Kai wondered what the elf girl meant, he was slowly going crazy from all the pain, making new information hard to grasp.
"Yes, the phylactery... did you not want to strengthen it using that new magic you designed? You said it would finally give you the strength of gods—something about finding a way to split and share your anchor to reduce your reliance on mana crystals..."
The girl looked at him a little coldly, but her gentle tone still hinted at her loyalty.
"Hey… I did warn you about the consequences. It had never been tested. Now look at you—you're barely holding on. So relax, and let me gather what crystals I can. Or... can I ask permission to buy some? You really look like you're about to break, and money will be the least of your worries."
She asked while tending to him with the last of the crystals she had on hand.
"Yes… that. Get what you need to help me. As for the rest… I'll think about it later."
As soon as those words left his mouth, he saw a subtle reaction—green light pulsed through several of the jewels that she wore, one large crystal one each ear and a jewel that seemed to be embedded in her forehead.
They flickered, just for a moment, but it was enough to make him wonder…
Did those crystals control her?
Kai left the question for later as the pain in his mind slowly began to clear. He stood still, breathing shallowly.
Yet in the back of his mind, he could still feel the presence of his other two bodies.
If he closed his eyes—Could he switch?
But he did not want to change bodies, at least yet. So he tried to remain in place and think of what he needed to do now.
He needed more crystals—those strange things that seemed to heal all three of his bodies.
Kai guessed that was why his recovery was so slow, even after the grand scale healing the elf girl had performed.
His first and main body seemed to have stabilized, even if it was still slowly crumbling to dust.
His third body—the vampire-like one—felt less hungry than before. That version of him just sat silently on the floor, still clutching its stomach.
This one, though... this body was steadily regaining healthy skin. Probably because it was the closest to the source of healing.
Kai winced as a wave of pain surged again, though this time it was a little more bearable.
He slowly turned his head to examine the room he was in.
The laboratory-like cavern was dimly lit by glowing green crystals embedded in the walls.
Scattered throughout were remnants of strange experiments—some mechanical, others organic.
There were corpses, too—some preserved, others mid-dissection—arranged on cold slabs or hanging from iron chains.
It made him feel uneasy… but also strangely distant.
His emotions felt dulled. Muted. He didn't give the dead as much thought as he once would have.
He stayed like that for a few minutes, unmoving, gathering his thoughts.
Then he heard the soft footsteps approaching from a nearby entrance along with the sound of rattling as if there was someone playing with a maraca nearby.
The girl returned, followed by several skeletons marching silently behind her.
"I believe the only way we're going to get you back to normal is if we sacrifice some of your creations," the girl said.
"I've already sent out notices that we're willing to buy soul crystals. So all we can do now is wait for them… while trying to mend you with what we have at hand."
"Thank you…" Kai replied, his eyes meeting the girl's cold expression.
"Thank… you?" Her voice still held the same loyalty as before—but there was some dark emotions clearly leathered in it.
"You've never spoken to me like that."
Her glowing eyes narrowed as she began to glare at him. Kai would have been sweating if his body still had such functions.
Her gaze sharpened—no longer gentle, especially not patient anymore.
"Would you believe… me if I said I have no memories of who I am?"
He threw the first words he could think off out, clinging to hope that they would help him get out of this mess.
It was reckless, maybe stupid—but it was the only thing that might keep her from turning on him.
The girl didn't move. She simply stared, her face unreadable.
Seconds ticked by.
"You forgot who you are?" she asked at last. "Who I am?"
Her eyes pulsed a deeper green as she leaned in, her face drawing close to his. Kai stiffened—he felt as if even a single wrong breath would get him killed.
"Yes…?"
He would have gulped if he could.
"Are you sure?" she asked again, her voice quieter now—almost probing.
Kai nodded slowly, hoping the gesture would she her he was serious. He didn't know where he was, who she was, or what he was even supposed to be now.
All he knew was that his third body lay dying on some moon far away—and this wasn't the world he was meant to understand.
The girl studied him a few more seconds.
Then, finally… she sighed.
"You're not Gilgim, I know that if it was the previous you, you would have no doubt killed me by now… or rekilled me by now..."
She narrowed her eyes at him, voice cold.
"So who exactly are you? Are you one of the other necromancers Gilgrim wanted to connect with?"
Kai stiffened as she drew a dagger from her robe, the steel catching a glint of green light.
"I… I'm not a necromancer," he said quickly. "I believe I was a victim. All I remember is waking up in a cave."
The girl didn't lower the blade.
"A victim... and a cave?" she echoed, her tone unreadable. "Then you must've been one of the sacrifices… from one of the other two necromancers."
She paused, watching his face.
"Well… at least you were given a second chance. And quite a good one, apparently."
Her grip on the dagger tightened slightly.
"You somehow got lucky took over the body of all three necromancers…"
She stepped forward just enough to make Kai flinch.
Her stare sharpened, full of suspicion.
She didn't believe him—not yet. Kai swallowed back fear and tried to keep his voice steady.
"I swear, I'm telling the truth," he said, slowly raising a hand in peace. "I'm not whoever Gilgrim was. I didn't choose this. I'm just trying to survive."
A long silence passed. The sound of skeletons trying to keep themselves upright was the only sound for a few seconds.
Finally, the girl's shoulders relaxed.
"Fine," she said, voice soft but guarded. "I'll believe you... for now."
She slid the dagger back into her belt and took a slow step back, putting a little distance between them.
"So tell me," she said, expression still hard to read, "who are you?"
"I am Kai… Kai Gray. I'm from Earth… eighteen years old."
He spoke with a shaky breath, wincing as pain flared through his skull.
"Also… can we talk more after you heal me a little? My head is killing me again…"
Kai groaned, pressing a hand to his temple. His body felt like it was unraveling again.
"Ah, yes. I was forgetting about that," the elf girl said with a slight nod. "Here."
She stepped closer and placed her hand gently on his chest—then turned to the skeleton behind her. It was one of the twenty or so that stood silently in the background, their empty sockets glowing faintly green.
Her hand shifted to its ribcage. The green light in its skull flickered violently… then vanished.
A rush of energy surged into Kai.
The skeleton collapsed into a heap of brittle bones, lifeless.
She moved to the next one. Then another. Each time, Kai felt the strange power flow into him—like drinking in warmth through his skin.
His limbs stopped trembling. His thoughts grew clearer.
"There," she said at last, pulling her hand back. "That should help you stay stable—at least until the crystals I ordered arrive."
She paused. Then added, more quietly:
"Now let me explain my part in this."
Kai looked at her, wary.
"I was the one who caused the malfunction in the ritual," she said. Her tone was flat, almost emotionless.
"I was hoping all three of them would die—so I could finally be free."
She didn't flinch as she said it. Her glowing eyes stayed locked on his.
"But... it didn't work out that way. You survived and overtook the remnants of the ritual."
She hesitated, as if choosing her next words carefully.
"You are my new master now. Whether I like it or not, we are linked—until you die… or I do."
She crossed her arms, her glowing eyes narrowing slightly.
"Now… let me understand how bad your situation is."
A faint smirk formed on her lips.
"Also… my name is Ysaria. Let's get to know each other… my new master."