A gale smashed into Nilbog, the influx of power tearing itself into him, covering his skin like a cloak in their pressure. His limbs moved with abnormal smoothness as he stepped to the side, turning his body sideways, the Ash Goblin’s bone dagger nearly skidding open his guts.

Nilbog did not stop turning, even as he dodged the blade. He let himself face the same way the Ash Goblin had lunged, and with what was left of his right hand he reached up, catching the Ash Goblin’s wrist. He pulled it down.

Amplified Deviation, he heard someone whisper.

The Ash Goblin flew. As if thrown by some mighty force, the goblin went spinning over its brothers. It splattered against the tree, taking 102 Blunt Damage. This time it did not get up.

The Life Siren’s Song flows through you.

Unbidden Wrath

Song Rank: Rare

As long as your heart still beats, you will move to the best of your strengths. Blood will flow back into your veins and your fallen limbs will seek you.

You will gain Song Points by killing or dealing damage. Style will further increase the Song Point gain.

At the cost of Song Points, you can recover 5 points of Bleed and Slashing damage per 1 Song Points spent. The cost of healing Blunt damage is doubled. Reforming limbs will require 10 additional points.

Song Points: 0/100

Duration: 20 seconds.

Damage taken will reduce the duration, while damage dealt will increase it up to 40 seconds.

A flashy beginning to the Song has provided you with an additional 10 Song Points!

Song: 14/100

Nilbog stared blankly at his body. He could almost see the wind flowing on his limbs like a vortex, engraving itself into his skin and bones. His breath came easy and soft.

Blood floated from the ground and into his wounds. His fingers flew back up, attaching themselves. It wasn’t his Shapeshifting skills. He had no part in this.

The music, Nilbog numbly realized. He felt its power flow in his blood.

The voice urged him to step back. He did and was surprised to see another buffed Ash Goblin lung by him.

Reach out, the voice grew around him. It was an order he could not refuse. Survive. That’s all he must do, even at the cost of giving up control. His hand had stretched forward, tapping the Ash Goblin’s smooth, round head.

It went down. Straight down, its head plunging into the ground. The rest of its body swayed above it limply.

Congratulations! You have unlocked your body’s aptitude for Mana!

Warning. You have used an overwhelming amount of Mana. Limit your use of Mana or you will incur permanent damage.

Chance of spontaneous combustion: 0

Warning. You do not have the required skills to duel wield Life Force and Mana.

Meet the requirements as soon as possible or permanent damage will occur.

Chance of spontaneous combustion: 0

It wasn’t him. He didn’t know how to use Kinetic Mana or any form of Mana, but the bar appeared in the corner of his vision anyway, below his Life Force. Breath, the voice said, now slightly clearer. It was feminine. Distant but familiar. He did this, too, and was rewarded with more power.

Congratulations, you have unlocked your hidden aptitude to the Dancer Profession!

Life Dancer

There is no inherent power in names, for it is sound that guides the flow of Source.

Listen well if you wish to be a conduit.

I. Gain a 10% increase to all parameters while under the effects of a Song.

II. One of your Siren’s special traits allows you to silently cast skills.

The Life Siren, Kara The Defier, has begun your initiation as a Life Dancer!

You will gain the Life Dancer profession if the initiation succeeds.

An extensive number of tables filled his mind. A stronger headache began to ring in his head, but he ignored it. He turned his attention to the next Ash Goblin. It moved carefully towards him as the chanting intensified. It had a sword and was fully flame.

“That would not do,” he heard himself say, his voice foreign and his lips numb. He reached forward with his other hand, surprised to find it attached. It blurred each time he blinked. Everything began to numb. Colors began to fade away into black and white, and even then it was dimmed, as if he was watching through a tiny hole.

1st Rank Gravity Pull.

Its feet dragged against the ground, as if something was pulling it. Unable to resist, the Ash Goblin dashed forward, swinging its sword.

Drowsiness overcame him then, closing his eyes for him. When he finally tugged them open the goblin’s sword past his side, with Nilbog’s own fists swinging at its face.

Nilbog wanted to scream but his body would not listen to him. It was in a semi-state flame. Hitting it would burn if not crush his bare hands.

Something pulled at Nilbog’s heart. It felt like something was pulling on his insides. The pain was so great that his vision dimmed again, and once he opened his eyes again his fist was glowing yellow.

Deviation.

For a split second, the mist that fed the Ash Goblin’s flames swung up, leaving its body bare.

His fist met the goblin’s nose, went forward, caved it in, and flipped it backward. By the time it struck the ground the goblin had taken 255 damage and died.

Song Bar

2/100>6/100

He had to run, to escape the circle, but drowsiness came back stronger this time. He took two steps before the darkness overcame him.

Sentient Killer Activated.

The difference between Danger Ranks has increased the effects of Sentient Killer by 50%.

You have failed to resist Life Siren’s Requisition.

***

Life Siren’s Requisition

You are in the process of possessing this body. Maintain control until the Soul submits to exert dominance over their body.

Be warned that if Life Siren’s Requisition is successful, it will end the Dancer’s initiation and will change the skills that will become available to you.

Kara looked at her hands. She felt the cold at the tips of her ears, the exhaustion in her muscles. She saw the world in its fullest, in all its gray and red.

And her heart! It beat! She felt it hammer against her chest. Her blood flowed and she felt its warmth and painful coldness of the air when she breathed.

“I’m alive,” she whispered, clutching her face in disbelief. “I’m alive. Alive! I can breathe, I can see, I can…” her words failed her. Her senses were overwhelming. She could barely think as she jumped from one forgotten sensation to the other. “What do I do? What do I do?” Kara didn’t know where to begin.

One enchanted goblin stepped towards her and then retreated, luring her in as those on her flank lunged forward. She stepped forward, dodging the strike from behind, but the goblin kept retreating, keeping her at bay with his sword.

“Stop it. Go away,” she said, reaching inside her only to be disappointed. Her resources were lacking. Two 1st Rank Kinetic skills and her Mana was already down to 98 from a pathetic 120. She couldn’t blow them all away.

One of the Ash Goblins from behind and to her left prepared to attack as the one in front of her inched closer.

“Stop for a moment, I’ll kill you later. Just let me enjoy this a bit mo—”

The empowered goblin tossed a Life Force Ball at her. It was slow and weak and barely a foot in size, but it was so mesmerizingly beautiful Kara just stood in place, staring as it flew towards her. A part of her wanted to get hit by it. It’s been decades since she’s felt the heat of life force on her skin.

It was hard, but better judgment won. She used a Deviation at the last moment, turning it a few degrees from her. It struck one of the goblin’s that moved in to attack her.

The Notes were alive all around her, providing vision. She had no blind spots. She didn’t need to allocate most of her attention to move her body, nor did she need to meticulously study the flow of Mana and Life Force. She can move with desire alone, see with eyes, and aim her skills. There was no delay and endless calculations. The lag between the real world and her were gone.

She was here, alive. Alive. Every time she said that word it became even more strange.

She stepped to the left, knocking the blade to the right with the palms of her hands and catching the Ash Goblin’s wrists. She bent forward, allowing a spear to pass right behind her. She knocked it up with her tailbone as she began to multi-cast her skills.

More goblin’s jumped towards her with their spears and daggers, but it was too late.

Deviation. 1st Rank Kinetic Burst. Amplification. 1st Rank Gravity Pull.

She deviated the Life Force that moved through the air to the ground, disabling the Ash Goblin’s Unity skill for a spare second. At the same time she created a Kinetic Burst on the right side of her body that pushed her to the left. Third, she Amplified the momentum of her turn. Finally, she pulled every goblin towards her with a gravity skill.

The result was that she spun in circles at maddening speeds, so much that her arms threatened to snap while she held the goblin. In fact, her elbows did break while both of shoulders were dislocated. She felt pain again. It was still detestable but Kara couldn’t help but feel thankful for its existence.

You have dealt 154 Blunt damage!

You have dealt 185 Blunt damage!

You have dealt 143 Blunt Damage…

Song Bar

4/100>100/100

The Ash Goblin proved to be a wonderous weapon. Any goblin she struck flew away. Damage numbers crowded the corner of her vision. Once she whacked every goblin in range she released her grasps, aiming it towards one of the ones that escaped her Gravity Pull. Both fell, and neither got up.

Their HP did not strike zero, but the injuries they received rendered them incapable of fighting. The experience she received was the same as if she had killed them. She got 8 notifications informing her of their defeat, and then 8 more strange ones informing her that she was unable to gain experience due to not meeting her body’s “requirements.”

Too much to think about. She couldn’t process that bit, so she just left it aside for later in favor of repairing her body. She used up half of the Song Bar to heal to full, though the dizziness still remained. At first, she thought it was all the spinning, but after a few moments she realized she had forgotten to breathe. Would have been a funny way to lose this body. Kara laughed it off—actual, full laughter. She could not handle all this joy.

Only two goblins left. Both cowered, squealing as Kara struggled to find her bearings.

She coughed more blood. This body was too weak to handle anything. She felt whatever meal her Dancer ate coming up to her throat. And all this pain. She had forgotten what it felt like. How she missed its misery.

That’s the way it should be. This was how everything should have been. There was no sound, anymore, but her humming and the wheezing of the goblins around her.

She began to giggle. She held her stomach tightly, attempting to contain them. “Alive! Alive” she yelled, laughing in between fits of blood. It was the only word that could explain what she felt. So many sensations struck her simultaneously that she couldn’t decide what to focus on. She didn’t want to miss a single one of them.

“Come, I have more to show! Much more!” She yelled, stepping forward, and hitting the ground with a thump.

Not again, Kara thought as all her senses began to vanish.