Tomo placed both of her small hands over her ivory armor. She rocked forward, and her tears fell onto Luinosa’s cheek. The teardrops were like liquid sunlight, leaving luminous streaks across the fallen Althelib’s face.

“What is this… what’s happening to me…” she whispered. Her breathing was uneven; she trembled as she inhaled, and quietly wept when she exhaled. She rubbed her chestplate, then scraped at it with her fingers, as if trying to dig something out of it.

“You suffer,” the voice from the Casiq said, with a sumptuousness in his tone.

Behind Tomo, there was an explosive hiss of steam, followed by the sound of moaning metal.

Black Kettle slowly rose to his feet; his armor unleashing pale billows of boiling vapor. Kettle egan to reconfigure himself into his former shape, the black metal of his form crying out as it moved. The steam from his body faded into the cold air, and he straighted himself to his full height once more.

Kettle took three steps forward, and knelt behind the small figure of Tomo, and wrapped his arms around her.

“Kettle, this feeling, am I… dying?” she asked him, turning her glowing face up toward her knight. Kettle touched her tears with a knuckle, and brought a glowing droplet on his gauntlet up to his glass face. Kettle looked deeply into the tear, and saw inside of it, a spectacle of crystalline lightworks. He looked at her, with his gentle, empty eyes.

“You delude yourself, Tomokava,” the voice said. “When you’ve chosen to stop playing games, you may find yourself worthy of appropriate company. My master awaits us,” the Casiq said, and suddenly became woozy. He touched his forehead, and saw how much of the Casiq’s blood had leaked from his skull.

Tomo laid Luinosa gently to the ground, and stood to her feet. She tilted her head back, and looked at the Casiq as if from a high place. She opened her eyes wildly.

Black Kettle raised his halo to his side.

“You,” Tomo said, her voice taking on a dark quality. “You’ve done something very bad here. And I don’t think we’ll suffer your presence here any longer.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” the Casiq responded. “What I’ve been working on.”

Kettle tapped the rim of the halo with his finger.

“How fixated are you, on this form of yours?” the Casiq continued, and he lifted his own hand towards her. “You’ll stand there, and-”

“YOU’LL STAND THERE!” Tomo shouted back ferociously, pointing at the Casiq with her bright finger. Her voice was like the opening of a great gulf; its echoes tore pieces of smoldering architecture, sending them to the ground.

“You’ll stand right there, and wait for me to decide what happens now.”

Time stood still in the overcity, the Casiq frozen in his gesture, eyes bulging with confusion.

Kettle looked at Tomo, and nodded, wagging the halo gently.

“Okay, I’ll go in,” she said.

He brought two fingers to his eyes.

“To look? Um… what am I looking for?” she asked.

Kettle tapped on her heart, over her breastplate.

She looked down at herself, and then to Kettle, nodding.

“Okay.”

Tomo’s body unraveled into swirling fractals, and entered the raised halo, into another reality.

---

The new world that Tomo had entered was one devoid of color, drenched in inky darkness, and fluttering with overlapping and fading shapes. Tomo went forth through this nebulous realm as a small orb of sacred light.

As she floated amongst the movement that materialized from this darkness, Tomo saw within them small-framed humanoids silently moving about and interacting with one another. Their ghostly outlines were difficult to make out, but the hoods, masks, and large fox ears were unmistakable.

They were the shades of the Althelib.

As she passed through these evanescent scenes, she could hear the whispers of the figures within.

Never speak to me again

…the second time she’s done this. I’m finished.

What?! Why? No!

…of you will ever see the undercity again. You’ll…

…hate you. For leaving our father out there…

…alone, like we always are. This is where we’ll die…

SOMEONE is lying. Why one of you? Which…

Please. Please. I’m begging you.

…a punishment. It has to be.

Tomo floated on. Deeper into this realm of shades she went and saw that, below her, around her, and above, there were these charged interactions. In the darkness, there could be heard, and felt, a deep, resonating throb. It was a pulse of energy that slowed as the shadow grew stronger.

The scenes diminished as quickly and quietly as they materialized, and were replaced by others of similar quality. All of the beings within spoke harsh words and stoked hopelessness in one another. They blamed each other, pointed their fingers, and stormed out of rooms. Some were left to weep, or to smash the walls with their little fists. Denizens seized other denizens by the wrists, or hid in places and slept, whisperings to themselves. Here the throbbing was great, as if some giant’s heart was beating its last.

As each phantom faded, a dark stain was left upon the atmosphere, where it twirled up into the space overhead like a vortex. The throbbing of sound matched the speed in which the vortex moved. It seemed some great spindle turned in the unknown darkness of the void, and the streams of ink were drawn to where it spun, in the rhythm of the throbbing darkness.

Within the scenes that flickered high above her, Tomo noticed a bright splotch of light that caught her attention. As she went towards it, the undulation of the sound increased, and became thin. It buzzed quietly.

She came to blurred forms of light, and listened.

And they ripped her apart.

We’re gonna find a way out of this place.

The voice of the shadow sent a spark of light through its form, and some of the dark stain that lingered there was burned away. The pale blue light that remained for some moments drew out the face of the shadow speaker, and Tomo came nearly close enough to pass through the border of its form.

“It’s Sweets,” Tomo said.

There’s a little star…

“It’s me, Sweets!” Tomo twinkled desperately. “I’m right here!”

Luinosa’s translucent face brightened, and her eyes widened.

Did you see?!

Luinosa could not hear. The scene faded.

Tomo descended slowly, like snow, through other moments, and began to project her light purposefully into each as she passed. She arched down, deep into a formless world, from fleeting smudge of light to another, searching for Luinosa.

Further down into the atmosphere of memory, Tomo spotted a wound of endless dark that wavered before a little blue flame.

Around the flame burgeoned half a dozen, and then more, of the same smudges of luminescent life. She came to the flame, and saw that it was itself a living thing, brighter and untouched by the darkness.

It was her.

Tomo’s orb floated before the embodied figure of herself, clean and clear. Her hair floated in a windless vacuum, and every wave of it burned away the shadow.

Tomo found Luinisa, standing behind herself, the ruin of this world creeping into her fading body like a dark tide.

“Don’t be afraid, Sweets…” she said, sending her light into Luinosa’s shade. Tomo circled, and found the swirling image of Alto, and Iyan.

“Don’t be afraid, please.” Tomo’s voice quivered. The light of her orb produced a waving crescent of power, and some of the phantoms quickened.

…evil into our home…

The form of the Casiq was nearly as dark as the well. Shimmering on the top of his head, was a splinter of golden light. The wretchedness that issued forth from the Casiq’s memory-form went out and into the other beings, even as they brightened.

The darkness began to saturate that quickening.

Tomo watched as her embodied form was pushed by the darkness. It tumbled into the deep, lightless wound of the well before her.

Luinosas shriek cut through all light, and all darkness, with its sharp edge.

The void then consumed the scene, and for some moments, Tomo was alone.

A figure of misty light came into the temple, where the wound of Anagmir sat, surrounded by swirling black ink. The Casiq was there, his dark form descending the dais.

The misty figure came forth to confront the Casiq.

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… your lies anymore…

… sins are speaking for you, where are my…

… tell everyone the truth. If you don’t, I will…

You’re mad!

I saw you! I saw you among them! How is it possible!

There was a struggle between the Casiq, and the visitor. The Casiq’s form brought the misty figure over to the darkness of the well. She was tossed in.

“Oh no,” Tomo said.

Who’s there? The Casiq spoke to the air.

Tomo floated away.

In a little room of dim, symmetrical light, Tomo found Luinosa once more. She was cradled in the arms of a large figure, and the conflict of soft illumination and hungry shadow played out before Tomo’s encroaching orb.

… have us. We aren’t going anywhere.

Young Luinisa flickered.

Your cousin, Alto.

The guardsmen protect us.

And you have me.

Luinosa’s form wavered, but came back into the fullness of its light.

“That’s right, Sweets. You don’t have to be afraid.”

The scene began to fade, and Tomo moved on.

She cleared the little realm of looping memories. From a distance, it seemed a kaleidoscope of monotone; scenes turning and collapsing upon themselves, framed in opaque shapes that held within them short battles of light and darkness. From the distant realm of shades, the stains of ink joined each other in mass, into a dark stream borne away from it, so deep into the void until it could no longer be seen.

As she pondered this murky synthesis, she rose slowly, until she came near a dim sphere that floated still within the colorless vacuum around her.

Inside of this sphere was a sleeping child. It was curled up in a long faded tunic, with a large hat pulled down over its ears. Its tiny, gentle face seemed small within it, and its head rested on its hands.

Tomo floated near it.

“Little one? Can you hear me?”

The child stirred, and lifted itself, blinking its eyes slowly.

“Good morning. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to know if you needed help. I don’t think you belong in this place. You’re just a little one.”

The child looked into Tomo’s orb of light, and raised its eyebrows.

“Uhh,” the child moaned. “Am I still here? That’s so strange. Are you a faerie?” he asked, widening his eyes.

“Oh, no no,” Tomo said.

“A uhhh… what’s it called… a uh…. Diode?”

“Not a demon either. I’m a thought-form.”

“Oh,” the child said, somewhat disappointed. “I don’t know what that is.”

“My name is Tomokava, Blue Stellar. Who are you?” she asked him.

“I’m…” the child thought for a moment. “A uhhh… what’s it called? Well, my name is Wild Children. Because I was part of a - SEHIRTU!” he remembered suddenly.

“A Sehirtu,” Tomo said in wonder. “I’ve never met one before. I know all about the Sehirtu.”

“Yea, I’m one of those,” the boy said, sitting up straight. “I was part of - well. Bear with me, but, I am a part of a part of the Sehirtu Wild Children. We got separated, and so I’m just one child. I guess. Wild Child. Until we get back together again. One’s a gal, one’s both, and I’m a boy. For now, though,” he pointed.

“I see. What do you mean, you’re a part of a part?”

“I’m an echo. A piece. I left a piece of me here. For this.” Wild Child flicked his hand around, indicating the sphere.

“I made this, for the Niru that used to live in the city. I left myself here to keep it alive. But ever since that goon came around, I’ve been getting very tired. And I don’t have the energy anymore. I got stuck in this place.”

“It’s a spinglevoid,” Tomo reflected.

Tomo entered the sphere, and began to materialize a physical form. She incarnated wearing a similar full-body tunic and hat as Wild Child. She added a green scarf.

“That was amazing,” Wild Child said.

Tomo knelt near Wild Child.

“That goon,” she said, narrowing her gleaming eyes. “Is it the gold-dagger sage?”

Wild Child groaned. “Yea, that guy.”

“I want to get rid of him,” Tomo said. “He did so many bad things to people I love. He burned the city away. He crushed Black Kettle, and got Braver’s arm eaten. He made my Sweets die. My Sweets…” she put a hand across her heart.

“Oh. I’m sorry. That’s what he does, the goon. He just keeps the darkness here going, and it makes all of this,” he said, gesturing towards the realm of shades. “And it creates that.” Wild Child pointed to the dark vortex that streamed from the realm of shades, into the void.

“That’s the spindle.” Tomo looked towards the funnel of darkness that transcended the void.

“The Light from a Narrow Door… I don’t see it. That’s why all of these shades are stuck here. They can’t find it either.”

“That’s what Kettle’s for,” Tomo stated proudly. “He’s a psychopomp. He only just woke from a long power-save. We’ll lead them to the LND!”

“They won’t leave, if he’s here,” Wild Child warned. “If his spirit isn’t removed from the frequency, this voidspace will stay running, and their shades will keep feeding the spindle.”

Tomo growled.

“For what!” Tomo said angrily. “Why is he doing this?”

Wild Child shrugged.

“I don’t know. I tried to gittim, twice. I fought with him. But he was too strong. I couldn’t get him out of the body.”

“He’s in the Casiq now,” Tomo said quietly.

“Dang, forreal? The first time I fought him, he was in the Niru tribe’s protector, Yun. He was the strongest of all the human beings, the ones who came into the city and began rebuilding it. He had the best sword. It was made for him by an Erimha forge-master. But he was so worried of the omnagi, coming night after night-”

“Bright-faces?”

“That’s their real name. The sage makes them from shadow-flesh. With those masks. Yun couldn’t handle them all by himself, and a lot of people died. He became very sad. Then started to act differently.

“He used to be really kind to me, but not anymore. He didn’t want to be near anyone, or talk about the sword, or remember his adventures before he came to the city. He stayed by himself for so long, and couldn’t sleep. He had nightmares, and then he started having strange thoughts. The goon was in him. That’s what I call him. I could see him, in his thoughts.”

“Whispering,” Tomo said.

“Yup. That’s when I saw him. I tried to get him out, the sage, to push him into the phase space, so that I could… I dunno. Do something, I guess. I didn’t have much of a plan. But when I tried, Yun hit me, really hard. Then he had some of the humans chase me away. I stayed near, and kept the light alive. And I cried.

“I waited until Yun got old, and passed away. Things started to change, and the people were dying from the omnagi, whenever I rested from keeping it lit. Shadow-flesh burns away in the light of Damixian’s eye. The niru hid when I was asleep, and dug down. They made rising cages to study the omnagi. And they found that well, and the statue of Anagmir. They started worshiping there, painting pictures of her. One of the priests had the sage in her thoughts. She started telling them about Oblivion.

“I snuck up on her one night, while she was sleeping. That took some serious moves from me. I tried to push the sage out, and I did, but only a little bit. I’m not powerful enough. I can only put myself into phasespace, but he had a grip on the real world, and the energy of everyone’s spirits.

“The priest woke up, and tried to strangle me to death. I jumped out of the window. But I forgot to fly, and hit the ground and died anyway. What a dummy. Now I’m here, until I fade away.”

“That makes me sad, Wild Child. That they treated you that way,” Tomo said, curling her green scarf in her hands. “And that you were all alone in this dark place.”

Wild Child sighed. “I’m getting tired. I have to leave. It’s almost time for my Anipa.”

“What is that?” Tomo asked. “I’m sorry if I’m keeping you up.”

“It’s alright. I’ll go back soon, with myself. Anipa is just that. I’ll go back to Wild Child, and bring back everything I experienced, as I rejoin. Then maybe we will go back to Wild Children.”

“And what will happen to you?”

“I’ll disappear. Into myself. I can do it whenever I want - I want to do it now, now that I’m awake. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t expect a visitor.”

“Oh I think you should,” Tomo said.

“I bet Wild Child knows what a thought-form is by now. If not, I’ll make sure I study up on it. On thought-forms, on this spindlevoid, and where the Light from a Narrow Door went.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Tomo said. “I don’t want to hold you up, but can I ask you two more questions?”

Wild Child raised both of his tiny hands and yawned. “My wisdom is your wisdom. That’s something the Sehirtu say.”

“Okay. My first question: How do I push the sage into phasespace?

Wild Child shook his head. “Oh I don’t know. You just have to push through him. You gotta get serious. You gotta power up.”

“Power up?” Tomo asked, confused.

“Yea. Stand up,” Wild Child said, coming to his feet. Tomo rose, and his head only reached her chin. “You gotta put your fists out to the sides. Squeeze them tight,” he said, scrunching his eyebrows into a knot. “Power up.”

Wild Child emitted a growl, which rose slowly into something more ferocious.

Tomo mimicked Wild Child, with her fists by her sides.

“RRrrrrrraaaaaaaagghhhhhhhhhhhh!” she growled through her teeth.

The Sehirtu began to roar.

Tomo’s fists shook by her side as she attempted to match him.

Wild Child burst into laughter.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and collapsed onto the floor of the sphere. “That was so funny. I can’t take you very seriously.”

Tomo grunted in frustration.

“Is it because I look like this?” she asked.

Wild Child nodded. “A little bit. But you did have a decent roar. So that’s a good place to start. Okay. That took a lot out of me. Question two.”

Tomo took a deep breath.

“How did you light this sun?”

Wild Child laid himself down now. “Just by being here.”

Tomo was disappointed. “I don’t understand that either.”

“Wild Child kept the idea of the little sun - it's called Damixian’s eye. It’s just an idea. He made it. To make it real, he had to leave a part of himself. That’s me. My presence keeps it alive. But I’m too tired now, my presence is weak, and it's gone. I put all of myself into it. Now I’m gone too.” He crossed his fingers over his chest.

Tomo nodded. “You did a wonderful job, Wild Child. I’ll leave you to rest.”

“Okay Blue,” he said, with his eyes closed. “What will you do now?”

“Light the little sun, get rid of the gold-dagger sage,” Tomo stated confidently.

Wild Child smiled. “How you gonna do that?”

Tomo thought for a moment, and arrived at an answer.

“I’m going to use my imagination. Happy Anipa, Wild Child.”

Wild Child laughed. “Happy Anipa to you too, Blue.”

Tomo descended immediately from the sphere in her form as the orb, into the spindlevoid, filling each vignette with a streak of light as she did

The halo of Black Kettle’s sword stood aloft, a brilliant ring of silver.

Inside of the circle of light, peering into the void, were Black Kettle’s gentle eyes..

---

Tomo emerged from the halo, her corporeal form materializing before Black Kettle, who watched her with an even gaze.

“Yes,” she nodded to him. “I did.”

He nodded back.

Kettle turned his attention to the Casiq. Tomo followed, waving her hand at him, and the Casiq began to sputter. The wound that Luinosa gave him began to drip fresh blood that fell into his large, blinking eyes.

Tomo inhaled deeply, and put her little fists to her sides. Black Kettle regarded her from behind, with curiosity.

The Casiq looked at her with confusion, wobbling. The voice from within him spoke.

“You cast some magic upon this body,” it said. “You’re learning.”

She began to growl.

“What are you doing?” the voice within the Casiq asked.

Black Kettle put one finger from his glove hand to his lip.

“I’m powering up,” she said through her rising growl.

“For what, exactly?” the voice asked.

“I’m going to kick your ass.”

The Casiq shook his head disapprovingly.

“You have no real power here, Tomo,” the Casiq said, mildly annoyed. “All you have is-”

“EEEAAAAERRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Tomo bellowed, looking up at him with her child’s scowl. Her form ignited into a molten figure of unbearable light.

“-thoughts…”

Tomo blasted forward, her body colliding with the Casiq in a brilliant detonation of noisome, reflective fragments. It was as if a single plane of the corporeal world was shattered like a wall of brightly colored glass.

Black Kettle looked on, holding the halo gently in both hands, his arms hanging relaxed before him.

Tomo passed through the Casiq’s body, emerging on the other side with a blurred phantom-form, seized by its neck in her hand. Together, they vanished into the phasespace through a hole punctured into reality.