When the ball ended, Luna and Avi returned to their spaceship. Nehu contacted them one last time via a private channel, asking them to land in a neutral region – no-man's land. As the gray waves crashed against the shore of a small, barren island, Luna noticed a portal summoned in the distance. Through it, a pod with a replacement body was lowered on ropes, and a databank with encrypted information about how to overwrite the psyche signature and transfer the soul.

...back on the spaceship, Eva wasn't hiding her anticipation. - [ My own body... I can't believe this. ]

“You deserve it.” - Avi said. - “Shall we open?”

[ Yes! Yes!! ] - Eva exclaimed, excited.

“Let me know when you're ready, and I'll prepare everything.” - Luna interjected.

“You can begin. Eva had been ready for a long time.” - Avi informed.

Luna nodded and entered the security code. A body resembling a clone of Nehu was kept in a golden stasis, which vanished as soon as Luna inputted the password.

“You know what to do.” - Luna said to Eva. - “Go, and be reborn.”

Avi nodded and summoned the black multitask cell with Eva. It crawled towards the replacement body, then touched its chest gently. Although Avi didn't have to do it, she focused on letting Eva's soul detach from hers. She felt as if a black, thick tar was leaving every nook and cranny of her body and mind, letting her think clearly for the first time since they were united. She felt how, a sting after sting, the next tendrils and suction cups unglued themselves from her nerve endings. This unpleasant acupuncture continued for about ten minutes, all while the black slime traveled to the new body. It was a side effect of Eva being in control of multitask cell. The soul transfer itself was already finished.

Eva opened her eyes, then rested her arms against the edge of the pod and moved back to sit. Avi and Luna let her get used to the new body, happily observing how speechless Eva still was, turning her hands in front of her face.

“Hello world!” - Eva uttered with a smile. - “Hello, Luna. Hello Avi.”

“It's nice to finally meet you in person.” - Luna said, then checked Eva's vitals. - “Everything is normal, or should I rather say, better than normal? Your body is in excellent condition. Try to take good care of it.”

Eva grinned. - “I know! Avi already taught me a lot!”

Luna sighed with disapproval. - “That's the problem, she didn't. If you copy her eating habits and lack of physical activity, the results will be poor.”

“Uhm.” - Eva uttered. - “Does it mean I'm not allowed to eat sweets?”

“Eh.” - Luna sighed again. - “I'll determine what diet is best for the metabolism of your new shell.”

Eva grew sadder. - “Avi was right. You don't know what's fun.”

Luna looked at Avi with anger and disappointment. - “Did you make many such clever remarks about me?”

“Eee...” - Avi stepped back. - “No, no. Of course, not.” - Luna's stare pierced through her, though. - “Haha... okay, I sometimes complained.” - Luna was still not buying it. - “Uhm. Maybe a lot more than 'sometimes'? But I wasn't serious!” - Avi defended herself. - “Eva, tell her!”

“I thought it was honest. That's what your emotions and thoughts indicated.” - Eva replied. - “Was I wrong?”

Luna shook her head, grumbling. - “I doubt I can undo this brainwashing.”

Eva smiled at Luna. - “Don't worry, I still like you, even if you're a grouch.”

“Eva.” - Avi hissed through her teeth.

“We'll discuss it later, in private.” - Luna said. - “I have to evaluate... your cognitive abilities. I assume you're at least as talented as Avi, but have bigger gaps in knowledge.”

“Evaluate? What does it mean?” - Eva asked as she scrambled out of the pod.

“It's like a test. Do you remember how I told you about how my parents were tormenting me to make sure I was paying attention to their lessons?” - Avi replied.

“Then I don't want to do it!“ - Eva protested.

“Avi...” - Luna glared at her friend.

“Eee... Eva, do you remember how you told us that you want to be a mechanic and a pilot?” - Avi asked.

Eva's eyes sparkled. - “Yes!”

“...and do you remember how I told you that we sometimes have to do things we don't like to make our dreams come true?” - Avi continued.

“Oh... I get it.” - Eva said, lowering her head.

“Okay, no more self-pity.” - Luna declared. - “Follow me, Eva... and you, Avi, you know what you're supposed to do.”

“Ee... I do?” - Avi asked, but she didn't get an answer. Instead, she was left alone in the recreational room, at least until Luna sent her a message...

...and a few hours later, sweaty and tired, she sat on the sofa. Everything was ready.

“Uff... why did she leave everything to me?” - Avi complained. - “It's too much work for a single person.”

---

When the door to the recreational room opened, Eva stepped inside the darkness and was blinded by the lights suddenly being turned on. Loud sounds of party trumpets were followed by confetti, then Avi and Luna shouted. - “Happy Eva's day!”

“Oh! Ohhh!” - Eva shouted, excited. - “I remember! Is it really for me!!?”

“For who else, you silly?” - Luna said. - “Come, let's celebrate.” - She encouraged.

Eva looked at the decorations. Avi made sure they would emphasize her dream to become the best pilot in the galaxy. That's why she put some miniature meteors and spaceships racing between them, and around it, she also put many flickering lights shaped like stars.

A cake was already waiting on the table, and this time, it was made of lunar ice cream. A few lit candles were placed on top of it, so Eva blew at them and made a wish.

“Mmm... yummy!” - Eva commented shortly after.

“Do you feel any difference between Avi's body and yours?” - Luna asked out of curiosity.

“The food tastes the same...” - Eva revealed. - “...but my skin is so funny to touch. It's like a dense jelly. I'm also missing having hair. Those tentacles are so weird.”

Luna moved her hand closer to them. - “May I?” - When Eva agreed, she began to comb through them, analyzing how their nerves send the signal to the brain.

Eva giggled. - “It tickles!”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” - Luna moved her hand back. - “Hm, I'm also interested in your eyes. Can you activate them?”

“Oh! I would love to try that!” - Eva said as she put her spoon away.

“Avi, you'll be a test subject.” - Luna suggested. - “Let's start with something simple. Avi, use your soul vision.”

“Uhm... about this.” - Avi uttered. - “I don't think I can.”

“No?” - Eva asked, surprised. - “I still can do it!”

“Oh. I could've figured out it was going to happen.” - Luna uttered. - “Uhm, how do you feel after losing your powers, Avi?”

“I don't know. Normal again?” - Avi replied. - “I will be missing them, though. I can't really help you with anything in my current state.”

“Eh. Sadly, we won't learn a lot without your assistance...” - Luna said. - “...but it's still worth a try. Eva, are you ready?”

“Yes! What should I do?” - Eva asked.

“Let's start with auditory hallucinations.” - Luna requested.

Eva's eyes gleamed with golden light, and she imagined 'Past the Stargazing Season' playing in her mind. She even heard it herself, but the ability seemed not to have any effect on Avi.

“I can't hear anything.” - Avi informed.

“Hm.” - Luna pondered. - “It appears it doesn't activate instinctively. We'll need to practice it... but it would also be good to teach you how to use mutlitask cell, and I also have to bring your basic knowledge up to speed.”

“Isn't that too much?” - Avi protested. - “Eva isn't a machine! She's a human and needs to have time for relaxation and fun!”

Luna sighed. - “It really isn't too much, because there's less and less time, but you're partially right, we should leave it for later. It's Eva's day after all. I hope she will enjoy it.”

Eva finished her ice cream and quickly added. - “Yeah! Let's do something fun!”

“What do you suggest?” - Luna asked.

“I want to play some games!” - Eva exclaimed. - “...or never mind! I want to dance! I can't wait to get this body moving until it's at its limit!”

“We can do both.” - Luna suggested. - “How about a round of 'Rhythmic Revolution'?”

Seeing Eva energetically nod her head, Luna flashed to the console.

Stolen story; please report.

“Choose the level of fun.” - Luna requested slyly.

“Two...” - Avi tried to suggest.

It didn't work. Eva was too excited already. - “FIVE STARS!!!”

---

Avi left the dance floor. She could neither keep up with Eva, who made mistake after mistake, but improvised like crazy, nor with Luna, which was obvious.

“I told you. You must exercise regularly.” - Luna shouted to Avi right as the screen displayed her perfect score.

Eva laughed with joy, despite having barely a C-plus rank.

“You call this dancing?” - Avi complained, panting. - “It's a drill exercise.”

When the song ended, Eva, just like Avi, sat down to rest. - “I love my body! It's so dexterous and fast! Its cooling system is also cool! I feel like I could continue until morning!”

“Whoa, whoa, let's not go overboard.” - Luna tried to stop her. - “It wouldn't end well, especially if you forget to stay hydrated.”

Eva, with a smile, listened to the advice and poured herself some lemonade. - “I understand why Avi did it so often, but I don't recall being so thirsty ever.” - She gulped it down, nearly finishing the glass in a single breath.

“It's because of your former host's sedentary lifestyle.” - Luna commented. - “Tell me, though. It was a pleasant experience to tire yourself out like that, wasn't it?

“Yes, it was!” - Eva confirmed. - “All the more with loud music!”

“Not bad, not bad... maybe we can still convert you.” - Luna uttered with a sly smile.

Avi crossed her arms. She knew she was being attacked. - “Do what you want. If Eva likes it, why would I complain?”

Eva refilled her glass and gazed at the stars beyond the window. - “One day, when our journey is over, I'll visit them all with my own ship.”

Avi smiled at Luna. She felt they were sharing a precious dream with Eva.

“I can always let you fly our ship.” - Luna suggested.

Eva shook her head. - “It needs to be my own! I always wanted one! I know that I'll meet many people and recruit my own crew! Of course, you also will be welcome there, if you want!”

“I admit, it's a tempting proposition.” - Luna replied. - “We'll see how life goes.”

“Oh, Luna!” - Avi scolded. - “Eva! We'll surely join your quest!”

Although Eva was silent, her eyes shone with happiness. She was lost in this short moment, dreaming about the future. She only came back to her senses when Luna flashed to the guitar and began playing a new, calm melody.

Eva clapped her hands, cheering for Luna, then asked. - “How did you name it?”

“Safe Light.” - Luna revealed.

“I like it. Will you teach me how to play?” - Eva asked.

“Right now?” - Luna asked. - “It can take more than a day.”

“Okay... it doesn't have to be now.” - Eva said as she put away her empty glass. - “I'm having so much fun. Let's do something more!”

“Hmm...” - Luna pondered. - “...to be honest, Avi and I planned one more thing.”

“Oh! Another surprise!” - Eva called, her eyes locked on Luna, who swiftly brought three parcels with ribbons to her. Each had a label indicating who prepared the gift.

“What is it?” - Eva asked.

“Gifts, so you can start your new life non-empty-handed.” - Luna said. - “So, which one do you want to open first?”

“The biggest one!” - Eva exclaimed as she leaped to the gift from Nehu.

Pieces of red paper covered the floor while Eva was unpackaging two boxes, a bigger one and a smaller one. The first contained clothes and a message. - “Hey, Nehu here. I hope your new body is doing well. I allowed myself to pick some extra clothes for you, because I'm assuming you didn't buy any yet. Well... maybe some is an overstatement, but it's enough for ten days without doing laundry. You'll soon learn that it's still not enough. Happy birthday and take care!”

In the smaller box, there was another message. - “I hope you opened this gift later. I feel silly because I remembered to put it in there after the clothes were already packaged. It's a few hygiene items. Once again, see you and take care!”

“Practical.” - Luna praised Nehu as Eva was putting on a blouse with cobra print. - “We'll save a lot of time.” - The next gift was from Luna. - “Be careful. Don't shake it or turn it around too much.” - Luna instructed. Inside, there was a tall potted plant with six white bellflowers.

“I've always wanted one! How did you know!?” - Eva threw herself at Luna, wrapping her arms around her neck.

“Avi told me.” - Luna admitted. - “Although I wasn't sure if you would like this one.”

“I do like it!” - Eva said. - “I'll make sure to keep it healthy!”

The last, smallest gift, from Avi, contained a silver flute. It appeared brand new, but only on the surface. Avi wasn't sure if it was a good choice. - “Uhm, you know... I remembered how much you wanted to create music with us... my parents gave it to me, but I wasn't really using it.”

Eva hugged Avi the same way she had hugged Luna earlier. - “I'll practice every day, so we can start a band!”

“A music band? You've a lot of ambitious dreams...” - Luna commented.

“...and I'll make them all come true!” - Eva pointed out. - “Avi always told me that if I keep believing and working hard, then nothing is impossible.”

Luna sighed. She didn't want to ruin Eva's mood. At least not today. - “A good strategy would be to prioritize one dream at a time. Is there anything you would like to do the most?”

Eva pondered. - “I don't think so... it can all wait until we visit the last star.”

“It'll still take some time.” - Luna informed.

“Hm... I like Luna's idea of exercises. It's something new and fresh...” - Eva said. - “...but I also like all the games and forms of entertainment that Avi had shown me. I think I would like to spend equal time doing both things, then decide what I should focus on later.”

“A wise decision, and a balanced schedule.” - Luna admitted. - “Eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, eight hours of rest. Earth-like standard.”

“...but what about the rest of today?” - Avi asked. - “How about we play a game?”

“On the Angels' Wings!” - Eva exclaimed. - “I want to try flying!”

“Can we do it later?” - Luna interrupted them. - “You forgot about something important, and I would prefer to place orders early, so we can start our spaceship.”

“Oh.” - Avi uttered. - “Right...”

Eva askingly looked at Luna, who summoned over a dozen screens with offers from interior design companies. - “From now on, you've your own room. Choose, I'll pay for everything.”

---

Once Luna received all of the purchased items, the spaceship started, heading to the forty-ninth star.

Avi was sitting in Eva's room and helping her to assemble a jellyfish-shaped lamp, which soon illuminated the room in an orange afterglow. It was Eva's favorite color, and that's why most of the furniture and bedclothes were decorated in it. The bed itself was buried under piles of plushies and cute pillows, which made Avi wonder if Eva would have a place to sleep.

Behind them, on the shelves, Eva put two spaceship figurines. One was made by Luna. It was her own vessel. The other was a flagship from the last visited system. Eva planned to add one extra model each time they visited a system with an active fleet.

What concerned Avi the most, though, was a hissing sound above the cabinet with clothes. If not for Luna's intervention, Avi would've never agreed to it. A cold-blooded, scaly monster lived on their ship now. Eva lifted the lid of its large vivarium to throw it some synthetic meat.

The sight of artificial blood gave Avi goosebumps, but she had accepted it because no animal was hurt in the process. The only problem was letting 'Flame' out – a name given by Eva due to the color of the snake's scales. Leapy was forced to wear a protective collar now, so a forcefield would stop any possible attacks.

“Uff... I think I'm done.” - Avi exhaled in relief. - “Did you finish configuring your tablet?”

“Yes, there is everything that I wanted!” - Eva replied. - “I have to compliment Luna on her technological talent! The interface was easy to read and had many hints.”

“We won't be arguing how to spend our free time anymore.” - Avi joked.

Eva giggled, then added with a suggestive smile. - “Sure... you can snuggle with Luna all you want now.”

Avi blushed. She picked up one of the pillows and threw it at Eva. - “Don't try to tease me!”

Eva swiftly evaded the attack and grabbed a plushie. It soon flew right at Avi's face.

“That's how you repay me?” - Avi muttered. - “That means war...”

---

When Luna knocked at Eva's door, nobody answered. However, she still could hear loud laughs from the other side, so she opened it. Again, a plushie hit somebody's face, but this time, it was Luna's.

“Oops...” - Eva said as she and Avi stopped.

“Are you having fun?” - Luna asked, scanning the now messy room.

Eva smiled. - “Yes. My new shell still works great! I can experience so many new things!”

“It's good to hear it.” - Luna replied. - “What about your device, is it working?”

“Uhm. I think so, but I didn't test it a lot yet.” - Eva admitted.

“I'll just remind you that you can click on the 'training materials' icon to find science books and manuals related to multitask cell's applications. If you find some spare time, look at them in the morning before we start our lessons.” - Luna informed.

Eva nodded.

“Booooring.” - Avi complained.

“Eh.” - Luna sighed, resigned. - “Avi, you're not helping.”

“You want to leave me on my own until the late afternoon! How am I supposed to feel!?” - Avi protested.

“...like you have more time for self-improvement?” - Luna asked.

“Ugh. Is there any sane person who could sit for so long, doing a single thing?” - Avi replied.

“Yes, me.” - Luna emphasized. - “I think I'm pretty sane, if you ask. As for your other comments, nobody prevents you from diversifying your hobbies. Write your book, sketch, study animation, or play guitar. You like these things.”

“In moderation!” - Avi replied. - “If I make it feel like work, I'll end up hating it.”

“Eh. If you were passionate, you could be doing it for an entire day without pause.” - Luna countered.

“That's not how it works!” - Avi argued.

“Let's just let our opinions differ.” - Luna calmly stated. - “I'm not in your head, but you should try to understand my point of view – you'll be fine, and that's most important.”

“Alone. Phi.” - Avi whined.

“Can't Avi train with us?” - Eva asked.

“She can, but I doubt it would increase the chance of our mission's success.” - Luna admitted.

Avi felt insulted. - “You have no faith in me at all! I lost some cheat abilities, so what!?”

“Nothing. I still trust you and I know you can change the world...” - Luna replied. - “...but you became almost a constant element in this equation.“

Avi closed her eyes and crossed her arms, still offended. - “Hmpf.”

“Avi.” - Luna negotiated. - “It's only four of six days. We'll spend the weekend just as you and Eva want.”

Avi shook her head. - “I won't be bribed.”

“Eh... and I'll unlock the synthesizer, so you can reward yourself for your lonely work with a parfait.” - Luna added.

Avi opened her right eye, adding. - “...and you're cleaning up after Leapy now.”

“I'll install some auto-cleaning modules.” - Luna informed.

“Wait... you told me that our spaceship is incompatible with them!” - Avi recalled.

“Oh? Did I?” - Luna uttered. - “Hm, I think the last system upgrade changed it.”

“Luna!!!” - Avi yelled, throwing herself at Luna, who quickly teleported out of the room.

---

It was a late evening on Luna's spaceship, and Avi was done with her shower. She passed Eva, who was waiting for her turn. It was easy to tell she was in a good mood.

“You're looking forward to it, aren't you?” - Avi asked.

Eva energetically shook her head. - “I want to learn everything! Of course, in my way. No hot showers anymore!”

Avi exhaled. - “I'm sorry you had to go through this, but you know I hate cold water.”

“I do, and I'm thankful that you endured it for me every second time.” - Eva said with a smile.

“Brr... I still remember.” - Avi added. - “It was torture. No offence, but I plan to shove every awkward moment out of my mind as quickly as possible.”

Eva laughed. - “Likewise!”

Avi sighed with nostalgia. - “It's so hard to believe that you were my neighbour just yesterday. Now, it's almost silent in my head.”

“In Luna's words – time is an ephemeral construct. In eternity, even the longest waiting is merely a moment, which will soon pass. Death of the current being is a necessity, while its rebirth is merely a possibility.“

“Don't listen to Luna too much. She wants to mold you to fit her vision.” - Avi advised. - “She'll try to act wise to impress you, and if you follow her footsteps, you'll forget that life is meant to be enjoyed.”

“Oh, I get it... partially. What do you suggest?” - Eva asked.

“Experiment, learn more about yourself, express your feelings!” - Avi replied. - “This is your youth! Nobody should tell you who to be or what to do. Discover it yourself. If you don't like Luna's training, be direct and tell her, just as you once spoke with me.”

“...but we had to compromise, though.” - Eva noticed. - “Isn't it the same situation? We live together, after all.”

“Ugh. No, it's not the same.” - Avi said. - “Luna likes to order people around, because she thinks she knows better.”

“I thought Luna had good qualifications to do that.” - Eva replied.

“She has...” - Avi admitted. - “...but mainly for things which can be measured and studied... but you'll see for yourself soon or later.”

Eva giggled. - “You made it sound scary.”

“Sleep well, you'll need it.” - Avi added with an encouraging half-smile.

Eva nodded. She felt a bit awkward before speaking. - “I wish you a peaceful night, too... but I know what you've been going through. Will you be okay without me waking you up?”

“I endured a few years of it, and I can endure a few more...” - Avi summed up. - “...but hey, thanks for your concern.”

Eva nodded again, and Avi didn't bother her any longer. She just waved as she left, then returned to her room.