“Was that…magic?” He stumbled onto a neatly paved, cobblestone path.

“Be careful. Teleportation,” she told him, as if she was discussing the weather. “It’s pretty rare, even among Anima, and costs a ton of energy. But I’m glad I’m using it for you. She’ll be so happy to see you’re safe. Argh, I can’t wait!” The woman looked eager and yanked him along the street.

Enrique saw they were heading to a small cluster of colorful shops and restaurants. The road they were walking on split a large grassy hill. A noonday sun shone overhead, spreading its rays over a blue sky.

He observed the robed woman named Morgan more carefully. “What’s with the, um, costume?” He jerked his head up towards her hat with the bunny ears.

“Eh? Weren’t you paying attention? Those are real. I told you, I’m an Anima.” Morgan took off her hat and showed the bunny ears, still sitting atop her head. They twitched in the air and wiggled. “I got a little bobtail too. If you wanna check.”

“Uh…” Enrique stared for a moment. “Okay. All right. I’m officially going crazy.”

At this, Morgan smacked herself on the head with her scepter. “Ah, geez! I’m sorry, Enrique. I keep forgetting you’re new to all this.” She sighed. They started heading down the hill and the stores grew bigger as the two drew closer. “I’ll explain as simply as possible. You’re in the Anima Kingdom now.”

The bunny woman plopped her hat back on and waved her rod. “Most citizens are Anima or humans. We Anima traditionally had a very small army, so we rely on humans like you who drop from the sky through Destiny magic. The magic automatically bonds you with an Anima who acts as your spirit partner. It’s called pairing, and it’s based on your personality and strong desires. Pairs who choose to fight threats to the kingdom, like that monster, are called adventurers.”

His brows furrowed and he frowned.“Pairing? Spirit partner? I didn’t ask for any of this. Why would I bother myself with your kingdom? What’s in it for me?”

She eyed him appreciatively. “Ah, so you’re one of those guys. Bad household? Street rat? Orphan? Hm…but you can fight and you’ve got some social skills. Gang member? You talk like someone used to getting answers. You should feel honored! Anima consider it a great privilege to be paired. It’s a lifelong bond, after all.”

He merely gave her a hard stare and looked ahead. The little stores and restaurants reminded him of a shopping plaza, neatly lined up but spread apart, with glass windows, doors, and concrete. Neon signs flashed, green, pink, and blue.

Morgan looked thoughtful. “Think of it this way, kid. It’s your best way to survive. As you get to know your Anima, you both grow stronger and gain more powerful magic. We don’t want another ogre nearly squishing you again, eh? The other races aren’t that friendly to humans—and forget about the monsters—but we Anima have worked alongside people for millennia.”

He jerked his hand away from her. Morgan let go, surprised. “Don’t call me ‘kid’. Which way are we going?”

“Don’t you mean, witch way?” She gave him a wink. “Because I’m a witch, and I’m leading you to my client? Which way? Witch way? Get it? Eh? Eh?”

He gave her a half-cringing, half-annoyed look.

“Okay, okay!” She threw up her hands in mock surrender. “Lighten up. Look for a white and red restaurant with ‘Love Cafe’ in big, fancy red letters. It should have a few windows, a brown door, and a neon red and blue ‘Open’ sign. My client’s in there. We’re really close friends, to tell you the truth. More importantly, she’s your partner. That’s why she cares about you. But ‘client’ sounds so professional. You know?”

“Whatever.” Love Cafe? What kind of lame name is that? He scanned the row of shops and restaurants as Morgan stowed her scepter behind her back with a strap and walked next to him. “Where’s your partner?”

“I—uh—” Morgan looked uncomfortable. “Most Anima get a partner, eventually. I graduated from the Academy a few years ago, so it should be any day now!”

She looked up at the sky and shook her fist in the air. “You hear me, Destiny? I want a hot one! I don’t care if I’m a special case! You need to respect my preferences, remember?!”

She dropped her fist and continued looking alongside him like she hadn’t just hollered to nobody. Enrique concluded Morgan was more than a little loopy.

“Here we are!” Morgan said quickly, striding to a cafe matching her description. She opened the door and the two stepped in. A bell jingled merrily.

“Ah…” Morgan took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. “It’s pretty homely, don’t you think? It’s like a family home that actually cares about you.”

Enrique could see what she meant. Warm yellow lamps cast a soft glow over the restaurant’s white walls. People sat on chairs in front of round tables, or on cushy red and white booths, chatting to one another. The atmosphere was rather cozy, which only made him feel more skeptical of everyone and everything that had occurred.

A waitress bounded happily over to them. She had long brown hair and the black ears of what he guessed was a fox. She also had many long black tails trailing behind her.

“Hello, Morgan! Table for two?” The waitress peered at Enrique with friendly, eager blue eyes.

“Yup!” Morgan grinned.

“Right this way!” The waitress led them to a booth and handed the two a pair of simple red menus.

Enrique settled down to face the witch. He placed his dagger next to him and cautiously picked up a menu.

“I bet you’re hungry. Pick whatever you want. My treat.” Morgan smirked as she looked at him, as if she was internally laughing at some joke only she understood.

He took a look at the menu. He could feel his stomach rumble. At least the food seemed normal. The price was listed beside each item in a currency he didn’t recognize. House beef sandwich, 10 BB. Coffee, 2 BB. Tea set, choose a drink and side, with soup of the day, 2 BH. Fish combo for two, 3 SQ. Marinated steak special, 1 GF…

“We use coins. Sometimes electronic transfers.” Morgan had guessed his thoughts despite having her own eyes on her menu. “Bronze, silver, gold. Bits, quarters, halves, and fulls.”

“Okay.” Enrique mentally tucked this information away and scanned the other customers. Morgan had mentioned something about pairs relating to personalities and strong desires. He wondered what to look for.

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They were armed. Despite soft chatter and the bright glow of lamps overhead, his shoulders tensed. A pair at a table leaned against one another. Those guys look tough. I wonder if they work together.

The woman was muscular as a barbarian. She had orange and striped black ears atop her head like a tiger. A large sword was near her side. The blade seemed crude, self-made. Could still be dangerous. In contrast the boy next to her was slender, but decked-out in an ornate cloak and knife. That looks expensive. Silver engraving? He had an irrational urge to snatch the weapon.

He inched his spot closer to another table. Best sit away from them. Need space to run away in case things get dicey. Enrique settled into the chair, surprised by its comfy cushion and sturdiness. Someone had taken pains to design it well. The room was warm, and the mouth-watering aromas of coffee, meat, vegetables, and soup wafted in the air. Enrique had a strong urge to curl up and sleep. This doesn’t seem like a place you’d fight at. Nice. Relaxing. Still, he was going to keep his guard up a little bit.

The tiger woman, eyes fierce, had an arm around the boy as he ate. Enrique thought it was like a noble and his guard. She seemed in a good mood, smiling in spite of her intimidating build. Her gaze wandered, casual but observant. Enrique held his menu up to his face, to draw less attention and avoid eye contact with the two.

“Which one’s my partner?” Enrique lowered the menu a tad as he focused on Morgan.

The witch didn’t look up, but her mouth twitched in an amused smile. “She’s in here. You’ll see her very soon. You’ll know when it’s her.”

“They’re all the opposite gender,” he added. “The people and their Anima.” Morgan looked up, briefly giving him an appraising look before returning to her menu.

“Yeah. Good catch. It’s because the magic attempts to match each pair with their ideal preferences.”

The fox-eared waitress from before walked over to them, holding a pad of paper and a pen. She had on a white apron and silently used a tail to set a brown bag next to Morgan’s lap, which made a metallic clink. “Welcome to Love Cafe! May I take your order?”

She asked politely, but her blue eyes seemed excited, shining as if the two were the most valued customers ever in her whole life.

Morgan spoke first. “I’ll have a tea set with black tea and the chicken club.”

“Sure thing!” the waitress said cheerily.

“Thanks, foxy.” Morgan gave her a wink. The bag vanished underneath the witch’s robes.

“And for you, sweetie?” the waitress asked him.

Enrique looked at her. “I’ll have the same tea set. And a steak. Medium-well.”

He waited for some reaction from Morgan, but she didn’t bat an eye. Either he had not in fact ordered the most expensive item he could find, or she didn’t care for the price. Maybe that was useful info for later.

“Of course! Good choice!” The fox woman smiled brightly.

She scribbled on the pad. “Want a hug?”

Enrique stared blankly at her. She’d asked so casually at first he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “Sorry, what?”

Morgan abruptly put a hand to her mouth, looking like she was fighting the urge to laugh.

The waitress spread her arms out and beamed. “A hug! This is Love Cafe, and we want to make sure every customer knows we care about them!”

He was caught off guard and mentally winced at the way she spoke, absolutely unashamedly and with genuine warmth. “Why would I want that? That’s getting in my personal space.”

“Uh—huh?” The woman looked surprised. “What—but you definitely look like you’d want one.”

Morgan sniggered. “Ha ha!”

Enrique was puzzled. “Why would anyone want a complete stranger to hug them?”

“Well—because—” the waitress fumbled for words. “You—you get a ten percent discount! And it’s free! Because love is free!”

Morgan banged her hand on the table, howling with laughter. “Bahahaha! Wahaha! Oh, I just can’t! This is too funny! So dumb!”

Enrique glared at the bunny woman. “What’s the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“You can’t—I’m not laughing at you—it’s just that this whole situation is so stupid—Hahaha!” Morgan clutched her stomach, wheezing.

His eyes darted around, searching for an explanation for this bizarre behavior. The other waiters drifted between customers. There were very few of them, and they were all female. There was a girl with fluffy cloud-white cat ears and a tail, and two light-skinned women in slender green robes with luminous blond hair.

The cat girl was taking orders cheerily while the two blonde women glided through the cafe, serving food and taking finished plates. The pair of women in green robes did not look like any others in the restaurant. Their movements and the way they carried themselves seemed too light, too graceful, and too quick to be human. But definitely none of them were hugging anyone.

“Sorry, no thanks,” he told the waitress flatly.

The fox woman looked genuinely disappointed, even a little forlorn, but she recovered quickly. “Um, sure, I understand! No problem! I’ll get your orders right away!” She whisked away the menus and turned away, walking off with a big smile.

“What the f*** was that about?” he asked Morgan, seething, and pointed his dagger at her. He could feel his face redden slightly. “You trying to mess with me?”

The bunny woman had managed to stop laughing. “No, no, no! You got it all wrong! This would’ve happened anyways. Hey, clean that knife up.” She handed him a napkin. “I’m just here to take you to your partner. After that, you’re totally in her hands. What you do next is up to you two.”

What I do next. He thought for a moment as he wiped the dagger clean of ogre blood. He remembered the monster charging at him. It occurred to him that threatening Morgan was a very stupid move, and he needed to get stronger.

That’s right. That’s my desire.

He put the dagger back on the table and glared at Morgan. “I’ve learned one rule in my life. One fact. One truth.”

The witch cocked her head at him, intrigued. “What’s that?”

“Only the strong survive. Only the strongest can live a good life.”

“Oh?” Morgan studied him for a moment, silent.

“I want to get stronger. Stronger than that ogre. Stronger than you. Stronger than anyone and everyone. That way no one can mess with me, ever.”

His mind briefly flashed back to about a week ago, back in the city, when Henricks and his crew had been kicking him over and over against a wall. He’d barely gotten away that time. He remembered a lot of laughing, a lot of scoffing. “Little man thinks he’s something with the other rats behind him!” Henricks had sneered, with his greasy black hair and two gold molars in his mouth.

The witch raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you’ve got some balls to say that to my face.”

Enrique stared back into her cocoa eyes. “You said adventurers fight enemies of the kingdom or something. Am I right that they’re the strongest here?”

“Yep.” Morgan grinned. “Adventurers like me are the most skilled in combat, and usually in magic, too. The very best of us are called Heroes—that’s a title. Heroes get it all. Power, fame, adoration, influence, great friends, the love of the masses, whatever. Of course, if you’re a jerk, you’re not likely allowed up the ranks. I hope I’ll reach that high someday.”

As if on cue, the fox woman returned with their food and drinks, balancing plates with her many black tails and setting them on the table. She handed them their tea.

“Here’s your food! Enjoy!” She smiled at them and Enrique spotted one of her tails briefly pat Morgan on the head.

“Thank you!” Morgan said. She began to dig in.

Enrique ate. The food was unexpectedly delicious. The steak was tender, the soup was nice, and his sandwich was very filling and well-made. A plan began forming in his mind. “Who’s the strongest Hero?”

“Ah, let’s see.” Morgan leaned back and made a show of looking around, drumming her fingers on the table. Her eyes glittered knowingly as they met him. “Let me tell you a story. That’ll give you an idea.”

Enrique folded his arms. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “Fine.”