The office fell quiet as Nova thought about his meeting with the governor. The only sound was Larena closing the drawer where she had kept the soul stone.

"Should I join you when you see him?" Annelie asked, breaking the silence. She seemed somewhat eager to come along.

Nova considered her question carefully. The governor might have unexpected defenses in place, especially with the overseer's arrival. "If you can get in without being seen, sure. But if he has laid any traps, it might be better if you don't. I have the power to escape, and while I'm sure you would find a way, it's safer if I go alone."

Annelie nodded quietly, but something in her eyes shifted. "...I hate being weak."

"Join the club," Larena said, slumping back into her chair. The wood creaked under her weight.

"No, I mean, I hate being weaker than you, Nova." Annelie fixed him with an intense stare.

Nova knew. She hated feeling useless, feeling like a burden. He had seen it in their meeting with The Fool. She could handle it fine, but he didn't want to dismiss her feelings, however much control she had over them.

'We are partners. Our reach doubles if I can bring her up alongside me in power. And even better if some resources fit one better than the other.'

"...How much use would you get out of this?" Nova asked, summoning the drake heart from his core. It floated above his palm, shimmering red in the late sunlight like it was on fire.

Annelie's eyes widened, swiftly moving closer to him. "A drake heart? Where did you get this? Was it part of your reward?"

"Yes, and before you get too excited, I've used its fire essence to cultivate. I don't know how much power remains."

"Oh..." Annelie's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. She looked at the heart with a more critical eye. "I've never encountered a situation like that before. But I don't think it will make a big difference. Can I have it?"

"Of course. I have a set of sylph wings as well if you want." Nova summoned the delicate, nearly transparent wings from his core.

Annelie tapped a finger against her chin as she considered. "...Maybe? But I could use those to teach you how to use the skill later. Then you'll be able to fly."

"Wait..." Larena suddenly cut them off, looking at Nova with raised eyebrows. "You don't know how to infuse beast parts?"

Nova shrugged, putting the wings back into his core with a shimmer of light. "I've never seen it before this life, but Annelie learned of it in her third. Do you want me to list all the skills this world doesn't know?"

"No, no, I was just surprised you didn't know something that feels so common. But I've never heard of using hearts, or being able to transform completely. Your technique is probably better, Annelie."

"...Well, at least I have that. And just like Nova, I'll unlock stronger powers as I grow." Her eyes fixed on the heart floating above Nova's palm. "But for now, hand me that heart!"

She grabbed for the heart with quick, eager fingers. Nova felt a sudden urge to grow in size and hold it out of her reach. But he quickly suppressed it and handed it over.

'...It's been a long time since I've felt this urge to tease someone… It's nice.'

Annelie scowled lightly at him as she held the heart close to her chest, almost as if she could read his thoughts. "Thanks. Now, could you please turn around? The process isn't exactly... charming."

"...I'm very interested in seeing how it's done, though." Nova tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. The technique sounded fascinating, and he rarely got to witness magic he'd never seen before.

"Larena can watch. Then she can tell you."

'...Is it a girl thing? Or does it just look weird? I guess she wouldn't want me to see her like that.'

He turned around willingly, even closing his eyes. The floor creaked beneath his feet as he faced the office door. "Go ahead."

"Don't peek, okay?" Annelie's voice carried a hint of embarrassment that surprised him.

"Those words have never made someone want to peek less. But I still won't." Nova placed his hands behind his back, standing at formal attention to show his commitment.

"Okay…"

Nova could hear the sounds of robes being pulled up from behind him. Then came odd noises, reminiscent of guttural sounds, wet and visceral. Something shifted with a strange, slick movement. Finally, a sound like a large space opening up echoed through the office, like a body cavity expanding.

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

"Oh… Wow." Larena watched intently, sounding both intrigued and shocked at once. "That seems like a useful ability."

A sound of wetness slowly seemed to envelop an object, which Nova assumed to be the heart. Soft squelching noises filled the room, followed by a sound like something being absorbed.

'Does she have a snake head or something? Is she eating the heart whole by unhinging her jaw? But then why would she remove her robe?'

Questions swirled around in Nova's head, some in stranger directions than others. He shifted his weight but kept his promise not to turn around.

"Okay," Annelie said. The rustle of fabric indicated she was dropping her robe back down. "You can look again."

Nova turned but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Annelie stood there looking exactly the same as before. Not a hair out of place, no visible changes to her small form. He turned to Larena, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me, ask her to tell you." Larena shook her head. A hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

"Annelie?"

"Why don't you figure it out yourself?"

"...Do you think it's worse than the worst thing I imagined it to be?" Nova studied her face, searching for any clue.

She quickly seemed to decide that his imagination could hold worse ideas than the truth. "I turned part of my body into a slime. It completely digests the heart, letting me keep most of its power."

"Oh, cool! Is there a limit for how long you can use these powers after you get them?" Nova's eyes lit up with genuine interest. The disgust he'd expected to feel never materialized.

"Not really, but it uses a lot of stamina if I fight while using them. These legs, I could use constantly if I wanted." She turned her legs black again, pulling up her robe to give Nova a closer look.

They were completely black, with tiny scales spread out across the skin in line-like patterns. Not like any monster Nova had seen before. But he knew they were powerful from experience.

"They're from a particularly annoying void being," Annelie explained. "Always kept running from me whenever I got close. But I won in stamina."

"Humans are great at long distances..." Nova nodded. His eyes studied the transformed limbs with undisguised interest. "Hey, did the heart do anything?"

"Oh, it's still digesting. And after it's done, I need to focus the energies and capture them in a sort of sphere." Annelie let her robe fall back into place. The scales vanished as her legs returned to normal. "You can go meet the governor before I finish. It's going to take a while."

"I'll meet you back at Quinn's, then." Nova straightened, casting a glance toward the darkening window. Night was fast approaching.

"Yeah." Annelie nodded. "Can I just break through the barrier when I leave this place?"

"If you have any slicing skills, I'd suggest using those to open a rift." Nova walked toward the door. "It might make a noticeable sound otherwise."

"Okay, I can do that. I'll go back and let the kids know first, if they're still up."

"They should be." Nova put his hand on the door handle. "I'll see you later, and Larena, I'll come here through the teleporter tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good." Larena rose from her chair, looking more determined than before. "I'll let the harvesters and guards on duty know that we're resuming the harvesting tonight, so Morten doesn't suspect me."

"Good call." Nova nodded, appreciating her foresight. "And goodbye."

Larena and Annelie waved as he slipped through the door. The corridor beyond was empty, perfect for his next move. Nova no longer needed the fragment to get around undetected. His physical control was twice as high as his Noctis fragment, even though it had the perfect control trait.

The sky was getting darker every second now. The moon was barely starting to peek over the horizon.

'A perfect time to sneak through the shadows. They're longer than ever at this time of day.'

After a short trip through a barred window, Nova soon found the familiar study of the governor. The room looked different in the evening light, letting the sunset shine directly through the large windows on both sides. Nova used his shadow jump to get inside like before, but this time, hiding his presence perfectly.

Governor Newark sat behind his desk, writing on a stack of endless parchments. His quill scratched methodically across the paper, leaving neat lines of dark ink. Despite the late hour, his spirit seemed high. Nova caught a light humming as the governor moved a piece of parchment to another stack.

'Your spirits are a bit too bright for trying to resume the harvesting… But at least this confirms my theory about your granddaughter.'

After changing his voice to fit the one he had used before, Nova spoke to him. "You seem to be in a good mood, Governor."

"Ah, Noctis." The governor didn't look up immediately. He carefully placed his quill in its holder. "I figured you would get through the barrier… How nice of you to check in on me."

"I feel like I had to. I suspected that one of my actions had cured your granddaughter before the time was up, so I worried you might go back on your deal."

"...You're taking credit for that, huh?" Newark finally looked up at the shadows in his side-view. His eyes held a mixture of amusement and wariness. "Well, things have changed, Noctis. I can no longer assist you in your heroic deeds."

"Because of the overseer?"

"Exactly." Newark spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I have no power to help you as long as he remains here. Even if I wanted to, even if Liz was still sick, I could only hope for your understanding."

"...Well then, I guess there's nothing we can do." Nova's small hands clenched at his sides. "You can continue killing children all you want."

He didn't try to sound sarcastic, but the governor clearly sensed the sharp edge in his words.

"...Do you realize how fragile my position is? I'm not some hidden powerhouse skulking about in the shadows; I am a governor directly under the king. And as such, I have no choice but to do as he asks, or I risk facing execution."

"Yes, you were only following orders." Nova's voice dripped with cold disdain. "Who could be blamed for committing heinous crimes when someone told them to do it?"

"Do you have a family, Noctis? Anyone you care for more than your own life?" Newark's voice softened, almost pleading for understanding.

"I care for many things more than my own life. And some people are included, yes."

"Then how can you not understand?" Newark pushed back from his desk. "My two sons, my daughter, my granddaughter... I have so much to lose, which makes me so incredibly weak. Something you've already taken advantage of." He sent a sharp glare into the shadows. "If it were just me, no child would die under my orders."

"I understand having people you'd die to protect. But each day you choose your family's comfort over these children's lives. Evil prevails when good men do nothing—and you've had the power to at least do something, even if small. There's always a choice beyond full compliance or open rebellion. I am your chance to take that path. Your last one."

'You can still prove that you don't deserve my judgment. Either take it, or face the consequences in the future.'

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