Time has slowed down, I could feel the cracks spreading across my core, the blood rolling down. I have to think of something, I can’t just die like this and leave the kids. Think! Think… magic is a thing. If that’s true, then what exactly is my core?

I contract my consciousness for the first time into my core and inspect myself. Would you look at that? I’m not just some crystal, nor am I some unimaginable thing created by a god. I’m just crystallized mana. Mama that condensed so much it became a physical thing and gained a consciousness, though that part may have been the interference of a god but that’s for me to figure out at another time. Right now I need to worry about my core. And tiara.

Tiara! That’s right! God I’m so stupid! Even if I live I don’t think I can’t just ask someone from the church to heal her. If I’m pure mana, and she’s connected to me as my voice, then is it possible?

‘Tiara? Sweety, i need you to do one thing, don’t ask why, just do it. I promise it’s the only way to save us.’

God I hope I’m right about this ‘Eat my core’

• • •

(Tiara’s point of view)

I’m so cold, and yet so hot. I’m angry, so very angry. And yet I can’t stop crying. They were here to take away my dad. I can’t lose my dad again. I jumped in the way hoping to save him but I failed.

Tears run down my face as I watch the cracks spread across the core that was my new dad. Such a beautiful shade of purple, I’d never seen the like. And he’ll be gone soon.

‘Tiara? Sweety, I need you to do one thjng, don’t ask why, just do it. I promise it’s the only way to save us’

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There’s still a way? I’m too weak to respond. My arms and legs feel like ice, and my chest burns like there’s a hot iron embedded in it. I’m willing to do anything if it might save us.

‘Eat my core’

Eat the core?! But that’s… no no questions. I move my hands shakily to grab as much of the core as I can, small chunks of it dropping to the ground as I pull it away from the sword and toward my face. And I bite into it.

Although it’s shattering the texture is oddly soft when eating it, like a jello. I devour it as fast as I can and slump forward exhausted.

The man from the church looks at me and smirks. “Well at least you and your dungeon get to be together at the end. Either way is fine with me, at least now it’s-“

Before he could finish what he was saying my body exploded. Well in a sense. The mama welled up in me, I could feel it reaching every fiber of my being. But it didn’t feel like the mama ice used so far, this felt different. It felt warm and inviting, yet oddly alien. My body hurt all over, but it felt at peace. My skin burned and healed repeatedly until I myself glowed purple.

When it was all over my hair was silver, and my skin was the same shade of purple as dad’s core.

‘Looks like it worked’ dad said. He sounded different, not as if he was talking to me, but like he WAS me. ‘Looks like I’ll be bunking with you from now on’

• • •

(Dungeon point of view)

I missed having a body, although I don’t know how I feel about being a little elf girl. Better than being dead for sure. But right now I need to take care of a pest.

“Tiara honey, I’m taking over for a minute.” I say, surprised to find I spoke it aloud with Tiara’s voice.

The church man cocks his head at me in confusion still holding his bloody sword. That damn sword, time for me to use some magic.

I focus and attempt to manipulate the mana used to control the wind. I force it out and down into the man’s lungs and I pull out, taking the air with the mana. He doubles over suddenly but before he can gasp for more air I create a field of mana around his head, keeping any air away from his mouth.

He claws at his throat as he falls to the ground, “you shouldn’t have messed with us old man.” I say grimly, “nobody hurts my family and gets away with it.”

He looks at me but he can’t respond. I state with cold indifference, okay okay, maybe a little pleasure, as the life slowly fades from his eyes and he falls limp. I know how this works so I hold the spell for a while longer. Death is what he deserves, death for daring to touch my core, death for killing my avatars, death for breaking my home, and death for hurting Tiara!

Once I’m done I release the spell and check for a pulse. None. “Alright Tiara, the body’s all yours.” I say and I fall back into her mind as I become a passenger in her body to watch from a third person perspective as she moves.

“Is it over?” She asks quietly.

“I doubt it” I say still using her voice, “when it comes to some big organizations like churches, it’s best to be careful”

I look around at the mess left over from the battle, “and it looks like there’s a lot of cleaning to do.”