She felt gentle hands touching her, carefully searching for injuries. Once their inspection seemed complete, Missy felt herself being lifted and carried. She lay limply in their arms, discomfort radiating everywhere her body made contact with whoever was carrying her. As they moved, she felt magic playing across her body removing the blood from Missy's skin and clothes, the warmth of the spell tingling against her skin. Missy recognized the magical presence as Rinale's and could sense that she was following the person carrying her closely.

They continued through the winding tunnel as Missy gradually felt her strength returning. After a short time, she could have walked on her own, but uncertainty kept her silent. She remained still as they made their way back through the tunnels and into the capitol building, where she was gently placed on what appeared to be a plush velvet couch. Missy deliberately waited a few moments before moving. She felt slightly off-balance, both from the events that occurred during her fight with Razuroc and from trying to navigate the intricacies of mortal society. The uncertainty of how to act in this situation left her feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

As she finally stirred, she took in her surroundings, not recognizing the room despite its familiar ornate opulence that matched the rest of the capitol building. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over gilt-edged mirrors and richly carved wooden panels. As her eyes swept the room, they landed on Rinale, who sat nearby with her head resting heavily in her hand, looking utterly exhausted. The antique couch creaked slightly as Missy shifted, causing Rinale's head to snap up, their eyes meeting across the space.

Rinale immediately stood and rushed over, her usual composure fractured by concern. "Missy, are you okay?" Her voice carried obvious worry as she reached the couch, hands fidgeting uncertainly in front of her. Missy offered a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, I just drained myself and need a moment to recover. I'm fine now, thank you."

Rinale continued to hover and fret as Missy rose from the couch. "I'm so sorry I left you. I know we agreed that I should take the Ortus and run. But I shouldn't have agreed, I'm sorry for not being there to help." Missy smiled gently as Rinale rambled, letting her continue before softly saying her name to get her attention. "Rinale... You did great. Thank you for taking care of the Ortus and coming back to check on me."

Rinale nodded and took a deep centering breath, her expression and posture shifting back to their usual controlled state. She cleared her throat, clearly attempting to reclaim her composure. "Thank you, Missy. I let my emotions get the better of me. You were invaluable to the city in this crisis. I will talk to the council about how to appropriately repay you. I can't guarantee anything, but is there something you would like as a reward?"

Missy tilted her head thoughtfully before shrugging. "Just that date we're supposed to go on." Rinale's carefully maintained composure cracked as she blushed prettily. She seemed to struggle slightly as she swallowed, which concerned Missy - she hoped Rinale's throat wasn't injured. "I am sorry we will have to delay that slightly since I will be busy dealing with the cleanup of this mess, but I will do what I can to not keep you waiting." Rinale's smile returned as she regained her composure.

"That being said, it is getting late and you no doubt are tired. I will lead you to the exit so you can go home. Would you like me to send someone with you? I would go myself but I still have a lot to do and can't leave." Missy shook her head. "It's fine, I can make it home just fine."

They both started toward the door, walking in comfortable silence through the marble halls to one of the capitol building's exits. Missy stepped outside into the cool evening air and waved to Rinale as she left, carefully imitating a behavior she had observed other mortals perform when departing. Rinale watched her from the exit until she disappeared into the darkening streets.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The news of Razuroc's attack had spread throughout the city like wildfire, and Missy had to navigate through the chaos of panicked citizens. After several frustrating attempts to weave through the crowded streets, she quickly gave up on ground-level travel and leapt to the rooftops, making her way back to Aspen's shop as her thoughts turned toward home.

Her conversation with Aspen from the previous night weighed heavily on her mind. It seemed strange that it had occurred just yesterday - with everything that had transpired at the capitol building, it felt as though several days had passed. Missy felt apprehensive about returning to the shop, uncertain how to face Aspen after their exchange.

As she grew closer to the others, Missy was beginning to understand just how complex mortal relationships were. She became increasingly aware of their fragility, both mental and physical, and felt an overwhelming desire to protect them. Every word and action now carried new weight as she worried about their impact, and she felt a growing sense of responsibility for their wellbeing. The complexity of it all was overwhelming, and she feared making a misstep that would end up hurting them.

Upon reaching the shop, Missy found herself perched on the roof of a nearby building, wrestling with her tumultuous thoughts. For the first time in her existence, she truly feared what the future held. Her experience now gave her a clear understanding of what would happen when the rest of her body eventually escaped - if she remained separate, it would be a mindless creature and would destroy the world. If she reunited with it, she would lose herself entirely.

She wished she could confide in everyone as openly as she had with Jezel and Arc about Aspen, but she worried about their reactions to the truth. While she probably could discuss certain aspects while concealing the more frightening details, such partial truths would prevent them from offering advice about the things she truly needed help with. The idea of deceiving them left her unsettled, though she realized she was already doing so by keeping them in the dark about the situation.

As her thoughts spiraled, she felt an urge to flee. Perhaps returning to her old self would free her from these complicated thoughts and feelings. No - she shook her head firmly. She was struggling because these things mattered. For the first time in her long life, she truly cared about something, and she refused to surrender that. She would protect everyone, even from herself, no matter the cost. Though she still lacked answers, her resolve hardened. She wouldn't give up so easily.

She jumped down and approached the shop, her tails moving restlessly as she walked forward. Upon entering, she was greeted by a pacing Aspen, whose worried expression melted into relief at the sight of her. Missy was grateful she wasn't still covered in blood knowing that would have only made worry more. The thought had only just came to her and if Rinale hadn't taken care of it she wouldn't have done anything. She would have to thank Rinale later.

"Thank goodness you're here. I saw the news and caught a glimpse of you being thrown out a window. Are you okay?" Aspen stepped forward, reaching out instinctively, which caused Missy to flinch slightly.

"Sorry," Aspen said, stepping back.

"I'm fine. We managed to stop things from getting out of control." Missy gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm glad you're okay. Do you need anything?" Aspen fretted over Missy until she was satisfied that she was truly unharmed and didn't require assistance.

"It's been a long day, we should get some rest," Aspen yawned as she spoke. Missy nodded, following her into the living area of the shop. They prepared for bed in comfortable silence, the earlier tension from last night's conversation forgotten in the aftermath of the day's events, much to Missy's relief. She just hoped that Jezel would come up with something to help.

They bid each other goodnight, and Missy settled in, deciding to try reading to avoid her thoughts spiraling. As she contemplated what to read, two particular memories surfaced - instances where she had caused Jezel and Rinale to blush. For some reason, she had enjoyed their reactions and found herself wanting to recreate those moments. She wondered if there might be something that could help her understand these interactions better. Her curiosity led her to search the internet for information, and she ended up spending the entire night researching, fascinated and disturbed by what she discovered about mortal relationships and reactions.