoebe enters.

  “I’ve gathered everything together. Can you come get it?”

  ‘Yeah, be right there.’ I nod, then wave a hand. Half the appliances in the kitchen disappear, including the fridge and table.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  <{0}>

  “A dam? Is there anything more cliche?” Becca mutters, scratching the back of her head as she looks down at the waters crashing down below. One of the veins connects with a door leading into the dam, and going down further into it. Marco and Alicia lean against the railing, looking down at the water below, someone interested. They both wear casual clothes, but without anything much for identifying marks, and black hoodies. Becca’s clothing is much the same, but with her hood up, making noticing the black mask she is wearing slightly harder, though not exactly difficult if one were gazing at her specifically.

  “Think we’re gonna find the all-spark in there or something?” Marco jokes, looking down at the waters. That earns a chuckle from Alicia and a groan from Becca.

  “God, I hope not.” She says, pushing away from the bars.

  “Isn’t this kind of insane?” Marco mutters. “Like, why are we even doing this?”

  “I want to find out what happened to Jakob.” Alicia says, crossing her arms. “We weren’t close or anything, at least not yet, but I don’t like the idea of just ignoring it when somebody is supposedly hiding something about his death. What if he’s really alive? What if he’s down there?”

  “Exactly.” Becca agrees, eyeing Alicia. Something is setting her off about her. She doesn’t know what, but it’s making her suspicious.

  “So, we’re, what, sneaking in there? That’s a government facility from the looks of it.”

  “Honestly, you’re taking it too seriously.” Becca says. “That door is unguarded other than the camera. Just shoot it, then we sneak in. Alright?”

  “You want me to take out a gun in public?” Marco glares at her. “I’ve never heard a worse idea in my life.”

  “You have a better idea?” Becca shoots back, lowering her mask specifically so she can raise an eyebrow at him.

  “Set up a camera hidden near the door. Watch who comes in and out, and what sort of tools they have. Also try to hide a mic near the door so we can hear snippets of conversation. We do this for a while to ge information. Once we have sufficient information we can plan around it.” Marco waves a hand in time with his words. Both girls stare at him for a moment, then glance to each other.

  ‘Uh… yeah. Yeah, that works too.” Becca says slowly, slowly putting her mask back into place. “Lets, uh… do that.” Marco gives her a flat look.

  “You’re suicidal.” he mutters as they turn and leave.

  “I’ll get the camera.” Alicia offers.

  “I’ll get the mic.” Marco agrees. And so, with their plan made, their minds turn to other matters.

  <{0}>

  “Abhor? Are you ok?” I pause and turn to see Miria approaching, sitting on autumns shoulder with a hand on her neck. I am currently lying under a tree in my favorite garden, near the sandwich place I like.

  “Has Aftermath told you guys what’s coming yet?” I ask, sitting up and rubbing my eyes with the back of my talon.

  “No.” Autumn says, her eyes narrowing slightly as the comes to sit beside me. “I’m guessing it’s coming form the badlands?”

  “Yeah.” I nod, wings drooping. “I don’t want to explain it again. I’m tired after explaining to 3 different people. You can ask Evelyn, Snowstorm, or Aftermath if you want more details.”

  “How do you know this?” Autumn asks, tilting her head. Miria brings a hand up to rest on her snout, halting her further questions. Autumn turns her head to look at Miria. The life elf gives a significant look, and Autumn pauses, thinking for a moment, before her eyes widen and she turns to me.

  “Oh.” Is all she says. Miria slides down off of Autumn’s shoulder to stand in front of me. “Are you ok?”

  “No.” I say with a shake of my head. “But I just need some rest and some time. I need my brain to realize it’s not dead.”

  “Abhor, that’s not healthy.” Autumn says, resting a talon on my back. I glance back at it but don’t attempt to remove it.

  “Neither is a sickle to the throat, but I got better.” I mutter, looking away. I sigh. “Um… can you guys come for dinner tonight? Only if you aren’t busy.”

  “We have time in abundance.” Autumn says, nudging Miria with her tail. “Our schedules are clear for today and tomorrow.”

  “I have a question, if you are comfortable answering.” Miria says, sitting on a large root poking out of the ground. Her robe drapes around her, yet remains clean. Probably an enchantment of some sort.

  “Go ahead.” I nod. They’re my friends. I feel comfortable answering a question or two.

  “When did you… you know?” She asks, her hand balling into a fist around her robes.

  “2 weeks and 1 day.” I say. “I… came back, lets say, yesterday.”

  “What got you?” Autumn asks, her own claws digging into the dirt slightly more than necessary.

  “A boy wearing a black masks and wielding floating blades, death mana, and some void powers.” I say. Both of them wince.

  “That’s a scary combination.” Autumn says, grimacing.

  “Like a power set designed with the sole intent of killing people.” Miria agrees. “Anything else you can tell us about him?”

  “He was a demidragon too. I think he started as a human though, not a dragon. He never shifted into a dragon form during the fight.”

  “Do you know what type of demidragon he was?” Autumn asks. I sigh and shake my head.

  “No, I don’t.” I say. I lean against the tree again. “Have either of you died before?”

  “No.” Autumn shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t truly know what you’re going through. I don’t best know how to help.”

  “It’s the same situation with myself.” Miria agrees as Autumn removes her hand. “Would you like to walk with us?”

  “I guess I’m not doing anything sulking under a tree.” I say, pushing myself up. I yawn and stretch.

  “Are you tired?” Autumn asks. “When did you last sleep?”

  “Uh…” I pause, raising claw after claw. “Probably just after I died, before coming back.”

  “Before coming back? Do you go somewhere before returning?” Miria asks, helping me up easily despite her size. The strength stat is just like that.

  “The void.” I nod. “I talk to the first Abhorrance. I get to choose a checkpoint to go back to.”

  “The void, huh…” Autumn whistles. “Void skills are strong. You’re lucky.”

  “Lucky to be alive more like.” I mutter, then yawn again.

  “You need a nap.” Miria says, patting my site with a hand.

  “I know… I just can’t sleep.” I say, my wings dragging on the ground as I start walking.

  “Get on my back.” Autumn says, flicking her tail at me. I give her a flat look before sighing.

  Demishift

  I flop onto her back with a groan, splaying out like a rag. Miria sits down on Autumns shoulder again and looks down at me. She says something. I dont hear it. Everything is already black.

  <{0}>

  “He’s out like a light.” Miria says as they walk.

  “He really did need rest.” Autumn agrees. “Should we take him to his room?”

  “Lets take him to our room instead. We can feed the poor thing some dinner before sending him off.”

  “Good idea, love.” Autumn says, nuzzling her snout onto Miria’s cheek before spreading her wings and taking off. Miria uses some basic kinetic manipulation to keep Abhor from falling or feeling any discomfort as they fly.

  “Good ideas are all I have.” Miria agrees, smiling softly as she watches the ground below. Her smile fades as she imagines what might have happened here. “I wonder who else died.” She mutters, her voice quiet.

  “Nobody, thanks to Abhor.” Autumn says, equally as quiet. “He just had to die for it.”

  “That’s not fair.” Miria snaps, more to herself than Autumn. “He’s been here for, what, a few months? And now he’s supposed to die over and over for this place? He’s died twice! The first one can at least partially be put on his own shoulders. He chose to go save his Dad. But we still could have helped more. And now we don't even know how he died the second time, besides the fact that some sickle monster murdered him! He’s 16! Gods, se should be out there!” Miria’s hand ball into fists within her robe again. Autumn sighs.

  “I’m not used to being the one saying this, but you need to take a deep breath.” Autumn soothes as they reach the canopy. “He’s alive now. We have another chance. Everyone does.”

  “And what if we fail? What if people die and he ends up dying too? What if he isn’t being truthful about how many times he’s died? What if he’s really died a hundred times and we don’t KNOW?!”

  “Miria!” Autumn snaps, halting midair. Miria pauses. She takes a deep breath, then lets it out.

  “Remember back when he came by with cake?” She asks eventually as Autumn flies through a gate in the canopy.

  “That was a good cake.” Autumn agrees, a sad smile on her face. “Lets hope he’s willing to make some more for us.”

  “We’ll have to deserve that.” She says as Autumn lands on the polished floor. The gate snaps shut behind them, reopening in another random location. They make their way into Miria’s large quarters of which she shares with Autumn.

  “Can you bring him to the bed? I’m going to get something to eat.” Miria asks as she slips off of Autumns shoulder and onto the ground. A soft nod later and Miria makes her way to the kitchen. She needs to think.