Knowledge and Power: Reborn into a society that only values strength.

Somehow Mo got back before Isy did… Which was honestly kind of scary, how efficient she was.

"He said he had trouble saying it out loud and also would rather not have me hear it, so he wrote it all down quickly. Here." She smiled. "It's almost like I'm running love letters between you two."

I growled, not bothering to respond to that last part and opening the letter. 

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Please burn this after reading it…

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'Well… We're off to a great start…'

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As requested, these are the events that took place as I witnessed them. After I went to sleep I was woken up by a pressure on my chest and what felt like a bug bite stinging on my collar. When I opened my eyes it was still dark and hard to see, so admittedly I first thought you were a monster trying to eat me and threw you off, but when you landed I thought you might have hit your head into one of the shelves, and upon realizing it was you I quickly got up to check if you were ok. When I got close though you seemed to be fine, constantly moving your jaw as if you were chewing, but with nothing inside your mouth, and rubbing your chest as if it hurt. You started to grab and pull on your shirt but I stopped you before you could take it off, then you bit into my arm. I tried to pull back but your jaw was so strong that I couldn't get away. As a last resort I tried fighting you, but I was completely overpowered. Eventually, you let go, snarling and pushing against your teeth with your thumbs.

I took the chance to try and grab a staff in hopes of keeping you at a distance, but before I had taken my second step a sharp jerk pulled me back and you bit me several more times licking the blood from the marks. As I staggered around trying to get you off I tripped and while I was trying to regain my balance you shoved me down onto the bed and jumped on top of me, hooking your legs on mine and grabbing my arms with a grip that felt strong enough to crush me if I moved…

I decided not to yell for help, as I didn't want rumors to spread about you being a wild beast, and so all I could do was wait. No… Admittedly, I was paralyzed by your eyes, as though I were starting at a real dragon. I didn't decide anything but rather stopped thinking altogether.

When I stopped struggling you finished tearing my shirt off and continued biting into me everywhere you could, sometimes multiple times in the same place. Your whole body began to turn red and the veins around your eyes glowed gold. It also looked like you had scales growing out just next to them. Then you suddenly sat up and paused, and I could feel your legs shaking as your eyes began to rapidly dilate and undilate until they changed color and you began trembling even more.

While it certainly was… An experience… I didn't hate it… Or… What I mean to say is I don't hate you for it. Regardless of the reason it was clear you weren't yourself. It was just a lot to take in. That's why I yelled at you to get out. I never meant to blame you, and certainly didn't want you to feel guilty to the point of tears. I hope this information helps.

Kal.

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slowly putting down the letter, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Did he have to put in EVERY detail? It feels like I'm reading something… Beyond the scope of my age…" I sighed, rubbing my face.

"I told him to put as much detail in as possible because it might help you figure out how to stop it from happening again, as well as what exactly happened in the first place."

"Ah… Thanks…"

"His writing makes him sound just as awkward as you…"

I quickly snapped up and grabbed the letter, crumpling it up. "YOU READ IT!"

"Wow, your face is really red. Were you hoping something more would happen?"

My eyes slowly widened.

"Relax… I didn't get through the whole thing… But you know… Gathering information is basically my job now… Thanks to you…"

I quickly tore the letter to shreds before I could breathe again, sitting back down. "If you want to know so bad I'll just tell you! Basically… I-I… I overpowered him and forced him down… He couldn't get me off, and he didn't call people because he thought it might affect my reputation…"

"Or at least that's his excuse."

"THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED! Ugh… Can we just drop it now…" My voice fizzled out into a whine. "I'm starting to think you want to get a letter telling you to kill me…"

"Careful, you don't want to wake Rune. This conversation is best kept to adults."

"You're a freaking kid too! And stop making it sound so dirty…"

She leaned all the way to the side, her hair falling after her before she slumped forward. "I'm actually Older than you… Although I don't know how much. My father never reported any of our births, so whatever he said our age was, that was our age… He kept me out of the academy for a long time so I could go on missions with him, but eventually, he had to send me here, otherwise it would be impossible to name me as his successor…"

'Ok… So you're like 15…' "You're still just a child…" 'wait… no that's not right…'

She waved her hand, her neutral expression taking hold of her again. "Please. I'm way more grown up than you. I've seen a lot of stuff while on jobs you know. Assassinations are best done when the target is alone and at night, preferably asleep. Which happens after adult activities, so I have to wait until then. Of course, I can't take my eyes off them… Or they might do something tricky… So…"

I shook my head, trying to ignore what she was implying. "No, forget about that… You're not older than I am."

"What?"

[Mo]

[Age: 12]

"You're… The youngest one here Mo… My eyes can read your age… The same way I saw into your soul… Your dad didn't like about how old you were…"

Her pale skin slowly curled into tiny bumps before her whole body shuddered. Even after that, she stayed still for a long time. "Ok… But I'm not a child… I'm able to keep a level head no matter what goes on. That makes me more grown up than you."

"No matter what goes on…" I repeated slowly. 'She stiffened up again… I guess it wasn't all just the pellets.'

"Yes. Like I said, I can't take my eyes off the target, no matter what they are doing. I've seen things."

"That doesn't make you a grown-up… That makes you a pervert…" I rolled my head to the side and looked back at her, watching her seriously contemplate whether or not I was right. Although judging from what I knew about her I seriously doubted it. If it wasn't for the events of that day, I would have been easily convinced she had no concept of attraction to anyone or anything, much less physical attraction to a guy. "I was joking…" I muttered. 

"Oh, ok."

'Why does she only act like a robot half the time…' I paused and looked back at her, analyzing her body. It was cold, her skin still bumpy and though her breath was unaffected, I could feel her manna stifling, like she was choking on it. 'I think I get it… It's a defense mechanism… To protect herself she becomes perfect and inhumanly rational…'

I stepped forward and hugged her, making her stiffen up even more. 'Was this not the right move?' After a moment I let go, and after a few more she let her shoulders fall slightly forward, breaking her perfect posture. "Uhm… Am I really a pervert… I… Don't actually know what that word means exactly…"

I closed my eyes and let out a heavy sigh with a wide smile. "I said I was joking remember… And don't worry. It's nothing important…"

Rune suddenly pushed herself up slightly, rubbing her eye with her other hand. "I can smell it…" She slurred together her words sleepily.

'I guess it's time to eat. The footsteps down the hall must be Isy.'