"What are you doing just sitting here?" the shrill-voiced skeleton repeated, leather armor tightly bound around its torso. Aurelius could tell it was getting angry as it placed its bony hands on the sides of its pelvis.

Aurelius got up and wiped the grime off his skeletal legs. "Is it so odd for a skeleton to wander in here?"

"No," Edward version 3.0 admitted. "But it is weird how you already know how to use the vocal telepathy skill."

"Remnants of a past master," Aurelius said, not so much lying as obscuring the truth. Edward tilted its cranium slightly to the side as if it was curious about the story of his past.

"Now," Aurelius puffed up his rib cage. "Please take me to the master of this place."

Edward put a finger to its chin, looking deep in thought. "You don't seem particularly dangerous, I suppose, at least not to someone as powerful as the master." It pointed to a familiar-looking tunnel. "Very well then, follow me."

Aurelius followed Edward through the tunnel, this time not rushing to get to the gaudy interior of the sorceress's room. It almost felt like a comfortable afternoon stroll, except for the fact that imminent danger was soon to come. He looked around at the tunnel walls and saw that bestial creatures were crawling through the dirt, fantasy creatures that Aurelius would never find on Earth. Some had sparkling eyes and wings, while others had ominous patterns on their skin that resembled caveman paintings.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Edward asked, turning around slightly.

"Hmm," Aurelius replied, not exactly sure if he felt the same.

"What, you disagree?" the leather-bound skeleton laughed. "People tell me that I have weird taste in aesthetics, but I think it's only right that skeletons appreciate the nature around them. Nature is magic, and magic powers skeletons. That's why we can see without eyes and breathe without lungs."

Aurelius widened his eye sockets, surprised at learning this information. What kind of magic wielder does it take to power a whole species like the skeletons?

The two of them continued walking in silence, with only the click-clack of their bones making any noise in the quiet of the tunnel. Finally, they reached their destination, home of the sorceress-master. The woman clad in magenta and pink glanced at Edward and turned to Aurelius, staring intensely.

Edward leaned in towards Aurelius and whispered using vocal telepathy. "She's using her observer magic to make sure you aren't possessed by an enemy demon or anything like that, just as a safety precaution." Aurelius nodded, now understanding what had happened the first time he came here.

"So?" the sorceress asked. "What do you need?"

Aurelius sent a silent prayer to any god that might be watching. He then stepped forward and kneeled. "I am sorry for this disruption, but I have been sent here to tell you that a human invasion is coming in two days. Please evacuate the premises as soon as possible." He could feel cold sweat running down the side of his skull. Would this work? The plan was to pretend to be a cryptic messenger, possibly from the mysterious Black Crow organization, in an attempt to save the lives of her and her eight skeletal minions.

A familiar purple mist suddenly formed around him, but it only created a bubble that did not touch him. He looked up and saw that the sorceress was glaring at him.

"Do you have proof to back up your claims?" she spat, a venomous tinge to her words. "And why is it that I can't tell who or what you're possessed by? Unless you really are just a simple skeleton?"

Aurelius smiled. "Do you really think I would be sent by someone who would reveal themselves so easily? I don't doubt for a second that you would be able to destroy this skeletal vessel, but your observer magic will not be able to penetrate my defenses." He spoke with confidence, trying to put on a prideful facade.

"Hold on," Edward interjected, undeterred by its master's glowering face. "If this skeleton is really speaking the truth, then I think it's vital that you escape from here as soon as possible." Edward turned away from the sorceress, looking back at Aurelius. "However," it pointed at him. "I will personally execute them if they are found to be lying."

The sorceress sat up, clearly pondering over the pros and cons of each decision she could make. Finally, she spoke.

"Do you think we can find another cave rich in mana stones?"

"If that is your worry," Edward started. "Then I must remind you that there is a cave just like this one to the East. Though surrounded by several monsters, the seven skeletons which will be by your side are your warriors and will die fighting for you." The sorceress nodded at this, appearing to have complete confidence in her skeletons.

"I will leave you to stay with this outsider near the exterior of the cave. If any human steps into the cavern, then this skeleton shall live. If not, then exterminate them immediately. Meet with the rest of us once you are finished." Edward nodded at the sorceress's words.

Aurelius's heart pounded in his chest. This was the best outcome he could hope for! Now, there was no chance of anyone getting killed or injured, as long as history played out like it did the first time. Aurelius could feel a certain degree of peace come over him.

Suddenly, a scream could be heard from the other end of the tunnel. It sounded like the vocal telepathy of a skeleton. Before Aurelius could run to its source, a whoosh could be heard as the sorceress grew wings and flew past him, swiftly making her way past both Aurelius and Edward. Edward followed after her.

"Hahaha! What are these fuckers getting in our way for?" someone shouted. Aurelius stopped dead in his tracks. Didn't he hear this before? And was this the sound of a human? Aurelius held on to one of the cavern walls to balance himself. Why was history repeating itself? What did he do wrong? He steeled himself and sprinted out.

What he saw after reaching the other side was a massacre. Bones clattered on the floor while humans wielding spears and daggers crushed the skulls of the skeletons strewn about. The small man Aurelius saw before waved his staff and created gusts of wind that broke apart three skeletons at once. Wind magic. Aurelius realized that this magic was what created the cuts on the sorceress's body in his past life.

When the man saw the sorceress, he immediately trapped her in an invisible cage made of wind.

"Sabrina," the man chuckled. "Tell me where the main headquarters of the Black Crow is located." He leaned into the sorceress. "Pretty please?" Sabrina withdrew her wings and spat in the small man's face, quickly realizing the futility in struggling.

"Erik," she seethed. "I will crush you, whether in this life or the next."

The small man named Erik punctured a hole in her chest using a sharpened funnel of wind, startling Aurelius, who was standing by and watching. In the past, he had only killed her after sadistically torturing her for hours. Why was it different this time? He looked around and realized that he was the only skeleton remaining, and not because of his luck.

They had purposely avoided fighting him.

"Now," the man with the staff turned towards him. "I believe we will get better answers from you?"

He surrounded Aurelius with his entourage. The last skeleton remaining counted six of them in total, four men and two women. There were no casualties, Aurelius noted. Did this speak to how weak skeletons were in this world?

"Don't ignore me!" Erik suddenly shouted, frightening Aurelius. The small man grinned. "That's better. Now, tell me how you knew we were going to come." Erik slowly enunciated every word as if speaking to a child.

Aurelius realized that the conversation he had with Sabrina was heard by the entirety of these human invaders. This sent a shudder down his spine. Was this place filled with listening devices? How would he ever escape from here? The regression ability wasn't omnipotent for all he knew, so any of these deaths could be his last.

"Ah, I forgot to transfer ownership of this cavern's monsters to myself," Erik muttered a short incantation. "There we go. Just had to switch it from Sabrina to Erik. Easy as pie." He looked at Aurelius expectantly. The skeleton sighed.

"You will be rewarded if you keep me alive." Aurelius would preferably want to survive with everyone else, but he had to take it if this was the last option.

Quiet laughter could be heard. Then it got louder. Then everyone else started laughing as if the funniest thing in the world had just happened. Only the skeleton in the middle of the encirclement was silent. Aurelius would've been embarrassed if he wasn't in such a precarious situation. Instead, he was only confused.

"Ye don't know why we're laughing?" a man with an accent asked, tears streaming down his face. He had a burly build and was about the same height as the man with the wind magic. "It's because you're begging for your goddamn life, ya shithead!"

"What did we expect from a skeleton?" Erik roared. The laughter grew raucous.

Suddenly, the short man's face became grim. "Our perception mage noticed something when using observer magic on you before your pathetic little begging stunt," he nodded at a youthful woman at his side. Aurelius watched with bated breath. "Don't know why you're getting so high and mighty with sorceresses like Sabrina here, but turns out you're just a normal skeleton. No possession, no nothing." Aurelius let out a sigh of relief. The skeleton didn't know how he should feel about this. Should he laugh or cry? This meant that so-called perception mages could not detect that he was originally human, which was both a blessing and a curse, depending on the situation.

"It is odd that you were able to predict our scheduled plan of attack," Erik admitted. "But I can't detect a speck of mana or martial skill coming from that spindly body." He held his staff in front of his face. "Guess you're going to hell today." Aurelius braced for impact.

"Return."

"Return."

"Return."

In every iteration, Aurelius and the rest of the creatures in the cave died. Again. And again. And again. He was beginning to dread the angelic voice that prompted his return. He groaned. Was this the consequence of being given the regression ability? Did he have to start in hard mode? During these "runs," he had discovered that the human invaders only had the sorceress herself bugged, which meant that talking about the imminent attack while in her presence would mean death. But how would this information help him?

"Shut up and pay attention," Sabrina entered the gathering area and clapped her hands twice. "I'm only going to say this once, and this is for your own good." Sabrina started talking about goblins once again, but Aurelius wasn't paying attention.

"...this is why the primary strategy for you weaklings is to gang up on a single goblin and beat them to death." Sabrina droned, clearly uninterested in her own words. A burst of inspiration came to Aurelius. What if the skeletons banded together and fought against the invaders? Sabrina was clearly reasonably powerful, so it might mean that all they had to do was defeat the short man with the staff. The rusted machinery in Aurelius's mind started to come to life again.

"Hahaha! What are these fuckers getting in our way for?" Aurelius took note of this ostentatious person, but he wasn't the right guy. Aurelius had not-so-subtly hinted to the skeletons that they should stay near the cave entrance while he stayed at the back, watching and waiting. He didn't want to sacrifice them, but he had to know when he would show up. The skeletons were surprisingly obedient, probably not expecting enemies to appear out of nowhere.

After the third person came in charging with his spear, an all-too-familiar staff wielder showed up. So Erik was fourth. Aurelius closed his eye sockets, prepared himself, and ran in.

"Return."

"What are you doing just sitting here?" Edward asked.

Aurelius jolted up in pain, the sting of the wind magic still suffocating his invisible lungs.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Edward grabbed him by the shoulder blade to support his weight. Aurelius smiled at him with a hint of exhaustion.

"I'll be fine this time around, I promise." He looked at the shrill-voiced skeleton with familiarity. Over the many rounds he had gone through the invasion, the transmigrator had slowly bonded with Edward. However, the leather-wearing skeleton looked at him in confusion.

"Do I know you?" It was to be expected, but it still hurt a little each time.

"No," Aurelius said. "But we have to hurry. We don't have much time." He moved to the gathering area where the skeletons lounged around and told them to huddle together. They looked reluctant at first, but Edward told them to do the same, possibly sensing the urgency in Aurelius's voice. Aurelius noticed a pickaxe in the corner of the room and moved to pick it up.

"Oi!" Thomas yelled. "That's the pick we use to mine mana stones for the master!"

Aurelius shrugged. "It's a weapon now." Edward looked shocked as if it was expecting Aurelius to start attacking the skeletons.

"What I mean is, we're going to be needing to defend this base soon." Aurelius looked around at the whispering faces of the skeletons. A tak could be heard occasionally as the skeletons bumped into each other. They were leaning into each other and talking in hushed voices. Aurelius continued.

"An enemy will come soon. A strong enemy. And we need to use everything in our power to defeat this man." He handed the pickaxe to Edward. "I trust you will help me?"

Edward hesitantly took the pickaxe. "If what you are saying is true, then I will need to inform the master about this situation."

"For her own safety, the master cannot know about this attack. Surely, her magic has already detected me and placed a vocal telepathy link between the two of us. She is already my master, and I will not betray her." Aurelius truthfully knew he could have ill intentions towards her, even if she was her master. He had even tried to kill her in a previous attempt to escape but pitifully failed in a haze of purple mist. But of course, these skeletons didn't need to know that.

Aurelius grimaced. "Honestly, this enemy is more powerful than the master."

"Then wot in shite's name do we do? The master's stronger than all of us combined," Thomas said. The other skeletons clamored in agreement.

Aurelius's non-existent lips curled into a smile.

"An ambush."

"I still have my misgivings about this," Edward whispered to Aurelius.

He whispered back. "You're the most important piece in this whole operation. Trust yourself and the leather armor your master gave you." Aurelius could swear he could see Edward blush, even in this all-consuming darkness surrounding them.

"She didn't give it to me," Edward admitted. "I just found it in the cave and decided to wear it one day."

Aurelius snorted. "Playing dress-up?"

"What's that?" The perplexity was apparent in Edward's voice.

Aurelius sighed. "Don't worry about it." He felt someone punch the bones of his arm.

"Tell me, or I'll smack you upside the head," Edward threatened.

"Oi, can you two shut the fock up?" Thomas whispered. "It's almost time, according to boy genius over there."

"I'm not a genius," Aurelius winked, knowing nobody would see it in the darkness. "I'm just omniscient."

They had dug into the cave walls and hidden there, waiting for the wind mage to appear. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to dig a large enough hole for every skeleton to fit in, and Aurelius had to settle with himself, Edward, and Thomas as the vanguard. He had strictly instructed the two of them to sleep far before the invasion to ensure they had enough sleep in their bones.

Thump, thump. The sounds of heavy boots stepping down onto the ground flooded the three of them with unease.

One.

Thump, thump.

Two.

"Wait for me!" Kata-kata. Running.

Three.

"I'll head for the big tunnel; little Sabrina's probably waiting for me there." That's him. Aurelius tapped the leather-bound skeleton to his left twice. The signal.

Edward jumped out, soon followed by Aurelius and Thomas. Erik's eyes widened in surprise, but he soon composed himself. He raised his staff before Edward could reach him with its pickaxe, probably an impulsive action honed after many years of training. Aurelius had to use his trump card.

"Erik! Over here!" Aurelius threw the rock he had been cradling in one hand. Erik was stunned for a second. A skeleton knew his name? How? When did he expose himself? In fact, how were they able to ambush him with such precise timing?

That one second was all that was needed for the rock to hit the short man in his eye. After that, Edward pulverized him with its pickaxe while Thomas used a stone to gouge out Erik's other eye. The wind mage screamed in agony, fountains of blood spewing out of the sockets where his eyes once were. It was a brutal sight, and Aurelius swallowed his disgust to join them in the beating.

A woman came behind and tried to stab Thomas with her spear, but Edward caught it with his armor. The three of them were surrounded by enemies. It seemed like the rest of the skeletons had already fallen to the invaders. However, since Aurelius warned them about the danger beforehand, two other humans had perished alongside them.

A mass of purple mist erupted from the largest tunnel in the cavern, and the three other humans died almost instantly. Somehow, the purple haze managed to avoid the three skeletons, carefully manipulated by a powerful force. Sabrina. The mist provoked the tiny mana stones embedded in the walls and caused them to shine with a beautiful luster, as well as blowing out the torches that lined the cave walls. This caused Aurelius's surroundings to appear like tiny stars in an endless night.

A woman draped in magenta and pink emerged.

"You all have a lot of explaining to do."