Natalia's current body had not always belonged to her. Only a month ago, it was a man named Nathaniel - an ambitious member of the Sect of Calamity who had loyally served the organization for four years, climbing the rungs of power.
Nathaniel was no fool; he knew the path of a "Paragon" required sacrifices, but he believed in the recipe for core evolution provided by the Sect's of Calamity.
His first advancement had gone smoothly.
However, during the second, when his Puzzle-Core reached critical mass and a joyful Nathaniel forced its evolution, something happened that he hadn't foreseen in his darkest nightmares.
The advancement concluded with a total gender swap.
That Nathaniel really had the same bad luck as I did... Natalia thought, feeling a strange bond with the previous owner of this body; after all, they even shared the same name before her reincarnation.
To work so hard, to kill, to risk one's life, only to be so betrayed by one's own power.
Sage sighed softly and, without removing her foot from Natalia's cheek, began to stroke her face with her skin.
It was a gesture as humiliating as it was unnaturally pleasant.
"However, Natalia, you hurried a bit too much with that advancement," Sage said, her voice vibrating in the air like the sweetest music.
"Your Puzzle-Core may have had enough strength to pass into the higher Phase, but your understanding of that power and your practice were pitifully weak. Even with our puzzle layout, you are still balancing on the brink of insanity."
Saying these words, Sage stroked her more firmly, sighing with superiority. "And what am I to do with you now?"
Natalia remained motionless. On one hand, she was paralyzed by the instinctive, animal fear built into the cells of this body; on the other, Sage's voice evoked strange, unwanted feelings.
She felt her male soul screaming in indignation, while her body craved more of this murderous tenderness.
This was a world that, at first glance, resembled Earth from several centuries ago. The era of steam was only in its infancy - beside horse-drawn vehicles, the first primitive steam engines were appearing, gas lanterns were beginning to light the night's gloom, and the first mechanical looms hummed in factories.
However, beneath this layer of industrial development lay a dark truth. The world was full of magic, spirits, and monsters, and those walking the path of a "Paragon" paid a terrible price for their power.
Nature gave nothing for free.
Every step toward power brought them closer to "perdition" - the moment when a human transformed into a hideous, mindless monster, driven solely by the lust for murder.
The thought of becoming such a beast sent shivers down Natalia's spine.
"I was stupid, Mistress..." Natalia said in a terrified voice, trying to play the role her new life had imposed upon her.
"I simply... I wanted to receive this female form as quickly as possible."
Hearing this, Sage laughed sweetly, almost girlishly, and wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye with a finger.
"You don't have to brag about that, dear," she said, looking down at Natalia. "After all, I just saw for myself how much you are enjoying this new body."
Sage finally took her foot off Natalia's face and stepped back, sighing lightly.
"Fine, I will tell you what you must do," she tossed out nonchalantly.
Natalia felt a wave of relief and immediately began to offer thanks, but Sage raised a finger, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Ah, ah, ah... not so fast. Nothing is for free, my dear."
Natalia, although she still didn't dare lift her gaze, replied without hesitation: "I will do whatever you command. Anything."
Sage laughed quietly, then extended her hand, in which a piece of paper appeared from nowhere. Natalia, sensing the movement, raised her hands and took the sheet, still keeping her eyes fixed on the mosaic on the floor.
On the paper was a portrait of a man with sharp facial features.
"This is Arthur Vance," Sage announced. "He was last seen fleeing deep into the Forest of Chaos from members of the Order of the Dark Star. Save him from them and bring him to our Sect."
Natalia already opened her mouth to ask for details - who this man was and why he was so important - but Nathaniel's memories hit her like a cold shower. She was just a pawn. A tool for errands. She had no right to knowledge, only to obedience.
"I understand," she said shortly, suppressing her curiosity. "I will carry out the mission as quickly as possible."
Sage nodded with approval, and then a leather belt fell before Natalia's knees.
"That is the man's belt. Thanks to your new puzzle, 'Fluid Medium,' you will be able to sense where he is. Use the orb to strengthen the signal."
Natalia flinched in surprise. In Nathaniel's memory, there wasn't a word about "Fluid Medium."
It must be a new ability after the evolution... she thought feverishly. "I understand, Mistress."
Sage turned toward the sink, which was now almost full of water.
"Listen carefully now, sweetie, because I will not repeat myself," Sage's voice suddenly became serious and cold. She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "In order for a Paragon not to go mad, you must change your worldview philosophy. You must become the embodiment of your puzzle-core."
Natalia furrowed her brow. Dozens of questions swirled in her head. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
Embodiment? What did that even mean?
Sage continued, not waiting for a reaction:
"For example, there is a certain puzzle-core called 'Judge.' To advance to that level, you don't go and play a judge in a courtroom. That would be too simple. You must pass a sentence that changes the fates of thousands and feel an absolute conviction that you had the right to do so. Only when your actions and psyche align with the essence of the core will you have the certainty that you will never fall into madness."
Natalia shuddered. The philosophy of walking the path of power was far darker and deeper than she had imagined. She wanted to ask something, opened her mouth to force out a word, but suddenly she felt the presence before her simply evaporate.
She jerked her head up and opened her eyes wide. There was no one in the bathroom.
She looked at the sink - the water that had moments ago formed a strange, levitating structure was now completely drained. From the faucet, which was still turned on, a regular trickle of water flowed calmly, hitting the ceramic bottom and going straight down the drain.
Natalia waited a long while until Sage's aura completely vanished from the room. When she finally let the air out of her lungs, her body was shaken by a shiver of relief mixed with something her male soul was frantically ashamed of.
Suddenly, she felt a strange warmth sliding down her legs. She looked down, and her eyes widened to their limits. She winced, feeling a blush flood her face, neck, and breasts.
"Her voice alone... caused this?" she gasped, disbelieving her own reaction.
"I didn't even see what she looks like."
However, the moment an echo of that sweet, murderous whisper crossed her mind, Natalia felt the same trembling again. She shook her head violently, trying to drive away the mounting stupor.
Calm down, Nathaniel... I mean, Natalia! she scolded herself in her thoughts.
"The most important thing now is to stabilize my mental state. A few more days and I really will go crazy from these whispers in my head."
She sat on the edge of the empty tub, still holding the stranger's belt in her hands. Sage's words echoed in her skull, demanding analysis.
"Change my worldview philosophy? Embodiment with the puzzle-core?" she repeated under her breath, trying to logically arrange the new knowledge.
"A Paragon with the 'Judge' puzzle is supposed to pass sentences and have an absolute conviction that they have the right to do so... So I have to change my beliefs too? I have to become what my core is and do what it considers a righteous philosophy?"
She furrowed her brow, feeling a rising unease. Until now, she had treated powers like tools, like a set of skills in a game. Now she understood that it was a path that required her to rebuild her own self.
"What exactly is my core called after the evolution?" she whispered.
With a trembling heart, she raised her hand and traced a complex, magical sign on her left breast, just above her heart. The air before her rippled, and after a moment, illusory, levitating puzzles flared in the bathroom's gloom.
In the very center was the largest piece - her Puzzle-Core, from which radiated a deep, purple glow. Attached to it were nine smaller puzzles that formed the logical structure of her current power.
Natalia slowly read the names of the smaller elements:
Perfect Form
Instinctive Perception
Emotional Resonance
Authority of Will
Distorted Energy
Fluid Medium
Substitution
Black Magic
State Synchronization
Each of them pulsed rhythmically, fueled by energy from the center. Finally, Natalia shifted her gaze to the main, central element.
She focused on the inscription carved upon it and read it aloud, feeling the word evoke a strange resonance within her:
"Temptress..."