Kara was able to think clearly once she realized what had happened. She was floating in front of her collapsed body. Her senses remained dysfunctional, however. Only her point of view moved. Nevertheless, the peace that came with it was stellar. Kara was able to concentrate on her thoughts instead of her skills.

No one was able to see her as she moved through walls. It also allowed her to use Life Siren’s song without attracting attention.

Besides the buffs, there was another effect Kara was extremely interested in—seeing the memories of her targets. The more she focused on them, the more she was able to see glimpses of... interesting scenes. Gaining recognition, the death of a loved one, or even finding a memorable item. In a few cases she felt the same emotions they did. Time was condensed as she experienced these visions.

There was a single pattern for this--the more emotional the memory, the more power the owner gained from her Song.

Her targets resisted this, of course. Some completely shut down the Song, while others could not. After forcing her way in a couple of dozen times she received her next skill.

Life Siren’s Requisition

You may battle to gain limited control over creatures affected by your Life Siren’s Song.

Only Dancers are capable of being completely possessed.

Using Requisition on non-Dancers will cost 10 Siren points.

It was by far the most impressive skill. If she could reach in deep enough in someone’s Soul, she was able to control their bodies the same way she controlled her body--like strings on a puppet. Her powers were like the necromancers of the old, except where they were said to be able to control the dead, she was able to control the living.

Life Siren. The name began to make sense. Light is often associated with life, but for Kara, black fit the theme just fine.

This skill did seem reliant on how strong her target’s Soul Defense was. The more interesting part, however, was the mention of a Dancer. The part where she could completely possess them piqued her interest the most.

Could she possibly use their bodies as if her own? If that were the case, then wouldn't that be a way to escape this body? Could she use their Life Force? Their Mana? Dare she dream of being alive again?

That might be her way out, but just too fitting. Kara couldn’t hope but be suspicious. The Siren profession must grant powers based on the individual holder, otherwise, there was no other explanation as to how she was offered the perfect skill. The rate at which she gained skills was also too rapid.

Or it has to do with how I got the profession in the first place—by dying. A specific solution for a specific problem. Anyone that lost their body would want a new one.

Kara returned to the battlefield the morning after, throwing herself into the fray with newfound excitement. She jumped from one fight into the other doing her best to dodge strikes with the narrowest margins.

A part of her roamed the battle searching for a Dancer, while the other simply found relish in her fluid movements. More than seeing damage numbers pop all over the place, avoiding and dodging held a certain fineness to it. The stakes were higher, the difficulty of it all too impossible, but a winnable fight changed everything.

She stepped back, turned sideways and curved her back, letting one spear brush her tailbone while she caught the other under her arms. The tips were Life Force charged--both caused an explosion behind her. She swung around her upper body, using a Kinetic Burst to twist, and lifted one of the spearmen off his feet. Before he could let go his head crashed against the other.

Is that why I am so fascinated with that kid? Something about him... just ticks. She had a couple of dozen theories why that was, but no real method to confirm any of them. In the end, the most important variable for Dancers was likely motivation. Desire. It might have been no coincidence that his quest for revenge aligned with Kara's own. If a connection was truly required between the Siren and Dancer, then revenge was the connecting thread.

Finding the opportunity to switch off, Kara tapped out, letting one of the soldiers behind her fill in the spot. She exited the melee and began to retreat towards the backline, hoping for a small nap. Things began to make sense. She could see the dots connecting, the path towards--

"Um... ma'am?" someone said, stepping beside her.

Kara focused in on him with her Note. His hands were awkward and worried, one motioning for her to stop while the other reached for her. His shape seemed familiar, but Kara couldn’t pinpoint it. He was a Wolf, though from how strong his Life Force Source was he as likely nearing Tiger. "Yes, soldier?" Kara replied but did not stop walking. The faster she got to the beds the more Mana she'll save.

"Your... uh, your knees," he said, becoming even more nervous.

"What about them?" Kara said, focusing in on the other direction. A large amount of fire mana was being converted on the enemy's side.

A quick check on friendly Mages showed that they were now focusing solely on Kinetic Mana.

Ha! Those fools won't know what hit them when their flames get pushed back. Mage battles were as much a battle of wits as they were of power. Being able to sense the entire battlefield made things even more entertaining.

"They're...pointing the wrong way," he said, gulping as the sweat dripped down his brows.

"Oh," Kara replied, turning her senses downward. Half of her leg faced backward. The knee itself did not shatter, but the bone above it did crack. "That's not good." She sent Life Force towards--

"HEALER!" he bellowed, lunging forward. Before Kara could utter a word she was lifted off her feet. He darted before Kara could gather her Mana, his shoulders grazing the walls as he turned the corners at hazardous speeds.

If her heart still beat it would have burst. Kara herself wasn't in danger--her Kinetic Shield would protect her even from a head-on collision. It was her Notes that scare her. She hadn’t yet tested what would happen if they were forcefully removed from her range.

4th Rank Healing Zone

Increase the total regen of HP, Overall STM, and Life Force by 30%.

Increase Sleep Rest bonus by 100%.

Increase the recovery of Injuries by 50%.

You may only benefit from this zone for a maximum of 6 hours. Each hour requires 35-hour cooldown. This is a shared cooldown with all Healing Zones.

"We need a healer!" he yelled as he entered a larger room rich with Life Force. Lines of soldiers laid on the edrolled tended by the healers.

"What is it, Ron," a hunched man stepped forward, groaning with each step.

"Sergil! This lady has a--" the soldier began, moments before the lady smacked his face, sending him twirling in the air and crashing through one of the walls.

You have dealt 343 blunt damage to Unknown's HP!

You have dealt a major blow!

Kara The Defier: Wolf > Tiger*

"That fucking idiot over there," Kara said, landing on her feet. She ran her hands through her hair as she sucked in the air sharply. He gave her a real damn fright. She finally recovered all her Notes. Unless they were within feet of her the speed at which she was able to move them was inadequate.

The healer glanced at the wall as it collapsed on top of him. Groans could be heard under the rubble. "Nope," he replied, chuckling with a hoarse throat. "300?"

"343," Kara replied, resisting the urge to finish the job. That was not a fun ride.

"Nope," he said again, laughing in the same monotone voice. "Not wasting my Life Force on that. He'll be sent away to recover. You may leave," he said, then turned towards her with a frown. "In fact, please leave."

Kara studied his figure. The Notes showed him in rough ink with barely any color. Those poor healers were always milked for every drop of Life Force in their bodies. "If you get injured, you may leave, correct?"

"Yes, but you must be inspected by a--"

"Is this enough?" Kara said, pointing to her knees.

"Yes, that is enough,” he replied without missing a beat.

"I'll be resting then," Kara said. She flicked her leg, letting the Life Force mend it. That saved her some time. Just leaving wouldn't do well with her already strained relationship with whoever was in control of Dlar. Her not doing anything was outside of their expectation.

"Wait," he said, sighing.

"Yes?" Kara said, turning back.

"Drag that fool with you," he said, and hobbled away. He collapsed on the nearest bedroll.

Kara looked from the doctor to the rubble. That… that might have been a mistake.