As Andreas proclaimed that the Chosen One would return and the crowd erupted in cheers, I struggled to breathe, finding the foul smell of the damp blankets overwhelming. Frantically, I searched for a way out from under the floorboards, my hands clawing at the constricting, dusty darkness until they found a splintering wooden ladder attached to the pit wall.

“She will return! She will return!” the crowd chanted and howled in a drunken cacophony, their words never quite synchronizing. Sooner than you think!

I pushed forcefully against the trapdoor at the top of the ladder, unable to find the latch with my fingers, but unfortunately, it did not yield. “Hey! Someone! Get me out of here! It's full of rats down here!” I screamed desperately as I banged on the door.

Inauthentic Oliver, seeming to love all the negative attention, laughed hysterically again from above, tapping his boot down on the trapdoor as if to tell me to just deal with it. Angered beyond reason at being intentionally ignored, I slammed my shoulder into the trapdoor again, this time with my holy aura behind it. Don't look down at the convulsing nest of rodents...!

The door gave way with a thunderous crash, splinters flying in all directions. I burst up onto the stage once again, fully illuminated, and turned all of my indignant rage on the now stumbling, overdressed rubber suit of a villain. “I know you heard me down there, you heartless, slimy bastard!”

“Y-you!” the vaudeville villain gasped in a more realistic voice, trying to catch his balance.

One of the stagehands, also startled by my expeditious emergence, took a dive, letting go of the chandelier rope he was in charge of.

“Huh...? Look out!” I shoved the other Oliver, probably a little harder than was necessary. He fell flat as the chandelier swung out wildly from above. It crashed between us before rolling across the floor, tangling up in one of the curtains, its tallow candles instantly setting it ablaze.

The crowd erupted into cries of “Fire!” with fierce enthusiasm. Some of the stagehands joined in as a sooty smoke filled the air. However, their voices were filled with a more authentic sense of horror.

Andreas was the first to make a public exit, stage right, pushing past anyone in his path as he scrambled away. Alaric must have left the stage without notice, leaving only his signature furry cape and stilts behind.

What was this place made of to go up in flames so quickly?

Even through the thick, billowing smoke, I could hear Relias shouting from somewhere on the other side. “I'll go for help!” he yelled, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos. I strained my eyes to see where he was, but it was impossible to make out any figures amid the darkening haze.

The man playing Oliver stood up slowly in a bit of a stupor, and I grabbed his hand, yanking him towards the stage's apron where the other curtain was yet to be engulfed in smoky flames. “This way!”

“Are you insane!?” he shrieked, pulling back as the chaos consumed the crowd. “The audience will stone me alive if they get their hands on me!”

“What, you don't trust me to protect you after what you pulled?” I snapped sarcastically as I looked out over the edge. Where did Vernie and Nora go?

He hesitated, anxiously swaying back and forth on his feet. “You do seem to be glowing rather brightly... Very well, novice knight. Save your senior!” With that, he leapt into my arms, catching me off guard and causing me to scramble to hold him in a princess carry.

All bark and no bite…!

“You really should warn someone before throwing yourself at them!” I admonished as I jumped down from the stage, dashing off to the side to avoid the large cluster of people watching the world burn in front of them.

“Apologies,” he murmured, clinging like a craven coward as I weaved through the rubberneckers. “I'm still immersed in my role. Otherwise, I'd be screaming my head off right about now.”

“Give usshh dah deeeemon keng!” a drunk man slurred as he stepped directly before me.

“It was just an act,” I shouted as I started to back up. “He's not actually a demon!”

An older woman beside him retorted, “He seems real evil-loik tah me! This play is a, whatchacallit... affront! An affront to the Goddess s'what it is! And we, d'ah, I mean she! She wants that one to burn!”

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“Don't let them kill me,” he whimpered into my shoulder.

Some demon king he is...

“Please stand aside,” I heard Aleph announced calmly from the other end of the crowd. “The tiger with me is rather anxious.”

“Graaaaaaah!” Tetora roared in response, scattering even the most sloshed spectators.

Aleph gestured, and as the sea of people parted, I ran toward him for added protection.

“Nora and Relias are working on damage control,” Aleph murmured when I was within close range.

“Damage control?” I asked, trying to set down the trembling thespian. He resisted, however, with a pitiful yelp.

“Get off her, bard!” Tetora grabbed the man and threw him over his shoulder like a rag doll. That wig he's wearing has some staying power..!

“Please!” he cried, flailing his arms helplessly. “I'll give you anything you want! Coins! Jewels! Just don't hurt me!”

“I doubt it...” Aleph murmured, glancing at the burning grandstand. “Isn't your room in that theatre complex?”

“My... everything!” he moaned in defeat as he went limp. “Tiger... do with me what you will.”

Tetora rolled his eyes as he carried him off. “You're the director's responsibility now. Pray that I find him before I lose interest in your antics!”

“Anyway, you were saying something about damage control?” I reiterated to Aleph.

“Mmm....to contain the fire,” Aleph replied, subtly wiggling his fingers.

“Oh... Uh...” I frowned as I realized my role in the destruction before us. “In my defense, there were rats in the dark depths! A lot of them! Giant, nasty, rabid--”

“Nothing like those tiny mice over there?” Aleph pointed to a stream of small vermin fleeing from under the floorboards where I once stood.

Mortified at how insignificant they appeared now, I folded my arms. “I'm telling you, they were huge! And they were crawling all over me! And... oh no, I'm in big trouble, aren't I...” My hands began to shake. “How mad is Relias...?” I screwed up again...

“Why would he be mad at you?” Nora's voice questioned indignantly from behind.

I spun around as Vernie and Nora made their way towards me. “Aren't you going to, you know... do the thing?” I asked, hoping for some magical miracle.

“I did what I could without getting caught. Everyone made it out without too much injury, but the stage itself is done for,” Nora said, shaking her head and pointing. “Better to let the bucket brigade contain it from destroying anything else on it's way down.”

“Oh...” I trailed off with a tremble.

Nora stepped in front of me. “It's not your fault,” she insisted, folding her arms. “Remember your speech about intent and culpability?”

“Huh?”

“Sometimes bad things happen, but we don't mean for them to happen? I'm pretty sure you said something exactly like that!”

I stared as some of the rafters began to collapse in on themselves. “Uh huh... vaguely...”

Nora snapped her fingers to get my attention. “So why do you let me get a pass when I make a mistake, but you don't give yourself the same benefit?”

“Well, I'm supposed to...”

What? Know better? Be perfect? That didn't sound right or even possible.

Nora didn't wait for me to finish. “And whose bright idea was it to have one person hold up a wooden wheel of fire throughout an entire play without any way to secure it?”

“Oh no, I don't want the stagehand to get in trouble!” I gasped, realizing there were more people to blame. “Where'd he go?”

“Well hidden,” Vernie confirmed. “Fret not, Captain!”

I wish I could have followed her instruction, but watching the theatre burn wasn't really conducive to calm. It's only a matter of time before--

“There she is, sir!” a voice shouted from the side. We all turned as a column of soldiers in crimson uniforms emerged from the quickly dispersing crowd, led by a tall, stern-faced officer of a highly decorated rank. He approached with crisp, purposeful strides, his presence quite... commanding.

“You there!” he barked. “Raelynn Lightbringer, I presume?”

“Uh...That's my character's name, certainly...” I answered evasively as the column started to surround us.

“I believe we have a lot to talk about,” he said in a threatening tone, generating his own aura of light that was about as bright as mine at its best. “Consider this an official invitation for you and your companions to join me in private discussion.”

I scowled. “Wait, they had nothing to do with this! I acted alone!”

“ A 'Tetora' and a 'Relias' are already waiting for you,” he advised with raised eyebrows. “So, let's not keep them waiting.”

My eyes darted between Nora and Vernie, trying to gauge their willingness to resist. Vernie appeared relaxed, but her fingers were twitching slightly with anticipation.

“Well, I'm game,” Nora declared boldly as she gestured for the officer to lead the way, surprising me completely. “The sooner we straighten this out, the better!”