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  My body is too cold. I grip my chest and find a soul tether attached. What the…? I try to sever the damn thing. It won't break. I don't understand. Until I feel what it's connected to. It's her. Cea. Damn it. I can feel my blood core racing to repair the necrosis the tether is creating. Further making room for undeath that immediately drains. All this creates more thirst.

  I swing out of my bed to see two Elves chatting. One a junior priestess the other an adventurer. Rin and Din. Rin and Din. Remember. I huff out a breath. It causes the air to condense, cold. I look annoyed at the reverse. It's winter and my exhale is colder than the air.

  “Finally awake, care to explain why it feels like Cea is here.” Din says crossly.

  “Or winter?” Rin asks.

  “It is winter.” I hold back an urge to say idiot.

  She rolls her eyes, “Yes but the fire is burning and you're freezing the air around you.”

  I get up, confused why they were awake before me, or that light was pouring into the room as if it was past dawn. I scrunch my face at that. The sun is up. I was certain there was more than three hours before then. “Before that” I pause, “What time is it?”

  “About three hours before apex. Well?” Rin answers. It takes me a moment, Apex…noon. Right. Also shit, I gave her a command. Would progressing her title provide more autonomy? Nevermind.

  “I think Cea attached a Soul tether to me. It is making my body cold, to channel this much undeath. I…I think she is undead. But how can you sense that?”

  Din walks up to me, “You forgot to use [Aura Sense], her mana aura is clearly encasing you.” Her look is as cold as I felt.

  I hadn't noticed. It's all around me. But why…

  “She wishes to claim me the moment I'm undead.” I murmur.

  “What?”

  I look up at Din. “If my aura is crushed while undead I become subordinate to whoever did it. I think that's how Lea kept me from dissipating."

  I go back to considering the issue. This is really bad. So far my body is staving it off but one wrong slip. I just have to be careful. A finger snaps in front of my face. I look up at Din.

  “You trailed off at the end and went into your own world. We should head down to eat before they close the food hall.” She turns to leave before I am ready.

  I quickly hop into my robe and follow the two out.

  -----

  “Girlie, thought you weren't botherin’ comin’ down at all.” Stone spoke as I sat down next to Rin. Din has been rather cold since I explained myself. Was it like this between us before? I spot a weird spirit fox on Stone’s shoulder. It had three tails.

  “I overslept.”

  He frowns at that, “Quite certain ya told me ya had a skill that forced ya to just three.”

  I return his frown. The status screen popped up. Just the magics and cores were greyed out. There are too many skills. “Did I say which skill it was?”

  The dwarf looks at me closely, “Ya naught remeber?”

  “Of course I do.” I lied.

  He peers at me, “I believe ya showed me [Seperate Minds]. Ya were quite curious if I knew what it meant at the time. And rather annoyed when I told ya I didn't have a clue.”

  “Right, you're totally right. Must be all the stress.” My performance is perfect. Stone looks at the fox as I click the skill he mentioned. The fox jumps down to the floor.

  Two Separate Minds 2 - two cores with two threads

  Basic - your waking mind has a second attention again, don't fall asleep

  Apprentice - you can share one of your senses with your second attention

  Competent - share a second sense between your attentions

  Intermediate - All your senses are accessible between your two attentions

  Two Separate Minds - now there are two of you

  Basic - your just a baby hydra, cept with one head, the other you is asleep

  Apprentice - You need only sleep for ten and a half hours

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  Competent - Hey now it's just seven hours of sleep.

  Intermediate - three hours of sleeping all you need

  I shake a bit at that. The first set of skills are greyed out. I feel the pull to be two. Would it be terrible to separate? I—

  “What the hell, Trikinar?”

  I look up to see a naked Lea. She immediately becomes the ghost fox again. I'm so lost. Stone just laughs.

  “I'm sure she be back in a moment, a bit of breakfast while we wait?” He waves four fingers at the Troll barkeep. He gets a nod in return.

  “So I—”

  “After the food, and when Leander is here.” Stone admonishes. The other two simply eye me warily. I huff out another breath. Then sigh. I ended up with lungs again. Sarcea habits make me breathe. I had her metal plate in my pocket. I had suggested putting it back into my chest to Lea and she shrugged. Said no one knows shit about Kitsunes. Why should they expect hearts? I think I laughed at that. I frown now. I should make a list for these things.

  The food arrives and I dig in. Keeping an eye for conversations. Before Marie gets…me. She's not here. Keep it together. There's no real conversation. Just porridge with some toast. Rather meager offering to be honest.

  “Three days of this is going to drive me to pay for ale at guild prices.” Din laments.

  “I heard the fare used to be better but the dungeon collapse really broke the economy and supply situation here.” Rin brought up a sore point. That skill was greyed out too.

  “Who ever heard of a dungeon collapsing." Din said annoyed.

  “Their killable.” I murmur. A bit of insight.

  They both look at me. I nibble some bread. An eye towards further discussion. They don't engage. Lea returns.

  “Lady Leander, welcome.” Stone said boisterously.

  The Kitsune stares daggers at Stone while sitting down.

  “What is this about?” She turns towards me and looks annoyed, “Why do you have Cea mana aura?” The two Elves look at Lea a bit curious at her knowing whose aura it was.

  Stone speaks before I do, his lips not blocked by bread. “Two things. The first ya noticed, the second, confirmation that both sides of her memory be impaired.”

  I narrow my eyes at his words. I can feel Rin and Din looking at me.

  “What did she forget for you?”

  “A conversation about her skills. One she had with me when we first set out.”

  Din is next to me with her hands on my shoulders turning me to face her, “What does he mean your memory is impaired.”

  I frown, the bread is put down. “You can see my Tapestry just as well as I can. I...” I take a moment to gather my thoughts, “My memory is all over the place.” She winces and pulls back her hands. “Sorry. I'm really cold at the moment.”

  “I don't understand, why are you cold?” Lea asks.

  “I think Cea is undead, she got a soul tether attached to me to feed her undeath and she aims to claim me the moment I become undead. I can't even break the tether.” I ramble out.

  I feel another soul tether attach to me. Before I can even understand why, it's gone. But the increase in coldness is still there. I grasp my chest.

  “Sara?” Lea asks.

  “She is killing and adding undead to me…through her.” I murmur, so low that Stone is confused. The two Elves heard me well enough. “I don't know what to do…”

  “More you forgot, well first thing first. We need to get you healing. With both me and Randinrin helping we should be able to negate the coldness. How is your thirst?”

  “Rising.” I croak out.

  “Take your sips, Glindinal and Trikinar, how much would it cost to have you two hunt for some blood?”

  “We would do it for fr—” Din…Glindinal said. I need to write that down before it evades me again.

  “A large silver, per barrel. Ya supplyin’ the barrel.” Stone said, Trikinar, I suppose.

  I put a small gold on the table looking at Lea, she nodded.

  “Why are you chargin’ her?” Din growls at the Dwarf.

  “Girlie, we be in the guild at the moment. Free a more profane word than fark here.” Stone intones. Just like in Disney world. The errant thought surprises me. Before I can pursue it, Lea gives more orders.

  “Right, Randinrin and Sara head to the citadel outside of town. I'll meet you there. Don't let Sara get distracted. Oh and bring your barrel, Sara.”

  Rin nods her head to Lea's words. I frown at her words as if I was a trouble maker.

  “You are.” She said, noticing my look. My frown grows. She is replaced by the spirit fox again. I'm more confused than ever.

  -----

  A barrel on my shoulder I follow Rin to the south exit.

  “Have you really forgotten it all?” Rin asks.

  “Not all…it's just bits and pieces. Sometimes I think I remember more but then I lose it. It's like.” I pause. “It's like trying to hold water in your hands. Except I'm using only one hand for a barrel's worth.”

  She winces at my words. We walk in silence when someone interrupts the awkwardness.

  “Red or is that Violet? Whichever, are you truly returned?” A yellow skin teal haired human girl in a noble dress runs up to us. She looks familiar. There is a connection between us. A thin soul tether. I am about to remove it when I notice the flower in her hair. Similar to the one in my own. It makes me hesitant.

  “This may sound crazy, but do I know you, miss?”

  She grows a bit annoyed at the question, “You and your sister were my [Attendant]s. So which one are you? Your hair is different again. Trying something new?”

  Bits of memory try to make a picture but it's too muddled. “I'm sorry, I'm both. I'm having issues remembering due to an injury.”

  “Both.” She trails off, then looks at me. “And you have forgotten me? I spent so much time with you the past few months and you have forgotten. I was with you and Lea, surely you must remember something Red.” There is a bit of anger there.

  Before I can upset her further, Rin speaks up. “So you knew her other half.”

  “I knew them both.” The girl growls.

  “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. We are heading to Lea if you want to come along. Miss?”

  “Delores Xavious, daughter to the [Viscount].” The girl said with a bit of authority.

  I wince, she never declared herself like that before. Another wince at that thought, my right hand gripping my head.

  “Red?”

  “Sara. I'm both, Delores.” I felt wrong just saying her name. Why? She seems to wince at me saying it that way too.

  “I think I will be joining you.” She looks at Rin. “You, I introduced myself but I have yet to hear your name.” Delores demanded.

  “Apologies, I am the [Junior Priestess] Randinrin.” Rin said with a curtsy.

  This causes a bit of an eyebrow lift then she scurries over and grabs Randinrin arm and pulls her ahead of me.

  “So did you travel with Violet here? Are you hoping she makes you a Vampire as well?”

  I freeze at her words while Rin balks, I can spread my Vampirism? I think of it as spreading? I need to look at my soul skills that had been missing from before. That I hid from myself. Nevermind.

  “She can turn me into a Vampire?” Rin said, a bit afraid.

  “She didn't tell you?” Delores was confused.

  “Aurora didn't have any of her memories before being an Elf.”

  “Was that her name up north? Wait, she was an Elf?”

  “No, the [Empress] named her Sarcea. She was made to look like an Elf. She declared herself to be Aurora. Why would I want to be an undead monster?” Rin returns the question volley.

  “It wasn't always that way. It's actually confusing how it keeps shifting. Red…Sara, do you still make Tibyders or will you change people into Kitsunes now, like Lea.” Delores asks while looking back at me.

  I shake my head, “I don't know.” The ambiguity seems to cause a thrill in the girl. She continues to pepper Rin with more questions.