"You make the body, and I’ll deal with the organic bits."

  I sit on the edge of my bed as Aetheria and I gaze down at the numerous pieces scattered before us. It’s a morbid puzzle, but that’s how necromancy is.

  "Alright," I murmur, my focus shifting to the task at hand.

  With steady hands, I begin to piece the body together. I feel a strange satisfaction as the limbs connect, though this pales in comparison to what Aetheria achieves.

  Aetheria takes the small doll gently, her delicate fingers weaving strands of magic together to create a miniature heart. One of her many tassels rises, guiding the newly formed organ into place.

  The heart began to beat. A weak, fragile rhythm that fills the air.

  Aetheria continues, placing two tiny emeralds for eyes inside the doll's skull and adorning it with long, chestnut hair. My eyes widen in recognition, the image of the little girl who hated Death comes to mind.

  "Hey, wait a minute, that’s Valoria’s?..." I whisper, my voice falling off as Aetheria brandishes a verdant soulgem with a knowing smile.

  "Bingo," she replies, her tone gentle.

  "What?"

  "Oh… It’s just something people say when someone else guessed something correctly. It’s an expression of sorts. Just an old habit, I guess."

  "Really? I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds familiar…"

  "Mm and this soulgem should be familiar too. You never grabbed it, you were far too busy protecting a certain child. Thankfully, a little soul brought it to me. She begged and begged that I didn't let the man in black take her, and how could I leave a poor little girl by herself with that old man?"

  With ease, Aetheria inserts the soulgem into the doll's head, leaving the finishing touches to me. I close the doll's back, and three tassels quickly weave together a dark dress, with hues and shades of purple and blue mixed in. It drapes itself around the doll's frame in an instant.

  Aetheria sets the doll down and jumps off the bed, her eyes fixed on the small figure as she leans in closer.

  "It's about to start! She'll be here any moment now," she whispers, her voice tinged with excitement.

  For a moment, nothing happens. Then the doll's body spasms, sitting upright before pressing its little hands into the bedsheets and standing up on two wobbly legs.

  "Ann?..."

  The doll turns to face me, and I swear I see its rosy cheeks contort into a grimace at the sight of me.

  "Gross..." it mutters, and I can't help but smile.

  "There, there, Clara isn't gross. She is our friend," Aetheria coos to the doll, who begrudgingly turns away from me and runs into Aetheria's open arms.

  As Aetheria holds the doll up next to her face, a small chuckle escapes her lips.

  "She's not a friend of mine!" the doll screams out indignantly.

  "Oh yes, she is. And Clara, this is not Ann. This little one's name is Annia."

  I give a short nod, not quite sure how to feel about this new revelation.

  "Right, sure. This is Annia..."

  Side Objective Completed: Assist Valoria, the Twisted Guardian in finding her oldest friend

  Reward: Annia

  Aetheria holds a hand out to me, and instinctively, I understand what she wants. I pull out a soulgem at random and hand it over. The Water Elemental's.

  "Now, watch closely," Aetheria whispers to Annia, holding the gem in front of the doll's face. With a puff of magic, the gem is replaced by two cards.

  Aetheria doesn’t even glance my way as I draw one, but my mind is flooded with images of rivers, valleys of water, endless oceans, and bottomless lakes. When the deluge of visions finally subside, a prompt appears before me.

  "Did you catch that?" Aetheria asks Annia, but the doll shakes her head from side to side.

  "Not at all!"

  "That's alright, I've got a fix." Five tassels rise, followed by a slender finger pressing itself into the doll's head.

  I activate Eyes of Clarity and I see it. A spell I'd never seen before. Luminara Cognitio. The grimoire at my side glows lightly as it memorizes the spell. For a brief moment, I swear I can feel Aetheria’s gaze on me.

  If I could collect more spells for the grimoire, I would. I bid the last of my Karma on this, so I was going to make use of it.

  Annia blinks slowly, then jumps away from Aetheria's before she charges me. I don’t have time to react. Annia rips one of the soulgems right out of my pocket, the Aquifier’s by the looks of it, and then she holds it high above her head.

  Her balance falters, and she stumbles off the bed with a loud crash just a moment later.

  Concerned, I crawl across the bed to check on her, but before I can peek over the side, I hear a harsh voice call out. "Don't look yet!" and I pull back.

  I watch as Annia struggles to mount the side of the bed, clinging to a handful of cards that are the size of her body.

  She just barely manages to fan them out with all her might, and says, "P-Pick one… Hurry up, dumby…"

  The card I chose was…just alright

  You have learned True Cravings

  It was more of a passive ability than a spell. I could instinctively tell what someone's true wish was.

  I let out a sigh. Guess you couldn’t be a winner every time.

  Next is the Fire Elementals. I hold it out, the gem's warmth radiating against my skin as I ask, "Who wants it?"

  Annia springs forward, yanking the gem out of my hand before she scurries away.

  Aetheria watches the exchange, and lets out a small chuckle.

  "Choose another card," Annia commands after she finishes her arduous climb of the bedside once more, her voice impatient.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  There are many more cards this time. I hesitate, it was important that I got a good one. My affinity with lightning magic was horrible, and fire was close enough that it wasn’t something that I could learn easily on my own either.

  I look to my arm, remembering it black and shriveled from the third King’s frostbite in my past life. If I could just get one good ability, then this time would be different.

  I draw one, and instantly the card begins to glow a bright red as if sensing my touch. It ignites, and Annia releases it with a yelp. In an instant, flames engulf my arm.

  My instincts scream at me to pull away, to protect myself from the searing pain that threatens to consume me. But Aetheria lunges forward, her hands gripping the burning card.

  A prompt invades my vision, a happy message amidst the chaos.

  Winner! Winner! Winn-??????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? ????????

  Pain lances through my mind, sharp and unyielding, and I struggle to understand just what exactly is going on as I'm face to face with the flashing message. Aetheria’s eyes look as if they’re looking somewhere very, very distant, and then it hits me too.

  My vision splinters, consumed by more than mere fire. It was like magma, or something worse. I can’t think straight due to the pain, as if fires straight from the hottest pits of hell were being poured directly into my mind.

  And then, just as suddenly as it begins, it ends. All that remains is Aetheria's worried face, her cool hands grasp my cheeks as though she could somehow absorb the lingering pain.

  You have learned Infernal Droplet

  Aetheria's is leaning over me. I definitely see her lips moving, but I can’t hear her. I can’t hear anything.

  Clara, breathe!

  You need to breathe, right now!

  As I read the messages, air fills my lungs, each gasp a mixture of relief and agony.

  "Wh-What was that?" I manage to choke out, gasping for more air as I do so.

  "This is incredibly rare... Soulgems contain the past of their creators, as do sorceries have their own past. Sometimes, it's possible to catch a glimpse of their ancestors' magic instead. This is what you have just done."

  I hold a hand up, my fingers are trembling, and I try to imagine the shape of the spell. A single droplet containing all the pain this world had to offer.

  I envision it, but as I will it into existence, an unbearable pain fills my frame. I scream out, grasping my skull tightly, as if trying to keep my sanity from leaving me.

  Aetheria frowns, a gentle hand pressing against me, soothing my burning skull.

  "I was afraid this would happen. It's likely that this spell is beyond your comprehension at this time."

  Through gritted teeth, I shake my head in defiance.

  "No, I can see it. I can do it. It's just..."

  "You lack the mana to do so," Aetheria finishes for me. "It can't be helped then. You'll need to put that spell off for a while until your mana-core grows."

  She tucks me into bed gently, and I think back on my past classes.

  Primarily on the origin of Mana-cores. Everyone had them, although some were so small that they could only muster up the tiniest amount of magic. Just like a muscle, you need to train it. Use magic, push yourself to your limit, and do it all over again. Creating a strong mana-core takes time in any life. Only having started using magic a few days ago, I wouldn’t be able to use a spell like this anytime soon.

  My eyes begin to drift shut, and my thoughts grow hazy as Aetheria holds a hand over my head.

  *

  I awake with a pained groan. My head pounding mercilessly, and my thoughts swirl around like a tempest.

  The door opens, and with it, Aetheria enters the room.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Like shit," I confess, and let out a small laugh.

  She smiles, and stops in front of the mirror.

  My gaze follows hers, and she spins gracefully. Her dress transforms from pure white to dark hues of purple and blue, just like my own.

  "Do you think it would be okay for me to wear something like this?... It is your clan's colors after all, and I am not…"

  "You can wear whatever you want, nobody can stop you. Besides, it looks good on you," I say, and her face lights up with a radiant smile.

  "Thank you, Clara. I’m lucky to have you."

  There was something I was curious about, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to ask it, or if I even wanted to.

  But then, as if sensing the unspoken question, Aetheria sits at the edge of the bed.

  "You’re curious about the trifecta of Luck, Fate, and Karma, aren’t you? I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you though. Sometimes I find myself saying things without understanding why. Perhaps they’re memories of my past resurfacing?"

  Right, she could read minds. Her excuse was nice, but I can’t help but feel that she isn’t being entirely honest with me.

  "You don’t believe me," Aetheria says. Her smile had already left her lips, but it fades from her eyes now too.

  "Did you read my mind again?"

  "No, that look on your face tells me everything I need to know." A gentle hand presses itself into my head, and I feel my tense muscles relax. "You’re going to get wrinkles if you’re always scrunching your forehead like that."

  "I’m fine," I say, shaking my head as I look up at her. But her gaze is no longer on me. Instead it’s on that hole in the wall. It appeared when she helped me pick the card I wanted the last time I was here. Was it possible she sensed something I couldn’t?

  When I focus as hard as I can, I actually…feel nothing outside of this room. Nothing at all, as if this room is the only thing that exists in this entire world.

  "Clara, you must go now," Aetheria says, urgency apparent in her tone. She moves quickly to my side, helping me out of bed with strong, steady hands. The door to the room opens on its own, revealing an endless void that seems to call out to me, daring me to take the plunge.

  "Next time you come, Annia will be here for you. She’ll be helping you with your soulgems from now on," Aetheria is speaking quickly now, panicked even. I almost can’t keep up. "I need to go fight now, just as you have always done," She adds, pushing me closer to the edge.

  "Wait," I say, turning to face her. "What are you fighting? Let me help you! You’re always helping me, so it only makes sense, right? You said we’re kindred souls, we need to look out for each other."

  "But you can’t feel it yet, can you?"

  "Feel what?"

  "Your influence on the dream is growing stronger by the day. Truly, you surprised me when you stood against Death himself of all people. Continue to grow, Clara, and one day, I think you may be able to help me," she replies, ignoring both my questions. With a gentle nudge, she pushes me through the doorway. "Until then, please, stay safe."

  Once again, the last thing I see as I plummet is every tassel on Aetheria’s dress rising as she turns to face her foe.

  I come to, a cold sweat clinging to my body.

  Terra and Clarence are looking back at me, and Sen is already fanning me with his leaf.

  "What are you waiting for? We gotta get to these pyromancers so they can teach me more about magic!" Clarence shouts.

  Terra makes his way over to me, and then looks out at the setting sun.

  "It would be best to stop for today. We’re almost out of sunlight, and we’ve been through a lot. If we get up before the sunrise then we’ll have a few hours of darkness to travel in. Does that sound good, Clara?"

  "Yeah, I think so. A break would be good…"

  Terra sets up our little camp, and Sen fails to help, but he’s good emotional support nevertheless. Thankfully, Clarence gets a small fire going, and Terra prepares our meals for us.

  Aged venison with just a few slices of cheese. Within moments everyone is finished eating. It was delicious, and more than welcome after the day I had been through.

  Sen ends up finding a handful of wildberries to snack on, and I look over to see purple stains all over his little wooden face.

  As I lay in my makeshift bed, I look up at the starry night sky. It had just been a few long days, but there was still more to come. I close my eyes, but find myself unable to fall asleep. There were too many mysteries, and far too many unknown variables this time around.

  More than that, I feel that I’m forgetting something really important.

  “Bingo?...” I whisper, holding my hand out into the darkness in front of me.

  It was no use thinking on the matter now. If I was lucky, I’d find answers to my questions in the future. For now, the next stop is the Ashenveil Sisterhood.