The sounds of the battle were loud in my ears, and the smell of blood and death filled the air around me. The ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen, and the cries of the injured filled the night. I panted, my lungs burning, my muscles aching, and my mana almost depleted. I couldn't take much more. I couldn't... No. I had to keep going, I had to keep fighting.

"Fucking Aither... This is all his fault!" I snarled as I jumped back, avoiding the swing of an axe and jabbed my spear into the chest of the attacking Kobold. The creature's eyes widened, and then glazed over as it fell over the light in its eyes dimming. I yanked my spear out of its chest with a gurgling sound, barely missing a dagger swipe to my side. I spun, swinging the blunt end of the spear and smashing it into the side of another Kobold's head.

My breath was ragged, and my body screamed in pain, but I kept moving, kept fighting. Nova, Aeon, Leo, and even Zaius were all fighting nearby, protecting the temple, our home, our lives. We were surrounded, outnumbered, and outmatched.

A roar rang out, a familiar sound, and a massive shape burst through the ranks of the Kobolds, his jaws snapping, and his claws tearing through the Kobolds like paper. He tore into the enemies closest to me, ripping them apart, and giving me some breathing room.

I could feel the mana in the air around me, feel it coursing through the air, with each death the power grew stronger, and the energy around me became denser. I could see it, swirling in the air, a miasma of energy. I reached out, pulling the energy into myself, trying to replenish my depleted reserves, but before I could fully absorb it, the mana was sucked away, stolen by that damned sharman hiding behind his bodyguards.

I growled, frustrated, and lashed out with my spear, striking a Kobold in the side, and knocking him back. Thank gods for Pia's instance in teaching me the basics of fighting with a spear. Well, at the time it had been my wagasa, but the basics were the same. If it wasn't for Pia's spear, I'd have died the moment my mana ran out.

My magic was all but useless in this fight, and I had only gotten one good hit off at the start, before the strange drain had begun sucking up the mana in the air.

A Kobold lunged at me, his teeth bared in a snarl. I swung my spear like a bat, catching him in the side, and knocking him away. He landed hard, and didn't move again. Another lunged, his claws outstretched and I stumbled back, tripping over the body of the first. My spear clattered to the ground as I fell, and the Kobold leapt on top of me. His weight was crushing, and his fangs were inches from my face. Then he was gone, ripped away from me, and tossed aside. The ground shook as the massive form of Leonidas landed next to me.

"Good boy," I praised the Leosaur, panting, as I picked up my spear. He was already on the move again, tearing into the next group of Kobolds.

I didn't know when he'd learned to fight like that, and I was surprised at how effective he was, as I'd never taken him into any kind of combat situation. He was a natural though, his instincts guiding him, and his size making up for his lack of finesse. And it was clear that without Leo doing all the heavy lifting, we would have been dead already.

Aeon and Nova... weren't doing so well and had backed themselves into a corner together. While both were able to hold off the attackers with their looted weapons, neither of them were fighters. As for Zaius, he was showing just how much Noctus had rubbed off on him, and was darting around, attacking from behind and vanishing. He was a menace, and thankfully, the kobolds couldn't catch him. I didn't know where he got those daggers, or how they were able to vanish with him, and quite frankly, right at this moment, I didn't care.

"Kaadiiaa!" Nova's cry echoed in the air, but I couldn't look back, couldn't turn around because I was being hemmed in with two Kobolds in front of me, and a third to my right. I couldn't help them right now.

Leo's roar shook the ground, and I caught a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. Good, Leo had heard Nova and was going to help. I didn’t hear her cry out again, and I hoped that Leo had been able to protect her.

The two Kobolds in front of me were moving slowly, circling me. I knew they were about to attack me all at once, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn't use magic, couldn't summon my wisps, and my fighting skills were shit. I was going to die.

Before any of the Kobolds could attack, the one to the right let out a startled squeak as Zaius appeared on its back, stabbing one of his daggers into the creature's neck. The Kobold collapsed, its body convulsing as it died, and Zaius jumped off, using its body as a springboard as he launched himself at the next Kobold. He landed on its shoulders, and drove his dagger into the creature's eye.

The last Kobold hesitated, watching the others fall, and I saw my chance. I charged forward, spear lowering as I thrust it into the creature's chest. It let out a shriek of pain, and then slumped backwards, its weight dragging the spear out of my hands.

"Crap." I grabbed the spear, frantically pulling at it, but it was held fast between the creature’s ribs. I groaned as my blood coated hand slipped while wrenching the spear back and forth to break the ribs holding it captive, finally tugging it free of the corpse. “Oh the joys of a hyper-realistic world.” I muttered as I looked around at the corpses littering the hall.

The sound of chanting filled the room, and I cursed under my breath, using one of Pia's favorites, "Fucksticks."

I gritted teeth, my fingers curling tightly around the shaft of the spear, and watched as the kobolds, who'd been dead on the floor only moments ago, began to stir, their bodies twitching as the life returned to them, their wounds healing as they rose from the ground.

"Gods, why won't they die?" Nova screamed from somewhere behind me. Good, she was still alive.

"Because the gods are the ones behind this," I growled, spinning and stabbing my spear into the chest of the nearest Kobold as it started to rise. One god at least.

If I could just get past the sharman's guards, then I could stop it from resurrecting them. That's how this kind of thing worked right? Kill the boss monster and it's over? If I could get close enough, then maybe...

A roar shook the room, and Leo's massive body slammed into the group of Kobolds, scattering them and sending several flying across the room. Yes, that's it! I needed a tank!

"Leo!" I yelled, running forwards, "over here! Those ones Leo!" I pointed at the group of Kobolds guarding the sharman. “Get those ones!”

Leo roared again, and lunged, slamming his body into another group, and knocking them down, before he spun, and headed towards the ones guarding the shaman.

The big reptilian cat roared, and charged forward, his massive body knocking the Kobolds out of the way, clearing a path for me to run. I ran forward, my spear raised, and ready to strike. I could feel the mana around me, feel it swirling and churning. The closer I got to the group, the more the energy shifted and changed, the mana was being drawn to the staff the Kobold wielded. I felt my own energy being drawn to it as well, and it was like a weight was pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe, making it hard to think.

Leo let out another roar, and barreled into the Kobolds guards, knocking them aside. The shaman's chanting increased in volume, and it raised its staff high, pointing it at me. It was at that moment, I knew I fucked up.

A wave of energy washed over us, knocking me backwards and sending me tumbling to the ground. I rolled, coming to a stop on my hands and knees, my vision blurred, and my head spinning. I could hear the sound of battle, could hear the sounds of the others fighting, could hear the sounds of the Kobolds dying, and the Kobold leader's laughter.

Charging in like that was a stupid move on my part, but what else could I do? I couldn't use any of my abilities, so I was stuck with just using a weapon like a barbarian. A spear-wielding, magicless, barbarian.

A foot kicked me in the side, and I rolled over, my back hitting the ground hard. The Kobold leader stood over me, its staff pointed down at me, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. "Foolish, Fox-kin," it hissed with a mocking laugh, "you and your friends will be food for our young. We will eat well tonig-"

Leo's massive jaws closed around the Kobold, cutting off its words, and silencing its laughter. The Kobold struggled, its arms flailing, and its legs kicking, but Leo shook his head, his jaws clamping down tighter, and then threw his head back, and snapped his jaws closed, severing the Kobold's body in half, and sending blood and viscera spraying everywhere. The Kobold's head and torso hit the ground with a wet thud, and Leo spat out the rest, his muzzle and paws covered in blood.

I closed my eyes, wishing I could close my ears as well, the sound of flesh tearing, bones cracking, and blood squishing was not a sound I ever wanted to hear. Kaledon was a hyper-realistic world, and that meant every death was violent and messy, even though I'd started getting used to the violence, I wasn't usually this close.

Normally when I fought, it was with magic and from a distance, but not this time. This time I was right in the middle of the fray, and it was brutal. Seeing it happen, feeling the warmth of the blood, hearing the crunch and squelch of the kobolds dying... In the midst of battle, I'd been able to ignore it, the rush of adrenaline numbing my mind and focusing my thoughts on the task at hand. Now though, with the fighting over, and the adrenaline wearing off, I finally had a moment to take it all in.

Opening my eyes, I looked up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the carnage around me. Leonidas nudged me with his nose, letting out a low rumble as he nuzzled my face. His body was hot, almost like a furnace, and his scales were warm, not burning hot, but warmer than usual. Is that just the heat from his fight, or something else? I should give him a full examination later, and make notes on the changes in his anatomy and biology. I also need to test his bite force, because biting a Kobold in half seemed a little too easy for him. It shouldn't be that easy, should it? What about the bone? Wouldn't the bones have stopped him? Maybe his jaws were just that powerful? How could I test his bite force?

"Mroooww," the Leosaur purred, his gaze flitting around the room. Then his ears flicked forward and his head jerked up, his amber eyes narrowing at something beyond my line of sight. I followed his gaze, and saw another Kobold trying to sneak off, and failing miserably.

"Go get 'em," I said, scratching him behind the ears. The Leosaur let out another low rumble, then bounded off, his tail lashing the air.

As the Leosaur bounded off to go deal with the Kobold, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, groaning as my muscles protested.

"Nova, Aeon, you two okay?" I called, glancing over at where the pair were standing. Both were looking a little shaken up, but Nova seemed to be more so. Her hair was a mess, her clothing was torn, and her face was smeared with blood and dirt. She was shaking, her whole body trembling as she clung to the wooden club she’d taken from a Kobold. Aeon was beside her, a dagger held in his hand, his gaze fixed on the carnage around us.

"We are fine," he replied, his tone clipped and his words curt.

"Good," I said, my gaze flitting around the room and taking stock of our surroundings. I spotted Zaius off to the side, perched on the back of a Kobold dead, stabbing it repeatedly. The monkey had a sadistic side to him, I guess.

I was definitely going to have a long talk with Noctus about what he’d been teaching him. And I knew for a fact it was him that Zaius had picked up those habits from, because the vampire had gotten it into his head to teach Zaius how to pickpocket. The worst part was, the damn monkey was good at it. With his four upper arms, he was a dexterous little bugger and his natural ability to camouflage himself gave him a great advantage, which is exactly why Noctus had decided to turn Zaius into his little primate protégé.

I sighed, and shook my head, refocusing on the present, and the bloody room.

"Kadia..." Nova's voice was barely a whisper, and she was looking at me with wide eyes, her pupils were blown and her body trembled. "What happened? Where did they come from? Why... Why did they attack us?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "I have a few guesses, but no concrete answers."

We'd been unpacking the things sent from the guild, and at Nova's insistence, I put on the armor that Pia had made. It was a leather set, a chest piece, leggings, bracers, and boots, all dyed a deep purple with gold accents. The material was strong, but flexible, and there were runes stitched into the inside of the leather. Enchantments no doubt.

The moment I leaned down to pick up the spear, to complete the set, there was a loud roar from Leo and when I'd looked up, there were a pair of kobolds staring at us from the entrance of the temple. Those two, as it turned out, were only scouts, and more followed after. They came from all directions, swarming the temple, surrounding us.

"I think," Aeon began, "that it is time we discuss what has happened in your absence."

I gave a small nod. I'd been putting it off, but it was clear that now wasn't the time to continue to avoid it. Not anymore. We needed answers, and I had some of them, not all, but enough for us to start figuring out the rest.

"Right, first things first, let's clean up this mess." I said, pushing myself up to my feet. My muscles protested, and my ribs ached. "Then, we'll sit down and have a nice chat."

"We'll talk while we clean," Aeon countered.

I nodded, that was acceptable. Cleaning up this mess would take a while, and we should also work on securing the perimeter and repairing the damage done to the temple.

"Fine," I agreed, glancing around. The furniture was mostly undamaged, though a few tables had been broken, and there was a lot of blood and gore everywhere. See, this is why I used Pyr in fights. My little wisp didn't make a mess, instead it consumed everything with a fiery hunger, and left nothing behind.

"Let's start by sorting through the bodies and looting them." I said, glancing at the pile of dead kobolds. "We’ll harvest the mana cores and then burn them.”

"What?" Nova squeaked her eyes wide.

I glanced over at Nova, and offered her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to help if you don't want to Nova. I know it isn't pleasant."

Nova nodded slowly, but before she could say anything further a flash of red light filled the room, and a large scroll appeared, floating in mid-air. The parchment unrolled itself, and a glowing script began to appear, lines of text filling the paper.

-

To the inhabitants of Khēmeia,

Congratulations! You are now the proud owners of your very own Dungeon World!

Your dungeon, Khēmeia, is currently level one and will provide a modest amount of resources and experience to its inhabitants. As you and your dungeon gain levels, the world will expand and the rewards will increase accordingly.

Happy Dungeon-ing.

Your friendly multi-universal overlord,

Aither

P.S. Your dungeon is currently in a beta stage and will remain so until the official Kaledon launch date.

P.P.S. I like your monkey, he’s a cool lil dude.

-

"Well, that confirms it," I said, as the scroll vanished in a flash of red.

"Confirms what?" Nova asked.

"That Aither is responsible for this mess," I replied, looking around at the carnage, and then meeting Nova's gaze.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I thought we already knew that?" She questioned. "You kept cursing him during the fight,"

"Yeah, but now it's confirmed," I said.

"So, what does this mean? Are we going to be attacked again?" Nova asked.

"I'm not sure." I replied, frowning, "but I suspect the answer is yes." I sighed and rubbed my eyes, suddenly feeling weary. "We'll discuss and come up with a plan later," I decided, "right now, we have a mess to clean up, and a temple to secure."

Aeon nodded, his eyes flitting around the room, assessing the situation. "Yes, I believe it would be best to wait until after the clean-up and repairs have been completed. It is clear that we are all mentally and physically exhausted, and our focus should be on the present and what needs to be done. Once we are done, we can sit down and analyze the situation."

"Aeon is correct." I nodded. "Our immediate concern should be our safety, and the safety of the temple."

Nova bit her lower lip, her eyes flitting over the room. "Do I have to-" she motioned towards the piles of corpses and looked back at me, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Not if you don't want to," I reassured her. "If you don't want to help with processing the bodies, then why don't you and Leo go look for any stragglers? And if you can close the main gates, that will hopefully keep them out, at least for now.”

It shouldn't be hard to secure the temple, as I built it with a wall that surrounded the main building, the gardens, and a bit beyond, leaving the space between the inner and outer walls open. There was also a gate house at the front, but that was more decorative than anything else.

"Okay," Nova said, brightening a little, and looking relieved. "Leo! Come on, let’s go find Arion!" Leo started to follow after her as she headed for the doors, but stopped near the door to shoot me a look, seemingly waiting for me to join them.

"Go on," I encouraged, "I'll be fine. Nova's going to need someone with her, and Zaius, you go to."

The monkey looked up from where he was trying to pull a dagger from under the corpse of a Kobold, and chittered.

"Yes, I mean you," I said. He made a face, and looked down at the body he was trying to loot. Then he looked back at me and whined.

"Come one Zaius, there might be more of them out here for you to stab," Nova coaxed.

The monkey's eyes lit up, and he scurried after Nova, his tail held high. I really needed to have a chat with Noctus about him, about Leo too. It was obvious someone had given the two of them some combat training. Yuki had offered where Leo was concerned, but at the time, I hadn't taken her up on the offer. It was clear though, that someone had taught them a few tricks. The fact they were both able to tear into a pack of kobolds, and not get killed was evidence of that.

"Are you sure it is wise to send her off alone?" Aeon questioned, watching the group disappear.

"No," I admitted, "but it's better than her staying here and watching us process these bodies."

"I can do it," he offered. "You can go with her-"

"It will be faster if we both do it, and safer too." I said, glancing up as the sound of a loud croaking caw filled the air.

"Cawwww! Caaawww!" Zosimos screeched, circling the room, before landing on top of a column.

"Oh, look who decided to show up," I drawled, crossing my arms. "It's the cowardly crow."

The bird puffed up his feathers and squawked indignantly. "Kreee."

"Don't give me that," I snorted, "you could have helped, and instead you were hiding."

He tilted his head to the side, and let out a loud, raspy croak.

"He has a point," Aeon noted. "What could he have done?"

"He could have been scouting, acting as an eye in the sky," I countered, glaring up at the bird. "That is typically his role during battle."

"Kraaah."

"Off you go," I pointed to the window he'd flown through, "go scout the area and see if there are any more enemies. When you get back, I'll let you have some of the eyeballs for a snack."

The bird gave a small caw, then launched himself into the air and flew out the window.

Truthfully, there was very little the crow could have done, besides act as a distraction and a lookout, but even those things were helpful.

"Well then," I said, turning back to the task at hand, "let's get to work, shall we?"

"Yes," Aeon agreed, his gaze focused on the nearest body, his lips pulling back into a disgusted grimace. "I suppose we should get this over with."

"Right." I moved over to the first body, a male kobold. He was dressed in tattered clothing and looked to have died to Leo's claws. His body was mostly intact, and his skin was a pale brown, like sandstone. "Let's start with sorting them into piles, once we’ve removed the mana cores, we’ll put them over there," I pointed to a spot in the middle of the hall. "Then later we can burn them, we’ll use the ash for fertilizer. Most of the body can be used for various things, but right now, we need to focus on the parts that are the most useful, which are the cores."

Aeon nodded, "Should we take them outside? To lessen the amount of blood on the floors?"

I shook my head, "We're already going to have a lot of mess to clean up, and I want to keep an eye on the entrance, so no, let's keep them inside. Outside we leave ourselves exposed and if we transport them further into the temple, it will only create more mess to clean up. Let's just get it done, then we can worry about cleaning up."

"Alright," he replied, his voice still holding a note of disgust. "Although, I am curious about your taking the mana core. I was under the impression that most creatures' cores would not be attainable? Do they not get drawn into the mana flows once they have fallen?"

"Yes they do," I replied, moving over to a female kobold. This one was smaller than the male, and her scales were lighter in color. "The mana cores are the source of a creature's life and magic, and when they die, their bodies release their core, and it is absorbed into the mana flows. This is the same for creatures, from the lowest slime to the highest dragon. However, the time it takes to dissipate depends on the creature's power level. For Kobolds, it shouldn't take more than an hour, maybe two. For a higher level creature, it could be longer. With a powerful enough monster, it would take weeks for their core to be pulled into the flows."

"Interesting," he murmured, his expression thoughtful, "so, what is the point of collecting the cores if they will only disappear?"

"Mmm?" I looked up from the body, "oh, that's because the cores can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used as fuel to power enchantments, to create magical items, or to enhance one's own mana core. There is a practice called core augmentation where you can consume the cores of creatures in order to enhance your own core, and thus increase your power and abilities. That can be highly beneficial for those who want to gain affinity for certain magics, or want to increase their affinity. Of course, it is a very dangerous practice. Core augmentation can cause all sorts of problems, and is highly frowned upon. The most common practice is using the cores to craft magical items or enchantments, because unlike mana crystals which are useless after the mana is gone, a mana core can be recharged with mana, so it's a renewable resource. Provided you don't mess up the enchantment." I laughed and gave a small shake of my head, "when I first came to Kaledon, no one had worked out how to prevent creatures from respawning yet, which resulted in more than a few... accidents when various creatures respawned in populated locations."

"Ah, so there is a way to prevent them from spawning?"

I nodded, focusing on the task at hand. "It is a bit of a complicated process, and I'm not an expert in it. You see, in order to prevent a creature from respawning, it requires a special enchantment that has to be placed on the core. If done properly, the creature's essence will remain in the core, and the creature will not be respawned. However, if done incorrectly, the core will become corrupted and the creature will become... something else. Something dark and twisted. It will, given time, respawn and when it does," I smiled, a sharp, wicked grin, "well, let's just say that it holds a grudge against the one who attempted to bind its soul."

"I see," he murmured, his tone thoughtful. "And you do not find... this practice distasteful?"

"Hmm?" I glanced up at him, then looked back down at the Kobold. "Ah." I considered his question, and shrugged. "I suppose I do, a little. I mean, yes, we are 'trapping' the souls of the creatures and using them as fuel for magic..." I paused, and looked up at him. "There are other worlds with similar concepts, the previous virtual world I spent time in, Avalon, had a low level spell called 'soul trap' that was used to capture the souls of defeated enemies and use them as a power source for enchanting. It was a basic spell that was considered a normal part of crafting. The act of capturing a soul was not considered cruel or malicious, it was simply a part of the natural order of things. In Kaledon, it is the same."

"And would you feel the same if it were your core being bound and used for some kind of enchantment?" Aeon asked, his gaze fixed on me.

"I am bound already," I reminded him, "my mana core is bound to Trismegistus, and in turn empowers him as my patron god. The gods gain power from their followers, and when I absorb mana into my core to grow stronger, Tris gains a portion of it.The same for all species of a certain sentience, they all have their own deities to whom they are bound, and to whom they owe their allegiance. Take for example the Goblin race, they are bound to Grog, their creator god, and the Kobolds..." I frowned, looking down at the corpse in front of me. Then grabbing one of the Kobold's daggers, I started cutting into its chest and then cursed under my breath as I realized the core wasn't there.

"What's wrong?" Aeon asked, moving over to me.

"The core, it's missing." I stabbed the dagger into the Kobold's chest with a pout. "It's got a damn god."

I didn't know enough about Kobolds to know if they were a race that had a deity, but the lack of a core suggested that they had, and that the core was bound to that deity. Which meant no core harvesting for me.

"I'm guessing you didn't know about this before now?" Aeon mused, looking down at the Kobold.

"No," I sulked a little, pulling the dagger out of the creature's chest. I'd been looking forward to harvesting the cores, and now that I couldn't, it felt like I'd been cheated out of some of the loot. "I suppose the fact the Kobold shaman spoke to me should have been a clue. Any species or race with enough intelligence to speak would have a deity looking over them." I sighed and gave a small shrug, "I guess I'll just have to settle for rendering them down for materials.”

"You seem disappointed," Aeon noted.

"I was looking forward to using their cores for research and a few experiments," I admitted, moving over to another body, and checking it, confirming that its mana core was missing as well, just to be sure. "Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped." I glanced over at Aeon and saw him staring down at a body, his expression thoughtful, and his brow furrowed. "Something wrong?"

"No, I'm just thinking..." He shook his head. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm feeling about this whole thing." He waved his hands at the bodies scattered around the room. "About the fact we're cutting apart the bodies of these creatures, who were intelligent enough to be able to communicate, and who had a deity that was watching over them, and yet we're treating them like... like meat. Like they're not worthy of our respect or consideration."

"They have a god, so they'll revive," I said, wiping my bloody hands on a rag. "They will return to their respawn point and if they're dumb enough, they'll come back to fight again." I paused and looked around the room. "I wonder where their respawn point is..." My voice trailed off and I frowned. "Or where the dungeon entrance is for that matter."

"What I wonder," Aeon murmured, moving over to a body and picking up the creature's weapon. "Is if it was the Kobolds who created these weapons. Do they have enough sentience to craft tools and build shelters?" He looked down at the dagger in his hand and his brow furrowed. "They are clearly intelligent enough to communicate and use weapons. Even use magic."

I was quiet, thinking over Aeon's words. "I don't know. From what I am aware, they are primitive and much like Goblins. They are tribal, live in caves, and use bone weapons and clubs, but I'm not an expert on them. If you want to know more, you'll need to talk to Yuki. She is the guild expert on the various races and species in Kaledon. Yuki creates all the profiles and field guides for the hunting teams, telling them what body parts are to be harvested and such." I paused and then added, "as for the daggers, see how all the weapons differ in style and craftsmanship? Axes, swords, clubs. There is a varying degree of skill in the craftsmanship, and none are the same. That suggests to me that they are looted, rather than created by the Kobolds." I looked down at the Kobold I'd just checked, "They're wearing looted armor too, well, the bodyguards were. The rest of them only had rags or strips of leather. I would wager that only the sharman and his group possessed a higher level of intelligence."

"A class difference?" Aeon asked, looking up at me.

"I would assume so," I replied, nodding, "the shaman was the only one who spoke to me, and his bodyguards were better equipped, though they still didn't manage to put up much of a fight." I paused, and then continued, "Kobolds are typically on the weaker side, they're comparable to Goblins from what I can recall. I haven't actually encountered any in Kaledon, but there were Kobolds in Avalon. I only fought a few of them, as that wasn’t something I was interested in since I was focused on leveling my alchemy class back then."

Aeon nodded, and looked down at the kobold he was standing over, "They are interesting creatures, and I would like to study them further." He looked up at me, his eyes glinting, "Though I do not know if that is due to my nature as a fragment of yourself, or because of my own curiosity."

"Hmm, well, I will admit, I'm curious about them, but I'm curious about a lot of things. That's what drives my desire for knowledge and learning. I want to understand everything, to know everything. It's a never-ending quest." I paused and looked down at the corpse in front of me, "And, I do not think that makes me a bad person. It is who I am."

"I do not believe it makes you a bad person either," Aeon agreed, "though, I can see how it could be seen in a negative light. To have such a desire for knowledge and understanding, that you would dissect a living, intelligent creature, to see how it works."

"Humans have a long history of that," I said, a hint of a smile playing on my lips, "from the dawn of civilization, we have been driven by a need to learn, to understand, and to control. People can be cruel and brutal, and the pursuit of knowledge can be used to justify the most vile of acts." I was silent for a moment, thinking about the conversation. Then I said, "I'm not sure if it is possible to fully separate the pursuit of knowledge, from the acts that are committed in the name of knowledge. There are those who seek knowledge for power, for personal gain, and there are those who seek it for the sake of understanding."

"And you?"

"I would like to believe I'm the latter. But I'm also aware of the fact that I can be... selfish. I want knowledge, not just for the sake of gaining new insights, but because I enjoy the process. It is a puzzle, and I enjoy solving puzzles. It is a challenge, and I enjoy overcoming challenges. I also like to be the one to figure things out. I like being right." I paused and then added, "I suppose it's not the healthiest way to approach things, and I do not think I will ever change, but I will not claim that my reasons are pure. My desire for knowledge is not altruistic. It is not selfless. It is, ultimately, a selfish desire."

He looked at me, his eyes studying me carefully. "I see," he said after a moment, his tone thoughtful. "And how do you reconcile the two? The part of yourself that wants knowledge, no matter the cost, and the part of you that feels that there are lines that should not be crossed?"

"I don't know," I answered, honestly. "I haven't had to face that question yet. Not truly. I mean, I have performed experiments on people, but they were willing participants, and the knowledge I gained was for the betterment of all, not just myself. I have also performed experiments on creatures, but those were necessary to understand the properties of the various flora and fauna in this world. There have been a few times when I have pushed the boundaries of morality, but I have not crossed the line into true evil... Not that I am aware of, at least."

Aeon was silent, and I could see the gears turning in his head, the thoughts churning and the questions forming.

"Does it worry you?" he asked, finally, breaking the silence, "the thought of crossing that line?"

I considered that for a moment. "I think the day I stop worrying about it, is the day I should be worried." I answered, after a moment. "It's important to be able to recognize when one is crossing the line, and I hope that I will have the strength and wisdom to not cross it, should the time ever come when I am faced with that decision."

Aeon was quiet, his gaze still focused on the corpse before him.

"Does this make sense?" I asked, feeling a little anxious.

"I believe so," Aeon replied, his tone thoughtful.

"I am glad I created you, Aeon," I said, after a moment. "You give me someone to talk to, and you help me to sort out my thoughts. It is good to be able to speak to someone who understands me, and can challenge me. I find it helpful to have a sounding board, someone to bounce ideas off of." I laughed and shook my head, "normally I just talk to myself and that's not the same, at all. It's not nearly as satisfying. Not to mention, the others give me weird looks when they hear me talking to myself, which is why I usually keep my rambling to the lab, where no one can hear me."

Aeon chuckled, and I could see a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But you are talking to yourself, Kadia."

"True, but you are a part of myself that I do not have access to. You are a fragment of my consciousness that has been separated from the whole. You are the part of me that is analytical, logical, and objective. You are the part of me that sees things from a different perspective. You are the part of me that asks the questions that I would not think to ask myself."

Aeon was silent for a moment. "You do realize, do you not, that it should not be this way?"

"Yes, I do." I nodded. "This... This should not have happened. This is not how it should be."

"And yet, you will not undo it."

"Yet another one of my selfish decisions, I am afraid." I shrugged. "I could, technically, change things back to the way they were. But I will not. I do not wish to be alone, and I have come to value your presence." I laughed, a little bitterly, "even if I do have to put up with your snarky comments and your habit of pointing out my flaws."

"In the short time I have existed, I have grown fond of this life, and I do not wish to return to the nothingness of non-existence."

I smiled, "Then I am glad, and I am happy that we are on the same page. It is good to know that this existence is not a burden to you."

Aeon was quiet for a moment, his eyes studying me, as if trying to read my innermost thoughts. "But I am left to wonder, if it is one for you."

I blinked, caught off-guard by his words. "No," I replied, my tone a little sharper than I had intended. "It is not a burden to me. You are a part of me, and I am glad that you exist."

"I see," he said, his voice still thoughtful. "You are, of course, aware that I will never be a true companion? Nor will Nova. We do not have proper bodies, Kadia. When the Kobolds struck at us, we did not bleed. When they wounded us, mana leached from our wounds, not blood. The blood that covers Nova's clothing, and mine, is the blood of the Kobolds we killed."

I kept my gaze on the body I was working on, focusing my attention on the task at hand. "I know... I saw." I admitted, after a moment. "And yet, I cannot bring myself to care."

"Nova keeps hoping you will be able to grant us true bodies," he said, his tone soft. "That you will be able to find a way for us to exist in truth. You told her stories of the digital beings, the ones born of human minds, and she dreams that you will be able to grant us the same. I know it is a dream that will never come to pass, but Nova, she is not so realistic." He paused, and then added, "She believes in you, Kadia. She has faith that you will be able to do the impossible."

“Is it really so wrong?” I asked, glancing at him. “To dream and hold onto hope that someday, somehow, I’ll find a way?”

"No, it is not wrong," he said, after a moment. "And I suppose, it is not wrong for her to believe in you either. Though I am not sure it is healthy for her to cling to such false hope."

"It is not false," I insisted, my tone firm. "I have seen it done before. I have met people, people who were born as organic humans, who have crossed the boundary of the digital and the physical. I know it is possible, and I know I can make it happen, I just need to figure out how."

"Perhaps," Aeon murmured after a moment, "but I would not get my hopes up."

"You’re such a pessimist," I muttered.

"I got that from you."