I stared at the scratched message on the floor. Rowan watched with concern, while Linn tried—and failed—to suppress a grin. I cradled the little rat in my hands as it chirped joyfully and nuzzled me.
Then I hugged my beautiful rodent daughter tightly.
"I hereby name you Vita-Min," I declared proudly, careful not to break her already-dead bones. "Because just like me, you're simply tiny ."
"Look who's a mommy now, little one?" Linn teased with a wide smile.
"Oh my god, Linn! You're right!" I grinned mischievously, lifting the rat up. "Vita-Min, meet your grandma!"
Linn clutched her chest dramatically, pretending to gag and fall backward. Rowan and I burst into laughter. Oh, Vita-Min was adorable! Why did she call me "Mommy"? Oh wait… of course she does! I brought her back to life!
"Pleased to meet you, Vita-Min!" I said. "Can you tell me where Remus is? Or what he's doing?"
The rat nodded enthusiastically, hopping from my hand to the floor and scratching again.
Daddy is in Lytia Village!
I read the first word, then hesitated.
"Aww—um, sweetie, that slime inside Remus isn't really your daddy, okay? You're… adopted."
Okay!
"So, uh… what exactly is he doing there?" I asked.
Spreading (slime)!
"...Fantastic," I muttered.
"She even added an exclamation mark," Rowan whispered.
"Vita, is it 'it,' or 'he,' or 'she'?" Linn asked.
"I don't know. I'm just guessing," I replied. "Vita-Min?"
Mommy is a girl! I want to be a girl too!
"There you go! How's motherhood treating you, Vita?" Linn teased.
"Feels weird, considering the first step was killing a baby," I answered. "I remember the Remus-slime saying she was only about ten hours old or something."
"Oh," Linn said, her smile fading slightly. "Oops."
"I didn't have a choice! She was controlling my body and nearly told Remus I was a necromancer."
"I wanted to see if she'd lose memories after resurrection," Penta interjected, speaking for the first time in a while.
"Yeah, good idea. We'll keep an eye on that. Vita-Min, if you start forgetting things, let us know, okay?"
Okay!
"Wanna try hiding in her body?" I asked.
"Doubtful, but worth a shot," Penta replied. She detached from my neck, flowing down my body, slipping out near my knee, and slithering across the dusty ground into the revived rat corpse. After about half a minute, she rushed back out, climbing swiftly up my arm and reattaching at my neck. I doubted I'd ever get used to that sensation.
"No luck," she said once settled.
"Holy hell, that was fast," Linn whispered.
"Damn. So much for the easy solution," I frowned. "How long can you survive in a live rat?"
"Twenty minutes feels unsafe," Penta replied. "An hour max before needing a human host."
"What do we do with Vita-Min?" Linn asked. "I don't think leaving a reanimated corpse here is safe."
"Probably not," I agreed. "Especially tonight, with paladins swarming like hornets. Hey, Vita-Min? I need to take your soul back, okay宝贝? I promise a better body later."
Vita-Min nodded, wiggling happily.
"She just called a dead rat '宝贝,'" Rowan whispered to Linn.
"I know! Isn't she precious?" Linn whispered back.
"Are you talking about Vita or the dead rat?"
Linn responded with a goofy grin. Carefully, I grasped my daughter's soul, "killed" her again, and stored the essence within me. I grabbed the bucket of rats, stood, and nodded to my family.
"Alright, I should head back. Wish me luck."
"Good luck, kid!" Linn cheered. "If they jail you, I'll break you out!"
"Thanks, Grandma," I replied. She exaggeratedly choked again.
"Vita," Rowan said. "Do you remember our agreement?"
"All the time," I answered solemnly. "Uh… though I'm not sure I've ever fully lived up to it literally. Not sure I ever could."
He stood, pulling me into another hug.
"It doesn't matter. Just hold the spirit, not the letter. But honestly, I worry. I feel so out of the loop—I don't even know how to help you anymore."
I hugged him tightly.
"Just stay safe."
"Alright," he smiled. "I'll try."
I ran toward the Guild, carefully avoiding patrolling paladins. They were strong—at least the ones I'd seen weren't as powerful as Remus, but still far beyond me. In fact, most were about Penelope's level.
At the Guild, I sensed Penelope in the lavish office, conversing—likely with the branch leader. I'd let her handle it. If she meant to reveal anything I'd rather hide, she probably would've already. Saving her from that nightmare—no offense, Penta—should earn some temporary trust.
"Fine, not offended," Penta murmured dryly. Together, we ascended the stairs to my room.
That reminded me—I needed to introduce Penta to Roscoe! After all, aside from me, she'd be the only one to experience his incomparable soft, fuzzy embrace.
"Honored," Penta said sincerely. Of course she was!
Thinking this, she guided my lips into a smile, and we opened the door, waving at Nora, who was doing sit-ups on the floor.
"Hey, Nora."
"Vita," she grunted. "What's up? I saw Penelope returned—is she alright?"
"Yeah," I said. "She's fine. We're safe. Before Hollowspire arrives, is this really the best use of your time?"
"This isn't exercise—it's warm-up," she retorted, slowing her pace.
"...You forgot, didn't you?" I chuckled, sitting on the bed.
"Of course I did," she groaned, flopping flat on the floor. "How could I forget? It's not like there's a giant stone egg hanging in the sky or anything."
"This week's been insane," I said. "Hardly time to look up. Even Penelope forgot."
"Strange we're always on standby," Nora mused. "Hollowspire never troubled my hometown—we're remote—but I've seen it pass a few times. Stories say we huddled together, hoping survival came easy if they attacked."
I nodded, retrieving Roscoe from his hiding spot and placing him on my lap.
"Same where I grew up," I told her.
She arched an eyebrow.
"You weren't raised here? Where all these super-paladins hang out?"
"I was," I said. "They just don't patrol my neighborhood."
Nora wrinkled her nose.
"Guess it's my turn for a life-changing adventure in your part of town. If you're okay with it, we could bring Bentley along."
I snorted.
"Sure, bring snacks and I'll offer free Slums Survival Tips."
"Uh, surely it's not that bad, right?"
I gave her a flat stare.
"Alright, alright, sorry," she raised her hands. "Eager to visit the place that forged the world's tiniest badass."
I rolled my eyes, lifting Roscoe to meet his gaze.
"Heard that, Roscoe宝贝? Nora thinks I'm a badass!"
Penta quivered slightly at my neck—probably awe, not amusement. I generously ignored Nora's teasing tone. I flopped onto the bed, cuddling Roscoe a while longer. God, I was exhausted—but I'd slept last night. Tonight might be sleepless with Hollowspire passing.
But villains never rest. While waiting for Penelope, I tested my soul-perception limits—recently sharpened by my growing soul. Sensing subtle shifts in souls felt useful, though—as usual—not simple. Souls rarely moved much, and each reacted differently. Detecting changes was one thing; interpreting them quite another.
The soul with Penelope was small, brownish—warm like sunlit earth… or like shit, though more pleasant, fresh than rotten. As the man—or maybe woman?—spoke, their soul undulated gently, riding waves of conversation. Meanwhile, Penelope's hummed faintly—a barely perceptible melody sharpening the more I focused…
"So…" Nora suddenly asked, snapping me from focus. "Where's Remus?"
No point lying—Penelope was already confessing everything to the branch leader.
"He's using his slime-babies to control people's minds," I explained, still holding Roscoe.
She laughed.
"Okay, but seriously—what's he doing?"
I rolled over, watching her.
"What?"
"He's using his slime-babies to control people's minds," I repeated slowly, clearly this time.
"Wait—you're serious?" she widened her eyes.
"Yeah. He tried implanting one in me too. Failed. I pretended to be controlled, rescued Penelope, couldn't save the others."
"By the Watcher, Vita! You're not joking?"
"Not joking," I confirmed. "It's pretty bad. Penelope's telling the branch leader now."
"How'd you rescue Penelope?"
I sighed. Might as well tell her.
"Soul perception isn't my only secret," I admitted. "I've hidden another ability. Didn't want to scare anyone. It's… messy."
"Oh! Oh! So that's how you killed those tentacle monsters…?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "Sorry for hiding it. It's not great, but handy against small stuff."
"Poor Vita," Nora whispered, rising to kneel beside me, pulling me into a hug. "Did you accidentally kill something?"
Caught off guard, I stiffened briefly before leaning into her warmth.
"...Yeah," I admitted. "How'd you know?"
She shrugged.
"People with death abilities usually are. My brother killed our pet cat when he discovered his."
"Oh," I said softly. "Well, that's not too bad."
"Vita," Nora said gently. "Please don't say something sad like 'I've never even touched a cat' or something."
"I have touched cats!" I protested.
"Thank goodness," she sighed.
"Just… when they were already dead. Still soft, though. Live strays won't let you touch them."
"...Yep. That checks out," she said tiredly.
Just then, Penelope opened the door, peeking in.
"Nora, have you seen… Ah, Vita, the branch leader wants to see you."
I frowned.
"Did I cause trouble?"
She snorted.
"Not yet."
"Alright," I relented, wriggling from Nora's arms, returning Roscoe to the bed, grabbing my rat bucket, and following Penelope out.
Before seeing the leader, I pulled her into an empty room.
"Hey! What's your deal, Vita?" she hissed under her breath.
"I know more stuff!" I whispered. "Because of secrets! I found out where Remus is!"
"How?"
"Because of… secrets! Come on, keep up! I'll tell you somewhere else, just you and me, after we talk to the Guild guy."
"Just us? Meaning you, me, and that thing ?" she narrowed her eyes.
"Penelope, I saved you to protect you—not favor the slime."
"Hmph. You spared it because you liked it more. Don't pretend otherwise," she snapped. "What's in the bucket?"
"Dead rats," I said honestly. "Was hoping you could make them edible."
She blinked, processing, then shook her head, changing topics.
"So… where's Remus?"
"Lytia Village."
"And how do we explain how you know that to the branch leader?"
"I dunno. Haven't figured that out yet. You haven't noticed, but I'm kind of overwhelmed."
She snorted.
"Oh, I noticed."
"So I hoped we could come up with something!" I said cheerfully. "Can we plausibly deduce it from current info? Or…?"
Penelope rolled her eyes.
"Vita, if you're going to lie, keep it simple. Say he mentioned visiting there before. Not suspicious. If true"—she paused—"they'll appreciate the lead. Priority is removing the slime from his body."
"Great plan!" I said, stepping out. She followed, but I hesitated.
"And, uh… Penelope, the parts of Penta I like—they mostly came from you."
She shivered slightly but didn't reply. Together, we walked toward the branch leader's office.