Now back at the hotel, Kita doesn't know what to make of the dark one since their encounter yesterday. All she can think about is the immense fear that overwhelmed her.

It was paralyzing.

She had to muster up all the courage she had to even say anything. To simply respond to that… thing-

"Ah!" Kita yells, throwing a first through the air as she still doesn't know who the hell it really is.

The whole experience has made her feel so inferior. So far behind whatever the dark one is doing, it seems hopeless to try catching up.

Why would he take the souls of kids? Just to wreak havoc? Is there more to his plan that Kita doesn't see?

The constant flurry of concerned thoughts is tiresome. She'd rather sleep through the prying of her mind, and the pain of remembering. As memories return to Kita, they simply remind her of how much she has lost. Flashes of people and places that she's too late to save.

She wants it to end.

To free herself from the burden of this self-imposed responsibility. What reason does she even have to get her soul back? The memories are too painful to want, and the void within her has become familiar.

The door to the hotel room creaks open as Raya's oceanic hair wafts in as she carries two, small boxes of food.

"It's about time," Kita scoffs as she reaches over to snatch one of the boxes from Raya's hands.

Raya doesn't waste much time either- Unravelling the packaging to reveal a dish of sticky, meat dumplings doused in a golden sauce and garnished with veggies.

Kita's mouth salivates as the smell of them drifts into her nose, allowing her to escape her mind's obsession with the recent dilemma.

"Still worried?" Raya asks.

Kita looks up at her without saying anything. She doesn't want to seem fragile, even though she knows she felt much more than Raya did in that room.

Kita just shrugs and throws another dumpling in her mouth as she grunts some response. Presuming Raya will get enough of an answer.

"I'll take that as a yes," Raya adds.

"I don't think I can do this," Kita says as she slowly chews on her food. "I didn't know he would be here,"

Raya exhales and sits on the bed beside Kita.

"What difference does it make?" Raya asks.

"Huh?" Kita murmurs. "A pretty huge difference,"

"How so?" Raya grins, "You were going to fight to save Jan… What's changed?"

"I'm too weak," Kita sighs. "He didn't even have to use his magic aggressively for it to restrict me,"

"Then you need to get stronger," Raya responds.

"I wish it were that simple,"

"It is," Raya chuckles, "You have that magic too. You just need more souls,"

Kita scrapes down another dumpling as she processes Raya's words- She's right, I need more souls. In her realization, Kita briefly contemplates consuming anyone's soul. She committed to not harming innocents way before she met the dark one, and she still doesn't feel totally attached to the idea despite it making sense morally.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Kita doesn't need morals.

"More souls, huh," Kita nods.

"No harming innocents," Raya adds, "I will not allow it,"

"I've already committed to being a Saint, Princess," Kita responds. "You still don't believe me?"

"A few moments ago, you had a look in your eyes. One that I've seen before,"

"Aww, do you look into my eyes often?" Kita jests.

"I'm serious, Kita," Raya says. "The dark one has a strange effect on you,"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to describe it," Raya shrugs, "But, you become the old Kita again,"

"Last time I checked, that was the goal," Kita says.

"I'm not here to help the old Kita. I'm here to help you become the new one,"

"What's wrong with the old me?" Kita raises an eyebrow.

"I've known you for thousands of rotations, Kita. In that time, I have only met the dark one three times. Yesterday was the third," Raya closes her box of dumplings and puts them to her side before laying back on the bed, "In all that time, I've never seen you this calm after encountering him. Even when you had hundreds of souls available to you. The dark one would always get through to you and you'd always make a mistake,"

"So taking souls from innocent people would be the mistake in this example?" Kita asks.

"I believe so," Raya answers. "I don't think you've ever been able to handle the weight of killing all those people,"

"Princess, my goal is to get my soul back. But, as your friend and lover in the public's eye, I will try my best not to harm anyone that is undeserving,"

"Pfft, what makes you think you'd be a suitable partner for a Princess?" Raya asks.

"Uhmm, look at me," Kita responds, running a hand through her hair and seductively smiling at Raya, "I'm eye candy,"

Raya chuckles under her breath, "You're not quite masculine enough,"

"Want me to be a man, Princess?" Kita asks, putting on her best impression of a husky voice. "I can be whatever you like,"

Raya laughs at the surprisingly low tone Kita managed to reach, "I'm sure your magic could convert you,"

Kita chuckles at the thought of it before cringing. "It's probably best if we never find out,"

Raya gets off the bed to dig in her backpack and pulls out the jar of souls and immortality pill. She places them on the counter before sitting back down and glaring at them.

"So, the dark one is taking the souls of children to give them magic," Raya says. "And powerful groups of people want the children because they can consume souls and create these pills,"

"That's what it seems," Kita says. "Such limited thinking,"

"What do you mean?"

"They have access to people who can do almost anything with the souls that they take, and yet all they want is to live forever? Here? In this world?" Kita scoffs, "Seems like a massive waste,"

"Oh, and what would you do if you were them?"

"Open a portal to another world, I don't know- I'd just find a way to leave this place,"

Kita places the empty box beside her, looking at the ground as she thinks of a reason the dark one would be doing all of this. Is it really just to get to me? To make me hate myself?

Why did he take it?

There will be a lot of deaths as a result of his plan. Raiders, assassins and the wealthy are already planning to profit from all of this. It doesn't sit right with Kita. The whole time she thought she was a victim of the dark one but there's something she's missing. The dark one knows so much more than Kita remembers, surely she's forgotten something important.

Kita looks over to the jar and pill. Subtly entranced by the pull of the souls within them. A part of her craves a taste of the prototype candy, flowing with the fog of souls.

"We need to know how Chevo fits into all of this," Raya says. "My guess is that he wants Jan too,"

"Those twins are coming tomorrow. If they haven't figured it out, I'll never let that blonde bitch hear the end of it,"

"Well, we've got some time to kill," Raya grunts as she stands up and walks towards the door. "How many souls have you got?"

"Uhh, fourteen," Kita replies.

"Time to get more," Raya grins.