From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Elithira looked down at her palm as she suddenly felt an odd sensation. A cloud of smoke ignited around her, and within a few seconds, she found herself in the form of a small frog.

Elithira, confused but determined, calmed her mind as thoughts raced. "Focus, focus, what just happened? He placed a curse on me. His weapon probably had some pre-req to working, and since I failed to answer his questions, it met it by default. But a damn frog...," she croaked internally.

Her vision had drastically changed. Everything appeared larger and more menacing. The world seemed distorted and overwhelming from her new vantage point. Colors were less vibrant, and her peripheral vision had expanded, giving her a broader field of view.

As she adjusted to her new form, she noticed the Dragoon's massive blade descending toward her. Her instincts kicked in, and she leaped with surprising agility, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. Her small, agile body allowed her to move quickly and unpredictably, darting to the side as the blade slammed into the ground, sending up a spray of dirt and debris.

She croaked again, more out of frustration than anything else. "I need to think. I can use this form to my advantage," she thought, hopping away from the Dragoon's follow-up strike. She could feel the vibrations in the ground from his movements, allowing her to anticipate his attacks and dodge them with ease.

Elithira, trying to find a solution, glanced down at the rumbling ground and noticed the insignia on her hand. After a short thought, she considered, "What's the end goal here? They can't actually hope to kill me now, can they? And how the hell did he get a curse under his command…"

Staring at the Dragoon, its red eyes loomed over her, and she felt she saw pupils just slightly beneath. "Unless…" she thought, an idea forming in her mind.

Dodging another strike, she heard the hammer again. "Kill that frog, and let's be on with the rest of our day so we can handle the others!" a voice commanded.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Just how far does the lying go?" Elithira wondered. "Or I guess, how far has Erebos managed to manipulate them? And why did my sister never notice?!"

Dodging again, she croaked before thinking, "My main objective should be to handle the guy with the hammer. I'm not sure who teleported us, but it shouldn't be long before the others realize something is up."

She hopped quickly, weaving through the battlefield, her small form making her hard to target. She kept her eyes on the judge with the hammer, knowing he was the key to breaking this curse.

As the Dragoon's blade slammed into the ground again, Elithira used the momentary distraction to leap towards the judge. Her new perspective as a frog allowed her to see the subtle energy lines connecting the hammer to the magical bindings around her. She needed to disrupt those lines.

"I see," Elithira thought, her mind racing. "I might be in this form, but I should be able to function a bit using pure soul energy... yeah, that's good. The only thing that—"

Suddenly, she felt a red aura surround her as the Dragoon sped up, slamming his blade into her small frog body. The force launched her into the base of the pillar where she saw the judge.

The old judge stood up excitedly, shouting, "Hell yeah! You got it, you ancient pile of bones!"

King Griswald, watching intently, stated, "Sit down. I doubt that was enough to kill her, but who knows, old friend." Find your next read at empire

As the dust settled around Elithira, she groaned, laying in the rubble. The pain was intense, her small body struggling to cope with the damage. Her mind raced to find a solution, to draw upon her soul energy to overcome the curse and the injuries inflicted upon her.

She focused inward, drawing on the reserves of pure energy she knew still resided within her. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to concentrate, channeling the energy to heal and strengthen herself. She could feel the power flowing through her veins, mending broken bones and soothing torn muscles.

The dust still heavy, blood trickled from around Elithira's wounds as she thought, "Even in the body of a frog, I am still the strongest Daughter of the Demon King!" Her eyes shone intently with determination.

-{Scene Break}-

Meanwhile, Nanako was stretching as she walked through the inn with a bright smile. "Glad that things are finally looking up. Maybe I can make Ty a cake or something when I see him…"

Todd, lounging nearby, looked at her incredulously. "Why would you bake a cake for someone who's a skeleton? And can you even bake a cake? I've never seen you cook."

Nana turned around, surprised. "I didn't know anyone else was in the main lobby!" She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess I could learn. It's the thought that counts, right?"

Todd chuckled, shaking his head. "You're something else, Nana. But I'm sure Ty would appreciate the gesture, even if he can't eat it."

Nana's smile widened. "Thanks, Todd. I just want to do something nice for everyone after all we've been through."

Todd nodded, his expression turning serious. "Speaking of which, any word from Elithira? It's been a while since we've heard from her."

Nana furrowed her brow. "Yeah, I think it's been a good 30 or 40 minutes at least. Maybe we should go check on her. She did say she shouldn't be long, but she's insanely strong."

Todd nodded. "Yeah, but these people have all sorts of tactics, and something has been off with King Griswald. Ty was always skeptical of him since he found out about Erebos having a hand in things here."

Nana nodded. "Well, I guess I can go ahead and walk down to check. They probably just got carried away in conversation."

Todd shrugged. "But who's the redhead chick and the smaller redhead? Seems you always have an amazing group around you lately."

Nana smiled slightly. "Well, the tall one is Sanguina. I think she might be related to Erebos in some way, but she's a vampire who came to help try and capture Erebos after he took Ty. She's here finding leads."

Todd raised an eyebrow. "A vampire, huh? That's quite a twist. And the smaller redhead?"

"She said, and was very serious about this, that she doesn't want her identity revealed, but she is the goddess of the world and the one who blessed us with our weapons at the church, like she does for everyone," Nana explained. "She also confirmed Ty's story about running into a lady who controlled crystals."

Todd raised an eyebrow. "So, she's the one who gave us our weapons? Interesting. I can't quite get a hold of her personality, though. It seems to move around a lot. She does seem to try and get on people's nerves," Nana said, crossing her arms and giving an annoyed look.

Todd chuckled. "Didn't Ty mention something about someone trying to kiss him?"

Nana's eyes widened. "Huh, when did he tell you that?!"

Before Todd could respond, Sanguina came walking down the hall. Nana and Todd turned to see her wearing a fitted crimson leather jacket with silver buckles, a pair of black leather pants that hugged her form, and knee-high boots. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and a sleek black belt around her waist held various small pouches and a sheathed dagger.

Her confident stride and the gleam in her eyes made her look both formidable and elegant.

"What are we yelling about so early?" Sanguina asked, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Todd and Nana looked at each other. "We were just talking about the goddess," Todd replied, still chuckling. "And how she seems to enjoy getting under people's skin."

Nana nodded. "And about Ty's story. Sanguina, have you heard anything from Elithira? We're getting a bit worried since it's been a while."

Sanguina shook her head. "No, I haven't. But if you're concerned, we should go check on her. This place has too many secrets, and I don't trust King Griswald at all."

Todd nodded in agreement. "Let's go. The sooner we find out what's going on, the better."

"What about the small redhead, though?" Todd asked.

Sanguina shrugged. "She had to go back home as she was running short on energy, whatever that means."

"Ah, I see. Well, I guess that makes sense," Todd replied.

As the group walked, Nana led them to the main gates. Todd walked alongside Sanguina and asked, "So, you're a vampire like Erebos, is that right?"

She nodded. "Sort of. That's like saying every ogre is like every goblin and every goblin is like every orc.. you get the point my green friend. We share the same bloodline to a degree and have some relative connection, but that doesn't make us morally aligned. But I do hope to save him from himself before too long."