I awoke with a pair of familiar black eyes staring over my intently. They had a slight almond shape and held a great depth of strength, with a streak of mischief. They had become my home.

  My mind struggled to make sense of what I was seeing. I had seen her die, her body destroyed and broken, flung across the desert. My thoughts were thick and sluggish.

  “Am I in heaven?” I asked. Katarina laughed.

  “Change out of the big dog, would you, lute boy? To a human?”

  A memory flashed through my mind, triggering a deep part of my mind. ‘Lute boy’. A primal rage, simultaneously foreign and familiar, welled up in my chest. I felt myself begin to slip back into the duality of self I had been afflicted with before as the ferocity of the shape wrestled for control of my body.

  I squinted my eyes closed and transformed into my human form. The bestial fury melted away with the transformation. Something tickled my lips for a second, and then Katarina was kissing me.

  It was a deep, passionate kiss. I opened my eyes. She was staring at me as we kissed, and I lost myself in her deep, dark gaze. Time became an ethereal thing, a moment that lasted forever, but when Sebastian made a coughing sound it felt like we had only been kissing for a second. Katarina kissed me harder, rebelling against Sebastian’s sounds of discomfort, before releasing me. The taste of peppermint and jasmine remained on my tongue as lightning cleared the cobwebs from my mind.

  “But I saw you…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, confusion blocking my tongue and stuttering my thoughts.

  “Well, it turns out,” Katarina drew out her words with dramatic flair, gesturing to Abe and Sebastian with a sly smile. “These two are worth more than just ute warmers!”

  “What?” I asked. Encore strolled over and licked my cheek.

  “I am glad you recovered. I worried for you, lost as you were to that shape.” He sat next to me, nodding. I scratched him behind the ear, and he began purring.

  “So I had this theory,” Abe hopped over. “An idea I got in Arid Spur. With Sebastian’s lightning.”

  It hit me suddenly as I remembered the message chain I had caught up on while brushing my teeth that morning at the inn. “It worked?!”

  “Yep!” Katarina chirped. “His new nickname is Sebastian the Defibru-whatever!”’

  “I still don’t agree with that name.” Sebastian the Defibru-whatever replied, sighing.

  “Well, okay. Since you did save my life. How about Bastian?”

  “That is a thousand times preferable to the other name.”

  I snorted. “I don’t know, Sebastian the Defibru-whatever has a ring to it. A certain charm.”

  “Right?” Katarina laughed.

  “Did you have to use a health potion? How did it work?” I asked, turning to face Abernathy. My body still felt weak, drained. I noticed several notifications that had been minimized during the encounter, but looked away from them to focus on Abe as he answered.

  “Yeah, used my last custom brew healing potion. Worth the use though. It worked like a charm. Sebastian’s shock restarted her heart. The potion healed the damage and kept it beating. Pretty simple stuff.”

  “Pretty simple stuff?” I asked. “Pretty simple stuff? You saved her life! That is incredible! Thank you!”

  I looked over to Sebastian, who was watching the exchange with an odd expression on his face. “Thank you both. So much. I cant… words can’t begin to express how… I thought my whole world…”

  My brother came to mind. That feeling of loss, of inconsolable sorrow. No one in the world to share the sadness. A mantle of grief settling on my shoulders, the weight of it nearly breaking me. I remembered his last text, and the one I never sent back.

  I’d been upset, jealous that he had gotten into the Veil Alpha and I hadn’t. So I didn’t send the text. I was meeting him at the airport anyways. I didn’t think I needed to text him back.

  Never again. Life was too fleeting. Too precious to cast aside because of doubt, fear, jealousy, or any other negative emotion. Never again.

  I looked at Katarina. She looked back at me, cocking her head to the side, confused by my expression. “I love you.”

  She blinked twice, her eyes widening. Her hips shifted from side to side in a distinctly feline gesture before she pounced on me, covering me in kisses, laughing.

  “Alright, let’s give them a bit of privacy.” Abernathy muttered.

  Some time later I lay on the warm sandstone, Katarina nestled against me. “I love you too, lute boy.” She whispered it into my ear, her breath sending a tingle down my spine. I hugged her, looking up. The sun was well on it’s way towards setting. I glanced at the time.

  4:47 P.M.

  “Oh! How long have we been laying here?” I sat up. Katarina groaned, sitting up with me.

  “Not long enough. But you’re right. We should go. Bornholdt has to have some good inns, right?” Her gaze smoldered with a sensuality that de-wired my brain for a second, rendering thought impossible. I took a deep breath, exhaled. Again. Again. The capacity to think returned gradually.

  I heard music in the distance. Encore, performing one of the regular songs I had learned from Cahl’s letter. The music soothed the tempest of desire raging in my chest, and something inside of me clicked. I inhaled, listening to the music, letting it infuse my essence. I exhaled, and felt a swirling tingle of power in the bottom of my stomach. I closed my eyes.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Inhale. Exhale. I felt a flow of energy, bolstered by the music, building in a core around my stomach and flowing through my body. It pulsed with the gentle rhythms of Encore’s music.

  “Chanter, are you okay?” Katarina asked.

  “I can feel it.” I whispered back. I took in another breath. The music filled me with energy, with power, which coursed through my body.

  “Feel what?” She asked.

  “Energy. Power. In my stomach. Flowing through my body.”

  “Chi?! You unlocked your chi core?!” She hugged me tighter. “Aww, is it because of me? No way.”

  I opened my eyes, spotting another minimized notification. I pulled it up, knowing what I would see before it populated in front of me.

  Chi Core Unlocked! Core Resonance of Sound, Music Affinity. Allows cultivation of chi and further advancement into Martial Arts and Meditation.

  Chi points unlocked!

  Current Chi pool: 10/55

  Your skill in Meditation has increased! 2/50

  Your skill in Martial Arts has increased! 2/50

  New Skill unlocked! Rhythmic Impact. Focuses chi to produce sudden movements capable of breaking the sound barrier. Causes extreme physical strain. Explosive bonus from Bombastic Busker class applies to impacts from this ability. Cost: 5 Chi minimum. Additional Chi expended will proportionally increase strength of impact, both on user and intended target.

  “Um, I think it was Encore’s music. My brain did sort of… sort circuit? Reboot? After what you, uh, said…” I tapered off, looking at her with a shy smile.

  “So I did help! And didn’t even need the willow branch. Well done, lute boy! Music, huh? What is your resonance?”

  “Sound, with an Affinity to Music?”

  “Holy hell, you got an Affinity too? Not everyone does. That’s amazing. I wonder if it’s a player thing?”

  “What is your affinity?”

  “Wind. I’m what they called twin-souled. My resonance and Affinity are the same. It strengthens my skills and hastens chi accumulation. Everyone at the dojo in Verdantbrook made such a fuss over me having an affinity.” She nestled up against me. “I’m glad you unlocked yours. Music, huh? How appropriate. Did you get a skill?”

  I nodded, reading it aloud to her.

  “Holy shit. The sound barrier? That sounds… Badass!” She jumped up. “Let’s try it out!”

  I chuckled, standing and looking around. Encore sat about twenty feet away, performing that same song. It was an energetic, happy tune. The two utes had been parked beside each other, and Abernathy’s head was bent over a work bench on the other side of the makeshift barrier. Sebastian leaned against one of the utes, reading from his magical book. The book floated about two feet from his face. He muttered as he read, but what he was muttering was lost in the distance and in Encore’s performance.

  “Alright. I have a few notifications I want to sort through first, though.”

  “Oh, right! How many levels did you get? I got three! Three levels from one fight, fricken nuts!”

  “Really?” I asked, pulling up the notifications. The first made my blood run cold.

  Form skill unlocked! Bestial rage. You have broken into feral nature of your Alpha Arctic Kobold form. This skill is automatic upon entering the form and difficult to contain. Containment difficulty rises exponentially with emotional distress. Provides a significant increase to reflexes, strength, and density to claws and fangs. Clouds your mind, blurring the lines between friend and foe. All are prey to the slaughter.

  “Wow, so… no more Alpha Arctic Kobold form. It makes me go nuts.”

  “Yeah, I figured. Bastian had to hit you with a bolt of lightning to keep you from tearing them to shreds. Was half worried I’d have to knock you out when you woke up. Glad you came to your senses.”

  “Wait, I tried attacking them?”

  “Yeah, Abe said Bastian actually peed himself a little, but don’t say anything. He’s a little ashamed.” She whispered conspiratorially and I wasn’t sure if I believed her.

  “That’s horrible. Wow. I’m so glad I didn’t hurt them. Not using that form ever again.”

  “Well, it could be useful. Don’t worry. I’ll put a leash on you.” She accentuated the statement with a light kiss on my cheek. I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Alright,” I agreed, pulling up the next notification. It was a message from Encore.

  Encore: Please calm yourself. This isn’t who you are. You can control this. Katarina lives. Come back, please.

  Another message followed this one.

  Encore: Fight this! Don’t let the beast overwrite who you are! Please!

  I felt a twist of guilt in my gut as I read the messages, glancing over at Encore. He sat atop one of the utes, performing on his odd body-lyre, staring off in the opposite direction. I noticed one of his ears was cocked in our direction and whispered. “I’m so sorry Encore. Never again.”

  His ear flicked, and I felt a sense of comfort through the bond. I breathed a sigh of relief, looking through the notifications again.

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 14! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 15! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 16! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 17! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 18! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 19! Stat Points available for distribution!

  -DING!-

  Welcome to level 20! Stat Points available for distribution!

  Passive explosive enhancement from Bombastic Busker class increased significantly!

  “Holy shit. I got seven levels.”

  “SEVEN?!” She spluttered for a second. “Holy crap! Lute boy! That’s… a lot of stat points!”

  I pulled up my stat screen. “Yeah, 28 of them. Wow.”

  “Put half in Constitution. You’re going to need it with that new skill. And half of the remaining in Dex. You can do whatever you want with the remaining.”

  I laughed. “Hai, sensei.”

  “Good boy.” She winked at me as I distributed my stats. I shifted back to the woof elven form as I did so. Katarina preferred my human form, but I preferred the elven form for its enhanced dexterity and vision. I looked over my stats for a moment before deciding to put the remaining points in Charisma. I had been neglecting the bread and butter stat for bards for too long. I looked over my upgraded states once they were all distributed.

  Health Points: 260

  Magic Points: 72

  Chi Points: 55

  Charisma: 30 (22 + 8 Equipment Bonus)

  Constitution: 28 (28 - 1 from Elf (Wood) Form + 1 Equipment Bonus)

  Dexterity: 51 (39 + 2 from Elf (Wood) Form + 10 Equipment Bonus)

  Endurance: 13 (11 + 1 from Human (Basic) Form + 1 Equipment Bonus)

  Intelligence: 11 (5 + 6 Equipment Bonus)

  Strength: 6 (6 -1 from Elf (Wood) Form + 1 Equipment Bonus)

  “I, uh.” I hesitated, looking over the stats several times. “I got a lot stronger.”

  “I hope so. Seven levels. Damn. Let’s try out that new skill of yours!”