-----

  …

  20-12-1605

  …

  I feel a part of myself is missing. More than just the nibbled edges of my soul. I was more before. While I was the devourer. Sara says she misses it as well. She now has a head and hands again. She has none of her core magic though. When I brought it up she simply said reclaiming it would require her body. Which I still think is dumb by the way.

  I snuck away to Ujan's office. I sought his comfort and he gave it. It was risky but I doubt those who hunt for me would risk assaulting a manned citadel. Even if it is just recruits.

  …

  -----

  “So are relations with a Drakenoid different from an Elf or Man?”

  Lea looks at me with a great deal of annoyance. I am across the room working my ghost hands at sewing. They are clumsy, my agility must be terrible. I seem to recall it being ten when I was in the cell. Bleeding one percent in the totally not awesomely no consequences rich way. My kingdom for a tail.

  “I am not going to answer that, you're far too young.”

  I roll my eyes at her, “By what measure.”

  “By your biological body's measure, Sara.”

  I shrug, “I mean that body has only existed for like a year and a half at most.”

  Lea eyes twitch, then she grows a sneer. “Then I need not tell you for at least another fourteen.”

  I frown at that, “I feel that's unfair, why do Elves count maturity by the soul days and not their Tapestry.”

  Lea looks up at her own, “We come back different every time, never exactly the same, Sara. It is a chance to try again. Sure the previous memories color us but that's usually after we enter our second tier…unless you were foolish to hit tier four. Even then, it's a slow process from what I hear.”

  I look towards the plains. The knight contingent is packing up to leave. Rather orderly for a retreat. It doesn't matter.

  -----

  …

  29-12-1705

  …

  I can happily say my warm clothing efforts are far superior to Sara. My pointing this out only causes the child to eye my body with a bit of greed.

  …

  -----

  “I do not.”

  Lea puts the quill down. I roll my eyes. She just gives me a bit of glare.

  “You know you wish you had the ability to walk the land with those eight points again.”

  I roll my eyes harder. Her baiting me is getting tiresome. She yearns for it as much as I do. It's dangerous though. I am not sure we will disagree enough to split again. I look at her with a bit of sadness.

  “Lea…please, don't push for this. Stay unique…you. I don't want you to be just a facet of my personality.”

  “Are you sure you wouldn't become a part of mine?”

  Says the one whose soul was nibbled on. I check the area around my fountain. They have finished leaving.

  -----

  I am floating around the walls. Lea walking below. It's still a bit early for adventurers. I pop out one of my three headed hydras. I give her a neck rub. Making sure to give time to each of my daughters. They know it's me even if I am a bit ethereal.

  “You see these walls and that gate. Damage them for me, sweeties. I need you to make it look like the knights failed to stop an outbreak.”

  They have fun. I bring out four other hydras and repeat the process at other parts of the citadel. They also have fun. For the main gate I had to lob a rather large earth construct at it. Lea herself had fun with her fire core. It was a fine day smashing a citadel. Now we had to wait.

  -----

  …

  14-13-1705

  …

  Sara made an odd comment about Smarch weather yesterday. When asked she said Violet would have understood? I tried to pry but she simply said it would take too long to explain at which point it wouldn't be funny.

  There are cultists in the ruins. Sara said she is waiting for more to arrive. I think she is waiting for someone specific.

  The adventurers on our side finally made it to the icy hell. They are excited about the slimes. They also all froze to death. Which makes me excited cause now they want my heated clothing. Word getting around that the imbued threads don't wear out.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  …

  1-1-1706

  …

  I get a bit morose on the new year. My memories of spending it with my mother were not exactly pleasant. The woman was incapable of controlling her melancholy, which she just pushed at her sons and daughters during that anniversary. Seems even a hundred plus years later and I still remember it.

  …

  -----

  “Is it really that bad?”

  Lea sighs, “Your sister is two at the moment, I doubt she will even notice.”

  I look at her worried, “She might be two but she has [Sense Emotion] without any context of why.”

  Lea frowns at that, “Then I don't know, I was the latest [Princess] at the time. I can't say how her mood will be. I do at least know the woman loved young children though, she dotes on them until at least ten. Then…” Lea trails off.

  “Then what?”

  “Then everything has an agenda behind it.”

  I stayed silent for a bit. Staring up at the ceiling. There is no illusion there at the moment. I don't have the ability to create it. I look at Lea as she writes more down. She notices after a bit.

  “What?”

  “You can start killing them.”

  She gives me a bit of a startled look and then she smiles. She writes her last thought and disappears.

  -----

  A lone man in a robe sits on the wall. He shivers and gets closer to his fire. There is a sound out towards the plains. He looks out and sees nothing. But he is diligent, he goes to the edge of the wall and pears down with his lantern.

  “Stand still.”

  He does and Lea drains him of his life. She leaves the fire burning and the corpse behind. Seems Lea still counts as my soul construct. I don't devour the soul. That would be wasteful. The corpse rises. A mundane undead. It resumes its post, to eternally watch for me. He isn't shivering anymore.

  Lea quietly stalks her prey. She only kills two more. She wishes to draw this out. The two guard the gate. The others of the camp have yet to notice. They were at the second wall while these were forward scouts.

  -----

  …

  2-1-1706

  …

  O that was a delightful first day. I think tonight I will take another four. My belly can only take so many. Sara was rather incredulous about that. Seems she has a literal abyss for her bottomless skill. I actually had a higher skill which just annoys me that her version of the skill lets her keep feasting. That she got all sad about that made me more infuriated. If I can't bleed into her soul how it's fine to eat as you need to then my demonstration will have to do.

  …

  -----

  “You're not eating as you need though, this is beyond your needs. This is wanton.” She rolls her eyes at me. I just sigh, “Sorry, it's just …”

  “Yes, I know your hangups, jeez your soul is frozen over and you still care.”

  I give her an annoyed look, “I don't give a damn about gadvak cultists, I care about you. I was in your head just as much as you were in mine. You were a healer who wanted to at least prevent suffering. You may be fine if they died on you but actual suffering mattered to you…I just don't want you to forget that.”

  She blinked at me, then a small smile, “I begged you to make me a monster and now you beg me to remember that I am not one.”

  “I always felt I should try to be more than a monster.”

  “Says the one ordering the death of twenty souls to be bound to their corpses.”

  No one said how I should be more. She leaves shortly after to add more tethers to me. Her kills are remorseless but quick. I hide the undead again. Thirteen left.

  -----

  I can see through them all. I look out onto the plains. I see the dark corner. The closet door. Two are looking at each other. Their throats punctured. A fifth remains in his tent. A sixth stands guard at a door. The shop door opens, Delores comes in. I wave.

  Five of my perspectives get up and begin to move.

  “How are you doing, Red?”

  “‘Bout as good as can be with being see through.”

  She rolled her eyes. The undead find their first victim, she is beaten to death while screaming.

  “I have the most interesting news.” Delores is just brimming.

  Three monks pour into the room at the sight. They quickly engage my five pushing them back.

  “Oh, what's that?”

  They pass the corpse of the woman. A fourth monk enters the room and bends down to examine her. His healing magic at the ready. I stab him in the throat with her knife and her hand.

  “Jasmine has been betrothed.” Delores says with all the excitement she can muster.

  One of the three monks looks back in dismay. It was a mistake, I grab his arm as another of me tackles him to the ground. His struggles do not last long.

  “Isn't that like early?”

  The last two continue the battle but three of me on two of them quickly becomes seven against two. Then there were nine.

  “Red, she is a year older than us.”

  A collective eye roll occurs, my soul tethers are closely engaged at this point.

  “Still isn't fourteen early?”

  “Oh she won't be wedded until at least another two years…where Lea go?” Delores swings her head around.

  Seems she noticed I was busy. The nine shamblers are now behind a rather annoyed Lea.

  “You could've let me have them.” Lea admonishes.

  They all answer, “He's here.”

  She rolls her eyes.

  I answered Delores, “She decided to intrude on something I was working on.”

  “Ghastly, at least talk with just one, it's super creepy.” Lea responds to the crowd.

  Lea leads us towards more warmth of the living.

  “Is it getting cold in here?” Delores says absently.

  Interesting, guess with this many soul tethers my body is starting to skew towards undead. I pull my mana aura into my ghost. Delores calms.

  Lea finds another five. They don't stand a chance. My horde grows. As does Lea annoyance.

  “If this is affecting you, I suggest not visiting the dungeon.” I say to Delores.

  “As if father would let me go there anyways.” Delores says in a huff.

  Lea finds the last two plus the man.

  “Watson.” The horde begins to chant. The knight glances back from the entrance to my dungeon. He pales at what he sees. He points at Lea.

  “Fight the undead.”

  Lea just gives him a rather skeptical look. His mental magic negated or was unable to affect her at all. I'll have to ask later.

  “I'm still considered undead, Sara. Even if this body currently breathes.” She answers my question with an eye roll.

  “You seem distracted, Red.” Delores prods me in the shop.

  “Just a bit, sorry, give me a moment.”

  The knight watches as his last companion dies. His sword is out and he keeps me away. Lea watches. Then she gets a rather wicked grin.

  “Do put your weapon down and surrender, Watson.” Lea intones, using her mental core.

  He negates the command but not the third time it's repeated. I watch her lead him away.

  “Did it go well?” Delores asks, perhaps hoping I tell her what was distracting me.

  “Very.”

  -----

  My ghost shows up inside the man's cell. The drain mana runes do not affect me. They are affecting him. He hasn't noticed me yet. He simply sits in the middle with his head clutched in his hands. There is a cistern with water to the side. Better than what I had. I float in front of him. He notices and scrambles to the wall.

  “Who…what are you?”

  I turned to the man, “Don't you recognize me? Or did you make such a habit of killing Pimar that I am indistinguishable.”

  “You're dead, I left you in a cell. You starved.”

  “And now I am a ghost, ready to watch you starve. How long will you last?”

  His eyes widen as I watch him. That was all I said to him. He begs me to release him every so often. Every time he does a new undead stands in front of his cell. He puked the first time.

  He no longer looks out from the cell now. He no longer begs for freedom. He no longer begs for food. He begs for death. He waited too long, grown too weak to break his head against the floor. So he begs for it to end. I simply watch. With all my eyes I watch.