Time passed, and Lexie grew.

Along with Ryn, she defeated fifty more levels and numerous other foes. Most of the levels had to do with puzzles, but there was also usually a violent component with Eldritch, or monsters, or swarms of trolls, or other nightmarish things participating in the stories.

Lexie was never sure whether these creatures were real or whether they were just figments of the dungeons' imagination.

She didn't much care. It would be the same result anyway. She often had to destroy them to win. And that was exactly what she did.

Ryn also showed Lexie how to access her rewards screen.

Lexie hadn't noticed it since no notification popped up from it, but she had received rewards for the first few missions they'd passed. The first was a totem, which Ryn explained was a very valuable item on the Fae planet. Ryn even tried to trade all her gold for it, but Lexie refused. She would hold onto the totem until she figured out exactly what it was and why it was so important.

She also earned gold, jewels, Fae crystals, and mana stones.

But out of all of that, the thing Lexie was most excited about earning was dungeon points. They were similar to system points, and she could assign them to any power she wanted. Ryn had used her points to gain and grow new skills. It was a little more complicated for Lexie, since her powers were card-based, but she could use them to beef up her constitution, perception, and strength at the very least, which she did. She also added points to her intelligence and saved the rest.

It would help her evolve faster to assign all the points now, but she might assign those points differently if she had more time to think and more experience. So she waited.

Ryn always gave some of her points to Little Fae to help the girls' constitution.

When Lexie asked her why she bothered, she explained it was her duty to do so.

Lexie was then, against her will, subjected to learning more about Ryn and Little Fae's adventure into this dungeon.

Ryn said she had ended up in the dungeon because she had been searching for an ancient weaving technique that would be able to recover her mother's prized vase, which she had broken. It was supposed to be a relatively simple, quick endeavor. Usually, when the Fae went into the dungeon heart, they only needed to solve a few levels, and once they got what they wanted, they would simply go back to where they came from through the door they came through.

Ryn had passed the test to earn the weaving skill, and she'd tried to go back through the door.

But the door was no longer there.

Since then, she has been trapped and unable to leave.

This dungeon proved to be different than the others. There was no door out. Instead of straightforward puzzles and missions awarding points, the puzzles became convoluted and endless. Ryn believed that it was thanks to the influence of Yasycht. Once his soul had been allowed to take over the dungeon, everything had changed, and he was possibly the one who corrupted the doorway Ryn had passed through, too.

While Ryn searched for a way out, she'd met up with Little Fae and the other male Fae at some point. Those two had reportedly ended up in the dungeon heart while escaping from Eldritch. Since Ryn and the Fae male were both Dark Fae, they decided to team up. Little Fae was apparently something like a princess of the Light Fae, and so Ryn was honorbound to protect her.

Therefore, she concluded by telling Lexie, "If you feel the overpowering urge to kill once more, you should kill me instead and spare her."

Lexie raised her eyebrow. She was just as likely to kill them both, but luckily, she didn't think she would. There were more than enough creatures for her to slake her bloodlust on as the challenges continued.

Most of them involved some level of combat. Typically, in the beginning, Ryn and Lexie would put their heads together to figure out what the level was about and what the puzzle was. Then once they did, Lexie would finally be free to kill things.

Even outside of the levels, they often got attacked by Eldritch and non-Eldritch creatures they happened upon on the way. They'd even been confronted by another reality-altering Eldritch that Lexie had had to fight off. One of them was of Neqal's line.

Lexie tried not to kill all of them instantly. Some of them, she used to practice her soul card on. She started with the weaker ones, the ghouls and the gremlins. Once she activated her magic, they would instantly still and be enchanted by her. She had access to their light. She could dim it or increase it if she wanted to. Their burdens, their pain could be lifted, and Lexie would offer them an alternate form of light, which she still hadn't explored the meaning of yet.

They would then often seek to create a soul bond with her. And when she refused to, some of them would act even more violently than before, and they would attack her relentlessly.

Then, Lexie would be forced to kill them.

Lexie found that she could control the weaker Eldritch, and she could easily turn them into her disciples, causing them to sever bonds with their previous soul line.

But she had not done that yet, not because she wanted to spare them, but because she hadn't found any Eldritch that was all that useful to her. Having a disciple was a lot of work, and she only wanted to get the most useful ones. To her, that was the one who could act independently enough and intelligently enough to solve more levels for her.

The issue was that the more intelligent the Eldritch, the harder they were to control.

Lexie's card did not work uniformly. Some, particularly the more intelligent and more powerful Eldritch, could break her hold, although not without effort.

They often didn't want to, although when Lexie released them, they would flee from her, terrified.

Lexie found that she also could not copy everyone's powers that easily. She'd attempted again with Ryn, and while she could visualize the power and could do simple things like moving a thread here and there, how to channel that power into her own card still required some investigation, mostly due to their different anatomies and heritage.

Lexie was not Ryn, and she was not Fae. Ryn's skills did not work with Lexie's body the same way they did with Ryn's.

Lexie would need to translate the weaving skill into a card to work for Lexie's humano-Eldritch form.

And if she were to make the same cards for humans–not that she ever would, but if she were–she would need to translate that Fae magic into something that could be human-based, and ensure that the magic wasn't too powerful that it would rupture their pathways.

But Lexie didn't have to worry about that. She was no longer human. She was Eldritch, with sturdier pathways, and only had to concern herself with copying the Fae's powers and translating them to an Eldritch intent.

Luckily, she had more card-creating material, and she occupied herself with that as a way to distract herself when the bloodlust became too hard for her to control.

She'd initially thought that controlling the itch would get easier with time, but the more she battled creatures and amassed power, the more she wanted to keep fighting.

The urge grew with the Eldritch part of her, even as she evolved enough to know that she should not kill things she did not need to. It was a waste of time and effort, with little satisfaction to be had. Nevertheless, her goal was still to find and kill the most powerful thing she could, and the itch only got stronger with time.

Lexie could now understand why the most powerful Eldritch had higher awareness and control.

She'd initially thought that she would develop more control the more powerful she got, but it was the other way around. It took more effort to maintain control as she got more powerful, and it was more tempting to let herself become a mindless weapon of destruction. So, it was only through sheer grit and strength that she managed to retain her awareness to do what she needed to do.

Only the strong could survive.

And so she did it and survived, though during some moments, she was plagued with the maddening drive to battle. It made her irritable, so she redirected that energy into making cards, using the magic pen that she still had.

First, she crafted a curse card.

Ryn had initially told her she couldn't teach her about curse magic, but Lexie studied her woven patterns and meditated until she got the intent for it–A Binding Curse.

Even with the intent, it was challenging to figure out how to craft it. That was because she still had to learn Ryn's weaving technique, and it was a secret only Ryn and her family knew.

It was one thing to switch up the threads in the tapestry, and a whole other thing to craft a whole new binding agreement.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Luckily, Ryn finally offered to help her after the thirtieth level.

"Why?" Lexie wondered aloud.

Ryn gave her famous one-shouldered shrug. "I simply recalled that there is a concept in Elven culture known as Guasha. It originated from the ancient Elven tribes, who would often trade food with each other after a famine. If a tribe did not have enough food to trade, they would still receive some food under that concept. It was a sign of brotherhood and community."

Lexie stared blankly, not comprehending.

Ryn tried another method. "I want you to know the magic. Even if I don't leave this place alive, which is a possibility, I would want to give you that. Perhaps it will help you."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Because Guasha."

Lexie shook her head. "You know that I might harm you with this knowledge."

"I know," Ryn said, smiling. "But I am choosing to trust that you won't hurt me or Zu-Lo-Ya."

That confused Lexie. Why would Ryn trust her? She was an Eldritch. They were not creatures to be trusted.

"You should not trust me," Lexie told Ryn. "I am not a thing to be trusted."

"You would not be saying that if it were true," Ryn responded, and before Lexie could say anything, she got up and walked away.

So Lexie, with Ryn's help, eventually learned how to weave a curse bond. She also learned how to translate that into cards. And she made more cards, with more curses.

She created a card that made earth golems, having received the intent for it while thinking about the Fae male.

She also created a card that could recreate parts of her skin.

She even created cards she didn't even need. A card that made tea. A card that would tell her which way the wind was blowing. More and more and more.

She needed to pace herself. It wouldn't do to finish up all her crystals before she got anywhere.

However, outside the levels, there was not much else to do but spend time with Ryn listening to her endless stories about this and that.

Lexie still had not forgotten about the messages that had appeared on the cellphone, and that continued to bother her.

It shouldn't. Those messages had been addressed to Lexie the human. She was not a human anymore.

Yet, they lingered on her mind, bugging her until she opened up the phone and searched through it.

She found that the majority of the messages were from Logan. So were the phone calls. There were also some from Mickie, and a few unknown numbers. One call from her mother, and another call from her father.

Lexie inhaled, and exhaled, and put the phone back in her inventory.

She didn't want to read that. She had simply wanted to appease her curiosity about who was messaging her.

That was all.

She should throw the phone away. She was not using it for anything right now, but there was no harm in holding onto it anyway.

Lexie continued to use her free time to experiment.

She also experimented with the potency of the soul card. She learned that she didn't always need to push that much mana into it. When she didn't, the card was less potent, but it also caused less damage to her mind and soul. When she pushed it more, she caused microtears and fractures in her soul, which affected her memories, amongst other things.

She always regained the memories with time, but she felt a little odd after it was done. Like she was slightly remixing herself each time, and a different person emerged after each session.

That was part of the danger of it, experimenting with her soul, but she kept going, figuring her soul would sort itself out.

During that time, Lexie also decided to experiment with dream magic. If she could find a way to contact Naem through that and steal his power, that would be perfect.

The problem was that it was really hard to sleep in this place.

Neither Eldritch nor Fae slept much, and even if they could, the dungeon made it hard for them to.

There was no peaceful enclave, nowhere really that they could be safe, and it was hard to know how much time had passed. Yet, Lexie wanted to try.

Ryn said it might help recovery if they took naps and took turns keeping watch.

Lexie still did not entirely trust Ryn, so she crafted some earth golems to act as security. They surrounded her, set to destroy anything that came close.

Only then did she attempt to sleep.

It was still hard.

Ryn had to brew a special tea to help Lexie relax. Even with that, Lexie barely felt tired, much less sleepy. Ryn also sang a lullaby, which mostly irritated Lexie.

But eventually, through sheer willpower, Lexie fell asleep.

Instead of going into the realm where she often met Naem, she began to have actual dreams.

Dreams she didn't quite understand. Dreams about a woman with brown hair and sometimes purple hair, holding her, signing to her, dancing around with her, and crying for her.

Those dreams were the worst.

Lexie hated them, and she decided that they were caused by the phone. She would get rid of it, and the dreams would stop.

She woke up to do just that, but then she saw something in her way. Little Fae was approaching one of the golems tentatively, and it was watching her out of the corner of its eyes.

The second she passed its threshold, it lifted a hand in the air, about to smash her.

Without thinking, Lexie pointed and blasted the golem into smithereens.

She also activated Windbreaker, sweeping Little Fae into her arms, before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"Why would you do that?" Lexie yelled at her. "Are you insane? Don't ever do that again. You could have–"

She cut off, as the Fae blinked at her.

It suddenly occurred to Lexie that this was strange.

Why was she furious and...scared over another creature's death?

She shouldn't care if Little Fae died. She'd just met her.

She thrust the child away from her and stormed off.

At some point later, while trying to sleep again with golems set to capture rather than kill, Lexie felt a presence beside her. When she opened her eyes, it was Little Fae, a few feet away, watching her. She'd extended her hand and was offering warmth, and though Lexie was irritated, she didn't do anything to stop her. She simply closed her eyes again and returned to sleep.

She had a dream where she saw a familiar man.

Aiden.

He was working on his pad at the dining room table, and Lexie was attempting to sneak up on him.

She was creeping, her toy dagger in hand, prancing from foot to foot, closing in.

Then, when she thought she was close enough, she pounced, "Hiya!"

The man proved that he wasn't oblivious after all, as he spun around and grabbed her, putting her on the table and tickling the life out of her until she gasped for air.

"Got you, you little bumblebee." He laughed evilly. "You can't sneak up on me that easily, you dastardly villain."

"Daddy!" she yelled, between mad giggles. "Stop! I'm going to pee!"

"Aiden, if she makes a mess of herself, it's going to be up to you to clean it up," another voice, Lara, said as she came up on them with a duster in hand.

"I always clean up," Aiden told her as he tossed Lexie above his head, catching her with magic. He encased her in a forcefield and carried her high while she cheered.

It was fun. Baby Lexie enjoyed being carried in a forcefield because it felt like flying.

"Higher, Daddy," she demanded. "Higher."

"No higher," Aiden said. "We have this thing called a ceiling, honeybee. You'll learn about that when you're older."

With his other hand, he snatched the duster out of Lara's grasp, threw it above her head, and also floated it higher every time she tried to grab it. Lara got frustrated and tackled him to the ground. Lexie stayed in her forcefield, bouncing and enjoying herself as her parents rolled around, grappling with each other.

Lara put Aiden in a chokehold.

Aiden instantly tapped the ground, straining for breath. "You win! You win!"

"Mommy always wins!" Lexie declared.

"That's right, Lexie," Lara said as she pressed a kiss to her gasping husband's cheek. "Mommy always wins."

At that point, Lexie's eyes opened again, and she stared at the red sky, her mood stained with longing and loss.

"Mommy always wins."

"What?" Ryn asked.

"Nothing," Lexie said, wiping what felt like tears from her eyes.

Ryn was giving her an odd look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lexie said, and that was that.

They continued the routine, defeating levels, slaying creatures, and experimenting.

Until they stumbled upon a creature they couldn't quite understand.

The level was a dark, dense, and cold forest, and they were supposed to find their way to a mountain that got further away the more they walked.

As they pushed through the bushes, Lexie said, "I sense things approaching."

"Don't kill them yet," Ryn said. "It might be a clue."

Lexie understood, but it didn't mean that the things wouldn't try to kill her.

Just as she had the thought, an arrow hit her back, and a large feline creature pounced out of nowhere.

Despite the urge to blast it, Lexie instead encased it in a forcefield.

As it fought for release, Lexie pulled it closer.

"Hmm," Ryn said. "I do not think I have seen this creature before. Have you, Lexie?"

"It looks like a tiger." Lexie felt the poison from the arrow spreading, but not fast enough for her to be concerned. She was too busy staring at the tiger.

But suddenly, it raked its sharp claws against the transparent forcefield, and it popped like a bubble.

Ryn yelled Lexie's name as the tiger pounced on Lexie again, digging its claws into her chest.

Lexie tried to activate her soul card, then realized.

It's not a real creature. It's a robot.

As Lexie activated FLAME, it didn't burn the metallic body. She didn't want to VOID it yet, so she hit the creature with a blast of wind, pushing it off, encasing it in a fortified forcefield, and studying it even more.

"Who would make this?" Lexie wondered. "It looks like a human design."

"That's because it is."

They heard a voice behind, and a cloaked figure stepped out of the tree she had been blending in with.

"Who are you?" Lexie asked.

They didn't speak for almost an entire minute, causing Ryn to ask the question again.

"Who are you, stranger? Are you human?"

"I can't believe it," they finally whispered, but they weren't looking at Ryn. They turned to Lexie. "I thought you might be a human, but I didn't think it would be you. Even after I heard the name. Lexie...Sparrowfoot?"

Lexie's hand froze in the air. "Yeah?"

The person removed her cloak, revealing a mousy human female with short brown hair streaked with grey.

"I am Cecilia Horan," she said. "I knew your mother."

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