"No, it isn't Kia." Iris stopped the exchange between her Kia and the strangely enthusiastic vampire.

 

"Harbinger!" Umbria shrieked at the elf, throwing the chair backwards as she stood up. "Cease turning Master away from her destiny. It was already written before my or your kin walked the surface of Niuran that this must happen. You perhaps have Master's temporary favour but I must stop you from interfering in these greater matters." Umbria let out her aura which hit the elf with force similar to being stuck with a war hammer.

 

"Stop it!" Kia yelled at the vampire.

 

"No Master, she is manipulating you and if I have to earn your ire to lift the blinders from the eyes of the avatar I shall do it. For you Master!" A stream of tears fell from Umbria's eyes as she spoke, a magical sphere appeared in her hand ready to unleash a spell.

 

"ጎ ዐዪጋቹዪ ሃዐ፱ ፕዐ ነፕዐየ!" A shockwave traveled through the air from Kia, covering the room in a thin layer of ice, Iris saw her Hit Points drop as ice crystal covered her skin in an instant sucking her vitality from her but the outraged vampire looked undamaged from the spell.

 

"Master!?"

"Kia!?"

 

The two undead turned from one another to see the undead mage's body being consumed by the black flame which slowly consumed her pale flesh, the charred skin flaked off into the air creating a grim sight as an ivory-white skeleton replaced her left side with a fiery seam dividing her two conflicting halves.

 

"[Flay]" A blood-red spell shot out from Kia's fingertip with an ear-splitting whistle as it was tossed towards the woman.

 

The spell hit Umbria's cheek, digging a pathetically small trench through it, the ripped skin appeared to come to life flaying chaotically, trying to pull itself off the vampire before black strings emerged from the wound and reattach the disobeying pieces of flesh to the already healed wound.

 

"Master just listen to me! Look you had already announced it all!" Umbria slammed the large manuscript on the table in front of Kia. "Her traitorous influence is causing you, my Master, to forget your own unmistakable words and your oath to purge Niuran of your lessers!"

 

The right side of Kia's face glared at the bloodsucker for a long moment before looking down at the page where Umbria's finger pointed with puzzlement. "I can't read in baby languages" She stated to Iris relief.

 

"What do you mean Graceful Master?" The older woman stared at the yellowish page with an uncomprehending and unfocused gaze. "Are those not your own words you spoke to the first Liege Lord of Vespero?"

 

"I had never left my domain until now." Iris saw Kia's living side of her face make a bewildered face with the tremendous scowl never diminishing in intensity as she glared at Umbria causing the great vampire to appear like a child being scolded by her parent.

 

"This is no time to jest, Master!" The powerful undead's lips started to tremble before she covered her mouth.

 

"I am not." The necromancer stated with a despotic fashion which betrayed no emotion only authority.

 

"No!" Umbria could only shriek one word before collapsing onto the floor in a flurry of laughter and tears.

 

A loud metallic noise echoed inside Iris's head, she quickly glanced at the system's message and saw her ability Mark of Darkness starting to glow as the maniacal laughter got louder.

 

"I tried, I really tried Master...All my time granted by you wasted on fake, phoney, fabricated lies." The woman's voice abruptly rocked from hysterical giggles to deluges of sobs. "Useless, useless, useless..." She started to hit her head on the stone floor before continuing. "What should I do? Master command me now please, I beg off you! I'm kin to a dwarf with no metal to forge, a fish without water or a cleric with no faith in the divine! Give me a chance to redeem myself! Any command shall do! Just say the word and I shall sweep the rain or drink vermin's blood for your amusement!" Even with the woman trying to kill Iris, the elf could only feel pity as she watched the proud vampire beg Kia like a desperate child trying to prove their worth to their cruel parents.

 

The girl grabbed her head and winced as her legs began to wobble. The flame dividing her in two quickly started to fade.

 

The woman grabbed the manuscript and tore it in half before setting the torn remains on fire. "Master I-I didn't know I swear! I didn't know! I worked so hard to keep the commands in there alive but now? Command me, please fill the void in me, Master." The woman's nails dug into her arms as she wrapped them around herself.

 

"Come here." Kia ordered Umbria, her voice causing Iris's body to move by itself before she could reign her body back. The necromancer sat on a chair behind her. She looked quite majestic as she sat on her throne waiting for the vampire to get to her in Iris's opinion.

 

"Ehh..."Kia suddenly regained her usual voice and looked surprised to find Umbria kneeling so close to her. She looked around the room with a confused look eventually locking her eyes on the charred remains of the manuscript. "I-If the book was so important why don't you make another one?" The royal facade crumbled revealing familiar to Iris, clueless dork.

 

"But why- Ohh, could it be!? I couldn't previously even glimpse into your incomprehensible plan blinded by the lies of the Great Traitor but now my eyes were opened by your infinitely merciful words to gaze onto a sliver of your great plan!" Umbria merrily announced throwing herself onto the necromancer's waist. Iris's Mark of Darkness glow receded substantially but never faded entirely.

 

Iris stared at Kia, fascinated by the slow progress of her regeneration flesh which progressed in hypnotising pulses.

 

"Iris! Shtop." Kia turned her head away from the elf, hiding her left side.

 

"But you look so adorable? No matter what you do or look."

 

"It's embarrassing, Iris." The mage sunk even deeper into the chair avoiding the elf's eyes using the clinging vampire as a shield.

 

"I will be just behind the door until you fix this then." The elf gestured to the left side of her face before leaving the room.

 

---

 

POV Change

 

Couple of moments later.

 

Grrrr, See what you did. I wanted to do stuff with Iris today but now she laughing at me because of your strange antics. How could you think that thing on the previous page even was me? I don't have horns on my head norI am not some abomination created from chaos mana! How would that thing even move on land It had tentacles for legs! Tentacles! How could that be me? Eh...Hello?

 

Kia lamented, she looked down to see the annoying lady fast asleep on her lap, resting her head on Kia's stomach. Her face painted an expression of pure bliss while the faded trails of tears had yet to dry.

 

Great you are asleep AND you are doing the thing I always do to Iris. You are not even warm as her nor do you smell like her or even feel like her. Big annoying dummy.

 

The necromancer tried to pout at the woman but the air she gathered whistled through her still regenerating left cheek.

 

Bored! What is Iris doing when I am sleeping like this? "Mmmm?" Kia let out a thoughtful hum before finding an answer to her urgent question.

 

"Feels good but it's different when Iris does it," Kia said out loud running her hand through the snow-white hair of the annoying lady. "Maybe I can get used to doing this..."

 

"Kia?" Iris's voice reached the distracted mage.

 

"Iris, it's her fault. Not my." Nooo, why is Iris smiling in this way?

 

"She is not stroking your head but you are."

 

"Master, that felt sooo divine." The annoying lady woke up after Kia had suddenly thrown her off her lap.

 

"I leave you for a moment and you are already lusting over other people."

 

"I am so sorry my Merciful Master I got carried away here. I will order for ink and paper to be brought in haste." The calmed-down vampire looked unapologetic as she grinned.

 

Kia stared at the elf in a plea to save her from the cruelest thing in the world.

 

"Noo, I wrote so much! Its worth hundreds of lifetimes already! That's not fair!" Kia pleaded to the elf but the usually comforting elven eyes smiled back in mischief as Kia started to panic, eventually resigning herself to her fate as the annoying vampire emerged with a bundle of paper taller than her head. "Help."