From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Sanguina stared down King Griswald, her eyes piercing. "Tell me how you're able to fuse with those crystals and why that creature that killed your ally told me it stopped attacking when you stared it down and recognized you as one of its master's own."

King Griswald rubbed the top of his head, his features slowly beginning to age rapidly. "Well, that sure is an open-ended question, but for the crystals, I spent most of my life investigating the small blue crystals that drop from the monsters."

He sighed, the weight of his experiences evident in his voice. "Long story short, I learned how to digest them and realized they had some unique properties… something we can talk about later when everyone is taken care of."

Sanguina's gaze softened slightly, but her curiosity remained. "There's more to you than meets the eye, King Griswald."

Griswald nodded, looking up as the roaring train came to a halt. A ladder dropped down, and a few soldiers climbed down, their movements brisk and efficient.

Nana watched as the soldiers approached, their presence a welcome sight. "Looks like Bracken sent reinforcements," she said, relief in her voice.

One of the soldiers, a stern-looking man with a scar across his cheek, stepped forward and saluted.

"As for the creature saying what it did… it said the same thing to me and then left," King Griswald admitted, his brow furrowing.

"I'm not really sure why that worked. I was just prepared to fight… I really don't know what it meant by that. If you find out, please do let me know."

Sanguina put a finger under her chin, her eyes thoughtful. "I see. Well, when are we going to deal with your Dragoon problem?"

"Oh, the Dragoon's sealing book?" Griswald responded. "There's not much we can do with it without the key holder. But the first step was, of course, getting the locked box."

"So you don't plan to fight it right now?" she asked, crossing her arms, a hint of impatience in her voice.

"King Griswald gave a light chuckle. "Oh no, of course not. We are far too unprepared for something like that. We're a little ways away from that. We will have a whole planned event raid for that."

"Event raid?" Sanguina asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes," Griswald replied. "I suppose you aren't from here, so it's fine if you don't know what that is. We will designate an arena of sorts and create a bubble shield to confine the Dragoon once we get the key. Then, we will take him down in a controlled setting."

Moments later, a guard came running up to King Griswald, his face urgent. "Sir, is this everyone? I see we are missing one person, and Master Dagon is gone."

Griswald nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Master Dagon has probably returned to his residence to rest. See to it that everyone is taken to the medical ward and receives the best treatment possible."

The guard saluted and hurried off to carry out his orders. Griswald turned back to the group, his expression serious.

"We need to be at our best when the time comes. Rest and recovery are just as important as training and preparation."

Nana, still processing the idea of an event raid, looked at Griswald. "How long do we have to prepare?"

Before King Griswald could respond, Nana gripped her shoulder and fell to a knee, wincing in pain.

King Griswald's expression turned to worry. "Lady Nanako, please do not worry yourself with this right now; we have plenty of time as long as the sun keeps turning."

Lady Sanguina knelt down next to Nana, her eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong, dear? What's hurting?"

"My damn curse," Nana replied, her voice strained. She slowly succumbed to the pain and began to pass out, her vision blurring. As she looked up at Lady Sanguina, she noticed a slightly odd look in her eyes and managed to whisper,

"How do you have a Swirlion Seal?"

Confused, Nana fully passed out, the world around her fading to black.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

She felt the sensation of being picked up, and the last thing she registered was the strong, green hands of Todd lifting her gently.

Todd cradled her carefully, his face etched with worry. "We need to get her to the medical ward, now," he said urgently, his voice firm.

King Griswald nodded, his concern deepening. "Let's move quickly. Lady Nanako's well-being is paramount."

Nanako felt a warmth as she slowly opened her eyes, finding a warm cloth along the top of her head. She looked around, hearing the soft beeps of monitors and seeing blue cords running along the walls, pulsing with a gentle light.

"Wh—ere… am I?" she murmured, her voice weak and scratchy.

The room was a blend of modern medical equipment and enchanting elements. Crystal orbs floated above her bed, casting a soothing glow, while vines with luminescent flowers adorned the walls, their petals gently opening and closing as if breathing.

A healer, dressed in flowing robes adorned with silver threads, approached her bedside. "You're in the medical ward, Lady Nanako," she said with a reassuring smile. "You've been through quite an ordeal, but you're safe now."

Nanako nodded slowly, the events leading up to her collapse flooding back. "The curse… it was too much."

The healer gently adjusted the warm cloth on her forehead. "Yes, but you're strong. You've been stabilized, and we're doing everything we can to ease your pain."

She glanced around the room, taking in the mixture of familiar and fantastical elements. Beside her bed, a small table held a vase with glowing flowers, their light flickering softly. A tray with a steaming bowl of herbal soup and a cup of fragrant tea sat next to it, inviting and comforting.

A soft knock on the door drew her attention. Todd stepped in, his green skin seeming to glow under the light. His eyes lit up with relief when he saw Nanako awake. "Hey, you're up!" he said, walking over to her bedside.

Nanako managed a small smile. "Yeah, just barely. What happened after I passed out?"

Todd pulled up a chair and sat down, his expression earnest.

"We got you here as quickly as we could. The healers have been taking good care of you. They say you need to rest and recover."

Nanako took a moment, staring toward the ceiling and then at her own hands. "Did my hands get smaller?!"

Todd held her hand up slightly and examined it. "Yep, looks about the same size as it was back at the Demon King's castle, actually."

"That curse those villagers gave you back on our original planet is still plaguing you, huh?"

Nanako sighed, a mix of frustration and resignation in her voice. "Yeah, it seems like it."

"I'm sorry, Nanako. I wish there was something more I could do about that," Todd said, rubbing the top of his head, clearly troubled.

Nanako gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Todd. I wonder if we'll ever find a way to break it…"

"Where is Sanguina?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Her? She's around here somewhere, waiting for you to wake up. She mentioned needing your help to find a fairy or something to track down Ty. She's been refusing to assist the kingdom but has been really buddy-buddy with this one dude who's a bit old."

Nanako raised an eyebrow. "Really? Wait, how long have I been knocked out for?"

"About three days," Todd stated, his expression turning serious. "We were worried, but the healers said you just needed rest."

Nanako leaned back against the pillows, absorbing the information. "Three days... it feels like just a moment and forever at the same time."

Todd chuckled softly. "Yeah, time can be weird like that."

Nanako's mind raced with thoughts of what had happened and what was to come. "So, Sanguina needs my help to find a fairy to track down Ty… I wonder what she knows that we don't."

"Yeah, I believe it might be because of that little fairy you gave to Ty when Erebos attacked," Todd said, reflecting on the past events.

Nana nodded. "Well, when you see her, bring her in and I'll do the best I can. If this gets us to Ty, that will be great."

"Right, I'll head out to assist with some barricading along the perimeters of the kingdom for the day. Monsters have almost stopped summoning in that region where the cave emerged, but stronger creatures have started popping up overall on the outskirts where we first arrived," Todd informed her, his expression serious.

"I see," Nana said, absorbing the information. "Hey, Todd," she called out as he was heading to walk out.

"Yeah, what's up, buddy?" he responded, turning back to her.

"We're still here to get the Cross Link Blade, right?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

Todd nodded. "The sooner we get that, the sooner we can get back to the Demon King, and I can see my little troublemakers. But finding Ty now is also another hurdle for everyone. I'm sure the Demon King is probably putting work in on that end."

Nana smiled slightly. "It's good to know we have people working on different fronts. It feels like we're covering more ground that way."

"Exactly," Todd agreed. "We're all doing our part. Just focus on getting better for now. We need you strong."

"Thanks, Todd. Be careful out there," Nana said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"Will do," Todd replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll check on you later."

As Todd left the room, Nana lay back on her pillows, her mind racing with thoughts of their next steps. The Cross Link Blade was crucial, but so was finding Ty. And then there was the mystery of the Swirlion Seal and her curse.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Lady Sanguina stepped in, her presence commanding as always. "How are you feeling, Nanako?"

"A bit better," Nana replied. "Todd mentioned you wanted to talk to me about finding a fairy to track down Ty."