Though the secret police work under King Evain and are paid more than the average law enforcer of Altena, the majority of their actions are left unknown, even to the king himself.

Adelle has been training Aleksandra as an apprentice of sorts, but the older woman rarely takes part in the group’s activities. The younger woman is often left in charge of everything.

There are several more members in the group, but they all work in different areas.

When Karth asked about the three wannabe heroes, Adelle felt the need to describe Aleksandra a bit more, instead.

“To understand those guys, you must first know what and who that child truly is.”

Aleksandra is what’s known as an interplanetary traveler.

She exists both in this world and in the world that, the great heroes of the past, used to exist in.

Aleksandra already knew about them before coming to this world. It was probably because of those heroes and their great magic, that she was able to come here.

The wannabe heroes share a similar magic, if not the same.

They not only exist in both worlds but are also actively moving about and living their own lives.

At first, Adelle assumed it was something akin to cloning one’s brain, but Aleksandra explained it to be more like sharing the same mind in separate worlds.

The great heroes of the past never had anything like that, or at least, it was never public knowledge.

If they did operate on the same kind of magic, then maybe it might explain some of the information they shared when advancing technology in our world.

However, Adelle still knows very little about this magic.

To those who worked with the great heroes, it seemed like they knew all of that information by heart, even gave expert tips on how to improve a lot of our own work.

“If they live in both worlds, wouldn’t that mean they learn and experience more than us? How come they seem so childish and carefree? Agent Haitch seems reluctant when she joins in with their wild behavior, but to them, it feels natural.”

“That’s because their world is nothing like ours. I was given a small glimpse into their world once, and I quickly understood why they behave differently. Their world is drowning in entertainment and information, rather than monsters and conflict. They try to see our world with their own rose-tinted filter. When they discovered that it was a lot more boring than theirs, they began to treat everything like a game, acting as heroes, villains, or just thrill seekers.”

“But the great heroes– they never acted like that.”

“They might have, but we don’t know for certain. Everything written about them only describes their works and accomplishments, not much is written about how they spent their free time. Don’t forget, the interplanetary travelers you met tonight are still young, while the great heroes were older and more mature.”

Even though Karth’s questions about the wannabe heroes were answered, he only grew more curious about these otherworldly travelers.

Adelle went on to explain why she chose Karth to aid in this easy mission.

It could have been quickly taken care of by Aleksandra alone, but the purpose was more than just to show Karth the ropes.

“You’re probably wondering, ‘why me?’, am I correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Think, Karth. You’re smarter than this, the king does not allow just anybody to be a candidate.”

“You chose me because I was a candidate?”

“That’s partially the reason but think again. Why specifically you, over the other candidates?”

“… Trust.”

“Explain.”

“You know a secret of mine, one that could have me executed. You want me to trust you in return. That’s why Aleksandra showed me her curse, why you invited me into your group, and why you are telling me all of this.”

“Correct. However, you will not be required to join us in our next missions.”

“Why is that?”

“I dislike slavery, seen too much of it in my life. You don’t owe me any more favors now, but I would like you to rely on me to help you.”

“You could have just gained my trust by showing me Aleksandra’s curse.”

“I could have, but I introduced you to the secret police for another reason. If not for owing me a favor, then what else?”

“You mean you will pay me for my assistance?”

“Yes. You passed your job interview and now you can work with us whenever you want. You will be paid either by the hour or by the mission, up to you.”

“I’ll think on it. Where would I find you?”

“What’s your phone number? I’ll text you the location.”

The two share each other’s contact information with one another just before reaching the apartment complex.

Adelle enters the elevator with Karth, but when the doors close, her mood becomes very serious.

“I almost forgot one more thing. It’s very important that you do NOT let anyone know about Alice’s true form, especially Aleksandra.”

“I thought you trusted her.”

“I do. I trust her with many of my secrets, even ones that I doubt I could share with anyone else. However, she has loose lips about things that she knows very little of. Having spent a long time with that girl, I know she loves to spread gossip and rumors with otherworldly travelers. It’s like a past-time that is both entertaining and informative. She may see Alice as nothing but a cute girl with a curse like herself, but unlike Aleksandra, who can protect herself, Alice would become a target for such travelers.”

“O-okay.”

“And be more diligent in watching the power on that stone, you left the girl in her transformed state for a long time, it was running low on power when I took a look at her earlier. I refilled it and dispelled her transformed state.”

“Do you know who attacked her?”

There was a long pause of silence as the question hung in the air.

The stone doors slide open when they reach Karth’s floor.

“I would ask your sister about it. She would be able to explain it better than myself.”

“Right…”

As Karth walks out of the elevator, he turns around remembering one last question.

“Wait… how did you find out where I live, and when I needed help?”

Adelle presses a button-like gemstone on the elevator and waves, smiling at the man.

‘Figure it out yourself, huh?’

The doors close and Karth continues back to his apartment.

When he entered, the strong smell of blood and cleaners was all gone.

He went back to his room and found the corner to be free of stains and damaged floorboards. It was like new.

He considerately opens his sister’s door so as to not wake Leina or the sleeping catilyss.

Karth looks over Alice. She’s uninjured, sleeping soundly, and wearing a different set of clothes.

‘I’ll have to thank Adelle again later. Alice had a really rough first day, but tomorrow will be better.’

----------------------------------------

“Help! Help me!”

There’s a loud banging on the door to my bedroom.

I jump out of bed, at the cry for help.

“Someone! Anyone!”

Still slightly disoriented, I run towards my weapon rack and pick up a sword.

As I yank the door open, I feel Alice’s monstrous form collide against my legs.

One of her hands is tightly gripping the door handle. Her eyes are filled with terror.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

‘Was that her voice?’

I look behind her and find Leina slowly inching away.

Her amethyst eyes alternate between me, and the sword in my hand.

She’s on the verge of tears.

‘Does she think I’m going to attack her?’

“What’s going on?”

The catilyss sprints past my legs and dives under my bed.

Leina turns and drags her feet back into the kitchen.

There’s a smell emanating from the kitchen, she was in the middle of cooking breakfast.

I put my sword away and look under my bed for a moment.

Alice is still very scared but feels relatively safer under the bed.

I want to make sure she’s alright, but my sister comes first.

When I go to meet my sister, she does not look me in the eye, focusing on the food instead.

“Good morning. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“…”

“You looked really upset last night too. Do you want to talk about it?”

“You already know what happened.”

“…No, I don’t.”

I waited for Leina to say something, but when it became obvious that she did not want to say anymore, I stepped in to give her a hug.

She kept staring at the food on the stove, even as I hugged her.

I was not going to let go until she felt better.

After a long moment, she lets out a heavy, saddening sigh.

Leina puts down the spatula and lets her hands drop to her sides.

“I hurt Alice.”

At hearing those words, I flinch, almost pulling away, but I know Leina needs me the most right now, so I continue to hold her.

“…Why?”

My voice was not mad or accusatory, I was curious to know her reasoning.

“I was mad… I was scared. Ever since you let that– you let Alice in, life has become more complicated.”

There’s a knock at the front door.

Leina turns her head to look at me.

“Are you going to get it?”

“No, they can wait. You’re much more important.”

The knock comes again.

I turn off the stove, to prevent the food from burning. It’s not yet finished cooking, but I would prefer it not to burn.

“Come here.”

I let go of my sister and lead her by the hand into her room.

We sit on her bed, with the bedroom door closed, and ignore any more of the knocking.

I rub her back with one hand and wait for her to continue.

She sits there silently for several long moments, collecting her thoughts.

“Ever since you came home with that monster, I thought you had changed… I’m glad that I was wrong, you’re still the brother that I know.”

“Nothing is ever going to change that.”

She smiles slightly for a moment, then a frown appears again.

“I’m sorry. I really hurt Alice. I was… I was about to kill her. She protected me, and I was going to kill her…”

“What do you mean?”

“I… I was chasing her everywhere. There was so much blood. I slipped… and almost k-killed myself with your sword. But… Alice saved me. Even then, she did not fight back or try to hurt me. She just kept screaming ‘help me’.”

‘So that was her voice.’

I wait a few moments, in case Leina has anything else to say, but it seems like she’s waiting for me to respond first.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. When we had the chance to talk with her again, she told me and Silver Lining a bit about herself. In her previous life, she was human, that’s why she’s so smart and kind.”

Leina starts to cry quietly.

I pull her in close to lean against me.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. I don’t blame you.”

I wonder if we would still be having a conversation like this, if it weren’t for Adelle’s help.

----------------------------------------

Leina continues to work on the partially cooked breakfast, as Karth goes to check the front door.

The knocking stopped a while ago, but he still had to check just in case.

He opens the door to see Silver Lining leaning against the wall opposite of Karth, in the hall.

Before either of them gets the chance to speak, Alice comes running at full speed and screaming.

“Don’t kill me, I have a wife and kids!”

The pair stare at the girl in confusion.

The dragonborn chuckles to himself, while the human shows awkward concern.

She stops just next to Karth and points at his sister.

“I don’t want to die, please spare me!”

Silver Lining spits,

“What the hell did you teach her?!”

“I didn’t teach her anything– yet. I was out until it was late.”

The men lock eyes with Leina, who stares down at the food with guilt.

“Help me! Save me!”

“Quick, get inside before people start asking questions.”

Silver Lining follows Karth into his apartment and closes the front door.

“Why is she so scared?”

Alice is quiet now, crouched in the corner of the space near the front door.

Her yellow eyes follow Karth and Silver Lining with curiosity, occasionally glancing back at Leina to make sure she doesn’t try anything.

“Ahhh. Yeah, so…”

Leina turns to listen in on the conversation.

“I left my sister alone with Alice. Forgot to tell her that the girl used to be a human. She was mad at Alice–”

“No, I wasn’t just mad, I was worried. Worried that she was going to ruin our life. But I was wrong. I hurt Alice and now she’s scared of me.”

“What happened?”

*sigh*

“I chased her around the apartment. I cut her up pretty badly… and almost killed her.”

Karth adds,

“Didn’t you say that she was also crying for help?”

“…Yeah. She just kept screaming. Screaming in Common.”

“Then what?”

The curious dragonborn pressed for more.

“Then, nothing… a life mage came and healed her.”

“She didn’t fight back?”

“No, she didn’t fight back at all. Leina told me that Alice even saved her; prevented her from accidentally hurting herself.”

“I was about to fall on Karth’s sword.”

“…Interesting.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

Silver Lining stares intently at the scared catilyss.

“She may be more selfless than most of us, or she might be putting on an act to gain our trust.”

“You still don’t trust her?”

“No. She’s only proven that she understands human life, but she shows little self-preservation. A monster like her should have no problem staying out of your sister’s reach.”

“Can we just drop the subject?”

Karth pulls the dragonborn away from the girl.

“Leina is finished cooking now, even made extra, so you can join us. Let’s eat.”

***

Everyone enjoys the meal together, even Alice, who was changed into her beastborn form to allow herself to feel more like a person.

She was seated at the table and given eating utensils, but the girl still ate with her hands.

Silver Lining was staring at her the whole time, silently judging her every action.

Alice was reluctant to eat the food at first, but after Karth showed her that the food was safe, she ate without much of a hassle.

“Can we get started now?”

“Yes, I think now is a good time.”

The impatient dragonborn retrieves his portable ritual board and prepares a spell.

Alice watches anxiously.

She’s both excited to be able to communicate again, and nervous about Leina’s presence.

When everything is in place and the spell activates, Karth starts off with a warm greeting.

“Good morning, Alice.”

“…”

The girl’s eyes are locked on his sister.

Leina stands off to the side, unable to look the girl in the eyes.

Karth clears his throat to break the awkward silence.

“I heard about what happened yesterday.”

“……What did she tell you?”

“She tried to kill you, but she wasn’t in the right mindset. She’s sorry.”

“…”

Alice’s eyes drop to the floor in deep thought.

The room remains silent for a long while.

Karth tried to keep the dragonborn from speaking too soon, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

“Why did you save her?”

Silver Lining asked, with a tinge of hostility.

Alice looks up at the young man with confidence.

“I already told you; I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“But you would let them kill you.”

“…”

“Do you value life?”

“…Yes.”

“Then why throw your own life away?”

“…Maybe things would be better without me.”

A deep frown forms on Leina’s face as guilt eats at her heart.

Karth looks upset too.

Silver Lining and Alice watch each other with indifference.

The statement was not meant to create guilt, they both knew it was true.

“Do you want to die?”

The girl shakes her head.

“No. I don’t want to die.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want… I want to be a normal girl, not a monster.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“…I want to learn to talk normal. I want to help peoples.”

Both Leina and Karth’s moods improve, as the conversation progresses.

“How did you learn those words?”

It takes Alice a moment to understand what he was referring to.

“I heard peoples say those things a lot. Peoples I watched die.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

A fire suddenly bursts inside of the girl.

Her passion flows out in waves, filling the room with energy.

“NO!! I HATED IT! I hated having to let them die! I was too WEAK to save them!”

The girl’s yellow eyes shine with a golden light.

Tears began to well up, as she glares daggers at the dragonborn man.

“Do YOU enjoy watching peoples suffer and die?! Maybe you are more of a monster than I am.”

She heaves angrily, waiting to see if the man has any more accusations to throw at her.

He lets out a sigh of relief.

“That’s all I wanted to know.”

Karth recognizes excitement flash through the dragonborn’s eyes for a brief moment.

He masks his emotion and continues to gaze at the girl impassively for a moment longer.

Then he turns to Karth.

“I expect you to teach Alice how to speak like a proper lady before the first sign of Winter. If you can do this, then I will remove half of your debt. After today, I will not help her communicate with magic again, unless there is a DIRE emergency.”

Karth nods numbly.

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

Excitement overflows from his chest.

For a while, he questioned Silver Lining’s methods and personal questions, but the result was more than surprising.

Karth always saw Alice as just a misfortunate child, trapped inside of a monster’s body.

However, upon hearing how passionate she felt about the lives of others, it reaffirmed his belief that she could change, improve, and one day, become more than just a normal girl.

She could become a great warrior that fights to protect the weak, something that all heroes strive for.