Chapter 2049: The Right Outfit

Karl chuckled as Dana was dragged into the Library wearing a white ballgown that could easily pass as a wedding dress.

"Alright, can someone tell me what getting all dressed up has to do with my headaches?" She demanded.

Then, she turned a suspicious glare at Cara as everyone except Remi began to appear in the room.

[ I’m stuck in a meeting, but I will be there soon. I explained to Andrea, and she will cover for me if I can escape. ] The Naga informed her.

Which meant that everyone knew, and she was out of the loop because she had been sleeping off an increasingly terrible headache, and that crushing pain in her chest that Lotus assured her was not a heart attack or other injury.

Karl cleared his throat. "After confirming with the books, and with Leon, who has seen this issue before, we have come to the conclusion that the changes to my body have created an insurmountable issue with the Soul Bond.

That is what is causing you pain.

You have reached the limit of your body’s ability to adapt to the bond, while my soul power is still growing. So, the bond is beginning to fray, and given more time, it will shatter.

And that would be a very bad thing for you.

The backlash would most likely be fatal, in a way that can’t be resurrected, so we’re down to two basic options.

One of them is to try to change your body in a permanent way so that you can continue to adapt to my growth, and the bond will balance our souls properly, as it’s balancing our power.

The other option is for me to create an alternate bond, and overlay it where the Soul Bond used to be after I carefully sever it.

That won’t be the same, as our growth won’t be directly linked in the same way. But it will continue to allow you to feel my emotions, and to hear the thoughts of everyone in the group."

Dana listened to the words, but she also listened to the thoughts and emotions of the group, and they didn’t quite match the urgency of Karl’s words. None of them seemed to be questioning the necessity of something changing, but they were far too eager for the second option, and there was no obvious reason that they would want the Soul Bond broken.

It wasn’t like they were leaving each other.

They had been different power levels right up to the wedding, and being that way again was not going to tear them apart. Even at the same soul power level, they were already at very different practical power levels.

Their progress through Ascended Immortality might be the same, but The Karl was in a league of his own.

Even if he lacked the power to deal with a problem, there was little chance that he would be in danger from it, and that made all the difference in the world to how he could solve issues. Simply taking more time against a threat that would instantly kill a lesser Immortal was always an option for him.

"What am I missing? Clearly, there is something that you’re not telling me because Cara was far too eager to get me dressed up today," She insisted.

Leon chuckled, and Dana turned to him for answers.

"I know that Seraphim don’t lie, so spill."

Leon smiled softly and raised his hands in surrender. "As they said, the first option is to change your body so that you can keep up a little longer.

That’s not a long-term solution, though.

Even if we turned you into a Stonefur Divine Fox, it would only buy you a few more years. And at that point, you would have to use a transformation spell to look human, just like Karl does.

The other option would make you one of Karl’s bonded partners.

That’s what everyone is so excited about, they all see it as a chance to change your status from being Karl’s Dana Mage to everyone’s Dana Mage, one of their sisters."

Cara turned to Thor, who was also a terrible liar, and the Behemoth shrugged.

"It’s not a bad option. You’re already our Dana Mage, it’s just not official yet."

Cara nodded. "I’ve always wanted a pet Dana Mage. But you would look extra cute with a full fox face and maybe a fluffier tail."

Tian bobbed his head in agreement. Dana had a pretty fluffy tail, but compared to the nine that Karl could make when he transformed to fox form, it was lacking. Not much could compare to the fluff of nine fox tails.

Not even his own.

He hopped up into Dana’s arms so that he could use [Fox Charm] at full effectiveness, even though she was mostly immune to it as a fox herself.

"It seems that we’ve got some contention about what is the best option." Dana joked.

"{ If we need, I can call Lotus over to help convince you. She knows the value of fluff. But what’s the harm in doing both? Fox form will make you stronger, right? So you’ll be able to keep up on your own, and then Karl can bond with you, and you will stay as one of us. }" The little fox pleaded with his most pitiful begging look.

"Wanting a fluffier sister is not a valid reason to change someone’s species.

Again."

Cara chuckled, and Tian looked a bit embarrassed. Right, it had been partially his fault that she was a fox to start with, but it had worked, and Remi’s potion had helped Dana break through.

All was well that ended well, right?

Everyone in the room was waiting for Dana to say something, and then they would go with whatever she chose. If she wanted to just buy time by becoming more Fox, they would be patient.

But they all knew that it wouldn’t actually be years before things went wrong again, at the rate that Karl always grew.

So, the best option would be option two, and accept that the Dana Mage was their sister.