Despite the power of mages, wars are won by soldiers. Mages are excellent at wiping out lots of unprotected enemies but they are fragile, expensive to train and run out of mana too soon to matter. Troop training must include anti-area spells maneuvers and countermeasures. Furthermore, no army is foolish enough to go to field without their own mages. Usually it becomes a game of tag between the opposite casters while the soldiers do the real fighting on the ground. There are exceptions however. When the magic power of a side is too overwhelming, enough to push past the enemy mages and damage the troops, the best strategy is an organized retreat.

Excerpt from the Military Tactics and Strategies guide, vol 2

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Dawn's nap was shortly interrupted by the 'helpful' maids.

After being put through the weird feeling of having someone else washing herself again and a long hair brushing session, Dawn went to sleep on the same room Pearl was sleeping hugging Cythrel. The village chief house was big but it wasn't a mansion. There were only three rooms on the upper floor, one of them his office.

Later that day, she woke up. The sunlight coming in through the curtains told her it was already afternoon. On the other side of the room, Pearl was awake but she remained lying down. She was talking to Cythrel on the bed. The rustling sound made her notice Dawn.

 "Lumina, good afternoon. Deb told me the ritual was successful but we will need to do other sessions to see some actual progress. But I feel much better, it is like some weight was lifted off me."

Pearl got off the bed and crossed the room, sitting next to Dawn. Cythrel followed and sat on the other side.

"I think it is time for you to fulfill your part. Tell me your story, Lumina."

The two princesses locked their gazes on one another. Dawn talked.

"Pearl, what I did was in the name of survival. The damage Aidan and Lumina took in the attack were too much. Nothing living had the right to remain alive after being crushed that much."

Pearl noticed that she spoke of herself in the third person, but decided to let it slip.

"Yet both of you are here. Alive." She pointed out.

"Yes. But you've seen the state we were in when you found us in Elmhill. We were barely hanging on by a thread back then and it improved little even if it seems otherwise."

"Are you implying you are not entirely safe even now?"

"No. Of Lumina and Aidan, at least one is still in danger of passing away. Maybe both."

"You look healthy to me, Lumina. And after Shinji's spell, there shouldn't be anything wrong with Aidan's body."

Cythrel leaned and hugged Dawn. She put an arm around the elf and continued.

"You are a trained mage, Pearl. You've seen the ritual circle we've drawn, the spell we used. Our wounds are not of the flesh or bone."

"Your souls are in danger!" Pearl overreacted in shock as all the pieces fell in place.

Pampered their entire lives and placed on a golden dais, princesses are naturally self-centered existences. Few have the mindfulness to look down and empathize with their fellow sentient beings. They live in their own tiny microcosm, bubbles of lace and safety. Like all bubbles, it is a fragile balance. Not realizing the predicament of the fused duo was as much Pearl's fault than it was her upbringing's.

 "Yes. The secret to our survival after the attack was this. Soul magic. Aidan used a spell that made us almost impossible to kill, but the spell fed on our souls. So long we had the energy to keep the spell going, our bodies would not die, the soul refusing to depart no matter how grievous the wounds were. The only drawback was that healing magic effectivity was greatly reduced. However, we lost consciousness before we could dismiss the spell. That is why we spent one year in the hospital. Until Aidan was strong enough to wake up and dismiss the spell, we were kept in that undying state."

Pearl was holding her breath. She didn't even notice that Dawn shifted to the first person midway. After digesting what Dawn said, she spoke, "That spell was active for a whole YEAR?" She was a mage after all. Burned out, but a mage nonetheless. She knew this kind of spell took a heavy toll.

"Yes. That is why we needed a ritual to strengthen and repair our souls. The spell that was keeping us alive was also slowly taking that life away."

"But Aidan had no mana. There was no way he could sustain a spell on each of you at once."

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"I think it is better to explain this in person. Come in!"

The knock on the door actually came slightly after Dawn spoke. It opened and Aidan came in. Pearl jumped, startled, and pulled a blanket to cover her nightgown.

"Why is Aidan here?" Pearl asked.

"To tell you the whole truth," Dawn spoke.

Aidan picked up a chair and sat next to the foot of the bed. Dawn and Cythrel were by the headboard and Pearl in the middle.

"And the truth is, The damage to my soul and Lumina's was bigger than we could believe. I had to put half my soul inside Lumina's body to keep it alive and store Lumina's soul within myself to stop the attack."

Aidan paused to allow Pearl time to digest the news.

"But right now it is too damaged to sustain life. We need to return to the capital before it is too late to save her."

Pearl pointed at Aidan. "Lumina is... inside you?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then, who is this person?" She pointed at Dawn.

"That person is me," Aidan revealed.

""We are the same person."" They spoke in unison, one octave of difference. ""But Lumina is also with us. Sometimes she awakens for a while, but she is too weak to regain consciousness.""

 Cythrel opened her eyes wide and her ears twitched. Pearl was petrified with dread. She looked back and forth between the two.

"Wait, it means that in the dungeon, the bath..."

Silence.

Pearl began to hyperventilate.

"In the bath... I... You... We... Was it you in there?"

Cythrel looked with amazement at how red those humans could get. All three of them.

"I was not entirely myself in there." Aidan decided to speak with Dawn's voice. Using his male one right now would be an invitation to catastrophe.

"I did that with a man?" Pearl asked mostly to herself.

"Sorry to interrupt, your Highness," Cythrel spoke. "But I don't believe Dawn could ever count as a man, lacking a penis as she is."

Dawn nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't matter. My first kiss was with you! And you went too far. You have to take responsibility!" She pointed at Aidan.

"It was you who came onto me, Pearl. I didn't want to take a bath together. And we were drunk." Dawn defended herself.

"Shut up, you fake! If you are the same person, speak with your own mouth. Stop disgracing Lumina by using hers." Pearl yelled.

"Fair enough, Pearl. I'll speak only from this side now." Aidan stated.

"Take responsibility for your actions. You sullied me!"

Aidan crossed his arms and stared at Pearl. She was on the verge of tears.

"Are you proposing to me, Pearl? That is one way to take responsibility. We marry and your honor is kept."

Aidan had no romantic interest in Pearl. He really considered her a friend. What they did back then was impossible to forget, but he couldn't think of spending his life with Pearl. He thought about it but he felt guilt deep inside. If he were to marry Pearl, he would regret. She was beautiful and had lots of good points, but the feelings were not there. Romantically speaking.

"NO! I don't want to marry you. You are a powerful magician and the scion of the godslayer, it would be a good match if I were not the heir... I don't think I'll stay the heir long enough, but nevertheless, I don't want to marry you."

"My exact sentiments. I hold you in great esteem, Pearl. You are a better person than any other princess I've met. You are honest, generous, and kind." Aidan replied. The implied statement that she was better than Lumina in Aidan's evaluation was not missed. Princesses were masters of doublespeak.

"But I am not marriage material for you."

"You are not 'material'. You are a person. I am sure you will make the man that marries you very happy. But that man is not me."

"I've never proposed to you. Are we clear?"

"Fair enough. What do you want?"

"Kill yourself now to clean my honor!" She demanded, pointing at Dawn's rapier hanging on the headboard.

"If I die, Lumina dies too," Aidan stated with a sigh. "I am the only thing keeping her alive."

"Oh, there's that. I forgot." Pearl said, apologetical.

"We are in Yutis. I am a noble from Yutis. Did you just suggest murdering my princess?"

Everyone in the room froze. This would cause a war, but Pearl had just given Aidan a just cause to kill her. And he had a witness. The shock of the realization was too much for Pearl and she broke down, crying.

Aidan didn't want to hurt her. But he needed to bring the negotiation to equal terms before he could proceed forward. He lunged Dawn forward and hugged Pearl, pulling her back to the head of the bed.

"Pearl, Pearl. It is fine. None of us is dying today or ever if I can help it!" Dawn spoke on her ear. She also pulled Cythrel's arm over to hug Pearl. "We all like you, Pearl. We are your friends. That is true. We don't want to hurt you."

Girls. 'Girls are made of feelings and lace, as the saying goes. And I am too.' thought Aidan. He empathized with Pearl's grief deeply, and he found himself crying. On both counts. His natural barrier against feelings crushed by his female half. He could sense how his two bodies processed the emotional content of the situation differently. How he could have two points of view as if he were using lens tinted with different colors on each eye.

Pearl held Dawn and cried for a good amount of time. When she calmed down and looked up, Dawn smiled at her.

"Feeling better?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, thank..." Pearl froze again. Those mental hiccups were somehow endearing. Made Aidan want to tease her just to get those reactions. "Oh, no! Get away from me!"

She pushed away from Dawn and stood up.

"Pearl, calm down. We are friends here." Dawn spoke.

Pearl looked at the rapier hanging next to the headboard. Everyone followed her sight. Dawn pushed Cythrel away, and Aidan cast Undying Resilience quietly.

"I must do something," Pearl spoke, afraid.

Her hand rose slowly in the direction of the rapier.