"ugh.....Did aake a picture of the lise pte of that truck?" Elizabeth woke up on their bed, her hair was a mess, her clothes were a mess.

  She wasn't even wearing her nightgown, for some reason she was still with her blouse (Unbuttoned) and her skirt was hanging on [The Chair].

  Rossie was at her side, still prim and proper, but she couldn't deceive her!

  She wasn't dressed! She stank of [Mana]!

  She was using a [Shift] spell to pretend to be dressed!

  Ugh...should she do that too? She hadn't figured o.

  "What truck Eli-Eli?" Asked Rossie, her lovely singing voice sounded right now more like a jackhammer right now.

  "Rossieeeee, I have a headache...I need a get well soon kisssssssss" Elizabeth pleaded as her hands tried to go and grab her girlfriend.

  She didn't have energy, what had happened?

  "[Report: You were affected by the Iance left by one of the Vestiges, it has been purged and assimited within the Core of the City. Currently are feeling the stress from new parts of the city ing back to life Mistress.]" That woke her up quickly.

  The voice, "The heck?" was new, she didn't reize it. "Who said that?"

  Elizabeth quickly strained her [Core] to spin some mana a a wave toward the nearby shadows, all of them opened an [Eye] and tried to s around.

  "That looks creepy, something the matter Eli-Eli?" Asked Rossie, but she didn't pay much attention to it, between her headache and the sense of danger she o make sure no one was nearby.

  "[Report: No anomalies within the demesne.]" The voice spoke once more, this time, however, it felt clearer, more high pitched too.

  "Beato?" Elizabeth asked to the shadows.

  "[Report: ies within the area are reized with that name Mistress, do you wao expand the search area?]" This time she was ready, she extended her senses inward, sed the whole ruined city, and found...

  An egg, a small shadow egg ed within one of the chambers in the tral turret, it ulsing with azure light and had golden veins with a pinkish energy running through them.

  "Eli-Eli, is everything okay?" Rossie asked again, she felt the warmth of her mana flood her body, and then, as if perceiving it, the dragon egg seemed to cry with joy as some of the mana was redirected towards it.

  The small presehin the egg also seemed to solidify further, "Huh, that's weird...Is it leakage somewhere?" Rossie seemed baffled, so she shoved more mana towards the spell.

  "No, everything is okay...Everything will be okay Rossie." Elizabeth said as she felt the presehin grow further, she was happy, after everything that happened.

  After all the s#it that she had bee, with the resurgence of whatever [Vestige] Nyctophagia had left, something good had e from it.

  Oh, "Right, what do you remember of yesterday?" Elizabeth asked suddenly painfully aware of what she had doerday, or what she had almost done.

  "Hmm...We returned from the date in the park, you kissed me. I felt very, very good...Then I was on the bed and you were so hot ?" Rossie started reting, so far so good. "Then I don't know, I think you gave me a spell formu, but I don't uand half of it. But you told me to use it, so I did..."

  Rossie seemed to slow at that, a thoughtful expression on her face, "Then something within snapped, our e got interrupted and...It [ged]. It isn't like it was before...I...Don't like this one." Rossie said with something simir to...shame?

  Why?

  "Is there something the matter? From my side, it looks fine." Elizabeth said while fog on the that joihem. It wasn't as romantic as a thread, true.

  But it was more solid, the that ected her to Rossie was in one piece, if anything, it seemed as if Rossie's half wao relinquish trol towards her tinuously...

  Oh..."Rossie...No." Elizabeth said in a serious tone. "No sving yourself to me."

  This girl..."But..." Why was she flushing red for? Did she really want it that much?

  "If I wanted a meat sack as a sve I would go and buy one from the Italians." Elizabeth said with distaste, "I do not have a need for meat saor sves. I need a partner, a lover, a panion...I want someoo share hardships with."

  She didn't want an object, if that was all she needed, she could probably buy one from the intra, or make herself oh one of her [Shadow] skills, she could probably debug her skill to allow it to create a soulless doppelganger.

  That would be more vehan a sve.

  "...Okay." Rossie said sheepishly.

  And with that, the tururdier, the mana synched further and the lock at the middle gained more decorations, instead of a simple lock it was now adorned with a heart and stars motif.

  With a single Shadon on the back, ohat was dressed in a Maid Outfit.

  "So, afterward?" Elizabeth asked, trying to not get too excited for the promise of the return of Beato.

  "Afterwards?" Rossie said tinuing her ret of what happened, "Well, you kinda asked for a kiss...I gave it to you, then you fell asleep in the middle...Kinda rude if you ask me."

  Oh, well, that was awkward.

  "You just got me excited and theo sleep with a happy face." Rossie looked adorable while grumbling, "And worse of it I couldn't eve you into your pajama since you wouldn't let me go, you went as far as to hug me and grumble when I wao undress rab nightwear."

  Yep, she looked so adorable.

  "And you wouldn't stop pining about using [Time Magic] for accelerating rowth if I wao get you into nightwear. I don't have that kind of magic, there may be something like that in the [Biomancer] side of [Healing], but I haven't looked into it...Do you wao look into it?" Rossie asked.

  Why would she need...Oh...OOOH.....

  Did she want Rossie to do that?

  ...Yes...She did...

  "No Rossie, that's okay. We take our time." But that wouldn't be [Right], both Papa and Mother had a different take on this of course. But they agreed in that modifying ye with magic was a of worms better not open.

  At least forward in time, sihey had no moral standing to say keeping something young was wrong...

  Actually, would that even work? She had the [Young Body] skill didn't she?

  "Okay then, I will still look into it si seems like it could be useful for when I o save mana in healing...And if yoing to keep getting headaches from mana deprival or overdose it may be useful." Rossie answered, she, of course, didn't believe a single word that came from those cute aig lips.

  She robably going to search for a spell to do what her...More [Draic] self had asked while sleeping.

  Actually, yeah, she o deal with that. " you cast the diagnosis spell again?" Elizabeth said as she sat on the bed aered herself. "The ohat checks for influences in the [Soul] and [Soulscape]."

  "....Same target as yesterday?" Asked Rossie, the spell f on her hands, had she saved the formue? "Do you feel okay?"

  "Yes and yes, I just want to make sure." Answered Elizabeth, she didn't...feel like yesterday, she of course still wao [Devour] Rossie, who wouldn't?!?

  She was lovely!

  Even while worried!

  Especially while worried...She wao [Eat] her whole and be [Eaten] by her!

  But it wasn't the same [Gluttony] like the feeling of wanting te herself with the pink-haired girl, it was closer to [Lust] reed].

  It was more like she only wao do that because it was Rossie, putting another pink-haired girl naked in front of her? She wouldn't give her more than a passing look, she would probably even dress her with her shadows to prevent the girl from being naked in public.

  But Rossie?

  Yeah, she would give it a few looks, and while she would dress her in shadows...Those shadows may have [Eyes] on them, just to make sure her Rossie was okay of course.

  She wouldn't be tempted to test if her [Shadows] could taste it, no sir...OH GOD SHE O KNOW IF HER SHADOWS COULD TASTE!

  "Ready when you are." Rossie said bringing her back from her musings.

  Right, "Go for it." Elizabeth said, and like st night, she felt the spell bloom from the pink-haired girl's [Soulscape], it fred like a bea in the darkness.

  She felt the warmth of mana flood the apartment they shared in the [Shadow Haven], and then the mana flew into the streets, towards the tower in the middle.

  It first sao the top of the skyscraper, then searched downwards, floor by floor.

  "Nothing so far." And the voice of Rossie was all she heard as the spell searched.

  Nothing seemed to be pinging on the spell, and with a thought, she tried to wrestle trol of it, to direct it...But nothing happehe spell didn't react to her, and the spell even took part of her [Lighting mana] on its own.

  Had she left the permissions in the formu for that?

  She could take those away, but besides that, nothing.

  "Are you sure there is something wrong?" Asked Rossie as the spell tio sink withiower.

  "I want to make sure...Just...pay attention." Elizabeth said as they came close to the area where the tai chamber was located.

  The area where [Nyctophagia]'s Vestige had been.

  The pce where the shadow egg and the locket with Rossie's on it resided now. A, nothing seemed ter the spell.

  "Wait, something is going on..." Rossie said as the spell finally arrived at that tai chamber.

  It hovered over the Egg, but it didn't trigger...The mana however seemed to be draiowards it, fring it once more, and she could almost feel it being...Happy.

  "Hmm.....weird, nothing is triggering it, but it seems to e more mana the lo?" Rossie said.

  Should she say something about the real reason?

  Better to leave it as a surprise. "What you see?" Asked Elizabeth, just to make sure.

  "Nothing, mostly readouts, I 't see farther than a few blocks from my [Soulscape] into yours." Answered the pink-haired girl, "Not unless I walk to the outside, but it seems kind of rude to wander around there."

  ...She could what?

  "I have goo buy groceries oo see if I could eat in it, and I ...Also, why do you have a grocery store manned by Shadons? 't your summons be used for something more important?" ...She had a what?

  A quick ret of her summons found them in the spots she had left them, but Rossie spoke of some shadons manning grocery stores.

  She...couldn't find any random shadon manning a grocery store though.

  Had her [Shadow Haven] built the area as Rossie explored it?

  Had one of her shadons gone and helped Rossie have a normal experience?

  If so, she would promote that one! Good job!

  But that wasn't important, "Moving on to the sing." Rossie said being finally happy with her readings, she hadn't mao find anything there, which was funny on its own.

  But the spell wasn't made to pi these kinds of things...probably.

  She wa to focus on finding influences on her afterward.

  "There seems to be some kind of influence here..." Rossie started saying, and she focused her mind on that area, she had found a tai chamber with a purple book on it.

  It had something simir to a yellow lizard in the book, and u was a name [Aurelia Vitelius]." But it doesn't seem to be hostile, it is being sublimated right now, and it seems that it is mostly a passive effect...It kind of feels like how your weird [Shadow Eyes] actually....is this the reason for the ge?"

  So it assive and it had been mostly digested already?

  Hadn't the thing [Nyctophagia] left be with her almost for a year?

  What was the difference?

  "So it's fine?" Asked Elizabeth, "No active influeny soul from this?"

  "Not that I find, whatever left this here seems to have relinquished everything to you....Oh...Eli-Eli, is this the reason you could give a [Soul] to your Summons?" Asked Rossie, the girl was sharp.

  "It may be...But I don't think this one is part of the ten I have right now...I try to summon this [Vestige] into one if you want...But..." Elizabeth said, not sure how that would end up, this one was the girl Rossie murdered after all.

  "No, that's okay, we aren't sure how this is straining you." Rossie said as the diagnosis spell tinued sc the tral tower.

  It moved across different tai chambers, and carried on, at some point, she thought something would fre when it arrived at the chamber where former Elizabeth had stood, but it passed as nothing.

  The chamber now was empty and nothing was there anymore, then it moved towards the deep end, where the bst doors were broken and where the ruined meadow stood.

  It found nothing, no remnants of fn [Soul] or [Vestiges], just a burree and a ruined flarden with a siural pool. She decided to leave it like that, should the tree ever bloomed again or not, was another matter.

  The spell tinued sc her [Soulscape], at some point it even uncovered some parts she didn't know were around, a series of office buildings at the deepest parts.

  "Iing...How did you end with a [Soulscape] so plex?" Rossie wondered as her spell tinued moving.

  She almost thought they would find something in the offices, but the spell returned nothing, just more destroyed stuff lying around, if anything there was a broken PC still on.

  A single line of text on it: [If you are reading this, you worry too much].

  "hah?" Elizabeth said as she went over the line of text again.

  After getting to that point the spell only had a single floor to cheo influences either here, the spell returns that there is nothing." And Rossie informed her that indeed, nothing was there anymore.

  Even so, "Let's make sure and check the st floor." She wao be sure, she didn't want to end like Akira.

  Even if Rossie seemed to wao dominate her, she didn't want that, she wanted a life panion, not a sve. Even a willing sve wasn't something she wanted for Rossie.

  "Okay, this may sting a little, the st floor seems to be located just above the [Core] of your [Soulscape]." Rossie informed her.

  Just above the [Core]? Wasn't Nyx sleeping in her [Core]?

  Maybe this would wake him up?

  "Go for it, but if you feel [Nyx] please be careful," Elizabeth said, she didn't want to bother Nyx too much.

  "...Sure." Rossie said, right. She didn't have many memories of her [Minions].

  Maybe wheo returned she could share those? Would she even be able to?

  "Oof." Elizabeth said as she felt a small pinewhere near her navel, she hadn't expected it to feel like that.

  "Nothing...I do get some weird readings, but they aren't [Soul Magic], it feels like someone...Digitalized his mind and tried to save it? Weird, that wouldn't work long term." Rossie said as her spell started sc the st floor.

  She of course also expanded her sciousness down there, "Yeah, whoever did this is long gohis doesn't work for this reason." Rossie said.

  The st floor en space with a single PC Station and a series of big test tubes ected to said puter, three of the five were open, but one of the st two was broken. And the st one was closed, but nothing was i.

  "Why does not work?" Asked Elizabeth, she was getting weird feelings from this pce. She didn't get a feeling of belonging, it should be her [Soul], but it felt so...alien.

  "If you digitalize your mind trying to prolong your life, you o be scious of it the whole time, should you lose tration for a sed then yone. Dead." Rossie said as the spell gave a few extra checkups and then fizzled out. "[Soul Magid [Mind Magic] work because they save a tempte in case that happens, but this...This feels more like someorying to survive without access to magic...How did this end here?"

  ht, she khat was the deepest part of her soul. "Remember that guy [Alexanders], the person that I told you about?" Elizabeth said, her shadows started ing this spad subsuming it.

  It seemed her [Soul] wao use it as nourishment for the [Ruined City], she only ahem to save some of the maes and assigned ay offi her tower to pce them there for now.

  "Yes? The crazy guy that you keep speaking about." Rossie answered, was that all she remembered of him?

  "Well, I told you how that was my identity before being born as Elizabeth. How I found out because he somehow mao stick what remained of his [Soul] to me." Or at least she had thought he had stuck part of his soul to her, but if what Rossie was saying was true... "He said that at least...But I guess he lied about that too....The asshole."

  "Yeah, he was closer to a struct than a [Soul], unless he burned his [Soul] but someohat is so crazed to survive that makes something like this...Yeah, no way he burned his [Soul], he probably preteo have a [Soul] and was waiting to steal your body." Rossie said with hate in her eyes, "The gall, if he died then he should stay dead. Why pretend to be alive."

  ...She still couldn't believe that he wasn't a [Soul], she remembered the feeling she got when she was colleg the [Vestiges]. His felt like Chloe's and former Elizabeth's.

  Then why did he have something like that? Why was it hidden so deep within the [Soulscape].

  So many questions... And worse...She still had no answers as to what had caused those [Draic] impulses of her, "Not that it matters, we have fihe checkup. You are free of any weird [Soul] reted stuff affeg you." Rossie said with a smile on her face.

  Ohat turned more predatory as she looked her up and down, "You know what that means?" Asked Rossie as she licked her lips.

  What?

  Elizabeth looked down to see what the pink-haired girl was staring at and found her blouse still unbuttoned, "ROSSIE!" And quickly covered herself, with the b.

  "...tch." The pink-haired girl grumbled while Elizabeth did a mock gre at her.

  "Well, now we o move to the problem...I o che something. I...will try to activate a [Title] that I haven't used, that may give me some trouble. So I need you to be ready to knock me down at a moment's notice." Elizabeth said as she stared at a part of her [Status].

  "...I want to knock you up, not down." Rossie said under her breath.

  ht, she had watched over her for half a year waiting for her to wake up.

  "I promise to not sleep too long, I still have a special surprise for you. But I o make sure you are safe from me." Elizabeth forted the irl.

  And before she could think of more she activated her uitle. And so, [The One Who Devours itself] desded upon the world.