My body shudders as my ghost enters myself. An abdomen reforms behind me as my sharp legs explode out. My previous legs thin as the skin becomes chitin. My blood red carapace. Ringlets of blonde fall across my modest chest. I look at my hand. Ashen. Of course, I was undead before. It is silent here in my throne room. But I hear an adventurer party loom over their porter.

  He is gasping for breath. I loom over the boy as well. A Drakenoid. His scales are growing ashen. My mana aura is killing him. Undeath. The other adventurers scurry back. They brandish their weapons. I smile. A sword point of a foot pierces the boy's heart. I feel a bit of bliss before he is sent back out of the dungeon even as my soul grows colder. My thirst lessens. The other adventurers charge. They fail. It was freeing in a way.

  I returned to my store. Back on two legs. Borrowing my other half prefered form. Not exactly prefered I suppose, just convenient. My skin is still blood red, but healthy now, alive. I see an unopened cake box. It does not remain that way for long.

  Ujan opens the door and steps in, “Ah she rejoined you then…you look different.”

  “In a manner of speaking. What can I do for you Ujan?”

  He is a bit startled at that but recovers, “There were reports of the core boss attacking some low tier adventurers.”

  “The bliss wasn't all that great, I must admit.”

  Again startled, “Then it was you and not Sara?”

  “Better to think of it as both of us. We merged ourselves for now. Sara was too weak willed and Lea too bitter to not join in taking revenge.”

  “Revenge on who…”

  “On the one torturing our sister. Worry not, I have no desire to war with the Queendom. My aim is higher north.”

  Ah his blood pulls back so interestingly.

  “Is the dungeon going to start…”

  “I was afraid of that myself. An Elf's perspective on lives is comically acute. But I shouldn't have been. For while I no longer feel guilt at them dying, their Larks just being unlucky to face me, I do still find worth in them staying alive.”

  He gulps, I continue.

  “You see, blood loses its bliss when they die. So I welcome their continued efforts to donate blood to me, to live to do it again. I do want you to write a letter to Katherine though.”

  “You would dare—”

  “The queen, yes apologies. It's a little hard to keep my sense of which country I was born into. I am of the mind to make the citadel in the plains a bit inhospitable to life in general. If the knights wish to stay there, they are more welcome to become my undead revenants. But a part of me prefers you abandon the post.”

  Ujan bristles at that, “You are declaring war then.”

  I smile, “Just setting up a trap.”

  -----

  …

  16-12-1705

  …

  I received a response to my proposal. They are willing to spread the fiction of losing control of the citadel. Their only stipulation is that if bandits or worse, slavers attempt to take over, that I ensure their victims are saved. Carte blanche on the bandits and slavers though. It should be easy enough, I will lead any innocents to the dungeon door and then out to Ujan. The poor marshal is starting to molt from all the stress of being our go between. A part of me entertains the thought of a dalliance but the other half is still only 13 and is still on her ‘everything is gross’ phase.

  …

  -----

  Delores walks in and sees me adjusting a display. She is a bit confused. Her father finally let her out after reports of me murdering an adventurer group. It's not even murder, just a bit of fun and forced blood donation. Truly everyone was far too huffy about it all. I turn and give her a smile.

  “Potion from the apothecary, perhaps? Or maybe couture?”

  “I was actually hoping to see Red…”

  I give her a bit of a sad smile. I count to myself. Do I wish to risk it? My resolve might falter.

  “Lea?”

  I separate from Lea. We fundamentally disagreed on whether we should or not. Lea staggers while I am outside. I look at myself…my hands are back and I'm smaller. While I have the memories of being together, I didn't carry her previous ones…no I have some of hers. It's like I was absorbing from the outside in. That it was when I was riding passenger made it hard to distinguish between the two of our memories.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Red?” Delores asks tentatively.

  I can hear again. I give a smile as I turn to a surprised Delores.

  “Fuck, you ate some of my soul.”

  I look at Lea, her presence diminished. I walk over and push back my ill gotten gains. It does not make her whole.

  “Sorry.”

  I surprised us both. My voice … sounded like hers. A bit annoying but being mute sucked.

  “So you can talk and hear again?” Delores asks.

  I smile and nod.

  She gets an annoyed look, “So say yes then.”

  “Out of practice.”

  “Not like you had a head to nod with before either.”

  I give an annoyed look at Lea. I look at my hands and they are mirrors of hers. Seems I copied what I was missing.

  “Were you able to solve your thirst problem as well?” Delore asks.

  I wasn't thirsty but my soul was cold. I look annoyed at Lea.

  “Wasn't my thing to go kill that party. You're a bad influence, Sara.”

  My brow further furrows. I give a huff. Not sure how I will defrost my soul. Healing did it before but still just a ghost, perhaps when merged. I notice my hand starting to fade. I see. Residual Lea. As I become more settled as myself the less I can hold onto the parts Lea has.

  “Red!” Delores shouts.

  I go to speak, “Seems…was…tempo…”

  And my Lea voice was gone. I can't hear her anymore either. I form a bit of dirt explaining it even as my head fades away. My ghost body gains some size but not much. Lea motions to me. I joined her body.

  “I meant for you to merge again.”

  I got what I needed done…maybe when you do some healing.

  “Cause you need to melt your soul, sure you don't want to wait? I'm sure there will be plenty of vagrants to expel."

  Kill you mean. As tempting as it is, for now no. By the way—

  Delores interrupts while pointing to Lea's head. Already do I feel the desire to hear again. I formed a mirror for Lea to see.

  “Why'd I got one of your princess…fuck, am I real now?”

  I think so but you're still a monster. I think there is a difference. You will still cycle should someone kill you here…just don't wander past the dungeon boundary.

  “Oh ya, real great, except now I have a rather expensive target on my head.”

  I give her a mental eye roll, just use your blood core to change it. Delores giggles. The crown breaks off. She pulls in her blood as well, then begins gasping. She lets it come back out.

  “Systems, not just real but alive. I didn't want to be a red devourer.”

  I just give a mental sigh. So change your blood color as well. She does, watching her hand till she becomes her pale looking self again.

  I spend some time conversing with Delores with our dirt magic. Her skill has been improving. She may end up with a dirt core instead of a mental one when she hits fifty soul. I smile at that. Both me and Lea need monster cores to be implanted to gain more. Though if Lea drank my blood, would she break her monster bondage and become like the others?

  I go to tell her this, but I find her sleeping. Actually sleeping. I shouldn't. But … I haven't slept for over a year…

  -----

  I haven't slept in forever or is it that I never had slept. I looked at my red tinge skin and smirked. The eight legs unfold under me and I walk out of my nest. I take a moment to pen a ‘17-12-1705’ diary entry. Nothing grand other than a bit of admonishment at my weakness over being separate. I go to two legs. I resemble Lea now except red skinned. Her face and Mags's haircolor and Sara's curls. I take a moment to take care of the snags I formed. A part of me relishing in what is a rather annoying chore. I put the brush down and sigh.

  The war within myself has grown again. A soul acquiesce to her eventual dissolution into my other soul who wishes for her to stay unique. My hand trembles. I separate again.

  “Damn it Lea, you gave up so much to survive and now you want to be nothing?”

  “Maybe I just feel a bit sad about your situation.”

  I push the soul I ate back into her…it's not all there. Damn it. Her soul presence is nibbled on. It was one night and already missing bits. She gives me an annoyed look.

  “Ya, well I will feel sad about you being gone.” I spoke before she did.

  “I wouldn't be gone, just part of you.” She was petulant.

  I look at my ghost hand, her hand. I shudder.

  “O am I that bad.” And now she was back to being annoyed.

  “No, I miss it already but I am not what we combine to be either. It's so easy to be her…perhaps dangerously so.”

  The hand fades away. I return it as I flex my soul. My soul strains a bit at it. I've already lost my other hand and head. I am in silence but I hold my hand in place. Willing my soul image to have a hand. Sure I got guillotined and had my hand eaten, but I laughed at that. Why should I care what happened to my body? My hand becomes solid. To be honest all these things I lost…have I.

  I giggle a bit. An impressive feat for no head. The soul is so malleable. I should have realized when I first exited Lea. It wasn't residual but rather my soul keeping a form it had when being both. I take the shared memories and those of Violet. My ghost regains my original hands and head. I am laughing now. I have been suffering the last few months for nothing. My meat has been deciding my soul which is ass backwards. My soul has long been the driver of my body. Lea grabs my shoulder, which is impressive. Seems I gave my ghost a bit of tactile.

  “Yes, Lea?”

  “Systems, that was frightening, the whole dungeon was shuddering again. The laughter was making me laugh. I think you need to be careful…why can I grab your shoulder?”

  “Bit of a realization, I think I could forgo my body and form a new one at this point. This is a bit of a compromise for now.”

  Lea is confused, “Why not do that?”

  I think about that. “I think reforming my body might lock me to the dungeon. No…but it would separate me further from Violet. That I think at least is true. I need that body because it's still half of Sara. Reforming myself with this much of Sara, there would be hardly any left for Violet. It could sever myself from the north. No, this is fine for now.”

  I give a nod to myself. Lea gives me a skeptical look. Perhaps she knows that my portion of the soul may not survive such a split. Actually am I the smaller soul?

  “Also your back to being blood red again.” I point out to Lea.

  Lea scowls. I look at my soul, it's mostly here. And Violet to the north is not. She is but a tiny fragment. That stupid bitch pushed Violet's soul into me without realizing. I could deny her. Take Violet's mind. But it would be war then. One the Queendom would lose. But now I know what to do to get Cea to send Violet. I still need time for things to be ready though. I suspect a few Elves will need to die before she will send Violet.

  -----

  Delores enters the shop and makes a beeline to me.

  “You're whole again, Red.”

  I suppress the chuckle, it wouldn't do to have the dungeon laugh. I give a smile instead, “In more ways than just you think. I only realized…”

  “Something wrong?”

  I realized that I shouldn't acknowledge it. No…I am only ninety-nine percent Sara. I still need my last piece. My other mind. I shake my head at Delores.

  “It's just something I need to be careful with. How have you been?”

  The girl snorts, “As if you've ever been careful. I am fine, it's only been a day. I'm glad your voice is back.”

  Me too. Lea gives her own snort at that. Be nice. Lea is shocked.

  “I thought you couldn't…” She murmurs.

  This whole area is saturated in my aura. I'm just the idiot who thought I needed to touch you. Mental blocks.

  “I can agree with that, you are an idiot.”

  I frown at Lea as Delores gives a confused look.