Hard! It was incredibly difficult! There was no progress at all!

Sure, Mila had ideas! A lot of them. But none of them seemed to work. She tried and tried again, but the spellwork she created never felt right.

Mila had started with what she thought would be the simplest - making her harder to detect by looking at her.

It had been a constant failing of her magic. Just by looking at her position, people became aware of her. Even a child could find her - and had - just by looking in a random direction.

While the constant scouting didn’t help, Mila knew she couldn’t blame it on her failure. Running around in circles was a mind-numbing exercise, but it didn’t take a lot of attention.

The night was calm and chilly. Clouds drifted across the sky - hiding the moon from time to time. The darkness and trees hid the refugees, making it the perfect time to move.

If you had the strength for it - which Mila’s party didn’t.

Mila realised she was distracting herself with idle thoughts. She shook her head and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. Her silent steps left barely a tremble on her passing.

If only Isabel was here…

This time, Mila spent a few minutes wallowing in misery. She let the depressing thoughts and worries crash against her tired mind. It seeped her motivation and let her emotions run rampant. But it also cleared her mind.

Ten minutes later, Mila exhaled. Her breath created a cloud in the air as her hot breath passed. She felt better, just not happy.

Mila had run out of excuses. The memories of the assassin’s life were too vague, and the spell matrix he had used was too difficult. She couldn’t recreate it exactly and struggled to even make an approximation of it.

There were no other options. Mila knew she would have to spend a lot of time on this or…

“Will you help?” She whispered, knowing the ever-awake spirit heard her.

The answer was hesitant. The old Ghost gave a tentative affirmation and a pang of curiosity. He likely wondered what she wanted.

Mila grimaced, hating herself for not finding a better option. She felt like she was failing constantly. “I want to experience another life. I want to experience the life of an assassin.” She already regretted speaking this idea aloud.

The old Ghost hesitated again, but agreed. Mila felt the being's attention withdraw, and she was left with her own thoughts again.

This was the last resort. Mila felt urgency after the events of that night. Despite her new body, she felt weak. The new spell had done only so much to improve her confidence. The icicle just didn’t cut it.

“Isabel…” Mila landed on a large branch and stopped. She looked at the smoky cloud eating away at the moon. “... please don’t make the dream last too long…” she murmured, feeling the accompanying conciseness brush against hers.

There was no promise from the old Ghost. He simply acknowledged he got the message and left again.

“I don’t look forward to this,” Mila spoke to no one but the silence. “Not at all.” She let the wind wash over her face and ruffle her hair. “Please don’t make it last long…”

Mila didn’t know how she could handle a long dream. She had grown too reliant on Isabel’s presence to keep her humanity intact. She was aware of it, too.

And it was likely to grow worse. With Andrew gone, Mila trusted only Isabel to show how to act around other people in a humane way.

What would happen to her if she spent months in the body of a professional killer…

Mila was sure she would learn a lot. Everyone she had spent a lot of time with was painfully effective and skilful. They had to be. If they weren’t, they died within days.

And that was why Mila believed she would spend a long time in her own head. She didn’t want that.

“... but I made my choice, and I don’t regret it,” Mila explained to the passing trees. Her light steps carried her back to the camp.

It was time for her to get some rest. Mila didn’t know if she should experience another life tonight or wait for another day.

On one hand, it was better to become stronger as quickly as possible.

On the other…

Even if it was a day for Isabel, Mila knew she could come back changed. She had to explain everything first to her girl.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Another excuse,” Mila muttered as she found the spot where her party rested. “Don’t be a baby about it.” She chided herself.

Mila landed next to Isabel and looked at her girl’s cute sleeping face. A stray hair had found its way into her girlfriend’s mouth, and she was now munching on it. Her soft breaths made her chest rise and fall while her pupils moved slightly behind her eyelids.

Before waking her up, Mila tried to imagine what Isabel could be dreaming about. She hoped it was a dream about them - perhaps a possible future where they lived in a small cottage somewhere remote.

But more likely, it was a dream about the unpleasant experiences they had gone through the past few days.

Mila decided to take the small twitches on Isabel’s face as proof of the latter. It lessened the regret of having to wake up her girl.

Knowing she would spend a lot of time away soon, Mila suddenly felt a wave of loneliness shake her resolve.

Mila leaned down and tenderly clasped Isabel’s face. She rubbed her girl’s cheeks while getting closer and closer to Isabel’s lips. Her nose brushed against Isabel’s as Mila paused. A sigh escaped her mouth. Isabel’s aroma made her feel at home, and she lingered motionless, enjoying the closeness.

“... kiss…?”

The question startled Mila - only her excellent control over her body kept her away from jumping. She opened her eyes to find Isabel’s brown gaze back.

Isabel tilted her head, her hands wrapping around Mila and pulling her down. “... kiss…?” She repeated, her hot breath washing over Mila’s face.

“A kiss,” Mila broke into a smile. “I sure spoil you often…” She shook her head, rubbing her nose against Isabel’s in the process.

“... deserved…”

“Of course,” Mila agreed, this time nodding while continuing the rubbing. “Everything for my-” She felt their lips touch. “-Queen.”

Mila heard rustling nearby. She knew their whispers had been enough to rouse someone from sleep. But she didn’t stop.

This moment was too valuable. Once she fell asleep, Mila would be gone for a long time. Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow for sure… She still wanted to speak with Isabel about it first.

Isabel’s lips pressed against her’s greedily. Mila felt weightless - all her senses concentrated on their kiss. She ignored all else, absorbing as much of Isabel’s presence as she could.

They held each other and felt each other’s heartbeats. Mila sank lower, pressing closer, feeling more.

And then the moment was over. A yawn - too loud to ignore - interrupted their intimacy. Mila tried to pull away, only to be held tightly in Isabel’s grip. She pinched her girl’s side, finally feeling the hug become lighter.

“Naughty girl,” Mila held back the giggle that threatened to break out. “We will have time later. I will take you with me for scouting.” She slowly rose, slipping out of Isabel’s arms.

But seeing the pout it created, Mila could not help herself but steal another kiss - more on her terms.

It was quick, involved tongue and was very wet.

It left Isabel panting and very red.

And the quick escape masked the same effect on Mila. She stood up, her eyes falling on Mortimer. He was glaring at a spot that happened to be in the exact opposite direction of Mila.

Mila didn’t comment and scanned the surroundings. “I will leave the night’s vigil for you,” she addressed Isabel and Mortimer.

“Sure,” Mortimer whispered. “... Can’t sleep anyway…” He rubbed his eyes and checked on Vatim, Kanna, and the new kid.

Mila followed the man’s movements, stopping at Marius. She was still unsure of what to do about the boy.

Whatever it was, it had to wait.

“Move,” Mila nudged prone Isabel with the tip of her feet. “This Majesty will claim your warm spot.” She imperiously announced.

“...” In response, Isabel opened her arms. She invited Mila to her hold.

“That is indeed a warm spot,” Mila acknowledged in a whisper. “But you can’t leave the night’s duty for Mortimer alone.” She sadly added.

After another moment of thinking, Mila bit her lip. “... maybe for a little?” She supposed. “Until I fall asleep?” Her legs suddenly felt very heavy. It was hard to remain standing. Isabel’s body was almost magnetic in its pool.

Mortimer sighed before whispering. “You will wake up the kids.” He shushed.

“Hardly,” Mila returned. She did stop speaking, though. Her senses, finishing the scan, withdrew. She let her body fall into Isabel’s embrace.

Mila nuzzled against Isabel’s nape. She breathed in the scent and let her mind drift, knowing that sleep would come soon.

“... sleep…” Isabel kissed Mila’s crown and hugged her tighter. She sighed in contentment.

The feeling of closeness and the dread of missing it brought back Mila’s plans. She chewed on the thought, trying to decide what to do.

“... Mila…” Isabel noticed it.

This was the last push for Mila to make the decision. She would dream tonight. Isabel had let her feal love aplenty. She felt like she could do it. Mila felt like she could last through whatever hardships and loneliness she would experience in the dream.

With this, Mila squirmed up Isabel’s body - near her girl’s ear and began telling about her plans. She kept as quiet as possible as she revealed her fears and worries. She told Isabel about how long it might take and what she hoped to achieve.

And when Mila was done, Isabel squeezed tighter and nodded. “... okay…” She pulled the smaller girl into another kiss.

When their lips parted, Mila settled her racing heart. “Goodnight,” she mumbled, finally letting the exhaustion carry her into a slumber.

“... goodnight…” Isabel returned. She changed their sleeping pose slightly, letting Mila roll into her spot.

Mila landed on the leaves, already missing Isabel’s soft body. Still, she didn’t complain. Her girl was still there - and would be until she fell asleep.

The last sight before drifting away was Isabel’s slightly worried expression against the night sky.

When Mila opened her eyes next time, she was already living another life.