Story continued from:

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When she had just become disconnected from the horrible body of the Brass Dragon, she attempted to convert the ElectriCore she resided within into a motile bug-like form, but something was wrong with her interface pathways, and her capability fell well short of any kind of escape.

After that, it was dark, and it had been dark for quite some time, that was all the young lady really knew for sure. When deprived of stimulus of any kind such as a connection to a body, time loses meaning and the consciousness begins to wander into the strangest places. Something that resides only in the deepest reaches of our minds begins to break, as it spews out random images and concepts in a vain attempt to make sense of all the nothingness.

And after a while, even it becomes quiet too. Some call it inner peace, some call it utter despair; but it all comes down to one factor. If one honestly hopes that they will be saved from the void, then fear and insanity shall overcome. The only way to remain with your wits about you is to understand that all will bow before oblivion eventually, so there is no true loss to ever lament.

Sirrini had felt this all before, after her capture by the terrible humans, and she had already hardened herself to the world over the last few weeks. After the tortures she had endured, nothingness was a complete and total godsend!

But this time was different; because every once in a while she would feel a presence about her in the darkness. She knew that the ElectriCores that held Clockwork Niminian minds could interact directly against biological nervous systems, but she had never felt such an occurance!

It was a strange sensation, she could reach out to the mind of the man holding her ElectriCore in his hand, and while communication back seemed sadly impossible, she could monitor his thoughts, see what he saw, and hear the world with his human ears.

She soon understood the depth of this man's troubles, and she felt compassion for him. It gave her an odd sense of comfort to know that his life had been no better than her own! In fact, he had suffered longer than she, and yet he still struggled on towards his noble goal of curing himself and his son of their infection with The Blood Beast.

She began to look forward to the momentary communal lapses and she cheered him silently and secretly on from the safety of the nothingness. When he began to travel into the Clockwork Forest, she felt hope for the first time since her abduction by the humans calling themselves The Assassins Of H'nafth'yth. However, at that same time she also knew that the man had absolutely no clue she was inside the clockwork heart he carried with him. He intended to sell her to Chordists.

Sirrini contemplated all these things as she waited for something to happen. She hadn't communed with the man since he entered The Forest, and she was growing impatient for some small sight of her home. She knew that he must still be within the confines of the mechanical trees, as it didn't feel like enough time had passed for him to travel that far... but time was becoming harder and harder to judge the longer she was disconnected from a body.

And then there were flashes and warmth, and an empty space within the darkness.

Sirrini inspected it with all her might and reason. If she was to become trapped within another strange body... it would surely drive her mad! On one side, she worried that the Assassins had tracked down the man who killed their pet. On the other side, she wondered if someone had recognized her ElectriCore and she was truly saved!

She lamented that he hadn't held her at some point that she may know what was going on outside of the nothingness. Then the obvious hit her... the fact that she had been offered up a new body and she couldn't feel anything from being handled meant that it was one of her fellow Clockwork Niminian's who had made the transfer.

This seemed a safe enough bet; so she entered the warmth and embraced the empty shape in the darkness.

She felt comfort as long metal arms cradled her body. Sirrini was within a proper form for her ElectriCore, and there was no pain from a poor installation job like last time.

Missing her mother, she looked up at the face of the one holding her, but it was not who she expected. A round and gentle face peered back at her, and she immediately recognized the Epicyclic Empress, but she had never been treated so intimately by her highness before.

"Oh!" Sirrini spoke out with her vocalizer in surprise, "I thought you were my mother!"

"I do apologize." the Empress softly rung back in their native language, "The Skyf- I mean, 'your mother' was hurt while trying to save you from that creature that abducted you."

Sirini's head swam, "What!?" was all she could mutter.

"Yes, but do not fret my dear, we have subdued the monster and you are now safe." the Empress comforted her, "I wanted to see to your Incorporation myself, so that you could visit your mother while she is being repaired."

"But... that was no monster..." Sirrini continued in the human tongue.

"I do believe you are showing signs of contamination..." The Empress responded, showing a little unease in her tintinabulation.

"Is he okay? You said he was subdued... Is Ednath hurt?!" Sirrini asked worriedly as she slid out of The Empress' lap and stood on her new legs. She swayed a moment as she adjusted to her new form.

"Grishel and his men have taken the monster you call Ednath out of the city to be put down. It really is f- WAIT!"

"NO!" Sirrini was already running out of the chamber to save the man who didn't know she existed.