Climbing out of bed with a groan, I head to the kitchen.

  Looking in, Lumi’s cooking up some breakfast, making me smile a bit. “Morning Lumi.”

  “Oh! Morning Salka, how’re you feeling?”

  Shrugging a bit, I walk over and get some juice from the fridge. “A little better. It’s slow, waiting for half your soul to heal. It’s not even supposed to be possible, you know?”

  “It isn’t?” Her ear cocks to the side as she looks at me, making me chuckle a bit.

  Pouring myself a glass of juice, I take a sip. “Not at all. Soul damage is… insidious. Permanent. Even just having a small section shaved off is enough to alter the mind. If you get a good scar, you’ll never be the same. And half of it… it collapses.”

  “Then… how?”

  Sitting down and sipping my juice some more, I look at myself in the reflection of a picture on the wall. Tired and sore. “Well, the spell I used split me in half, and created a reflection of my soul just like the Others do to create themselves in our image. I mean it’s a bit more complex than that but… that’s the gist of it.”

  She serves me some breakfast before putting Yuna’s under a cover to stay warm. The cat’s been sleeping in a lot. I would too, but my mind is too active to do so. “So… you cut yourself in half, and sent one half to deal with her, and left the other half here, so when one died the other lived.”

  Nodding at that, I take a bite and smile a little. “Delicious as always. Thanks Lumi.”

  Blushing a little, she nods. “Welcome. But… did you know you’d die?”

  “I had an idea. But, feeling every organ in your body get torn out one at a time isn’t painless. I’m amazed at how well Yuna handled it… or maybe that’s simply our will to survive.”

  Shivering at the thought, Lumi takes a bite of her own food. “Scary… are all otherworld things so mean?”

  “Oh, no, not at all.”

  Ear cocking as she eats, I take that as doubt. “Yes, really. Some are malicious, but not out of cruelty, most of the time. A lot are simply predators who don’t care for their prey, like Mira or the Other. But some are just curious creatures that misunderstand us and cause us harm by mistake.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “...that’s sad.”

  Shrugging, I eat some more food. “Maybe, but it’s not their world anyhow. Those who do come here do it out of curiosity more than anything.”

  “Makes sense… oh, um, I found something in the bath yesterday.”

  Raising an eyebrow, I half question if it’s gonna be a furball, before she pulls out a piece of metal and places it on the table. “Is this yours?”

  Blinking in surprise, I look down at my good carver arm before letting it unfurl from my flesh… and there it is, a chunk of it broke off.

  “Crap, it is. Ha… guess I need to get these things replaced after all.”

  She flinches a bit. “Is that… bad?”

  Shaking my head, I take another bite, realizing I’m already done with my food. “No, not at all. It’s just that it’s too expensive to fix, I might as well get it replaced with a different model, or outright with another implant.”

  “Oh, cool. Maybe you could get the wire implant I heard about? Or the beast arms?”

  I can’t help but laugh. “You remind me of my brother now, haha. Alright, I’ll add those as considerations.”

  She blushes a bit, her tail swaying, before she grabs the plates and cleans them off. “Alright… um, why have me do all this in advance, by the way? Like, before you went in? You must’ve had a clear reason.”

  Slowly standing, I nod. “Yes… it’s because of our souls. The only way to recover minor damage is through comforts of the soul. And love is one such way. A loving meal or lovingly prepared bath. And so far it’s working well, I’d say.”

  Smiling, she nods, her tail swaying high and happily in the air. “I’m glad. I was worried I wasn’t doing much, but glad to know my cooking is so good it can heal a soul~”

  I stare, before laughing to myself. “You’re not wrong. It’s better than Mom’s cooking.”

  “Thanks… though, you never really spoke about her much. What was she like?”

  Frowning a bit, I lean against a wall, brushing a sudden cobweb off my arm. No clue when it got there.

  “Well… she was a character. Very loving, always preaching to get with someone we love regardless of looks or success.”

  Smiling, she glances at me, a look of nostalgia in her eyes. Her Mom must’ve said the same. “Aww, that’s sweet.”

  Nodding, I close my eyes. “...it is, isn’t it? But… she had her flaws, like anyone else. It was her and dad’s arguments that drove me to join the military, and try to support my siblings and them…”

  Sighing, she dries her hands off before walking over and giving me a hug. “Hey, don’t blame yourself. You didn’t know, and couldn’t have known.”

  Patting her back, I nod. “I know, I know. Thanks… I think Mom would’ve loved to meet you.”

  Blushing a bit, she nods. “Thanks.”