Dawn was the first one out of bed the next morning. Her eyes shot open as her mind raced at full speed. She had a lot that had to be done today. She wanted to make breakfast and do everything that she could to help. She had to prove her worth. In the hope that everyone would accept her afterward. 

She practically flew out of her bed. A whirlwind of blankets and sheets tossed around her. She hopped onto her feet.

A small mirror hung on the wall. 

Dawn hadn't seen herself yet. There hadn't been anything reflective in the living room. Now, she was eager and couldn't wait to see herself. But, at the same time, she hesitated. What if she was horrendously ugly?

She nervously glanced into the mirror...

And, let out a sigh of relief. 

She wasn't a monster in human form. She was just a girl. A woman that anyone could pass by on the street. It wasn't that she was average. She was rather pretty and cute in her own way. But, she wasn't a ravishing beauty that could topple nations. 

Dawn felt along her face as she familiarized herself with the differences. Her nose was small, adorable, ever so slightly down turned and button-like. Her brow had receded ever so slightly and revealed her gloriously shining eyes. They were brighter than they had ever been, once dulled muddied jade, her eyes now twinkled as emeralds bathed in starlight. 

Her lips were full, pouty and upturned into a natural sparkling smile that seemed to brighten the room. However, they weren't so large as to appear unusual. Her cheeks were round and soft with a healthy sun kissed glow. Her neck was slender with a delicate curve. And, her face, overall, held a heart-like shape with high prominent cheekbones.

Her hair was wavy, with a slight curl, and a beautiful dark honey brunette color. It stuck out every which way as she had just rolled out of bed. 

It reminded her of several girls that she had woken up next to over the years…

Which was a strange, yet euphoric, thought that she was on the other end of that equation now. Although, it also prompted several questions about her sexuality that she wasn't sure she could answer right now.

Dawn idly searched through her bag to find her comb. Then, brushed through her thick hair after she had found it. It snagged and caught in awkward ways that she had forgotten longer hair would, or even in ways that she would have not considered possible before that morning. 

After she had finally managed to tame her bedhead, it was completely worth the effort. It was smooth and silky. It caught the light in all of the right sort of ways. Actually, it looked like and reminded her of her mother…

Dawn shuddered. She tore herself away from the mirror. And, quickly moved on.

She anxiously rifled through her clothes. 

Her form had changed. However, her clothes did not. And, now none of them fit quite properly. 

She was shorter than she had been. Her pants billowed and ran past her feet. She had to roll up the bottom of her pants, or else she wouldn't have been able to walk without tripping over herself. They bunched up rather awkwardly at her ankles. There was too much cloth for it to even be a subtle difference. The waist was too large and even with a belt it hung rather squarely on her.  

And, all of her shirts and tunics weren't much better than her pants. The sleeves draped past her hands. The chest was too small with the addition of her breasts. It utterly hid her figure and made her look like a box. 

Not to mention that she didn't have any of the proper undergarments for cleanliness and support. Although, she didn't completely understand the need for support yet. 

All in all, it didn't suit her anymore. And, it only served to highlight everything that had changed about her. As though, she wasn't remotely the same person anymore. 

So, Dawn stood unhappily, inspecting herself in front of a small mirror in her room. She was pleased with her changes. But, she really wished that her clothes had somehow magically changed with her. Alas, it had to do for now. 

Dawn trudged downstairs, wiping the remnants of bleary sleep from her eyes. And, set about getting breakfast ready for the day… 

Unfortunately, in her rush to please everyone, she overlooked one detail. She had no idea where the kitchen was in the tower. And, even if she did, all of their food had been provided to them through some sort of magical witchery. Which, was still the case this morning. 

The trolley in the common area was still laden with all sorts of delectable treats, beverages, and savory bits. Each and every one, reflective of the proper meal for the time. And, it had always been that way since they had arrived. 

Dawn deflated. She was defeated before she could even start. And, her rival was some inanimate cart. 

Dawn searched through the area to find something useful to do. But, there was nothing. The area was as spotless and pristine as it had ever been. Not a speck of dirt and dust could be seen. 

All of the menial chores had been completed. 

"Wow…", Dawn thought to herself. "It would've been nice to have - whatever takes care of everything - at home."

She sighed in defeat. 

"Well… I may as well eat now. At least, it'll make me feel better about this…"

And, so she did. 

Her plate piled higher and higher with various pastries, sweets, and other bits that she had never tried in her entire life. But, they all seemed delicious. 

She even poured herself some tea that was conveniently made and ready for her. And, started to eat some of the scones while she moped. 

It wasn't long after that Zephyra tumbled down the stairs. 

She had clearly just rolled out of bed. She was still in her night wear. Her hair was a frizzled mess that spat in every direction. Her eyes were hardly even open as she dragged herself over to the cart. 

The necromancer poured herself some coffea, strong enough to wake the dead, and grabbed a handful of tarts. 

Dawn tried to blend in with her chair and remained silent as they ate breakfast. 

It wasn't until Zephyra had finished her... - two - no, three cups - of coffea that she mumbled. 

"Morning"

Dawn smiled shyly. Zephyra was oddly endearing first thing in the morning. But, she still hadn't worked up her courage to face anyone today. 

"Good…", Dawn took a bite of her scone without thinking. "Mrning." 

They fell quiet again as they continued eating. The perfect moment for conversation had passed. Now, it was steadily getting more awkward as neither knew what to say. 

Fortunately, Phil, the stone faced conversationalist, stumbled down the steps afterward. 

He hadn't gotten any sleep at all. And, made a sleep-drunk beeline toward the morning brew. He picked up the entire pitcher and brought it with him to his chair. He didn't grab any food. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't really been hungry since he had hollowed out.

He grunted in greeting as he sat down. 

"H-how did you sleep?" Dawn asked him. 

"Didn't", he grumbled as started drinking. 

"Oh. Are you alright?", she asked, bravely pressing forward. 

Phil fixed her with blank blackened stare. "What do you think?"

He quickly chugged his coffee and went to get more of it. Dawn didn't think it was a great idea to press any further. And, turned to Zephyra. 

"And, h-how did you sleep?"

Zephyra stared into her cup for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. Eventually, she remembered to answer, but didn't really want to have an extended conversation about it. 

"... fine." Zephyra sipped at her drink. "You?"

Dawn took a deep breath.

"I had a lot on my mind. So much has happened. And, with all of these changes, well it was just a lot to take in all at once. So, I ended up worrying a lot throughout most of the night. Like, what am I going to do now? What are we going to do? How are we going to get through all of this? And, I worried a lot about Phil and all of that weirdness last night. Oh, and Karen, she seems quieter than usual. And, you showed up with a new guy last night. You both looked absolutely worn out and panicked when you rushed through the door. So, I wondered and worried about that too. And-"

In the midst of her rambling, Karen had snuck down the stairs and draped her arms around Dawn. 

"Te- Dawn. Hush. It's alright." She had meant for it to be soothing and calming. But, it came out rather flat and monotonous. 

Dawn glanced up in surprise. She hadn't even heard her sneak down. And, stated the first thing that came to her mind. "Oh, Karen. You're awake."

Karen nodded and drifted toward the table. She grabbed a small strawberry filled tart and pecked at it as she sat down. 

Zephyra turned toward her. There was something about Karen that felt familiar. Almost similar to her, but different. And, she couldn't quite place it. 

"How did you sleep?", she asked.

Karen yawned and stretched. "I slept wonderfully. The bed was quite comfortable. Thank you."

They all sat and ate and drank in the ensuing lull of conversation. It was almost comfortable this time. Although, everyone had different questions on their minds. 

Eventually, after everyone had their fill, it was Zephyra that started up the conversation again. 

"So…", she began. "What happened to all of you?"

Phil sighed and placed down his carafe. He had a few things to confess. But, before he could, Dawn piped up. 

"Well… after you left. Karen had some sort of magical attack. It was spooky as fuck. Everything was flying around the room. Like, Woosh! Boom! Crash!

I freaked out. And, ran outside to find you."

Phil spoke up, "She didn't."

"I didn't find you." Dawn nodded. "But, I found, er, Bob. The guy that you brought back with you. I think that was his name. Anyway, he offered to take a look and see if he could help Karen.

He said something about necrotic energy killing her. I freaked out. Phil freaked out. Bob definitely had freaked out. He managed to drain some of it. He looked super sick afterward though.

He couldn't cure her though. He wanted to get the Church to help."

"Bad idea." Karen added in her assessment.

"Mhmm. Very bad idea." Zephyra nodded along. "The church should not be trusted."

"Right? We came to the same conclusion. We thought we would probably be hunted down. Like, inquisition, soliders, and all. So, we quickly gathered our things and left. I think that I might have forgotten my toothbrush though.

A-anyway. We left and-"

Phil interrupted her. "We didn't look for you."

Zephyra raised her eyebrow. Dawn blanched and paled. Karen took another bite of her tart.

"Phil!", Dawn stood up from her chair.

Phil raised a hand and motioned for her to sit back down. "It's alright, Dawn."

He turned back to Zephyra. 

"I thought that you were dangerous."

Zephyra cautiously agreed. "... I am."

"And, that you would get us all killed."

"I could."

Phil nodded. "So, I made the decision to leave you behind. Dawn wanted to find you. I pushed Dawn against her will. And, we left the city."

Zephyra stood and poured herself another cup of coffea. It was too early for this sort of drama. 

"I'm a bit angry about it", Zephyra finally stated. "I don't like being abandoned. And, I had to run around all over the place without knowing anything. But…"

The necromancer turned back toward Phil. "I think that, ultimately, you made the correct choice. You would've been caught and killed, if you had stayed."

Zephyra turned toward Dawn. "The city burned itself down searching for the necromancer. The people… killed their own neighbors as they tried to find me. Or, maybe they just used it as an excuse. I don't know. 

But, you would've been killed, if you had stayed."

Dawn swallowed. And, stared at the ground. It certainly didn't make her feel any better about it.

Phil continued. "We got out. Avoided the road. Wandered the wood. Got lost. Ended up here."

Zephyra nodded in appreciation of the abbreviated version of events. "How did you get in?"

Phil shrugged. "The door was open. We walked in."

"I was unconscious the whole time. But, apparently, that thing was waiting for us." Karen muttered. 

"It told me that I broke the spirit of the contract. And, cursed me with knowledge." Phil stared vacantly at his hand. "It… revealed creation. And, I… I saw everything."

Dawn interjected eagerly.

"At first, he was super out of it. Like, sweat was pouring off of him. He staggered around. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. But, he was able to see things. He, um, saw my name."

Phil glanced at Dawn, peering as if he was trying to see more deeply. 

"I can't see it now. Probably an after effect of seeing everything laid bare."

Dawn covered herself with her arms. 

"You saw everything laid bare, huh?"

Phil turned away. He had known her all of her life. She had always been like this. But, it definitely hit differently now that she looked like herself. 

"Not like that."

Dawn smirked. "I know."

Karen rolled her eyes. 

Zephyra idly played with her hair as she thought. "How is that a punishment? I mean… wouldn't that be a gift?"

Phil considered her question for a moment. Then, he spoke slowly and deliberately. His  voice, ever so slightly, distorting as he hissed. "It was not a gift. The dream is a curse. We must feel. We must think. We must… exist."

He deflated and sunk into his chair. The tension drained from his body. "I think that it… made me similar to that thing. It changed me. I'm not entirely… human anymore."

"All of this-", Phil gestured to his surroundings in general. "Is painful to me. I want it, I need it, to disappear…"

Dawn rushed over and tackled him with a hug as hard as she could.  "Don't say that. Don't ever say that."

Phil pushed her back. "Dawn…"

Dawn shook her head and held on tightly. "No, Phil. You're not allowed. 

You brought me back. You helped me. You're not allowed to think that way. You can't."

Phil clenched his fist. "It's different than it was then… you were suffering and I couldn't just-"

"And, what? You think that I can just walk away from your suffering? I'm not blind Phil. I can see how much this is hurting you. Let us help you." Dawn turned to Karen. "Right, Karen?"

Karen froze mid-bite into the same tart that she had been eating since the start. She cleared her throat and wiped away a few of the crumbs from her shirt. 

"Yeah. It'll be alright." She stood up and gently placed a hand on Phil's shoulder. "Just because it's pointless, doesn't mean we have to give up. We will all suffer together. Until we finally die and succumb to the sweet embrace of death."

Dawn stared at Karen in horror.

"W-what? No. That's not what I meant. There's a point to all of this and it will get better and-"

Karen tilted her head slightly. Then, shrugged, cutting Dawn off. "Oh. I wasn't paying that much attention.

 But, yeah, we're like here for you. Or, something."

Dawn's mouth fell open. Phil raised his eyebrow. Zephyra leaned forward curiously and asked, "Um, are you alright, Karen?"

"Yeah. Everything is great." She replied completely flat and dead eyed. 

"Alright…", Zephyra continued, obviously not believing her. "So, what happened to you?"

"You mean, after we left the city?" Karen questioned. And, wondered if it would even be worth it to keep quiet about it. She didn't want the others to worry about her. They had their own problems. But, they were beginning to pry and it might create more problems than it might solve.

Zephyra nodded affirmatively. 

And, Karen shrugged. There probably wasn't any point holding back then.

"I had this dream that you and I had lots of sex. I was on good terms with Ted. Phil was actually a good person. And, we had two other people in our group that didn't exist.

Then, we went back to the dungeon. I killed the Skeletal Knight. And, ate a pulsing black orb. It was oddly reminiscent of necrotic mana. Then, I woke up. My emotions are gone. And, my status says that I'm undead."

Zephyra blinked. It was a bit of an information overload. And, there was something at the beginning of that conversation that made her uncomfortable. And, she had no idea where to even begin in response to that...

Bob stepped down into the living room at that moment. He quickly picked up on the awkward and deathly quiet scene. 

"Um… did I come downstairs at a bad time?"