I turned my head to the side, my cheek squishing against Karin's shoulder; after some time, my thoughts changed and the system responded to my intentions.

[ [Syrin, you have re-entered the natural range of your special class, [Contractor]; system support has been rescinded.]

[Probability of elastic rebound: 50%] ]

[Mana:45/83]

Maybe I should think to open these sooner...

It's a bit of a habit now to just wait for it to read my subconscious or something; I'm just glad it actually explains these phenomena to me... well, to a certain extent anyway. I wish there was more detail, but it's still quite useful usually, and this time isn't any different.

Hmm, elastic rebond?

I guess it makes sense... Not every Demon has a system on them, and I imagine it's surprisingly easy to go past the 'maximum' range of a summoning by mistake. It wouldn't be worth the risk a lot of the time if it just kills you.

Hah, I'll have to be careful of this little quirk in the future, probably.

A warning would have been nice, though... I've probably collapsed in that root, and Rena's panicking or maybe just waiting around for me.

She's seen it once, so maybe she's just poking me with a stick or something.

Hmm, I can play it off as backlash from breaking the doctrine again... and I don't really like it, but this should better set her up for being on her own.

I loosened both my attention and my grip; the interface disappeared, and I stepped away from Karin after she loosened hers as well.

She looks a lot better now, but she's also staring at me with a strange expression; obviously, Ana's acting skills must be atrocious.

I nearly rolled my eyes just thinking about it.

Her thoughts are stirring, but she lacks the spice—she's finding it difficult to find the right words...

Staring into her eyes like this, I'm actually a little anxious.

Alright... let's do this.

Abruptly, I opened my mouth, and the truth began to spill.

"Ana stole my body."

She looked at me intently, her eyes widening.

Her brows creased, and her expression dropped to the ground.

How else was I supposed to start with this?

"What?"

She was in so mellow of a mood, it took her a while to reply, but bafflement still rang clear in her tone—it almost sounds unbelieving.

I licked my teeth awkwardly, trying to figure out what I should say to sound more convincing.

Before, I was more obsessed with doing everything on my own—because them trusting me was their fault—but if I went out of my way to manipulate them and lie to them outright, then I'd actually feel guilty about it.

Looking back, it's awfully arbitrary, but I still feel that way.

I don't really care for being some shining beacon of good or evil in the world, and I'll do whatever I want within my own personal boundaries of what I think is too far; getting some people killed because they can't protect some crystal isn't going to make me feel very guilty.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

But how direct I am in my approach changes my feelings for some reason...

Am I becoming someone or discovering who I was?

Aghh, that doesn't matter right now.

I might not need them to risk dying at all, and I'd still rather they didn't.

Hmm, that idea was supposed to be far into the future... but maybe, perhaps I can start now. I just haven't figured out all the risks yet.

I flicked my eyes back up to meet Karin's; she's been sitting there watching me ruminate, which means she's willing to listen and possibly accept it.

Alright...

"Her soul is currently trying to take my body, and I can only come back for short amounts of time... So..."

Relief visibly washed through her.

Was I... mistaken? She already believes it?

Not a second later, tension seized her again, and she opened her mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait. How? Why? Are you okay..? Can I help?"

She reached over, grabbing my shoulders and firing questions like I fired my scales, as if trying to hold my soul down in my body.

There's a slight desperation in her eyes, mixed with worry; this is far outside of her experience.

"I think... I can get rid of her, but I need a proper class."

"You don't have a class?"

The energy of the conversation recoiled into her expression, and she replied on instinct. However, the hidden meaning in my words dawned on her the moment she finished speaking.

"Wait, what do you mean... 'proper'?"

She asked questioningly, clearly seeing it as an important detail.

"Well, I... I have this class that lets me be summoned..."

This struck her harder than I expected—even more than what I'd said previously.

"You have the Contractor class? How? It can only be granted to us by Mother Gaian..."

"Who?!"

I blurted out at the name of this new great character I now had to remember: sometimes I just want to be ignorant of things for a little longer... hah.

"Huh? The moment you became a demon, you should have just known... The mother of demons, mother of earth magic, a primordial demon... Atalina Gaian."

My mind swam in the sudden onload of new information.

Mother of earth magic? What does that even mean? She created it?

Mother of demons? Then who is Freiya?

And then... Primordial.

I shook my head.

As much as I want to know, it isn't that important right now.

"Alark..."

A faint voice spoke up, and I looked up to see Karin had connected more dots.

"Then he knows."

She muttered with more confidence.

"Well, I guess... somehow; I'm not really sure why though."

"She might be using him. No wonder he kept looking towards you."

A pained look crossed Karin's face, and she curled in on herself slightly while sitting, becoming emotionally reclusive.

Karin doesn't know about the forced summons, and I don't really have the time to explain it all either.

Some seconds passed, and she looked back up at me, so I continued.

"She was somehow able to use it against me, and... well, you get the rest."

Karin nodded faintly in reply.

I can only tell a white lie...

"So... I'm guessing you can feel your class is near, and that your connection to your body grows stronger as you approach the class breakthrough. Right?"

"R...ight"

I flicked my eyes to the side.

Is this the lingo of a systemless person?

It's not called a remnant of the one for nothing huh.

"But I do know how to get it. I need—I feel that there's a dense energy at the top of the outpost somewhere."

I almost called the source fruit thingy by name then... there's no way I should be able to know that, so I can only rely on my instincts to persuade her.

But... that is also less convincing.

I went to speak again but halted, seeing Karin's shock.

"You... That's too dangerous; if the angels attack, we could all be wiped out. How could you even be certain?"

Angels?

So it's that important, and maybe it's what keeps them secluded.

I swallowed dryly.

"If- if you leave before they attack, I can take you somewhere safe. If there's anyone you trust, I can take them there too. You'll have to be safe on your own for a short while though."

She stared at me incredulously.

It's not unwarranted; I'm sure I sound insane to her—I mean, where could I possibly take them? That's what she's wondering, but there simply isn't enough time to explain everything in detail.

I can't just wonder around with Rena for days on end...

We have to enact a plan.

"I need you to help trick Ana into stealing the thing herself; I hope I've already planted the idea in her mind; she just needs to feel pressured enough to do it."

I paused.

For some reason, a wave of confidence rushed through me. It started as a tingle in my toes and ran up to my face in a rush of static, carrying into my words.

"It's the only way."

They lingered and melded with the air; it feels a little like truth incarnate.

Karin didn't even seem to notice, her gaze shifting to the small box at her side.

She rested her hand atop it, closed her eyes, and wavered, conflict entangling her expression.

I'm still not sure she'll agree. I haven't explained much in any detail, and she knows nothing of the strange gifts that I have.

"Alright."

Perhaps she was tired of living her life the way she had; perhaps she was more vulnerable after fighting with Alark; perhaps life-changing danger is just that common; but she sighed and seemed to resign herself to this gamble.

...

[λ-Pride:

You intrinsically exude an aura of confidence and authority. This may manifest as the ability to make others feel more confident in themselves, or to feel more confident in your judgment.]