[Name: Esme Dreamsinger]

  [Primary Css: Survivor]

  [Sedary Css: Heartseeker]

  [Level: 13]

  [HP: 259/260]

  [MP: 100/100]

  [Strength: 11]

  [Coordination: 23]

  [Endurance: 26]

  [Focus: 10]

  [Willpower: 30]

  [Force: 10]

  [SKILLS]

  [Sging: B]

  [Hearty stitution: B]

  [Pain Tolerance: B]

  [Sixth Sense: B]

  [Courtesan’s Touch: D]

  [Quick Rest: C]

  [Soldier’s March: B]

  [Sniper’s Eye: C]

  [Favor of the Ferryman: D]

  [3RR0R-Saint-3RR0R]

  [Heartbreaker: D]

  [Rag Heart: D]

  [Find the Pulse: D]

  [Untouchable Heart: D]

  [Polyglot: E]

  [Dream Touched: E]

  [SPELLS]

  [Soothe: D]

  [Draw Dream: E]

  “What the hell?” The fact that I suddenly had a surname was strange, but nothing pared to everything else. Not only had every single Skill and Spell I had ranked up, but I had new ones. Including a familiar one. I pulled the ret additions up for a closer iion.

  [Polyglot: Greatly increase the rate and ease of learning new nguages.]

  [Dream Touched: Your e to the Dream is strohan mortality normally allows. Your ability to verse with dream entities is increased, as is their draw towards you. Your mundane dreams will also feel more real and vivid.]

  [Draw Dream]

  [Cost: 50 Mana]

  [Raouch]

  [Target: 1 sapient being]

  [With a touch you cause a target’s dreams to rush to the surface of their mind, making them experiehe dream in the waking world as a halluation. You have no trol over what dream is drawn forth. This effect is a mental Status dition and be resisted. Effect sts for 10 minutes or until dismissed.]

  “Well holy fu a cheese stick.” I muttered to myself. I’d have to ask someone about dreams and what they mean, like, magically speaking. But I got a feeling that this was a bigger deal than it appeared, and it appeared to be a retively big deal.

  Carmil’s phantom arms ed around my waist. I could feel curiosity and guilt. She didn’t want to push me to be so intimate as to share my Status with her even if she wanted us to actually be that intimate. But fuck it, I had decided to trust her pletely and I meant to do so fully. I read off my Status to her entirely and told her what had ged.

  “So any idea what any of this means?” I asked after describing it all.

  “Not a bloody clue, love. You received a new name from the night sky goddess? I didn’t know that ossible. I know the System keeps up with people’s legal and personal identities, but this is beyond my knowledge. Which, I admit, is somewhat g in this regard.”

  “Think this was all from the mutation effect?”

  “It would make sense I suppose. You met your-, oddess in a dream so perhaps that is her area of influehis would at least suggest that to be the case. A dream focused Skill and Spell are unlike anything I have heard of.”

  “Polyglot however, we have heard of.” I tapped my . “I suppose if I’m meant to be a Saint, which my broken Skill says I am, the ability to pick up nguages wherever I go would be extremely useful. So that makes sense if we’re meant to travel in my service of oddess.”

  “I think you should keep this quiet. Including Polyglot.” she said while squeezing me.

  “Agreed. If nothing else pig up oteva without people knowing means I’ll hear things I’m not supposed to.”

  “My brilliant love, how proud I am of you.” she ughed and kissed my ned I sighed happily. Things might suck, but I wasn’t alone and I’d figure out something to do to ge my luck soon enough.

  Soon enough arently the very day. As Jaina was chatting with me over breakfast about pot gzing the door opened and someone walked in. I saw Jaina’s back stiffen and her face flicker with fear for a moment as she looked at uest, but I knew why and wasn’t ed.

  “General Devatius, been too long.” I said with a smirk.

  Henna gave a small tense smile and looked at Jaina “Give us some privaurse?” which Jaina was very eager to do, rushing out while mumbling she’d see me in time for my appoi. The door closed and Henna stepped over to take a seat where Jaina had just been. “You look… good. Strange, but good.”

  “I’m still adjusting to everything, but I have to admit that I like the hair.” I shrugged and she smiled and avoided looking into my eyes.

  “She seems friendly.” She started with a smile befetting to the meat of things. “I heard you had an i yesterday, I’m hoping you’re not taking our your frustrations oaff.” Just as Carmil and I expected. She was waiting for me to be doing physically better but mentally strained before visiting. Damn it.

  “I’m adjusting to some things better than others.” I admitted and reached out, taking Henna’s hand in mine. I want to say it was just a test to see her rea, but I actually did miss her even though I was sure she wasn’t being fully ho with me about, well, probably quite a lot.

  She threaded her fihrough my own and finally made eye tact. THERE! GUILT! Only for a fra of a sed but I saw it. In fact, as I did I felt that same sense of surety as I had when notig the ot on that carrioer weeks back. I k, my Heartseeker skills were vague because they did more than the obvious. I could see the vital locations of more than just the bodies of enemy batants.

  “That doesn’t mean you sh out. They’ll uand but you should still do better.” She said, c up her emotions with a flirty tone, lips curling a bit as she leaned closer. “Maybe you need someoo help you vent your frustrations?”

  I took a breath and readied myself, w if this was the right thing to do, if this was smart. Carmil stirred inside me “Love, it’s a risk but I do still trust her. She still feels safe. I’ll go along with whatever you choose either way, but you know my feelings oter.” she spoke into my ear.

  The pause made Henna look nervous for a moment, but I think she was just worried that I somehow stopped finditractive. It just felt like a personal nervousness, not a professional one. “I’m sorry, that robably insiderate sidering what you’ve been through.”

  She tried to pull her hand away and I squeezed it tighter. “Isn’t that what you sent Jaina for?”

  She froze and stared at me. “What are you talk-”

  “Please don’t insult me Henher I or Carmil were going to notice sooner or ter no matter what and I do have awareness Skills that make the sooner more likely.”

  The silehat followed told a story on its own. She was not expeg me to figure out so quickly, but the slow l of her shoulders and slight smirk said she wasn’t very surprised I had. “You’re too damned smart, you know that?”

  “Who am I?” It was a guess, but I had a feeling that my identity wasn’t as big of a mystery as I was lead to believe. Or at least, I expected Uvtrayl Intelligeo be looking into me with some expediency. “Am I actually someone super important and just ’t remember?”

  She ughed and shook her head “No, we thought you might be but…” She took a breath and looked down at our hands, I still wasn’t letting go. “Your name is Lietri Dawnlight a twenty two year old from a town called Gessinburg. You might not remember but Dawnlight is a surname given to unnamed orphans in the Empire, named after their first great Saint who demahat the Empire take care of it’s children.”

  “So I’m just some nobody orphan whore after all?”

  “Everything we find supports the idea you told me orain actually. You were drafted to join the war, got assigo Captain Bernson’s unit, and spent more time in his bed than in bat.”

  This made sense, but also didn’t make any. “Then what’s with all this cloak and dagger bullshit?”

  “Cloak and dagger?” she looked fused. Dammit, tired of these weird sayings no on else knows.

  “The spy shit, Henna. Why? What do you want from me? What does Uvtrayl Military Intelligehink I’m going to give them?” I let my voice carry more and more frustration without meaning to.

  There ause. “… I don’t know. I swear to you I don’t. But the orders e from farther up than even I have clearance for. Someone in the Prime Minister’s inner circle probably.” That was not f.

  “What are the orders anyway? What are you supposed to do?”

  “Make you friendly to Uvtrayl. The military, the gover, the people. I’m supposed to make you think of Uvtrayl as home.” she said with a small smirk that made me want to kiss her. But not until I got more, she wasn’t lying as far as I could tell but there was still too damned much to think about. Too many questions I needed ao.

  “So orain, you were just-”

  “No.” She cut me off. “In fact, I was reprimanded for it. That was…” She cleared her throat and fought a blush off. “At first the teasing was in fact just manipution but I started having dreams almost immediately. Dreams about you and me, al and intimate dreams. Every night.” She ughed nervously before fighting the outburst down. “Gods, they are so vivid.”

  “Are?” I lifted a brow.

  She nodded “Still have them, not every night anymore but still frequent enough to stay in my thoughts.” I smiled a a warmth spread through me as I pulled Henna’s hand up and kissed it softly.

  Carmil stirred “Wait, dreams? You don’t think oddess was influeng her, do you?” I nodded so Carmil could get my thoughts without having to distract my General from her current line of thought.

  “Do yret being with me?”

  “No, I regret having to manipute you. Which I admit is somewhat of a novel experience, you don’t get to where I am without being very good at using people and not feeling bad about it.”

  “Maybe I’ll help you feel better then.” She smirked and gnced down at my body “Not like that. At least, not yet. I trust you but I’m still hurt.” she had a moment of disappoi cross her face.

  “How then?”

  “Jaina, what’s the deal she made? I assume it’s about treating her sister.”

  She he medie her sister o bat the mana taint is being provided free of cost as long as she tio befriend you. With a promise of full treatment once you officially defed publicly renourak and the Empire.”

  “Get her sister that treatment immediately.” it wasn’t a request and I could see a small sign of shock at my tone in Henna’s eyes. “If you don’t, I stop cooperating and you just toss me in a cell and fet whatever pns yher ups have.”

  “I’ll make the call as soon as I leave today, I’ll have a different nurse assigo you and-”

  “No.” the General blinked “Me and Carmil like her, we trust her. She stays with us.” She looked, holy a bit jealous, I was happy to show her the feeling was unnecessary “The same goes for you. We trust you. We like you. So tell whoever you report to that you’re staying on to keep me happy with Uvtrayl, as per your orders.” I sat up and leaned over and kissed her. Her tensioed against my lips and I tasted her toer only a few moments.

  Once our lips parted she had turned pink a herself smile. “You taste better than you did before. A bit sweet, like a bckberry.”

  I smiled “Well we’ll have to have you test how I taste now elsewhere soon.” She smirked at the thought. “Also, not to kill the mood but I know you’ve been keeping a real prostheti a case somewhere to offer me when I’m about to snap pletely, just fug give it to me already. That cheap wooden thing is such a piece of crap eveherapist itying me over it.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. Likely amused that I’d gotten that right too. Which to be fair I wasn’t sure of that guess, but my accuracy had been on point so far. “It will be ready for you by your herapy session, which you should be getting ready for in fact.” She stood and started to turn, but paused a down to kiss me again. The kiss was brief but powerful. “Carmil, thank you and I’m sorry. I swear I won’t betray your trust in me.”

  [I hope so, I’m looking forward to spending time with you once I grow strong enough to have a body.]

  Henna blushed deeply. Gods my love is such a wonderful tease. The General bit her lip and nodded “I’ll get right on all of that immediately. Thank you fivihis ce, both of you.” she turo leave.

  “Oh! Wait a sed. Soul tai. What is it?”

  She looked troubled, I got the impression she decided to drop her mask with me. At least somewhat. “I don’t know that oher, but Itran and I were both ordered to never speak of it. If yht it up we were to tell you we had someone looking into it and ence you to keep quiet about it. Ahat is an odd order all things sidered.”

  I sighed “Thank you Henna.” She simply gave me a small smile and nod before leaving the room. “Well, that’s something to think about, isn’t it?” I muttered.