"We can't let you go until we figure out what happened. Our students' health is our number one priority," one of the healing professors said with a patient smile. Jun almost believed him. But the excited looks she saw on healers' faces every time they barged into her room to try a new spell or test made it obvious they were less interested in her as a patient and more interested in experimenting on her. After a night of playing cards with Sara, the healers insisted on running test after test on her. It wasn't until the late afternoon that she was allowed visitors.

"They refuse to let my kitten leave and insist on keeping her under observation," Shiori growled, her tail lashing back and forth. "They refuse to allow her own mother to care for her, insisting that she needs rest, not visitors, but I can feel the excitement in their auras, hear their whispered conversations. They aren't worried about her health! They're treating her like an experiment! I should—!"

"—let them be. They are trying to watch over her properly at the same time that they're trying to figure out how Jun absorbed so much healing magic that it knocked out multiple Gold Rankers. No doubt they've never encountered such an extreme case of magic absorption. Antagonizing them will only make them focus on Jun more. Let them poke and prod, they'll lose interest soon enough, and we will ensure they cause no harm to her," Inari finished Shiori's rant off while fixing her with a stare.

Shiori whirled around and fixed her angry gaze on Inari, her tail puffing out as her ears flared back.

"I'm okay mother," Jun said from her bed, playing another game of cards with Sara and Cecilia.

"Drink your soup kitten," Shiori said, gesturing to the steaming bowl at her bedside and fixing her with a stare.

Grimacing, Jun set her cards down and picked up the bowl before taking a long sip of it. The soup was different from the others her mother gave her before. This time it was watery, vaguely meaty, with a strong herbal scent. It was also the most foul, bitter thing she'd ever tasted. She nearly spit it back out, but her mother stared at her expectantly so she gulped it down as quickly as she could, trying to ignore the scalding heat as it burned her tongue and throat.

The pain was better than the taste. Not that it lasted long as the familiar feeling of healing magic washed over her, healing the burns as soon as she finished drinking. Doing her best to hold the soup down, Jun nodded her thanks to Shiori and Inari as the empty bowl floated out of her hands and vanished. As disgusting as the soup tasted, she knew Shiori meant well, and Sara's mother was always healing her. She was certain Inari would have stepped in if the soup were bad for her. That she didn't just confirmed that, despite the taste, it was good for her. That knowledge still didn't help the taste though.

"Jun, your turn," Cecilia said, laying down another pair of cards.

Nodding, Jun picked up her hand and played, only half paying attention as she listened to her mother and Inari talk as if she wasn't there.

"You need to let her rest, you damned cat."

"It's time she started learning. I already let it wait too long."

"You did but it can wait, she needs to stabilize more!"

"Stabilize? What're you talking about?" Jun said, unable to hold her curiosity back any longer.

"You—" Shiori started to speak but Inari shoved her fluffy tail in her mother's face, muffling her words.

"Nothing dear, your mother and I just need to talk about something in private."

"Mom, we're not stupid. What're you hiding?" Sara fixed Inari with a stare, and Jun gaped as the foxkin actually flinched a back and looked a bit guilty.

"It's not im—"

"Mom." Sara's tone even chilled Jun, and she wasn't even the elf's focus! "You both have been speaking like we can't hear you, but neither of you put up a privacy barrier. That means it truly is unimportant and doesn't matter if we hear it, or it is important and you can't justify truly keeping it from us."

"Ow!" Inari yelped and spun around as she pointed a finger at Shiori who was spitting a gob of silver fur out of her mouth. "You bit me!"

"It'll grow back. Your kit is right Inari, we didn't exactly hide our words from them, and we're both more than capable of doing so."

Inari sighed and threw up her hands in frustration. "Fine, fine! She's my patient, but she's your daughter. Do what you want! Cecilia, Sara, let's give them some privacy."

Cecilia and Sara started to get up, but Jun caught them both by the sleeves, surprising even herself. She hadn't thought to do that. "W-Wait… they're my friends, can they stay?"

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"Are you sure?." Shiori locked eyes with her as her mother continued speaking silently. It is about the soul parasite. Are you ready for others to know?

Jun looked at her roommates. Both had kept her company for months, saving her in the Forest and again in the city, showing her around without any judgment when she had nothing. She lived with them, studied with them, and learned from them.

Cecilia clapped her on the back and nodded reassuringly. "We can stay if you want, or we can give you your privacy, it's your choice."

"We'll support you whatever's going on Juju," Sara said, grabbing her hand and giving it a light squeeze.

Jun felt a wave of gratitude towards Cecilia that was quickly engulfed by other feelings as Sara held her hand. Juju? She… didn't hate it, as awkward as it sounded. It was the first time she'd gotten such a cute nickname. Jun's palm started to get sweaty as Sara held her hand and she started to feel clammy. What if she found it gross?! She could feel the heat creeping up her face and tried to quash it, but it was like fighting a wildfire with a bucket and prayer. Giving it up as a lost effort, Jun nodded at Shiori. "It's fine," she squeaked.

Shiori sighed. "Very well." Jun's mana senses screamed as a feeling of overwhelming distance and space filled the room. Despite the wall being right next to her, she couldn't help but feel like it was further away than the moon. Two loud thumps pulled Jun's attention back from the wall as she saw her mother and Inari sitting in a pair of comfortable looking armchairs. The two beastkin exchanged a look before Shiori looked at Sara and Cecilia, her tail twitching.

"First, to catch you two up on my daughter's condition, Jun was born with something called a Soul Parasite. A Soul Parasite is a malevolent metaphysical entity that latches onto its host's soul and eats it from the inside out, slowly consuming the very essence of their being, until all that reminds is the Soul Parasite wearing the body of its host with complete access to their memories, personality, skills, and abilities. Everything that person knew, the Soul Parasite knows. It is nearly impossible to detect a Soul Parasite, and once the host has been consumed, there is nothing that can be done to save them."

All Jun could hear was her own heart beat pounding in her chest. She knew the Soul Parasite was bad, but she didn't realize it was that bad. Eat her soul? Completely replace her?

Cecilia was the first to say something. "You mean this parasite thing will kill Jun? What are you waiting for? Remove it!"

"It's not that simple, is it mom?" Sara said, placing her other hand on Cecilia's shoulder as she gave Jun's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Inari shook her head. "It is a Soul Parasite. Healing magic will have no effect on it. In fact, such creatures subsist on magic itself. Attempting to purge it through healing magic will only strengthen it, accelerating Jun's condition."

"There has to be something you two can do! You're both so powerful! Way stronger than the Peak Golds you pretend to be! You call yourself Jun's mom, so do something!" Cecilia stood and shouted angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Shiori.

"Matters of the soul are not purely about power, little one," Shiori said, her eyes narrowing. "Souls are complex. Inextricably linked to mana and the System, yet wholly separate at the same time. Interfering with another's soul is not done lightly, for one false move will curse them during this life and into the next if they are lucky. If they are not, their immortal soul can be cut free from the Great Cycle, doomed to drift untethered until they cease to be, or become something far worse. Demons. Void monstrosities. Soul Parasites."

Memories of the place between lives filled Jun's head. A screen asking her if she'd like to reincarnate. Her bad karma that hinted at a life before that she couldn't remember. Pain. An all consuming darkness. Jun didn't realize she'd started crying until she felt a callused finger wipe a tear away. Through watery eyes, Jun saw Sara's face inches away from hers. "We'll help however we can Jun," she whispered.

"There must be something that can be done! I've heard tales of demons being banished or killed. Can't we do the same to this parasite?"

"There are only two methods to deal with a Soul Parasite. The first is to rip it free from its host before it can sink in too deep, and then kill it. But Jun was born into the world with this entity already inextricably linked to her soul. Ripping it free would destroy both the Soul Parasite and Jun's immortal soul." Shiori paused, letting the gravity of her words sink in.

"But it's only been a few months…" Jun muttered in denial.

"A few months? But Shiori said you were born with this? What do you mean?" Cecilia turned to look at Jun suspiciously. "Are you—"

"Jun's soul remains intact. That is not the parasite," Inari said, cutting the girl off. "You might as well explain the rest of your situation before it causes any further misunderstandings," she said, addressing Jun.

Jun felt her mouth go dry as everyone's eyes locked onto her. She hadn't meant to keep her origins a secret, as strange as they were, but no one had truly questioned her on her past and she'd been comfortable leaving it there. Jun took a deep breath and opened her lips to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. She was afraid of what Sara and Cecilia might think of her. Would they be weirded out? Would they hate her for hiding the truth? She wasn't sure she could handle seeing their faces twisted with hate towards her. Not Cecilia's, and especially not Sara's.

"No matter what it is, we're here for you Jun," Sara said, squeezing her hand again.

Jun felt the bed sag as another weight plopped down next to her, a large hand enveloping her other hand and squeezing roughly. "Sara's right. You're our friend. If we can help you, we will," Cecilia added.

Refusing to look at the two, Jun fixed her eyes on a point on the floor. Their reassurances helped, but it was still hard. She knew the words she wanted to say, but uttering them felt like the hardest thing she'd ever done.

"I… I was born in the Summer, just a few weeks before we met. I died once before… somewhere else. Not here. Not Merinthia. A planet called Earth. Before I was just Jun, I was Jun Takamori."

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