"I don't care," Strax repeated firmly, his voice carrying a weight that surprised Evelyn. "I don't care about what your fate could have been. What matters now is what you want to become. The past is a burden, but you still have the chance to shape your future."
Evelyn fell silent for a moment, her emotions flickering like shadows across her face. Surprise was quickly replaced by a quiet determination, a spark of hope igniting in her eyes. "You're right, Strax. But I... I don't know if I'm worthy of carrying that weight again. What can I do?
The Spirit Haven is empty, and I'm the only one left."
"Then let's bring it back," Strax said, curiosity growing in his voice. "If you're the last protector, then you have the power to restore it, right? So let's get to it; I have matters to discuss with elves anyway."
Evelyn looked at him, her eyes lighting up with new hope. "You... would do that for me? For a place that has been forgotten? Wait! What do you mean you have matters with elves?"
"Oh yes... I need an Elf Alchemist; I'm in need of help to create three homunculi... Well, four now, since I've got one more... Let's just say I have spirits that need to return to the world of the living."
"W-what?" she stammered, "What do you mean?!!" She looked frightened, realizing the swords were spirits, but... restoring them to the world of the living?! That was madness!!
"Huh? Oh yes... Tiamat, Ouroboros, and Kallamos, come forth for her, will you?" Strax commanded, and three lights appeared, two emanating from the swords at his waist, and the last... well, from his heart.
First appeared the most possessive woman in this world... The Infinite Serpent Dragon, Ouroboros, who looked at Evelyn with pure disdain... she did not like women near HER HUSBAND! And Evelyn had already kissed him!
'Tsc, humans.' She muttered, pouting while crossing her arms.
Unlike her but just as possessive, for she was Ouroboros's rival, Tiamat emerged wearing a dark blue dress that accentuated all her curves as if she were trying to entice Strax, and well, that was exactly what she wanted.
"Hello," Tiamat said, looking at Evelyn... Unlike Ouroboros, who was a complete Yandere, Tiamat took a more... meritocratic approach... After all, if she was nice to everyone, she'd have more advantages in receiving rewards when she became physically touchable.
And lastly... "Ah... crap..." Kallamos murmured, a tiny dragon just 20 centimeters tall...
"Why am I the only one! Why am I the only one who is a little dragon!!!" Kallamos shouted angrily, but her voice was higher than usual, and Strax nearly burst out laughing but held it back...
"pffff... I think pffff... it's because you're not a spirit hahaha you're more like a Familiar hahahaha," Tiamat chuckled at the little dragon.
Strax observed Evelyn's reactions as the entities appeared around her. The atmosphere was thick with tension, Evelyn's confusion and fear evident in her gaze.
Ouroboros stood out, her icy stare fixed on Evelyn as if meticulously analyzing her. "What are you doing near him, human? Your place is far from my husband!" she exclaimed, her voice booming like thunder, echoing in everyone's mind.
Tiamat, intrigued, leaned closer. "And are you sure these souls are ready for this kind of transformation? What will happen to them if we fail?"
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Strax affirmed with determination. "I believe they deserve a new chance. After all, the Spirit Haven was once a place of life, of joy. And if we can restore it, it will be an important step for many."
Kallamos, listening to all this, raised her front paws with a serious look. "I want to help! I want to be more than a little dragon. I want to be a big dragon! And if that means helping you bring back the souls, then I'm in!"
"Well, that's obvious," Tiamat declared, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "The idea of having a physical body is too tempting... After all... I have a husband to 'play with,'" she commented mischievously.
"Tsk, you temptress." Ouroboros murmured. "You say that, but you're dying to have a body so you can finally sit on that big, thick..."
"Another word, and we'll go to war." Ouroboros cut Tiamat off, who just smiled provocatively at her.
"Oh... you two... you need to stop this." Strax said, but...
"NO!" They both shouted at him, while Evelyn looked at both of them, bewildered.
Evelyn watched the scene with a perplexed expression. The dynamic between those entities was as intense as it was comical, and she couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten involved in something so surreal. "I... I don't understand. How does all this work? You're spirits, and now you're talking about having bodies and...
things like that?"
"It's simple, dear," Tiamat said, winking at her. "We want to feel life again, to experience everything a physical body can offer. Imagine being able to touch, feel, and even have a real relationship. We lost our freedom many years ago because of that damn ancestor of the Husband, who sealed our spirits in the swords."
"So, you've been trapped in the swords for a long time... That must have been terrible."
"You have no idea, human," Ouroboros interjected, her tone laced with disdain. "Living in a blade, condemned to be merely a shadow of what we were, is true torment. And Strax, out of his own kindness, decided to give us a second chance. That's why we're here."
"Why are you talking like that now? You're just dying for her to say she knows an alchemist, aren't you?" Tiamat questioned, laughing at Ouroboros. "You're just itching to have a body so you can sit on that—"
"Tiamat, you're getting a bit... weird already," Strax commented.
"She's in heat," Ouroboros said, looking at him neutrally. "It happens from time to time; we are females, after all."
"Oh... right."