I flew sideways into the dimly lit chamber with a sense of trepidation, not sure if the door took me where I wanted to go.

I landed poorly and my knee collided with the sharp corner of the bed, causing an excruciating pain to shoot up my leg. The single-use door, which was drawn in chalk by Wizard Revolution on a crumbling wall, didn't function as expected, flinging me to the floor without any sense of direction. I groaned in agony as I slowly rose.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim chamber, I climbed into the bed stolen from Amadea’s palace. As my pale hand found Juni's armored one I flooded my soul into my chimera body, reestablishing my connection with it.

Finally, I was back!

As I dispelled the absolute shield around Cassie’s thin frame and collapsed her into the bed, a wave of relief washed over me.

I had finally come home to my beloved Sunshine Archipelago, my treasured Nemendias, my cherished Illatius. Being back in Juni’s agile, crystalline-organic body made me feel whole once again. As I energetically leapt off the table as Juni, I felt a sense of liberation and a renewed sense of purpose.

Suddenly, with a brilliant flash of a giant hexagram on the floor, Nemendias manifested in her Heart room.

A window on the empty wall ignited into existence, bathing the room with daylight and highlighting her long, silver hair. Nemmy was taken aback by the sight of Cassie's body lying on the floor, and her voice betrayed her shock, "Who is that?! How did she get in here?"

I knew that I had some explaining to do, so I took a deep breath and replied, "It's me, another version of myself, a little Princess who owns a dead world. She… err… I gated here from a doomed planet."

The avatar of Nemendias stared at me with a perplexed expression.

As I stood before her my mind swirled with a flurry of emotions. I tried to recollect myself after my mad trip across space and time.

"Did you know that Instructor Rozaline is actually the manifestation of Installation Rozaline?" I posed the question to Nemmy.

“WHAT?” Nemmy blinked a few times, clearly taken aback by the enormity of the revelation. I could sense her trying to wrap her mind around the information that I had just shared.

"I know," I sighed heavily, the weight of the truth bearing down on me. "It's hard to believe that our Historymancy teacher is actually the avatar of a freaking hollow moon built by Eurekan machines one hundred million years ago. And to top it all off, she doesn't seem to like me very much."

Nemmy's curiosity was piqued, and she arched an eyebrow, prompting me to elaborate further. "Why doesn't she like you?" she probed.

I felt a sense of resignation wash over me as I explained, "She thinks that I'm cheating in her game."

"What game?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

I hissed out my response, my frustration mounting with each passing moment. "Her precious narrative," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "The game in which we're all just non-player-characters, doomed to die because there's no hero to save us."

As Nemmy absorbed this information, I could see the gravity of the situation slowly sinking in.

“I see,” she said.

"To add to that, she has a pet dragon of such immense power that it can easily surpass your ward," I continued, watching as Nemendias recoiled in shock at this revelation.

"Impossible! What manner of creature can hide in my ward?" she growled, clearly taken aback by the sheer audacity of this information.

“It’s some kind of an undead abomination that can take over people's souls,” I nodded gravely, confirming the truth of my words. "An ancient dracolich masquerading as an old skeleton has been residing in a room full of unsuspecting children in the Historymancy classroom," I added, trying to emphasize the direness of the situation.

It was at this point that I felt compelled to ask Nemmy if she had noticed any peculiarities in my behavior over the past few days.

"Have you noticed that something was amiss? Did I... err Grogtilda act weird since the Historymancy lecture?" I implored. "Dawn, did you not notice anything?"

I glanced at the portrait of the star-woven girl on the wall.

Nemmy looked at me quizzically, trying to make sense of my words.

Dawn looked at me from her drawing.

"I cannot see a person's future unless they provide me mana," the painting sighed. "Grogtilda took the dress off. I do not know what she is up to."

"Were you not inhabiting Grogtilda's body?" Nemendias asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Your soul seemed a bit… weak, but I assumed it was normal what with your consciousness leaping between various bodies."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I felt the need to clarify everything, so I took a deep breath and began recounting my story from the moment I had first encountered Rozaline in her classroom. As I spoke, Dawn's and Nemmy's expressions grew darker with each passing moment.

"This is preposterous! I cannot believe what I am hearing," Nemendias exclaimed, her voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

"We need to do something about this," I sighed. “Do you not feel a problem in your ward in that room?”

"I do not,” Nemmy confessed. “The Hall of History ward is showing no issues whatsoever. Damnation!”

I paused for a moment, considering our options. "We need to call up the gang and let them know what happened," I said finally.

. . .

An hour later, Lambert, Antoine, Agatha, and Emerald had gathered around me in the Heart-Stone room of Nemendias. "Your… new human body is adorable," Emerald remarked, staring at Cassie's sleeping form.

"Thanks," I smirked, amused by her comment.

"Let me get this straight," Lambert said, an incredulous look on his face. "A high-level dracolich abomination that killed Archmage Andross is simply hanging in the Hall of History?"

I nodded solemnly, confirming it. The situation was dire, and we needed to act fast if we wanted to prevent a disaster.

Lambert stared at the avatar of Nemendias.

“Yes,” Nemmy sighed. “I cannot define it as alive. I suspect that my ward in that lecture hall has been somehow sabotaged without my notice or the beast is simply stronger than the ward… which means it could take out the entire city if it wanted to. Or perhaps Rozaline is somehow messing with me.”

“Can you open a pinhole into the classroom?” I asked.

“I…” Nemmy blinked. “I cannot. The ward in the room isn’t responding to me.”

“Seal off the building,” Lambert ordered.

“I have already reinforced the wards around the Hall of History building,” Nemmy said. “No student will get inside.”

“Is Rozaline there?” I asked.

“She is,” Nemmy nodded.

“I guess it’s up to me to take down the dragon then,” I pursed my lips.

“What are you going to do?” Lambert asked.

“I’m going to finish the suit of armor I started working on before Rozaline got me derailed,” I said.

“What sort of a suit can repel the magic of an ancient dracolich?” Emerald asked.

“A suit of metal impervious to magic,” I said in reply, a dangerous smirk dancing on my lips.

“What?” Everyone turned my way, shock and surprise painted on their faces.

. . .

As I set to work on my armor, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement coursing through my veins. The thrill of adventure, the rush of adrenaline of finishing off a project pushed me forward.

The Heart-Stone room was bathed in a warm, golden light of the setting sun, casting long shadows across the polished floor. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and glowing runes, and the air was filled with the faint scent of incense. Nemendias watched me.

I worked with a sense of purpose, my Endy threads shredding the Eurekan metal into powder which I then mixed with my latex-glue. I lost track of time as I worked, lost in the world of my own creation.

As I worked, my mind drifted to the dragon that lay waiting in the Hall of History. I knew that it was a formidable foe, and that my new armor would be put to the test. But I also knew that I was up to the challenge. I had faced worse things as Archmage Zariya, and I had always emerged victorious against the abominations of the Dead Zone.

As hours passed, my concoction was ready. I had completely covered Juni's nightcrawler armor in a layer of magic-impervious latex, leaving only the tiniest hole in my index finger from which I could see things with one of my soul threads and also strike with Endy.

I stood up, stretched and stared at my friends.

"Hit me with magic and try to take me down," I said, sliding my helmet on. “No spells that can affect the physical environment around me please. Only pure magic that influences the soul.”

Lambert pointed his armacus at me. "This is a paralysis spell used on criminals," he said. A hexagram flashed above the armacus and the spell struck my body.

Nothing happened. I didn't feel sleepy or paralyzed. Damn, this would have been very useful against Amadea's hired gangsters in Undertown.

"Again," I said.

Everyone with the exception of Emerald and Dawn started to fire magic on my person.

As the barrage of magic hit my body, I smirked, feeling invincible.

The room was bathed in a kaleidoscope of colors, as the spells collided with my armor, creating a dazzling display of light and sound. But through it all, I remained unflinching, my armor holding strong against the onslaught as I peered at the world from a tiny thread on my uncurled finger.

As the spells subsided, I pulled my helmet off and looked around at my friends, a broad grin spreading across my face. "I think it's safe to say that my magic-proof armor is ready," I said, feeling a sense of pride in my creation.

"I have to hand it to you, Yulia. You never cease to amaze me," Lambert said, his voice filled with respect.

Agatha nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Your fiendish ingenuity is truly unparalleled," she said. "I fear for the fate of Illatius if something like this was to be used against us."

I felt a sense of warmth spreading through my chest at their words, enjoying their praises.

“I’m not exactly unstoppable,” I shrugged. “A single fireball could melt the entire thing off me. This stuff is only a good defense against mental and soul-affecting magic, its completely useless against physical attacks.”

As I prepared to face the dragon, I could feel a sense of trepidation creeping into my mind. I knew that this would be no easy task, and that the dragon was a formidable and dangerous opponent. But at the same time, I felt a sense of excitement and anticipation. This was what I lived for - the thrill of adventure, the rush of adrenaline of breaking into abandoned places, the joy of facing a dangerous challenge.

As I made my way towards the Historymancy building, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear the sound of my own breathing, and the steady beat of my own pulse. But through it all, I remained focused, my mind clear and sharp.

As I entered the Hall of History and pushed the heavy wooden door open, I could see the dragon waiting for me, its dark, unmoving body hanging above the classroom. But I was not afraid. I was ready.

Rozaline stood at the lectern next to the dragon, a smile sitting on her lips.

"Ready for round two?" She asked with a smug look.

“Are you going to stop me?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “This is your battle.”

I walked to the massive skeleton.

The empty eyes of the dracolich flashed. I felt nothing. The hex failed to take hold, failed to penetrate the shield of Eurekan metal impervious to magic.

I came as close as possible to the dragon corpse and opened my hand.

"Divide by Zero," my lips uttered as I poked the skeleton hanging above me.