As dawn breaks and the city of Lycore rises from the night, Francesca and Ren move towards a designation that bares a ironic semblance to the current moment. The Morning Sun Church sits in the middle of one of the major streets. Modestly sized against the surrounding homes, the spires over the top cast shadows to ground below. For most of the last few months, it has been one of the steward bastions during the nights of the full moon. With the full moon drawing near, the people gathering outside shows the desperation and fear they hold.

Ren takes a closer look at the architecture of the building. "It is really like one of the Christian churches back on Earth."

Without turning around, Francesca asks, "Is there a difference between the churches on your world?"

"Honestly, sort of," Ren answers with a shrug. "I only really brought it up because it is odd for our two worlds to have the same design."

Francesca rolls her eyes. "It is already pretty strange, as is." As she closes in on the fence for the church, she looks at Ren. "Listen, Ren. Father Yu is someone I trust. But..." She motions to the people waiting outside. Many ears that can overhear the critical information of her identity.

"Right," Ren gets the gist of what she is implying. "But do you think Father Yu would give the scroll to us?"

"Hard to say, really." Francesca crosses her arms, tucking her staff into the crease of her elbow. "Father Yu was the one to train me, so it is pretty much going to rely on how prepared he thinks I am in performing light magic."

"The scroll does the work, right? Why would that matter?" Ren asks as he rests his own staff on the ground.

"Affinity," Francesca answers directly. "Those with good affinity for certain schools of magic can use those types of magic more reliably, scrolls included. I have a good affinity with light, so I should be able to use less of my own magical reserve when using the Scroll of Exorcism than you." She turns her head to the general direction of the cemetery. "So Father Yu would have to consider if I have enough power to make an impact."

"Ah," Ren moans in understanding. "So it is like a multiplier..."

Francesca raises her eyebrow in confusion, "I guess...?"

Ren nods as he returns his attention to the church's doors. The crowd of people seem to be an overflow that spew out due to the interior overcrowding. "But how can we see Father Yu like this? It would take forever to get inside."

The healer looks at the doors in agitation and grabs Ren's wrist. With a tag, she starts walking as she drags Ren along with her. "We just have to be a little pushy. We won't be going anywhere playing nice."

It is a direct way to see Father Yu as soon as possible, but Ren is a little perturbed. He did not want to treat these people like NPCs, especially since they are afraid of what is going to happen soon. But Francesca is already pulling him into the crowd of people, with her staff-wielding hand shooing people away. It was a little rude, but Ren has to think about the good that they are shooting for by getting the Scroll of Exorcism.

Pushing people aside, Francesca guides Ren inside and approaches a tall cleric in white robes. His short dark hair and beard gives the impression of a neat gentleman, only for him to be burdened by the wave of people in the church. He does not notice Francesca approaching in the sea of people at first. As his attention is focused on crowd control, Francesca walks up to the man. "Father Yu," she says with some volume in her voice.

Father Yu turns to see the girl that he is very familiar with, the talent with a natural affinity to the light. Father Yu's face is strained with the work and pleas that everyone is giving him. "Miss Francesca, I don't mean to be rude, but the situation regarding the cemetery has many people on edge."

Ren gulps as he tries to help Francesca. "F-Father Yu... We have come to help with that..."

The cleric’s expression is unreadable at first, but he nods. "Of course. But who are you, young man?"

Francesca answers for Ren. "This is Ren, and he is my guardian for when we form a party."

"A party?" Father Yu says cautiously. "Miss Francesca, that is rather dangerous."

"I know! My father would not shut up about it." Francesca scoffs in anger. "But Ren is right; we are here to help."

"Certainly a blessing," Father Yu sighs with minor relief. "Attending to everyone is going to take far too long by myself. Your assistance would be most appreciated."

Francesca blinks before clearing the confusion. "No... No no... I am talking about dealing with the ghosts during the night of the full moon."

Father Yu freezes, his face paling. "Miss Francesca, you do not possess what is required to quell the matter on your own."

"Which is why we ask for the Scroll of Exorcism," Ren says. "Fran and I plan to deal with the ghosts directly with it."

Father Yu takes a step back and looks conflicted. "That... is not a request I can grant."

"I know it is risky," Francesca says softly. "But I want to be able to prove myself. If I can cleanse the spirits during—"

The cleric raises his hands as he interrupts her. "Miss Francesca. I mean to say that I have already given the Scroll of Exorcism to another."

"What?!" Both Francesca and Ren exclaim loudly. The scroll was pivotal to the plan, and yet they are stopped from the very beginning.

Father Yu speaks quietly to Francesca in particular. "You must understand, Miss Francesca. There has been a recent development. A hero of Lumina herself has come to retrieve the Scroll of Exorcism to do exactly what you suggested."

Francesca is lost. A hero of Lumina? That is impossible; Ren has been with her the entire time. If someone else is calling themself the hero, then they are a fake. And Father Yu surrendered the Scroll of Exorcism to this impostor?

"N-No!" Francesca mouths off as the news takes her. "That... that can't be! Whoever that was, they lied to you, Father Yu!"

Ren could hear what Father Yu said and he shares in the confusion. "Father Yu, why would you take a random person at their word? For all you know, he could have been trying to steal the scroll."

Father Yu starts to see that his decision does not sound that solid in retrospect. He clears his throat as he tries to recover. "Perhaps... I was quick to trust him. Nevertheless, asking for the Scroll of Exorcism in particular at this time and under the circumstances would require an immediate need to use it, no?"

"I... guess so...?" Ren mumbles under his breath.

"But he called himself a hero under Lumina," Francesca does not lose track of this detail. "That is a lie..."

Father Yu closes his eye in apology. "He did seem to be working with prior information. With the story of him being the hero, I believed that he was given proper guidance. Given the desperation that is getting to us, I might have..."

Francesca wants to tell the cleric the truth, hoping it can shed light on the situation. However, there are too many people around her that would overhear her. And with her own feelings about being Lumina's vessel, she did not want to fall back to that to solve this issue.

Before Francesca could respond, a voice echoes through the nave.

"Lumina," it calls, sharp and familiar.

She turns to see a young man casually cutting through the crowd of curious people. His dark eyes gleams with a confidence that set her on edge. Francesca is stunned that this man somehow knew who she was on sight alone. Her thousand yard stare breaks when Ren puts his arm up as a barrier to the approaching man. "Who are you?" Francesca demands as the man get close.

The man smirks. "I’m Malcolm. You don’t know it yet, but we have a long history. I’m your real hero."

"Real hero...?" Ren repeats as he studies the man. Black hair and black eyes, two swords at the hip, and a padded vest that Ren assumes is to be part of some armor.

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Malcolm’s gaze sharpens, locking onto Ren. His smirk fades as he studies Ren back. Brown hair and with a mage's staff. "Ah. So you’re the replacement," he chuckles, the sound low and condescending. "Listen, I know how this all plays out. I’ve been through it before. I know every trap that has been sprung, every trick thrown at me, everyone that was against me. You? You’re going in blind. You don’t have what it takes to protect her." Extending a hand toward Francesca, he softens his tone, though his eyes remain hard. "Lumina, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ve got the scroll. Let me protect you like I was meant to."

Francesca stares at Malcolm’s outstretched hand, her instincts screaming at her to stay away. Her fingers tighten around Ren’s sleeve. The mysterious stranger is talking in such a weird way. And he has the Scroll of Exorcism?

Ren glances back at her. "You good?"

"No," she whispers, her voice trembling. "He gives me... worse vibes than those men from before."

Ren's face goes hard. "Then we’re on the same page."

Malcolm’s expression darkened as he took a step closer. "Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I know what’s best for you, Lumina."

But Francesca wasn’t listening. Her grip on Ren’s sleeve tightened, and she stepped back. "Don't call me that!" she says with disdain. "I am not Lumina! I'm... I'm Francesca..."

A curious crack in Malcolm confidence shows. "Fran...cesca...?" In his previous timelines, he always called her Lumina. Perhaps she brought up the name once, but she always went by Lumina. That is who she is, after all.

The air between Ren and Francesca is heavy with unspoken concern. People whisper about the open use of the Goddess of Light's name when Malcolm refers to this girl. Ren glances at Francesca, his expression calm but firm. "He has the Scroll of Exorcism. We need to get it."

Francesca’s ears twitch nervously. "But... Who is he?"

Ren takes a step to further barricade Malcolm from Lumina. "I don't know, but you need to stay away. Whatever his deal is, it’s with me now."

"But he is targeting me," Francesca points out.

"Yeah," Ren grants but does not concede. "But he seems to be fixated on being your hero. That's my job, and he knows it." He glances at Malcolm. "So he has a problem with me."

Francesca hesitates before nodding, swallowing hard. To go up against someone who projects a level of understanding that is further then their own is deeply unsettling. "Just... be careful, Ren."

Ren takes a step approaching Malcolm, who stood opposite to him. Malcolm clicks his tongue impatiently, "What do you want?"

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Ren asks. "The church is already on edge."

Malcolm sighs as he scratches the back of his head. "Alright, fine. It's not like I have much more business here."

As Francesca stands back as Malcolm and Ren worm their way out of the Morning Sun Church, Father Yu clears his throat as he stands by Francesca. "My... deepest apologies, Miss Francesca."

Francesca is not too happy to hear Father Yu's voice. "You were convinced by that guy?"

Father Yu gives a soft groan, his doubt and guilt apparent.

***

Outside, Malcolm and Ren stand in one of the alleys beside the Morning Sun Church. The two who claim themselves to be heroes in an introduction far from cordial. Malcolm seems bored as he dismissively looks at Ren. "Happy now?"

Ren does not beat around the bush and gets to the point. He deadpan says, "The Scroll of Exorcism. You’re holding it hostage."

Malcolm’s lips curled into a sneer as he presents the rolled up parchment. "Hostage? This scroll is necessary for the 'story mission' at the cemetery. I need it, and I need Lumina to use it. So why don’t you step aside and let the real hero do his job?"

Ren crossed his arms. "Okay then, let's try this. Why are you calling yourself the hero?"

Malcolm raises an eyebrow to Ren. "You mean you don't know?" Ren stays quiet, leaving the door open for Malcolm to fill him in. "Wow. Guess she did not tell you then."

Ren asks, "Who are you talking about?"

Malcolm casually starts to toss the scroll into the air. "Jikan, of course."

Ren's eyes go wide as Malcolm went so far as to even bring up Jikan's connection to this. "H-How did you—?"

With a snicker, Malcolm fills Ren in. "Where to start? You're the new hero, right? So, you were summoned from another world by Jikan, right? Earth, perhaps?" Malcolm watches Ren's stance crumble as he takes a step back. Shrugging, he continues, "Yeah. You were called here to protect Lumina and have her regain her power. But Jikan did not tell you is that she already summoned someone before." Malcolm catches the scroll as he points to himself. "Me. So really, I am Lumina's true hero."

Ren's jaw locks as Malcolm is giving him the dirty scoop. Jikan never mentioned another hero. It seems like a bad joke, but Malcolm knew about her, Francesca being Lumina's vessel, and the existence of Earth. It is fair to say that he was telling the truth. Yet, that does not help with Malcolm's image. "Hero...?" Ren manages to say. "You seem more like a villain right now."

A twisted look of offense crosses Malcolm's face. "Villain?! I was summoned to be the hero! It’s my destiny to protect Lumina!" In the instant Malcolm is silent, everything stalls as Ren closes his eyes and activates his boon. For once, his sensory state is not as overburdened to the point of repeated agony. Everything was dark and the rather quiet alley leaves only a static hum in his ears. It was a welcome change as he feels that he needs to think clearly.

*-Time to Think-*

[This guy is a real piece of character. Still, he was summoned by Jikan to be Francesca's guardian? But why would Jikan not tell me about him? If he is a summoned hero from Earth, wouldn't that be better to let me know so that we can protect Francesca? There has to be more to this. If Jikan did not tell me about him, was it because she rejected him? I might do the same, given how he is acting. But that would not explain how he knew who Francesca was so easily. But... he did say stuff like 'I know what is going to happen'. Does he have some future seer power as his cheat?"

"Wait... I am pretty sure that Jikan would be the only deity who can grant that, and she told me that I have to figure things out for myself. A seer ability would go against that, right? Let's assume that it would. So how would Malcolm know stuff in the future? He would need Jikan's help with anything involving time, right? Wait, didn't he say 'I’ve been through it before'? So he has been to the future? R-Right. That's the safety net for when I fail to protect Lumina. Time is reset. If he was a hero before me, then he should have had the same thing..."

"But why would Jikan replace him with me? If he was protecting Francesca just fine, then... Oh...]

Time resumed, and Ren catches Malcolm before he could resume the rant. "Malcolm, You failed, didn’t you?"

Malcolm freezes, his expression shifting from outrage to something far darker. "What... did you just say?"

Ren looks at Malcolm with disappointment. "If Jikan reversed time, then something went horribly wrong. She promised me that I can use the safety net to fix any mistakes that I made. But for her to replace you, you had to fail so bad that she lost all faith in you."

The tension in Malcolm's fist turns his knuckles white. Rage fills his voice as he points to Ren. "It wasn’t my fault! Jikan blamed me for everything, but it was just bad luck. I might have made some of my own mistakes, but the world itself was against me! Against Lumina!"

Caution brings Ren’s voice to a shaken tone. "If you couldn’t finish the mission before, why should Francesca trust you now? What’s to stop you from failing again? Jikan just wants the ascension to succeed, so she—"

"I’m not a failure!" Malcolm roars, his face twists with frustration. In one violent motion, he unravels the Scroll of Exorcism and rips it in half. Sparks of stored magical power fly out as the spell's structure destabilizes, rendering the key to Ren and Francesca's mission as nothing more than mere paper. "AH!" The feedback was not harmless to Satoshi as his hands and forearms have cuts from the magic slicing him like blades.

"No!" Ren shouted, his voice echoing through the alley. "Why would you do that?!"

Malcolm glares at him as he holds his arms against his torso, his expression a mix of defiance and pain. "It..." He winces in pain but powers through. "It does not matter. If Lumina fails to cleanse the cemetery, Jikan will have no choice but to reverse time again. I’ll show her— show all of you— that I’m the only one who can protect Lumina. She needs me. The future needs me!"

Ren stared at him in disbelief. "You would risk having the undead spirits roam the city because you have a petty score to settle?! Just to prove yourself?!"

Malcolm’s voice drops to a whisper with a calm certainty. "I’m not risking anything. I’m taking back what’s mine."

"Forceful...!" Ren raises his staff against Malcolm and uses his offensive attack. "Push!" A telekinetic force rushes through the air and hits Malcolm head on. The power of Forceful Push sends him flying off of his feet and landing hard against the ground back first.

Malcolm goes to right himself up and grab one of his swords, but Ren is already walking away. Malcolm curses in pain, but he is not done with Ren just yet. "Ren! You have already lost! Lumina would not run away from the cemetery! Without the Scroll of Exorcism, you will fail and Jikan would reset time! She is just waiting until you fail!"

Any more resolutions Ren had in the conversation ended when Ren saw that Malcolm is a detriment to the mission. Not just for cleansing the cemetery, but to the mission of restoring the Goddess of Light. But the loss of the Scroll of Exorcism is a major setback. The night of the full moon was supposed to be Francesca's chance to prove herself, and now it was ruined in an instant.

***

"No!" Francesca is not taking the harsh news well. She grabs Ren's collar, lightly tightening the fabric around his neck. "He destroyed it?! What the hell were you doing?!"

The confrontation draws attention from the rest of the people in the Morning Sun Church. With a slight descent in his stance, Ren slides out of Francesca's grip. "Fran! Listen to me! He is not normal!"

"I already know that! You should have taken him seriously!" The furious Francesca retorts.

"No!" Ren puts up his hands. "Remember what I said about the safety net? He is trying to use it against us."

"Why would I care about..." A slow realization dawns on her face. "Oh..."

Using vague words, Ren tells her, "He knows that failure is not permanent. If he can stop us this way, then we would have to try again. And if he stops us again next time..." Malcolm would effectively leverage time to get what he wants.

"To be my hero...?" The thought sickens her. "Perfect... Just... PERFECT!" Francesca explodes in the middle of the church. "It is one thing after another, isn't it?! Everyone telling me what to do!"

Ren takes a step back as he looks to Father Yu for assistance. The cleric gives sympathetic shrug. "Resources are tight, and scrolls takes time to prepare. Even minor protections are difficult to secure this close to the full moon."

With the entire ordeal becoming a fiasco, Ren thinks that he needs to see if his previous idea is valid. He focuses on using Time to Think again, but time is still flowing at its previous rate. Checking the hourglass, it seems he has to wait before using it again. The answer to his lingering question proves that he has to be more conservative with his boon. It also proves that he needs to be more prepared to think deeply in real time.

As Francesca seethes in anger and helplessness, Ren has to find a way to calm her down. At the same time, he needs to find a way to prove Malcolm wrong. They have a two days before the full moon, and Jikan has not reset time yet. There has to be a chance. He just has to think of one.