-Mid Afternoon. Forest - Nefiru's POV-

The middle of the afternoon already and the long, furious storm starts to show signs of approaching its end as the wind speeds decreased notably not swaying the big tree on my back as it did hours ago. The white haired girl is lying with her eyes closed on my left forearm that is over the other as her feet reach the rough paw and the back leaned on the big scales of my chest, then after a while, she turned to face me.

"Sighs...." Shaila inhaled deeply calming herself before exhaling a long sigh as her chest deflated. "No, you don't have to go that far... I just threw a tantrum, but I'm not upset anymore. ...Nefi, losing part of your soul would be very bad for the Rank you achieve, so don't speak about it like you are giving me a piece of bread, okay?" She lectured crossing her arms and turning the lights back on.

Although she's using only be visible white light without ultraviolet or infrared, long exposure could still damage her skin... I realize a warm day was a better choice to avoid harm.

Hmm... It was the right thing to say at the right moment, but I doubt it's something easy to accomplish since there are Spirit clashes at low Ranks while Divines and Demigods must experience some kind of Soul resistance too or they would be eating each other's Souls. Of course, those unwilling could always be coerced, but anyone doing this practice would risk some kind of corruption in their soul, and I fear there are other nasty things about Divine Rank that regular people don't know about. However, in my case, the Fragment security will trigger and retract the soul forcibly after taking a certain amount of damage, but my work has actually been cut out for me... literally when pieces were stripped away from my Soul. I recall the fragment notification during my memory awakening at the beast pen wondering

"You should know by now that I don't do things without reason, and this time it wasn't just to get you to calm down since I do enjoy your reactions, but because my soul carries possibilities to reach my highly evolved future self. In other words, I may be a delicacy that can help other beings evolve, and there should be even powerful entities up to the last Plane of this reality studying the Cosmic Dragon intersecting many Realities to find its origins which is currently divided into pieces. I'm one of the biggest Soul Fragments, and I want to make sure you can accompany me on my travels through this great reality containing anything imaginable, but other entities will come after me eventually. According to Guardian, there might be two kinds of people after me, the crazy ones who think they need to eat me to become that dragon and the opportunists who are smart enough to wait for my mistakes." I explain the reason.

"And the weirdness continues! How am I supposed to react to all this huh?" She reproached as awe dawned on her face.

"Oh, that's easy. You run around while screaming. Since that's what I felt like doing when these things were revealed to me, and it wasn't even everything." I jokingly remarked.

"I see... It is Nefi's soul they want to devour after all. That's probably why you are obsessed with eating everything." Shaila muttered. "So, why are...people reborn here like Sister?" She inquired.

"I'm not entirely sure. But the reincarnation seems to be like soldiers, and the two I know have talent, though Liana is useless to me wasting hers..." I informed.

"Why soldiers? For this world or the next realm? I doubt Sister would follow you far, and as for the wolf...I don't know." She speaks in derision waving her hand.

I can think of a few reasons why I would need helpers. I joked about my luck keeping me alive before, but meeting guardian confirmed how serious this problem was. If I did died before while growing in the wild, the highest posibility would be the deadly mating seasons, and those hunting Divine Dragons after reaching that rank which could explain my abnormally strong soul. Ugh, I hope dying many times doesn't affect the memory imprint in my Soul since it's bad enough that my death would create new Soul Fragments. Although there might be rejection when merging our souls, the older soul pieces could have hundreds of years developing, and capable of absorbing me instead. I assume possible scenarios regarding my soul counterparts before answering Shaila.

"Well, I was not told since it might have been part of a secret deal, but this world appears to be a Stage to fight over which personality gets to become that Cosmic Dragon. And even my name has the acronym for Dual Soul Experiment." I reveal.

I wondered what the numbers in our designation meant since it is strangely in English, and analyzing Guardian's which was 355GSE999472621, realized the 'G' for Guardian was in his serial while SE is also in mine. However, his job was dealing with souls and memories which would make more sense 'E' for Experiment while 'S' for Souls, then from mine's 7DSE00028111029643270 came the 'D' for 'Dual' since another Dragon with the 6th life memories should also exist here.

"We have to fight other Nefirus?!" Shaila spoke baffled.

"Yep! Although there should only be another Dragon with the same memories as me, each of us have to fight the other Soul pieces, and absorb them to become stronger, or do it without them I suppose." I revealed my conjectures.

"I see..." Shaila nods. "But I assume not all soldiers are helpful then..." She mocked my luck.

"No. Only your Sister was evident. The other was rather hard identify until a recent dream provided more clues, and will be very helpful, but these events will not be easy to confirm." I denied her conjecture before recalling the method to improve memory using magic

It's a crude technique using magic, and progress is slow at the current Rank, but degradation gradually limits the access to memories while corrupting them until it results in an entirely different recollection in the process. A boost on the electro-chemical signal between neurons reaches out more neurons, so perhaps my brain was insufficient at first because, and required a stronger signal to properly enable all the connections that make up my consciousness. The initial pain must have been the jump-start, and continued headaches, the brain struggling to maintain the activity that increased before it was ready...I have been feeling better without the boost. I review the recovery process.

"Oh, then who is it!?" She asked.

"It's a girl! The dream was about the life of a cute blue-haired baby girl born into a happy family, then grew to be innocent and cheerful, filled with happiness, but she didn't awaken a useful magic, so her life at school wasn't easy. It was only pieces of her life and most was blurry while some events cleared up as the dream repeated." I described the dream in the dark room.

"Uh... Nefi, you just described many noble girls and even some commoners. Wait, you saw everything!?" Shaila inquired aghast at the realization.

"Well, not everything, but many of those events, yes," I affirmed watching her mouth twitch.

"Argh!...If there's a pervert ranking--" She starts saying giving me a dirty look before getting interrupted.

"I know... I would be first place." I finished for her.

"They wouldn't accept professionals like you..." She scowled.

"Hmm... What is a life in a reality of infinite possibilities? An Ant? Far less than a speck of dust? Human morals can only go so far, and experiencing thousands, if not millions of years could turn you into someone that wouldn't even bat an eye to completely erase countless lives. So, I wonder who will care more...the peeper, or the being who sees a life as dust? Spoiler alert! It's easier not to care." I elaborate my perspective.

"But Nefi, not everybody would be okay being looked at like you." The white haired girl gives her opinion.

"Embarrassment is a trait of intelligence or high awareness, but the behavior in humans is tied to culture and what's socially acceptable." I said thinking of the former world.

I did frequently visited a nude beach with friends though... I realized one can get used to shame.

"Anyway, is watching that girl the reason you haven't mentioned her?" She asked squinting her eyes.

"Ah! The story continues as the little girl was coming home one day, possibly for her birthday when she was taken away by bandits waiting on the way from the capital, then on the day of the exchange--" I narrated until interrupted by a shout.

"STOP! Stop!.." Shaila bellowed sitting upright on my forearm. "Why, why are you bringing that up?" She asks in the dark as her face contorted in anguish.

"...Two men abused her. One was copper-skinned while the pale one was scowling at the other for some reason as if they were doing a job, and the white-haired girl was broken like a doll after." I finish narrating the visions.

"Nefi?" Shaila asks as the color drained out of her face in dismay.

"Yes?" I responded casually.

"You... watched...? It was... my life that you peeked!?" She inquired in a broken voice as tears shimmered in her eyes and her jaw clenched.

"I could only watch it happen since it was before being reborn, but you needed me, my mate needed me, and I had to be born at the volcano..." I confessed the reason we met.

"...M-mate!?" She stuttered after the words registered in her head while tears ran down her pale cheeks.

"My silly wolf mate... what are you doing living as a human?" I kindly question in a warm tone of voice as she stares into my eyes.

"Nefi...hic..." She called out sniffing. "I'm going to cry now... Whaaa...!" The little girl cried next to my left eye as I move my right forearm.

"Fool... you were crying already." I retorted embracing her with my right paw.

...

After crying for a while... I cleaned us both spotless, and she sat on my forearm, staring particularly nowhere without saying anything, then I concluded.

"Although it was a savage act that led you to suicide, some kinky people actually enjoy it while others will see it as merely an act done against their will. It's all human perspective. I confirmed with the female wolf mate of the golden wolf that even intelligent wild beasts wouldn't care much about harassment since they are already busy surviving. She didn't resist me because it meant keeping her mate alive. However, now you have the chance to look at that pain from a different point of view recalling many memories of wolves by paying attention to those dreams you told me about. I met you hundreds of years ago when my Soul was young, and you were already an impressive female wolf who accepted me which incidentally seems to be the gender preferred of your Soul. The times you had intercourse in the manner of wolves should be quite numerous, and eventually, you might even remember being a mother in those past lives." I compare the viewpoints.

"Hmm... unreasonable... don't know what to think..." The little girl mutters in a low voice sitting cross-legged and looking down the bottom part of my body. "Saying all those things to encourage while somehow calling me a bitch. You can't play with a girl's heart like this!" Shaila reproached leaning forward while holding both hands on her belly.

"Shaila," I call her attention, but she doesn't turn. "Your Soul is ancient, and the things you experienced aren't few. It's possible that you have descendants in this world. You should remember past lives through dreams, and the last one may also reveal the reason why you are not a wolf right now. Knowing all this should be enough to destroy your common sense so that you can stop torment--" I inform the little girl, avoiding me while my breath blows the silver hair on her back before she interrupted.

"I GET IT!!" Shaila yelled without making eye contact, then sighed a moment later. "You know Nefi..." She timidly looks into my left eye next to her. "In that first night we talked, I realized there was nothing good about my life, and that wouldn't easily change, but I had nothing to lose entrusting myself to a weird dragon...for a brighter future. I didn't imagine your secrets would be so unbelievable, or related to me, but I'm resolved even to feed you my body if necessary...so long as you remember I existed." The girl explained before averting her gaze again.

"According to your father, people remember weird things after the next soul stage that leads to Rank 7 which means we could go find your previous Wolf families if you recall their location since wolves in this world last a long time unless they get eaten of course." I inform.

"Argh! It will take me time to fully come to terms with being wolf before much like you were human and could be a... mo-mother... And those shameful dreams were real..." She stammered covering her crimson face with both hands.

Shameful dreams? Probably wolves mating... Well, although Shaila has yet to awaken the buried memories left in her soul, she should be able to identify what dreams could be real since they are the same every time you have them, and cannot be changed in a lucid state. Still, thinking about it objectively, it's no wonder people neglect previous life's memories when even those from our infanthood fade away, and it's hard to imagine something ten lifetimes ago can survive without upgrading the soul. I determined.

"Oh, there is also a small chance the golden wolf I let live before might be our son yellow coat from hundreds of years ago. Something was different about that wolf I called Midas, but there is no way to confirm unless we talk to him or by contacting Guardian at Divine Rank." I announce the methods to recall memories.

"Ack! I want to hit you! You keep saying these things casually one after the other without letting me prepare emotionally..." The little girl protested pulling and twisting my ear. "So then, you are saying I got eaten then? But why do you think I'm a human now? I was... really a beast, huh? Then I should act like one!..." She asked before biting down on my long ear.

"Ahnn... my ear!" I moaned as the ticklish biting sensation felt rather good. "Mmm... a Light wolf would find it harder to rank up in the wild and take a really long time without strong parents teaching them, or a powerful pack for protection, then I assume you didn't get high rank or your enemy was too strong since even Divine beasts die in territorial disputes apparently." I elaborate my conjecture as she stops the biting to speak.

"Then we just have to look for all the white wolf packs in the world, right? Though communicating would be difficult, most packs have a strong individual backing them that could understand, but my dreams didn't have just white wolves either, and I don't know which is the most recent." She proposes an idea to find wolf relatives.

"Hmm... No, Shaila, that may actually work since you don't look to be compatible with other Element nearly as much as Light, and I don't think reincarnation is totally random when affinities are carried in the family for generations. Perhaps when you awaken, the most compatible affinity in your Soul at that moment becomes your Element during the mortal life, and your vessel has high chances to come from a bloodline that carries the compatibility for the same Elements in your soul." I deny the possibility of her having different affinities in the past.

"So, you are saying we just have to find white wolf tribes, but most of them are near the frozen parts of the world... Oh wait, you are a water-lightning dragon, then we'll just need food for the journey, and get maps from the capital or traveling merchants." She quickly points out the things needed.

"Well, we should also visit other wolf packs we come across since I also want to confirm if my past wolf-self is living with a Soul piece of mine, and there is a chance he lived with you before as well, but I have no clue what affinity or rank he might have." I bring out the other wolf we must find.

"Mhm... another piece of Nefi who could have been my actual mate, and you are going to kill him, aren't you?" Shaila asks with a dulled expression.

"If he stays alive, then someone will get him eventually, and that can only be bad for everyone. However, you qualify far more than me to have his Soul since you share memories together which will help your growth, and he should accept you to truly, be together." I briefly explain the consequences before proposing the unthinkable which made her grimaced

"Ugh..." The white haired girl grimaced at the notion. "What about the golden wolf, is he a soldier or your wolf-self?" She inquired.

"Nah, I would know if we had the same Soul since the Spirit should be similar, but he could be an ally," I explain my conjecture.

"I'm the only soldier then!? Nevertheless, my affinity would explain why I'm in this family since there are many Light magicians on mother's side, but why is sister here, who is earth affinity?" Shaila asks narrowing her eyes.

"The only thing that comes to mind is that your bloodline appears to have been turned into a beacon for people related to me," I explain my theories using life examples.

"Oh... then it's your fault that I'm a human and what happened to me a year ago?" She inquired as her eyelids drooped in sadness.

"Nu uh, I think you might have died with the desire to become human because I would want you to be a beast and hunt with me in the forest rather than watching you as a little girl being forced by two men." I declared sharply staring into her eyes until she nodded.

"Urgh... I forgot you watched... There's nothing left to hide from Nefi..." The white haired girl cringed with her face reddened looking down at her wet body as I drain the water from her clothes once more. "Sighs... I give up; I give up. I don't care about common sense anymore." She declared raising her hands in defeat while shaking her head which caused the tied hair to form S-shapes. "Ah! But you don't know my scale collection of your body! Which now you know..." She beamed a smile remaking the five light balls for illumination, and resuming warming her body with light.

"Oh! You even have my gray scales?" I inquired remembering the ones that were broken by Lester on our prank.

"Yep! Hehe..." She responded proudly before giggling.

"Yes, that's better... Shaila's smile is precious." I affirm looking with warm eyes as her gaze dart around. "Take your hand inside my mouth and grab a bottle, but be careful with the teeth," I instruct the girl while opening my jaws.

"T-this is... mana crystals!" Shaila identified the contents then cleaned the slobber on her clothes. "Father gave it to you?" She inquires the source.

"Mm-hmm... We have to put effort to get to Rank 7 as soon as possible and increase our survival rate. Beyond that, we'll need a Mana source to get to Divine and take a great Mana vein to make it to Demigod, then find out how to leave this realm for the higher ones." I inform our travel plans.

"Higher realm where Deities are..." She closes her eyes pondering for a moment before opening them again. "Nn! I want to go!" The white haired girl affirmed nodding while holding the bottle.

"Silly wolf. The next realm is just on the third plane of this Cosmos which has four. Let's see, comparing it to your house of three floors, and we are in the first while the basement would be the first floor of the Cosmos, then we leave your house after going through the roof. We get off this reality to go a higher-energy neighboring Cosmos inside this Cosmorial to continue our evolution until we can survive the Hyper-Space outside the Cosmorial, then continue to the edge of existence." I explain our evolution goals.

"Uh... just how many steps do you intend to go beyond Deity..." She remarked with a blank face before facepalming. "Hey, it just occurred to me since you always complain about luck, but don't we need infinite luck to reach infinity?" The pondering girl asks.

"I thought your brain crashed again, but it's not my fault reality is strange!" I mock her blaming the weirdness. "Luck huh? We'll have to find out. In any case, you know all my valuable secrets already, and anything left is just perverted stuff that I can tell you any other day." I concluded our talks.

"Yay! That's good because I'm tired of the cold and I need time to process everything you told me." Shaila's face lit up as she spoke gladly to go back to her fluffy bed. "But... how should I face sister now? She will probably want to wash me in the bathroom when I get back-- Ah! Nefi, they probably think I'm missing since I didn't tell anyone." She spoke feeling insecure and worried about leaving for so long.

"Nah, we are both missing after the talk with your father, so we should have until nightfall before they send Alphonse. Also, I said the talk was over, but I still have to eat you." I informed watching the little girl change her expression.

"E-eat me!?" Shaila questioned shocked. "I don't understand... How will I accompany you if you eat me-- Ah, you want me to be reborn into a wolf?" She inquired perplexed with her mouth agape.