“Save your breath, little one. The gods have never cared for the likes of us.”

The small blessing of being reborn was that due to being a young child everything was once again new. Another was that her body tired out quickly.

Or it would have if her body was normal.

Once again, the simple desires of being a mortal were denied to her in the simplest of ways. Even Kalani and Marama were more normal when it came to exhaustion, and the grown woman only needed to sleep every few days.

Whether sleep or mediation, her condition of being a Corpseborn streamlined one’s existence and lessened the need for mundane basic needs to live. This left her with hours of being awake with nothing to keep her mind occupied.

Thankfully, Arima was having issues with sleeping and so often accompanied her into the late hours of the night before sleep claimed them. He rambled about things, or read aloud, but whether to comfort himself or bond, Serena didn’t know.

Regardless, with him at her side keeping her distracted, Serena never had to think about how her world collapsed in on itself. At least not for long.

The shock of being reborn from the ashes of her own life was upsetting enough, but seeing the technological downfall was just as unpleasant. At first, Serena had thought that the lack of decent devices or manatech was due to the price of the items. The scarcity would make sense with the cost of the materials and craftsmen’s effort making it more expensive. Only the wealthy, the creators themselves, or those with connections would have them.

She was quickly disabused of that idea by the introduction of a traveling merchant caravan.

It was practically archaic!

The carriages and covered wagon had seals and markings painted and carved into the framework. From a glance, Serena supposed they had some kind of preservation or barrier function. At worst, it would likely warn of incoming threats.

Each of the wagons was being led by a different set of creatures, with their only shared commonality being their undeath state. None of them were flesh or blood, and all of them were skeletal or mixed with a dark mist that solidified enough to have the bones move.

Undead beasts of burden were common enough for the celestial empire in the past. Repurposing dead animals to create tireless mounts or messengers was even seen as a kind of rank or raw showing of power in some of the regions under their control. As long as the skeletal structure wasn’t harmed too badly, one could repeatedly raise the creatures into their service. They retained some level of intelligence by default, with more even being given if the necromancer who rose them granted it.

Naturally, using the dead or undead really as labor could be frowned upon. Her kin never let anything that could be used for an advantage escape them and used it to the point it became a new normal. However, there were a few that voiced their concerns about raising a body. That tended to involve the difference between raising a body and messing with the soul.

Manipulating the flesh to move past the expiration date was fine in the celestial society’s mind. Messing with the soul could be nearing some nearly invisible and often ignored line.

Serena personally thought that it was best to use everything at one’s disposal. Good and Evil were subjective, with there being no such thing in her mind. Energy was energy, and mana or even ki and gu were all energy when it was said and done. Nothing was forbidden or limited outside one’s imagination and capabilities.

While she knew better than to show off her prowess without a purpose, as that would get stupid rulers killed, Serena also wholeheartedly approved of abilities used by or influencing the mind and the soul.

There was nothing foul or evil about such practices, though bringing back the soul and putting it back into the body could be open for discussion. Ripping out the soul and slamming it back into the body, causing it to rot while they were aware of their body, was just being an asshole. It served no purpose and got people snuffed out, and justifiably so.

Being a Corpseborn left her with a natural affinity for energy, the mind, and the soul. As such, it had affected her physical body to better survive and interact with such shifting and potentially volatile existences. It would be foolish to ignore her own powers and potential to comfort the minds of others.

“That’s so cool!” Arima exclaimed, drawing her attention from the skeletal horse wearing ominous foggy black armor to him. The young boy had a bit of life enter his dim black eyes as he looked at the horse.

Serena took that as a positive and nodded to herself, snuggling back into the comfort of the black wrap. She glanced around, noticing her brother staring at her with an almost unblinking gaze from the sling wrapped around Marama’s torso.

Loras and Senku had similar issues or fascinations at times, so the staring didn’t bother her. She gave him a wide happy grin, trying and failing to control her hand enough to wave at him.

The faint softening in Kalani’s blank lilac gaze and the small smile he gave her, renewed the hope she had for this project in her mind.

Shield and Wand are going according to plan.

Arima was perfectly broken enough to take advantage of. He had no one and desperately craved approval and love. The one person he was desperately clinging to wanted little to do with any of them, and while he was young, the black-haired and eyed boy was intelligent. He could tell he was being led around with Marama.

It was part of why he was clinging to her so much the last few days since she became aware. She couldn’t run away, tell him to back off, or deny him. All Serena could do was listen to him, reach out, and smile.

Words could not express her frustration and hatred for being forced to deal with such a weak and defenseless body. Her only solace was the reduced basic needs of mortals, and that she still became exhausted enough to rest with ease.

Serena took this time to take in her immediate situation. The four-member group was trying to bargain a wandering merchant caravan into taking them on board. Marama mentioned their destination was the port city of Azutria. They would then take a ship to the Slumbering Isle and move to the city of Arsa Lenora.

All of that meant nothing to her.

Where were Azutria and Arsa Lenora? What was the Slumbering Isle and why did it disturb the short and far too round for a traveler man so much? For that matter, what was a Moira Monster Slayer? Why was it unheard of for a Monster Slayer to be discharged from their ranks? Why did the merchants seem to be wary of Marama? What was the Moira Institute? Where was it housed? What was it like?

Only the last question had even a hint of an explanation. The large city they were in was called Netherthorne and seemed to be a mixture of academic and magical marvels, combined with the wealthy elite. Between those two groups were people who looked like mercenaries and other guildsmen, with the massive buildings of the Moira Institute and the affiliated businesses and facilities lined the rocky land.

If one had to describe the place, it was a massive oasis or place of natural beauty, but beyond the outskirts were rocky canyons and cliffs. It was a naturally made location hidden by cliffs and high walls. Over time, mana seemed to modify the natural landmarks, with many buildings on the cliffs.

A large part of her wanted to stay in this hidden city. Perhaps in time, she could attend the schools here, or even formally join the Insitute. The mere hint of academically inclined individuals motivated her to learn more about her situation. There had to be some kind of library or schooling system. At least in the more populated and modern cities.

Arima ran a hand through her hair, causing her to smile and lean into it. He laughed happily at her actions, and that confirmed that this method of making friends and allies would work.

The sound of metal boots hitting the pavement brought Serena’s attention to the owner.

Marama stopped beside them, frustration and annoyance bringing a faint blush to her cheeks. Her pale blue eyes, like a frozen lake, looked at them in turn before breaking the news. “We will be joining them right away. There is an empty wagon they were using as more storage which we can repurpose for the ride. It will take some time to get there since there are a few minor stops on the way.”

That made a lot of sense. No doubt she was able to get them a spot in the Happy Trails Caravan, by selling her services at a drastically reduced rate. The merchants would have a former huntress defend them from any threat, along with being better at perceiving said threats.

Arima asked after her own thoughts, but Marama hesitated in responding. The woman who was always tough but easy-going in the limited time they knew her now faltered, and that alone sent Serena into a cautious state.

“I feel they have alternative motives for allowing us to join them until the port,” Marama said, her voice low.

Arima stiffened and glanced around. He was far too conspicuous about it for his own good and brought a sigh from her. “Don’t do anything that will draw undue attention to ourselves along the way.”

Marama nodded, a brash grin on her face. “You are a really sharp kid. I don’t see any issue with it due to just needing to kill them and still their stuff if they try anything.”

She then walked in the direction of a covered wagon in a minor state of disrepair, laughing all the while.

Serena just stared after her, marveling at the lack of foresight and preparation. She had done a lot of terrible things, but the babe really doubted she did enough to warrant being in the care of a thrice-damned berserker.

She whipped her head back at Arima, hoping he would provide some kind of valuable input. At the very least, they would be on the same wavelength.

“She’s amazing,” Arima said, his eyes twinkling in awe, and Serena lost hope of higher functioning thoughts in this damned group. His eyebrows were scrunched as something occurred to him. “Do you think Marama is aware of how unintimidating she is when carrying a baby?”

Do you intend for her to make that a challenge? From what little Serena knew so far about the woman, she would be jugging the babies or be as messed up as possible just to prove a point.

She really didn’t like where this was going, but there wasn’t much of an alternative.