Interconnected: Spliced Souls

It was a sea of darkness, and I was a faint spec of light surrounded by an undeniable void. The cold abyss encapsulated everywhere I looked, but this wasn’t the soul world.    

It couldn’t have been. Where was the warmth? The love? The affection?   

“Momo?!” I called after standing. “Itarr?! Are you here?! Albert?!”   

Nothing. Not a response or echo. My voice didn’t travel. If it did, it didn’t reach very far. I still had my ring, but I couldn’t enter it. I couldn’t retrieve anything, either. It was like permission had been stripped, so what else was there to do except walk?   

So, I picked a direction. I didn’t know how long I was engrossed in this loneliness. At some point...   

I wasn’t alone, but my companions weren’t other people.    

They were my actions. The events of my life played around me like a movie. The deaths I had caused...   

The pain I had inflicted…   

It was all there for me to endure, but it never showed an event from before I lost my memories. So it didn’t do anything for me.    

“I don’t know who you are!” I shouted, watching myself kill those two guards who had transported my corpse in the wagon—it was after I met Itarr. “This isn’t doing anything! Showing me my sins won’t change me!” That video ended, but a hundred more filled the infinite skies. They multiplied until deaths caused by my hands were all I saw.    

“Are you the faceless intruders that showed up when we unlocked the [Forbidden Skill System]?! Is this supposed to break me?! Too goddamn bad! I’m already broken!”   

Killing just didn’t bother me. It felt like breathing. It was something I did to survive. I didn’t know why I felt that way. It wasn’t like I wanted to become a mass murderer for the hell of it... The world was forcing me to do…what I apparently excelled at.     

I believed in protecting those who couldn’t defend themselves without killing. Life was cruel. It wouldn’t allow an idyllic fantasy to come true when cold, hard reality was never like what you’d read in a fairy tale.  

People would always have to die for the sake of peace.   

“Come on! Is this all you have?! Do you know where Momo is?! Show her to me, you bastards!” I shouted as loudly as I could. The powers at work ignored me because the scenes altered to show my interactions with Sissy’s group. It was like an abridged recap of our time together before focusing on her betrayal. It showed me scenes I wasn't present to witness, like Albert dying from Gerld’s spear.    

“So what? He’s not dead, you know! He’s alive, you idiot! You think this will make me sad? Traitors deserve death! I severed my friendship with them! I’m glad I killed them! I cut them out of my life like the dead weight they were! So, go on! Do something else! Try to get me! You’ll find that you won’t! I'll never stop searching until I find Momo!!!!!” I strained my throat, screaming until the darkness fractured. One by one, the memories turned off. I wasn’t sure it was there, but I saw a dull, almost extinguished pink flame in the distance.    

It had to be Momo. It couldn’t have been anyone but her! If she was suffering the same thing…    

I just had to get there!   

Wait for me! 

---

“Why…am I here?”   

Momo didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t to be trapped in a room without doors or windows. The last thing she remembered was…   

“NOOOOO!!!!!” She gripped her head and fell to the floor as Albert’s lifeless corpse forced its way into her mind. More than that—it was the betrayal by the three she regarded as friends.  No, it went further than that since that act reminded her of—   

“I DON’T WANNA REMEMBER!!!!” Momo tossed herself into the wall. She heard a sharp crack. She landed on her rear before looking aghast at her broken arm.    

It suddenly healed—time appeared to be reversing. That was when Momo noticed an illusory red ring around her finger.   

The suddenness failed to distract her from an overactive mind.    

That wasn’t the worst part. The wall shattered like glass. Momo looked at it, but the woman staring at her…was the woman she had seen in her mind—the one who always helped her in her time of need.    

“It’s you!” Momo exclaimed. She rushed to the woman only to find that...   

...it was a mirror.   

Momo stared at herself—at someone who wasn’t a singi anymore. Those foxlike ears and tail belonged to a race that no longer existed in the overarching multiverse. 

Momo didn’t know how to react. She was lost and afraid and stumbled back in confusion as the mirror changed. It displayed a moving picture of Momo as if she was captured by a third party.    

It showed her walking into the kitchen to hug her grandfather.   

“No way… This… Then we—Yeah, grampy made pancakes with homemade syrup…” Momo smiled with a tearful expression. She crawled towards the moving picture and held a hand to her grandfather's wrinkly face. “Grampy, I need you… Help me, please… I…” Momo’s voice cut off. She knew…what was about to happen.  “STOP!!! DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE!!!” Momo’s cries went unheard as the singi she saw happily skipped out the door with a broadsword, unlike the weapon she was known for.   

She wandered through her village and waved at the hunters preparing for the day. A few children ran up to hug her legs. She allowed the future adventurers to escort her to the guild office, where she accepted a quest to pick some mushrooms.    

Momo watched as the recording of herself left the guild. It was little more than a large shack. Still, she loved how cute it was.   

“GO BACK!!!” she screamed, tears streaming from her eyes. She became hysterical and sobbed as the scene changed to the forest. The Momo of the past kneeled before a colorful rose, then snatched the nearby mushrooms. She kept walking with a pep in her step until a low growl unnerved her.    

A bear had been hiding nearby. The wounds across its snout indicated it was Scarfur, a beast with a bloodied history.  It was injured. Its hind legs were caught in a snare trap, and Momo saw an opportunity to earn some quick dupla and extra SP.    

That was a mistake.    

The beast harbored a sharp mind. It had unguided anger towards humans and wildkin and launched into a blistering rage. Momo drew her sword. She watched as a past version of herself failed to defeat the wanted monster, almost dying when it cornered her against a tree.  She could still feel his stinky breath tickle her nose as a roar shivered her bones.  

Momo screamed for help at the top of her lungs…and they appeared.   

Four warriors—two male and two female—with pale skin and deep black hair—emerged from the shadow of a tall tree to save the Momo of the past. Scarfur was effortlessly cut down as if it were a cub. The blood splattered across Momo’s face. Even now, she felt the warm liquid blanketing her cheeks.    

“Stop… Just STOP IT!!!’ I DON’T WANNA SEE ANYMORE!!!!” Momo demanded. She punched the floor and grabbed her hair before the scene changed again to Momo arriving at her house. She wanted to reward her saviors with excellent food since her grandfather was an amazing cook. His gentle face was deep in a patch of flowers when his wrinkled, furry ears heard his granddaughter’s voice.    

She expected to see that welcoming smile, yet his expression was anything but. The retired adventurer with a past his happy-go-lucky granddaughter wasn’t privy to stood. His eyes hardened. That scowl... Momo had never seen her grandfather with such a look.    

Darkness suddenly enveloped the land.    

A sea of clouds drowned the sun, turning day into dusk. A fight broke out. Momo was far too stunned to know what was happening as her grandfather attacked the ones who rescued her.    

No.    

They were the ones attacking him. He told Momo to run amid the chaos. Her feet were glued to the grass. She only obeyed his order when he took a thrust meant for her in his shoulder.    

She darted throughout the village as it was engulfed by smoke and flames. The people she had known for her whole life were being slaughtered by an invading force.   

Explosions knocked her unsteady. Whirling winds and thunderous booms deafened her. She crawled underneath collapsed houses and jumped over corpses.    

Momo was terrified. Her fear surged when she darted into the guild. The kind old receptionist she had seen hours ago… A man with fangs had his mouth latched around her neck. He drained her vitality until her wrinkled skin had the texture of leather. Sickening crimson dripped from his lips.    

The monster launched towards Momo…and that was all she remembered. The moving picture skipped ahead to where she woke up. The building’s ruins pinned her to the ground, but she struggled to claw her way out.    

It was night—real night. True night. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The people she had loved like family were slaughtered in the streets. Corpses hung ornaments from the stakes those monsters had stabbed into the ground. Most were drained dry. Momo confirmed she didn’t have any wounds.    

Her friends, though... The ones who had watched her grow... The ones she had grown up with...  

They were dead.    

She didn’t hear a single soul still alive as she wandered the village. Momo kept to the shadows, yelping silently when she heard fighting. Eventually, she made it near her home. 

Suddenly, a flaming conflagration engulfed the place where she spent most of her days, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The beautiful moon looked mournful as more darkness came upon the land.    

A water geyser erupted from the inferno, and a man wearing a suit of unwavering armor emerged from the wreckage. Those wrinkled ears and stylized pink hair matched the man who raised his precious granddaughter. He was locked in combat with a group of warriors. Red veins danced across pale skin. Wings of night broke from their prison of flesh. It was a brawl of overwhelming, unimaginable power, yet the lone warrior of water proved why he had achieved Expert Rank 10 within the guild.    

Spelldancer was a powerful skill path. Sumo—Momo’s grandfather— danced within the water armor. He directed tendrils of lightning and wind to attack his opponents.    

Age had its downsides. He was slow—his reaction speed wasn’t what it used to be. Momo watched as the man she thought invincible was cut down to size. His tendons were cut with blades made of coagulated shadow. The enemies swarmed and broke through his armor.    

Momo stepped from the shadows and raised a trembling hand. With courage she didn’t know she had, she used her sole spell to send a non-elemental bolt of magic towards the vampire’s back.    

It did nothing.   

All turned towards her and bared their fangs. They looked at her like a piece of exquisite meat commoners could only dream of, but Sumo acted. He burned his life to use Spelldancer’s second most powerful spell called [Celestial Nova]. The last vestiges of skill energy danced around his body and ignited, covering the immediate area in a blast of holy light.    

The night turned to dawn. Those who could only survive in the sunlight with expensive alchemical concoctions couldn’t sustain against light designed to kill undeath beings. A shimmering ray shattered the smoke and cleared the skies, allowing the moon to shine on a village that teetered on death's edge. 

Sumo was left a shell of who he used to be. Momo ran to his side and held his wrinkly hands, but her fingers felt ash.    

Soft ash…   

He looked at her and smiled an expression not becoming of a man on his deathbed. Momo was inconsolable. He told her how much he loved her and imparted his two beloved gifts—a silver longsword and a messenger bag.    

Momo didn’t want to take them. She knew…what this meant. She begged him to hold on until she found help.   

Then he raised his voice and demanded her to grow up. He had never done this before. The shock stopped the tears, but they continued when four bats flew from the skies. They transformed into pale-skinned humanoids, snarling like rabid beasts as blood oozed from their lips.    

Sumo knew what he had to do. He was already near death. Continuing to push his limits would accelerate fate by a few moments. Even if an elixir reached his lips… The damage was already done.    

His fading hands grabbed his granddaughter's cheeks, and a magic circle formed under her. She begged him to let her fight, but he couldn’t let his only family die a needless death.    

In the blink of an eye… She wasn’t staring at her grandfather. No, he had teleported her to a hill a mile away. She crawled to the top and screamed for him as the burning village in the distance was again engulfed by a tremendous explosion of darkness.    

[Umbral Annihilation] was Spelldancer’s most powerful technique. It used one’s remaining life to create an eruption of pure darkness that destroyed everything in its range, including any enemies and even light itself. The destructive force was unmatched, but it also required the caster’s life as fuel.   

The shockwave took a few seconds to reach Momo as she was thrown back. She tumbled down the hill and let go of her precious heirlooms, but she darted back to the top in time to see…   

Nothing.    

It was gone. All gone—without evidence that a little-known village used to be there.    

The moving picture stopped. The wall returned to being a mirror and showed Momo’s bloodied face. She had tried to claw her eyes out, but they kept regenerating.    

She thought it was a curse until the mirror shattered, and it started playing the same thing she had just watched.    

Except it wasn’t just that wall.    

It was the one behind her. It was the two to her left and right. The ceiling and floor weren’t spared, either.     

Momo couldn’t escape it.    

Her worst nightmares surrounded her. The voices… The screams… The needless deaths…   

It could all be traced back to a moment of greed because Momo believed she could kill Scarfur…    

She wholeheartedly believed she was responsible for setting the disastrous act into motion—the betrayal never left her. Gerld's disgusting deception was so shocking that it triggered a flashback, forcing Momo to face a truth she never wanted to admit.     

It was a truth she wanted to deny—one she wanted to escape. 

---

The pink light was my goal. It was all I thought about as I ran with all my strength. Did the distance decrease? Did it increase? Nothing made sense, but I was stubborn. I kept running until I touched it. A crimson glow enveloped me... 

“Momo?” I whispered, looking at a crying girl. She sat in the middle of a white room. Thousands of bloody eyeballs and torn, furry ears surrounded her. Movies played on the walls, floor, and ceiling. They were in fast-forward—one second was enough for a viewing. I instantly knew…what Momo didn’t want anyone to know.   

That was why I ran towards her and embraced my friend.   

“NOOOOOOOO!!!!” she screamed, thrashing. 

“Momo, it’s me!” I shouted.   

“GET AWAY!!!!”  

“MOMO!!!” I removed her hands from her eyes, forcing her to look at me. Those bright blue orbs went through a thousand emotions.    

“Ser…vy? It’s you!!! Servy!!!” Her expression softened. Momo leapt into my arms and cried, but she suddenly pushed me away after looking at the moving pictures. Momo flew into a frenzy. “DON’T LOOK!!!”  

“Momo, it’s—”  

“It’s not okay! Don’t even say that! I killed Grampy! I killed them all! They died—they died because of me! I—I did it—It—” Momo collapsed. She grabbed her head and shouted in agony. The events of her past played faster.  

Sound was added. The collective screams of everyone who perished flooded the room.   

Then we smelled the flames. The smoky ash infiltrated our nostrils.   

I never let go. I returned Momo to my arms and hugged her.   

Even when the room shattered…  

Even when the nightmares became corporeal.   

Even when…the corpses’ internal thoughts were vocalized… The curses… The death wishes…  

It became a tornado. The eyes and ears Momo had torn were sucked into a massive cyclone that destroyed the room.    

It felt like the end of the world. For Momo? It probably was.   

We endured the apocalypse. The whooshing winds tried to fling us to the ends of infinity, but no one let go.   

I vowed to protect Momo. She was my best friend.  

“Did you really think I’d leave you when you needed me the most?”  

“I’m a murderer. I killed… Grampy’s dead. I killed…so many… They all died because of me!”  

“I killed a lot, too. You know... You were there for me when I told you my truth. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here. Let me accept you, Momo, like you accepted me. It’s not your fault. We can get through this together, Momo. Please… Stop this… Let us return…   

“But…”  

“No buts, Momo. Come on…” The tornado died. Gradually, the storm faded, and we appeared in that room. Movies continued to play on the six surfaces, but not all were of her nightmares. Five of them were, yet the sixth had Momo’s happiest moments. I saw her take her first steps... I saw her grandfather surprise her with a cake... I witnessed her first scrapped knee when she bravely tried to jump off the kitchen table because she wanted to fly like a bird...  

Momo was healing, yet the process wasn’t instant. This felt almost like the place where I met Itarr. I had spent...maybe a few hundred years with her? It could’ve been longer—yet only a few hours had passed on the outside.   

So, they always said time healed all wounds, so what better place to put it to the test?  

Momo monopolized my arms. She struggled, of course. She cried. She wailed when things became too difficult to bear, yet she never gave up. Momo fought a battle only she could. Thus, I supported her the only way I could.   

Gradually?  

The awful remembrances of nightmares were replaced until all six walls exclusively played memories Momo would always fondly look back upon. I knew that when the walls showed our first meeting...when we held hands and slept together... When Momo and Srassa cried for me when they thought I had died...when we shared that emotional moment in Waveret’s dungeon...  

The process was slow. It was gradual. I had no idea how long it took, but Momo gradually met my eyes with pride and a teary smile.   

Those fox ears twitched…  

That fluffy, bushy tail sprung to life…   

“Servy… I…” Momo cried happy tears. The salty water turned to pink lights as she fell to her exhaustion. I held her tightly to my chest as we were enveloped by a fantastic crimson light.  

When it vanished?  

We were standing on a field of rolling green grass with tons of colorful flowers. From what she had told me before, this was her soul world. Or her version of an inner paradise. It was...peaceful. Breathtaking, even-- so serene and calm it felt like the wind escorted happiness upon the gentle gusts.   

“Huh? We’re...back here?” Momo looked around. “Geez... I feel kinda embarrassed... Umm... Welcome to my soul, I guess?”  

“It’s a lovely soul, Momo.” I took her hands in mine as we sat down together.   

“Eep!” She accidentally sat on her tail. “I’m gotta get used to this new tail, haha. This ring... It means what I think it does, doesn’t it?”  

“Yep.”  

“I... I’m fine with it. Looking at it makes me so happy. Like my heart wants to jump out of my chest because it’s beating so fast. Do you know what happened? I don’t remember much after Albert died. AH! He’s fine, isn’t he?”  

“Yeah. He’s safe. Or he should be...” I told Momo about the undead assault and betrayal we suffered. “Nyxaris worked with Albert to protect the town. They did what they could. Gerld... He’s dead. Sissy’s dead. Suusa’s dead. I killed them...” 

“Does it make me a bad person to be happy they’re gone?”  

“No. If it does, then I’m a bad person, too. I guess... I know what it’s like to be in your shoes.”  

“What do you mean?” asked Momo. 

“I didn’t think you’d cut your throat like that. It scared the hell out of me.”  

“Huh?” My question caught Momo off guard. She touched her neck. There was no cut or wound. 

“It’s after I encountered Sakdu. I revived Fisher to distract him while I ran to you. You jabbed a mirror shard between your throat and collar. It stopped the blade from going off.”  

“That...wasn’t me, Servy. I can’t summon a mirror. The lookalike can... She... Wait, what’s that...” Momo clutched her head, yet my worry was unfounded. “What’s that feeling? It’s so...odd...” Momo summoned her tablet, gasping at its new shape.   

“Well, you have a phone now,” I said. “Feel free to call or text me whenever you want. Check your skills. You might have something new.”  

“Umm... It feels so weird to read it so clearly. Like... The words feel like they’ve always made total sense... Ah, here’s something called...[Mirror Manifest]? It’s in a Skill Path called Mirror Wielder with [Mirror Parry] and [Mirror Flash]. Umm... It feels like there should be more than those three.”  

“Mirrors? Do you think your lookalike passed her powers onto you? If she was a goddess, then Mirror Wielder could’ve been her blessing.”  

“Maybe? That’s my best guess. I still feel her...so I don’t think she’s gone for good.” Momo focused on that odd feeling until something clicked. That strained expression suddenly gave way to a soft smile when a spark of light flashed near her. From that light came a mirror. It was small—nothing like the exquisite, tall mirror Momo had said her lookalike wielded inside her soul world.   

That was the catalyst for something. It was subtle, but the skies began to rumble. Faint glimmers of the dark skies and the imposing, tremendous tower I loved so much appeared over the horizon.  

“You don’t look scared.”  

“Neither do you, Servy,” Momo said, touching her mirror. It flew to her and landed on her palm like a cute bird. “Aww... it’s kinda adorable. I know what’s happening. Our souls aren’t so much combining as they are becoming one and the same. It sounds the same, but there's a big difference." 

“Sounds like you have all the answers.”  

“Hahaha... I wish..” Momo fondly smiled as she rubbed the ring. “It’s a feeling. You feel it too, don’t you?”  

I nodded. What was happening wasn’t an ill omen—it was far from it. We both knew we couldn’t do anything except wait.   

So, we did just that after I returned her sword and bag. Momo’s eyes sparkled like a holiday tree as she slotted her precious items where they belonged.   

“You know, Servy...” Momo whispered as we laid down. The grass was soft and toasty, so why wouldn’t we enjoy it? It was the perfect bed to watch our unification. It was almost morbid—like watching the end of one world while another was being created in its place.  She fished for my hands as her fluffy ears twitched so adorably. “We just need Srassa and Itarr. After that, things would be perfect, wouldn’t they?”  

“Yep. I know Itarr’s okay. I’m sure we’re about to see her once this is done. And Albert, too. I know he’s alive. I can feel his presence in the ring.” There was another one, but who was it? Merka? 

“Let’s plan to go to Adenaford, okay? I really wanna see her and Saline. And Cue. Geez, I hope the little doggy remembers me. I’m just not the same cat.”  

“No, you’re not. Those ears are even cuter.”  

“Ehh? I take offense at that! I’m still a singi, okay? At least... I think I am?” Her fluffy fox-like ears twitched. Her tail curled up. The tip was sometimes white, but it was often all pink. It never remained the same hue. Perhaps that was the light hitting it? “There’s something I wanna say to Srassa.”  

“How funny. It’s the same with me.”  

“Yeah?”  

“Yeah.” I nodded. “It concerns you.”  

Momo blushed. “What a coincidence. It’s the same with me.”  

“I think I know what it is. It isn’t that hard to guess, is it?”  

Momo smiled and shook her head softly. I brushed her hair from her eyes before touching my forehead to hers. Gradually, the bright blue skies were devoured. No. That word wasn’t accurate. It was less destructive--more like...an evolution or something. It wouldn’t be long until the process was completed.   

“Hey... You... Aren’t you curious about what you saw?”  

Honestly?  

I was. I had seen enough to draw my own conclusions. Momo didn’t need to tell me she wanted strength to get revenge. She had held it in-- trying not to let vengefulness dictate her life because her grandpa wanted her to be safe above all else.   

It would be going against his desires if she let that wrath dictate her life, and I knew she wanted it. That lookalike had helped Momo. She had remained totally silent and let Momo vent her anger. Her touch... Her mere presence assisted Momo far more than anyone else could’ve done. Momo loved that lookalike. We didn’t know who she was. She could’ve been a goddess or a type of spirit.   

The only one who knew was gone. 

Besides, the ones who had launched the attack were dead. Momo didn’t know where they came from except they were likely bandits with vampiric tendencies. Vampires existed because I confirmed their existence in the list of mid-tier undead, but the attackers were probably natural born instead of being created via [Necromancy]. There was no proof—it was just a feeling I had.   

Yet it didn’t mean hatred had totally abandoned her heart. It was always there, hiding behind a reluctance to accept what had happened. That urge lurked deep in the darkness, and I was sure the lookalike worked hard to help that feeling remain lost and unneeded. She was gone. Yet I was here. I would help Momo in her place.   

She’s probably afraid of what she’ll do if she runs into another vampire. I know that much for sure. I’ll never summon one.    

That discussion had better places to be. Instead, I swapped topics to the cows and horses Momo loved so much until we naturally fell asleep.   

“Good night, MooMoo,” I whispered after she yawned.   

She quietly mooed after a quiet giggle. “Sleep tight, Servy. I’ll see you...very shortly...”  

We cuddled close, and Momo lost to slumber before I did. The nightmares came. They’d never leave her so soon after she was forced to relive them. She shivered like a frigid cat and cried colorless tears as her tail went limp. Those fluffy ears folded flat against her head, but I kept my arms around her until I couldn’t defeat the sleepiness...because she wasn’t alone. She had my support...because I loved her...  

I really, really loved her with all my heart... 

---

“Hmm? We’re still here? Hey, Servy… Wake up.” I heard Momo’s sweet voice before she rubbed my head. “I kinda thought we’d be in our bodies-- Woah, that’s a cool skeleton.” 

I opened my eyes and saw the lesser lich. Their tattered red cloak softly fluttered. “Enjoy the rightful fruit of your victory as proof the bell has tolled… O’creator, take their power… And let forth the bell tolls forever more…” Their bony held two green souls, and they flew into my ring. Instinctually, I knew I had unlocked that greatsword and armor. Further investigation could come later, though. 

“Thanks a lot. Do you know why we're here? The soul world looks...off?” I knew something wasn’t right-- it wasn’t what I expected. I expected our soul worlds to merge. I guess they did but like this? There were two islands—one bright, sunny, and filled with blue skies, rolling hills of grassy, and flower patches, and the other was what we knew—an island with an infinite tower surrounded by a sea of blood and perpetually darkened skies.    

Both existed, but it felt like...her island's properties should’ve been applied to mine. Momo’s soul world was about 400 feet away. Where was the bridge if this was meant to happen? How did whatever at work expect us to make the trip? I had ebonwing carriers, so I could fly. What would I do if I didn’t have them?  

“The bell has tolled. Its ringing hath not any suitable answers to your queries, o’creator.”  

Momo stood, extending a hand for me. “What do you feel when you see that island?” I asked. 

“Warmth. The bell foretells the end to all...but it shan’t ring for the unexpected appearance.”  

“Shan’t? Do you mean it can’t? You don’t know what that means?”  

Nyxaris remained silent. Maybe that question was too broad.   

“Lesser liches are known for such language, my creator,” said Victor. I realized the survivors were in the ring. Vanessa wasn't there. 

That’s right... She died... 

I couldn’t create another arachnecrosis weaver now, so that would wait. It wasn’t guaranteed I’d get the same personality.   

“The spider perished with pride, my creator. Do not sully her sacrifice.”  

“The bell tolled for her as it hath does for all else that live and breathe, o’creator. For we are no exceptions to the rule that defines the end of what lies beyond this mortal peril...”  

“It feels like I need a language degree to understand you... Anyway,” I said, turning to Momo. “Are you ready to get out of here? Itarr and the others are waiting.”  

“I am. Umm... It was nice meeting you guys,” Momo said, waving to the undead like it was the most casual thing in the world.   

Victor said his farewell while Nyxaris raised their staff. The bell didn’t toll, so...was that a good thing? Momo and I held hands, touched foreheads, and focused, following the ‘feeling’ I knew she felt.   

Just like that... The soul world was left behind...  

I expected to see a cave or a forest. Maybe the night sky or fluffy clouds if we were outside, except...  

The uneasy moonlight peered in from the thin, reinforced windows, casting light on a wooden floor far too expensive to fit in a peasant’s house.     

This…was a mansion?   

I wasn’t alone. Someone I loved very much sat to my right. My better half sat opposite of me on another bed across the room, hugging her knees while depression cladded her multicolored, pinkish eyes. That ponytailed man with green eyes had to be Albert. That intensive focus couldn’t have belonged to anyone else as he sat in a lavishly designed chair that exuded opulence and luxury. 

There was Merka, but that little girl… That was the same child Momo held before the incident, right? Except there was someone I didn’t know. A kid with brown hair and green eyes.  

Itarr finally noticed movement from the corner of her eyes, and… “Servi… Is that really you? Momo? I’m not dreaming, am I?”  

We crawled to the weeping goddess. She stumbled over herself, tears spewing down her face as she jumped into our arms. We fell to the cold, hard ground without discomfort. Even an embrace under these unknown circumstances couldn’t discolor this heartfelt reunion.    

“We’re back, Itarr,” I said. “I’m sorry it took a while. What happened? I need to know.”