Act 1 Wolf

  “Howlll!” The night wasn’t very cold but it had many stray dogs and wolves, I saw a few moving in packs as I walked up towards the manor.

  “The city looked urban enough but am I in a very rural country? Damn I wish Shiro’s memories aren't so shattered.” I said to myself as I continued the lonely walk, with only the faint memories of the day guiding me.

  “Finally I’m here. Huh? What’s happening?” I stood in front of a now unboarded Manor, I heard the sound of dogs, barking and whimpering in the back of the old manor, I should know what that is before going in.

  “Just to be safe.” I started singing about a ball of light so bright that all would be blinded by its light, and then clenched my fist saving the spell.

  As I crossed to the backyard, hidden among trees, beyond in a clearing I saw the beautiful foreigner whose raven dress was thorn in many places her flaming blood dripping, as she held a saber, and a small maid holding the trunk of a large tree standing stoically infront of her.

  At their feet lay the corpses of a good dozen or more dogs and wolves, they were facing a large wolf beastman, surrounded with only a handful of dogs and wolves, he had a four clawed scar in his grey furred chest and was well muscled.

  “You disappoint me Whitefang! you're not fighting me directly, is it because I was your former princess! or is it that you take pity on me? for you see me only as a helpless little girl.” The blonde girl said to the beast man pointing her saber towards him

  “Answer me Whitefang! You dishonor your bloodline.” She said, in challenge.

  “You're wrong.” The beastman said in a guttural growl.

  “Well magic exists here, beast people existing shouldn’t be that surprising, but why is he hunting that blond girl?” I said to myself questioning what I was seeing, thinking on what I should do, I don’t want to help the wrong side again.

  “Now that you’ve lost your honor, you're just another beast.” The girl once again challenged, is she trying to provoke him to charge before he can use his swarm of canine, to whittle her down?

  “You may have been my princess once, But I will not listen to your insults! I will use my fangs to regain my honor, I’ll send you to Valhilla!” The wolf beastman said threateningly as he crouched, as the girl smiled devilishly preparing her sword to receive him.

  Alright best knock him out before things turn even more bloody, I felt a strong pulse in my heart as I showed myself as he charged towards the small maid and blonde girl.

  “Hold it!” I yelled, breaking one of my prepared spells, amplifying my voice as it echoed through the entire hill.

  The wolfman's momentum was momentarily broken, by the distraction as the small maid smashed her tree trunk on him, but with an elbow he broke her weapon into splinters.

  I was already at his side, when he was about to strike at the blonde girl. With my clench fist I punched his open back, as I released another prepared spell.

  “Volt-Strike!” Bolts of purified pain, broke through my fist snaking into the wolfman.

  “Arghh!” He roared as he jumped backward away from me and the girls.

  “You finally showed yourself. . . oh? You look different.” The blonde girl smiled at me, but then looked confused, but for only a second as she refocused on the foe infront.

  I used a pretty strong, pain-touch spell, he should have fainted by now!

  But the wolfman was fine, he whimpered and clutched his side but he looked ready for more, which was bad, I only have one more offensive spell left.

  “I have one more trick on me, when I say look away, you run away alright? It wouldn’t be good if I let the girl Shiro saved die in my watch.” I whispered to the girl, I didn’t look back at her as I spoke, and I didn’t give her time to reply as I moved forward facing the beastman.

  “I am Yukari Shiro, of the noble samurai Shinto clan Yukari! I challenge you beast!” I said trying to sound like a noble warrior of a prominent clan, giving him a cupped hand salute.

  From what I saw earlier I think this beastman is from an honor based warrior culture. And it worked! The beastman took a breath and stood straight as he crossed his arms and yelled back.

  “I am Vigleson Whitefang! Son of the great warrior Viggle Whitefang, I accept your challenge human! Ragg!” The beastman roared as he charged towards me, he was too fast for me to even start a verse of a song as he punched through his clawed hand into my belly bisecting me.

  “Weak! You are not worthy. . .” Before he could finish his words I placed my fist directly at his face, as my other arm held his the one inside my belly firmly.

  “And you're a fool, Look away girl!” I yelled as I opened my fist, “Tinggggg!” as a deafening roar of sound and light came from it.

  “Aghhh!” The wolfman yelled in pain as he tossed me back, the damage was too severe for me to stand, the painkiller spell and numbing blood loss shock was probably the only thing not making me scream like a banshee.

  I looked towards him, and he was rolling in the ground blind, deft and in severe pain, I don’t usually use that spell, but I know it’s very effective on beastmen.

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  I looked down on my stomach, and for some reason steam was coming out of my gaping wound, as my organs were stitching themselves back in me.

  “Good work.” The blonde girl said as she walked past me and with a clean jab of her saber ended the suffering beastman.

  “You shouldn’t have belittled me Whitefang, I know your entire family has been taken hostage, if not they will be.” She said sadly.

  “Forgive my disrespect. . .princess, forgive me. . .” And with that, with a saber in his heart the beastman perished and I gave an exhausted breath and fully laid down.

  “Fluga?” I heard another voice, must be the small maid, is that her name? Fluga?

  “Out of the question, reviving those you killed is against the laws of the supernatural, besides he knows he's been disgraced and would not want to be revived even if I gave him my blood.” The girl, the princess, answered, saying things that made me believe I would really enjoy living here, if I survived.

  “Fluga?” Another questioning word, is that a language? They are foreigners to Shiro, the small maid must be speaking something he didn’t know. I heard steps they were walking towards me as I laid down weakly.

  “How does it feel?’ She asked curtly. I didn’t answer.

  “I know you can hear me, so answer, how does it feel to die twice in one day.” She was louder this time projecting her voice.

  “The first one? I can’t as Shiro is the one that can truly answer that, this one though? It’s excruciatingly slow.” I said to her, I wasn’t able to see her face but she must be confused.

  “I’m not Yukari Shiro, his soul passed on before he truly died back in that hospital, I guided his soul to a good afterlife in exchange for his body and the remnant memories left behind by his soul.”

  I felt my soul loosening its grip on my vessel, that’s bad. I really need to sing a binding spell or I’ll really die, but that will turn me into a revenant, if I’m not already one.

  “I might not understand fully but you're lucky, you have a potential to become a great servant.” She said, pricking her finger with a pointed silver ring, her blood was red but for some reason it was on fire and looked like burning red oil.

  “Not a champion? Ha ha . .” I asked, shuckling a little at becoming a mere servant again, how many would that make? 14? 20? I lost count at times I’ve became a servant, in the lives I’ve lived.

  “Sorry, but I’m just glad you're safe, it would be bad if Shiro’s last act would be wasted so quickly.” I said remembering how proud the kid was saving this arrogant princess.

  “Is that what you want to be?” She asked her voice serious, ignoring the other things I’ve said, as she easily lifted me up and made me drink a few drops of her hot blood, with that she dropped me and stood back up.

  “I am the one who revived you, my name is princess Komiko, a daughter of one of the overlords that rule over all that is supernatural. . . which human’s call monsters.” She paused as I sat up and looked at her scarlet eyes, reflecting the moon's light.

  Dear Arcana, hopefully she isn’t a vampire, with her scarlet eyes, blonde long hair waving in the wind, her Victorian goth dress, noble grace and silver tiara.

  It really does remind me of the vampire girl that imprisoned me and made me sing for her and her court for decades.

  “I also possess the Eternal royal blood, which has the ability to grant partial immortality to the dead.” She said as she turned away from me, taking back her saber.

  “But once its effects wears off, you’ll become a corpse again in a matter of days, so it is prudent for you to serve me steadfastly, forever and ever.” This really does feel familiar, I felt my strength returning to my legs and arms.

  “I will serve you, but not as a servant or champion, but as your Court Mage.” I said as I stood up and faced her, she was much taller than my vessel was, older too.

  Before she could speak I took a deep breath and I started singing a song of mending, and cleaning. I started slowly as I looked at the crescent moon.

  “In the quiet of the evening, as the moon begins to fade,

  I’m sorting through the fabric, the memories we've made.

  Worn-out edges whisper tales from nights spent in the glow,

  Every stitch holds a story, every tear a way to grow.”

  As I sang, the clothes we were wearing started glowing like they were on fire, as the small tears of them started to mend themselves.

  “So I’m cleaning up the colors, mending all the seams,

  With fire in my heart, I’m stitching up the dreams.

  Let the flames draw the lines, bring the shadows to the light,

  In this dance of ash and ember, I’ll set the wrongs to right.”

  Then the dust, dirt, and blood started to fade from our clothes, and for some reason the small maid’s hair and face started to look polished.

  And with that my song done, I looked at a surprised princess, and a happy looking, doe eyed strong armed, small maid.

  “That is what I offer Princess Komiko. if you truly are royalty then I will bend my knee to you, oh fair princess” That's what I said, as I gave her my one leg kneeling curtsy, as everything turned darker.

  Act 2 Morning

  I woke up as the sun was rising from the east, and my sister was looking down at me. And man, Shiro remembers her being a flatter, smaller and less of a woman, but to turn this bountiful? Did she have a kid?

  “Shiro? Is that you? Why did you sleep outside?” I had a pillow on my head, and a blanket covering me.

  “I came in late, everyone was asleep.” I said as an excuse, in truth my body was too unused to using magic, I collapsed after cleaning princess Komiko with a spell.

  “Well you reek! go shower and change clothes, Flenna already left your things in your room last night.” I stood up and gave Nanami a hug, which she easily returned.

  “Aww, Shiro, I missed you too.” The moment passed, as I went to my room with the beddings clutched on my chest, I stripped my stolen clothes and with a look at the mirror after a shower.

  I saw myself, I was really scrawny even for a 14 year old, I must have not been given enough protein, I checked and my body wasn’t malnourished it just wasn’t exercised and given enough nutrients to reach it’s natural apex.

  “Sigh. . . This really is the early modern age, the incapability of nurturing children to their natural apexes in every age, so they can grow to their maximum potential as they become an adult. A clear sign of the early modern age, separating it from the other ages of the era.”

  I talked to myself as I wiped off the water dripping from my pale skin with a soft white towel.

  “Mistress Komiko-sama, is the hair and eyes permanent?” I asked her as she was on the balcony reading a book with a tea set at her side.

  “You mean your Eternal guard state?” The princess didn’t answer quickly as she looked like she was thinking about it as she took a sip of her tea, and placed down her book.

  “Maybe, it should only be active if I’m in danger, not like this, as its main purpose is to warn eternal guards if their monarch is in some kind of trouble.”

  Is it because I’m not the original owner of this body?

  “You shouldn’t worry about it too much, you should worry more about helping Nanami and Flenna with house repairs.” She said ending the conversation as she pointed below where the two were preparing roofing materials.

  “I understand, I’ll take my leave then mistress-sama.” I said to her as I climbed up the balcony railings.

  “Call me princess Komiko or just princess, you don’t need to use your country’s honorifics.” The princess said as I walked down, as if I was walking on invisible stairs, one of my hands clenched into a fist.

  “Of course princess Komiko-chan.” I said smiling at her, and her unamused reaction.

  “Don’t go too far now.” I barely heard her say with a cold angered voice, as I was already in front of the two maids.

  I grabbed the small sack of tiles and rubber hammer and started walking up towards the roof.

  I can already feel today would be peaceful, as I looked at the redness of the skies as the sun climbed higher.