didn't sleep.The new body didn't require it. Not the same way. I lay on the bed Silas had provided and stared at the ceiling, feeling power circulate through channels that hadn't existed a week ago. Eight abilities humming in perfect harmony. Ready. Waiting.Hungry.The locket pulsed in my chest. No longer external. Part of me now. Its crystal heart beating in rhythm with what remained of my human one. The infinite space inside it called out. Empty. Demanding to be filled.Soon.Footsteps approached my door. Light. Careful. I knew who it was before she knocked."Come in, Isadora."She entered slowly. Her neck had healed better than expected. The scars would remain, but she could turn her head without pain now. She studied me in the dim light."You look different.""I am different.""Better or worse?""Both." I sat up. "You came to say goodbye.""Came to make sure you're not going Hollow. Silas is paranoid. Wanted someone to check on you before morning." She leaned against the doorfra

The Council building rose before me like a monument to arrogance.Twelve stories of white marble and enchanted glass. Wards layered so thick the air shimmered. Defensive barriers that could withstand siege weapons. Magical infrastructure built over two centuries to make this place impregnable.None of it would save them.I walked up the steps. No stealth. No subtlety. Just direct approach. They knew I was coming. Could feel my presence like a wound in their carefully ordered world.The main doors stood open. Beyond them, a vast entrance hall stretched toward a central atrium. Sunlight poured through the glass dome above, illuminating marble columns and intricate floor mosaics depicting the Council's founding.Empty. Completely empty.They'd evacuated civilians. Smart. This would be messy.I walked forward. My footsteps echoed in the cavernous space. Each step bringing me closer to the heart of the system. To the people who'd built a world where I didn't matter.A voice boomed from eve

Three days passed.Three days of standing in the streets. Distributing powers. Listening to stories. Learning names. Hearing what people actually wanted instead of assuming I knew better.It was exhausting.Not physically. The transformation had made my body nearly tireless. But emotionally. Mentally. Each transfer required focus. Required understanding the person receiving power. Required judgment about whether they'd use it responsibly or selfishly.Required becoming exactly what I'd tried to destroy. A gatekeeper. An authority. Someone who decided who deserved magic and who didn't.The irony wasn't lost on me.But the alternative was worse. Just handing out abilities randomly created chaos. People with combat magic attacking neighbors over old grudges. People with fire abilities burning buildings accidentally. People with healing trying to help but making injuries worse through inexperience.Power without guidance was just another form of violence.So I guided. Taught. Established

The first council meeting happened in Mrs. Chen's garden.Not planned. Not formal. Just people gathering naturally. Discussing problems. Proposing solutions. Arguing about resource distribution and power allocation and everything that came with suddenly having abilities they'd never imagined.I watched from the edge. Not participating. Just observing. Letting them work through conflicts without my interference."This is good," Elena said beside me. She'd been staying in the Dregs for the past three days. Documenting. Advising. Keeping me accountable. "They're starting to self-govern. That's the foundation you need.""They're also arguing about everything. Can't agree on basic resource distribution. Can't decide who manages communal projects. Can't function without someone stepping in to mediate.""That's democracy. Messy. Inefficient. But ultimately more stable than dictatorship."A woman's voice rose above the others. Angry. "I grew this food with my magic! Why should I share it with

The resistance attacked again on the fourteenth day.Not the Dregs this time. They'd learned that lesson. Instead, they hit supply lines. Trade routes. The infrastructure connecting my territory to the outside world.Smart. Strategic. Cutting me off without directly confronting my power.Marcus's work, probably. He understood warfare. Understood that overwhelming force wasn't the only path to victory. Starvation worked just as well. Slower. More painful. But effective.The council convened emergency session. All five representatives plus me. Jin Zhao attended as observer. Silent. Taking notes. Judging every word and action."The northern trade routes are blocked," David reported. Merchant Quarter representative. He understood economics better than anyone. "Caravans aren't getting through. Supplies are being intercepted. We have maybe two weeks of food remaining. Less if population grows.""Can we break the blockade?" Sarah asked. Industrial District. Always direct. "Send combat mages