My eyes darted around. Only Kuljack was in the room, and he returned to his throne. I noticed something about my energy levels: the transformation of my feet used up more than thirty percent.

That was only a minor change. But it used up so much. Do I have enough energy to survive this?

My computer brain tried to guess how much energy I needed. Based on the projections, there was a sixty-three percent chance I didn’t have enough.

That leaves me with the decision: do I do something about it? I could let myself die just to spite her and keep her away from Killa and Shadara.

The burning returned and wrapped around my shins, focusing on my leg scythes. Eveil was locking them in. As the bones shifted, my energy depleted even faster. My chance of survival dropped to seventeen percent.

I’m not ready to die. As my mind calculated the minimum amount of energy I needed, I considered any option to remove the ring. It had wrapped itself around the base of my enlarged talon. My head was getting fuzzier. My mana levels were dangerously low.

I looked at the stone golem beastman. “Kuljack, if you want this body to survive, I need food. Lots of meat. And I need it now.”

He only settled into his throne more. “You’re lying. Golems don’t require food.”

“Is this you finally giving into me?” Elveil’s voice purred in my head. “Your cooperation is a step in the right direction. Now all you have to do is tell me why I can’t find your soul.”

She’s probably struggling because my soul is artificial. She also can’t take over my brain because it’s a computer now. But then why could she take over Orange? I have to save her somehow.

I dug my fingers into the stone bars. They were starting to get warm. “No. It’s a long story, but the important part is I was once human. Elveil’s transformation is going to kill me and fail.”

Kuljack stood up. “How is that possible? Are you not an iron golem animated by a soul?”

Is that a normal thing? Nevermind. I’ve got more important things to worry about right now.

“Listen to me. My body will cease to function soon. Do you understand that? So get me food. Now!”

He hesitated. “I’ve not said my love’s name, yet you know it. She must be influencing you now. But you don’t sound like her. You’re far too aggressive.”

He lulled his head to the side. “How do I know this isn’t an attempt to fight her longer? But you could be telling the truth because you’re afraid of dying. Or my love is trying to tell me how to make sure this succeeds.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but he continued. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to believe. But I don’t know what to do if my love fails to resurrect again. I will not live through her failure again. So, you tell me who to believe. Is it my love, or you? This has been so lonely. So very lonely. So who’s asking? Is it my love or you?“

I ground my teeth. This guy is desperate, but so indecisive. “Okay, yes. I don’t want to die. Elveil’s been talking to me in my mind. Alright?”

“Your mind is the one place I can’t get in either,” Elveil said without holding back her disdain.

Ignoring her comment for now, I continued. “Yes, I don’t want her to control me and take over my life. I will fight her. But to fight her, I need to live. If you want—what I’m guessing—your best chance at seeing your wife again, I need to live through this. Who knows how long you will have to wait until you have another chance like this?”

I can’t believe what I have to say. Why am I trying to convince him that the best way to end my existence is to keep me alive? If she can communicate with me without being in my mind, that must mean she’s interacting directly with my senses. That’s probably important information.

Kuljack crossed his arms and tapped a clawed finger on his elbow. “I’m not that stupid. There was a slime creature that had a powerful mana signature. It doesn’t have nearly as much as you. But I’m sure it would have a decent chance to succeed.”

“And be stuck as a slime creature, not on your life!” Elveil screeched in my head. “There will be hell to pay if you do that.”

I held up two fingers that were growing thicker as the bones expanded in them. “Two things. One, your love isn’t too enthusiastic with the idea of being a slime. And more importantly, that would bring a very angry kraken demigod down on your heads. So for your safety, don’t.”

I bit my lip. I need something to get this guy to get me food. "Listen, Elveil, you need to slow down. I’m not lying when I say that this will kill me and cause all this to be for nothing.”

The changes to my fingers slowed down and stopped. My hands were looking more paw-like than what I saw Elveil have. The tips of my fingers were still elongating into claws.

“What do you want?” The queen’s voice was almost melancholic.

I looked over at Kuljack, who was still contemplating his decision. “I need you to convince him to get me food. You’re his wife, and he worships you. What would you say that would get him to do this without hesitating?”

She sighed. “Fine. Repeat after me.” She continued in a sultry tone. “Love, be a good kitten, and fetch something delicious for Mommy.”

Is she serious? Fighting back my building disgust, I imitated her voice and tone. “Love, be a good kitten, and fetch something delicious for Mommy.”

Kuljack’s back stiffened. He turned towards the throne room’s exit and marched away with the widest smile on his face.

I never felt so vile. Involuntary shudders wracked my body. Elveil laughed. Her laughter filled my mind and sent chills down my spine. She was evil. The longer she laughed, the more it felt like there were nails on a chalkboard scratching inside my brain.

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Elveil calmed down. “Oh, that was great. I love using that on him. I’m starting to like you. Maybe I could keep you as a pet instead. I bet you would be a good one. It would be fun to watch you try to fight and squirm as I control every part of your life. You would fight, but you’d never win. I don’t know what plan you’re cooking up in your head, but it won’t work.”

Her tone changed. It became darker, more sinister. “There’s always an out. Just submit. As long as your body wears my ring, I am inevitable. And six limbs is a lot to cut off at once.”

I blinked. She didn’t just give me the answer, did she? The memory of the mad scientist who cut my head off played in my mind. I don’t have to cut off six limbs, just one.

I put as much processing of my mind as I could into calculating how much energy I needed to reconstruct my body from the neck down. Elveil was working her way up my body with her changes, which worked in my favor.

Just as I got the number, in walked Kuljack. His arms were full with a dead giant tigress. He threw the body in front of the bars, and the smell hit me instantly. My mouth watered. I wanted that. Am I developing a craving for meat?

I looked up at him. “Thank you. This will help me.”

He turned and walked out.

“Good kitten,” Elveil’s voice echoed in my head. “Now come on, pet. You know you want to eat it. This is what you asked for.”

My nanites must have started getting to work because they kept asking for more energy. My computer brain was working overtime, keeping track of how much energy my body was consuming.

In what felt like seconds, Kuljack returned with two more large tigresses. He tossed them into the cage, and I tore into them. The bones snapped in my mouth, and the raw flesh melted in my mouth.

I couldn’t stop. I needed more. As I feasted on their flesh, the bones in my stinger arms grew out. They also separated from my collar bone and fused to my spine between my shoulder blades. My hands were now more paws than hands, but I still had enough dexterity to feed myself.

My energy levels started stabilizing and rising. It was slow but steady. But I was running out of food. I didn’t feel satisfied.

Eveil was still with me, but she was silent. I was sure she was planning something.

After eating all three bodies, I was starting to feel better. I was getting close to what I needed. But my body was still changing. She forced my arm blades back in and locked them in place. The pain had numbed from the last time. My stinger arms almost tripled in thickness and length, as I could feel something growing out of them. I removed my jacket and shirt before the changes damaged them.

Long, layered metal feathers started stretching from my stinger arms. I guess they were now wings. She was escalating the rate of changes. It didn’t take more than a quick request, and Kuljack went and fetched me another two large felines, one panther and one leopard.

These are delicious. I wonder why I never craved meat like this before. Why didn’t they crave it before? I could see a difference in my nanite‘s energy levels.

A red warning started flashing in my vision. I looked at it closer. My mana levels were almost empty. I had a few minutes before I would pass out from no mana.

The changes then centered around my tailbone. Extending out from my waist was a long, feathered tail that grew longer. It was about three feet long when it finished. Somehow, I reached the amount of energy I needed when I knew that the next changes were going to happen to my head.

I smirked. “You think you’ve won, don’t you?”

Elveil’s voice scraped in my ear. “Oh, but I have. Your body is almost complete. There’s only a few changes left. I saved the best for last.“

“You shouldn’t have.”

I raised my claws to my neck and ripped them through it, severing my head. I heard Kuljack yell outside the cage. Elveil screamed in my head but suddenly went silent. As my head rolled on the ground, I was sure I succeeded.

Well done, Rina. Orange’s voice returned.

“No, no, no!” Kuljack bellowed. “You said you were afraid to die!”

I didn’t say anything or move. I wanted to keep my secret to myself for as long as possible. It’s nice to hear you again, Orange. Please tell me that my body will reconstruct itself back to my original form.

Correct. We have resumed control of the nanites in your head. The hijacking spirit has no more influence now that you’re no longer in contact with the cursed object.

That was the plan. I just don’t know how I feel about cutting off my head. I know I survived it once, but it feels too extreme.

Don’t worry. It will take a minute to reconstruct a new body.

I didn’t know how to feel. I can’t believe I just decapitated myself.

But I was so close to having this over with. The Queen and King of the Pawed Palace, Kuljack, and Eveil were all in my reach. They didn’t see this coming, and I wasn’t going to let it slip.

While my body grew from my neck, I thought about what I could do. Kuljack removed the mana suppressing bars. He cradled the decapitated, transformed body I left behind. It sounded like he was crying, although it sounded more like an avalanche.

But as my body reconstructed itself, my decapitated body started growing a head. I could feel my body reforming and growing. The new head was looking different. Eveil’s head grew out of the body in Kuljack’s arms. Her head was that of a lioness’s. It looked like she had silver fur, but it was hard to tell in the dim lighting.

My body was growing back faster.

Kuljack dropped the body and looked at me. The shock on his face grew as the lioness-bird hybrid beastwoman moved.

“Oh, ho, ho. Well, this is a very interesting turn of events.” Elveil rose to her feet and stretched out her wings and arms. “Decapitating yourself, that’s a new one. I know you can hear me, Rina. I admit it, your plan is one of a kind. Was this the result you were looking for?”

My body had reconstructed itself to my waist by that point. I pushed myself into a more seated position. “No, not really. Does this mean you’ll let me leave?”

Kuljack stumbled back. “What’s this? How?”

Elveil leaned forward and ran a hand along Kuljack’s cheek. “Kitten, it worked. I’ve missed your touch. You’ve been such a good boy. I’ll make sure you are rewarded later. Just for now, go sit in the corner. Mommy has business to sort out.”

He bowed his head, spun on his heel, and walked away with a wide smile.

Elveil turned towards me as I felt my nanites building my legs. I could feel them shifting the metal bones into place. My talons and leg scythes grew out. Comfortably, they would extend and retract like I wanted them to.

She stepped towards me and squatted down in front of me, her finger tracing my toes. “You looked better with talons.”

I glared at her. “How are you alive? I cut off my head.”

She smiled. “Yes, you did. You are a very quick thinker. However, it seems I’ve inherited your system and a copy of your body. And with it, answers to all of my questions. It seems your memories were also included.“

Her hands moved up my shin. I flinched at the sudden touch. Her claws sent chills through my body. Her blue, glowing eyes studied every inch of my skin.

“But you weren’t lying. You really were human. This world is like a game. Your body has a built in computer. Most importantly, you‘re the first artificial soul I’ve ever encountered. I don’t completely understand it myself.”

“What do you want?”

She looked up and met my eyes. “I’m sure I’ll find out as time goes on. But I wasn’t lying. You are very intriguing. And I could use a pet.“

As her hand went up my knee, my leg scythes shot out. They severed her hand at the wrist. She flinched back and yelped, then stared at her stump. The wound was quickly closing, and after a moment, her hand returned.

The lion-bird beastwoman laughed. “Impressive. But I have all of your stats, powers, your battery, your augments, all of it.”

She stomped her taloned foot towards my chest. I rolled out of the way.

A wicked grin spread across her face as her silver hair grew out longer. “The difference between you and me is that I have experience. And now I have a body that’s not ravaged by mana poisoning. I’m going to enjoy everything I can. That includes subjecting you and everyone on this floor before moving upwards. This tower will be mine.”

I spun to my feet and extended my arm blades. “You got what you wanted, but that’s not enough for you.”

Shadow magic wrapped around her arms as she extended her claws. “Nothing ever is.”