“Maybe we should start by actually browsing the markets.” I said. “We have directions to both, and I’m curious what they have for sale.”

“I don’t understand. Why do you like shopping so much?” Asked Lakshmi curiously.

I blinked at her in surprise. “Well new gear and equipment of course.” I answered, my head tipping to the side in confusion.

Eshaan looked at me in surprise. “I just thought it was because you were a girl.”

I glared at him and he wilted under the force of my gaze.

“Well… you are!” He said defensively.

“Eshaan.” I said, my voice dangerously quiet. “When have I ever bought shoes or clothes at the market?”

“Uh… well… now that you mention it…”

“Exactly.” I said in a frozen tone.

“But you buy cooking supplies all the time!” He protested.

“Not. Helping!” I said.

Soriya patted Eshaan on the arm. “Ease off. She likes to cook, she doesn’t like to shop for clothes. She’s her own person, not a sterotype.”

I glared at her. “The fact that you have to explain that to him makes it worse somehow!”

Eshaan sighed and hung his head. “Lily, I’m sorry. Ok? Sore point, my bad.”

I pressed my lips together firmly. It seemed that despite my best efforts, we were still going to have some spats.

“Just…” I said “Try and think about it this way. If I teased you about always browsing…” I cast around for a possible example. “Lockpicks and nothing else, because you’re a thief, that might feel a little unfair, right?”

The look of hurt on Eshaan’s face was painful, but I pressed on. “exactly. You don’t steal stuff anymore because I asked you too. So it would hurt if I just assumed that you’d only have theft on the mind just because that was a skill you had.”

“Hold up, Eshaan’s actually a thief? Like, really for real?” Lakshmi rubbed her chin in surprise. “Wow, I’ve got like…weird respect for you now. Did you do any heists?”

“It’s not like that!” Eshaan protested angrily. “I was in trooper acquisitions! On deployment you didn’t always find what you needed, so we scrounged! From people who could afford it!”

“And left their valuables unattended.” I said wryly.

“A few healing potions and a handful of loose change is not that big a deal!” Eshaan responded angrily.

Hm, so he does get angry sometimes. I thought. Followed by Maybe I went a little too far? Wait-!

“Hold on.” I said skeptically. “Eshaan, if you’re not really a thief, tell my why you’re so excited to rob a temple?!”

Eshaan turned a glorious pink red of embarrassment and looked down. “Because… because who wouldn’t be, come on! This is an amazing adventure, and it’s not like we’re doing this for bad reasons!”

I laughed, and shook my head. Well, there we are. ‘It sounds fun.’ “Ok, Eshaan. We’ll… call that a win then I suppose.”

“Heck yeah it’s a win!” Soriya said eagerly. I looked at her with blank confusion. “Come on! Thieves? We’re going to be Phantom Thieves!”

I blinked slowly then said “Is that… Persona?”

Soriya’s mouth fell open. “How can you not know Persona?!”

“I only played four. I never got into five.”

Soriya grasped at the air, then clutched her chest melodramatically. “You don’t know… I’m going to die. I’m just going to die right now. My bestie doesn’t know Persona and I can’t make her play it!” She groaned in mock agony.

“I know a little!” I protested.

“Are you two talking about Seer stuff?” Eshaan asked curiously.

“Uh, sort of.” I said.

Camaxtli spoke up. “Given the context clues, it appears they are referencing some sort of game in this other world they arrived from. I am pleased to report that this impossible event no longer causes a data conflict in my processing systems, I consider this a highly positive outcome.”

He bowed to us both. “I must thank you for the considerable opportunity for personal growth and stress testing you have given me.”

I stared at him in surprise. Was that… did he…?!

Camaxtli looked up at me from his bow, and the faintest trace of a smile twitched up the corners of his lips. My mouth fell open in shock.

A joke! He just… made a joke! I thought.

Lakshmi shrugged. “They’re always like this, you get used to it.”

Camaxtli stood up again and nodded agreeably to her. “That is my point exactly.”

Lakshmi and Eshaan frowned in confusion, and I smothered a grin with my hand.

I clapped my hands and nodded firmly. “Market! Lets find out what this town has to offer. Legally.”

“For now.” Soriya grinned.

I sighed and smiled at them. “Yes, for now.” I agreed.

The market was quiet, and much smaller than I’d figured on. Lakshmi looked at me strangely when I expressed my thoughts.

“Well of course it’s smaller. It’s like… a little hub city in the middle of the vast plains? A religious pilgrimage if what we heard about the temple is right.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

I had to admit that made sense. What was interesting however, was the preponderance of celestial themed items and elements.

“I thought this was the Arcanum of the Sky?” I protested quietly to Soriya, turning over a star stone I was thinking of slotting into my staff.

Soriya shrugged. “It’s called the Canyon of Stars, Lily. Where do you think stars are?”

“Oh!” I said, feeling stupid. “The sky. Of course.”

“If it’s as powerful as I think, it might even be able to call down a [Meteor] attack.” Soriya mused.

My eyes widened at that, looking at the little star stone in my hand with sudden respect.

Canyon of the Stars indeed! I thought. I wonder… was the Arcanum trying to call for help? Or work an Omega Strike on its captors? I wasn’t sure which was more likely… but in the meantime…

“Excuse me!” I raised my hand to wave at the vendor, and then gestured to one of the stones on the display. Apparently white magic spells synergized well with Celestial elemental power.

“I’ll take this one, please!” I said

If I was right, Eshaan’s [Heaven and Earth] technique was likely to gain a significant bonus from some of these stones as well.

A few hours later, we all met up at the central city square by the fountain and compared our purchases. As I’d thought, Eshaan had picked up a few Celestial stones to use on his equipment. He’d also bought me a new dress and some jewelry, which was awfully sweet of him but very impractical.

I gave him a crooked smile and a hug. “Thank you, I think, but where in the world do you think I’d be able to wear these?”

Eshaan rubbed the back of his head ruefully. “Anywhere you like, once this is all over. We can’t just live for tomorrow, we have to live for the days after that. Planning day to day without hope for the future is no way to live.”

I blinked, and clutched the necklace he gave me in my fist, looking down at it thoughtfully. It was true. I had only really been thinking about the future in a nebulous… just get through it kind of fashion. But what was going to happen to us? What would be the end of this little game, and… and what would it mean if we actually won?!

I felt ashamed to realize that my ‘bag of hammers’ pretty-boy had given this serious topic more thought than I had!

Lakshmi suddenly spoke up. “We go on the next adventure, of course! There’s always a new novel in the series!”

I blinked and laughed, feeling immeasurably cheered by her enthusiasm. “Well, I suppose we could, but I’d like, maybe, just for a little while, to spend some time at home without wondering if I was going to be sleeping in tight quarters, fighting for my life, or roughing it in a tent that night.” I said wryly.

“But that’s the point!” She gestured wildly.

Daniyel put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “I think the point, which you made very clear to me when we left the first time, was proof that you existed. Proof that you were yourself, and not a space in the world with a title attached to it.”

Lakshmi looked back and up at Daniyel her face filled with a scowl. “That’s… that’s not really very air pirate-y.” She protested weakly.

Camaxtli said quietly “I think it is extremely air pirate-y, if you do it.”

Eshaan said “Huh?!” in confusion.

“I mean, she is an air pirate. So if she takes an action, it is by definition what an air pirate would do.” Camaxtli explained calmly.

“Hm.” Said Lakshmi neutrally.

The conversation lapsed and I took the opportunity to redirect it.

“So, lets go get a look at the temple then. From what I’ve been able to learn, it’s pretty easy to get a look. The central draw of the town, even.”

“Yes, but not all the way in.” Said Eshaan. “I checked, you can see the Arcanum, but only at a distance. Don’t you need to be nearby to do your thing?” He asked.

“Hm. That is a problem, yes. I do need to be nearby.”

“And we’re going to have to account for the fact that there will be an empty space when you’re done. There’s no way we’re going to be able to mask that.”

“We could do Lily’s illusion thing-” said Lakshmi

“No!” I said. “No, no, no! No more of that! It feels… wrong!” I said in frustration.

“Wrong?” Asked Camaxtli

“I can’t explain it! It’s just… a bad feeling.”

The others looked at eachother, then back to me doubtfully.

“If she says it’s out, then it’s out.” Eshaan announced loyally.

“Hm. That’s troubling though, it’s such a useful trick!” Lakshmi protested.

Camaxtli said “I believe the notes in your cabin on replicating the effect are sufficient proof that it’s useful. As well as proof that you do not need a dedicated spellcaster.”

“Those aren’t ready yet!” Lakshmi protested.

“When has that stopped you before?” Asked Daniyel dryly.

“Lots of times!” Lakshmi protested angrily.

“When it fails to function, and explodes, it is not ready.” Daniyel pressed.

“It was ready to test! Completely different!” Lakshmi stared up at Daniyel, hands on her hips.

Eshaan looked fascinated, and I groaned inwardly. It looks like I’ve condemned us to a few ‘test’ explosions along the way. And yet that’s still better than that sick feeling I get in my stomach when I use illusions.

We agreed to ‘case the joint’, in Eshaan’s words, and drifted over to the Temple of the Arcanum.

It was nearby, obviously a central focus to the city. A vast circular building, with ornate black and gold pillars holding up a white marble dome. Sylvani guards in ornate armor slowly patrolled around the circle of the building, making a circuit every few minutes.

In the very center of the floor under the dome, a confection of Ancient metalwork and strange mana conduits flickered and shimmered, half unreal. Surrounding it was a moat, so deep that I couldn’t see the bottom, surrounded by a white marble railing. Delicate lacework bridges arched across the blackness of the chasm below. There was a polite fence blocking access to the bridges, but it was clear that the guards were the real defense here.

When I got near, I could feel the vibrations flickering in my bones. This Arcanum was more ‘awake’ than any that I’d encounter previously. More… aware for lack of a better term. It was troubling, honestly. It felt…

Eshaan grabbed my arm and hauled me backwards. I stumbled in surprise, suddenly realizing that I was leaning across the railing, my hands outstretchd as though to touch the Arcanum.

What on earth is going on here. I chewed my lower lip in worry.

“Lily? You ok?” Eshaan asked worriedly.

I nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. Thank you. Just… a bit overwhelmed, I think.” I said shakily. “It’s very… intense, here.” I fumbled for a word.

Eshaan led me gently away to the outer walls, where Soriya was slowly making her way around the outer pillars. He made sure I was alright, and then with one last worried look, headed back inwards to make his own detailed survey of the setup.

As I slowly strolled around the temple with Soriya, I heard her humming a faint tune. It was naggingly familiar, but it finally snapped into place when she twirled in place and posed, her hand to her face.

“That’s the Persona theme!” I accused.

“Well one of them.” She grinned. “I thought you didn’t play?”

“Well I don’t, but even I recognize good music when I hear it!” I replied.

“Ah well. I was just thinking it’s a pity we don’t have a Velvet Room.”

“Isn’t that the super evil alternate dimension space?”

Soriya shrugged. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s just where the fusions happen.”

“You don’t seriously think we’ll undergo fusion.”

“Well we’d need to have our own mask.”

I thought about this, then said “I suppose… but in a way, don’t you think we are a mask?” I gestured to us.

“So we underwent fusion with ourselves? Well I suppose that’s true! I don’t even hear the voice of my otherself anymore!” Soriya laughed softly.

“So instead of tearing off the mask, we became it instead?”

Soriya shook her head. “I don’t know how it was for you, but for me, my otherself told me that I was always her, just recovering from my time in the Well of Souls.”

I shook my head. “I’m still… coming to terms with that.”

“Mm.” Soriya’s playful attitude dropped. “It is a lot to take in. But it’s… I’ve told you before, I love this new life of mine. I love both halves of myself. Do you not love your self?”

I licked my lips and said slowly “I’d say I’m not sure… it’s not like these new lives are without problems, you know!” I sighed and sagged. “But overall… yeah, ok. I miss my old life, but this isn’t… such a bad place to land. If I have to do it all over again.”

Soriya twirled lightly in place and mimed tearing off a mask. “So live your Persona fully then!”

I shook my head firmly. “No thank you! My knowledge of tropes is why I’m still in one piece and still have a chance to avoid the worst of ends!”

Soriya tapped her lips and then nodded in agreement. “Yes… I suppose that’s true. Breezewood… that was well done.”

I smiled. “If you do say so yourself?” I teased lightly.

She grinned back at me. “Yes. If I do say so myself. It was a brilliant piece of witchcraft, social, and spatial engineering.”

I nodded agreeably. “It was indeed very impressive, but can we maybe focus that keen intellect on our current difficulty?”

Soriya grinned broadly. “Oh that’s already taken care of. I’ve got a plan.”

I had the uncomfortable feeling that the chill that ran down my spine was part of her plan.