It was dark. Somehow I was back in the mine tunnels, and the hordes of zombies were after me. I ran down one of the unmarked tunnels, going away from the shuffling of the dead's feet. I heard the lich cackling.

"We got her cornered, your Highness!" The lord of the undead reported.

"Good. She thinks she can escape me, but she will be mine. Send the troops forward!" Marduk ordered.

I kept running but I slipped and fell down on the stone floor. I soiled my clothes in panic. I screamed. The hordes of the dead reached me. They surrounded me and grabbed me by the wrists. I struggled but they kept telling me to calm down. I fought back, kicking, biting, screaming. The dead held me. They cradled me. They soothed me.

They called my name.

"Sandra! Sandra! Wake up!"

One of the zombies was Brandon. It was my fault that he died. I froze in terror and kept staring at his decaying face.

"No, please no..." I mumbled.

"It's a dream. A bad dream. Wake up. Everything is fine. Wake up, Sandra."

I was dragged down the dark dead mine tunnel by the horde until the sunlight hit my face. I blinked and saw above me the blue sky, a few wisps of white clouds and the scorching sun on the other side of a windowsill.

How could it be? I was hundreds of meters underground...

I was in Abil-Kisu's home. And had just made a fool out of myself.

"Brandon..." I felt too ashamed to look in his eyes. And I did something nobody over a certain single-digit age should do.

"It's alright. You had a bad dream," He whispers to me. "It will go away with time, but you must rest."

I hugged him and cried. I hadn't felt this vulnerable ever since professor Andrews attacked me. I remembered what happened yesterday and looked at my right hand. It was dry and wrinkled but I could feel and move it a little. I'm wasn't wearing the clothes from yesterday. I was wearing nothing underneath a fancy linen robe.

"My clothes?"

"Miss Arwia has them. Your mattress is over there. They wanted to burn your clothes because it was covered in pus and blood but I told them to keep it. I know how protective you are of your things."

I attempted a smile. That was so sweet. "Have Arwia cut the smallest piece of them and bring these pieces to me."

He creased his eyebrows. "Later. Rest and eat first."

Brandon moved to pick me up and put me in bed. Before he moved me, I Decomposed the water out of the mess I did. At least I was dry now. He gently laid me on the bed, leaned over me, and brushed my hair out of my face. He had a smile so nice I wanted to drag him with me. I had no strength to do so though.

"I am going to get you something to eat and drink. You are forbidden to get out of bed."

I smiled and raised my left hand to make the salute I saw the soldiers do. "Yessir!"

He chuckled and left the room. After the door closed, I got out of bed to undress, clean these robes and the stain on the floor. I also wanted to check out my condition. I'd lost a lot of fat. I would say almost all of it, especially in some places where it will be missed. They might grow back. Or not. My hand seemed to be regrowing. I couldn't grasp anything or make complex movements but it was alive.

I pulled my hair and no tufts came out. No alopecia even though I was sure the dose of radiation I was exposed to would kill me many times over. It led credence to the theory that my power was tailored to deal with radioactive contaminants. Was Tarhun expecting me to clean the Harbinger's mess?

I would have to see the snow. See the regions the Harbinger War destroyed. I had zero desire to do that. No, no, no. I wanted to stay quiet, mine my ores, take care of my people, and raise my children. Share my knowledge, advance the technology of the world, work in the background to make people's lives better. Make friends, have fun, and so on. Basically, live my life.

Anyway, back to my own body. The boon said it would be restored to its pristine state. I had only a faint idea of what that meant but at least the "pristine state" doesn't include body hairs. I can only imagine the trouble of shaving every day.

My musings about magical pilosity were interrupted by the sounds of movement outside the room. I picked up the robes and with some difficulty, put them on. I was about to return to bed when the door opened. Belle-Sunu entered with a food tray.

Brandon was right behind her. "Ahem!" He cleared his throat, clearly amused.

He smirked as he caught me clearly disrespecting the rules. And since I couldn't tie the robes properly, in a mostly slovenly way. The only silver lining was that the flesh was burnt and shrunk together with the loss of the fat or there would be some dangling sagging bits on display.

I threw myself at the bed to lie on my stomach and hide whatever modesty I could salvage. Belle entered the room and left the tray on the desk before she came to help me make myself presentable. She stole glances at Brandon a few times and seemed to be enjoying the situation. I bet it will make some good gossip fuel.

"What do you think you were doing?" Belle asks me. "You untied your robe for what? It's..." Belle took the tip of the sash, flipped me over and fixed the robe, tying it with a double knot. Then she leaned on my ear and asked, "Why didn't you use the chamber pot?"

Damn.

"Sorry," I could explain I was too busy having a nightmare but that freckled face wasn't scolding me. She was all smiles. So I just apologized.

"Hey, big man," Nanna's voice came from behind Brandon, "Let me through."

"Come inside, Brandon," I told him.

Both entered the room. Nanna circled around and sat by my side. "Stupid girl, what did you do to yourself?" She asked with a neutral voice. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or angry.

Brandon moved closer. He seemed very interested. I sighed and confessed.

"The gemstones Marduk sent to Hama-Tula, the Enshi and his nephew had an insidious poison. One that can kill a person just by staying near it. I gathered all the poisonous gemstones and was about to dispose of them when I used my power the wrong way and it burned me. The poison was neutralized but I became like this."

Nanna touched and poked me, pulled my eyelids, my hair, and rubbed her finger on my cheeks. "LIke this, she says! You almost died, girl. For real. Stupid Tarhun," She blasphemed.

I always found odd the apparent intimacy with which Nanna speaks of the major god of this world's pantheon.

"Was that poison that bad, Mrs. Nanna?" Belle asked.

"The worse 'poison' there is," the witch answered, putting a hint of snark on the 'poison' word. "Its damage is irreversible. Well, irreversible if you are not her," She completed pointing at me. "But even she will have drawbacks. You, girl. No using powers for three days. Don't use the tools of your world, don't go Decomposing things. You already pushed it too far by using it for something as trivial as clearing your excreta."

I wished I was a turtle and could hide inside the robe. Was it that obvious what happened here?

"What impressed me was that she became like that in a single afternoon," Brandon commented. "I've seen what happened to the Enshi but that happened over several months."

"It is because my power released all the energy of the poison at once, Brandon," I answered him. "And absorbed the bad energies into my body. Otherwise, it could be really bad."

Like, destroy the city bad.

Nanna shook her head. "Well, what's done is done. You," She poked me in the forehead. "You live for three days as an ordinary person to save your energy, rest, eat your fill, and drink enough water. Can you do that?"

Three days? I had... She poked me in the forehead again.

"There's no emergency happening," The witch ranted, a little angry. "The army is defeated, the Enshi is crowned. The little brats you cherish so much are all around, bothering everyone. Stay home and rest. Otherwise, you might damage yourself forever. Your magical energy is too low. It makes you vulnerable. And with your track record for getting hurt, it might spell your end. Ah. I can see in your eyes. Youth."

Nanna stood up and straightened her toga. Then she went and poked Brandon in the chest.

"Captain, that is your mission. You are to stay next to the lady over there and make sure she uses not her powers for the next three days. I don't care if she has to bathe, use the outhouse, or anything. You don't leave her side."

Now, that was a low blow. But even my irritation at the witch's meddling stopped me from noticing how imposing she was when she gave Brandon orders. It seemed as if she had grown taller. I knew Nanna was a mysterious person and hid most of her talents, but I was itching to know her background. And if she was going to make me stay three days in house arrest, I would make damn sure to try all I could to get under that wrinkled skin.

"I..." Brandon glanced at me as he spoke to Nanna. I nodded. "I accept your mission, Mrs. Nanna. I will be lady Rinaldi's bodyguard."

"Yes. You do that. And you, girl. Once you can hold a spoon with that hand of yours, come and see me. I can see in your face you have something to ask me."

Thank you, O wise witch. Three days without my clothes, without my storage, without my devices, three days going commando. That would be... I had no idea. Maybe it would be good. I could consider it my vacation.

Everyone waited for the witch to vacate the room before we returned to life.

"You heard the wise witch, Sandra," Belle slid a hand under my back and helped me sit on the bed. Then she spoke with the cheekiest voice I've ever seen she do. "Time to eat. Captain, would you please feed the lady while I help her sit?"

"Have your fun, Belle. I'll get you later," I whispered to her.

She giggled. Brandon moved a chair next to the bed and took the bowl of soup and the wooden spoon from the tray. He sat on the chair and took a spoonful of soup, smiling at me as he moved the spoon my way.

I wanted to tell him to stop, revolt against this house arrest and tell everyone I was fine, but that would be unreasonable. They just looking after me. I resigned and opened my mouth.

Belle tapped my shoulder and cooed. "Good girl. Now eat everything."

The first spoonful disarmed my defenses. Damn tasty soup. Even though I could still feel the gamy taste of the meat, it was good. I must admit that I'd been neglecting my nutrition. And I needed it to see if my body would return to its healthy state. I looked too much like the undead in the mines.

The mines! I had to go there and reach the brine pool to get iodine. But maybe I had some in the "trace oxides and salts" bag from the leftovers I got from the water purifying. I could...

I could leave it for later.

I ate my soup like a good girl. Maybe a holiday wasn't that bad. Maybe... No. This would be the perfect opportunity to get to know Brandon. Yes, I couldn't let him slip. And there was a lot we needed to talk about. Brandon handed the empty bowl and spoon to Belle, who produced a cloth napkin to wipe my mouth. Then she circled around Brandon's back, winked at me and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

I drew the line where she started to sing about us under a tree.

"Thank you," I purred. "the soup was delicious. What should we do now?"

He raised an eyebrow. I guess I overdid. "You should lie down and rest, and I--"

"Won't get away from me for three whole days. There's room for two in this bed and I want to talk to you."

He gave me a slight frown as if he was reluctant. I tapped the bed.

"Besides, Belle-Sunu will tell everyone we are in here alone anyway. What is holding you back?"

"I don't want to hurt you," He replies, pretty unsure of himself.

I shrugged. "Then don't. You know I am very resilient. And if you do something that hurts me, I'll tell you. You just have to stop. And don't give me that macho crap that 'I can't stop once I start', because that's a lie."

He sighed. I don't know if it was a sigh of relief or one of exasperation. Then he removed his boots, untied his belt, and dropped his leather trousers. I didn't notice it at the bathhouse but the hairs of his leg are also blonde. The tunic was doing a poor job of hiding everything else because Clark was in that state of readiness when he is about to pull his shirt open.

Okay, time to egg me. I named him.

I slinked away from the edge and he laid down on the bed. It was awkward and we already spooned once. We were facing each other.

"So, Captain Brandon Al-Amir, what's your story?"

"Not so interesting. I am from a lost realm far to the south, beyond the ocean. My parents were craftsmen, my mother a tailor and my father a carpenter. They were friends with master Samus and one day when I was seven years old, I went with him to one of his shopping trips to the mines. We were away when the Death Snow hit our city. Everyone else... Well, the Snow leaves no survivors. At least not for long. They eat the people from the inside and make the land unusable.

"Master Samus took me with him as we fled to the north continent. We settled in Es-Kina as it is a good trade HUB and there was one of my mother's friends living here. I told you about her, Madam Cloe, the seamstress. Why didn't you visit her yet? She can make the most wonderful dresses for you. Although with the state of the city, it would be hard to find fine fabrics. The caravans will avoid coming here at all costs, with that many soldiers raiding the countryside."

I felt guilty. I should've visited her for a long time already. And I had a dozen bolts of dyed silk cloth to use, rotting away in my storage. Well, not rotting since the storage was timeless.

"What about the raiding soldiers? What can we do about them?"

"Not much. They are spread out and usually, they end up preying on each other. Without the strength of numbers and the command of their officers, they won't dare to come closer to the city and we dispatched enough soldiers to the outlying villages that they won't try to raid there too. So it is a problem that will be a problem for some time but will solve itself. Most of them will tire of living in the wasteland and go elsewhere.

"And as word comes out that able-bodied foreign men are up for grabbing around here, slave traders will come to try and capture them. Yet another reason to not linger around. In a few months, the only trace of their passage will be the thinning of the game that way, and it was never an area vibrant with life. We just need to cordon them to the west and southeast so they don't go around. But we know what to do. They won't get past us. You did a great job scaring..."

I took a deep breath and hid my face in the pillow. "I didn't do great, Brandon. Killing is wrong. However justified I was in killing Marduk and destroying their supplies, I did a terrible thing. I can say with certainty that I am not a big fan of utilitarianism. It tastes bitter."

"Utili-what?" He asked phonetically, clearly confused with the word that had no translation.

"It is a theory that an action can be justified if the overall benefit is greater than the cost. As in by killing Marduk, his officers and thousands of his soldiers, I saved a town with thousands more and protected my people."

he reached with a hand and moved my hair behind my ear. Then he caressed my earlobe. "That sounds right. You did well. I will repeat it until you accept the truth."

"It might take a dozen years or more," I teased.

He raised both eyebrows, "Just that? I thought you would try and hook me for life."

I opened my eyes wide and stared at him. Then I lowered my eyebrows. I know a loaded statement when I see one.

"Are you up to being hooked for life? Isn't the great captain the target of many a lady's affections?"

He showed me both palms. "I'm completely free."

I poked his palm and to my surprise, he quickly flicked his pulse and grabbed my hand.

"You know, I heard what they said and saw the young ladies at Abil-Kisu's party swooning over you. I bet you got dozens of marriage proposals that day alone."

To my dismay, he nodded. "I did. More than a dozen," He reported with a shrug and not a hint of emotion. "Unfortunately I am a soldier that doesn't take bribes. I don't have the gold to buy one of those noble ladies. And I don't want a feisty woman as a wife. Those delicate dolls that will demand a lot of money to maintain them."

He didn't let go of my hand. His eyes were fixed on me as he said the previous sentences.

"Not much money to spend on ladies. I had a few friends like that."

Some guys back at the U lived on instant noddles, chicken, and third-grade beef. They usually joined some activist groups to get to know people and try to win the sympathy of a girl in that group. Save the world and get laid, that sort of thing.

"Yes, I can't remember the last time I visited a brothel," He said with a dash of snark and a pinch of self-derision.

I didn't know if I should groan or laugh. He was being so cheeky!

"I know your game, mister. And the only winning move is to keep my legs shut."

Damn.

Why the heck did I try to imitate him and ad-lib something like that without thinking twice? Please, Tarhun I want the power to reverse time and take back that line. Why? Why? My cheeks were on fire. I fought the urge to melt the mattress, the bed and bury myself to hide from my shame. Way to go, Sandra. You had the class of a mammoth dancing macarena.

And the awkward silence took over the room. I heard rustling outside and I immediately pictured Belle or Arwia with a glass cup eavesdropping through the walls. No, that would be the end of my second life.

Brandon had his poker face. My eyes moistened and I looked at him begging for mercy. Then he chuckled, huffed, snorted, and chortled. I wrested my left hand free and hit him anywhere I could, but he wouldn't stop. My right hand was pinned underneath me and was useless anyway. He grabbed my left hand with his right and wrapped around my waist with his free arm. So unfair that he gets to use both arms!

He was not satisfied with just restraining my mobility. Brandon pulled me in and planted a peck on my lips. His eyes met mine and he spoke.

"I guess that I lost at your game then. I know you'll win at that game of mine you just created. I won't harm a damsel."

Harm as in show her what one hundred plus kilograms of nordic-grade 0% fat man-flesh can do. But he was wrong. Even if you don't count what I did with my boyfriend in my previous life, in this one the 'seal of freshness' was already long gone, before even I went into the depths. Theresa's gift was well-received and used. I mean, I'm a person with needs.

Yeah, go ahead and judge me. Throw the first rock and all that jazz.

And there my big mouth went, ranting on without pre-approval of the censorship department of my prefrontal cortex. "It is not harming if you do it gently," I purred.

I heard a squeal from outside the door. But I really didn't care. Nanna forbade me from using my powers and I had him for the next seventy-two hours. I better make every second count.