"Because Faluel hadn't given me permission to. She stripped you naked, and since she was the only one to know the details of the Harbinger ritual, I assumed she had good reasons to keep you naked." Solus gave Friya a full check-up, but she understood nothing of what she saw. Friya's mana core was whole again, but its external layer was thicker than before and the mana it contained swirled like a storm. Her life force was just as baffling. The red colossus of her human side collapsed into a burning violet star surrounded by six smaller stars orbiting around it. A split second later, the violet star exploded into a nova whose fires rebuilt the red colossus from scratch just for the cycle to start anew. "By my Mom, you are fine, but this is the weirdest fine I've ever seen." "And coming from us, it means a lot." Lith triple checked Friya but had no better luck than Solus in understanding what was happening to their friend. "Solus is right, Friya." Faluel still panted, but her main head seemed to have recovered enough strength to talk. "I couldn't afford to leave a single speck of your body not fully immersed in my blood or having an unsteady absorption rate. "No Lesser Divine Beast ever made herself a Harbinger. On top of that, all I knew about the ritual applied to a healthy individual, not one on the verge of death. I'd rather you be alive and embarrassed than dead and modest." "Me too." Lith, Protector, and Solus nodded. "I'm glad to have you back, Friya." Protector lifted Friya from the ground and spun her around like a little girl. "Gods, now I understand why Lith was so angry with me. If I weren't still terrified at the idea of having almost lost you, I'd kick your ass for putting your life at risk like that. "Speaking of Lith, what about your life force, Faluel?" Protector put Friya down and rushed to check on the Hydra. "Did repairing her mana core crippled you like it happened to Lith?" Invigoration revealed that Faluel's life force and mana core were spent beyond what a breathing technique could restore. She needed a lot of food and rest to recover, but was otherwise fine. "My life force didn't crack if that's what you're asking." Faluel rubbed her muzzle on Protector as a thank you. "Back then, Lith was in horrible shape and had to fix your life force with his own. "I, instead, was at my peak strength and already shared an almost identical life force with Friya. The repeated injections of my blood created a strong bond between us that I exploited to save her life. "Unlike you, Protector, her core could take my mana without rejection, and I could patch the hole left by the wound in her life force without any permanent loss. Friya and I share the same life force, and she can return to me what I lent her the moment she recovers." "Thank you for saving my life, Master Faluel." Friya knelt near the Hydra, hugging one of her long necks. "And sorry for the nasty things I said to you before. I didn't mean any of it." "I know." Faluel replied with a smug grin. "Why can't I recall my Featherwalker armor, and why didn't you explain everything to me through our bond?" Friya asked. "What's happening to Friya's life force?" Lith asked. "One at a time, children. I'm still exhausted." Faluel sighed. "I have yet to speak through our bond because I'm afraid the contact might burn your mind, Friya. I've lived over ten times longer than you and have no idea how to safely exchange my thoughts with you. "Right now, I'm keeping myself out of your head. I can only hear your loudest thoughts, and only because we are close. As for your other questions, children, the answer is the same. "Friya has become my Harbinger. Her life force and energy signature have forever changed." The Hydra took a short pause to let her words sink in. "She is no longer fully human and needs time to adapt to her new condition. "Friya, your armor doesn't answer your telepathic commands because it doesn't recognize your mana yet. You are still alive, and your imprint has remained, but your energy signature is different from the one that still flows inside your artifacts. Everyone, take out your communication amulets." Everyone did as instructed while Friya tried and failed to access her dimensional storage. Her communication rune on all amulets was still there, but it blinked in and out of existence, as if the amulets couldn't decide whether Friya was dead or alive. "This isn't like a call or a message." Lith said. "The rune itself is blinking, not its light." "Exactly." Faluel nodded. "The same is happening to every piece of your equipment, Friya. My guess is that in a few days your mana flow will stabilize and everything will go back to normal. Until that moment, however, I need you to stay put. "No magic, no training, and absolutely no getting hurt. The life force I gave you isn't enough to save you from another deadly wound, and I can't give you more without putting both our lives at risk. "Remember that if I die, you die. If you die while I'm like this, I'll probably die with you." "I see." All Friya's heads swallowed hard. "What should I do until that moment?" "First, shapeshift into your human form and return to Khidem." Faluel replied. "Soon, people will notice the disappearance of two Council Elders, and you guys need an alibi. Use the tower not to leave a paper trail, go back to your hotel, and have a meal in plain sight." "Fuck me sideways, I had almost forgotten about Salman and why we went to Khidem in the first place!" Lith slapped his forehead. "Having a tail will play in our favor. I bet the Awakened left someone to keep an eye on our hotel. They will be our unwitting witnesses." "What about Salman?" Nalrond asked. "Who?" Faluel blinked in confusion. A quick mind link brought her up to speed and a Warp brought the unconscious Rezar in front of the Hydra. "Leave him with me." She replied. "I'll tell him some bullshit about you knocking him out to protect the secrets of one of my mighty weapons. A country bumpkin like him is easy to fool and has no reason to question my sincerity." It took Friya a few tries to get the hang of shapeshifting without the use of Body Sculpting, but just like speaking from multiple heads, it came natural to her as if she had always done it. "How do I look?" She checked her arm and legs as her tail wagged in anxiety. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞 "Perfect, but you missed a spot." Nalrond chuckled. "Damn tail, stop flashing my ass! Why didn't you give me panties, Solus?" Friya reabsorbed the extra limb, blushing. "Because you wore none to start with." Solus shrugged. "They are uncomfortable and… never mind." Friya sighed. "I still need clothes. These are going to disappear the moment the tower goes away."