The cold air bites at my skin as I shoot up right, my childhood room sprawls out in front of me. I grip the woolen sheets beneath my fingertips. It was the same room I had seen so many times before. The thin drapes in the windowsill do little to stop the moonlight that fills the room with its glow.

  "C’mon, let's do this one more time…"

  I roll out of bed and stumble toward my dresser, my legs weak from disuse. I look down to see my small frame. My body was young again, free of any wound or pain that my last one had grown accustomed to. My short, mangled hair had transformed into two long, unkempt blonde twintails cascading down my back. I grab a hold of a small hand mirror, and see a pair of light blue eyes looking back at me. Despite the change in my outward appearance, on the inside, I still feel the same.

  Tired.

  "Is this really it?" I ask my reflection, my voice wavering as I lean in closer to the mirror.

  "Where is the master necromancer who commands legions of undead? The warrior who stood against the Seven Kings and almost won? The 8th Hero of Astrovia!? Proud member of the Abyssal Requiem?..."

  My reflection remains silent though.

  "Fine," I mutter, turning away from the mirror. "I’ll become all of those things one more time. Just one last time and it'll all be over… Big one hundred. This time things will be different, it’s a promise."

  To make good on that promise, tonight would have to go better than it ever had before. Saving everyone is an impossibility now, but I can still do damage control.

  My thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock on the door. A moment later it creaks open, and Ethel enters the room with a graceful stride. Her translucent form shimmering all the while. She’s tall, slender, and walks like she’s of noble blood. There is power behind each step I couldn’t have possibly noticed when I was a mere child. The high collar, the corset blouse and puffed sleeves makes her seem so elegant, but I know better now. This is simply a facade she has built up over time. To top it all off, her dark, curly hair is put up in a bun. What isn’t held back by her bun reaches her shoulders. She’s smiling that same, ever-present, cocky smile that I’ve grown used to. Ethel places her hands on her hips, and leans down to look at me.

  "I didn't expect you to be up so early."

  "I couldn’t sleep," I mutter, and press my hands into my eyes to rub the sleep away.

  "The Solstice of Souls is soon, you need to look your best for it, my Princess," Ethel says in a teasing tone as she takes a brush to my long twintails with gentle strokes.

  It’s difficult to stay still. Every fiber of my being wants to run from the room, and warn the others of the attack that's to come. This is an impossibility though, because just outside my room, there is an assassin waiting for me. For now, it’s best to bide my time.

  "Long ago," Ethel begins, her voice like a soothing balm against my weary soul, "When I was still alive, I was an adventurer before fully devoting myself to the family. Those times were filled with danger and excitement."

  "Please, tell me more." I had heard the story many times before, but when would I be able to hear it again?

  "A dungeon appeared far to the East," she continues, her voice low and captivating. "A barren desert plagued by a century-long drought suddenly experienced torrential rains that persisted for weeks. And when the skies finally cleared, there was a lake, with a temple at its center…"

  I could see the scene unfolding before my eyes. The once parched landscape transformed into a vast lake, at its center a colossal water temple that dominated the horizon. Of course I’ve seen dungeons appear in past lives, but to a clueless child that’s never left her home, this would be exciting. So, I play the part, and flash a smile up at Ethel as she talks.

  "From that temple emerged all manner of aquatic beasts, their scaled and slimy forms attacking the locals without mercy," Ethel goes on, her words painting vivid pictures in my mind. "The creatures devastated the environment and terrorized those who lived nearby. Adventurers from all corners of the world were called upon to raid these dungeons and restore peace to the land."

  Her words remind me of my first time I cleared a dungeon. It wasn’t as romantic or beautiful as she makes it sound. It was a bloody mess, a lesson in survival. I hated it, but I do miss the strength that came from surviving that ordeal.

  "Adventuring sounds thrilling," I say, hoping that the wistfulness in my voice would go unnoticed.

  "That's right, but it’s dangerous also. Adventuring isn't for everyone."

  I nod along as she helps me into an elegantly designed dark dress adorned with hues of mysterious blue and mystical purple, the colors of our clan.

  "Thank you, Ethel."

  As I listen to Ethel carry on with her tales of adventuring, my mind falls back to the sense of camaraderie and exhilaration that came with being an adventurer myself.

  The ranking system for adventurers categorized people dependent on personal strength: F-ranks were the lowest of the low, barely able to fend off the weakest of monsters, whereas S-ranks were the elite, capable of bringing a small kingdom to its knees if they so desired.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  In one of my previous lives, I had been strong enough to face multiple S-rank adventurers at once, a fact I took pride in. But now, standing in front of the mirror in this silly little dress, I can’t help but frown. In my current state, I’d likely lose to a C-rank. Even a D-rank would prove to be a challenge.

  "Oh please, I’m not even finished yet and you’re already frowning," Ethel says gently, and she begins to braid my hair. "Although it is curious… Why are you the only one with such hair in this family? Your mother wasn’t blond."

  "I know, I’ve heard it a million times. Clarence says it’s because I’m adopted." I lean my head back to look up at Ethel, but she promptly directs my gaze towards the mirror again.

  "Hush, you! Clarence is always teasing you about something. I swear, he’s nothing like his brother. If anything, maybe he’s adopted…" She adds on that last part quickly, and it is far quieter than the rest. I try to hide it, but it does make me crack a smile. Ethel holds an ornamental filigree with an insignia of a crow out in front of me, and then she promptly places it just above my ear. Finally she releases me, and then lets out a small shout, "There! You’re all set, and you look splendid."

  "Thank you again, Ethel."

  "Were you always this grateful? Come we must get you to the grand hall. Our guests arrived quite some time ago. I know how you fare around strangers, so… I came for you much later than I should have."

  "Right, let’s go…"

  As we prepare to leave my room, I sense a change in Ethel’s form. A small electric tinge fills the air, and something about her just feels… off. As if I am no longer in the presence of Ethel Crowsong.

  "Ethel?..."

  "I wasn't able to finish the integration. Come, quickly," she says, her voice sounds different now. The tone is wrong, but I recognize it.

  It belongs to the one who helped me escape that devil.

  She places a finger on my chest, and before I can react, a searing pain shoots through my body as if I were being branded. Gritting my teeth, I endure the agony until it finally subsides

  When I open my eyes, I see strange shapes hovering over objects around me.

  The ability bestowed upon me is one I recognize immediately. Eyes of Clarity. An ability I possessed in my past life, but this was far superior to mine. With just a glance, I could discern the names and functions of anything in my line of sight.

  As quickly as the woman's presence had appeared, it vanishes, leaving Ethel in control once more. She stares at me for a long moment, her eyes finally seeing something in me they hadn't before. As she tries to focus on me, her eyes quickly become clouded.

  "Princess, what has happened to you?" Ethel asks gently, her hands reach for my face, and she pulls me closer, searching my eyes desperately, "I saw something, didn’t I?... You looked different."

  My vision is filled with a series of floating words, and I read through them.

  [Spend 100 points of Karma to bypass the T-NID? Y/N]

  T-NID?...

  [Temporal Non-Interference Directive]

  I didn’t even need to speak to receive an answer. It’s as if it could read my mind. If that’s the case, then… Yes.

  A hundred points of Karma disappear from my total in the corner, and the haze clouding Ethel's eyes is lifted like a veil.

  And for the first time in a long time, I feel truly seen.

  "I have only seen such eyes in the most fearsome of warriors. My dear, what happened to you?..." Ethel scans the room frantically as if she would be able to locate the cause of my suffering and snuff it out.

  "E-Ethel," I begin, my voice wavering. I search for the right thing to say, and settle on this. "I’ve been adventuring for too long now. Home doesn’t even feel like home anymore. As a member of the Dread Requiem, I’m sure you understand how I feel. Don’t you?" I look up to Ethel, hoping, and praying to be truly seen once more. Her eyes have that same cloudy film over them again, but she’s watching me, trying to understand what it is I’ve just told her. As another 100 points is deducted from my total, the veil disappears once again.

  Ethel's features twist as she studies my face. There is no possible way a mere child should know anything of the Crowsongs ranks, let alone what rank she possessed during her lifetime hundreds of years ago. But still, I knew.

  "Clara...how do you know of the Dread Requiem? Did your-"

  "My brothers didn’t tell me, you know Gabriel is too stuck up to speak of such things with someone who’s rankless. Elias is the same, he’s far too prideful to risk giving up information like that."

  Unlike the adventurers guilds of the world, the Crowsong clan had their own ranking system determined on merit and accomplishments one achieved in their life.

  The longer we speak, the further my Karma drains. Each time the number lessens, I feel a twinge of pain. It was small at first, not even worth mentioning, but now it feels like tiny hands are pulling on my skin, trying to pull me apart bit by bit. And it’s only getting worse as time goes on.

  "Ethel," I say, gritting my teeth as my voice strains with the effort of maintaining my composure, "I have joined the First Requiem 88 times, the Shadow Requiem 65 times, the Eternal Requiem 38 times, the Dread Requiem 19 times, and the Abyssal Requiem a dozen times."

  "No, that can’t be, you… What are you talking about?" Ethel’s ever present smile is gone now as she lingers on my every word

  My heart aches for Ethel, truly, but this has to be said.

  "I've been cursed… to live my life a hundred times."

  For a moment, she is silent. Actually, I’m afraid she’s not going to answer. Maybe the magic of this Karma will wear off, and she’ll just forget about everything I’ve just said. But this does not happen. Instead, she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper.

  "A hundred lives? What do you mean?..."

  "I… there’s no time to explain now. They’re already in the house, and I need your help to save as many as we can. Please, Ethel, I need you!"

  Even if I were to tell others, it’s entirely possible I’d just be wasting my Karma for them to think I’m crazy. I have to spend my Karma sparingly, and that’s why I was taking this gamble.

  Ethel was the only soul I knew that was strong enough to bear the testament of time, so surely she would be strong enough to handle the strain of this burden too.

  The only one that could accept my words as truth. My oldest confidante, my dear nanny, my beloved Ethel.

  "I see... It has been quite some time since I received orders from a member of the Abyssal Requiem. What would you have me do, Princess?" Ethel asks, and gives me a smile.

  I meet her gaze, and I smile back.