I stood in the doorway of the sleigh, remote in hand, as I liquefied and reformed the metal Bobliss had warped and sliced with his blade.

Teya sat on one of the plush seats inside, Stormy nestled in her lap. She couldn't seem to stop touching things - the soft fabric of the seat, the smooth wood of the sleigh's interior, and especially Stormy's fur. Her fingers kept running through the kitten's black coat, her eyes wide with wonder.

"She's so soft," she marveled, scratching behind Stormy's ears. "I'd forgotten what it felt like to actually touch things."

I smiled, watching her rediscover the world through her new body.

Stormy suddenly let out a disgruntled "Mrow!" and swatted at Teya's hand with her paw.

Teya jerked back, looking startled. "Oh! I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to pet you so rough."

I chuckled. "It's fine. You're still learning. Stormy's pretty good at letting you know when she's had enough too."

Teya nodded, carefully resuming her petting with a gentler touch. Stormy seemed to approve, settling back down with a contented purr.

"So," Teya said, looking up at me. "Tell me more about this sunny island we're heading to. What's it like?"

I leaned against the doorframe, taking a break from my repairs. "Honestly? I don't know much about it. Moonalia mentioned it was somewhere south of the Fern Archipelago. Supposedly, it's the sunniest spot on all of Thornwild."

"The sunniest spot? That sounds... lovely. I can't even remember the last time I felt real sunlight on my skin."

"Well, you're in for a treat then," I grinned. "Though we might need to be careful not to let you get sunburned. Your new skin probably isn't used to direct sunlight. Actually, you know what… I don’t know if you can get a sunburn. You’re sort of like me.”

“Sort of like you?” Teya tilted her head at me.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m a witch, made from liquid crystals, propped into existence by all of these magic crystals that slowly grow around me.”

I showed her one of the large gems hanging from a string.

“And I am what?” She asked.

“You’re a human girl who can control Chronacist crystals in water, also propped into existence by the crystals that comprise me,” I explained.

“I see,” she nodded. “So if you…”

“If I get unmade, then you’ll stop moving, stop existing,” I said, banging the door back into shape. “Thankfully, it’s not easy to kill a witch. Bobliss almost succeeded at it though. Bastard broke my spine.”

Teya stared at me with worried eyes.

“I got better,” I shrugged. “On the account of magic healing water that my magic crystals create.”

"Hrm,” Teya tagged her Nordstaii sweater. “I might need some summer clothes if we're going somewhere tropical."

I felt my cheeks warm slightly. "Ah, right. We'll figure something out. Maybe we can stop somewhere along the way, buy more clothes for… all three of you. There’s gotta be human cities downstream of your river, right?”

“Right,” Teya nodded. “I think there are a few. It would be nice to talk to other people and not have to grant their stupid wishes. Ah! I can feel the heat of my own body! It's so odd! And..." she paused, placing a hand on her chest, "I have a heartbeat! Ahh! It’s a bit… scary and weird! Wait… what if I get arrowed again? Can I bleed to death?”

I squinted at her.

“Well?” She demanded, squeezing Stormy hard enough to get a swat across her hand.

“I don’t know,” I said, focused on the door repairs. “Presumably, it’s possible. I’d have to test these things. Maybe if I switch you off, you'll get healed.”

“Ow,” she said, looking at the small scratch left by Stormy. “Yeah. I can definitely bleed. Jeesh.”

I came closer to her and looked at the small scratch on her hand.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “These crystals are pretty good at simulating human-ness. So, do you want to test if you can get healed? I should really talk to our other two… companions too, explain the situation and all. Mind if I switch you off for a bit?”

“Uhh,” Teya blinked. “Yeah, sure. It’s like going to sleep… right?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Guess we’ll find out. Want to press the switch yourself?”

Teya nodded.

I pulled her remote control from under my armor and offered it to her. Her slender finger reached out and pressed the switch off and then her entire body stilled, froze.

I waited for a few seconds, examining her completely static figure and then I turned another switch on.

I watched as Teya's form shimmered and shifted, the crystals rearranging themselves into a new shape. In moments, Moonalia sat on the sleigh's couch, her black and white feathers ruffling with excitement.

"Stars and claws!" she exclaimed, her words coming out in a rapid-fire burst. "It worked! It actually worked! I can't believe it! Heck, I can believe it because I designed lots of it, but still! To experience it firsthand is just... wow! And look at me! I have a body again! A real, physical body! Thought I’d be a Fold Overseer forever and ever as is tradition with Corvix, managing the function of the Builder Artifact from the Abyss! Why’d you pull me back?”

Before I could answer, she began darting around the sleigh, touching everything in sight, her talons clicking against various surfaces. "The tactile sensations are incredible! Oh, and the olfactory input! I can smell... is that brine? Fascinating!"

“You could smell things before,” I pointed out.

“Yes, yes,” Mooni chattered, hopping around. “I could smell before and then I couldn’t. And now I can again. These sensations must be compared, tested, understood. I’m real and not real now. Just like you. A gem. It is very fascinating. Would my rings work again? I’d like my rings back. Can I have my rings back?”

I squinted at her.

“Fine, fine,” she hopped off into another corner. “I can function fine without them, for now. You know, I can feel two others in my mind-Fold too, like dreaming echoes in my mind. And the knowledge! Oh, the knowledge! It's all there, Ioan! So much of everything we learned in the Fold, it's all accessible! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

She paused her frantic movements, squealing and then stared at me with yellow-gold eyes. "We did it, didn't we? We created so many new things! Do you have any idea how skybreaking all of this is? The implications for Arcanicx research alone are staggering! Not to mention the potential applications for..."

"Mooni," I smiled, "breathe. Slow down.”

“Breathing slowly is for Felixes,” she bobbed her head. “Oh! You should bring Cali back. She’ll be happy to be back. Do tell her that I miss her. Sucks that I won’t be able to speak with her, but still… at least she won’t smack me for being me if I'm her.”

"Maybe we can figure something out,” I shrugged. “After we get to our island."

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Moonalia tapped her beak. "I have all the coordinates right here in my mind. It's quite fascinating how the information is stored within the crystalline substrate. It's almost like a living database that-"

I smiled at her.

"Coordinates. Island. Got it. Absolutely, totally on it. I can definitely help navigate us there. Oh! And I can probably rig up some improvements to the sleigh's propulsion system using my knowledge of Arcanicx Artificery combined with your gem person abilities. We could potentially increase our travel speed by a factor of-"

I held up a hand, stopping her before she could launch into another tangent. "That sounds great, Mooni. Why don't you make sure that everything is watertight while I finish repairing the door?"

"Yes! Excellent idea!" she chirped, already moving towards her new job. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see what incredible, new shiny things we can create together, Ioan. The possibilities are endless! Endless! Yes. Yes."

As Moonalia busied herself with tapping the walls of the sleigh, I returned to repairing the door. However, I could feel her gaze on me periodically, her excitement gradually giving way to a more thoughtful demeanor.

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"Ioan," she said after a while, her voice unusually quiet, "you're avoiding bringing Cali back, aren't you?"

I paused in my work, not turning to face her. "What makes you say that?"

"It's been quite a while now, and you haven't even mentioned her," Moonalia bobbed her head, reading my mood far too well.

I sighed. "It's... complicated, Mooni."

"Is it because of what happened before? With Bobliss?" she asked, her feathers ruffling slightly.

I nodded slowly. "Partly. But it's more than that. Cali... she tried to enslave me, Mooni. To trick me and bind me as her Champion."

Moonalia tilted her head, considering my words. "But she's different now, isn't she? Right? She's partly me, much more moddable, more pliable! If she misbehaves you can just turn her off! So exciting! I have an off button! I always wanted one of those and now I have one!”

"Maybe," I admitted.

“Ioan... we shouldn't keep her locked away forever in the Fold,” Mooni bobbed her head up and down. “She deserves a chance too. A chance to live. A chance to be. A chance to… speak her mind. She’s my bestie. I know what’s best for her even when she doesn’t. Just talk to her. Sort it out. Sort it out! Yes, yes!”

“Fine,” I said. “Find any weak spots?”

“Yes,” Mooni tapped a few cracks here and there. “Fix, fix. Then switch me off, yes?”

“Yes,” I sighed.

Mooni and I finished repairing the last of the cracks she had identified. As I ran my hand over the newly sealed seams, I felt growing apprehension about what was to come next.

"All set," I said, turning to Mooni. "Ready?"

She nodded eagerly, her feathers ruffling. "Yes, yes! Send me back into the Fold! Talk to Cali. Sort everything out!"

I sighed, reaching for the remote. "I'll try. See you later, Mooni."

With a flick of the switch, Mooni's form froze and with another switch, her body shimmered and dissolved, the crystals rearranging themselves once more. In her place now sat Cali, her ocean-blue eyes blinking rapidly as she took in her surroundings, fluffy white ears and long tail twitching.

"Ioan?" she asked, her voice uncertain. “Is this… heaven? All good Felixes go to Goldara’s heaven where their Champions rejoin them in eternal embrace…”

"Not heaven," I said. "You're still on Thornwild.”

“But… I,” Cali choked. “I died. I sacrificed everything to the river spirit and she gave me power to defend you and then… Jarl Bobliss punched through my chest and then I died. Felixes can’t live without hearts!”

Her hands slid under the sweater.

“Uhhh,” she blinked, feeling up and down her chest. “There’s no hole there. My heart is beating… How?”

"Mooni and I used a Builder artifact to bring you back. You, Mooni and the river spirit, uh, Galateya are all part of the same... entity now."

Cali's eyes widened. "A genuine Builder artifact? Ioan, do you have any idea how valuable that is? The Ring would-"

I held up a hand, cutting her off. "The Ring isn't going to find out about this, Cali.”

“Mooni?” Cali blinked. “Mooni is here? Wait… you said that she’s part of me… What?!”

“She is,” I nodded. “So if you smack her you’ll be smacking yourself. Well, if you could both be in the same place at the same time… which you cannot.”

“I…” Cali blushed. “She’s just so damn chatty! It really gets on my nerves. Hang on… she saved me?”

“She saved you,” I nodded. “We all saved each other and defeated Bobliss.”

The Felix Arcanicx twitched, then she stared at me with what looked like hungry eyes.

I barely had time to react before Cali launched herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she slammed into my chest. The force nearly knocked me off my feet, and I stumbled back, bracing myself against the sleigh's couch. For some reason my spider… err witch bullet time didn't kick in. Probably because Cali wasn't a genuine threat.

"Ioan!" she wailed, burying her face in my shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I wanted to protect you from Bobliss! I tried so hard, but he was too strong, and I couldn't... I couldn't… I made a stupid wish even though I don’t even believe in river spirits… it’s like that damn Champion was forcing my mind, telling me to do it!”

Her words dissolved into sobs, her body shaking against mine. I could feel her tears soaking through my amour as she clung to me desperately.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she choked out between sobs. "I was so scared, and everything went dark when he tore out my heart, and I thought... I thought..."

I hesitantly placed a hand on her back, unsure of how to respond to this outpouring of emotion. Part of me wanted to push her away, to remind her of her initial intentions when she came to Svalbard. But another part, the part that had worked so hard to bring her back, felt a twinge of sympathy.

"It's okay, Cali," I found myself saying, my voice softer than I'd intended. "You're alive.”

She pulled back slightly, her ocean-blue eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at me. "You saved me," she whispered. "After everything terrible that I’ve done... you still saved me. Why?”

I felt her allure reaching out to me, trying to make me confess my feelings. I shut down, stopped my heartbeat, stopped my breathing, fell silent in opposition to it.

I felt Cali's allure recede as she backed away, letting go of me, her eyes widening with realization. She stumbled back, nearly tripping over her own feet.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, her ears flattening against her head. "I didn't mean to... I can't control it. But I swear, Ioan, I'll learn. I'll do whatever it takes to master my allure without using Star-Shards. I don't want to manipulate you! I just... I want to.... to protect my Champion."

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

“Not your Champion,” I pointed out.

“Just… just a friend then?” She asked with a shy look.

“Why do you want to be my friend?” I asked her. “Is it to work your way up to make me your Champion?”

Cali choked.

“I can’t… I can’t bloody help it!” She cried. “I freaking… you…”

I watched as Cali crumpled to the dirt-filled floor of the sleigh, her tears flowing freely now. Her tail curled around her legs as she hugged herself, looking smaller and more vulnerable than I'd ever seen her.

"I can't help it," she repeated, her voice breaking. "It's... it's how we're made, Ioan. From the moment we're born, we're taught that our purpose is to find the strongest, best, most rare Champion, to bind them, to... to love them, to bring them to our family. It's ingrained in every fiber of our being by Goldara's divine paws!"

I leaned against the wall, keeping some distance between us. "And you can't fight against that programming?"

Cali shook her head, her white hair falling in front of her face. "I've tried. By Goldara's tits, I've tried. I’m still trying so hard! But it's like... like trying not to breathe. It's automatic, instinctive. And with you..." She looked up at me, her blue eyes shimmering. "With you, it's different. You're not like any man I've ever met. You don’t just submit, don’t bow, don’t worship me. You resist my allure, you question everything, create so many strange things. You make me want to be... better."

I raised an eyebrow. "Better how?"

"I don't know," she admitted, wiping her nose with the sweater. "Just... more than what I was made to be. When I first came to Svalbard, yes, I wanted to make you my Champion. But now... now I just want to understand you. To help you. To be your friend, if you'll let me. Please? I… died for you. Isn’t that enough for you to see that I… I care for you?”

I squinted at her, not sure if this was some kind of manipulation. Stormy didn’t seem to say anything, simply yawning from her location on the couch.

“What if I can’t love you back?” I asked.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m pretty sure that none of our Champions really love us. Our allure is just a magic leash… one that unmakes any of their other thoughts, forcing them to love us. I get that. I get that you’ll never love me, but I’m allowed to love you!”

“What happens if you see another shiny Champion?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Cali shook her head. “I’ve decided to dedicate whatever was left of my life to you when I jumped from that cliff. I’m not going to change my mind about that.”

“What happens if Iridium demands things of you, your Arch-Mother or whatever calls on the Farcast orb?” I asked.

“I… I’ll say whatever you tell me to say!” Cali said. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I died for you Ioan. I’ll die for you again if you want me to! I don’t care whether you’re an Emissary of Endalaus or just a Nordstaii boy who knows more things! I’m not leaving your side!”

“Because you love me?”

“Yes, damn it,” she blushed.

“Why?”

“You already did so many impossible things. You somehow gave me back my heart, Ioan... You could have kept me dead!

"You've shown me a world beyond what I thought possible," she said, her eyes never leaving mine. "You've challenged everything I thought I knew about Champions, about magic, about... everything. And you've done it all while remaining true to yourself. How could I not admire that? How could I not want to be a part of that? I think that in that darkness… between being dead and alive… I was still somehow aware, dreaming of you, catching onto bits of all the strange things you were doing to keep me alive.”

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I know I can't undo what I did when we first met. I know I can't erase the fact that I came here to bind you like a dumb Felix. But I swear, Ioan, I'm not that Felix anymore. I want to help you, to learn from you, to... to be worthy of the second chance you've given me!"

I studied her face, searching for any sign of deception. But all I saw was raw, honest vulnerability. It was a far cry from the confident, manipulative Felix I'd first encountered a month ago in the pub of Svalbard.

After a long moment, I nodded slowly. "Alright, Cali. I believe you. But trust is going to take time to rebuild. Understand?"

Relief flooded her features. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Ioan. I promise, I won't let you down! I’ll be there for you in any capacity that you might need a Felix Arcanicx!"

"We'll see," I said, reaching for the remote. "For now, I’m going to switch back to Teya. We've got a long journey ahead of us and I don’t want to be here when more of Gygr’s champions show up.”

Cali nodded, an ocean of sadness dancing in her wide blue eyes. "I understand. Just... bring me back if you ever need me, yeah?"

"Yeah," I assured her, then flipped the switch.

"Done talking to your other girlfriends?" Teya teased when she manifested back into existence. She glanced at her arm, noting that the scratch left by Stormy was still there. “Well, that answers that. I'll probably get sunburn too and should avoid wildling arrows.”

I let out a small chuckle, feeling the tension from my conversation with Cali start to ease. "They're not my girlfriends, Teya."

"Mhm," she hummed, a playful glint in her eye. "I was sort of dreaming of you talking to them, feeling what they felt... I think. Very odd stuff. So, what's the verdict? Are we all one big happy family now?"

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. "Something like that. It's going to take some time to figure out this weirdness of three people in one body. But for now, we need to focus on getting out of here."

“I’ll take us out,” Teya nodded. “I’m the boss of all watery things. Just tell me where to go and I’ll be right on that. Is this underwater vessel repaired and sea worthy?”

“I think so,” I nodded.

“Lovely,” she smiled at me. “Off we go then.”

She waved a hand and the ocean water beside the sleigh roared, coming up to engulf us in watery hands.

“Ready for more possibly deadly new adventures in the lands of the South facing more unkillable Champions and evil witches?” I asked her.

Galateya reached out to me and squeezed my hand, her smile warm. "With you? Always."

[The End]

[Of Book 1]

Thank you for reading Beware of Kittens!