Changeling confession

It’s only early evening when you’re shaken awake. Samara is gently shaking you. “Josh, I hate to bother you, but she’s waking up.”

You groan, sitting up. You’re still sore from the battle, but this is important. Kali grumbles as you move away from her. “Make her go back to sleep. I’m comfy with Josh.”

You chuckle. “Get up, Kali. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”

Her golden eyes open, and she gives you a mischievous grin. “I’ll hold you to that, love…”

Samara laughs. “Should I hand out earplugs to everyone, sis?”

Kali looks confused, and Samara winks. “Because it sounds like you’ll be noisy tonight!”

You roll your eyes, and Kali grins. The three of you make your way over to where the changeling woman is sitting up, looking around nervously. Sadie, Clarissa, and Uzume are there already. As you approach, the changeling looks up at you with her unsettling white eyes. “Hello, Josh. It’s been an interesting day, hasn’t it?”

You sit down across from her, nodding. “That’s one way to put it. So, let’s start with an easy question. What’s your real name, since we know it’s not Hana.”

She sighs. “I’m sorry I deceived you. My name is Reika. I wish I could have been honest with you from the start.”

“Obviously, you had your reasons. I’ll just ask, as plainly as possible. What happened today?”

Reika looks down at her hands as she speaks. “I got vengeance for my people. Once, a long time ago, Gaius the undying was betrayed by a changeling. Not satisfied with destroying his betrayer, he embarked upon a quest to eradicate their entire family, root and branch. It’s why he was banished from the undead kingdom.”

She sighs. “Banishment only made him more insane. He expanded his **** to include all changelings. I was only a little girl when he came for my family. My mother was able to hide me, but I vividly remember hearing them die. I swore I would have vengeance of my own.”

Reika closes her eyes. “It took years, but eventually I was able to infiltrate the triumvirate. I used the power I gained to study how to kill a lich, and to discover where he had hidden his soul. Today, I siphoned off the power of the demon lord, and used it to shatter his soul crystal, finally ridding the world of his filth. And now…I have no power left.”

She looks back up to you. “I did what I needed to. I don’t want to talk about the things I did to get there. I’m not proud of what I did. But it had to be done. And now, I leave my fate up to you. I know that I’ve done horrible things, but…I have nowhere else to go. I…I was happy when I was with your family. I would love a chance to be happy for real…”

With that, she simply looks at you. You nod. “We actually discussed it while you were ****. If you’re willing, we would like to give you a chance. Be yourself, your real self, and you can come with us. Or you can go. Either way, you’re free to choose.”

Reika stares at you for a long while. Suddenly, she leaps forward and hugs you. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for giving me a chance…I just want to be a person now…”

Before you know it, the other girls close in for a big group hug. You smile.