Annelie stretched her arms overhead with a massive yawn, sinking deeper into the couch. Meanwhile, Nova stared absently out the window as memories of his first life drifted through his mind.

"Did you remember anything?" Annelie lowered her arms, blinking slowly at him.

"... You might be right, about me being the reason you reincarnated." Nova rubbed his eyes, also feeling the effects of the late night. "I was just wondering if I met anyone who did the same for me."

"And?"

"Well, I couldn't think of anyone. But there was a… cat." He almost laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

"A cat?" She stared at him with furrowed brows, clearly not expecting that answer.

"I know how it sounds." Nova shook his head. "She just seemed… wise, in a way. With white fur and blue eyes like my own, and always bossing the other cats around. That's the only thing I can think of."

"... Well, it's not impossible." Annelie slumped back against the cushions. "We don't really understand how any of this works."

Nova nodded, feeling his eyes turn heavy. "Hmm, it's getting late. Maybe we should continue this tomorrow?"

"I was about to suggest the same." Annelie hesitated, then spoke softly. "Could I stay here tonight?"

Nova paused. On the surface, it was no different than sharing the room with Millie. But Annelie, despite how he saw her as a young woman, was still very much a mature lady at heart.

'Well, it's not like it's indecent, despite what the priests might think. We're children, barely older than toddlers.'

"I don't mind you staying." Nova glanced at the door. "But what about the priests?"

"Oh, don't worry about them. I'm free to go where I want, pretty much."

"At your age?" That didn't fit his image of the church. In his mind, they were strict about anything children might get up to. "Do they know you're reincarnated? Or at least that you're older than you look?"

"No, that's a secret." She smiled cleverly. "I think they simply trust my intellect."

"... I'm a bit worried, then. Some of them know I am, and if I share a room with two little girls…" He left the obvious unsaid.

Annelie laughed, covering her mouth to stay quiet. "I see your point. I'll leave, then, to save your reputation."

"No, forget it. You can stay here. The bed will be crowded, but we don't take up much space." It was simply a one-man bed, after all. But for adults.

"Great!" She got out of the couch and started undressing, leaving a set of large underclothes that covered everything but her hands and feet. Then, quietly, she moved across the room and slid under the bed's covers, making sure not to disturb Millie.

Nova followed after, removing everything but the underpants. The cool night air raised goosebumps on his skin as he put a protective formation around the bed. He found a spot under the covers on the opposite side of Millie, leaving her between him and Annelie. "Sleep well," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"You too," Annelie replied, letting out a heavy breath.

'Another long day in the books. But now there's nothing urgent going on. We just have to stay here for a week, healing and gathering strength. And I still have many questions for Annelie.'

"Nova! Is time to wake up!" Millie's cheerful voice cut through Nova's peaceful slumber. A small finger poked his cheek insistently. "It's bright outside!"

Nova groaned, pulling the covers over his head. After staying up most of the night forging and catching up with Annelie, his body desperately needed more rest. His muscles ached pleasantly from the blood refinement, and the softness of the bed seemed to pull at him like quicksand. "Five more minutes..." he mumbled.

"... Okay. But can you at least remove the barrier?"

"Right, sorry." Nova managed to focus enough to snap his fingers. The shimmering barrier surrounding the bed dissolved into motes of light.

"Is fine, I wasn't going anywhere. Should I wake Animo, too?"

Annelie stirred on the other side of the bed, her voice thick with sleep. "Mmh... just a little longer, please?"

Millie looked between the two of them with an exaggerated pout. But something in their tired faces made her expression soften. "I am the oldest here, after all. I'll let you sleep a bit longer."

Nova felt himself drifting back toward sleep when Annelie's drowsy voice reached him—in the local language this time. "Sleep well?"

"Best in ages," he replied without opening his eyes. And it was true. No immediate threats loomed, no urgent tasks demanded his attention, and the bed felt like heaven after years of stone floors. "You?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Yeah, same here."

"Uhm…" Millie stared out of the window with wide eyes, pointing up in the sky. "There's… something in the sky."

"What?" Nova rubbed his eyes, looking over at her. "What's in the sky?

"It's… dark. Very cold and dark. But you know all about that, don't you? Visitor?" Millie's head turned to Nova, but her words no longer sounded like her own.

Nova felt a chill run down his spine, and then anger followed shortly after. "... Fuck off out of her body before I kill you."

Millie, or whatever was inside her, just laughed. "This one too? Are you planning to ruin all of my playthings?"

"I did warn you."

[Fragment of Nova Noctis equipped.]

He burst into action, letting the essence flow through his body as he created a barrier around Millie. The formation locked into place, restraining her completely just as her legs began to give way. It was the same formation he used while cultivating blood the day before, Chains of Binding.

"Stay there!" he commanded, though he doubted she could hear him anymore. Her eyes had taken on that terrible, vacant look he remembered too well from his life as a doctor.

Heart pounding, Nova rushed to the window. The sight that greeted him froze the blood in his veins.

'What the hell is that doing here?'

There, hanging in the morning sky like a wound in reality itself, was a massive black rift. Its edges rippled with impossible geometries, defying the laws of space and sanity alike. Just like what he had seen in the ocean two lifetimes ago, except this time, nothing was staring back at him.

"The void has opened in the sky! Annelie, are you okay?" He turned to the bed, ready to activate another binding formation.

But Annelie looked fine, other than her mildly panicked expression. "Don't worry, I resist them well! But what about you?"

"I'm immune to madness," Nova replied, now terribly glad to have that trait. It had been useless so far. "Find me some silver, will you?"

"Silver? Will that chase it away?"

"No, this is just a smaller part of a greater being, preying on little girls. I can kill this tendril pretty easily now that it has possessed her. It will weaken the true form of the being, but not by much."

He figured the other plaything the voidling mentioned was the granddaughter of Governor Newark. That was the only time he had touched upon the void since he arrived in this world.

'This will make it easier to help his granddaughter as well. But not too easy, I hope.'

"I'll find some, but I expect there to be chaos in the church." She hurried to get out of bed and put her robe on as she spoke. "I can't promise I'll be quick!" Then she was gone out the door.

Nova stared at Millie, now frozen in place by the ethereal chains. It was overkill to use such a strong formation on her, but he didn't want to take any chances. "If you can hear me, Millie, don't worry. He can't hurt you. I'll remove him soon."

Her eyes darted to him, scowling under the restraints. The being was still in control, but making scary eyes was all it could do—too weak to even speak.

'Why would a rift to the void suddenly appear? And inside the barrier of the Holy City? Is it an attack? Are they enemies? Is the void even coherent enough to have enemies?

And why did he call me visitor? Because I'm a visitor of this world? Or because I visit the void when using my shadow step?'

Many questions, but no answers. His immunity made the rift a much smaller issue for him, but the church was probably panicking right now. 'Maybe I could leverage my knowledge for some help? Annelie might know more about the void than me, but she didn't seem to know much about rituals.'

No movement could be seen outside the window. The city was completely void of life. As long as they avoided looking at the rift, people would mostly be fine. But did they know that?

Nova's foot tapped the floor as he pondered his next steps, waiting for Annelie to return. He started covering the window with the blanket from the bed, preventing Millie from looking at it again.

'Is this the reason for that bad feeling you had yesterday, Millie? If so, I'll need to listen more closely next time you say that.'

The door swung open with a bang. Nova turned, expecting Annelie, but Archbishop Sar stood in the doorway instead. Her grey hair was disheveled and her eyes were wide with panic. As soon as she spotted Nova and Millie, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"There's an emergency." Sar's eyes fixed on Millie trapped within the glowing formation. "But it seems you already know."

"Yeah." Nova kept his body between Sar and Millie, not sure how she would react. "A bug managed to possess her. I'm waiting for Animo to bring some silver so I can kill it."

"Kill it?" Her previous panic transformed into keen interest. "You know how?"

"For these smaller ones, yeah." Nova glanced back at Millie's still form. "But it's just a tiny part of the greater void beings. We're lucky it's not from one of the true beasts of the void."

"How do you kill them?" Sar moved closer, eager for the knowledge.

Nova turned to face her, planting his feet firmly. "What are you willing to give me for that knowledge?"

"Really?" Sar's voice rose sharply. "Now?!"

"I'm a prisoner here, Sar." Nova's voice stayed steady and cold. "Taken against my will. I'm not helping you out of the goodness of my heart."

He bluffed. He would help regardless, but the church didn't need to know that. Besides, he owed Sar for the bluff she had pulled on him earlier.

"Then what do you want?" Sar asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Free use of all your schools in the Kingdom of Taurel." Nova watched her face carefully. "I'll use them to host all the children from the harve—" He caught himself, glancing at Millie. "From the gardens."

Sar's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's a big ask. The schools are quite full already, and I don't imagine the Signus will agree." As Nova started turning away, she stepped forward quickly. "But there might be something better!"

"I'm listening." Nova kept his voice neutral.

"The church has… a few monasteries in the kingdom. But they stand unused these days."

"Ooh, abandoned buildings in the wilderness, very tempting." Nova's voice dripped with sarcasm. He shook his head sharply. "I'll settle for the school in Collport. Move your precious talents to another city. I'm sure you can do that much."

"We can, " Sar said, shifting her weight uneasily. "But people won't like it, especially the families of those children."

"Then buy me a hundred mansions!" Nova threw up his hands in frustration. "Damn, I'm not asking for the sky here! The church isn't poor, we both know that!"

A flicker of resignation crossed Sar's face. "... We'll find a solution for the children in Collport, I promise."

"Good!" The annoyance rang clear in Nova's voice. It shouldn't be this hard to convince someone to help save children's lives. "Doesn't it feel nice to do something good?"

Before Sar could respond to his cutting remark, the door creaked open behind her. Annelie burst in, clutching a bulging pouch that jingled with each step. She gave Sar a quick bow before rushing to Nova's side.

"I found a bunch of silver coins." Annelie thrust the pouch toward him. "Will they work?"

"Yeah, that's perfect." Nova took the pouch, feeling the weight of the coins. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Annelie glanced at Millie's still form. "We need to help the church after she's okay, so don't waste time!"

Nova bit back his disagreement with that sentiment. Now wasn't the time for that discussion. He turned to Sar instead, gesturing her closer. "Come watch, then." He started opening the pouch. "I won't show you twice."

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