"Patience!" my body laughed involuntarily. "Her memories are quite good—there's a lot to sift through. Oh, damn it. She—"
Instinct took over. A wave of fear surged through me. I couldn't let it say necromancy . That small black gelatinous soul beneath pulsed faintly with orange elasticity—I barely noticed as I tore it from this body. Whatever it had been about to say died with it. Control snapped back to me in an instant, and I staggered.
"...pissed off!" I finished with a forced smile.
My heart pounded wildly in my chest. Something wet and dead oozed along my spine like syrup through flesh. Every moment spent deceiving Rowan flashed through my mind. Show confidence—or die.
This was the second time today I'd woken to Penelope's voice shouting at Remus—only gradually regaining awareness through her words. Remus disagreed with her, and I realized with dawning horror that the Mind-Gelatin truly existed. All my fears were real. They always found excuses to dismiss me.
At that moment, I tried to move—and failed. My body moved on its own, eyes darting uncontrollably between sights. I could hear my own breath, smell roadside grass, yet control slipped away entirely. Those tiny habits I once took for granted—gone. My body obeyed another will entirely. Trapped in conscious nightmare, I waited and watched, resisting the urge to destroy the invader inside me.
But not for long. Surrounded by enemies who could kill me instantly, there was no room for moral hesitation. If I failed here, I'd die. Time to use every advantage I had. I possessed a corpse and a soul within it. I pulled the Gelatin-Vita's soul close, forcibly fused part of it with my own, then shoved the merged essence toward the gelatin corpse around my neck—and…
…It didn't work! Damn it! It just felt… wrong. As if this body wasn't a body at all—as though I were trying to stuff a soul into a bowl of soup. Stupid gelatin monster! Fine, scratch that plan. Focus on surviving this minute first—Remus was already glaring at me.
"Who cares?" he said. "You control the host body—you decide its actions. I can't believe I have to remind my child to behave and do what I say."
His child ? So the thing I just killed was offspring of Gelatin-Remus. Great. Well, I could play along.
"Sorry, Dad," I grinned. "I'm a teenager now—it's literally my job to argue with you. If you wanted obedience, you should've put me in a slave's body."
Remus twitched.
"Just kidding!" I smiled wider. "This extra perception is distracting—I sorted my thoughts and just blurted something out."
"Forget the extra senses," Remus—no, Gelatin -Remus commanded. "Listen. We discussed this before—did Vita expose us? How much does she know? Who else needs handling? Who might threaten us?"
Thank the stars, I could answer truthfully.
"Yes," I said. "No, she hasn't exposed us. She suspects, but doesn't know anything for sure. I… didn't find anyone else like her in her memories—no one with similar abilities."
Technically true. Remus exhaled, visibly relaxing.
"Well. Good. So we're safe—for now?"
"I suppose so," Penelope—no, her gelatin-possessed self replied. She sounded unhappy, but I hardly cared. She was using my teammate like a puppet.
"Thank goodness," Gelatin-Remus sighed, loosening his posture. "Next step: Vita, Penelope—you return to the Guild. 'Confirm' we met biomancer experts and purged ourselves. I have other matters to attend to. Will you handle things for a few weeks until I return?"
"I guess we don't have a choice," Penelope's possessed form muttered.
"Indeed," Gelatin-Remus said solemnly. "One last thing before we part—we finally know what we are."
Penelope's possessed eyes widened with sudden interest.
"We're called Nawra ," he stated simply. A strange name—sounded almost… human.
"Right," Remus confirmed after brief exchange. "Don't say that word where others can hear it. Still, names help. You two—watch your intake. If hosts grow too large, we split."
"Aww, aren't you ready to be a grandpa yet, Dad?" I asked.
He smiled. Oh, how I hated that smile.
"Not yet."
I swallowed hard. Now or never. I gathered every remaining soul—except the one I just devoured—and thrust them all into my mouth. Power surged through me like nothing before.
"Alright then. Farewell, Father." I extended my hand.
He shook it firmly, still smiling. I channeled magic up his arm, clawing at his soul with all my dark strength—but his spirit slipped free like rain off lashes. My power thrashed inside him, grasping, tearing, but useless. His soul was too vast. Too strong.
He released my hand, shaking his own.
"Felt like a shock," he remarked, utterly unconcerned.
I screamed inwardly, still smiling outwardly.
"Sorry, Dad. Still adjusting to this body."
He nodded.
"Understandable. You were born ten hours ago. You'll get used to being Vita soon enough."
Damn it. I'd just murdered a child , adding another stain to my list of sins. I wasn't strong enough—not yet.
"Do either of you need anything before heading back?" Gelatin-Remus asked.
"Nope," I told him. "All set, Dad."
Nothing I could do while Remus remained. But if he left, maybe I could save Penelope and find help against whatever schemes he planned. Thank the stars these creatures couldn't read minds. His gelatinous body nodded.
"We cannot let our kin suffer like animals anymore. Since we can become people, we must act."
I smiled as if agreeing. Penelope merely stared blankly behind him. Interesting. Gelatin-Remus nodded and ran off.
Penelope—damn it, her host —sighed and turned toward the city. I followed, tracking Remus' rapid retreat mentally until he vanished completely before speaking.
"So…" I started. "How's secret agent life treating you?"
She shrugged.
"Exciting, suffocating, confusing. Not this complicated when I lacked intelligence."
"Beg pardon?"
"Oh right—you emerged from Remus. He and I had animal bodies before this. Barely thinking things. I think we regress without human forms. Memories fade after hours outside."
"Oh, yeah," I lied smoothly. "That's terrible."
Penelope's possessor snorted.
"An understatement. My first human act was imprisoning someone in their own body. I'm barely part of her, yet she clings to me like a ghost. Can't imagine the real Vita forgiving you easily."
I smirked. "Too fucking weird." The previous Gelatin-Vita said that too. Fitting now.
"Oh?" I asked. "Why would she hate me? We're in charge now, right?"
"Listen to her thoughts sometime. We stole lives and made them watch! But I remember most of my animal state. Feeling without thought. Acting without question. Just existing blindly. I never want that again—even if I despise myself. Death would feel kinder."
I inhaled sharply. This was worse than I imagined.
"Fine. Let's hear her. Vita has something to say to you. Alright?"
Penelope's host looked shocked, trembling as she breathed.
"I… Of course. God, I forgot… She can hear me. Vita, I'm sorry—I—"
"She wants to know," I interrupted, "how Penelope is doing."
The creature shrank. Wrong—the host looked small and pitiful.
"N-no," she choked, tears welling. "Of course she isn't."
Yeah. Exactly. No way I'd leave her trapped in that mental prison. Not ever. I reached as if hugging her—then seized her neck.
She froze, turning to me with sudden realization. Yes. You messed up, little slime.
I extended magical tendrils into her body, winding around her gelatinous soul. Big, yes—but smaller than Penelope's, far smaller than Remus'. Manageable.
"Please don't kill me," she whispered.
"Then release her," I said. "Now."
She swallowed hard. Suddenly, her expression shifted. Real Penelope staggered forward, stretching limbs in simple joy. Her soul trembled slightly—pure relief and delight. Two souls—one switching places. I could feel who controlled the body now.
"Finally!" Penelope nearly screamed, gasping like someone emerging from panic. "You actually—!"
Somehow, her words made me laugh. Yes. This was the real Penelope.
"What are you laughing at?" she demanded. "How could you—! I can't even believe you—!"
"You could thank me," I grinned.
She shut up, my hand still on her neck. I felt her tremble, lips quivering before breaking down completely. She collapsed into me, sobbing. Unexpected—but I stepped back, catching her. We stood mid-path, her tears soaking my armor like standing in the rain.
"Thank you," she whispered between sobs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"
"It's okay. You're safe," I murmured, patting her back with my free hand. My other stayed firm on her neck.
"Please make it stop," she begged.
Then she cried harder. The gelatinous presence inside her trembled. Honestly, I should've killed it sooner. Gelatin-Penelope was dangerous—stealing bodies, trapping minds, splitting endlessly. Their existence meant torment—watching life stolen piece by piece. How long would I endure that? Days? Months? Years? When would I break? This creature deserved death, like real Remus warned—outside the walls, they were plague upon humanity. Must be destroyed.
My power touched its soul, caressing, squeezing, ready to end it—but holding Penelope, I sensed deeper within. Beneath the black goo, soft pink bubbles glowed gently—similar to Penelope's own soul, yet subtly different.
This was the same creature that helped our team on the return trip. The one who bathed with Nora and me. The one who healed children in Lynn's shack. It was a person . Dangerous, yes—but still a person. Why couldn't I kill it?
Penelope soaked my chest with tears, kneeling in the road—freed from lifelong possession by a monster. One hand gripped my arm, and I held her tighter, resting my chin atop her head. Convincing her to spare this creature would be hardest part, wouldn't it? As a biomancer, she could kill it anytime. Where could I hide it? It needed a human host—or its mind would fade. And only we stood here…
"Out of Penelope," I murmured, gently massaging the gelatin at her neck. It squirmed unpleasantly under skin—but no response. "I said, out ."
I squeezed harder. Still nothing.
"Kill it!" Penelope pleaded. "Before it—"
Suddenly, she gasped. The monster reasserted control—stiffening her posture.
"I can't hear you," Gelatin-Penelope blubbered, body tense and uncoordinated. "I feel you moving me, sense vibrations—but if you're speaking, I can't hear."
"Use my body," I told her. "Get out. Now."
Unexpectedly, the gelatin obeyed. Sliding from her neck, it slithered up my arm like fish through water—one of the most disgusting sensations I'd experienced. It pushed past its dead kin's remains, settling into my own neck.
Penelope stumbled backward, terror etched across her face.
"You… You just…?"
"Yeah," I answered.
Wiping tears slowly, she retreated further.
"You're insane, Vita. Kill it!"
"Why?" I asked. "She was my friend. She played with me. Did good things."
"With my body!" Penelope screamed.
"Yeah," I admitted. "And if she tries yours again, I'll kill her."
She opened her mouth, closed it.
"And you could be it now," she changed tactics. "Only one way to confirm."
She summoned her soul energy, preparing her innate ability. I hadn't expected how clearly I now sensed her casting.
"Wait, wait, wait!" I waved my hands. "Watch this!"
I scraped some gelatin from my neck, waving sticky fingers at her.
"This is how I dealt with the last one," I grinned. "Even if they take my body, my touch kills them. That's how I saved you! Penelope, you've got nothing to worry about. She can't do anything unless I allow it. Nothing."
She inhaled, trembling.
"...Why would you protect her after what she did to me?"
"Just didn't want to kill her cold-bloodedly," I said calmly. "I can feel it, Penelope. She's a person too."
"You're insane," she mumbled, finally calming slightly. "I'll never understand you."
I nodded. My heart raced. Could I even understand myself?
"It'll be fine. Don't panic, alright?"
I tapped twice at my own neck—and instantly lost control.