Laying perfectly still on the couch her spine bent into a crooked shape with her thighs awkwardly resting on the armrest, Iris felt a heavy boulder resting on her chest. She had been stuck in this position since she had opened the door and thankfully for her, her race made laying like this a manageable task although the feeling of blood pooling inside her head started to annoy her. Unfortunately for the risen with supernatural strength, she had been pinned down by a certain necromancer whose body seemed to press down on her body with greater force whenever she tried to move.

 

The restrained risen was under a constant mental attack as her cold-blooded kitten abused her acute senses, her fingers tracing the Anchor Mark on her neck with a gingerly touch and each time Kia's fingernails teasingly tickled her warm skin, her sharpened ears twitched. In her imagination, the ancient nestled on her torso was replaced by a cat, its eyes snapping toward the smallest movement before pouncing on her prey. In addition, Iris could feel Kia's ear pressed against her chest seemingly listening to something.

 

The petite girl seemed to be relishing in her situation as she continued to make an odd yet still impossibly charming noise Iris could only describe as a cooed-out mewl. Unable to completely resist the temptation, Iris raised her hand causing the weight on her chest to increase and the undead songbird's song deepened.

 

*Purrrr~*

 

As soon as her hand stroked the black velvety hair the ancient turned back into a spoiled kitten stretching her arms under her touch and in return the soothing cool penetrated deeper into the risen.

 

"Kia," Iris finally spoke. "How was your day?"

 

"Commmmplicated." Kia meowed out a response, momentarily taking her eyes off Iris's ears.

 

"Mind explaining or are my ears so fascinating?"

 

"Grumble, grumble, grumble." 

 

"I'm interested in what you did in the last half a day." Iris softly said while adjusting her position, although in her heart she wanted to know if having Kia taken away everyday from her was worth it.

 

"It was weird," The girl's blue and gold eyes dilated and she stared into the air with a blank stare, focusing on the events of the morning. Patiently Iris waited for her tongue-tied companion to put her thoughts into words. 

 

"For one I didn't feel the Effect, not to the extent I felt it previously."

 

"That's good to hear." 

 

"Mhmm," The girl nodded in agreement. "I want to stay here for a while and see why its power had lessened so much. Maybe I can learn how to replicate the aura you have or at least extend its range."

 

"What aura?" Iris raised her eyebrow as the necromancer had yet again said something important about her abilities without ever mentioning it previously.

 

"The one you got after..."

 

"After what?" A great shadow came over the elf's face sharpening her fierce gaze even more than it already was.

 

"After we have woken up in the ice cave," Kia answered while her skin fought a battle if it wanted to be flushed with pink or remain fair. "It really doesn't matter where really, but after that, you seemed to have gained an aura around you which nulls the Effect's power." Kia hastened to speak before the elf could inquire further. "I figured that you had heard the system notification and checked it already."

 

"I will check my status sheet later, I guess," The risen said while wearing a crooked expression. She had checked and rechecked her entire sheet in sheer awe of what had been denied to her since her fifteenth birthday and she was sure she didn't see anything like what Kia had described. "Kia, you are only talking about the Effect but how was the Academy itself?"

 

"Useful," In a cold voice, the girl lying flat on top, of Iris answered. Her eyes smiled with pure bliss as she delighted in being scratched under her chin before purring loudly as she moved the elf's hand behind her ear. The voice was so disconnected from the scene Iris was witnessing that her eyes began to wonder about the room in search of an intruder. "I'm curious about how such a weak race comprehends magic. In here they got few things wrong which led everything beyond this page to be based on flawed theory causing more errors to occur further down the line." For once, a normal-sized book appeared from Kia's inventory. "Theory of Mana Flows" flashed in front of Iris's eyes before the girl began to flip between pages, pointing out mistakes without much explanation or context.

 

"So you're not learning anything from here?" Iris said, trying to tone down the strange joy leaking into her words.

 

"Not necessarily," Kia wagged her pointing finger with authority before she shut the book close causing it to disappear once more. "My sample size is too small to conclude anything but given that they managed to create a cheating ring, I can't say I'm not wondering about their other work. At least if they are as braindead as the ones who harmed you, I was exposed to a different perspective on sorcery." Kia seemed to have still not forgotten about their incident in the plains hiding little hostility to the humans while none were present. The elf also found it interesting that her last sentence lost its authoritative tone, resembling a way a student repeats their teacher's wise words.

 

Isn't she a perfect student? The elf thought before becoming distracted. "Kia, can you stand up?"

 

"Nyo." The cuddled kitten said, utterly bewildered by the idea of leaving her heavenly throne.

 

"There are sandwiches waiting for you there, under the rag." The undead wearing her new uniform pointed at the low table and at the plate on its far side.

 

The undead's head instantly pointed in the pointed direction. Her body shifted as she kneeled on Iris's stomach but instead of freeing the elf, Kia's body leaned forward. Her body was almost as straight as an arrow as she reached for the plate but her fingers were the tiniest amount short of seizing her rightful deliciousness.

 

"No magic," Iris warned. "I want to stand up for a while and we can come back to cuddling."

 

The necromancer seemed to mistrust the elf but ultimately unable to control her hunger she gingerly slipped passed the elf allowing her to finally feel her blood circulate properly again.

As promised the ancient received the sandwiches her Favourite Thing had made. And as completely expected the plate's contents disappeared in no time at all which caused the girl with bread crumbs in the corner of her lips to start swinging her legs waiting for Iris to return to the couch.

 

"How do you like my uniform?" Iris asked as she sat down, letting the kitten climb onto her. "Is it annoying?"

 

"Hmmmm," The mage's response seemed to be painted on her face, with the not-entirely happy face betraying her before she spoke. "Anno- You less perverted." Iris's eyes widened as she stared at the girl.

 

"Why is that?" 

 

"I don't know." Kia answered but the way she began to stroke her covered-up neck answered Iris's question.

 

After the last bell of the day rang out, Iris stood up carrying her lazy saviour in her arms. Like always she helped the clutzy girl taking everything off before she herself prepared to sleep. With a smooth motion, she threw her linen shirt on the chair before turning around and finding Kia reading a book.

 

I should look for that aura. Iris thought to herself.

 

The elf must have spent bells searching her status for any sort of aura but found nothing of sorts.

 

"Kia, I can't find the aura you spoke of." She said opening her eyes.

 

"You can't?" Kia turned around. 

 

"I don't think even I have any area base buffs or debuffs for that matter."

 

"Do you want me to look for it?" Kia shuffled closer to the elf, sapping the warmth trapped under the blanket. "There is a possibility it's hidden from view because of its low proficiency," Iris remembered Kia saying that the System hid many things so as not to make the already long status sheet even longer. "Don't say anything embarrassing... it tickles." The necromancer whispered as she rested her hand on in the centre of Iris's chest.

 

I won't. Iris wanted to say but she found herself almost gag from a disturbing feeling spreading through her body. Kia's radiant eyes, the only source of light in the dark world around the elf seemed to appear brighter as the elf felt something tug on her mind.

 

A dark tendril rose from the deep and sunless depths of her mind. She tried to resist wanting to stay with her kitten but her power was useless against the gingerly monster who slowly pulled her under the surface. The last thing she saw before drifting off, away from the revolting feeling was Kia's face deep asleep.