When Dorin awoke for his next life, he was surprised to find that his starting point had changed. Ara was in front of him ready to bring him back to Tur, and the mysterious changes to his body were still there.
Dorin had battled against Ara seven times now, and lost every single time.
The first life was a battle of attrition, and he didn't even know how he died. It wasn't until later that he realized that Ara had a special power to split into six. The five impacts to different parts of his body suddenly made sense as he was sure that he had dodged Ara's spear.
His second life was short-lived, as he wasn't even able to dodge her first strike to his head.
The next four were similar to the first, and he had learned a lot from battling Ara. She had always been a battle maniac, and which each attempt he became more used to his new body.
For the seventh life he had tried to run away, but once Ara was out of his vision he had no way of knowing when to dodge. For some reason he couldn't see her copies with his new sight either, which meant he knew which one was the real Ara but made it impossible to evade their strikes.
'I need to use her initial surprise to end the battle, or I won't have a chance.' Dorin had rarely managed to land a strike on Ara, but with each life he had gotten one free hit against her when she had tried to blind him.
Dorin grabbed the elk's two long fangs for the last time, revealing him as human.
"Stand down, I'm a spark."
"It's no use, Ara. Leave me alone."
"Dorin?"
Dorin sighed. "Yes, and I will not be going back to Tur."
"It's your duty. As a spark, I am ordering you to return with me."
"No." Dorin began to walk towards Ara, waiting for her to try to blind him.
"You have no right to refuse me, stand down or die."
"Try me." Dorin ran straight at her, readying what he now called his vital sight.
Ara began to swing her spear, and Dorin faked excruciating pain as he held his eyes. He saw her thrust out, and Dorin lowered his head and tackled her.
In the past Ara had the upper hand on the ground, but with Dorin's new size he was sure that he would be able to dominate her.
"What the-" Dorin felt Ara struggle against him as she tried to speak, but he drove the fangs further down towards her. They slowly entered her body, and Dorin felt his body surge with power.
Ara kicked him off and Dorin grabbed her spear, leaving the fangs in her body. "Give it back."
"Only if you let me go."
Dusk came and went as they stood several meters apart, gauging each other's strength. Dorin knew that he couldn't stay here for long, as there was someone new at every turn.
"Why did you do it?" Ara pulled the fangs out of her side.
"It was the only way to be free."
"It doesn't look like you're free. Everyone is looking for you."
"Even if I became the spark, I would be forced to enslave my friends to strangers, and still be under the Spire's thumb like you."
"I am not under anyone's thumb."
"Look where you are." Dorin put up his hands and gestured to the wreckage around them. "Sent to track me down just like his other servants. You have no idea what freedom truly means."
Ara seemed shocked at his words. They postured for a while longer, but Dorin could see that she was getting pale. "Give it back."
Dorin heard the emotion behind her words. He knew what it felt like to finally have something that belonged to your family. His lives flashed through his mind. Ara's chokehold as Morah ended his life, and more recently, his latest seven deaths. "Swear that you won't try to find me again."
Ara's eyes glazed over, and she dropped to her knees. "I swear." She then fell to her side, passing out completely.
Dorin watched her for a moment, weighing the spear in his hand. 'I never said I would give it back.' Dorin knew that she would keep her word if he left the spear, but he would need a new ego for the future.
Putting the spear in his left hand, he was shocked to find that he wasn't able to do anything to it. 'Light's sake, what kind of overpowered ego is this.' The ability to magnify light enough to blind, splitting into multiple selves, and strong enough that he couldn't devour it even with his new form.
Dorin was beginning to think that getting Ara off his back was the best outcome that he could ask for. He left the spear with her, and tore off enough fur from his fallen ego Eki to tie off her wounds and cover her.
As Dorin walked over to Ara, he saw the fangs that had pierced her. They had grown as large as his forearm, and his left hand was pulsing as he neared them.