Page 1 of The Girl Who Only Died Once

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Chloe has a problem: she needs to die.

Sure, there are probably other ways to solve her demon problem, but when one has access to two Necromancers, this seems like the best way to go about it.

Others are less convinced.

“Absolutely not,” Gurlien says, crossing his arms over his chest. His face is healing, a pinkish red scar above his eyebrow that pulls when he scowls. Chloe had teased him, saying it made him look dashing; he’d ignored her for a whole day afterward.

He paces in the small library the five of them had commandeered in the compound. The other team of magicians had graciously let them stay there, but they all felt the same pressing need to have some space away.

It’s awkward, to say the least.

The library’s nice, of course, with red velvet couches and ornate rugs and too many breakable things that look old but are actually cheap reproductions.

Next to Gurlien, the person Chloe really wants the opinion of, Ambra, cocks her head at her, narrowing her red eyes. If thedemon stuck in a human body thinks it is a good idea, then it has to be solid.

If Chloe gets Ambra on her side, she could deal with Gurlien.

“There are easier ways to see demons,” Ambra says, brushing an idle hand against the shaved side of her head, and Gurlien scowls at her. “The other alchemist—” it still amuses Chloe how much Ambra dislikes Axel “—had some sort of fix onto glasses, into an earpiece.”

“And glasses can be broken and lost, I want this fix to be permanent.” Chloe shifts from foot to foot, as if movement could rid her of the restlessness.

Ambra nods thoughtfully, leading to a scoff from Gurlien, but she reaches out a hand to him and idly grabs at his palm anyways as he paces back towards her.

“The theory is there,” Ambra says, which Chloe knows already. Chloe wouldn’t ask something like this if she had doubts about the theory. “Alette says…”

“Alette had other advantages,” Maison chimes in from across the room. The Half Demon is sitting on the fanciest of the red velvet couches, his leg propped up, still more injured than not. “She had a lifetime of being around an insane genius, no offense,” Maison says to Delina, who’s lounging next to him.

She shrugs her blonde hair off her shoulders, unconcerned, but Chloe can see the little bit of interest in her eyes.

Chloe isn’t worried about convincing Delina.

As a Necromancer, Delina has had little ability to practice raising the dead, and Chloe knows the eagerness to stretch out muscles previously held back just fine.

Delina would absolutely raise her from the dead, no questions asked. Probably heal her sore shoulder, too.

“And there are spells,” Gurlien interrupts. “There are spells and protections and runes and ointments that you could put onyourself until you find what you’re looking for, and then you can take them off and not have to worry—”

“Some worry,” Ambra murmurs, and he turns to her, almost aghast. “Spells aren’t perfect, the good runes have awful side effects, and they’re all hard to look at.”

Chloe’s not quite sure what that means, but she needs to actually be able to work with demons on this one.

Because whoever it is that has access to the spirit fox, has access to a demon, and whenever she finds traces of her friend, she finds indisputable evidence of a captive demon as well.

And she can’t fight, can’t outsmart, something she can’t see.

“As the only person in this room who’s actually died,” Maison drawls, “it’s not exactly fun.”

“You could already see demons, it’s not fair,” Chloe quickly shoots back. “This is about as low risk as it gets.”

“Unless she can’t finish bringing you back,” Gurlien mutters, and she knows that’s his fear. “Unless an actual demon—no offense—comes in and kills her before she finishes.”

Despite holding his hand, Ambra bares her teeth at him for that comment, and Chloe definitely doesn’t understand their relationship but is still massively amused by it.

“Well, there is another Necromancer,” Delina starts, and Maison sighs and shuts his eyes. “And she practices within circles, and we have Ambra, and we have Maison.”

“I will definitely be anywhere else but here,” Ambra shoots back at her. “I am not signing up to be around Necromancer stuff.”

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