She...wasn't hurting anymore.

 

Currently she was floating in an empty void, she could feel her body floating without control of her direction. She was even able to move herself in this void, the only thing that she wasn't able to control was her direction.

 

So moving herself to a standing position (Even if she wasn't sure what qualified as up and down) she looked herself over, she was dressed in a white summer dress. Her body seemed fine and she couldn't see any evidence of bleeding nor wounds.

 

That was concerning, she wasn't worried about where she was, as much as she should, nor about where she was going. But the fact that she couldn't find the wounds in her body that she just suffered a few minutes ago?

 

That was indeed very concerning, it could mean that either she had been in a coma (Again), or that her [Soul] had left her body (Again)...that or she found a deeper part of her [Soul] and was moving there (Again).

 

...she had really gone and done all the outrageous things possible hadn't she?

 

Did she need to wait for Rossie to light the way back home again?

 

"We have more pressing matters at hand." A voice said behind her, it was somewhat high-pitched.

 

Turning herself around she wasn't sure what to expect to see, a new manifestation of a [Shadow Dragon]? Maybe.

 

A healer asked her why was she turning her magic into spikes inside her? That would be hard to explain, but it was a possibility.

 

"Wasn't expecting to see me?" But this? Yeah, she wasn't expecting that one.

 

In front of her was a black-haired girl wearing a pitch black armor, the design of it was full of sharp angles and spikes, and it screamed [Villain] so high that she wondered why would anyone wear it.

 

The only thing that caught her attention were the eyes of the girl, they were deep blue and seemed to almost shine, those eyes hadn't been there before.

 

"I like them more like that to be honest, the other ones were creepy." A new voice joined them, turning her attention to find it, she found a petite blonde girl with short hair.

 

She was a full 180° contrast with the first girl, she was dressed in pastel blue colors and a sailor uniform that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. And what caught her attention was the eyes of this new girl, she had lime green eyes dotted with stars on them.

 

"You shouldn't be here, neither of you...Did I overdose on Mana?" Elizabeth wondered aloud as the other two girls looked at each other and shrugged.

 

"I told you this would happen, even if she isn't [Chained] as much. She still lived most of her life as a bimbo." Said the black-haired girl.

 

Rude!

 

For mere hallucinations she was rude!

 

"But look at her, she is just so adorable!" The shorter petite girl said, "She even thinks we aren't real!"

 

...This was weird.

 

"We are [Real]." Said the black-haired one, "Both [Elemental Weaver] and I are real."

 

"As [Shadow Empress] said we are quite real, or is it [Alice] now? I am quite affronted, why does she get a name and not me?" The blonde short-haired girl said while pouting.

 

"You weren't out as much as me, and besides...You weren't even part of us that long." The black-haired girl said while turning her attention back to Elizabeth.

 

This shouldn't be possible at all, her [Shift] showed them as [Unavailable], and yet...Here they were, speaking to her.

 

How could they even speak to her? She was aware that [Alice] seemed to hold some degree of intelligence, but she had attributed that more to some weird interaction between her [Shift] and her [Origin]. But this?

 

This was a whole thing, especially after her [Origin] had vanished from her [Status] screen, those two girls seemed to be aware of what she was thinking too, and while she could understand it before. As of now?

 

They shouldn't be able to, especially since her skill seemed to say those shifts weren't available. How was this possible then? Was the skill faulty?

 

"The skill is working as intended" Said [Alice], "We...aren´t available to you because we are the [Shifts] made for [Elizabeth Starbright] ´s body."

 

"And you aren´t in Elizabeth ´s body." Added [Elemental Weaver].

 

So they were tied to her former body?

 

"Then where is my body?” Asked Elizabeth, hadn´t her body disappeared?

 

"How would we know?” Answered Alice, followed promptly by Elemental Weaver "We aren't actual people but mana constructs running a former mana circuit emulating your consciousness. We managed to speak to you since your body is saturated with [The World]'s Mana."

 

That made Elizabeth's eyes narrow at them, "So you are [The World]'s minions? Because that one just impaled me."

 

"No, as we said. We are running a version of your brain. Mine is the one that was created using echoes from another life." Alice said.

 

"And mine is one made with your current life as the model.” Elemental weaver added afterward. "We are closer to allies than enemies, and really. We are here mostly to give you a bump in your recovery. We don't want to leave Rossie waiting do we?"

 

Rossie waiting? “What do you mean," Asked Elizabeth, Rossie shouldn't have anything to do with this.

 

"What do you think happens when one´s body is full of foregoing mana to the point of manifesting?" Elemental Weaver asked her.

 

"That would mean either Mana Poisoning or that someone else has control over...the mana circuits...Oh...." Elizabeth was suddenly aware of her situation.

 

Mana poisoning wouldn't be that much of a problem, not with her mastery over her own Mana. If anything it would only mean that she would need time to deal with her mana circuits running out of control. But having someone else controlling her mana circuits would mean that she would then, in turn, need to wrestle them back.

 

The first option meant that she would need time to stabilize her mana, and the second meant that she would need time to take control back, both had the same problem though. Both would mean that she needed to take time...

 

And while that happened...what was happening to her body?

 

"Rossie will take care of it, we know that." Elemental Weaver said.

 

"She will probably cry while doing it, thinking that you wouldn't wake up, again," Alice added.

 

And she...she couldn't let Rossie suffer like that, not again, she wouldn't.

 

"So you have an answer to solve this?" Asked Elizabeth to her previous identities.

 

"Of course we do, you just need to purge your mana pool from mana and only allow your own [Prana] to dwell within." Elemental Weaver answered.

 

"This means you will have a Mana regeneration entirely dependent on your stats...Good thing you have been leveling them up." Alice said afterwards summoning the Status Screen. The one that was made out with [Identify]].

 

"And the catch?" Asked Elizabeth, she knew there would be a problem with this, her previous [Shifts] would have started from that otherwise.

"You will have problems recovering us," Alice said while dismissing their Status screen. "Should you attempt to anyway. Since we are made mostly with Mana from [The World]."

 

"Your new [Shift] is safe since you created it and kept it after awakening as an [Inheritor]. But we never got mana from you in that state. So we run in a different mana wave." Elemental Weaver smiled as she said that.

 

"So I could get you both back if I attempt to solve this the slow way." Elizabeth asked, just to make sure she understood what was happening.

"Yes," Alice answered, "But Rossie will probably do something stupid before you wake up."

 

"She is probably trying to do something stupid right now." Elemental Weaver said as she summoned a small window, on it she could see her body sleeping in the bed as Rossie was seated at the side, her eyes closed and she could see her mana creating a thread towards... somewhere.

 

It went into a distortion and disappeared, was she communicating with someone?

 

"Yeah, she is doing something stupid. So, do you wanna start this?" Alice said as she turned her shift off and transformed into her non-armored form.

 

Shouldn't her normal form be her body? Elemental Weaver took that as a cue and also shone in bright light, transforming into a version of her that seemed to be 10 years old. What was happening here?

 

"First, you will need to stop your mana heart from beating, we need to make sure your body doesn't regenerate mana." Said Alice as if that was the easiest thing in the world.

 

"You want my heart to stop beating? Do you want to kill me?" Elizabeth asked just to be sure.

 

"Your mana heart is different from your heart. This one is the thing that makes your mana, it won't kill you so long your body is made of blood and flesh, it could kill mana entities such as Mama or Papa though." Elemental Weaver answered the question, "For this step, you gotta focus on the spot that mana gushes for. It is on different parts depending on the person, martial artists usually have one bellow the navel, one in the chest, and a third one on the head."

 

Martial artists had three? Maybe she should attempt that too.

 

"Focus Elizabeth." Alice admonished her as a glare was sent her way. Yikes.

 

Trying to focus on her mana, Elizabeth started to search within her body, the first thing that she noticed was that she wasn't standing. Not really. Her body was lying down in her bed, and even while she tried to move her body she noticed that it was her real body wasn't moving, only the projected body that was standing in front of Elemental Weaver and Alice moved.

 

Such a weird feeling, the next thing she noticed was that most of her mana seemed to come from her heart, as in the generating point was in her chest, just above her actual heart.

 

"Found it." She said aloud, hoping that she wouldn't need to carve her heart out or something.

 

"Next focus on the heart and will it to stop sending new mana." Elemental Weaver said, "The image can be whatever you wish it to be, from closing a faucet to stopping a beating heart."

 

Did she know where her mana heart was?

 

Either way, she tried first the image of closing the stream of mana, first reducing the output and then stopping it entirely, it seemed to work for her, so she was quite happy with that mental image.

 

Using the image of stopping her heart was too creepy.

 

"Now for the next part...."Elemental Weaver let her words hang in the air for Alice to continue on.” Imagine all the mana in your body leaving it, not even a single drop can remain."

 

And that was all she got for instructions, should she use her mana in a spell? Vent the mana into the atmosphere? [Devour] it?

 

No further answer came, so instead she imagined venting the mana. But how?

 

She then remembered her new [Shift] "[Shift - Stardust Weaver]." So she turned into her new Magical Girl form and focused on the multiple vents on her [Shift]. Those that were designed to help her stabilize herself while flying.

 

She used them as ways for her mana to bleed away from her body, slowly at first and gaining speed as she became sure that nothing wrong was happening, she felt lightheaded if anything, and her shift started breaking as she bled more and more mana.

 

But overall it was a success, in the end, she had needed to tamper with the skill a little to allow it to keep a vent till she had released all of her mana, but that was easy enough to do with her current prowess.

 

"And now that we are free from mana from [The World], we need to restart your mana heart," Alice said, her voice seeming tired.

 

"For this part just imagine in reverse whatever you did last, from opening the faucet to restarting the beating heart." Elemental weaver was the same, and their figure seemed to turn blurry.

 

But Elizabeth was busy trying to restart her mana heart, so she focused on that. First by widening the output of mana from her mana heart, then by distributing it equally towards all the parts of her body.

 

As the mana started flooding her body she felt stronger, more powerful than ever, as if she had been living all her life using secondhand products, why was her mana so more... pure?

 

"And that done you are on the first step!" Elemental Weaver cheered, turning her attention towards her she found...a star.

 

"Great, now you only need to follow the mana thread on your mana heart and you should be able to return to the real world," Alice added, she had turned into a sword.

 

"What will happen to you both?" Elizabeth asked, she wondered if she could just...Take them with her.

 

"Nothing, we will return to hibernate till someone passes by again." Was the answer Alice gave.

 

"We will be fine, we have been fine last 8 months, and we can deal with it for a few extra years." Elemental Weaver said trying to reassure her, but now that she was aware of mana hearts... She knew that both girls seemed to be on their last stretches.

 

If anything Alice seemed to have entered a hibernation state. "Now you go your way, Alice is already sleeping, so we can't wake her up with our chat, off you....go..." After that, the Star that represented Elemental Weaver also turned silent as it slowly dropped near Alice.

 

A single black claymore sword and a star in an empty void.

 

"....ke.....p......." And almost as if a signal she started hearing something coming from the sky. "Wake....up......please..."

 

Rosie’s voice was coming from the sky.

 

"not....again....you....can't....do.....this.....every....other...week...." Ouch, just where it hurt.

 

She really needed to deal with this problem of going unconscious and worrying Rossie, so now that her mana heart was feeding her mana and that her former [Shift] seemed to be sleep, she willed some of her mana into the form of a [Shadow Dragon].

 

"I don't know if you will be able to remain here, but if you can. Make sure they are okay." She told the new Shadow dragon, this one shone in a bright blue light and then turned blue.

 

After that the small dragon dropped on the side of both the star and the claymore, it hugged both [Shifts] and closed its eyes, its mana seemed to nourish both girls and some color returned to them.

 

"I'm coming Rossie." And feeding her newfound mana into her mana circuits her body shone in a bright light as her own [Shift] returned, she was once more [The Stardust Weaver]. And so, she ignited her boosters and flew straight up toward the voice of the pink-haired girl.

 

It took her but a few minutes, but after feeling some sort of resistance she opened her eyes and...

---

"...nd I will start undressing you while you sleep if you don't wake up Elizabeth Starbright!" Was what she heard her girlfriend say.

 

"Should I close my eyes then?" Elizabeth couldn't help but ask, "I mean, good morning Rossie."

 

"Oh... Morning Eli-Eli, how are you feeling?" Rossie asked as if she hadn't said something outrageous. "Do you feel any pain anywhere?"

 

To be honest, Elizabeth had thought the pink-haired girl would be mad at her, "Nope, everything is fine. No place is hurting this time!"

 

So she was happy for that, after all, if Rossie had done to her what she did, if she teleported her away when she was obviously in danger and in so much pain she woul-

 

*slap*

 

"Do you know why I'm mad?" Rossie asked her after slapping her.

 

She felt the sting on her face, Rossie shouldn't have enough strength to hurt her, and yet...it hurt.

 

"....yes..." Elizabeth answered, "...But I wasn't sure that would only go after me!"

 

*slap*

 

"I will have you know that I almost signed a [Contract] to tie my soul-" Rossie started saying, but was interrupted.

 

"YOU DID WHAT?" Elizabeth interrupted as she poured her mana into their connection and tried to inspect the pink-haired girl.

 

Only to be rebuffed as the chain that locked them together stopped her invasive mana, but the connection seemed stable enough.

 

"What was I supposed to do? You were bleeding mana, and your organs were being turned into mush and restored too fast. A normal person would be dead with half the trauma you suffered. My Magic wasn't doing anything either, but it's okay, the [Council] couldn't give me guarantees." Rossie explained, that was good right?

 

No wait, could she even give her [Soul] away? Wasn't that part of the [Soulscape]?

 

She prodded their connection for answers...And it answered that yes, Rossie could sign her [Soul] away since Elizabeth had decided to give Rossie that much freedom.

 

"So Elizabeth Starbright, if you don't want me to sell myself away...Do not ever do that again... If you love me, if you truly want to spend your life with me... Do not ever, EVER, pull that again." Rosie’s face was dead serious, "...I don't...I don't want to stare at your unmoving body again... I...I can't do that again...."

 

....oh...

 

"It's okay Rossie. I'm sorry...I just...." Elizabeth didn't want Rossie to be hurt, so she tried to save her.

 

"I don't care, if you do that again I will leave you. That will probably kill me, but at least that way I will not have to see you die or suffer like that again." Rossie said with determination in her eyes.

 

And then as if answering to that Elizabeth felt something hot in her chest, that feeling then traveled downwards in her body and when it arrived around her navel it disappeared, she felt it travel within her [Shadow haven]. A strand of golden mana that flew straight towards the lock that symbolized her connection to Rossie, it inscribed something on the lock.

 

A series of words that chilled Elizabeth to the core.

 

[Either live and die together....Or die alone.]

 

"...We..." Elizabeth was about to say something, but this time she was interrupted.

 

"Do not ever dare to say I have a problem, not after you did this. You were wounded, gravely wounded, and YOU teleported the best [Healer] away." Rossie scowled while saying that.

 

"But..." Elizabeth was going to defend herself, but Rossie wouldn't have it.

 

"I also am one of the best [Soul] mages around, so I can also deal with [Soul] wounds," She wouldn't have any of the excuses Elizabeth had prepared.

 

So Elizabeth couldn't help but accept it.

 

"So we live together...and die together...." She would need to make sure that no danger would encroach on their lives... And to be stronger.

 

She was already feeling her purer mana increasing the mana density in her body, her spells would hit harder... But for now...

 

"Good, so long you understand it. So, what do you want for breakfast?" She may need to search for a psychiatrist with Rossie.

 

Somehow, she wasn't quite sure their relationship was a normal one, but then again, her life hadn't been normal either...So who was she to say.