Chapter Text

“Yes, definitely symptoms of nearsightedness.”

Cool metal separated from Johnathan’s face like a kiss. The machine of so many knobs and dials it’d make an old TV balk, quickly got pushed away to the side.

Johnathan, of course, rubbed his eyes as it quickly gained distance from him. Solid steel became a blurry mass mixed in with all the other colors of the room.

He groaned. “Darn it.”

The Doctor shook his head. Johnathan forgot the man’s name. He’d love to have read the little nametag on the man’s chest from where he was sitting. “I’m sorry, Johnathan, but the phoropter doesn’t lie.” He motioned to the now unfamiliar grey blur next to him.

“I know, I’m sorry...” Johnathan mumbled. “It just… h-happened so fast, I guess.” He sighed, running his fingers through his ‘as short as his family would accept it’ length hair.

Johnathan had been seeing just fine his entire life, heck it was still 20/20 up to a week ago. Granted, a week ago he was still in the-, no, keep his mind off it.

Johnathan was a fairly average, 24 year old guy. Lanky with thin spindly limbs, and a mop of somewhat curled black hair. He often wore plain t-shirts with plainer jeans or other pants.

There was more he could describe, but he never was that interested in looking at himself; he used his good eyesight to become an observer instead. His family was never happy with him being a freelance photographer. While his bank account was as full as a starving stomach, he always got praise on his eye for details.

He was just lucky the ophthalmology clinic accepted such a panicked meeting AND didn’t charge him for it. Lord knows he didn’t have insurance to cover the glasses or the-, no, stop thinking about it.

He didn’t appreciate being the only one here wearing a mask.

The Doctor hummed. The bad kind of hum that sounded like needed clarification was over the horizon. And Johnathan at present was in short order of clarity. “Really? Did something happen?”

Johnathan winced. “I-, I shouldn’t talk about it.”

The blur of a man gave him a frown. “Now, Johnathan, I insist. In order to make an informed decision on what glasses you need, it’s important your sight doesn’t deteriorate further before your glasses are shipped to you.”

The man had clearly not heard of bedside manners.

But, like usual, Johnathan buckled under the light pressure. “I… Was in the hospital, a couple of d-days ago.” Please don’t ask why.

“Mmm.” The doctor grabbed a clipboard and little blurry stick. “May I ask why?”

A dry gulp. “I… I had to stay for over a week. Because...”

The blur overlooked him. The sound of a pen scribbling away hit him. “You don’t look too hurt. Did you catch something?”

Johnathan bit his lip, then lamented. “I caught C-Covid. My blood sugar was in the 300’s and they-,” the words felt like they sputtered out like flies, “th-they diagnosed me with diabetes. Type one. Long Covid.”

He felt miserable. Everything felt miserable. It wasn’t enough that the piss poor health practices of this country had finally destroyed his body’s health. His vision had to go at the same time, too?

It was too much.

The scribbling stopped. “They gave you insulin?”

He slumped. “Yeah. A lot of it.”

“Was it your first time?”

His lip curled. “Yes.” He tried staying calm.

“Ahhhh, thank goodness you told me!” The doctor sighed in relief. “You won’t be needing those new glasses, then.”

“W-What? But I still can’t-”

“It’s quite alright, Johnathan. You won’t need prescription glasses, just regular reading glasses will do.” He stood up, reaching for a shelf.

“Really? But you said…?”

“Most people don’t know this,” The Doctor said, “but when a body first takes medical insulin, the eyes temporarily go blurry in readjustment. ‘Bout a couple weeks. They really didn’t tell you at the hospital?”

Johnathan wanted to forget anything and everything from that hospital. “No, sir.” He said.

The Doctor tsk’d. “Was it that Valley Pride Healthcare Center? The one with the winged lion statues? I swear that hospital’s care is deteriorating like-Ah! Here we go.”

He pulled out a little something from a shelf. “Here’s a simple pair of reading glasses, you should be good to go with these.”

Johnathan grabbed them, rotating the little object in his hands. “How much for it?”

“After coming in a panic because of that hospital? It’s on the house.” The Doctor chuckled.

A weight lifted from his chest. “Doc, you can’t believe how relieving that is to hear.”

In reality, Johnathan had been dreading the price tag to this whole ordeal. M-Maybe this meant he had enough to-

No. Stop thinking about it.

“Glad to hear. Now try it on already, I want to make sure they work.”

“O-Oh,” he clumsily brought them up, “of course-, uh.”

In that moment reality finally got the memo, and upped the video quality on everything in the room. He took in his surroundings, never thinking he’d be this happy seeing a plain, grey, drab eye doctor’s office. The glasses made everything just a bit distorted compared to what he was used to, but better this than the alternative.

Also, he could finally see that nametag. Doctor Sean Looker. ...Sean Looker the ophthalmologist? What was he, born in this clinic?

Looker raised a brow at him, clearly catching that little snort that shouldn’t have been noticeable. He was supposed to be an eye doctor, not an ear one.

In the brief embarrassment, Johnathan glanced away to look at all the wonderful and more interesting things in a doctor’s office to pay attention to. He finally could make out the phoropter in all it’s dial-y glory. He’d probably immediately forget the name again once he left the office. There was a kind of gaudy ‘Hang in There!’ poster of a cat, but hanging on the temples of a giant pair of glasses. There was a naked woman balled up in the corner next to the trash. Oh, there was an orange peel in the can, gross.

The.

The naked woman balled up in the corner?

Had it been a different world, there’d be a Johnathan shaped hole in the ceiling and his empty clothes piled messily on his chair. Unfortunately, reality didn’t care to hide his attempt to jump out of his skin.

“Are you alright!?” Looker gasped as Johnathan came back down to earth (and his chair).

“Thu-, th-the-,” Johnathan vaguely wagged a finger in the direction of the woman.

Looker followed his gaze, down next to the trash can. He stared for an intense few seconds.

“...Did you see something there? Is that it?” Looker eventually said.

Johnathan looked at the man, then back at the naked woman he was still vaguely pointing at. “Y-Yeah?”

Not quite comprehending what was going on through Looker’s mind, Johnathan had the chance to finally take in a little more of the woman.

She was a rather plus sized woman, quite shapely and pale. A dirty blonde, messy bob cut dangled from her slumped head. Plump arms wrapped around her legs and held them in tight, almost like she was being held in something.

Johnathan looked back to, er, Looker. For a man who’s name sounded like “On-Looker”, he sure didn’t seem to be. Furrowed brows, and eyes dancing about the place like something would materialize out of thin air.

“Do you… not see that?” He asked.

“See what?”

...Was Johnathan being pranked? A victim of one of those delusional, mean spirited variety shows? Take in patients with horrible vision, and let em put on glasses and see them freak? Pretend they’re not seeing the obvious?

Or was he really just seeing things? He took off the glasses and rubbed his eyes. Twinkles of light lit up the stars behind his eyelids. A blink and a glance back to the lady and-

She was gone.

Johnathan blinked again. It was blurry as get out, don’t get him wrong. But he could vaguely make out the trash can and the corner next to it. Greys and blues, not a pale peachy tone with a blonde splotch on top in sight. She vanished into thin air.

He stared at the space like it was a lie.

“Johnathan?” Looker asked.

His mouth opened and closed. Explaining what just happened would make him sound nuts. But he couldn’t just say he saw nothing!

“I-I, um, I saw… a c-cockroach.” He mumbled.

The blur that was Looker relaxed. “Ahhh, I see.” He plapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t you worry, son. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. My own boy’s terrified of the things, it’s not just girls.”

Johnathan’s cheeks ached with heat. “I wasn’t worried about that…” He mumbled.

He sighed in embarrassment, slowly beginning to push the naked woman out of his mind. With a clack, he plopped the reading glasses back on his face.

The woman was there again.

He jerked. “U-Uh.”

Johnathan quickly took the glasses off. No blurry woman. Back on, the woman was back. Off, gone, on, here.

He slowly raised the glasses up and down. Like a window under his control, she appeared only behind the glass. Disappearing past the rim like a fancy optical illusion.

“Something wrong with those glasses?” Looker, always polite, grabbed the pair out of his hands.

“H-Hey.” Johnathan weakly protested.

Looker looked through the pair of glasses at the corner and squinted directly at where the woman should be. “Hmm, nothing out of the ordinary...”

“Really? You’re sure?” Johnathan glanced uneasily to where the woman should still be.

“Here, try these.” He quickly fished another pair out. “How do these look?”

Johnathan grabbed the blue rimmed glasses. He shuddered before putting them on.

The woman appeared past the glass.

At a loss, Johnathan bit his lip. “...I prefer the last p-pair. How long do I need to wear these?”

Doctor Looker nodded. “Oh, don’t you worry, if you were getting insulin in the hospital I’d say about a week. Two at most. So you have nothing to worry about!”

Johnathan sighed. “Right...”

He glanced at the unmoving woman.

“A couple weeks...”

Johnathan left the ophthalmology clinic in a rush. At first, he felt relief.

He couldn’t have driven his own beat up, more-rust-than-metal-at-this-point car here. Not with his sight before. He was very strapped for cash, but anything to get away from that woman faster.

Then the lyft pulled up to the curb. He looked before he leaped, and immediately opened the curb side door.

It took him one horrifying moment to process she was sitting in his seat.

Unfortunately his backpack wasn’t prepared for his impromptu space exploration program, and quickly landed back to Earth’s surface. And mostly Johnathan’s foot.

The woman didn’t seem to notice him hissing from the pain. In fact, she didn’t seem to notice anything sitting in the backseat of a car, unbuckled and naked. She was also in the exact same balled up pose she was in Looker’s room.

He stared at the apparition.

...He’d drop his “luggage” in first. He shakily lowered the backpack onto the seat, and...

It passed through her body like air. With an odd plop, the naked woman emerged out of his backpack like a bird from a nest. She really wasn’t there.

“Sir?” The driver asked.

“S-Sorry, let me-” Johnathan scrambled to the other side of the car. He tensely slid next to her.

The car drove off in dead silence.

...You know, during that time of year, the trees were beautiful, shifted from a green to a subtle yellow-y, orange. Not to mention the birds and flowers you would spot on the side of the road. A delicate balance of nature was just something you couldn’t look away from!

Johnathan could see her reflection in the car window.

His eye twitched, distraction failed miserably.

The world shook as he turned to face her. Er, no, the car did. Not him, definitely not.

With this angle, he could get more of the woman’s face. It was chubby, which wasn’t surprising. She had a larger nose, and downturned eyes. At first, her striking yellow eyes made his heart seize. But a second later, he realized they dangled lifelessly in half lidded eyes.

The woman looked… not there. Not even conscious. Mouth was slightly agape just so she was still breathing. (Did she need to?) Was she even aware she followed him?

He felt an odd twinge of pity. Johnathan didn’t know what to think about that.

Suddenly the car stopped at his apartment. He shakily grabbed his backpack and stepped out. He said his thanks to the driver.

He watched the woman stay in the window as the car sped off. He only realized his face was slick with sweat when he brushed his hand past his chin, stubble uncomfortably brushing against his skin.

His phone beeped.

The text confirming the price wouldn’t be reduced stared back at him.

She was everywhere.

Of course she was in Johnathan’s apartment when he first entered it. No, scratch that, every room that he entered she was already there.

The light game experiment he played trying to see if there was a space he could see two of her at once lasted far too long.

Just like in the doctor’s office, she was mostly tied to his corrected vision. So if he simply took his glasses off, she basically wouldn’t bother him anymore… But his lack of sight would do that plenty.

So Johnathan kept the glasses on, even as she popped into the hallway.

He awkwardly shuffled around her getting into his room. Turning on the light, he was at least greeted by the few tanks of his pet insects. Those would always give him some comfort.

The woman was so polite sitting there quietly as he typed out “apartment possessed?”, “eyesight possessed??”, “seeing naked ghosts???”. The results all led to the same anime series, for some reason.

Over the course of a few days, he discovered outside didn’t fare much better.

Getting groceries? Thank god he didn’t want to touch the bread aisle already.

At the gas station? Already in his car when he sped off.

At his gig job? His lightly shaking hands were because she was in frame, nothing else.

...Getting Covid made him too anxious to go anywhere else.

He did notice she still wasn’t as active outside though. She clearly followed him like some sort of radius designating her to be there. So he was clearly the anchor to this hell cruise. But he could manage a bit of distance before she appeared again.

Why would that be? Johnathan suspected his apartment might be a hotspot, but he couldn’t determine if it was him living there or if it was just happenstance. Which led him to wondering how a ghost could possibly find the conditions a more suitable environment than outside like-no, no. He was NOT going to get curious like he did with his pets.

At least she seemed to reside in corners off to the side. Most ghosts in movies and manga he read would’ve done something by then, so she was at least mostly unobtrusive. Would he get possessed by her like some of those stories he read…? The ones featuring a girl possessing an average guy that came to his mind were, ah, less than suitable for readers of this story.

Only rarely did she seem directly in the way of Johnathan like in the car ride. And usually he could at least awkwardly get around her. He felt his backpack up and down to check for damage, and it seemed fine. But he did not want to test fate and willingly touch the gal.

Fate had other plans, though.

FATE Bread Company, specifically! Established 1947, their loaves of bread had just a twinge of sweetness the store brands lacked, and for cheap too! Johnathan loved them so much he could grab a loaf without looking; always in the same spot in his apartment’s little cupboard pantry.

The little cupboard pantry he realized too late was already occupied by someone else.

A thousand little pins crackled through his hand as he registered what happened. He jerked back and swore as his head banged against an upper shelf. He seethed from the sharp pain crackling through his skull before assessing the more concerning damage.

The woman, talkative as ever, sat silently in the cramped pantry she had no chance of squeezing into.

He poked and prodded his hand endlessly. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, but it felt… just a bit tingly. In an odd, cool way.

Could he… could he feel her, in some way?

Johnathan shook his head furiously. No! There was no way he was touching a ghost! That’d be suicide! Call him like he likes to call his bread she was currently phasing through: guaranteed toast!

...Wait, Christ, she just accidentally stopped him from eating bread. He was just going to get some mindlessly like he always did pre-Covid.

He struggled to focus on how one of his favorite foods had become permanently a hazard to his body.

He stood silent for a couple seconds. A lick across his lips to get rid of the sweat. His hand twitched and begged to reach out.

...O-Okay, well, clearly it was fine if it was just a second or two.

His fingers twitched anxiously as Johnathan’s hand reached into the pantry again. The woman up close looked just as realistic as his hand did. All logic told him his hand should just stop when encountering this. But all logic also told him not to try touching the naked specter.

A cold sensation prickled all along his hands as it plunged through her body. his eyes widened. His hand… it felt… it felt like…

Sticking your hand in the freezer?

That was… well, pardon the pun, that was really cool?

Johnathan let out a squeak of a giggle as his hand phased through her like it was a mirage. There were different cold spots in her body. Almost like she was a living thing with varying degrees of biology. And the chill made his hand feel strangely refreshed, like sticking one’s head out on a blistering day and getting that breeze just right.

He pulled his hand out and let out a little gasp. On his hand was a small amount of frost. It was as if the spirit woman rowdily shoved him against a light layer of snow. Johnathan brushed off the frost, but found his hand still perfectly in tact and fine.

He wondered how exactly this functioned. Was it possible that ghosts as manifestations of souls and energy, drew in all the excess ambient energy in order to keep their presence alive? That would explain why it felt so cold, if all the energy was being sucked dry.

Could there be an application for this? Imagine using another ghost like this woman to make fast popsicles!

He carefully fingered a packaged loaf out of the cabinet, and ripped it open in glee. A second later his smile fell, as the bread was it’s usual lukewarm temperature.

Light frost dusted the slice between his fingers.

Johnathan cocked his head. She could only affect him, then? Oh, or, wait. Bread didn’t have souls. (He hoped.) Maybe it was living creatures that were affected?

At that exact moment an obnoxiously large horsefly flew out of the cramped pantry cabinet, and very much not covered in frost.

Thank you, annoying horsefly Johnathan would take a picture of before failing for twenty minutes to get it out of his apartment.

So that was it. Not only was the ghost haunting his sight, it looked like she could physically affect only him, too.

Why? What could possibly be the explanation?

Was Johnathan... special to her?

A small part of his mind immediately shouted pervert, and gross at the idea of him being that to a woman who was a stranger. Regardless, the feelings of giddiness welled up in his chest anyway. A smile broke out on his face, and his face felt weirdly hot. He was always teased for how blushy he got as a man.

Why was the idea so appealing to him? Of his… soul, or something, being tied to hers? Shouldn’t he be worried about being haunted?

God, Johnathan wished he could just talk to her.

…

Oh no.

“S-So, my name’s Johnathan, um, heh, y-you probably already know that, huh?”

She politely offered no response.

A couple days later, Johnathan finally got the courage to try speaking to her. At the moment, the woman was in the same posture she’d been in for the last week: now balled up in his living room.

Johnathan brushed his hair back. “Y-Yeah, I wouldn’t blame you if you forgot. Lot of people do. Uhhhh…” He blew out some air and leaned back. He was a few feet from her, criss cross apple sauce, and not exactly sure what he was doing.

“Do you have a name? Are you in, um, distress? Like, do you need help? Is that why you’re here?” He tried prodding.

The woman slowly blinked. One of her most complex responses so far.

“Um… do you l-like the apartment, or…?”

A loud buzzing interrupted him.

“Oh no, not you again!” Johnathan groaned as a similar looking horsefly started circling his head. “Why do you keep coming back in here!? I left f-food outside!”

Johnathan fumbled around, quickly picking up his (nonradioactive) limited edition Sonic Adventure 2 promotional Burger King glass from the table behind him. After a few lunges, the horsefly was successfully captured (again).

“This time, stay out.” Johnathan huffed as the horsefly buzzed around, desperate for escape. “This isn’t the place-”

The woman’s head was softly raised and was lazily looking at his hands.

“-you should be?” Johnathan’s eyes widened.

He scooted a bit closer and found that her eyes, though very drowsily, were following the fly. “You like that? D-Do you like insects?”

The woman, very briefly, glanced to him. It was the smallest acknowledgment, but it felt like a monumental step had just happened.

But how to capitalize on that? He still had a cup with a buzzing horsefly endlessly and uselessly bumping up against his hand. Which indicated it was male, but-

Oh.

…Of all the things.

He hoped he wouldn’t be making the same social life fatality he made in high school.

“This is what’s known as a h-horsefly. It’s scientifically known as the Tabanidae species. They’re found on just about every continent, except the arctic and some islands, of course.” He shifted the cup. “You can, uh, tell it’s a male horsefly, because it’s not trying to bite me. Females have incisors they use to drink blood, while males’ mouths are too weak to-”

He felt a sharp small pinch on the palm of his ‘anti-horsefly forcefield’. “Ah!” He flinched, and the horsefly quickly slipped out of the cup and flew out the open window.

The woman very groggily tilted her head to watch it fly away.

Johnathan rubbed his hand. “W-Well, um, it was a female Tabanidae, as you could see.”

She slowly turned to look back at him. Granted, it was more through him from how she was still barely there. But in her hazy state, Johnathan could see the beginnings of a smile phase in and out.

He needed more.

“Stay-, stay right there!” He quickly shot up and ran to his room.

He quickly wrestled with one of his many tanks, trying not to disturb the inhabitants inside. For the first time, the woman didn’t seem to teleport into the room.

He breathed a sigh of relief seeing she was in the same spot he left her in.

Her eyes drifted, but seemed curious once he plopped down.

“Now, this is Dory and Darla, they’re Dung Beetles...”

It occurred to Johnathan early into his gushing that he didn’t know if his guest even knew English. But she looked so enthralled by what he was showing and saying that he couldn’t just stop, could he? The more she listened, the more his knowledge spilled out enthusiastically.

She was still very out of it, of course, but it really felt like he was talking to someone about his interests for the first time. Many of Johnathan’s usual anxieties around his guest melted once he saw how simply curious she was.

Johnathan also thought she was… quite pretty.

Rosy cheeks complimented her plush face. When she smiled a bit of a dimple squished them further. Her eyes were droopy, soft, the kind he’d expect to see on a baby cow’s. Piercing amber eyes that used to make him jump now gave her a mysterious beauty. Some would probably think her larger nose or double chin were offputting, but he thought they looked charming on her.

But the strangest thing was he didn’t feel like he observed it in an attraction way. His dad used to say that when he found himself gazing at a girl, it meant he was ‘getting to that age’. But this guest was just like the others. A soft, pleasant prettiness he found easy to admire and look at.

Actually, that, but the strongest it had been in his life. Like he couldn’t go higher than this, something deep in his chest said.

More little thoughts scratched at the back of his head, trying to insult him for staring at her. Luckily, he had been focused too hard on his pet orchid mantis’s biology to care.

“-and, well, isn’t it just so cool how mantis’s walk on 4 legs, but use two more legs almost like our arms? And with wings to boot? It’s beautiful when that happens in nature…”

He wiped a bit of sweat off his brow. Going back and forth for each tank was quite the ordeal. It felt like he was running a bit on fumes, but it was worth it.

His guest had a blissful little smile on her face, cheeks a little extra rosy this time.

Johnathan smiled. “Okay, wait here.” He stood up quickly, orchid mantis tank in hand. “I have one l-last critter for you to-”

Johnathan paused, noticing gravity was suddenly much stronger than he remembered. It suddenly felt like Johnathan was submerged in gelatin. Or, was it that his body was like a battery bank, totally drained of all it’s power? That made no sense.

His guest hid behind white lines streaking across his vision. The ambiance of the outer city tucked in for bed under a heavy cotton sheet.

If his body was a car, it felt like his driver’s seat was getting pushed farther away from the steering wheel. And everything was… so heavy...

Knees too week to hold himself up, he fell back. His shoddy living room table wasn’t nearly enough to support his weight, and he crashed through it. The orchid mantis tank shattered, and ‘Little Mindy’ tumbled out.

He laid on the remains of his table, sucking in a shaky breath. With the wheeze, he could tell it was more involuntary. Johnathan couldn’t move otherwise.

He was stuck in his own body, and his glasses had shoved upwards onto his forehead.

Somehow not seeing his guest anymore distressed him even farther. His eyes could barely focus enough to see, let alone try looking up through his now awkwardly placed glasses.

What had happened to him?

...He was warned about low blood sugar occurring if he didn’t eat much and exerted himself too hard. But, he was just moving his tanks around, th-that shouldn’t have… he was healthy, it couldn’t take...

A small tingling managed to get through his numbed sensations.

His eyes managed to focus enough to see “Little Mindy” walk up his chest, and to his face. He gulped and huffed. The Orchid Mantis tilted its head at him, but proceeded to move past and up his face.

In the process of walking up, Little Mindy’s feet knocked back down his reading glasses. Which now should’ve given his recovering eyesight a good look of the ceiling.

His guest was directly above him, face in shadow and eyes distressingly wide open; Breathing heavy.

What?

Her arms held her up. If it weren’t for the fact she weighed nothing, it’d look like she was pinning him down with her body. With him being unable to move either way, Johnathan felt that way.

She shifted. His guest began to lean down face first. He could hear the light, strained wheezes of her feminine voice. It all got closer before she pressed her forehead against his.

For a brief second, Johnathan felt a cold chill hit his skin and burrow into the layers of flesh underneath it. His brain began to freeze, his body was the dirt for an animal to claw into and-

“AAH!” Johnathan finally snapped up, back into control of his body.

Passing through her sent a wave of cold throughout his entire being. That same sensation of strange pleasant coldness filled him.

Johnathan scrambled upwards; he wheezed and swallowed spit as his heart pounded. He noticed a familiar frost covering him; covering him like a familiar frosted dessert, ready to be devoured.

A sudden, heart clenching thought occurred to him. Fear and elation battled like butterflies in his chest before he flung his head behind him.

His guest appeared to have cannonballed into the shattered table and glass tank. Her listless gaze was back, as if he never talked about his bugs to her.

His legs began to wobble again. He needed food. He stumbled to his pantry and just stuffed the first sugary thing he could find into his mouth. FATE be damned. Crumbs scattered all across his floor and shirt. Hopefully it wasn’t too much.

He leaned against the countertop, and ran fingers through now slick with sweat hair. Deep frantic breaths slowed as his body slowly felt more and more stable.

He couldn’t tell what was scarier. His body failing him again or his guest doing… that. He thought they were having a bonding moment, what was she about to do?

A part of him said she genuinely was about to possess him. It seemed ridiculous. Why would a lady want his body? Another part said she was just worried seeing him collapse. But was she cognitive enough to register him falling?

A smaller voice said it could be both.

Johnathan curled in a bit. Not even a month and he was just so tired of it all. Tired of his body not being under his control anymore. Realizing his body maybe never was.

He glanced to his guest and sighed. Here he was anxious about his body’s health when she didn’t even have one. Would it really have been that bad if she possessed him? She’d probably know how to treat his body better than he could...

Little Mindy scuttled into the kitchen, on the prowl for the elusive crumb.

He sighed and straightened out. First, he’d need to clean up the mess he unintentionally made. His Orchid Mantis would probably need to use the backup tank too.

Tomorrow, he’d have his next gig. Everything was going to be okay.

It’d pay him just enough to get by.

“Quiet on set, please.”

Johnathan took a steadying breath, and focused his camera. This was a company camera, so he had it positioned on a tripod.

Today he was serving as a ‘behind the scenes’ photographer on some movie set. He couldn’t tell you what it was about, and not because he signed an NDA agreement either.

But whatever this slop for the newest billionth streaming service was, it could have been a big break for him. Studios, even cheap ones, tended to pay better than your average small gig. (They save money by not paying their many college interns).

Johnathan, again, was the only one wearing a mask.

“Alright, now remember-,” the director, Fissure something, said, “-this is the scene where the hero finds he was too late to save her from the monster. Big drama.”

It would probably have been more dramatic if they weren’t adding the body in post.

Luckily, it was a simple shot to take. Considering the green screen they needed to do, there was only one angle that really looked good. Made his job easy. Made the vfx company’s job less so.

His own house guest, the woman, was predictably in his shot. Right where the corpse of the female lead was supposed to be. Death imitated art.

“Alright, action!”

A man in armor clanked and jogged up to the woman. “Oh, no, nOo! Farabelle! My cousin twice removed! How coUld this happen to yOu…!?”

Oh no.

The man bent down and grabbed at thin air. If he was supposed to be holding a body with weight and mass, he failed miserably so far.

Then again, Johnathan’s guest sitting there as the man’s arms phased up and down through her probably didn’t serve as good reference.

His guest’s half lidded look didn’t budge, so it didn’t seem to……….. phase her.

Johnathan huffed at his terrible little joke. He clicked the camera whenever it looked halfway presentable. He imagined a cut where they just left her in the film, just like that. Maybe the twist was it was the hero who actually died, and his ghost tried cradling the only unconscious body of his family member.

“I’ll, sniiiiiff, find a way to bring you back, I… I promise!” The actor’s character wiped back tears with one hand and clutched his fist in the other (did he just drop the body?). “YoU can’t end here! Not likE this!” He sobbed over his guest’s form.

God, could this get any worse?

The woman’s head snapped up, eyes wide.

“But if nOt-,” the man sniffled, “-I’ll always remember yOu!”

Her face looked terrified. She whipped her head around, eyes dancing about. It was almost like she was finally aware she was naked in front of god knows how many people.

Johnathan stopped looking through the camera. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Could he say something, anything, that would make sense right now?

“-And sO will MarshAll!”

She stood up.

Johnathan’s heart dropped.

The actor continued to monologue as the woman stood above him. She just kept looking around the room, terrified. Could she be looking for something?

“A-Aaaahh…” She clutched her head. “Aaaah…!” She began to yell in panic.

Johnathan staggered back. “U-Uh, hey-”

“Shh!” An unpaid intern shushed him.

“OoOh Fan-, FarbelleEe!”

“Mgggh-, a-ahh…!” And then the woman lifted off of the ground. She kicked the air a bit and squirmed. She looked like a struggling puppet fighting against the string holding it up. “Rraaah!” She wheezed.

Sweat poured down Johnathan’s back. What could he do?

“...Hey. Hey! We’re not paying you to stand there.” The Director whisper shouted at him, “take the pictures!”

Her head snapped to them. Her eyes locked with his.

“...The hell’s wrong with you, kid? Are you listening to me!?”

She shakily reached out to him, eyes glimmering with tears. His guest gulped, dryly.

“You wanna lose this job!?”

She mouthed something. It could’ve been anything, really. Johnathan couldn’t read lips. Anything he thought would be an assumption at best.

But he still thought she said ‘Help’.

Johnathan paused, puffed out his chest, and walked forward.

The director blinked. “What are you-? What the hell are you doin’!?” He shouted.

“OooOh! Oo-oh?” The actor stopped as Johnathan approached. “Eh? What?”

Johnathan reached out to the squirming woman, trying to grab her hand. But a body got in his way.

“Hey, dude, I think you gotta get off the set. We’re, like, shooting here?” The actor tried reasoning with him, unfortunately standing directly inbetween him and his guest. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“Get him off the set!” The director yelled, smacking yet another unpaid intern.

Johnathan sweated, now distinctly aware that he had absolutely no plan when he walked in. How could he convince an actor someone was really there? The man could barely process a hypothetical one for this movie!

...Oh god, he really was about to go there.

Johnathan immediately pointed at the man. “D-Did you even remotely consider w-what the VFX department would h-have to work with!?”

The actor flinched. “Huh?”

Johnathan turned to all of the crew. “I h-had a perfect sight of the shot, a-and I know you all saw it too! There’s no way we’d be able to cgi a c-corpse in and do it convincingly!”

A couple murmurings of agreement came from the crew.

“What? Really?” The actor sweated. “It was that bad?”

“Y-You just need an example!” Johnathan stammered. “You were just m-moving like the body had no weight, no c-consistency. It’s not just air!”

“I did? Aw man...” He frowned. “What do I do?” The actor pleaded.

“He’s not the director!” The not directing director shouted.

Johnathan sighed, finally feeling some relief. “Here, I’ll lead b-by example.” He reached out his hand and held it in his guests’.

The woman flinched, noticing that his hand only vaguely phased through her own. No actual physical contact happening, she shakily glanced to him.

“Now, imagine a distressed ghost is right in front of me.” Johnathan clarified. “I can’t a-actually touch her, right? But she’s still there, and probably reacts to me.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I asked for a doll but it got denied…”

“Right, so, if we don’t have that,” His guest glanced down as Johnathan put his other hand around hers, “it means I have to m-make sure I stay focused, and not leave where I am.”

“Until the scene is done?”

Johnathan’s eyes were locked with his guest. “As long as it takes.”

The woman’s lip trembled.

Johnathan chuckled. “I h-hope you’re fine with a little demonstration. I’m not really an actor and I’m making this up as I go.”

“Oh, that’s cool! Neither am I. I was a stagehand before the main guy called out.”

Okay. Okay. Not questioning that. He’d just focus on his guest.

“Hey.” He gulped. “I’m here. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re not alone. Not even like that.”

She squirmed again. “A-Ahhh…” Her other arm trembled.

Johnathan squinted at the shaking arm. “What’s-?”

And then, before both of their eyes, the flesh bloodily melted and evaporated up into nothingness. What was nothing but picked clean bones up to her shoulder.

A pressure shot up Johnathan’s throat, before he quickly swallowed it back down. He clutched over a little trying to make sure he managed.

His glasses clattered on the ground at his feet.

He blinked. Just realizing that they slipped out as he tried not to throw up. They had shifted to a blur as they fell off his face.

He looked up.

In one of the most bizarre sights to ever assault his psyche, the world was blurry and impossible to decipher… and the woman was superimposed on top in perfect clarity.

She looked down at her now empty arm, terrified. “A-ah, ah…” She wheezed, glancing to him.

“Y-Your arm…” Johnathan realized he had miraculously managed to keep his pretend grip. His body screamed to stop touching her, to run screaming and never look back. But he grit his teeth and put both hands over hers again. “It’s okay, it’s okay! I’m still here.”

The image was horrific. He imagined how it must have felt going through it. “I… think you’re moving on?”

Her eyes widened. She furrowed for a second, almost like she wasn’t quite sure that was correct. “Aaah…” She wheezed, sadly.

“W-Well, you’re leaving. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to follow.”

Just then, the flesh on one of her legs left. The woman flinched, now looking scared for him. But he maintained his ground, even if he needed to swallow down as hard as he could.

“I’m fine. I’m f-fine.”

Her lip wobbled.

Johnathan wheezed. “I… haven’t known you for long. And I’m still confused on a lot of things, I’m confused where you even come from. Or why me, even!?” Her other leg dissolved, he ignored it. “B-But, it means you got someone to comfort you, when you would’ve been alone through this otherwise.”

She nodded. A strained, small smile appeared on her face.

Johnathan choked. “I-I don’t know where you’re going, but, you’ll always be here.” He put a hand where his heart was. “With me. I don’t think I could forget you even if I tried!” He laughed.

The smile was brighter now, she let out a wheezy chuckle. Then she closed her eyes, and had a peaceful look on her face.

At that moment something glowed bright red into being behind her. They looked like letters or symbols of a language Johnathan didn’t recognize. They formed a circle around her in some sort of sigil.

Her body dissolved, blood flowing into the sigils, into nothingness. Flesh leaping off bone and then bone crumbling upwards to dust. The woman completely broke apart in front of Johnathan’s eyes. But she was calm as she went, hand still held outwards.

The bones crumbled last were the hand Johnathan was holding. The dust sucked into the sigil, which moved from bright red to an even brighter red.

A second later, a distant roar went off, and teeth from some sort of monster appeared around the sigil. It chomped down, bursting into a flash of white light.

And then nothing. Empty air.

Jonathan’s hands fell to his sides.

Air burst out of his mouth. He wasn’t even aware he was holding it in as he crumpled to the ground. Deep breaths clawed for air desperately as he tried to regain his stability.

“Ah… Amazing! The actor exclaimed. “It was really like someone was there!”

Oh, right. Right. There were other people here.

“Here, lemme help you up.” He clapped a hand over Johnathan’s to tug him up.

Then the actor shrieked. “What the!?” The actor jumped in fright.

Johnathan blinked. Then blinked again, realizing he was seeing the actor’s face rather clearly.

Glancing around, everything seemed mostly clear, suddenly. Not perfect, but it felt like he could walk around without worry.

Looking down, he noticed his hands were caked in a bitter frost. It finally registered that his hands were freezing. He couldn’t even pick up his glasses. “Ah.” He simply muttered, realizing that was what the actor was pointing at.

“Oh my God, what happened to your hands!? How did-?”

Johnathan simply stood up. “Mmm…” Should he explain? Would anyone believe him?

He didn’t get much of an answer as the director stomped in his direction.

Johnathan opened his mouth to justify himself, but then closed it. He did what he did and he wasn’t guilty.

The director stared at him for a good five seconds, grimacing. He absently gnawed on his thumb in frustration.

Johnathan held his head high.

“This isn’t your movie to change, and you don’t overstep the director. Leave the camera. You’re fired.” The director spat nonetheless.

Johnathan sadly huffed.

The actor looked incredulous. “Sir, his hands-”

“Get the hell off my set.” The director repeated. “Have to reshoot this now...” He bit his thumb again.

“But… But sir!” The actor pointed at him.

“We have five more scenes to shoot before lunch, you wanna delay them too?” The Director snapped.

“Um, n-no sir, of course.” The actor sheepishly gave up. “Sorry.” He mumbled to Johnathan.

Johnathan just shrugged.

Everyone dispersed back to their designated spots. Except his guest. And just like her, he had nothing left there.

He walked away, not even bothering to pick up the glasses. He didn’t really need them, anymore.

That night, Johnathan ran out of insulin.

Is there an eloquent way to describe someone’s death?

An event that every person has to inevitably face, sooner or much sooner. A contract none consent to, none agree to, but none can escape. Time is what turns every man into prey. Life is equally defined by its predators, then.

Yet time is not always the predator that gets there first.

A predator can come in any shape, any abstract. As long as it kills its prey to swallow, consume them, it was a predator. They can spawn from anywhere.

Even from other predators. Especially from other predators.

Johnathan, for nine grueling days, put up a very strong fight. Just for the possibility that his health would turn around, like some others turned around after getting Covid and similar situations. A hopeful attempt to ‘tough it out’ didn’t work out, but he tried valiantly.

This story is electing to not depict this, for both reasons of taste and for much simpler reasons: the story is not about Johnathan’s suffering, but about what consumed him.

Should he have found workarounds? He didn’t have friends or family to provide him funds. And he was unfamiliar with programs made for this, as this was his first time dealing with such a health scare. And even if he did pass those barriers, were they even effective if so many died every day anyway?

Some might call Johnathan unlucky. Others might recognize him as an inevitable “flaw” in a system.

At this point, to any taking in the words of this series of events, there’s one question posed that would like to be considered:

What devoured Johnathan?

24 years, 8 months, 2 days, and 38 minutes after being born, 24 days after being hospitalized from Covid, 17 days after meeting his ghostly guest, and 9 days after she disappeared in her symbol; Johnathan was finally swallowed whole by the maw.

And popped out the other side.

Chapter Text

Johnathan whimpered.

The burning, twisting dropped deep in his stomach like a weight still ached in him. With every pump of his blood, it still seemed with him.

Then another pump of blood, and it distanced.

Another. Another.

Johnathan huffed as clarity began to return to him. The pain left overwhelming and slowly transitioned into a manageable soreness.

Deep breath. Exhale. Deep breath. Exhale.

He swallowed, thick spit finally going back down. “Mmgh…” Johnathan mumbled, not much different from what he had said for the past several days.

His eyes slowly grew in concern as they took in more of his surroundings.

He was nowhere.

Gone was his sweat drenched bed he couldn’t move out of. Gone was anything, gone was everything.

Johnathan snapped up, but he didn’t. He wasn’t touching anything. There was nothing to snap up from. It was more like he was aware he wasn’t lying down anymore. Every direction he looked was a dark void. All that was left was his body floating in a space that had eaten its own stars.

He… couldn’t tell which way was up or down. He couldn’t tell if there WAS an up or down here. How could one describe a sudden absence of gravity?

Yet an odd feeling welled up in Johnathan’s chest.

He blinked and stepped forward. Then again, and again. There was no indication he was moving, yet somehow he knew he was. There was a sensation pulling him towards something. It was the only thing he could sense here, and he latched onto it like a leech in the summertime.

He didn’t notice his soreness was gone by this point.

He walked. He didn’t know for how long. Perhaps a minute, an hour, or billions of years. He just focused on the only thing feeding his senses and soon saw… it.

A light. He almost worried he forgot what a light looked like. It glowed a wonderful, pleasant orange hue. Like the light of an angler fish in the deep ocean, it was hauntingly beautiful. He stumbled forward, needing it, not caring what could happen if he reached.

Footsteps finally reached him.

“Where… is this? Is someone there?” Said a woman’s voice.

“Hello?” Johnathan hoarsely said back.

The light raised, revealing it to be light coming out of a personal lantern on a stick. The person holding it stepped into his vision.

The woman he had stared at for a full week squinted to get a look at him, now fully clothed in a blue robe, beret, and grey brown underclothes. She looked like she stepped out of a medieval fair.

The woman almost dropped her staff, eyes widening to the size of saucer plates. “Juh...Johnathan...?” She gasped.

Johnathan’s heart swelled. “You… It’s you! Oh G-God it’s you!”

He sprinted forward, wrapping her in the tightest hug he could manage. She, predictably, yelped as he touched her for the first time.

“Johnathan! You-,” she looked over his sickly pale brown body, “-you look terrible...”

“You remembered my name!” He laughed and squeezed harder anyway.

She squeaked from the contact. “O-Of course! You treated me so nicely when I was-,” She furrowed her brow. “But how could I-? Why could you-?” She muttered. “Gosh, this is confusing...”

Johnathan continued to hold onto her tight, his only light in the dark right now.

She patted his back. “Um, I’m not dreaming, right? You are real, Johnathan?”

Johnathan blinked owlishly at her. “I… think I am? What d-do you mean?”

She hummed. “I don’t doubt you, but now I’m really curious how…” She blinked. “Oh! Now hold on, I think introductions are in order.”

She separated from Johnathan, causing an odd sense of longing in him.

She took a step back, putting a hand on her chest and smiling. Oddly, she never un- squinted at Johnathan, giving an almost closed eye look. It was a stark difference to the somewhat hollow look in her eyes as she haunted him. “My name is Falin Touden. I’m a cleric working with my brother, and also my close friend Marcille, on our current home, The Island.”

Johnathan smiled. “Glad to finally know your name, Falin. You already know mine, and that I’m a photographer. I... don’t have many friends I work with.” He chuckled. “...Sorry, but i-is it really just ‘The Island’?”

“You think it’s a bit silly too, right?” She giggled. “Well, there’s Merini Village on it, but the name ‘The Island’ just seemed to stick.” Her expression turned a little more serious. “There wasn’t any reason to pay attention to it until recently. It’s because of what we need to talk about; The Dungeon.”

Johnathan cocked his head. “… Dungeon? Cleric? You’re not talking about, you know, magic and m-monsters and stuff, right? Are you from a different world?”

“I think so.” Falin shrugged. “Though your world of metal and glass contraptions, with energy surging through them, was plenty magical to me.”

Johnathan opened his mouth to retort, but paused. “Touché.” He admitted.

She smiled. “And last I checked, weren’t you being haunted by me?”

His cheeks flared up. “Th-That’s supernatural, totally different.”

She giggled again. “Of course, of course.”

He mumbled, flustered. “Well… So, you a-and your friends are an adventuring party in the dungeon, then? There’s a ton of stories like that from my world, honestly.”

“Oh, really!? You have to tell me about those!” Her eyes sparkled. “But good, you know the basics, at least.” She clapped her hands together. “The Island’s dungeon is special, even compared to other dungeons I’ve heard of.”

“Special?”

She nodded. “People think there’s an immortality spell placed on it, because it keeps souls tethered to people’s bodies when they die. It’s the strangest thing, no human spirit can leave the dungeon.”

Johnathan nodded, before he slowly furrowed his brows. “...But… yours can?”

“Mine shouldn’t be! That’s what I’m curious about! And I can’t stop thinking about the possibilities why! I mean, it was my first time being eaten by a dragon-”

“Y-You were eaten by a dragon!?”

“-But I don’t know anything special about red dragons to cause this kind of event! Normally they inhabit dungeons, but this IS an odd dungeon. From how malnourished the one who swallowed me looked, maybe it was a specially adapted Red Dragon to the abundance of souls in it? Maybe-”

“Okay, okay, slow down.” Johnathan put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m still r-really new to this, remember.”

“A-Ah, you’re right.” Her already rosey blush got that much brighter. “Just, whenever I’m given permission to talk about monsters, I… tend to gush.” She gave a shy smile.

“I know the feeling.” Johnathan smiled, already wondering how many insects were different in her world. “Maybe just, go over the timeline to see what sticks out?”

“Ah, alright, can you hold this then?” She held out her glowing lantern staff.

“Oh, of course.” Johnathan politely let her pass the torch, literally.

He shifted it up and down, getting a feeling for its weight. It weirdly… felt right in his hands. Like he could swing it like a mace if he wanted to. Odd. Childhood baseball years were a misery he wouldn’t wish on even his worst enemy.

Falin crossed her arms and tapped her foot cutely. “It was a routine descent into the dungeon, we’re hired to slay monsters so they don’t spill outside… Because we lost rations we got hungry and tired, and a surprise attack by the red dragon ended up in him biting down on me… I teleported everyone out of the dungeon before he finished eating me…”

She paused, then scratched her head. “...Then I was sitting in an odd room with you and another man.” She nodded. “I think…?”

“...That’s it?” He cocked his head. “No wonder you f-focused on the dragon, I have no idea why you connected to me...”

“Hmm…” Falin pondered. “Where were you, anyway? A healing house? I’ve never seen one like that before.”

“Oh, uh, it’s embarrassing.”

“I won’t bite.” Falin smiled.

“It’s not you who I’m worried about biting.” Johnathan mumbled, now aware of the danger of dragons. “Well… I’d gotten really sick, and I lost my vision, so I needed to go to an opht-,” He squinted his eyes. “An opthal-, an o-ophtomol-,” He scratched his head as his tongue gleefully disobeyed. “An-,”

“An ophthalmologist?” Falin gaped, paused in confusion, then shook her head. “You suddenly needed glasses?”

“...Y-Yeah?”

“Nearsighted?” She pushed.

“I-I could barely see a foot in front of me, okay?”

Falin stared at him. “...Neither can I.”

“What?”

“I’m practically blind as a bat. That’s why I’m always…?” She pointed to her still squinting face.

Both stared at each other as pieces began to click into place.

“No.” Johnathan gasped. “That can’t be-”

Falin was the first to let out an involuntary snort. Immediately, Johnathan wheezed out instinctively after her, unable to not start laughing either.

“Because I suddenly became-!?” Jonathan burst into giggles.

Falin squeaked as she held back. “Ghosts ca-, they usually possess bodies closer to their their old-, their- eheh! Ahaha!”

The two clutched their sides as the laughter continued to spill out like waterfalls. The light of Falin’s lantern bounced about their forms as Jonathan barely held it together. For a brief moment, he felt like he was catching up with his closest friend by campfire.

But, inevitably, their bodies managed to calm to a standstill river’s. Johnathan was the first to speak up. “So, you and I connecting w-was nothing more than a coincidence…?”

“Judging by your bug collection, well,” Falin blushily smiled, “I’d say we simply shared a lot in common. Maybe we were, eheh, gosh, what if we’re soulmates?”

“Us two?” He chuckled. “Really?”

“Yes! Wouldn’t it be amazing? Our souls so linked it breaks the barriers between worlds?”

“Mmm, I guess.” Johnathan grunted, strangely resistant to the idea in his mind. He paused, absorbing everything more like a whirlpool takes in ships. “Falin?” He finally asked.

“Yes, Johnathan?”

“Am I dead?”

She staggered backwards. After a couple of seconds fiddling with her hands and biting her lip, very convincingly visualizing he’s completely safe and healthy, she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry… There’s a very high chance you are, yes.” She said with a sad, knowing smile.

“Oh.” Johnathan slowly lowered himself, and rested on the vacuum of the void. He almost worried he’d just keep sinking if he didn’t wish to be near Falin. “I see.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Sorry, I’m just not sure it’s really hit me yet. It’s-,” Johnathan chuckled, a couple tears forming in his eyes. “Is it weird, that, when I noticed was I wasn’t hurting anymore, I felt weirdly relieved?”

“Oh, Johnathan…” Falin bent down, and softly hugged him in embrace.

They stayed like that for a moment. Just silently together in the empty nothing of the universe. A bit somber, a bit sad. But, there, together.

Johnathan shuffled in her arms. “So what happens now? Are we moving on?”

Falin blinked. “Moving on?”

“Like, to the afterlife? We’re both d-dead, aren’t we?”

Falin’s mouth formed a little ‘o’ shape. Either Falin had just miraculously gained better eyesight, or she had a different reason to suddenly be looking at him with wide eyes.

“...What?” Johnathan asked. “Y-You said you were eaten by a dragon…”

“Um… well…” Falin fiddled with her hands again. “Perhaps I should show you?” Falin stood up, holding her hand out for her lantern staff.

Johnathan silently complied. As it left his hands, a hollow echo of its cool metal remained on his hands. Bizarre.

It didn’t last though. Because when Falin held out her other hand for him, softly smiling as always, him grabbing it swiftly quieted the ache. She quietly started walking, leading him in a seemingly random direction.

He didn’t quite know what to make of it.

Johnathan felt as if he’d known Falin his whole life, despite knowing her for a little over a week. Heck, considering she was so out of it when haunting him, it was more like ten minutes. Yet he immediately trusted her with whatever she was doing.

It made him wonder if they really were soulmates. It was appealing, he admitted, but it also felt… not quite there, either. When he thought of them being connected, the image that popped into his head first wasn’t her and him, but her and...

Gah, maybe he was just attaching to the first person he could after he died. He’d just go with that for now.

By then, they had been walking for a few minutes now. Falin was currently holding her staff up, as if to illuminate a path forward. Not that there was anything TO illuminate, but she seemed confident enough to keep going.

"I think we’re close.” She spoke up, still walking.

Johnathan cocked his head, a light tickle brushing his shoulder. “How can you tell?”

“It feels right.” Falin squeezed his hand, glancing back with a smile.

Then she gave him a quizzical look.

“Everything o-okay?” He asked.

“Oh, yes, just…” Falin seemed to struggle seeing him, judging by her squint. She raised her lantern to bring him more into the light. “Was your hair always that-?”

A sharp breath inward.

He exhaled.

In. Out. In. Out.

His form brushed against a soft, plush form underneath him. It’s soft frame lovingly embraced him like any bed should.

Johnathan… woke… up?

The familiar ache of living parasitically wormed back into his body. The slow rot of life that he didn’t know one could be separated from settled back in.

He lapped it up like a starving animal.

Content that, yes, he was definitely alive again, he initially assumed he had simply had a strange dream. Probably brought on by the terrible shakes the night before. Not aware what time it was, he wished to rub his eyes clear of sleep and look towards the window for an indication.

His arm, neck, and head didn’t move.

Johnathan’s first instinct was to flinch, or freeze. But obviously his muscles didn’t respond to his actions. And in that moment he realized his breathing wasn’t under his control, despite him consciously being aware of it. And so he tried over and over again to move in ever growing panic.

Wait, this wasn’t his first rodeo with sleep paralysis. Why was he panicking so hard? He should’ve known better. He just temporarily lost all control over his body. 

Dead dead dead dead he was dead his eyes were rotting he was blind why didn’t his body listen to him-

His face scrunched up suddenly. The sensation of a headache similarly washed over him.

Huh?

“Johnathan, everything’s okay. You’re safe, alright?” The sound of a familar voice came from a place he couldn’t begin to describe. Then his arms, still not under his control, raised to clutch the sides of his head. “S-Sorry, but, you were really loud…”

He vaguely registered his lips were moving.

Falin? Is that you? Johnathan mentally recoiled as his body still refused to listen to him.

“The one and onl-mggh.” She squeaked out a cough.

You can hear me? A-Are you okay?

“Oh, I might just be parched.” Horrifyingly, Johnathan felt his hand reach up and rub… his…? “My throat’s weirdly hoarse…” Falin’s voice said as his fingers tapped his own throat. Without his input.

It was a miracle Johnathan didn’t short circuit on the spot. ...I’m not speaking. ...Right?

“There’s more than one way to communicate.” She politely said. “Remember how I said the dungeon had an immortality spell put on it?”

W-Well, yeah. Johnathan would’ve coughed if he could. Speaking like this felt he was speaking through a tube, twenty feet from his own body (Maybe he was). But you accidentally escaped to me and… wait.

“Yes?”

Wait, wait, wait! Johnathan’s mind raced to when Falin first separated from him. When you first left me, there was-, these strange symbols popped out of nowhere! Was that it? Did dungeon magic pull you back?

“Close.” He felt the ghost of her smile. “Those were Marcille’s symbols, actually. She was the one who resurrected me in the dungeon.” She whispered. “She’s sleeping right next to me, by the way.”

...RESURRECTIONS EXIST!? Johnathan half squealed in giddiness. L-Like, like real come back from the dead resurrections!? That f-fictional thing!?

Falin let out a hearty giggle at his excitement. “Like ghosts?”

Oh c’mon, throw me a bone here!

“I would, but all mine got used up bringing me back.” Johnathan’s tongue stuck out playfully.

He plblblb’d back. But that’s so COOL! I-It means that, that something about this place is so strong it can pull you back from another reality, even after you connected to me! Persisting after death! I-, He mumbled sheepishly. Well, o-okay maybe I’m doing that right now, but… you’re alive, and… and…

“And?”

And you’re… alive right now, and I’m… dead. And you’re talking… to me. But I’m not speaking and you… can hear me. Like as if...

His right hand’s pointer finger playfully tapped the side of his head. An amazing level of focused action considering it was acting totally out of his control.

...Falin, w-what’s happening?

“What do you think is happening, Johnathan?” She teased knowingly. The kind of way that it felt like she wanted him to blush.

And amazingly, he felt the idea of burning heat in his cheeks. Y-You… in my apartment you were so out of it. Like most of you was just missing, or something. He thought it over even harder. B-But I’m here now and speaking to you perfectly normal. Like all of me accidentally got dragged back with you rubber band style. L-Like…I’m…We...

Falin waited patiently. Johnathan thought he heard a small coo come out of her, strangely. But, he couldn’t run from reality’s game with him. One couldn’t bite off more than one could chew if they had no jaw anymore. Then, he finally blurted it out.

I’m in a woman’s body. He whispered to the only one in the universe who could hear him.

Falin squeaked in delight. “Silly, that’s a funny way to refer to my body while I’m still in it.”

In a state where he already couldn’t move, Johnathan froze even more. Much like the sensation of life creeping back into him, the clarity of what form he had taken on began seeping in. The light tickle of shoulder length hair against a plush face. The larger midsection softly weighing on the soft bed underneath it. The way the body breathed and the swell of its large-

Oh. Oh gosh. Oh my gosh. I’m s-s-sorry-, I-, Oh my gosh, oh my g-g-gosh. He sputtered out incoherently. I’m sorry, I-I’m so sorry-

“You’re apologizing?” Falin giggled softly.

I mean-, I’m-, I’m a man, a-a-a-and if-, if that’s not appropriate I just-, I don’t want you to feel gross a-a-and-, His speech spiraled like a broken records, before finally: Are you alright? He squeaked.

She shushed, gently caressing their her cheek. “I’m fine.” It was unnerving how natural the sensation of the soft cheek squishing felt to him. “Do I sound distressed to you?”

Well, shouldn’t you be worried about, um, like, a man controlling-, a ma-, a m-me possessing you?

Falin softly smiled. “Johnathan, the only thing you’ve managed to possess are my cheeks.” She tapped her currently inflamed cheeks. Oh God they were burning from his feelings and his embarrassment and and and- “Eheh!” Falin giggled. Don’t worry, I knew this would happen when I led you back.”

You… instinctively knew?

Falin considered that for a moment. “...Johnathan, can I confess something? This is something I’ve never told anyone else. I… want to know if you feel it too.”

He considered it, and again the feeling of fully trusting Falin, despite all evidence to the contrary, filled his being. Sure. Go ahead. He replied meekly.

Falin nodded. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been unnaturally gifted at spirits and ghosts. I don’t know why myself, but I could always see spirits of the deceased in perfect clarity. And just… know things about them.”

She coughed. “Sorry, still parched. But that could be weird sometimes, considering…” She waved a blur in front of her face. Her everpresent squint didn’t seem to help her sight, honestly.

That happened to me! Johnathan exclaimed. When, y-you left, everything around you went blurry and you were more clear than anything I’ve ever seen in my life.

She nodded again. “And when I looked at you, in that void, I just suddenly knew I could bring you back with me. Keep you in the back of my head for safekeeping, maybe until we can get you a…” she paused weirdly “...body, or something like that.”

Wow… is that why I can’t move?

“Ah, sorry!” Falin squeaked. “I didn’t mean for that to be distressing. I just wanted to protect you, but if I let you in fully, our souls would mix together. And… And…”

Johnathan felt Falin slowly tap her pointer fingers together awkwardly. ...What is it?

“Sorry, it’s-, I’m worried you’ll laugh at me for this next part. I haven’t actually confessed my secret yet.”

You h-h-haven’t!? He stuttered in disbelief. Jeez. That’s already so… He sighed. Well, you saved my soul, so I should at least h-hear you out, right?

“...You promise you won’t laugh?”

Literally, how could I?

She squeaked out a giggle. “Oh, right. Eheh.”

She opened her mouth a couple times, words dying in her parched throat a couple of times. “I wondered what it felt like.”

What what felt like?

“...Being possessed.”

…

...What.

Falin squeaked. “I got curious! I see so many spirits every day, especially in the dungeon. They take control of corpses, or accidentally get jumbled in when you resurrect someone. You try not wondering after seeing ghosts hover around you your whole life…!”

You wanted to be consensually possessed? Johnathan asked, incredulous.

“J-Just a little possession.”

A little!?

“Maybe! I-, ugh.” Falin rolled onto her side, face squishing against the feathery plush of the bed. “Just, what would it feel like to have someone else in your mind, in your very soul? It’s been eating away at me ever since I was a child...”

Johnathan considered that. Falin in his apartment for just a week made him deathly curious. An entire lifetime must have been…

...W-Well, how do I feel?

“You?” Falin smiled. “Pleasantly warm.”

He felt Falin’s cheeks begin to burn again. It was hard to admit it, but she was right. He got this sensation of brushing up against a delightfully, almost achingly joyful presence. And again, strangely natural.

“Oooh! Now you’re very warm! Like butterflies in my stomach! Can you feel that?” Falin giggled, passively placing a hand on her tummy. The light movement made her arm brush against her chest and-

He felt Falin’s cheeks burn white hot.

“May I take that as a yes?” She grinned.

His brain, or Falin’s, would have surely broke if he processed anything else more than that, so he pushed anything lower than the stomach as far away from his mind as possible.

Falin snorted. “I’m not quite sure you can do that forever....” He got the feeling she tried wiggling her toes, but didn’t feel anything due to his very strong and determined mental blocking. “Huff, that’s… weirdly effective.” She mumbled.

My very effective and super n-n-necessary mental blockade. Johnathan replied robotically.

Falin snorted. “Gods, and here I was thinking you weren’t even real last night!” She giggled harder. “And now you’re here making it hard to feel my legs…!”

Something pinged in Johnathan’s soul at that. Like a notable discrepancy between him and Falin he only just realized was present.

...Last night? Why last night specifically? He finally asked.

“Oh, well,” Falin pleasantly answered. “Marcille used the resurrection spell on me, bringing me back to life here. But I knew the dungeon held all souls into it through the immortality spell. So, as I rejoined with her and my brother, I naturally assumed it was an odd dream I had while dying. I, uh, didn’t tell anyone about you. I’m really sorry about that.”

N-no, Falin, that’s not what I meant. Johnathan did his best impression of shaking his head.

Falin’s brows furrowed. “What?”

It’s been nine days since I last saw you. Why did you say last night?

Falin’s mouth opened. Then closed. “Uh.” She scratched her head. “Because… I went to sleep last night with Marcille? I’m in the same…” Falin’s hand brushed against the soft form (a bed?) underneath her hand. “It has to be the morning after...”

Well, you said you teleported people out of the d-dungeon, and it took… a week and a day for you to get resurrected on my end. Johnathan argued. How long did it take for them to get to you?

Falin began to sweat. “A week and a day exactly.”

See, isn’t that odd? Why would it be different now?

“But…” Falin muttered. “The only other explanation is… Marcille? Marcille?”

As Falin’s voice rose, Johnathan realized that she had simply been whispering to him their whole conversation. A voice will always sound louder if it’s coming from inside one’s own body, after all.

“Marcille? Wake up, please?” Falin rolled her body around on the bed to face where, Johnathan assumed, Marcille was supposed to be.

Falin’s eyes failed to see another figure next to her in the darkness. Patting where the woman should have been turned up no results either.

Maybe turn on a light?

Falin complied. With a raise of her arm, she muttered out some bizarre words he couldn’t make heads or tails of. (Incredibly odd feeling of speaking words you didn’t know) Johnathan could feel a surge of, well, what he could only describe as real life magic (eee!) flowing from Falin’s chest and up her limb. Immediately, small balls of light bubbled up out of her hand, illuminating the space around them.

If there was a competition to determine ‘the most confusing things to shed some light on’, Johnathan had a feeling that what they both saw was pretty up there.

They appeared to be sleeping on the body of a giant headless chicken.

...W-What in the name of-?

“What?” Falin muttered, running a hand through, what both of them assumed had been a bed, but were instead clean, beautiful feathers. “This isn’t where I…”

Is this even a bed? He muttered.

“It’s definitely not any monster I know, but how-?” A splash of red caught both their eye. She raised her arm, which had the sleeve of what appeared to be a classically styled shirt. “My sleeve…!” Falin gasped, seeing the end of it encrusted in blood. “When did-?”

Um, F-Falin? Johnathan spoke up.

“Oh, um. My gosh, I’m so sorry Johnathan, I didn’t mean to freak you out with-, um-,” She raised her other sleeve, shocked to find it’s end similarly encrusted in blood. “How-?”

And I don’t want to freak you out too, but, um, d-didn’t you say you were so nearsighted you could hardly see?

Falin staggered, letting the implication of his words flow over her.

She slowly let her eyes creak open wider. All the way open, and the squint she had built up her whole life suddenly felt like a distant memory. Holding her slightly bloodied, dirty hands out, she pulled them in, then out, over and over like ocean waves. To her utter shock, the amount of detail didn’t slip through her fingers like always.

Falin’s eyesight had magically cured itself.

“...I need to talk to Marcille.” She tried pushing her body off of the strange, feathery place she found herself on. Her legs disobeyed, and she flopped strangely on top of the feathers. “J-Johnathan, I’m sorry, but can you stop blocking my legs like that? I can’t feel them.”

...But I’m not doing anything. He whispered.

Falin paused, slowly and finally looking down at her legs.

Where there were supposed to be limbs laid a mass in the shape of her legs, covered in plumage like the odd bed underneath her. “Uh…” Her hands reached to find the seam separating her body from this thing covering her up. But as her fingers trailed between the feathers, it… but, no. All the way to her stomach? How-, “Uhhhhhh…?” She continued to spill out in shock.

Skin...? Johnathan felt the fingertips touch what was underneath the feathers.

Falin gulped.

Then, in a body sensation more disturbing than his experience of dying, Johnathan felt Falin’s flesh bend forward where her hips or lower thighs would be. Muscles that shouldn’t be flexing, bones missing, and anatomy that was anything but human moving their torso up. It bent them like Falin’s form had been fused to a giant door hinge and buried in the bizarre chicken bed below.

Falin’s remaining human body flopped forward as awkwardly as a handpuppet’s. “Uhh…!” She was sweating bullets now. “Uhh, this is…!?”

Both of them shrieked as the world quickly sunk before them. Or maybe the platform they were on rose?

Simultaneously, the strange sensation of standing up accompanied the change in elevation.

Falin's body blinked, terribly lost, then looked down.

Under the giant mass of feathers were two enormous, familiar looking dragon legs directly below. Like they were… their body's...

Johnathan felt Falin trying to wiggle her toes.

The four digit dragon feet’s toes curled and uncurled below.

N-no way. Johnathan panicked.

“This is…” Falin sweated.

I’m, w-w-we’re, your body-,

“This is…!”

Falin clutched her arms against her sides, and curled tighter and tighter. Then, eyes glimmering and fists balled, she exploded back out.

“SOOOOOOO COOOOOL!” She screamed seeing her new, gigantic dragon chimera body.

Johnathan sputtered incoherently. D-D-Drag. Guh. Bwuh.

“I-I’m the dragon! Am I the dragon who ate me!?” Falin gawked, twisting her fleshy upper, er, upper upper torso around to get a better look at herself. “Did I get fused with its corpse!?”

A massive form that was befitting of a dragon. Giant wings as great as the wingspan of ten men. Past the halfway point, beautiful red scales armored the form and trailed into a tail almost as big as a car.

Hub, hubwush. Aoub. Johnathan continued to slur out as the sensations of having such a form washed over him.

“Is it because-woah!” The massive form of the chimera body stumbled forward. Johnathan could feel every muscle twitch as Falin attempted piloting the mighty monster. “Sorry, is this because I was resurrected with Dragon meat!? Marcille and the others didn’t mention how much of me was missing, was it almost all of me…? Is that why…!?”

Abwuhasoibu?

“This is amazing!” Falin screeched. “It feels so natural, I didn’t even realize my body was different and-, oh my goodness, I have a tail!” The massive thing wagged back and forth from her excitement. “Oh, brother will HAVE to see this!”

SiubhSiosboiLAIOSsubSVyisukjsh…?

The little prancing Falin was doing slowed down. “Uh, Johnathan, are you alright?” Falin spoke more softly. “You’re keysmashing on me-oh!”

She meant to put a hand to her heart, but all she got was the thick plumage of feathers pooling out of her shirt’s collar. It pushed the neckhole more open than her already generous chest usually would.

Ah. Johnathan calmly communicated.

Then he instantly passed out.

“Oh, that’s not good-,” Falin’s consciousness quickly snapped out of her body.

Elsewhere, yet not at the same time, a monster woke up.

Confused as to why he was already standing, he checked his immediate surroundings for any potential threat. The light surrounding him made it easy to see that there was a lack of other monsters around, as usual around his presence. He got to see the usual buildings of the stone human nests in an orange hue. He was under a pleasant bridge for shelter, at least.

His eye caught the small orbs of fire above him. Curious, he reached up to touch it. The shining sphere seemed to phase harmlessly through his newly acquired paw. When he moved, they seemed to follow him casually.

He hummed pleasantly. He somehow knew this was like a thing called a ‘sun’, that shone down on the ground outside.

He had never seen it before… it made him feel… warm.

But his legs, as always, obeyed his previous orders. Any semblance of original thoughts disappeared down, sand being filtered through a sifter shaken by clutching, small dark hands.

He needed to… find...

“Lord Delgal…” He muttered as he trudged forward.

Falin popped back into the void, sliding in circles accompanying the sound of a hand being dragged across glass.

She squeaked when her boot bumped up against someone’s plush thigh. It took her a second to recognize the long haired man she bumped up against was Johnathan.

“Oh! Hello Johnathan.” She said in a crystal clear tone without needing to strain herself. With another little “Oh! My voice?” she clutched her neck. Was it easier to speak here because she was no longer a chimera here, or because she really was just parched?

“H-Hello… Falin.” Johnathan was curled into a ball (strangely familiar) and taking deep breaths. “Um, sorry. I think I kn-knocked you out on accident...”

Falin smiled brightly. “Oh! That? If anything, it may explain why I’ve been out for nine days.” She lit her lantern up, letting the light wash over both of them. “Dragons are large, magic hungry monsters. So one human spirit might not have enough energy to pilot it on their lonesome. It’s quite interesting!”

“Um, yeah…” Johnathan mumbled, glancing shyly away from her.

Falin tilted her head. All of the sudden, the man seemed unable to meet his eyes with hers. Now that wouldn’t do! They were sharing her new improved ones now! She took a few steps to get into his vision, and Johnathan tried awkwardly looking away even harder.

He glanced, possibly to check if she was still there, and accidentally locked eyes with her. A full body flinch and his head swiveled away with a snap. He looked uncomfortably sweaty, face beet red.

Falin chuckled. “Ahh, I think I know what this is about…” She gently bent down and placed the staff on the ground. “That must’ve been a lot to take in at once, right?”

Johnathan shifted. “...Yeah.” He shyly turned back to her, blush dying down. “It’s so different, especially… d-down there.” He winced admitting it.

Falin smiled. She couldn’t blame him, she met so many guys who insisted it was important!

A thought suddenly occurred to her. Of course! Now that would definitely cheer Johnathan up!

“Don’t worry!” She cheerfully grabbed his hands, and Johnathan looked up to her in awe. “If it makes you feel better, I believe we fused with a male dragon. So underneath the body should still be a-!”

“That’s not the poOo-o-O-oint!” Johnathan interrupted her with a sobby whine.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry!” Falin waved her hands. “It’s just-, I thought-, oh no, saying that would just make it worse...”

“Just say iiit.” Johnathan dropped his head pathetically.

Falin hemmed and hawed, not wanting to upset him further. “Well, you did try blocking out having my genitalia so hard I assumed that was why I couldn’t feel my legs...”

Johnathan looked like he was a second away from protesting, near screeching a rebuttal at the top of his lungs. Then his cheeks puffed out as a sputter escaped his lips. “Pfffft. I-I did, didn’t I?”

“You’re not upset?” Falin wrung her hands.

“...Still a little, but, thanks.” The man smiled.

Falin felt a weight in her chest melt away. “Phew…” With a gentle plop, she sat her butt next to him.

They sat in silence for a couple seconds, looking into the darkness. It was a bit serene, with both of them letting the other think.

To Falin, it was hard not to gush how excited it was to have Johnathan with her. There was another person! Another soul! With hers! And he accepted her possession interest!

Ah…she hoped her wonderful Marcille would accept it, when Falin built up the courage to confess.

Falin scooted closer, and bumped her shoulder to his. “Mmm, think about how lucky you are.”

“Lucky?” Johnathan scoffed.

“Yeah, your first monster you see in this world, and it’s a red dragon!” A sudden worry gripped her. “Oh! And don’t be worried if you hit the peak already! Trust me, even the smallest monsters are just as interesting. You’ll love them, I just know it.”

Johnathan let out a choked laugh. “You don’t have to worry about that. Bug freak that I am.” He bit his lip, a sudden foggy look blanketing his eyes. “Mmm...”

Falin watched the speck of light in Johnathan’s features flicker. Clearly uncertain about certain small things he left behind.

A shame, considering he clearly gave them enough food to last weeks. They’d probably survive long enough to get new owners.

Falin shook her head, suddenly a bit out of it. Now was no time to focus on her brain roommate’s old pet situation. Her head was a second chance, not a depression prison of the mind.

...There was something about Johnathan that had changed from their first visit. Maybe she could subtly let himself notice.

Johnathan was currently looking up as if staring at the stars, and not a gaping void of nothing. Strangely, Falin felt compelled to join him. If she intertwined her hand with his, it’d be just like stargazing…

She took a deep breath, looked to her star in the night, then closed her eyes.

Exhale. Another breath inward. A heartbeat. A small plip of a drop of water. A breath. Heartbeat. An invisible vibration scattered across the surface. Air. Blood. Water. It all flooded in and out of her.

She vaguely registered a startled shuffling on grass. “Wait, what’s-? Huh!?” Followed by more frantic shuffling on grass.

Air. Blood. Water. Air. Blood. Water. Air Blood Water Air Blood Water Flesh Meat Veins Flesh Meat-

Light.

Falin’s mace suddenly straightened in mid air as if held by magnets, and rocketed upwards.

As the lantern traveled up, it’s light permanently revealed the indoor cave the two of them seemed to be in. A small dome underground with a hole in the ceiling, which let sunlight pour into the damp cavern. A small island of grass and dirt and surrounded by water brought a much more natural feel than the artificial nature of the dungeon her new body was in.

And there they were, in the natural dungeon she had shown her fellow student Marcille, years ago.

Her mace (which she had named ‘Akari’ but that was not technically relevant now) dropped back to ‘earth’. “Oop.” Falin cooed and snatched it from its fate of an impromptu golf flag. “Ah! There we go.” She gently placed it on the soil and rough, moist earth. “How do you like it?”

Johnathan looked around in awe. “You did th-this? It’s… beautiful. How?”

“It’s my head, I simply figured I’d clean up a little.” Falin chuckled.

She slowly held out her free hand to him.

Johnathan blinked, but cautiously accepted.

The soft skin of fingertips grazed each other, and again Falin felt complete. There’s a certain feeling when a person swings their arm hard enough, that their blood rushes to their fingertips. To Falin, that magnetic pull was what it felt like whenever any of her made contact with the man. Perhaps because the ‘meat’ was imaginary, it truly felt like there were no divisions between her and Johnathan.

She breathed in the bubbly feelings, then happily walked forward. The island was bigger than it should have been in reality. That was what she got for remembering a naturally occurring dungeon she visited as a young teenager. Nonetheless, she led Johnathan to the water surrounding them.

Johnathan flinched, not taking another step to the water. “Falin, there’s m-monsters in there.” He explained.

“There’s-?” Falin chuckled. “Maybe slimes when I was a child, but this isn’t that dungeon, is it?”

He slowly blinked. “That’s… right. Sorry. I was just… huh.”

“I can assure you,” she said, “there’s no monsters in my head. Just you, and you’re my guest, okay?”

“...Okay.” Johnathan proceeded forward, letting her gently guide him to the water.

Before long, he got to the water and saw a similar looking figure reflected between the light ripples. “Is...Is that m-me? I look...”

Falin gently brushed a hand through Johnathan’s now almost shoulder length hair. “Your hair’s longer. It’s pretty~.” She cooed.

“Mmg-ggh.” His cheeks flushed as bright as her own. But he had the ingenious thought of hiding behind the only thing he could: his new long locks. “It’s never been this long.” He murmured behind the curtain of hair pulled over his blush.

“Do you like it?”

Johnathan hesitated. “...M-My family was a military one. I just… barely dodged them sending me to school for it, war photographer, what I told them. But they always demanded I kept my hair so short. Just like…” He curled a strand of hair around his finger.

“But do you like it?”

Johnathan fiddled with his new bangs for another silent moment, clearly turning something over and over in his mind, a rotation with no end. “I don’t look like h-him, right?” He finally blurted out.

Falin answered automatically. “You look nothing like dad.”

She slowly, silently put her free hand over her mouth.

“Um-, eheh, I’m sorry Johnathan. I meant your dad,” Who she had never seen before. “Not mine, I-, I don’t know why I said that.”

His face curled in confusion, before suddenly untensing. Judging by his expression, some manner of puzzle pieces had come together for him. “No, it’s okay.” He reassured her. “It’s like w-what you said to Laios when his hair was long.”

Johnathan, monkey see monkey do, similarly put his hand over his mouth. “...You didn’t tell me your brother’s name.”

Falin gaped at him, fists curled and shaking as the excitement only swelled bigger and bigger in her.

“My mind! You’re in my mind!” Falin started flapping her hands wildly and bouncing like she had tacks in her shoes. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” She spun around the small dungeon island like a top. “Your memories are leaking into mine because I’m storing you here!”

“And yours into-, oh god... Falin, aren’t you scared?” He asked.

“Are you joking!?” She swung around. “I have memories of another soul, of another world!” She could feel her energy wanted to leap out of her body. “That’s how I knew your pets were going to be okay, and what a keyboard is!” She paused. “...Although what a computer is currently eludes me. Oh, whatever, this is just so exciting!”

Johnathan anxiously wrapped his hair around one of his fingers. “...How?”

“Oh, well, when two souls inhabit one body-”

“No! How are you so c-c-calm!?”

She flinched. “Calm?”

“Your body got transformed into a dragon, y-your mind is slowly changing from m-me invading it, I just-,” He threw his arms down. “You told me it m-must’ve been a lot to deal with, but how are you managing?”

Falin frowned. “Johnathan, I made the choice to bring you with me. That was my risk to take, I knew the consequences.”

She placed a hand on his pleasantly smooth cheek. The familiar, electric warmth pulsed between them again.

Johnathan seized the second the warmth connected, smacking her hand away. The light discomfort returned to Falin. “But e-even if you knew the consequences, how do you keep living when your body keeps…” His fingers looked seconds from tearing into his shirt sleeve, “-changing without your c-control?” He practically sobbed.

Falin’s boots shuffled in the grass. She eyed the sun peeking in through the roof of the cave, still in the same position she remembered it being the very last time she visited. This dungeon had almost certainly changed in small ways too.

To a certain degree, Falin didn’t handle change well. She ran away from the magical academy she had been enrolled in. She still clung to her brother’s and school friend’s sides. She was just as obsessed with spirits as she was as a child. Falin… hadn’t changed much in her 23 years on this planet, things changed at her.

“I guess… I try to focus on the things that haven’t changed, even when things shift around me.” She gripped her staff. “Who I am on the inside doesn’t change, even after everything’s that happened.”

“And what if I change from who I thought I was before?”

“Johnathan...” Falin took a step closer. “You didn’t get longer hair because you’re in my body. This is a visual of the most genuine you there is, which means in a way, you haven’t changed.” She smiled. “And I couldn’t be more honored for the privilege to see your most genuine self.”

“Even if that me is… well, with you?”

She smiled knowingly. “Are you saying you want to take my body for a joyride?”

Johnathan’s cheeks turned a dark apple red. “W-W-Well, it’s not like-, l-, like you said, you n-need me conscious to be in control of you body now, s-so…”

Falin pushed her hand out further. “Soooo?”

Johnathan curled in and out, clearly failing to hold back his curiosity. He stared at his reflection in the water.

Something splashed.

“Mmm?” Falin turned to the noise behind her. She only saw a glimpse of it, but she swore she saw a red mass of something dive back into the water. It kind of looked like the glimpse she got of her own new tail.

“Huh?” Falin wondered what that could’ve possibly been. Nothing like that had existed in this natural dungeon, so why…?

Johnathan didn’t seem to notice, or care. “...That dragon body’s new for you too, so if I join it’d mean you wouldn’t be alone… M-Maybe I should just bite the bull-”

Crunch.

Falin swirled back and almost collapsed at the sight.

The head of the same Red Dragon that ate her had, somehow obeying the space of this tiny dungeon, emerged from the water and clamped it’s mouth onto Johnathan. The man’s legs poked out, but everything else was obscured behind teeth just as large as he was.

“Johnathan!” Falin shrieked.

In a panic mode, her first instinct was to grab his legs and pull him out. Her hand touched his leg and-

Confused there was nothing in his jaw, he emerged from the water of the tiny lake. When did he get here? Where was his prey?

...Why didn’t his desire to search suffocate his desire to eat anymore?

Chapter Text

Her little body carried her through the night covered house.

Every creak of wood under her feet sent sweat down her spine. She couldn’t light a candle for this.

It had been half a day since Laios was briefly possessed in that graveyard. She did what the spirit asked, and told the adults that showed up how to help him move on.

Apparently the fear on their faces had actually been them reacting to her being able to know that. She didn’t notice it at the time, something had started bubbling up in her attention so much it threatened to boil over and smother the flames underneath her soul.

Gently as could be she opened the door to her father’s room. As village chief, he was the one considered responsible with it.

No, when the girl saw what happened she suddenly got an ineffable desire lodged in her throat. A deep longing. A strong resonation.

She reached into the little box, hands clammy, and pulled out the little golden ring.

A hunger.

Soft snores escaped from the bed on the one side of the wall. She hadn’t been noticed. None of the dogs had started barking. It was working. Just a second was all she needed. And she needed it.

She didn’t know how else to convey the overwhelming feeling in her body. She wished her body could be compressed down, smushed until her childlike fantasy escaped into the air perfectly conveyed for anyone who saw it. As if an angel could slip out of a squashed leather balloon.

She rolled the little golden band, much too large for her tiny fingers. It had little intricate etchings along its sides, clearly showing it’s elfsman quality.

This object had anchored the recently deceased Olman (tragically passed away at the age of twenty) to his mortal flesh and bone. It took two dumb kids wandering into the graveyard for his immortal soul to try to escape.

She licked her lips.

Finger slowly approaching the open air between the golden curse, she could feel his presence ever so faintly still tied to it. He had moved on, but he wasn’t too far away yet.

She could feel his life… she could maybe pull him back if she just…

A large, rough hand grasped the wrist of her ring holding hand.

Her father’s face was almost totally masked by the darkness around them.

She almost reflexively screamed, before another hand smothered her mouth. “Child.” Her father said sternly. “Don’t. Be silent.” He glanced back to her still sleeping mother.

She winced, but nodded her head regardless.

“Give the ring to me.”

Her skin clutched tighter against the metal.

“Now.” He demanded.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, but relinquished her prize anyway.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, accepting it in his now freed hand.

The child, now free to speak, defended. “Father-”

“What did you plan to do with this?” He spoke sternly.

“I-,” The words couldn’t come out. She didn’t know how to say it. “I could feel him. I thought if-, if he wasn’t stuck to a body under the ground, what if someone alive like-?”

“No.”

“But-!”

“No. Child.” His large palms reached to her shoulders and gripped. He dug into them hard, just like he always did. “He passed. It’s his place to move on. Young as he was.”

Tears prickled the corners of her eyes. “But why?”

“Everyone has to.” He sighed. “It’s just not right to bring someone back. It’s against nature.”

The child’s head fell. “I… I don’t understand.”

He paused. “Promise me you will not think to do this again. As long as you live.”

“Father?”

“You’ll realize why as you’re older. Just promise to me for the time being.”

Why, if he said it was wrong, did her body want it so? No, not want, she knew that was the real her. And now seeing what she could be and still wasn’t caused a dull ache to throb in her being. A phantom pain for a phantom possession.

It didn’t make sense to desire it so, but she just knew that’s what felt natural to her. And the deceased got a second chance too. Wasn’t that enough…?

“...I promise.” She whispered, almost choking on her lie.

He sighed. “Good.” His grip finally slacked on her. “Go to bed.”

She obliged, salty water and snot tickling her cheeks, and silently trudged away.

“And stop crying,” he sneered, “it makes you look like a ■■■■■■, Johnathan.”

“W-What?” The little girl flinched.

“Johnathan? Johnathan!?”

The man blinked.

...No, the body he was in blinked. Falin blinked.

The sensation of his new, fantastic body assaulted his senses. The way Falin’s feathers popped out of her skin. The pull and bend of her wings. How the scales bent against one another.

Alive in the flesh, again.

Fal...in…? Her friend in her head slurred out.

Falin put a hand to her (space that used to have a) heart. “Thank goodness, you scared me...”

...Oh! We’re back. Huh... He replied.

“Are you okay?” Falin asked.

Um, yeah, dream aside. Why?

“The dragon?”

...The dragon? You mean you?

“Uh… nevermind, sorry.” Falin furrowed her eyebrows, a bit confused. She definitely saw him get chomped. But, Johnathan seemed alright, so maybe it was her own memories of getting eaten by the monster…?

She glanced around the immediate area. They were standing on what appeared to be a rooftop. Now without the immediate pressing issue of ‘oh God what happened to my body oh my God’, Falin’s eyes could dance around the environment of where they were.

Classical brickwork and rudimentary stone houses as far as the eye could see. She could vaguely feel the layered shingles under her feet’s thick hide. Old, abandoned, desolate, and dead silent.

Yet not a speck of dust or dirt to be found. An eerie pristine, sanitized town hidden underground, practically untouched by time. No matter how many adventurers traveled through, how many orcs set up shop here, or monsters made a mess, this space would always be clean. So uncomfortably clean.

It was very faintly illuminated from up above by, what appeared to be, a body of water floating in midair in the sky.

This was the Island’s infamous dungeon, five levels down. Thankfully the same floor Falin had been resurrected on. NO idea how she became a giant chimera still, but at least she wasn’t as equally thrown off spacetime wise. She may not be far from the others...

...Strange, though, it didn’t feel like where they had woken up before. This rooftop didn't exactly look comfortable for this massive body to rest on. Not to mention...

Do dragons normally just wake up standing?

“Heh, I’m not fully sure. Brother knew more about dragons’ biological needs than I did.” Falin looked up, seeing the dazzling little balls of light hovering around. “My lights are still up, so it couldn’t have been long. Maybe we were just standing in a daze before we came back…?”

I’m sure Laios would be standing in a daze if he saw you, he’s more monster obsessed than you are. He paused. ...D-Darn that is weird. Johnathan mumbled.

“But quite fun!” Falin clapped her hands together and giggled. A shame Johnathan was an only child, but regardless. “Let me practice moving the body before we look for him.”

I’d say tripping and falling on one of your friends would lead to dire consequences, but you’d probably resurrect them, right?

Falin nodded. She certainly didn't want to crush Marcille into a pancake from her clumsiness! She'd rather do it on purpose. “Aww, look at you, you’re getting it! You’re so cute.”

Ssuibhslkjiuh. Johnathan oh so confidentially muttered.

She smiled brightly, then shimmied her body. Feathers ruffled and tail swayed on her mighty form.

She did a little jog in place to start. Her wings bounced with the rhythm, letting her operate as the universe's most bizarre aerobics trainer. It was good to get a feel for her weight, as rooftop shingles cracked and dislodged under every step of her mighty taloned feet. Surprisingly her human torso seemed quite locked in place no matter how much she jumped and bounced.

We’re so stable. ...Wait! A-Are you doing that… thing chickens do?

True to his word, Falin's human body continued to effortlessly stay still. “Ah, that’s an evolved trait for species whose eyes are too big to move reliably! They keep their heads still instead to avoid blurry sight. I’m surprised the dragon had it, but it definitely helps us like this.”

Falin hummed, feeling the scales brush against the cold ground. Fragments of stone and metal poked against the flesh, and yet nothing could pierce the thick hide. Her new body was naturally armored, unlike her previously soft, vulnerable human feet.

An excitement built and built inside her before, making like the winged beast she was, she leapt off the roof.

Johnathan, upon seeing them hovering over a street 3 stories below, screamed. F-Falin! We’re falling!!

“With style!” Following her instincts, Falin felt the wing muscles on her lower back twitch. Before they began succumbing to gravity, they had other plans.

With a mighty flap, they felt a wave of air press against their skin and feathers. The burst gave her just enough airtime to land on the other roof.

She skidded a little, shingles erupted outwards, and one back foot slipped off, but it was a relatively safe landing!

“Eheh, oh gosh I… Eeeeee!” She giggled and cooed as she hopped up and down. The roof groaned in agony from the activity.

That… was intense, but- Johnathan stopped as Falin shifted the body. Wait F-Falin wait wait wait-!

Against Johnathan’s protests, she ran and leapt to another roof. Then another. Then another. She couldn’t help it, being a dragon was exhilarating, having Johnathan in her head was exhilarating. She could feel her dragon heart pumping blood throughout her form, and its giant lungs be filled with her breath. Air whipped her hair and flew through her feathers.

“Hahaha! Eheheh!” She laughed in joy as she ran and leapt, wanting to enjoy this moment to the fullest she could.

...Heh… Hahaha, haha! Johnathan’s anxiety washed away as he let the sensations pump through his consciousness. He was a dragon just as much as Falin was. An unstoppable monster revered as it was feared. Th-This is amazing! Hahaha!

The chimera form landed, clearly forming an indent in the ancient building. Normally this would cause a shriek from someone interested in preserving historical architecture, but luckily Falin nor Johnathan were the kind of people they lovingly called 'snobs'.

Falin’s cheeks hurt. “That was-!”

GGRRRGGGRGGLE

Either an earthquake rumbled throughout the dungeon, or that was Falin's new stomach. A sudden pang of hunger washed over her body, it's origin deep in the tummy of the dragon part of her new giant form. It was strange to feel it from the new part connected to her and not in her usual torso.

...Exhausting! J-Jeez, I can feel you’re starving...

“We’re starving.” Falin hummed. “...Wanna help?”

What!? O-Oh, I shouldn’t intrude. You should focus on getting something to eat, I'm just dead weight. L-Literally! Eheh...

“Just the arm.” She cooed. “I insist.”

She got the sensation of Johnathan tapping his foot. ...Alright, we sh-shouldn’t mix our souls if it’s just that…

Falin pumped her fist in excitement. She knew his curiosity was just as irresistible as hers.

Ssiuhbiusfl. Johnathan seemed acutely aware of her observation. F-fine, um, how should I-?

Falin took a deep breath, this was what all those years of training would pay off for! She had been imagining would it would feel like to be possessed for so long, she tried a little… halfway measure.

Of course you practiced for this. Johnathan chuckled.

As she shut her eyes, she made sure to keep her arm absolutely still. It was hard to get used to this without twitching or getting uncomfortable, but it only seemed to work if she did this.

Another breath, another exhale. Little prickles of numbness ran over her left arm, like the blood slowly drained out of it. And much faster than before.

Heh, we really d-do need to get you some food, you’re looking at your own, mgh, a-arm like a roast chicken…!

Falin licked her lips. No need to deny she felt a kind of hunger.

Johnathan took a deep breath. Okay, here I...oh gosh…

To Falin, it was almost like sensation returned back to her arm. But she kept up her dissociative state with the intensity of a soldier.

The next moment, Falin’s arm twitched and shuddered. It jostled like a sleeve being worn for the first time.

Falin watched her hand slowly turn around, her palm exposing itself as gently as a terrified animal. It was alive in a way that she was not.

Is… is this…?

Her thumb rubbed against her plump fingers. A roll of each digit. Squished like they always did. She stared at her knuckles being shoved in her face. It’s small divots inwards were probably much different to Johnathan’s bonier hands.

Her arm slowed to a crawl, and held it out just for her to look at it.

And she looked at it… and looked at it.

It genuinely feels like my arm. Oh my God… Johnathan mumbled.

“How is it? Do you like it?” Please like it. Please love it.

Falin’s heart beat against her chest like it was about to explode out. She wasn’t moving her arm. She wasn’t moving her arm. For the first time in her life she was getting genuinely, authentically possessed. Painfully it was only her arm, but baby steps. A chimera in the hand is worth two in the head, she supposed.

It’s… It’s beautiful. I-, w-why do I-? He stumbled over his words.

“You want to stop?” Falin frowned.

Her out of control hand recoiled back. The terrified animal flinched. NO! Er, s-sorry. I don’t, it’s the strangest thing. Should it feel just like my old-?

“Dragon?” A sudden voice unnaturally pierced the air. “What in gods’ names are you doing now?”

“Laios, Shuro!” Shouted the woman running in, “a group of flying monsters started attacking us in the magic group, and we need-!”

One of the men shot up and stormed out, very harshly slamming his shoulder against hers as he exited.

“Ow! What was that for!?” She grimaced as she rubbed her sore arm.

The curly haired man (she still didn’t trust in the slightest) helped the man she knew up. Slowly and delicately, almost like something just…happened...

“...What did you tell him?” She glanced back and sweated.

“...I told him everything.” The man meekly answered.

The curly haired man winced.

The half elf dropped her staff and clutched her braided hair in a panic.

“EVERYTHING!!?”

Falin cocked their head at the stranger in front of them.

“Um… hello?” She gave a little polite wave.

His eye twitched, letting her get a look at the heavy bags below them. The elf appeared to be a very tired looking, dark skinned elf. That and the near white, neatly adorned hair reminded her a bit of Marcille. It was hard to gauge much more with that cloak on his short body.

She tried gently lowering herself down to be as minimally intimidating to the man as she could be.

Not that it helped the generally aggravated look on his face. He was tapping his foot so hard, you’d think he was trying to set off a pressure plate trap and failing miserably. “Well? Why are you just sitting there, Dragon?”

“I don’t know who you are and why you’re so deep in the dungeon on your lonesome, so I’m not sure how I should react.” Falin answered automatically. “Uh,” She held her throat, and tried blinking the confusion away. It was as if all social verbal filters naturally built up over two decades of being alive just... slipped away in an instant. “Why did I say that?”

The man’s eyes widened, oddly taken aback by her answer that he asked for.

What’s with this angry… lost t-teenager? Johnathan mumbled.

“Oh no, he’s an elf, he’s not young.” Falin quickly informed him.

What?

“Well, elves age slower than us tallmen-”

Tallmen?

“-Oh, you only had tallmen where you came from, I guess it’s just humans to you...”

“Who are you...?” The elf muttered in front of her, looking around her.

“-But, regardless, elves just tend to look younger, he’s probably hundreds of years old.”

...Get out! That’s s-so cool, oh my gosh. So that’s a real g-genuine elf!?

Falin smiled and shrugged. “Heh, well, Marcille is too, I guess this really is just normal to me, so-”

“Enough!” The man commanded.

Falin froze. Something about the man’s words slipped around and into her ears and sounded so… convincing. Of course she should've been quiet then! It only made sense.

The man pointed at them. “You’re quite talkative today, who are you speaking to, Dragon?”

Oh, right, he can’t h-hear me. Uh, maybe we should come up with an excuse to not look odd-

Falin pointed at the top of her head automatically. “I’m talking to Johnathan, he’s the ghost from another world living in my head.”

Johnathan made several soft squeaking noises before finally saying: O-Or, not? Okay?

Falin blinked. The world felt a little wobbly. Or maybe it was her mind that felt like gelatin, and little kids were reaching into it when no adults were looking. “Um, I’m really really sorry Johnathan, I’m not sure why I confessed that…?”

Once again the elf looked stunned at the truth he literally asked for.

Then he rapidly walked towards them, anxiously flipping through a book he pulled from nowhere.

Falin flinched, trying to make her hands look magnetized to the light orbs above her. “Um, I intend no harm to-”

The elf, not even a hint of fear in him, casually walked up to her and started pressing his fingers at various points in her body. A glow like him pressing buttons occupied each press. The sound of magic humming and him muttering incantations filled the air.

“...You...” Falin furrowed her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you be scared of me?”

“Why in Gods’ names would I be?” He snapped.

Once again her knowledge spilt out of her mouth without her input. “Dragons are constantly seen as extremely dangerous creatures in the public eye despite their beauty and you are alone in the fifth floor of a monster infested dungeon.” Falin’s lips curled inward.

...Hey, that’s k-kinda freaky now.

Falin felt a deep pit form in her stomach. She eyed the man observing her form up and down, like a doctor’s examination. He felt… confident in what he was doing. Like he was familiar with her form.

...How DID you become fused with a dragon, again?

She began to sweat, slowly turning to the stranger. “Are you… doing something to m-?”

“DARN IT!” She squeaked as she was interrupted by a sudden, childish scream from the man. “Darn it darn it darn it darn it!” He stomped and kicked at the shingles, sending a couple flying.

In his anger he almost threw his book to the ground, but only almost. Calming from his rage, he opted to chew on his thumb instead. “Blast it, you really do have two souls in that body…” He murmured. “Is that why you look like that…? When did the other get in there…?”

“Johnathan came in this morning when I woke up.” Falin squeezed her eyes, again disorientated. “At least, I think it was morn-,” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, it’s lovely you’re not afraid of me, but, who are you?”

“Tch.” The man opened his book again with a sigh, letting the pages flutter. “It’s no surprise that human influence is impacting your dragon memories…” Again he chewed on his thumb. “How to fix this… How to fix this…?”

...I-Is this guy delusional? Does he think you’re actually a dragon? Looking and speaking like this?

Falin furrowed her brow. The man seemed sure he was speaking to a dragon. And yet he also confirmed there were only two souls, hers and Johnathan’s, so it couldn’t just be that either. She kept trying to connect the dots with deep red string on a pinboard in their mind, but something was missing. A red string failing to connect to a missing red dragon.

“...I’m worried it’s more complicated than that...” Falin muttered.

The elf snapped his fingers. “Ah, of course! It was so simple, I should have known!”

“Know what?”

He scoffed. “That’s none of your business, you thieving intruder.” He spat. “If you came as recent as this morning, then that means you are just as easy to leave now!”

...He’s basing th-this on easy come easy go principles?

“Now…” A swirl of magic surrounded the book. An invisible gust of wind sent the pages fluttering like mad. Little magic sigils and materials glowed as it spilled together in front of the short man.

Falin’s brows shot up. She recognized those symbols. They were enchantments, mixtures of gnomish and elvish, that primarily focused on dispelling spirits. They were high level spells she used all the times on possessed corpses or teammates as a cleric herself.

He confidently chanted at them. “Leave that Dragon’s body!” And the magic rocketed towards them, too fast for Falin to dodge in her new bulky form.

Falin braced for impact, all she could think of was grabbing and wrapping her arms around Johnathan’s soul as tightly as possible. Blood red magic quickly exploded against her form. She could feel it seep through every pore of her skin, through her feathers, entrenching deep into her mind, in her veins and fingers and dragon flesh until… until…

Um… s-still here. Johnathan squeaked. Y-You can let go now Falin…

“O-Oop! Sorry.” Falin flung her arms up in physical space, despite it being her in a sort of internal space. The feeling of separating from oddly plush thighs pinged in her, oddly. “I didn’t even know I could do that.”

The man’s arm fell. “...Eh?" He looked all around, confused. "Where’s the spirit?”

“Um, sir-”

“Expel that spirit from your body, DRAGON!” He said powerfully, again. This time with no magic.

Nothing happened.

Falin glanced from side to side, and shrugged. “Um… Are you trying to exorcise me?”

“Ah-, Of course I am!” He sputtered out. “I’m doing this for your own good! Who would ever want to be possessed willingly?”

Falin raised her hand, feeling her energy surge through her honesty this time. “I would!” Her grin beamed.

A-And I feel really lucky to have met you for that, Falin. Johnathan said.

“Aw, thank you, Johnathan. I’m lucky to have met you too.” The sheer statistical impossibility of connecting to a man right before he died rolled over her brain. “Really… really lucky.” She whispered.

The man shook in place before actually slamming his book on the roof. “But-, But that’s not fair! It’s not fair! ” He jumped up and slammed his feet on more now broken shingles in a petty fit. “That’s not how it’s supposed to work! That ghost is cheating!”

I-I’m literally doing nothing! Jonathan squeaked.

Falin sighed. “Listen, sir… As a cleric myself, I understand you wanting to release Johnathan from me. But I’m… we’re happy like this, okay?”

The man paused. Then slowly, slowly turned to look at her with squinted eyes. “You are a cleric?”

“Eheh, well-,” She gestured down below, “-obviously I don’t look the part now, but I’ve always been able to see spirits since I was a child.”

The man squinted his eyes harder. “Yes... that is why you specifically could fetch Lord Delgal…”

Lord Delgal?

That felt strangely familiar to Falin. There was a part of her, a small part, that tugged at the name. But at the same time, it bumped up against a wall before she could fully understand what that meant. All she could do was blink. “Who is that?”

A shrill screeching suddenly rang overhead, followed by the flapping of wings. Falin quickly swung her head to the familiar sound.

On a rooftop, opposite to theirs, a harpy landed.

Harpies were twisted combinations of human and bird. It’s overall body resembled a bird’s; taloned feet, large wings, a small feathered tail. But, the higher a person’s eye wandered on the creature, they’d begin to see the humanity bleeding out of it. Human flesh and torso, bare human chest peeking out inbetween the feathers. On top of a disturbingly long feathered neck poked out a totally human head, topped with beautiful long flowing hair.

It was one of the few monsters she knew adventurous universally got nauseous killing. Its closeness to a sentient human was close enough to make it feel morally dubious to slaughter.

But the creepiest part of them were always their twisted smiles, just slightly off from other humans. The muscles in their mouth spreading just a bit too far for a normal human face. The one on the roof stared at them with one such haunting grin, tapping a talon against the shingles.

J-Jesus. Is that what we look like now?

“Strangely beautiful?” Falin jokingly teased.

She felt her cheeks blush red hot. ...W-Well yeah…I meant more the combination of human and animal, though...

Falin’s blush doubled in heat. “Oh. Uh...” Beautiful? Johnathan thought she was beautiful? She shook her head, refocusing on the elf close to her.

The stranger seemed to not register the monster, instead chewing on his thumb and going back to pressing his hand against her lower plumage. “If you were a cleric…more spiritual power…?” He muttered.

“Get close.” Falin protectively wrapped an arm around the odd stranger. “I think they won’t attack you if you’re protected by me.”

“Attack?” The elf looked over his shoulder. He simply rolled his eyes. “A simple harpy? Please. I need to focus on this first.”

I can’t figure this guy out… Johnathan said.

Falin sighed. “Listen, I’m still so confused who you think you are to me-”

“It’d have to be done willingly…” He seemed to rack his brain.

“...Willingly? What-?" She shook her head. “I still don’t want you hurt, sir, and harpies travel in packs. It's dangerous down here, and it while it'd be odd if it was just alone-”

“It is.” He answered absentmindedly. “Hmm...”

Falin paused. “...How would you know?”

“Ah.” Then, a light smile graced his features. “I know what to do!”

What is he-?

“Dragon, run to the other side of this rooftop.” He said.

⊘⊘⊘

Falin snapped back. She blinked. Wait, did she leave?

...Falin? What h-happened?

She blinked, realizing she had warped to where the elf had asked her too. Her dragon toes dangled over the gaping space between buildings She swung her head at the elf, her Dragon lower half following her motion.

On the other side, was the elf, looking rather giddy.

Behind him, the still smiling harpy hadn’t moved. Strange, for normally twitchy, energetic monsters.

“Dragon, come back.”

⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘

Falin opened her eyes. She was on the side of the roof the man was again.

She towered over him, and yet he was looking at her like she was nothing. Knowing smile dashed his face, hands behind his back.

She had the uneasy feeling of being an insect as someone's thumb slowly began pressing down onto it. But how?

I-, I-, I don’t like this. Make it stop. Johnathan pleaded.

“I-” Falin’s breath was erratic. She looked down at the elf, who only nonchalantly walked towards her. “How did you-?"

“My dragon has his duty. You should stop interfering with him.” The elf smiled. “For your own sake.”

Falin’s blood ran cold. “Wait...” Falin held out her hands. “...You’re the Mad Mage?”

M-Mad Mage? What’s going on?

“If I can’t forcefully make you leave him,” The elf stepped closer, smile faintly straining and twitching. “I can convince you to.”

Falin stepped back, a cold chill spreading down the length of both her human and dragon spines. She flung her head in every direction, looking for any kind of escape possible.

The Harpy still hadn't moved from the other roof. Why was she acting so unlike regular harpies? Even with Falin there, it didn't even look interested in the Mad Mage. It just made direct eye contact with them, open smile unmoving.

“Dragon...” The elf followed her sight, then giggled darkly. “Jump to that roof.” He pointed to the one with the harpy.

⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘

Falin gasped.

She wheezed, now on the roof she just saw pointed at. Trails of broken shingles painted her elegant landing. One foot smashed through the wood and stone forming a hole outright.

S-Stop it! Why are you doing that F-F-Falin!? Johnathan sounded like he was about to cry.

“I-, I don’t know!” Falin clutched her head. This wasn’t like Johnathan taking over her arm. It didn’t feel anything like possession. “He’s-, he made this dungeon! He’s m-making me…!”

What!? Th-th-that elf!?

The elf who was currently stepping into open air between rooftops.

To both of their horror, instead of falling straight down, the building’s bricks automatically shifted around him. The stonework effortlessly rearranged themselves to form steps for him, like a living thing breaking it's own anatomy just to accompany him.

“I made this dungeon.” Step. Closer. “I made the Dragon.” Step. Closer. “I restored that form to what is now! How dare you steal him after all the effort I’ve put into keeping him alive!”

Falin flinched, glancing down at her chimera body. “You’re the one who transformed my body?”

“Your body?” Thistle's eyes rolled. “Please. Oddly humanoid as Dragon’s form was, he was one hundred percent dragon flesh.”

Falin flinched. At least that answered how much of her had dissolved in the dragon’s digestive track (Marcille must have used Dragon meat to mimic her lost flesh and resurrect her), but something still felt off about the Mad Mage’s line of logic...

Make him stop. P-Please make him stop! Johnathan cried.

“My dragon,” he was now halfway over the gap between buildings, “-will stop being possessed once you willingly let go. Give him back to me!”

The air of the world shattered as something shot forward, through their soul and consciousness.

A voice.

Master!

Falin’s blood went cold as ice.

...That wasn’t me. Johnathan made her heart race. Th-That wasn’t me!

Falin’s eyes widened. The reality of the situation crashed over her. She began to drown standing up.

F-F-Falin who was that!? Johnathan was close to breaking down.

“The Red Dragon.” She whispered, voice wavering. “The dragon whose soul didn’t leave his flesh when it became mine. The dragon who follows whatever the Mad Mage says.”

“Dragon,” came that horrible voice one more time.

His eyes glimmered with anticipation. He pointed at something, grin sharp and dangerous. She followed his direction… to...

The harpy that was still strangely standing still. With Falin's massive size, it's human proportions now seemed so small next to her.

It's head cracked, twisting to meet Falin’s eyes dead on.

Falin felt sweat pouring down her forehead as she looked down to meet the stare.

Please-, Johnathan choked. Don’t-,

The Harpy gave a surprisingly gentle, human smile back.

“KILL.”

⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘

⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘

⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘ ⊘⊘⊘⊘

What remained was an indescribable pile of something what was once human and not.

The harpy that had just been alive was splattered against the roof, underneath one dragon foot. It was obvious from the holes that she had been stomped on many, many times.

...A-Ah… Oh god, o-oh god… Johnathan sounded panicked as their feet twitched . Flesh and liquid splashed against the digits. I can feel her… b-b-b-… I c-can feel everything!

“M-Mmph!” Falin placed a hand over her mouth to stop the rising bile. Johnathan’s inexperience with slaying monsters was circling through her mind, influencing her body just as strong as the dragon.

“Do you see the position you’re in, now?” Two small feet stepped fearlessly up to the pile of gore under her foot. “How pointless this is?”

G-Get away!

Falin shrieked and turned, clumsily trying to make a getaway.

“Sit.” The words flowed over them.

⊘⊘⊘

They were already sitting down.

The remains of the Harpy were below.

A-Aah… A-a-aah...

“P-Please… stop.” Falin choked.

The elf gestured, with two fingers, to come closer. A master with its pet.

Falin obediently leaned down. She felt her plush cheeks get gently squished by bony, cold hands. It was surprising how soft he was being, but where was the warmth? It was like she was being touched by a corpse.

“You’re just prolonging you’re suffering holding on. These kinds of things are what dragons are made for.” He gently directed her face to the viscera. “Humans souls aren’t meant for this.”

“I’m… nnot. Your dragon. Please.” Falin begged.

His eye twitched for a moment. “You’re not. Everything here is King Delgal’s. The stone, the brick, the blood, everything. I am THISTLE, his most faithful servant! Everything needs to be perfect for him!”

Falin squeaked as his fingers pinched painfully into her cheek flesh.

“Your actions aren’t yours, your thought aren’t yours, they’re mine.” Thistle seethed through gritted teeth. “I am the one in control. I make the decisions. I am your director!”

A sudden flash of a man, similarly chewing on his thumb in anger, rocketed through Falin’s brain. He was someone loud and abrasive from Johnathan’s world, Falin recalled. And, terrifyingly, he was superimposed over this Thistle.

It started with rapid breaths, getting steadily louder and louder in her head. N-no.

Falin felt distress radiate off her in waves. Like a genuine fear of death was gripping her. “Johnathan…?” She murmured.

No, n-n-no no no no, not again… It may have been in her head, but his breathing was completely out of control. He’s g-gonna kill me again…!

Falin felt dizzy as Johnathan fully descended into panic. He was a child drowning in a lake, accidentally grabbing and tugging down the one person near him in desperation. It was horrible, genuinely awful feeling him bleed over in his agony.

She wanted to stop it. She loved Johnathan. She wanted him safe. She wanted him with her.

He needed to escape her.

“Please…” Her now fanged teeth bit down on her lip, and blood trickled out from the sheer force of it. “Please let me be selfish, just this once.” She choked back how many years she repressed trying to be normal. “I want him to stay.”

“I need my dragon.” Thistle replied simply. “You aren’t him.”

D-Don’t let him, please- I-, oh God, oh G-G-God. Johnathan was descending into gibberish.

“I...I…” Falin bit her tongue. “I can take it…”

...F-Falin? Johnathan said in the smallest voice she had heard from him yet.

Thistle scowled. “What?”

“I can be your Red Dragon… I can’t escape this body, just please-”

His fingers painfully squeezed her face. “That is not your decision to make! Stop being so selfish and let go already! What else could I possibly make you do to-!?”

GGRRRGGGRGGLE

A sudden, and familiar, guttural growl echoed between them. It practically rumbled the shingles of the roof under them.

Both her and Thistle stared at each other. They both slowly looked to Falin’s stomach.

Then, slowly, they both looked to the pile of meat on the ground.

“Dragon…” Thistle gave her the most terrifying, dead eyed smile she had ever seen. “...Are you hungry?”

So hungry.

She automatically nodded.

Falin was never more terrified in her life to say yes to something.

Oh G-God! Falin you can’t!

Thistle grinned. “Oh, I always forget you need food, Dragon! You must be starving!”

Falin gulped. He was right. It was like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.

Human eaten was last. A thought spilled through. A dirty blonde haired woman in a beret going into the mouth flashed by. Two dogs were eaten before her. Nothing else.

That-, that was over two weeks ago!

Falin felt empty. Completely and utterly hopeless. “I… I can’t let you live like that Johnathan.”

I-I can’t let you live like that either! We can’t-, FUCK! Wh-what do I do, what do I-!?

“Dragon,” Thistle pointed at the pile of human bird meat.

Falin-!

“Johnathan…”

Master.

Falin closed her eyes. “...I’m sorry.”

“EAT.”

Harpy – Served Raw

Ingredients (Serves 10-15/1 Dragon)

Harpy - - - - - - - - - - - 1

Anything else - - - - - - - 0

Johnathan gasped.

Hacking and heaving, he bent over wracked with pain. It felt like everything was burning alive as he clutched his oddly bulging stomach.

His eyes darted around. Water, grass, sunlight, stone walls, Falin-

Falin.

The woman sprinted up to him, slammed Akari into his arms (he suddenly knew the mace’s name was Akari), and forcefully shoved him away.

A moment of rightness was just as quickly torn away.

“W-wha…?” Johnathan muttered as he began to move impossibly backwards. Like an astronaut being pushed in the vacuum of space, he completely ignored gravity. He phased effortlessly through what was supposed to be underground, earthen stone. Past was the familiar black void he originally woke up in.

The small room that was their sanctuary was just a shell, like standing on the outside of a video game level and peering back in. It slowly faded into the void’s darkness, Falin disappearing along with it.

She gave him one last, very sad smile. “Be safe, John-.” She stopped, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked him up and down. “Heh. Whoever you decide to be, now...”

He started crying too, watching her disappear. “Wait, wait no! NO! I-I got a second chance because of you! I'm dead! Don’t-!”

A red dragon’s foot smashed through the ceiling of the dungeon, crushing Falin’s body just as he rocketed away.

“FALIN!” He screamed.

Johnathan was suddenly flung back into the world of the living.

Disorientated by the world spinning endlessly around him, he gripped like a toddler grips a roller coaster bar. Strangely, the death grip on Akari worked, and his form tipped into a hazy equilibrium above the ground. He had to shake his head to get his bearings. It felt like he was still in the void.

“Ah, there you are.” Came Thistle’s sneering voice.

Down below, lit by the multiple light orbs above Falin’s body, was a horrific sight.

The… Dragon. Doing exactly what it was commanded to do. Squelching, fleshy sounds echoed as the monster got to finally have the pleasure of being fed by its master.

Johnathan smacked a hand over his mouth (to prevent any possibility of the Dragon’s meal coming up) before flinching in shock. His plump hand had become light blue and see through. Ghostly.

“My… m-my hands…” He stared at the digits struggling to hold onto existence. Even Akari had shifted to a depressed blue hue.

“Hmm, that explains Dragon’s bizarre new body….” He heard Thistle chuckle.

“You!” He shouted. “I-It’s not safe for me t-to be out! Put m-me back!”

“Tch, and let you repossess my dragon again?” Thistle chuckled. “Fat chance, tall-woman.”

He screamed. “That wasn’t ME! You don’t know what’s going on!”

A sudden chirping brought their attention.

Johnathan looked down and gasped at the sight.

Falin’s face, covered in blood, looked at him with such concern. A faint glance to Thistle, back to him. She… it... looked scared for him. She bobbed her head, with inhuman grunts, that he needed to leave.

“F-Falin…?” He stared at the creature's eyes, unsure if he could see the humanity in them.

“You know… I’m feeling generous today.” Thistle interrupted him. “Despite this annoyance, my dragon did take quite the liking to you.”

The Dragon(?) smiled, nodding its head furiously.

“So, I’ll let this offense slide… this time. And you may enjoy the privilege of being the newest maiden of the Golden Country. You won’t have a body, but your soul will be eternally safe here.”

“I… I don’t want t-to be apart of any country! I want to be with FALIN!” Johnathan, not sure what else to do, shot like a bullet to the chimera’s form. “I won’t leave you!”

“Dragon, dispel her.” Thistle snapped.

Falin’s body snapped up, hand glowing immediately. A heavy fog rolled over her eyes.

“Dispel.” A shockwave of light blue energy exploded out of Falin’s hand.

The world became a dizzying blur as a wall of force sent him flying again. With no magic knowledge or way of countering it, he could only scream as it pushed him as far away as humanely possible.

For a bit it was open air and the distant glow of Falin’s lights, but then bricks of buildings passed through his own eyeballs without any resistance. Blurs of greys and pitch blacks assaulted his vision as he fell through solid matter without any resistance.

He was air. He was pure energy. He was dead. He was nothing. He was trapped.

Doing his best to remember how he centered himself in headspace, he gripped Akari again. With a jolt, his arms swung from the momentum mixed with suddenly stopping.

“Damn it!” He shouted, finally getting his ‘footing’ again. “Damn it D-Damn it Damn it!”

Now he was even further away from Thistle, and he had no idea where he was. He didn’t know if he was even facing the correct direction anymore. At least he landed somewhere that was well lit, but that didn’t matter! He needed to get back to-!

“Falin?”

Johnathan swung his head around.

He was in a hallway with two human men and one elf woman.

Falin blinked. She was laying down.

Her first instinct was to get up, but as luck would have it she was as pinned to the ground as her favorite butterfly was to a freak’s pinboard.

The massive red mass pressing her entire form into the dirt (dirt?) led up to the hulking, original massive Red Dragon. Before it’s flesh and bone had been warped beyond measure to be merged to her being. It was back to at least double the size of her smaller, chimera form. It's yellow eyes pierced the space, one horn on its mighty reptilian head was bigger than her body. And its featherless wings could actually support its weight better. It was a truly amazing specimen, the Red Dragon.

The Red Dragon that would permanently dominate her mind for life.

She slumped. There was no point in fighting.

She was laying in a field. That's why she was being pressed in the dirt. Because she was sitting in a sea of grass in the daylight despite the violence being done to her. It seemed that the space around her childhood dungeon had expanded to include this area.

The Dragon shoved it’s head in the broken dungeon's skylight it had made for itself.

Red liquid oozed out as it shoved deeper and deeper. It violated and tore and consumed what was one of her most precious, private places. It's remains spilled and suffocated the grass, overflowing down the hill like a cup runneth over.

“Ah…Ah.” Falin mumbled as the red tide quickly overtook her.

“Ugh, what a troublesome ghost. I don’t know why I choose to spoil you, Dragon.”

Next to Thistle, the beast continued to voraciously indulge in the meat of the harpy. Did it truly need food that much? The last time Thistle ate was… was...

Oh well. He could think about that later. In the meantime, he rubbed the dirty blonde hair of his prized pet. It chirped approvingly from his touch.

Thistle smiled. “Good Dragon.”

Chapter Text

Johnathan was a deer caught in the headlights.

The three people stared at him in shock. Neither party seemed able to break the verbal barrier, instead they opted for the communication art of the face journey.

Johnathan knew these people.

The tall, fair man had messy, short blond locks. He wore pieces of plated armor, but never had enough money to purchase a full set. That’s why his hands were usually bare instead of protected by gloves.

The man stepped forward. “Is that really you…?”

Johnathan recognized him. Distantly, like looking at someone’s photo album, but there was no mistaking him. That was Falin’s brother. And he looked just like her, if a bit rougher.

“Laios…?” He murmured.

Laios’ tense face visibly relaxed. Still a bit conflicted looking, but a significant improvement. He seemed awfully happy to hear he was recognized by… Johnathan? That was odd.

“That’s-, you got it!” The elf woman next to Laios spoke up. “You recognize me too… r-right?” She gave Johnathan some rather needy puppy dog eyes, anxiously fiddling with her braids like that.

The dark skinned elf had long, golden braids down to her back. She always fussed with them, saying hair care was very important for magic. She once had normally flowing robes, but one too many times tripping up in the dungeon made her sew up the excess. Her knuckles paled from how hard they clutched her wooden staff.

“O-Of course I do, you’re… Marcille?” Johnathan confirmed. Once again that confusion nagged at his, well, now ghostly visage of a brain. “Um, how did you know I’d-?”

The elf’s face had a switch flipped, because she was glowing as bright as a lighthouse. “Oh, I thought-!” And just as quickly, tears started streaming down the beautiful woman’s cheeks. “I thought I lost you again!”

“Again?”

The woman ran up to him, arms extended like wings. “Oh Fal-aUGH!” Her arms swung in to give him a hug, but only phased through Johnathan’s body like mist. The resulting trajectory and velocity mixed with his mirage of a form sent her tumbling onto the ground.

“Oh my gosh!” Johnathan yelped, seeing her smack face first onto the brick of the dungeon. (The momentum made one leg jut out into the air as well.) She also had a strange white dust covering her.

The woman flung herself back up. “Oooouch…!” Marcille rubbed her face.

“Are you o-okay Marcille?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” She chuckled, using her staff to help herself up. “I just got so happy seeing you I forgot you were probably incorporeal!”

A fluttering in his chest suddenly took off hearing the elf’s overjoyed reaction to him. “Um, th-thank you, gosh…” Johnathan twirled a strand of ghostly hair around his pudgy finger. “I’m just confused how you recognized me?”

Marcille blinked cutely. “Recognize you? Why wouldn’t I?”

“...What?” Johnathan responded just as confused. Had he met them before? But the only resident of this world he knew beforehand was Falin. He’d never actually met Marcille. “Isn’t it… obvious?”

“Huh?” Marcille only made a confused face back.

Laios spoke up. “Ah, well it may be because-, oops!” Johnathan flinched feeling a hand phase through his shoulder. “Br-r-r, cold. Haha, I forgot too, huh?” Laios cradled his hand, now covered with white-

Johnathan’s eyes widened a hair, seeing the frost coating the man’s bare hand. Raising his now ghostly hand up, he flashed back to over a week ago to a similar sight. He had become just like Falin when she was in his apartment...

He blinked, taking another look at his hand. Something twinged in his mind when he stared at it, past the light blue filter over it.

Shouldn’t one know the back of their hand like the back of their hand?

“You must not have seen yourself in a mirror yet, but don’t worry!” Laios smiled. “You mostly look just like your old self, now see-through and blue, but still.”

“I… do?” Johnathan murmured, getting the distinct feeling his hand now did not look the same as his lanky hand in life.

“Yep! You’re not rotting or wrinkled or anything!” Laios answered confidently. “Though, if we don’t get you back to your body, you’ll probably start deteriorating like other ghosts. Your hair and teeth will start to fall out, followed by-”

Marcille’s staff slammed over the top of Laios’s head. “Don’t put that idea in her head!”

Johnathan did connect the dots on something Laios said, though. “A-Ah! Wait! We don’t have time for this! I need to get back to the body! I need your h-help!”

“What’s the problem!?” Marcille asked, readying her staff. “Do I need to resurrect it again!?”

“Well n-no, but This-, um, the Mad Mage is controlling it, a-and I think if I approach by myself, I’ll just get dispelled again…”

“Ah, a distraction then? We’ll do it!” Laios smiled. “Lead the way! I’m sure Senshi and Chilchuck will be ecstatic to help!”

“And Shuro.” Marcille scowled.

“Oh, wow, that’s great!” Johnathan smiled back. “…Um, who are they?”

“Huh?” Laios turned to look over his shoulder. “Oh, do you mean…?”

Clink, clink clink.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you said the Mad Mage was controlling your body? Are you sure it was him?” Came a third voice.

“Oh!” Johnathan flinched. Oh, right, there was a third person in the room. “Well, I think? He said he created this dungeon and the dragon…”

Johnathan hadn’t noticed the man for quite some time from how eerily silent he was. Amazing, considering his armor clinked and clanked moving up to them. Was he staying still on purpose?

“Sounds like him.” The man hummed. “Do you mind if I ask for more details? Any advantages on the Mad Mage would greatly help us.” He gave a… slightly off smile. Too friendly, if that made sense.

Brown skinned and with fairly curly black hair, he wasn’t that far off from Johnathan’s original body. He had a more complete looking armor set than Laios’, albeit some metal traded with leather for a lighter set. The most striking features of him, though, was his soft face and sharp, striking blue eyes.

Kind of a prettyboy, basically.

“Hah, what is it? Do you recognize me?” He asked, noticing Johnathan staring; the same smile on his face.

Johnathan blanked, totally and utterly. “Um…” Did Falin know this person? The only people that came up were Laios, Marcille, and… he knew Falin’s dad now, oddly. But Falin certainly knew more people in real life, so… “Could you be… Chilchuck?”

The man laughed heartily at that. “Hahaha, no. I’m not that short.” He held out his hand to shake. “Where are my manners? My name is Kabru, may I ask what your name is?”

Marcille scoffed at Kabru. “What? Why would you need to ask something you already know?”

“Uh…” Johnathan wasn’t sure what Marcille meant by that, so went forward anyway. “My name is Johnathan, it’s nice to meet you.” His hand phased through Kabru’s hand. “Oh, oops.”

“See, see? Her name is Johnathan!” Marcille nodded.

A moment passed by.

“YOU’RE NOT FALIN!?” She suddenly screeched at the top of her lungs.

“Mmm, I wasn’t expecting that.” Kabru cupped his chin with the frosted hand.

“Johnathan…?” Laios mumbled.

“W-W-What?” Johnathan floated back in shock, distancing himself from Marcille. “When d-did I say I was!?”

“When you-!” Marcille huffed, then coughed awkwardly, then scoffed. “Th-That’s no excuse looking like that! You even have her lantern mace!”

“She g-gave it to me!”

“Oh, sure.” She reached in to grab him by the collar. “You listen here buste-URRH!?”

Johnathan winced as the elf, once again, face planted behind him. “...I-I’m still incorporeal, Marci-”

“I KNEW THAT!” She sprung up.

“Er, Johnathan is usually a man’s name… right?” Laios scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He flinched suddenly. “N-Not that I’m doubting you! I’m just curious, is all.”

Kabru’s eyes darted for a brief glance at Laios, before getting back to scrutinizing Johnathan.

“O-Of course it is, I’m a-,” Johnathan’s hand fiddled with his long, curly locks. “-I’m a m-m-man. Is it my new hair? Does it m-make me look like a…?”

A building pressure, like a balloon filled with butterflies, had swollen in Johnathan’s throat and blocked the last word from coming out. It should’ve made him scared. Sent a jolt of electricity of panic through his body. But, like ants escaping their hill when a particularly cruel child pours it down the top hole, his emotions only desperately crawled upwards for release.

What was happening to him?

Laios opened and closed his mouth. If taking someone in was a dance, Laios’ eyes had shifted to double time. “Uh… Uh… oh!” He suddenly looked at Akari in Johnathan’s hands. “I have the real world mace right here, actually.”

“Oh! Good thinking Laios! That’s just some weird ghost copy!” Marcille jabbed a finger at Johnathan. “What’s its name, faker!?”

“Akari?” Johnathan frowned, exasperated.

“Hah!” Marcille laughed with all the confidence of the world, then paused. “...Lucky guess.” She crossed her arms and puffed her cheek out, annoyed.

Laios pulled out the mace. “Marcille’s been teaching me some magic. It, uh…” He licked his lips. “Reminds me, that Falin’s mace is enchanted when closed. Just put in a little magic…” A bolt of light blue something sparked between Laios’s finger and the glass. “...and it can be used as a regular lantern.” He gently opened a glass partition on one side of the lantern mace, then one on the other side. “I thought it was the neatest trick.”

Laios bit his lip, glancing over and over again from Johnathan to the real Akari.

Johnathan slowly looked down at the spiritual Akari in his hands. With a glow, something... spilt out of his hand. Out of his being and into the mental mimicry of the lantern mace. His hand trembled as it slid against the smooth glass. Finding the little lip to open it was even smoother.

The glass opened out, giving Johnathan a good look at his reflection.

Falin was staring back.

Johnathan froze. The Falin in the reflection copied his movement. He put a hand to his plump cheek in disbelief.

Looking down made it all the more obvious, how had he not noticed before that his body shape had changed? Sure, he was wearing the modern clothes he was last wearing (his favorite 'skeleton relaxing in a stomach with a clock' t-shirt and baggy pants.), but his lanky tall form now echoed the cleric’s heavy apple shaped body. With his original hair changed too he must have looked completely different. And. Well. On top of his new stomach were two, l-large-

He sucked in a breath of air, ignoring the heavy weights for now. “I look like… Falin?”

“Almost like Falin.” Kabru spoke up. The man looked shockingly nonchalant about the situation. “Your skin and hair are noticeably darker than hers, not to mention the curls. Honestly, you look as if myself and-” a barely perceptible pause as he glanced at Laios “-Falin had a child together.”

“EW! Don’t say that!” Marcille scolded. “I don’t want to think about you and Falin doing… that.”

“...It’s a basic observation that helped me distinguish him.” He politely grit his teeth.

“OOH!” Laios gasped, the air around him practically sparkling in excitement. “I didn’t notice at first, but he’s right! I just assumed the skin and hair were because of how ghosts do that-” he gestured vaguely at Johnathan’s everything “-blue see through thing!”

Johnathan looked over his form. Sure enough, if you presumed his t-shirt was white, it was easy to use color theory to insinuate his now deep blue slightly see through skin used to be a healthy brown. And despite the mimicry, like Kabru said, his now dark blue curls could be distinguished from Falin’s.

But… Why? His hair had changed in Falin before, but...

This is a visual of the most genuine you there is, which means in a way, you haven’t changed.

Johnathan dropped Akari.

Despite it being the idea of the weapon, it clattered against the ground harshly. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. Falin’s echo was tearing his very concept of being apart. Stitched back together over and over and over again until he reached at-

A woman.

His soul was of a woman’s?

His hands started shaking. He couldn’t move. He just stood there, staring at Akari on the ground like it was a dangerous animal. Or was about to kill Johnathan. Maybe it already did.

“Woah, you okay?” Marcille asked, suddenly softer voiced.

“I’m not.” Johnathan whispered. “I’m not.”

Laios looked confused. “Really? But how does being a woman feel? I assumed it’d be kind of nice to-”

“I’m not a w-woman.” He clarified sharply.

“What?”

“E-Even in Falin’s body I wasn’t a woman, I was just the man who died today she took pity on. I’m not-, how can it change so f-fast?” He began shaking and clutching himself. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Wait, you only realized after you-?” Kabru’s smile fell. “...Oh no.”

The butterflies built in his stomach burnt to ashes in a puff of smoke. Any warm feelings curdled like spoiled milk. He felt the pressure that wanted out wither in the harsh cold of outside’s reality.

And a hand, hairy and too big in proportion to his now adult body, reached into his chest and squeezed over his heart tight. An ironclad grip over it just like in life.

“I-I’m not supposed to be a woman… I c-c-can’t be a woman. I-, that’s wrong.” Tears started streaming down Johnathan’s face. He curled into a ball on the ground. “Why does my soul look like a woman?”

He vaguely registered Laios and Marcille hovering over him as he began to sob uncontrollably.

Red. Red. It was red. Everything was red. Everything was the red dragon.

Falin choked. She was stuck in an endless loop of never getting breath, and yet not needing it in this space to even be able to suffocate.

So she laid, crushed, constantly gasping for air that was met with blood pouring down her throat.

The corners of her vision began to darken further. The black red grass felt numb between her fingers. The dragon’s foot remained crushing her ribs.

“..hat?”

Small, barely intelligible words muffled past the grime and thick liquid.

“...agon….how is ther……..o….. in your.….!?”

And then, a brief release.

“Haaaaah!” Falin gasped, the weight suddenly so less lung crushing.

The dragon’s body had seized, suddenly looking directly behind it (and directly above Falin). A splatter from the monster’s thoroughly drenched snout slapped against Falin’s face, making her already drenched and stained visage wince.

“Ugh, of course the harpies found something now.” The voice of Thistle venomous voice echoed in the space. “We’ll deal with this later.”

“W-Wait… No... Help...” Falin choked out.

“You know what to do, Dragon. And make sure that ghost doesn’t try to possess you again. Understood?”

“Mpph-hmmph.” The dragon nodded.

Falin paused. What a… strangely human response from a monster.

Before she could ponder further, the beast began to trudge towards the disturbance.

The foot tugged Falin’s body with the beast. She slid awkwardly against the slick red grass before she was shoved under the torrent again. Her fingernails dug worthlessly into the hide of the monster’s foot, probably destroying her own hands more before giving it a scratch.

Red. Red. Red.

Kabru of Utaya was many things.

The kind of man who saw the tangled web of relationships among people. Who danced along those social threads like a trained navigator. Who was able to twirl a dagger along a person’s vital spots with just as much grace. A leader to those united in a grander goal of justice. A survivor.

He was a knight. Not officially, not by any king, or baron, or governor, mind you. He saw the harm dungeons, and any mad mage that created them to be a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Everything in his life revolved around his duty.

“Marcille, what do we do? You’re a girl.” Laios spoke up.

“He just said he’s a man!” Marcille whined.

Everything including… one detail Kabru worried may be disadvantageous to reveal.

The ghost going by “Johnathan” continued to sob uncontrollably. Their hands tugged and dug harshly into their continually messier hair. The ghost that had confirmed they had intel on the Mad Mage of this dungeon a minute ago, who was now so crippled with grief they could barely speak.

He ran a finger down his smooth, stubbleless face.

Mom, stop. I’m-, I need to be strong. I’m going to grow up to be a man. So this won’t happen again...

Everything for duty.

“W-Well, hey, if we just find your old body we can resurrect you, right?” Marcille tried to reassure.

The spirit only sobbed harder.

Marcille squeaked. “What did I do wrong!?”

“Okay, let’s-,” Laios gently pulled the elf up and away. “Clearly this isn’t working. Maybe she needs space?”

“He! He, Laios!”

“I-,” He shook his head. “Sorry, you’re right. I want to respect him, but I feel really out of my depth...”

Marcille shuddered. “It’s bad enough he’s mimicking Falin like that, especially as a man …”

Laios frowned. “Now, hey… I don’t think he’s doing that on purpose…”

This was Kabru’s chance. “Actually, I’m a bit curious on that too, Laios?”

“Hmm?” What is it, ah… Kabru?” He smiled at him.

Clearly their short time knowing each other means his name wasn’t known yet. Kabru would have to rectify that. “Now, I’ve always been an only child, so I can’t for certain say I get it. But shouldn’t you feel weird about this situation as Falin’s brother?”

“Ah, yeah… Falin would probably comfort him a lot better than I could… I can’t even give him a good meal as a ghost...”

Kabru chuckled. “I was talking about this ‘Johnathan’ looking identical to your sister. Not to mention supposedly wishing to rejoin with Falin?”

“Well, honestly, I don’t mind.” Laios looked to the still panicking ghost. “If getting him get back in Falin’s body might calm him, I’ll help.”

Kabru cocked his head at that. “Really?”

“What!? Nuh uh, no way, no how!” Marcille exaggeratedly put her hands in an x formation. “We are not letting a man inside Falin’s head!”

The elf was aggravating him.

Laios hummed. “But she gave him Akari. Clearly Falin trusted him.”

“But-, Kabru back me up here!”

Kabru hummed, thoughtfully cupping his chin. Really, he knew exactly what was actually going on and wouldn’t support the elf’s flawed perspective. But Laois’s reaction intrigued him the most. Was he not aware of traditional gender roles? Or did he not care?

“It’s true this ‘Johnathan’ seems to have been born a man initially… how do you feel about that, Laios?” He threw the ball back in Laois’s court.

“Oh! I’m super fascinated, actually!” Laois perked up immediately.

“...Nooo…Please no...” Marcille groaned.

“Yes! Monsters, no, not just monsters, there are recordings of animals changing sexes when populations are endangered! It’s known to happen in amphibians and fish, mostly.” Laios’ eyes went dilated. “And isn’t that incredible!? Males changing into Females to keep the species alive! It’s such an interesting adaptation to survival and biology! And I didn’t even mention intersex examples!”

How… innocent. Kabru probably should’ve known better. When he traveled into this dungeon, he assumed Laios was a man dealing with shady figures. Always hiding something. But his secret really was just a simple eclecticism towards monsters and how they operate. And this was yet another example he could understand with his interests. It was almost charming.

Suddenly, Laios seemed to brighten up more, why-?

“Oh don’t encourage him like that.” Marcille groaned.

“Hmm?” Kabru blinked. He was positive he didn’t give any social cues to do so.

“With that…” Marcille grimaced and wiggled her fingers at him. “Prince Charming smile you just put on.”

Kabru put a hand over his mouth. He smiled? He didn’t even notice. Was Laios’ enthusiasm that infectious? “Er… sorry.”

Marcille sighed. “Regardless, humans don’t do that, Laios. Not spontaneously and without magic, at least. When you’re born a man or a woman, you’re basically that for life.”

Laios scratched the back of his neck. “I know… it’s just she-, he-”

Hook.

“I know I don’t understand. I never realized before this kind of thing was possible in humans.”

Line.

“But… the nature of us humans is to try to understand. Even if I never grasp why Johnathan wants to be with Falin, or if he’s genuinely a woman, then… I want to at least try accepting her!”

Sinker.

“I can help!” Kabru blurted out.

He grimaced. Crap. He hated how easily he fell for that.

“What? You... can? Really!?” Laios looked overjoyed.

Kabru gulped down the little voice in his head screaming for him to stop. “I think I know what’s ailing your sister’s... ghostmate. It’s just a hunch.”

“Is it serious?” Marcille asked. “Can she-," a wince, "-he be helped?”

Kabru smiled. “Maybe.”

He took a deep breath. Oh boy. Here it came.

He quickly stepped to the spirit, now reduced to silent sobs and wracking shudders. He got to his knees, more on eye level shot to the figure. “Hello, Johnathan, right?”

The ghost whimpered incoherently back.

Kabru slid his hand across one of his buckles, gently undoing it. “I’m assuming your family doesn’t know about this?” He gently slid the leather armor off his torso.

“Died this m-m-morning.” ‘Johnathan’ mumbled back. “Can’t see them ag-gain.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He continued to casually undress, now his chain shirt.

Marcille sharply inhaled as Kabru’s hands then danced across the hem of his sweater. “Woah, hey-!” She tried interrupting, but Laios intercepted with a shush.

Kabru ignored her. “I can’t promise that what you’re going through will get any easier. But, I thought you might like to hear what I had to say.”

He pulled up his sweater over his head. The fabric fell to the stone as gentle as a feather.

The wrappings binding his chest became exposed to the sterile dungeon air.

“My name is Kabru of Utaya. I was born a woman, and I lost everyone I ever knew before I realized too.”

The torrent of anguish, of regret and guilt assaulting him ceased, stunned in his stupor.

He snapped his head up. In front of him was… a man. A man with breasts wrapped in cloth. Exposing himself in the most vulnerable sense of the word. “You’re… transgender?”

Kabru blinked. “Transgender? That’s the first time I’ve heard that word.”

“I-It’s,” He gulped, “-it’s a word where I’m from. It’s an o-often marginalized identity there, but communities band together anyway.”

“Hmm. Transgender.” Kabru put a hand to his chin. “Heh, I like it. How do you feel about them?"

“...They’re very brave.” The spirit mumbled. “People like m-my, my parents would scream and insult and say they’re unnatural. But they’d stand up and demand respect anyway. I look up to them a lot…”

Kabru smiled. He opened his mouth to say more, before getting interrupted by a light clink behind him.

The ghost and Kabru both hard flinched realizing how close Laios was to them. He stared at both of them with such a wide eyed, eager expression, he thought he saw sparkles spilling off of the man.

“O-Oh! Don’t mind me!” He waved them off. “Learning more about this is so… enthralling! Just ignore me. I’m not here.”

Johnathan thought he saw Kabru’s cheeks darken. “Ahem, right. Yes. Joh-” Kabru paused. “...My friend. Do you know about Utaya?”

He furrowed his brows. It vaguely sounded familiar, much in the same vein Kabru’s name did, but he couldn’t quite place it. He decided to politely shake his head no and leave it at that.

“It was my hometown, a village.” Kabru elaborated. “Until about fifteen years ago. I was seven, I think, at the time.”

“When Utaya was annihilated off the map by dungeon monsters spilling onto the surface, right?” Marcille muttered, giving Kabru’s chest an uneasy look before snapping back up. “Er, sorry.”

“No, you’re right.” Kabru nodded. “Monsters flooded my village, killing and eating just about everyone. I was one of the only survivors.”

The ghost stared as pieces slowly got put into place. “And… a-at the time you were a seven year old... g-girl. That’s who they knew you as b-before they...”

“That’s right.” Kabru chuckled. “My mother was one of them, she took our last name with her. I was too young to remember it...”

“...Kabru…” He vaguely registered Laios saying behind the man.

The spirit let it wash over him. How many in Kabru’s little world must have vanished overnight to him. It left him silent on the cold stone ground. Until he finally muttered out.

“I’m from another world.”

“...Another what!?” Marcille gasped. “Like, another dimension?”

“I think so. I d-died and ended up here.”

“...I see.” Kabru gave a sympathetic look. “And that’s why you can’t see your family again?”

He nodded. “I h-have no idea how to get back, and even if I did my b-body is still dead. And even though my p-parents hurt me, I still had other family, I had some friends. I… I didn’t want to-!”

A grave with his name on it. A name that was wrong. Wrong forever. Broken and stained and scarring him. Imprinting on his flesh and never able to be removed.

Because if he was a woman, that means the people he loved would only remember him as Johnathan. The awkward, shy man who formed a stutter young into his heavily controlled life.

“It’s okay, take it slow.” Kabru gently reassured him.

He took a few deep breaths. He didn’t know if there was a point, being a ghost, but it still seemed to calm him. “Kabru… How d-do I fix this?” Tears slipped down his cheeks.

“Do you want to be a woman?”

“Of course I do.” He choked out. “B-But it hurts.”

“I know.”

“It hurts so bad.”

“I know.”

“What d-did you do?”

“The only thing I could do.” Kabru gently stood up. “Keep moving forward.”

The ghost shook in place, eyes clenched to the point of pain; to the point of squeezing the tears out of him. His feet helplessly kicked, only reminding how his spectral form would phase through the ground and wall behind him if he wasn’t careful.

A thousand flashes of possibilities that would never happen now. Seeing old friends and family who were accepting of the change. The way her smile was brighter than ever before. Growing out her hair. Kissing another woman. Seeing her body shift from the lanky, awkward mask it was to the beautiful woman hiding beneath.

That woman was worse than dead. She never got to exist.

The final indignation her parents did to her: shove her so far into the closest she died before she even realized she was in it.

But here she was now, anyway. That woman did exist. She was dead, but she could be alive again.

Alive with the only one she could move forward with.

She beat her fist into the ground. Tears sprinkled around it, leaving little circles of frost on the stone. Those tears, those frost, then evaporated. A final goodbye to him.

She gripped Akari tightly.

“I’m going back.” She spat out and staggered upwards.

Kabru raised a brow. “Back where?”

“Falin.”

“But… But why?” Marcille stuttered out. “I’m sorry this happened to you, but… Why Falin specifically? Is it because she’s not, um, transgender?”

“...I honestly don’t know.” She said. “She h-haunted me first.”

“...What?” Marcille gaped.

“When she was eaten by the dragon she haunted me and my apartment. The whole t-time.” She chuckled. “Scared the h-hell out of me at first.”

Laios blinked. “Falin didn’t mention that.”

“Because that’s not possible!” Marcille argued.

“But our friend sounds confident it did.” Kabru retorted. “Is it possible Falin’s soul drifted to another dimension when her body was digested?”

Marcille stomped her foot. “No! Because the holes only go one way-!”

Marcille’s hands slammed against her mouth.

All three stared at the elf woman, now sweating bullets. If she was trying to hide that she said an ‘oopsie’, the hopping in place as if on hot coals wasn’t doing her any favors.

Laios stepped forward first. “Uh, Marcille…? What does that mean?”

She looked panicked, eyes twitchy, glancing to Kabru and the ghost.

“I already know you resurrected Falin with ancient magic.” Kabru sighed. “Just say it.”

“Ancient magic…?” The ghost muttered.

Marcille stomped her feet, and squealed like a teapot releasing steam. Until finally she blurted out “Ancient magic is energy spilling into our reality from another dimension!”

That pinged with the ghost. “Another dimension? You’re sure?”

The elf squirmed. “Th-There’s a dimension with endless energy that leaks into ours. It’s the origin of magic in our world, before we became naturally magical over time. Dungeons form because of the holes that rip into our world, and it’s part of why it’s so illegal to even know about it.”

Kabru grimaced. “That’s why dungeons can just form naturally, brick and architecture and all?”

“Yes, and the holes are one way. They only expel magic energy in our world. I assumed that-, um.” She gestured to the Falin-like ghost. “Are you still going by…?”

She blinked, thinking of the name again. When had it stopped feeling natural to her? Her whole life, and just a snap away like it never was. “...No. ...I don’t k-know what my new name is yet.”

“...Okay.” Marcille frowned. “I thought you might be from a world whose natural energy was flowing into the dimension that fuels our world. And that energy can include souls.” She shook her head. “But Falin going to you would be the opposite direction.”

Laios pondered. “Like… how salmon swim against the current of a waterfall?”

“Imagine that but a hundred times harder.” Marcille winced. “Souls are intrinsically tied to magic. It’s be like swimming up against solid matter. And that’s without the dungeon chaining the soul down...”

“So it’s impossible that it was a coincidence.” Kabru hummed, giving her a look. “Seems you’re awfully special to Falin, why is that?”

She stared into the distance. “I wish I knew. I’m connected to her. I feel like I could coexist with her forever.” She breathed. “She thought our souls might be connected.”

“Connected? But the only way that’s possible is-” Marcille paused. She gave the spirit a cautious look. “Can you… feel Falin right now?”

The spirit paused, clutching her chest. Just like when was left in the void, she could feel a ping in the distance. A draw in her heart to a familiar warmth in the distance.

What was solid brick felt just air between her and Falin.

“Yeah, she’s not far away.” A void settled against it, pressing towards the chimera’s position. “It’s l-like an ache in my body that I never realized I had till I met her. I’d just gotten so numb to it, it blended in the background. It’s been pulling me back this whole time.”

Marcille stared at her. Truly, deeply looked her up and down. It reminded her of the look she had thinking she had reunited with Falin again, but if Falin had grown two heads at the same time.

“...What?” The ghost sweated.

The elf opened and closed her mouth. “...Go. Rejoin with Falin. We’ll back you up.” She gave a little smile. “She needs you, right?”

The ghost felt more tears well up. Instinctively she threw herself to the elf to hug her. “Oh thank yo-OUGH!” She phased through her.

Marcille shivered. “H-Hey! You’re still f-f-freezing when you phase through me!”

“H-Heh, I guess I wanted to hug you so badly I forgot.” She smiled.

“...You’ll get to hug me for real, soon enough.” Marcille chuckled. "Come on, she's waiting."

She smiled. “You’re right. Thank you.” She looked to Kabru and Laios too. “All of you.”

She looked past the stone. “I’m coming, Falin.”

And she flew through the wall.

Laios nodded, watching his soon-to-be-super-cool-ghost-sister phase away. “Okay guys, let’s hurry!”

Kabru scrambled to get everything back on. “I might need a second, you can go on without me.”

“Alright! Come on Marcille!” Laios quickly dashed out the hallway.

Marcille hesitated.

Kabru grunted, head popping out his sweater. The elf still hadn’t moved. “...I couldn’t help but notice your heel turn on whether ‘a man’ should join with Falin or not.”

“I have my reasons.” She mumbled.

“Such as?” He pulled on his chain shirt.

She scowled at him, but sighed a moment later. “This might not be the first time they’ve met.”

Then she scrambled out the room.

Kabru rolled his eyes. “Cryptic.”

He began the process of buckling on his leather armor. “...And are you going to keep hiding like that?”

A black blur landed on the ground in front of him. “If I was actually hiding, you wouldn’t have noticed me.”

Kabru recalled this one’s name was Asebi (though he assumed that was a codename.) She worked under that Shuro fellow’s family. He wasn’t exactly familiar with ninjitsu, but she seemed quite skilled. She also had two strange, triangular lumps poking out under her veil.

“Could have fooled me, wasn’t a fan of revealing my secret to you too.” He buckled the leather down.

Asebi scoffed. “What? That you die in this dungeon so often from haphazardly binding your chest?”

Kabru grimaced. “Just help distract for our ghost friend's body, would you? I’m sure Shuro would appreciate his love being safe again.”

Asebi squinted at him. “What ghost?”

Kabru halted slipping on his glove. “What?”

“I didn’t see a ghost. You were all talking to empty air for some reason.”

Scenarios and explanations all jumped in his head before slamming face first into a wall. “You... didn’t see her?”

“Tch, not like I care.” Before he could ask more, she darted off to follow Marcille. “But I can’t let that elf out of my sights, so I’ll comply.”

Kabru stood in silence, absorbing what that could possibly mean. Spirits could sometimes be invisible to the spiritually inexperienced. Marcille was a full blown mage, and Laois was, well, Falin’s brother… but Kabru didn’t have enough magical prowess to see normally invisible spirits, so why could he see…?

The sound of harpies screaming caught his attention. He shook his head and ran out.

Wind whipped through her ghostly hair.

She wished she could have appreciated the thrill, the rush of whizzing past and through buildings as a flying blue comet through the dark.

But this wasn’t about her. It wasn’t about the dungeon. It wasn’t about the (mildly shocked) groups of people she passed as she left the hallway.

“FALIN!?” Cried a Japanese samurai she had never seen before in her life, and therefore immediately ignored.

He was right though. It was about Falin.

A cacophony of glass shattering screeches, fluttering of long hair, and a gust of brown feathers announced a murder of Harpies. They absolutely were swarming the rooftops and airspace above this part of the dungeon.

She grimaced as they cackled, divebombing claws first. Their horrible smiles twisting into the same gentle one that Thistle forced them to-

She shook her head and focused. With a twirl, she dodged and weaved through the cloud of bird women. They seemed stunned at how effortlessly she floated around their slashes. Not that they could hit her, really.

But it was good practice for what she was about to do.

An explosion rocked a wall of them trying to block her. The unfortunately familiar fleshy Harpy bits flying about definitely didn’t feel good to see. Looking back though, she saw a certain elf hastily give a thumbs up as she went back to running behind her. Laois and Kabru were making sure the mage was protected well.

She smiled at her backup. Though, a thought occurred to her that the three seemed a bit locked to the ground. Wherever Falin was, she still seemed to be operating on the rooftops.

And that was when she saw her.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Running towards the group of people across the roofs was the enormous body of the chimera. The Red Dragon, controlling it’s flesh and blood while parading Falin’s upper form as if its own. Jumping and slamming into the tops of the buildings, every land an explosion of shingles flying outward. It was a miracle it didn’t fall through any of them.

The spirit winced, recalling how easy it was for the dragon to dismiss her. A frontal assault wouldn’t be a good bet. But, how could she could get the drop on such a monster?

Then she remembered ‘Oh, right. I’m a ghost.’

Slinking into the building before her, she waited to spring her trap.

Crash! Crash! CRASH!

With the speed of a jack in the box, she sprung up the second she thought the body was above her. A familiar patch of white feathers transitioning into red scales met her. The lower body has to have been an enormous blind spot for the creature. Then she would simply phase through the lower torso up to the-

She flinched as a light flared up next to her.

Falin’s body dangled like a distorted puppet held by the legs, hanging below the feathers and torso of the dragon. Her eyes were cold and bestial, with slitted pupils. Most importantly, her hand was glowing a similar light to before.

Lights flickered across Falin’s face, half of it drenched in harpy blood.

“Dispel.” A burst of magic exploded out of Falin’s hand.

“Ggh!” The spirit rocketed backwards and down to earth, through the building below. Determined, she steadied herself much faster this time, and only stopped her momentum when she popped into an alleyway just next to the building.

Frantic footsteps approached her. “Is she in there!?” Marcille asked.

The spirit shook her head. “No, rooftop!” And quickly rocketed up to-

Passing the lip of the roof, she was shocked to find a faceful of glowing hand. Once again, despite the strangely hollow look in the dragon’s face, it seemed to know perfectly where she was about to be.

“Dispel.”

“AH!” She shrieked as the magic blasted her backwards.

“Woah!” Marcille gasped.

“Falin!? Are you up there!?” She heard Laois shout.

She grit her teeth and steadied again. Now she was a rooftop apart from the monster. She huffed at the sight.

The dragon stared directly at her. The sweet face of Falin, now near unblinking in bloodied determination at her. Her hand subtly glowed and aimed threateningly at her. How did the dragon predict where she was going to be so easily? It was like she could feel where she-

The spirit gasped, putting a hand to her chest. That familiar ping hit her, letting her feel exactly where Falin’s soul was.

The dragon, in a mimicry, similarly placed a crimson hand on Falin’s chest. Blood stained on the shirt around Falin’s heart. And the ping went off again, but now the ghost realized it went both ways.

She sweated. Crap. She really needed a distraction for this to work.

Suddenly, a black blur appeared next to her, and a real life freaking ninja materialized in her sight. The spirit, briefly being overwhelmed by the sight, instantly geeked out. “O-Oh my gosh a real life-!”

“Hssss!” The ninja... hissed? “Definitely can feel you, ghost. So that’s who everyone’s obsessing over?”

The dragon took the intruder in with a growl. “Rrrr…”

“Can’t say I see the appeal.” The ninja woman scoffed at the chimera.

The spirit gasped. “Are you going to help distract-?”

The ninja waved a hand in front of her face. “If you’re talking to me I can’t hear or see you, idiot. And my name is Izutsumi.”

The spirit’s lips curled inward. Was this stranger really the best option she had?

“Come on Laios, help me up!” Marcille’s voice shouted in the distance.

Laios shrieked. “Not the face-mmgh!”

Apparently so.

She flew up and out into the air.

Izutsumi shivered as she left. “Fine, don’t hear the plan I have.”

The spirit flew to the dragon, giving a wide berth. Giving slow, meticulous circles just out of range.

“Rrrr…” It growled, steadily keeping track of her.

Suddenly, a couple throwing knives pierced one of its wings. “RAH!” It flinched, hand glow flickering.

Izutsumi landed on the roof, humming to herself. “Hey.”

The dragon scowled at the intruder, looking enraged.

Seeing an opening, the spirit tried diving in.

Almost mechanically, it immediately snapped to her. “Dispel.”

She dodged most of the blast that time. That time she only was pushed back a few meters. The dragon was clearly struggling to keep focus.

She orbited the monster as Izutsumi continued her assault. A few more knives pierced the body, one even managing to hit the human body’s side. She grimaced at the sight. That was going to hurt when she took control back.

Thus began a dance of pestering the beast like angry bees.

The dragon, eye twitching, swung her tail fruitlessly at Izutsumi. “Rrraah!” It yelled.

“Like I’m gonna be beat by a stupid dragon soul!” The ninja sneered, dodging and weaving through the blows.

The spirit dived again.

“Dispel.” Snap to and magic burst.

More knives. More blood.

Again.

“Dispel!” The monster yelled as she flew back again.

Izutsumi ran and jumped over it’s back.

Again.

“Rrrr-Dispel!” It barely got to her trying to throw Izutsumi off.

“Pay attention to-oof!” Izutsumi taunted.

The dragon grabbed Izutsumi by the neck, throwing her over her head into a deadlock above the ground.

Again.

“Dis- ” It flinched as Izutsumi bit down on the beast’s red stained hand death gripping her, fangs sinking in. “D-Dispel!” The monster threw Izutsumi down to block the spirit’s divebomb.

Izutsumi landed on her feet and hands. “Bleh! Ugh, enough!” And she put her fingers to her mouth, letting out a shrill whistle.

“K-Kabru, was that the signal!?” The spirit heard Marcille squeak.

Izutsumi jumped directly to Falin’s body, digging her claws(?) into its arms.

Again.

The dragon quickly flung Izutsumi off, the speed leaving clawmarks all the way down to Falin's hands. “Dis-”

An explosion of another magic rocked the air behind her. Marcille’s explosion magic.

The dragon stumbled forward in shock. Human hair blew forward, for a moment totally covering its face.

Fire and smoke blasted past as the spirit made one last dive inwards.

The last thing she saw was the wide eyes of the dragon as their faces collided.

She disappeared, diving totally into the belly of the beast.