I woke up with a brutal headache. Actually, calling it a headache doesn’t quite capture it—my entire existence was just pain. Even the tiniest movement felt like scraping my brain against burning metal rods, as if a web of them had formed around me and any motion was pure agony.

I took a deep breath.

The hard marble floor beneath me was cold, but somehow, staying still and enduring the chill was the lesser evil. It still hurt, but not as bad as moving.

I tried to piece together how I ended up there, but my mind was foggy, refusing to cooperate. The memories that surfaced didn’t seem real—bizarre, dreamlike phantasmagorias floated through my thoughts, mingling with fragments of what felt like ‘normal’ castle life. It was hard to tell what was real and what was just my brain playing tricks on me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the phantasmagorias to fade, trying to focus on what was left, but it was no use—everything remained a tangled mess. After what felt like an eternity, I decided to try standing. Big mistake. The moment I did that, I doubled over, retching violently. Something greenish spilled from my mouth, staining the white marble.

Still on all fours, I glanced around, desperate for Ju. I needed some of her mana to kickstart my brain—it was like it had completely short-circuited. Where could she be? I crawled across the room, every inch of me protesting as I moved.

The once-luxurious room was in shambles, like the aftermath of a wild part. In addition to the chaos, it looked like a few spells had misfired—scorch marks streaked the walls, and some furniture seemed to have been partially burned. Had we really set things on fire?

Then I found her—Ju—sprawled on the other side of the bed, her head hanging off the edge, drool dribbling down her face.

"Ju!" I tried to call, but only garbled, unintelligible sounds escaped my lips.

Her frail body looked skeletal, her face sunken with a cadaverous pallor. For a moment, I thought she was dead, until her eyes fluttered open. Her head moved slightly, and she started to grasp at the air as if searching for something invisible. Her hand clawed at the empty space, desperation etched on her face. Then, she glanced at me and mumbled something incoherent.

I moved closer, taking her hand. She scratched at me with her other hand before finally muttering something I could understand.

"Oh, there you are! Come here!"

Without warning, she turned onto her side and began to snore softly.

“Ju?”

I stared at her, completely baffled. The thought of taking a mote of her mana vanished from my mind. Was this the aftermath of our little mana game? What exactly had we done? Pressing my hands against the bed for support, I shakily stood, only to be greeted by the pale reflection of a ghost staring back at me from the mirror.

My hands were trembling uncontrollably. I tried to push back the wild tangle of hair to get a clearer look at my face, but in the process, I involuntarily scratched myself. I stared in surprise at my reflection and forgot about the scratch.

I looked human—well, mostly. The horns and pointed ears were still there, but the rest was human.

Dressed in a stained silk pajama set, my skin was so pale I glanced around, half-wondering if there was some strange lighting at play. My eyes were sunken deep into my face, encircled by dark shadows. So, I had worked on my 'avatar,' but this version of 'human' was more ghost than anything. Maybe I’d made myself even thinner, or maybe I really had lost weight recently. The only thing that stood out was the intense, almost orange hue of my hair—a lingering side effect from my dragon transformation. It was the sole vivid color in my otherwise sickly, washed-out appearance.

How did it come to this?

I stood in front of the mirror for what felt like ages, trying to piece together the fractured memories of how things had spiraled to this point. My mind moved slowly, like it was stuck in a fog.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

A knock came at the door, sharp and sudden. Without thinking, I automatically said, "Yes."

The door burst open with a sharp movement, and Alice strode into the room. She raised a brow when she saw me standing there, studying my own reflection, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead, her voice was urgent.

"Something bad has happened at the mine. I'm heading there. Do you want to come?"

She avoided making eye contact, her whole posture impatient, like she wasn’t expecting much of an answer.

“Do we have a mine?” I asked, genuinely puzzled.

Alice sighed, taking a deep breath before finally looking up at me.

"I have no time for explanations now," Alice said quickly. "I'll head to the mine. Should I wait for you? I can update you on the way, or give you a report when I get back."

I took a deep breath. "Can you help me put something on? I want to come with you."

She hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t my servant, and I wasn’t entirely helpless, but then she rushed over to one of the cabinets, pulled out a simple leather dress, and brought it to me.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked while helping me out of the silk pajamas.

"I'm horribly sick!" I groaned.

She glanced at me with a slight smirk. "No, you’re feeling better. You seem like yourself today. Now let’s go, the boys are waiting!"

The coach rattled and swayed as it sped down the stony road, the sound of rain steadily drumming on the roof. Six black-clad orcs rode in formation: two in front, two at the sides, and two trailing behind. The driver was human, hunched against the weather.

I stood by the open coach window, leaning out with my face in the wind. The cold rain lashed my skin, but it helped clear my mind.

“Be careful not to open the door!” Alice called, her hand hovering as if ready to pull me back at any moment.

"So, we do have a mine?" I asked again.

Tom, seated on the bench between Alice and Hew, rolled his eyes but nodded.

Rain splashed inside the coach, soaking the cushions and floor on my side. Mike, wrapped tightly in a blanket, sat near me, quietly watching. I realized I couldn’t remember the last time we spoke in private, though we must have at some point—his curse had been reset after all.

Alice let out a weary sigh before answering.

“Yes, a silver mine, to be exact. The messenger said a major cave-in occurred, and a couple hundred people are currently missing.”

“A couple hundred?” I echoed in disbelief. “What can we do?”

She shrugged, her expression grim. “I don’t know. It seems Durham needs help.”

“Durham needs help? Was he down in the mine?”

She shook her head. “No, but he was there trying to explain to the people the situation and they nearly lynched him.”

“They wanted to lynch him?” I asked, baffled. “But, he’s a paladin, a high-level one at that. What could a bunch of peasants do to him?”

“It can get ugly when people believe someone’s to blame. They think he and the Xsoha might be responsible. It could turn into a bloodbath. Durham demanded the orcs establish order, but Drackar refused, saying the orcs won’t act against the local population—it’s Durham’s problem. I sent a message telling him to wait until I arrive. For now, they’ve barricaded themselves inside the administrative building.”

I blinked. I hadn’t expected a peasant revolt to break out so quickly.

“And what exactly are we going to do?” I asked, feeling the weight of the situation.

“We’ll assess things ourselves,” Alice replied calmly. “Figure out what can actually be done, and try to pacify the masses before it gets out of hand.”