《My Light - Taking Back What Should Be Mine》


 Chapter One - "I Can Only Take So Much"

    In the stone brick walls of a posh estates, Malcolm¡¯s blade clashes against the elite guard''s of Viscount Ivan Jeweler. Malcolm''s sword is deflected by the guard''s, but he is quick to recover his form. Beside him, the radiant Lumina unleashes waves of holy energy to ease his fatigue and that of their allies. His teammates ¡ª Mandy, the rogue; Sylvester, the knight; and Gil, the pyromancer ¡ª are fighting valiantly to clear a path to their foe. However, each one of them are dealing with their own opponent, leaving Jeweler protected in the back.


    "Jeweler! This ends now!" Malcolm yells, leaping into the air for a decisive strike. The guard in front of him brings up his sword, having Malcolm''s weight collide into the blade. Malcolm groans in pain. His chainmail prevents much penetration, but it does not help him from hitting the ground. The guard goes to strike Malcolm again, missing narrowly as Malcolm rolled away in time.


    Jeweler only grins. His guards are performing their jobs well, allowing him to have free rein in this battle. His dark eyes lock onto the only one of the group not occupied by a guard: Lumina. Her feet are tied in assisting her team, leaving her open to his power play. If he can take her out, the party crumbles without their healer. He chants an ancient incantation, the words sounding like he is pulling them from a forbidden realm.


    Gil looks at the direction where he is hearing the chanting. Following where Jeweler is facing, Gil calls out to Lumina, "Lumina! He''s targeting you!"


    "Right!" Lumina responds as she slams her staff into the ground and erects a protective bubble around herself. As Jeweler finishes the chant, a wave of violet energy emerges from Jeweler''s hand. It comes into contact with Lumina''s barrier, spreading as the defenses seem to be holding. However, Lumina notices that something is wrong. She is not feeling any resistance against her barrier. The situation gets worse for her as the violet magic seeps though the barrier. "How?!" she screams in panic. "This is a dual barrier against physical attacks and elemental magics! What is this?!"


    "No!" Malcolm shouts right after swatting away his opponent''s blade. Lumina''s bubble becomes a prison of her own design, her fate inescapable.


    Soon, the barrier fades to reveal Lumina like a performer on stage. Her golden eyes soften, her lips turning into an amused grin as she looks directed at Jeweler. "Hey, handsome," she purrs seductively, gazing at Jeweler with a devotion that makes Malcolm¡¯s blood run cold. "Hang on, I have a gift for you."


    Malcolm yells, "Lumina! Stop!" However, Lumina does not pay him any mind and removes her blessing of light from Malcolm. The golden glow around him fades like the sun''s rays over the horizon slipping to night. A wave of despair washes over Malcolm and his group as Jeweler stands tall, now empowered by same power that Malcolm benefited from.


    "She is mine now, boy," Jeweler sneers as Lumina struts over to his side. "Emotional magic. This little girlie here is hopelessly in love with me, aren''t cha?"


    Lumina giggles as she rests her head against Jeweler''s arm, "My. You are quite clever, Hun."


    Mandy is disgusted as she shouts, "You are the lowest of the lows, Viscount!"


    Jeweler wraps his arm around Lumina mockingly, "Perhaps, but I would not lose sleep over it." He grabs Lumina''s chin and makes her look at him. "Show them where you belong."


    Lumina looks into Jeweler''s eyes dreamily, "Of course." She leans forward for everyone to see. Her imposed love made clear as she steps further into his clutches.


    At an inch away, Jeweler and Lumina freeze. In fact, the whole world freezes in place. In slow motion, the two drift apart before everything starts to go by faster. Malcolm is the sole exception to the reversing time. He sighs, "Yep. That would do it." How many times does that make this? Why even bother trying to keep track? ''She'' already knows.


    ***


    Reality zooms by faster than Malcolm can register in his mind. With a sudden stop to static scenery, Malcolm finds himself back into this room. A room he has been very familiar with. Bookshelves press up against every wall, time pieces all displaying different readings, and the irritated look of a woman sitting close by. Her youthful appearance belies her ancient wisdom, her shoulder-length silver hair falling neatly around her bespectacled face. Her teal eyes are heavy with disappointment and scorn. This is Jikan, the Goddess of Time.


    "Well," she begins, closing her eyes to temper her anger, "that was embarrassing. You failed again."


    Malcolm groans, rubbing his temples. "I didn¡¯t know he had a love spell! How was I supposed to prepare for that?"


    Jikan¡¯s expression turns into a glare. "How? Are you seriously asking me that? There are countless countermeasures for status effects. Amulets, wards, even simple potions."


    "I made sure Lumina had her own!" Malcolm snaps back. "But¡ª"


    "But nothing!" Jikan slams her hand on the table, startling him. "Tell me," Jikan starts off by speaking with a low voice, "What is your job again?"


    Malcolm avoids direct eye contact with the goddess. "I am the hero summoned from Earth to guard the mortal Goddess of Light until she can reclaim her divinity."


    Jikan bounces her leg in annoyance, "And yet, I¡¯ve reset this timeline 127 times, and you¡¯ve failed every single one! You only need ONE timeline where you succeed, and you can not even manage that! Do you know how exhausting it is watching you fall into mistake after mistake?"


    "It¡¯s not my fault!" Malcolm protests. "I am trying my best! Lumina just happens to be a magnet for trouble! The universe is out to get her! Jeweler could have made Mandy fall in love with him instead, but he just so happened to pick Lumina!"


    Jikan leans forward, her glasses glinting ominously. "You should not make excuses, Malcolm. Viscount Ivan Jewel targeted Lumina because she is a healer, that''s it. Everything that has happened was not exactly random."


    Malcolm feels his head about to explode. "If you have all of this knowledge, then tell me before it happens!"


    "I told you that it would be stupid to!" Lines form on Jikan''s forehead, her facade of age failing due to her emotions. "If I get too involved in a timeline, the future would unravel from my sheer presence. Turning time backwards is the best way I can help you." She massages her face and returns to an image of vitality. "I was lead to believe that you were supposed to be a smart pick for this job. Our world was something you called ''fantasy'' in yours, and you were an avid practitioner of ''fantasy games''."


    "Hey, those things taught me skills I needed here!" Malcolm argues. "Magic systems, level progression, inventory¡ª"


    "And not a single ounce responsibility, it seems." Jikan interjects. She pushes her chair out and stands over the hero. "Malcolm, you''re fired!"


    "What?" Malcolm¡¯s jaw drops. "You can¡¯t just fire me! I¡¯m the summoned hero!"


    "Not anymore," Jikan replies icily. "I¡¯m summoning someone else to protect the Goddess of Light. Someone competent."


    Malcolm sits back in shock, his mind racing. "So what happens to me?"


    Jikan sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Lumina was the one who started the summoning process a long time ago. I can¡¯t unsummon you, unfortunately. So, I¡¯ll reset the timeline one more time. But this time, you can do whatever you want. Build a farm, become a wandering merchant, take up knitting." She takes a deep breath, "I don¡¯t care! Just stay away from Lumina!"


    Malcolm stares at her, a storm brewing within him. "Fine," he mutters. "Maybe I¡¯ll finally get some peace."


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry," Jikan says, snapping her fingers as time began to unravel again. "You¡¯ll have plenty of that. But don¡¯t come crying to me when you realize being a hero was the best thing you ever had." Malcolm disappears from the room, leaving Jikan alone to her own devices. Wanting to move along and be done with Malcolm, Jikan looks into the process of summoning a hero. "They can not be too foreign to the logic of our world," she reasons. She looks into the planet where Malcolm is from for inspiration. It does not have magic in the way her reality does, but it lives in the imaginations of people as young as children and as old as the elders. "Maybe one of them would think first before charging into trouble. Would save me the effort..." she spits out.


    Other thing for her to consider is when she should carry out the summoning. Unlike Lumina when she was at her peak, Jikan can reliably go to the past to buy time. Lumina''s mortal form would need all of the protection she can get, and her new hero should be experienced in everything the world has to offer. Perhaps she can go ten years back to make sure that the new guardian to the Goddess of Light is fully prepared. That sounds like a good first step. The events of the most recent timeline rewind ten years prior and Jikan adjusts her glasses to carry out the summoning.


    Reading Lumina''s notes, Jikan sighs, "You put too much work into this, Lumina, only for your hero to be a mess." She raises her hand in the air and summons a swirling vortex of the sands of time. Bending space-time like this is incredibly dangerous, so time is paused outside the room to ensure that time does not tear itself apart at the seems. Inside her little study, Jikan''s pages, nick-knacks, and furniture fly erratically as lightning sparks across the sands. Jikan''s glasses joins the airborne debris, her face reflecting her true elderly age as she devotes her attention to the summoning.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then, the connection Jikan was feeling dissipated in a matter of seconds. She pants heavily as items fall back to the ground. "Why...?" She asks herself. She read Lumina''s plans, substituted light with time appropriately. So why did it not work? "... The notes...!" she concludes hopefully. She scrambles to find the notes among the loose leaflets scattered across the floor. Finding her glasses first, she brings up the notes and reads thoroughly. Yet she just finds that these are the same words she scanned over and over again. There was nothing new. "You got to be kidding!" Jikan fumes in frustration.


    There had to be another explanation, something she does not have written down anywhere. She looks back into her memories to when Lumina was explaining her plan to reincarnate.


    ***


    The golden haired Goddess of Light in all of her natural splendor was deeply concerned about the trials ahead, seeking comfort and security from the Goddess of Time. "I see no other way it can be done," Lumina confessed, her lips quivered with fear but her eyes determined. "I am going to die, Jikan. I need to protect them," she was referring to the mortals in the realm below, "but I do not wish to leave them alone after I am gone either."


    "Then what do you propose we do, Lumina?" A young-faced Jikan asked as she cast her eyes down.


    Lumina balled her hands on top of Jikan''s desk. "I must return to them... eventually. I would be weaker, but..."


    Jikan looked off to the side as she knew Lumina too well, "You feel duty bound." Jikan glanced quickly at Lumina''s complex expression that bore the weight of many fates. Jikan sighed and sniffled as she suppressed a tear. "Are you sure? You won''t remember anything. And you would be very vulnerable."


    Lumina nodded, though she was still very conflicted. "I must." She looked up to meet Jikan''s eyes, "Which is why I made a contingency plan for the future."


    "A contingency plan?" Jikan asked as she tilted her head with interest.


    "I have been developing a technique that would allow people to be summoned from other worlds," the golden goddess explained. She manifested parchments containing her notes and ideas. "They would arrive as heroes," she slid the notes across to show Jikan, "and I plan to use it to summon a hero that can protect me."


    Jikan is speechless as Lumina confided her plan to her. It sounds poetic, but also unsettling. "Why must they be summoned from another world? We have people here who could protect you." Jikan stifled a grunt as Lumina''s plan did not make sense. "Lumina, you are one of the most worshiped deities there is. Why outsource your security?"


    Lumina sighed deeply as she spoke the truth, "If I die and have to wait to be reincarnated, I would lose favor with the people. If I am not a constant part of their lives, if I am not their constant light, then they would forget the praise they have given me." She twiddled her fingers nervously, "But they would remember my potential power. If they discover ''the Goddess of Light is mortal'', I would be targeted most by the descendants of those who worshiped me." With a shrug, Lumina reasoned, "If my hero is from a place ignorant to our history and told that they have to protect me, then that would be the first thing they hear. Mortals tend to hold on to the first thing they hear and accept it."


    "So," Jikan tried to get everything straight, "you want to exploit your hero with psychological manipulation?" Leaning back into her chair with her arms crossed, Jikan offered a slight nod. "That actually makes sense... somewhat."


    Lumina leaned forward further on Jikan''s desk and asked pleadingly, "But I needed your help, Jikan."


    "My help?" Jikan asked with half-lidded eyes. "Can''t you do it on your own?"


    Lumina gestured with her hands as she punctuated, "Well, yes, but the act of summoning is not the problem. And that is sort of the problem. If I can summon a hero from another world, then someone else can do it if they know it is possible and have the power to recreate it. It would be bad if several bad heroes were summoned before I come back." Lumina''s hands then pointed to Jikan, "So, I was hoping for you to manipulate time so that the spell would only work when I reincarnate. No one else would know except for you."


    "So... what?" Jikan asked. "You want me to keep the spell in suspended animation until you are reborn?"


    "You can do that, right?" Lumina inquired seriously.


    Jikan brushed her hair off of her shoulders. "I mean... sure. I ''can''..."


    "Then please, Jikan!" Lumina begged as she bows her head to the desk''s surface.


    Jikan flinched. This was not merely a request from her friend. This was her last wish. Lumina''s demise was almost certain, and she wished for her return. No. Not ''her'' return, but the return of the Goddess of Light. What she was asking from her was the security to make sure that her own plan can not be used by another to lead the mortals to ruin. Lumina trusts Jikan with this. It was a weird plan, one that Jikan would advise Lumina to reconsider. Scanning the notes on her desk, however, Jikan sees that her friend put in a great deal of faith in this plan. Lumina had to know that this was crazy. Yet, Jikan accepted that Lumina saw in this plan something that gave her hope.


    "I..." Jikan struggled to say, "I... think setting the... summoning to go off when you first reincarnate would be bad." Lumina groaned at Jikan''s words, but the Goddess of Time explained. "If your spirit fully melded with the mortal body from birth, you would become a demigod and can not receive full divinity again, right? Maybe..." Jikan rolled an idea off the top of her head, "your spirit can awaken over time. I can set the summoning to happen when your spirit is distinguishable from your vessel during its coming of age."


    Lumina looked up to Jikan''s face. The Goddess of Light gave a sarcastic smile as she wipes her face. "Oops! A demigod?" Lumina shook her head with a soft chuckle. "You''re saving me already, Jikan."


    Jikan watched as Lumina laughs at what may be their last meeting. The Lumina that would come after would be a reflection of the world that she sought to protect.


    ***


    In her study, Jikan looks back on that promise. She had kept her word, despite he doubts. Yet, the result was 127 failed timelines, due in large part to the hero that was actually summoned. Lumina wanted her hero to be a loyal guardian that would brave the world for her, but instead she got Malcolm. It has to be a cruel joke. The summoning spell is separated from traditional space-time, so Jikan can not modify it. If she went back to the past to save Lumina so that the summoning would not be necessary... "I can''t," Jikan sighs in resignation. She knows the possible timelines following that would be far worse. That is why Lumina did not ask her for it.


    "But," Jikan looks down at the notes left behind, "why can''t I recreate it?" Checking one leaflet in particular, she looks at the crude diagrams representing their world, the pathway to show the summoning of the hero, and the hero''s home world. It is a simple drawing, never losing Lumina''s poor artistic quality. Then she realizes something: Soor, the Courier God. Business with another world would have to pass his jurisdiction. Lumina should have known this. She could not unilaterally summon anyone in this matter without Soor''s involvement. Soor had to be ready to deliver the hero, making him another confidant Lumina trusted.


    Lumina''s words from long ago pop up again in Jikan''s head. "If I can summon a hero from another world, then someone else can do it if they know it is possible and have the power to recreate it. It would be bad if several bad heroes were summoned before I come back." The silence in the room is deafening. Jikan''s summoning failed because Soor refused to deliver a new hero in adherence to Lumina''s wishes. Jikan''s grip tightens fiercely, "Damn it!" She knows Soor; he would never bend on anything. ''Soor delivers'' is a famous statement with a double meaning for a reason. Does this mean that she is stuck with Malcolm after all?


    Jikan calms down, thinking that she can manage this. Thinking about the interaction between Lumina and Soor, Jikan believes that she understands how it would have gone down. Lumina would probably say, "I am going to summon a hero from another world in the future. Do not fetch anyone until you receive my spell calling for them." Soor would have agreed, and that is what she is working with right now. So the question is how can she work around it? Thinking about it, Jikan thinks that the promise would be fulfilled after Malcolm would be delivered, meaning she can summon her own hero afterwards. "Maybe."


    "But that sucks," she says off the cuff. "That means that I can not have them get experience before they protect Lumina. They are going to be just as bad as Malcolm." Quietly, she sits back into her chair as time flows forward. "Well," she sighs as she looks at the sand falling in one of her many hourglasses, "that might be a bit too harsh." At this point, she would take anyone else rather than see Malcolm reach timeline 500.


    ***


    The forest'' edge kisses the plains surrounding the major city of Lycore. Malcolm stews as he sits in the shade of the trees, watching from a distance the city that is supposed to be the start to all of it. Meeting Lumina in her mortal form, being her hero. Yet, here he is, unceremoniously discarded where he was supposed to take his first footsteps.


    His fists clench with his anger. Jikan always reset time to a point before the most recent disaster, but she brought him to the very beginning this last time. She sought to remove him from the equation, replacing him with someone better. He grabs a nearby branch and swings it at a tree. The ferocity of the strike cracks the bark on the trunk and snap the stick in two. "Useless, huh?" he mutters darkly to himself. "She thinks I¡¯m useless?"


    He was a normal person from Earth up until his summoning. He remembers Jikan''s youthful expression the first time he was in her study. She told him that he was going to be a great hero, fulfill a monumental destiny, and become legend with the resurgence of the Goddess of Light. He did not ask for it, but he still thrust himself into the position. And what does he have to show for it? Jikan called him all but stupid and incompetent. She ripped him away from Earth, promised a lasting legacy, then tore it away because he kept losing? It was not fair.


    Memories of the 127 failed timelines haunted him. Every mistake, every missed opportunity, every painful loss. He had failed many more times than he would have wanted, but how was he supposed to succeed when the odds were always stacked against him? Protecting the Goddess of Light is a heavy burden, so would it have hurt Jikan to cut him some slack? In a world as diverse and unfamiliar to him, why was Jikan asking for perfection? She always treats his resets as bumbling failures and said the outcomes were obvious. She belittled him and told him to try again. Over and over. Making him feel useless when she set unrealistic standards.


    "Fine," Malcolm growled, tossing the broken branch aside. "She wants to say I''m useless?" He stands up, his messy black hair gently blowing in the wind. "I''ll show her how wrong she is."


    A plan began to form in his mind. Jikan might have told him to do whatever he was that does not involve Lumina, but he had something she did not accord for: spite. He had lived through those timelines. He remembered every ''bad end to the game''. If she is going to replace him with some new guy, then the new hero would be at a massive disadvantage. "Lumina was supposed to be my charge," he says in a low and hurt voice. "And if Jikan thinks she can just replace me, she¡¯s got another thing coming. I¡¯ll prove to her that I¡¯m not just a hero. I¡¯m the best hero. Better than whoever she picks! Hell, I''m better than Jikan herself!" he shouts, sending a few birds to fly away from the noise.


    With that, Malcolm begins his journey, not towards redemption, but towards reclaiming what was robbed from him. With 127 timelines, he would show Jikan what she sorely does not understand: persistence is his greatest weapon.

 Chapter Two - "Destiny Does Not Give Us a Choice..."

    "Run that by me again," a young man with chestnut brown hair asks.


    A youthful Jikan says with her eyes closed behind her glasses. Her attempt to summon a new hero was successful after Malcolm was summoned, but it did not completely give her the assurance she wanted. Another young man with knowledge of his world''s ''fantasy''. She had just summoned him, and she is already having doubts. Nevertheless, there is something more important to this than her own personal feelings.


    Taking a deep breath, Jikan explains everything she had said up to this point. "Ren, I understand that you might find this hard to believe, but you are not within Earth''s sphere of influence any more. This is Tera Ley. From your perspective, you might consider this to be another planet in the universe. However, it is more accurate to say that our two worlds do not share a common medium or plane of existence."


    Ren struggles to rationalize how that works. "T-T-Then how was I brought here?!"


    "Divine power," Jikan says matter-of-factly. "From what I am able to understand, your universe does not have any celestial gods, am I right?"


    "Uh..." Ren looks off to the side uneasily, "Depends on who you ask..."


    Jikan opens her eyes and looks at Ren incredulously. "Depends...? How can you not know...?" She shakes her head dismissively. "Anyway, your universe is without a god that can bridge it to ours or any other reality. However, as the Goddess of Time, I have great power and have summoned you here to fulfill a task of the utmost importance."


    Ren looks around Jikan''s messy study as he wonders what is to come of him. "You," he asks with unease, "have a mission for me?"


    "Indeed," Jikan nods formally. "As you can probably guess, the existence of one deity can lead to the assumption of multiple deities existing as well."


    Ren offers a slight shrug, "Well, you did call yourself the ''Goddess of Time''. You would not need to call yourself that if you were the only goddess around."


    Jikan gives off a small smile. Ren is listening to her and supports her claims with his own observations. It was the bare minimum she could have hoped for in a hero. "So it should come as no surprise that there are other gods here in Tera Ley." She grabs a paper from the side of her desk and slides it to Ren. "The one you are going to become very acquainted with is this one: The Goddess of Light, Lumina."


    Ren takes the paper and sees the image of a girl with golden locks, round face, and a tiny build. She seems radiant in her own way, but he would not guess that she was a goddess. She appears to be a casual adventurer in a fantasy game. She wore a off-white tunic with what seems to be accessories made of metal dotting her front, likely silver. A separate yellowish hood is draped over her shoulders and she wears a skirt of the same color over her waist. Her leggings are brown and tuck into a pair of boots that toe the line of what make have passed for work shoes on Earth. In her grasp is a staff that seems a bit heavy and impractically shaped for someone to wield.


    Ren squints at the paper before looking at Jikan. "She seems rather..." he tries to find words that would not come across as being rude, "ordinary."


    Jikan looks down as she can not help but feel sorrow for her friend. "You are not wrong. What you are seeing is not Lumina in her prime, but what she looks like now. More or less." She wistfully closes her eyes and says, "Lumina met her end to protect the mortals in Tera Ley, but she plotted her own reincarnation to some day return to godhood. The Lumina you are looking at now is her new mortal form."


    "Mortal form?" Ren repeats as he looks back at the image of Lumina. "If she is mortal, doesn''t that mean she can die again?"


    With a clearing of her throat, the Goddess of Time steadies herself back to a more serious tone. "It does. However, death is not the only concern for mortals. There is a litany of undesirable outcomes that can imperil Lumina in her more vulnerable form." She points to Ren. "Which is why I have summoned you. You are to be her hero and guardian, protecting her until she can ascend to the heavens again."


    "What?!" The paper slips out of Ren''s hands as he is struck with the heavy burden. "I-I am protecting a goddess?!"


    "It was Lumina''s wish before her passing," Jikan says in a slightly quicker tone than her usual speech. "She is not able to remember anything as her time as a goddess, so she does not even know that she was the Goddess of Light. The current Lumina just recently received the news from the Courier God, so she should at least be expecting your company."


    Ren slams his hands on Jikan''s desk as he comes to a stand. "That''s not the main problem! How can I possibly help Lumina ascend?!"


    Jikan pulls out a chart from within her desk. "It is not entirely impossible." She motions for Ren to remove his hands from the surface of her desk and she lays the chart out. "There are a few ways to make a being ascend to godhood. First, there is the cosmic divine energies. Deities like the original Lumina and myself have existed since the creation of this reality. Our power is unique and can be seen as the progenitor of the respective energies." She points to a stylized version of Lumina in her godly form. "For instance, Lumina''s light predates even the stars in the sky. Fire also uses light in a different matter, but it burns off of material that comes from the other forces of reality." She circles her finger around the godly Lumina. "Lumina''s divine light predates all of that, and should she still have her power, she could control light from its foundation. But it does not work the other way around."


    Ren takes in the information as he eyes the chart laid out before him. "So," he tries to piece together his hypothesis, "we can not just force her to soak in light in order to regain her power?"


    Jikan shakes her head and sighs, "If that was the case, everything in Tera Ley would be the deities of light." Her tone turns grim as she moves on. "However, recall that I said that Lumina died to protect the world. Her power, her divine light, is present across the world. Should she reclaim it, she can ascend back into the heavens."


    "But," Ren ventures a guess, "power like that would be sought over by everyone?"


    "Unfortunately," Jikan confirms. "To make matters worse, normal mortals would not be able to use this magic well. It is too potent for their mortal shells." Jikan moves her finger down to the second depiction of Lumina, this one in her mortal form. She taps her fingertip on a fiery orb hovering over Lumina''s shoulder. "But Lumina''s spirit can allow her to retain that power in her new body."


    "So Lumina''s spirit is separate from her new body?" Ren asks as he studies at the illustration.


    "Yes," Jikan says directly. "If her spirit became one with her vessel, then she would be a demigod. Demigods can not wield cosmic energies." She brings Ren''s attention to the next topic. "Collecting Lumina''s old cosmic light energy is the best way to restore her, but that is difficult. So that is why you should make it a habit to use the second method to build divinity: worship." She moves her finger to the side to show kneeling followers. "There is power in prayer, and Lumina can become a deity again on faith alone. However," Jikan clicks her tongue in agitation, "there is a catch. Mortals tend to pray when they want something in return. Given how weak she is, that can be a problem."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Wait," Ren stops Jikan, "so helping people can make Lumina stronger?"


    "Well, it is a little complicated," Jikan groans. "Lumina would need the worship of many, MANY mortals to actually ascend. Not only that, but she would need them to continue to worship her after she deals with their problems. It would be easier if she was a demigod, except a demigod does not get their power from faith either."


    Ren crosses his arms. "Well, Lumina and I can just go around everywhere to increase her popularity. Word would get out that Goddess of Light has returned, and everyone would worship her, right?"


    "That... would be nice, if it worked out that way," Jikan says with no confidence. "But think about it for a second," she says as she slides Lumina''s image back into view. "If you go around telling people that this girl is the Goddess of Light, would anyone take you seriously?" At Ren''s silence, Jikan continues, "And also think about the people who will believe it and use that to their advantage. They could manipulate you and her into serving their goals."


    "I get it." Ren slumps as his destiny is played out blatantly in front of him. The path ahead of him is Herculean in its own right. "It sounds like it is going to be impossible to both protect her and help her ascend."


    "You are not alone," Jikan says calmly. "As the Goddess of Time, I can reset time in the event Lumina''s ascension becomes an impossibility."


    "Wait," Ren tilts his head in confusion, "why can''t you just tell me what to do then?"


    This is the same thing Malcolm always nagged about, so Jikan becomes a little annoyed. "My presence is too powerful for the normal state of the world. If I can give you any information that would be valuable to you at all times, the seams of reality would unravel. Reversing time to a previous state is the best I can do for you."


    Feeling the sourness in Jikan''s tone, Ren puts his hands up to calm her down. "Okay! Okay..." He ponders the implications of being able to go back in time to try again. He can apply any information he had learned and use it effectively in the next timeline. Worse comes to worst, he can even cheat death. "It... like saving and loading in a video game."


    Jikan groans at the mention of video games, but it helps Ren visualize what she can offer him. "If it helps you to understand, then summarize it as you please."


    Ren stops and asks Jikan something he did not expect him to say, "So, is that my cheat?"


    Jikan looks at Ren with a befuddled expression on her face, "Your... what?"


    Ren rubs his upper arm bashfully, "Right... You might not call it that. You see, I was hoping for there to be a ''cheat'', something only I can use that can better my chances at succeeding, you know? So, resetting is my cheat, right?"


    Jikan''s eye twitches. She rises from her seat and leans over her desk, hands planted on the surface for support. "Resetting time is not for you convenience! I refuse to allow a timeline to continue without Lumina back to her former power! I am granting this to you because I need you to fulfill your duty!"


    Ren flinches, "I''m sorry, I did not mean to¡ª"


    "But you are not wrong." Jikan says more calmly as she sits back down. "You would be given an additional divine blessing. Perhaps that is what you are referring to?"


    The light that shines in Ren''s eyes startles the goddess as Ren screams, "Yes! That!" He shimmers down but remains excited about the blessing. "You''re the Goddess of Time, so it would be time related, right? Can I pause things for a limited time and interact with the world in that time?"


    "Well, actually..." Jikan pauses. The blessing is actually something Lumina left in Jikan''s care before her death. Lumina''s blessing boosted its host resistances to many aliments and their capabilities slightly. It was meant to cover what the hero was unfamiliar with when it came to the world''s dangers and enhance what they were familiar with in their own abilities. Lumina wished to cover the bases for her hero, making a blessing that covered the most ground. Meanwhile, the ability Ren proposed is infeasible; there is no way she can do that. Interacting with the world in a frozen state is sure to cause great damage and necessitate a reset immediately.


    Then she thinks of how Lumina''s blessing did little to help Malcolm. The blessing effectively serves as a shield and spear to the hero, but it offered Lumina''s mortal form nothing when Malcolm was not her shield. Given Malcolm''s direct approach to deal with problems, the blessing did nothing to secure Lumina. Just as in the 127th timeline, Lumina fell prey to Victor Jeweler''s love magic because Malcolm was busy in the front. Jikan believes that it would have been better for Lumina to reserve the power of her blessing to herself.


    Jikan thinks as she looks at Ren''s waiting face. She has an idea, but she is not sure how she feels about it. If Lumina were to receive her own blessing, she would be more resilient. But then Ren can not use the blessing at all. But if Jikan give him a blessing of her own design...


    ***


    A young Francesca always had an uncanny affinity with light magic, despite her family never having an ounce of magical power in their blood. She was seen as being a prodigy in the art, but that was mostly due to natural light magic users are rather rare. In her small circle, Francesca was something akin to good luck charm. However, capabilities do not always translate to talent. Francesca could barely manage to summon light from her hands, but it glittered off of her palms like water spilling from an overflowing bowl. Her parents were hopeful that their daughter could grow her power and ability to use it.


    The natural course of action was to ask for guidance in one of the only places that would know how to help. Attending service in the Morning Sun Church, Francesca went through the process of harnessing her light in the ways of healing. The work was tedious to get her off of the ground, but she was able to learn Word of Mending, a standard health replenishing spell and open wound closer. For someone with little ambition to reach her full potential, Word of Mending was already a noteworthy achievement. Even if it was her only way to utilize light magic, she was proud to have it be useful for anyone that she cared about.


    Mediocrity is not something she was destined for, though. Nervously stepping through Lycore with a wooden staff and her most durable clothes, Francesca is still shaken by her conversation with the Courier God she had hours before. She was the vessel for the Goddess of Light? She was Lumina? It was an earth-shattering assertion, but it made some level of sense. She was born to magic-less parents and ended up with one of the rarer schools of magic. And it would not do for Soor to lie to mortals, right?


    "I''m... Lumina..." Francesca mutters under her breath. It feels weird to her, perhaps even a little wrong. But that is who she is, right? "I''m Lumina..." It is hard for her to convince herself. If feels like fate came in and had told her to forget who she is in favor of someone else. Yet, she understands the importance Lumina brings to the mortals. She remembers what she learned in the church. Lumina is hope and selflessness. She is the greatest guardian that would not let the mortals suffer. She is an inspiration to emulate. A light in it of herself to guide people forward and have them be the best of who they can be. Gripping her staff with both hands, Francesca tries to reinforce the idea, "I''m Lumina..."


    But that was one part of the problem. Soor also told her that Lumina set things up for there to be a hero who would stand by her side. She wants to be reassured that she is going to get some help, but it was weird that it was someone from another world. Who is this mystery hero from a land so foreign that it might as well be mythical? Were they strong? Could they protect her from what forces there are that would pose a threat to her? She does not like the vulnerable state she is feeling right now. How could being the vessel for the Goddess of Light make her feel less empowered?


    It feels like time is ticking by slowly, her mind swirling of the new reality she finds herself in. Steadying her breathing, Francesca looks ahead. The sooner she meets her hero, the sooner she can start her journey, the faster everything would click into place. At least, that was what she hoped. She stops the identifying mantra and whispers, "Soor said... that they were dropped off in the forest." A pit in her stomach forms as she continues to step forward. "I guess... I''ll meet them at the gate."


    Would the hero know that she is who they are supposed to be looking for? She hopes that was the case as she knows next to nothing about them. They would have to know what she looks like, right? She keeps her face visible to the gate in the distance. If the hero is going to be walking in at any second, then she can not let them pass her.


    A few paces behind, a set of dangerous eyes lock onto Francesca''s back. Even before Francesca can meet with her hero, her journey is playing out around her.

 Chapter Three - "... That does not mean I cant make it my own."

    The noise of the city of Lycore muddles in the background as Francesca is stepping uneasily towards the city gate. The morning sun illuminates the sky and ground, causing Francesca to think about the light once again. As she ponders her future as the Goddess of Light, she casts her eyes down to the ground. Her shadow stretches in front of her as it cascades on the ground. She sees the movement of her legs, focusing on the metronome and becoming conscious of her own marching. ''One thing at a time,'' she thinks internally.


    As she is moving, she sees the head of a shadow coming from behind her. Francesca assumes that someone is coming up from behind her. She is afraid they could be a pickpocket or a mugger. She was already aware that she should be careful when walking through the streets by herself, and the idea that she has a guardian hero she has not met yet makes her feel more vulnerable. She is not completely defenseless, though. She does have her staff in her hands, its reach and weight offering some level of protection to her. Even without offensive magic, a staff is a serviceable weapon in a pinch.


    She remembers what her mother told her, though. Always be on the move, especially when she thinks she is being followed. Gripping the wood of her weapon, Francesca hastens her steps to increase the distance between her and the person behind her. Within seconds, the shadow''s head returns into her field of view. Danger rings out into Francesca head. They sped up when she did. Her heartbeat increases and a pit forms in her stomach. She tries to remember what to do at this point. She remembers that her father told her that if she feels threatened, be in a place with a lot of witnesses. Looking straight ahead, there is only the city streets, several alleyways, and the gate in the distance. As people are going about their mornings in the city, the main road to the gate seems to be the safest route. Once at the gates, the guards should deter her pursuer.


    "Hey! Turn around, girl!"


    The voice from behind her was agitated and sharp. Francesca misses a step as she turns around to see three men with their hands on their weapons. Stopping was a grave mistake, and Francesca is frozen. Her suspicions were right, but now she was shivering like a leaf. She thought that there was only one person after her, which could have been manageable if worse came to worst. But three is too much. She can not survive in a three-on-one encounter.


    "Took ya long enough!" The man in the middle grins. "Look, you seem pretty lost, so me and my boys can give you a hand."


    Francesca finds the will to move her legs again. As she steps back, she waves her free hand nonthreatening. "T-That''s okay... I already have someone..." She turns on her heels and runs in the direction of the gate.


    "Hey, don''t be like that!" the second man says as the trio follow after her.


    Her run turns into a sprint as she clutches her staff with both hands. "Help!" she cries out to the people in the street, hoping that someone would stop these guys. However, while people see what is going on right in front of them, they mostly ignore her situation. It is heartbreaking, seeing that other people are not responding to her in her time of need. Everything blurs as Francesca hears the footsteps loudly following behind her. Everything is happening too fast.


    From in front of her, she sees a young man with brown hair and a staff looking her way. "Please!" She cries out in desperation. "Help!" She brushes past the man in her haste, praying that this random man would give her the goodwill that others have denied her so far. Then, she stops in mid-step. The three men stop still as statues. The world is hushed into a silent snapshot. The man that Francesca called out to is standing stiff as well, but he is conscious of this state.


    This is the cheat that Jikan offered him.


    ***


    On the desk was a small lantern where a flicker of radiant light shines, undisturbed by the outside forces. "This," Jikan showed Ren when he was in her study, "is Lumina''s boon." In reality, it was supposed to go to the hero, but Jikan made her choice. Lumina needs all of the protection Jikan could afford. "This was made for her new vessel in mind," she lied. "It will protect her from several dangers to some extent, but not perfectly. It is imperative that you find Lumina quickly and give this to her." She slid the lantern over closer to Ren. "Needless to say, do not lose it or give it to anyone other than her."


    Ren smiled as he grabbed the lantern gently and inspected it. "I will."


    Jikan took a breath as she was actively questioning if this was a good idea. "As for my boon to you," Jikan said with hesitation as she grabbed a random hourglass from her shelf. There was no significance to the timepiece, but the Goddess of Time had to improvise to make Ren believe that she had a solid plan. If he doubted her here, then that could endanger the mission ahead. "This hourglass contains a portion of my power."


    Ren squints at the falling sands. "What is the power?"


    Jikan brainstormed on the spot, trying to convey that she had forethought to plan for this moment. After a slight pause, Jikan answered, "Your idea of exploiting the space around you when time has stopped can not be fulfilled. But..." Jikan''s fingers tapped on the glass. "The problem was that nothing should move when time is frozen. Are you familiar with calculating speed?"


    Ren had to think for a moment. "Um... Yeah. Speed is distance divided by time."


    Jikan nodded and asked expectedly, "And if time is zero?"


    "Ah!" Ren got it. That would be dividing by zero, which explained why Jikan would not grant it.


    "However," Jikan continued, "that is only what would happen if something is moving in a timeless state. If absolutely everything is still, then everything should be fine." She discretely enchanted the hourglass in her hands. "So there should be no danger of exploiting stopped time if you yourself are not moving."


    Ren is confused as he leans back into his seat. "But how can I used stopped time if I can not do anything about it?"


    The tapping of Jikan''s fingers worked magic onto the hourglass''s sand. "Simple. You can not act, but you can still think."


    Ren blinked as he thought about it. "But wouldn''t that mean my... brain is still working and sending signals to itself?"


    Jikan quickly adjust the magic she was secretly weaving. "Astute observation, Ren," she said almost thankfully. "You are correct that your brain chemistry would still be active. It can lead to a slight destabilization in the timeline, only that it would be in your brain." Jikan gave a short disarming laugh to the dark implication. "But remember that I can reset time, and with it, have you travel back with your memories intact. Your memories and thought processes carry over to the new timeline." She placed the hourglass on the table, her magic solidified in the newly realized divine artifact.  "Thus, let me introduce you to your boon, or the ''cheat'' you asked for."


    Ren placed the lantern with Lumina''s blessing to the side and looked into the sand of the hourglass as it was stuck in the top bulb. As he tried to flip it over, the bulbs spun as if they were gyroscopically stable. Try as he might, he could not make the sand obey gravity. "How do I... use it?" He asked Jikan when he is out of ideas.


    With a deep breath, Jikan explained, "To use it, you would need to keep it on your person and focus. It would respond to your will to stop time and allow you to think for a moment. Should the sand expire or you come to a conclusion, you would return to the point immediately before you used it. Functionally, it would seem like no time passed, but going back in time is necessary to make it work and not tear everything apart."


    "So... It is like resetting the timeline for only a fraction of a second?" Ren tried to summarize.


    "More like the fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second," Jikan nodded then raised a finger. "Just make sure that the glass does not break. The sand carries some of my divine energy. If it is released from the hourglass, it would be as if I was out there myself."


    "So it isolates the timeline from the your power until it is used?" Ren asked before looking around the room. "Wait, then what about this room? You can be in it just fine."


    "This is my domain," Jikan said with finality.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ren was sad to hear the answer. She was essentially saying that she can be here, but nowhere else. "That''s not fair..."


    Jikan could not hide her frustration, "Do not pity me, Ren. Concern yourself with Lumina." She redirects Ren''s attention to the lantern and hourglass. "I am not asking you to make the world right. That is beyond your control. And mine..." With a pause, Jikan continued, "I simply want you to commit to restoring Lumina to her former position."


    The room was silent as Ren did not know how to respond. He had sympathy for the imprisoned Jikan, but what was he to do if she told him that it was impossible to free her? Looking at the containers of the divine boons, Ren gently asked, "Is there something else I can do to make you feel better?"


    There was only one thing that can ease her burden. "Succeed."


    ***


    Time was frozen around him. The world around him in a still snapshot of time. He can not move, his eyes burning a hole to what is in front of him. Three armed men chasing after the woman that is now behind him. This was a surreal experience, and it is uncomfortable. He sees the image right in front of him and hears the last sounds drawn out to the point that it feels like they are drilling into his head. His muscles can not respond to his command, even the beating of his heart is stopped. This is what happens when he uses his boon, which he dubbed¡ª


    *-Time to Think-*


    ["Let''s do this quickly! They have daggers and short swords, leather armor, and numbers. I can''t beat them all. I could get jumped by two of them and the third can go after her. I can''t win. No! I need to think of this in the fantasy setting. Yeah, these guys look tough, but they seem like the first encounter I have to face. Creeps going after the damsel in distress. I''ve seen this many times. Pushovers to show how great I am. Right! I got this! Blades and leather armor. They are all the same combat class, more or less. Melee all the same. Magic beats physical fighters, so it must be the best outcome. With three of them and one of me, I need to use crowd control. A magic crowd control technique..."]


    Ren resolves his mind and time snaps back into place, the reset practically invisible to his mind. He had hoped that he would have had the luxury to have time ease back in, but that is not how Jikan''s boon works. Still, he knows what he had to do. Taking his staff, he grips it like a baseball bat and chants, "Sleep Mist!" With a swing, a torrent of mist fills the air in front of him. As the men run into the magic cloud, their senses dull  as they stumble onto the ground at Ren''s feet. Ren looks over them for a moment before resting against his staff. "That actually worked?! I would have accepted just one, but all three?!" He shifts his weight back to his shaking legs. "I... I won...!" He prods the side of one of the men with the end of his staff, earning a soft grunt. "I... hope I did not do anything illegal just now..."


    "T-Thank you!" He hears the voice of the woman behind him. Turning around to face her, she seems rightfully shaken as she is looking through Ren.


    Ren is a little bashful as he is receiving appreciation. "It''s... it''s okay..." He gives a glance to the lady''s face and freezes. The clothes and staff are different, but the face, hair color, and hair style were the same as the picture Jikan showed him. "Lumina...?" He asks nervously.


    Francesca stiffens at the Goddess of Light''s name, her fate an inescapable prison. But if this man knew who she was just from looking at her, would that mean that he is her hero? She nervously looks at him, unsure of what to say. "Are you... my...?"


    "Wait, hold on." Ren raises a hand to stop her. "Who are you exactly?"


    Francesca looks Ren in the eye and takes a deep breath. "I''m... Lumina..." She accepted her fate. She is more Lumina than she was Francesca. Her life was meant to be Lumina''s second chance at life. The light that she took pride in was not hers to begin with. The world needs her to be Lumina, and that is who she should surrender herself into being.


    "You are Lumina?" Ren ponders something that he was told by Jikan. "She told me that Lumina would not have any memories from her time as a goddess. So, I should not be speaking to ''her'' right now." He looks at her again, "Is this one of the cases where children are named after gods and goddesses, and yours just so happens to be based on the Goddess of Light?"


    Francesca can not understand much of what Ren is saying. "Hey," she says while firming her grip on her staff, "If I say that I am Lumina, then I am Lumina. What else do you want from me?"


    "Well," Ren reflexively takes a step back. "I think I am supposed to be your hero."


    She thought that might have been the case, but it seems off. "You''re my hero? So that means that you came from another world?"


    "Yep," Ren confirms. "The Goddess of Time summoned me. I am from a world called Earth."


    Francesca points to his staff, "And they have magic on Earth?"


    Ren looks at his weapon, "Actually, no. I was given an option to choose my class before Jikan finally sent me here, so I chose to be a mage and learned two spells."


    Francesca raises her own staff, "But you must have known that I am a healer, right?"


    "Yes?" Ren answers, not knowing where the problem lies.


    Francesca scoffs. "Don''t you know about team composition? You should have picked a class that can protect me so I could heal you."


    Ren shrugs, "That was a thought, but then I really started to think about it." He reaches into his bag and reveals the timepiece holding the boon. "I have a gift that allows me to think for a time faster then anyone else. If I was on the front lines, I can not adapt to the situation at all. If I break the front, then whoever we are fighting can push in." He looks at the sands inside the hourglass slowly returning to the top bulb. He is not certain if he can use Time to Think at that point. If there is any sand remaining in the top bulb, could he use it, Or is it only usable when it is full? Dismissing it for now, he explains his reasoning, "If thinking is my advantage, I need adaptability, awareness, and arsenal."


    "Clever alliteration," Francesca complimented honestly.


    "Could not get it out of my head," Ren admits with a chuckle. "Anyway, it would be better for me to be a midguard or rearguard with you."


    Francesca looks at the hourglass and gets a weird feeling from it. "So that is a gift from the Goddess of Time," she wonders aloud. "I guess that means you really are my hero."


    Stashing away the artifact, Ren extends a hand. "That''s right. I''m Ren. I hope we can work well together."


    Francesca stares at Ren''s outstretched hand. This is the start of the resurgence of the Goddess of Light, something she was conflicted about for the past few hours. Yet, Ren''s actions so far remind her of something obvious. Ren is human; he is not like the gods. He does not know the answers for the problems that would come ahead. He is just as much pulled into this mess as she is. That is worrying, but also the slightest bit comforting. In the middle of the divine''s plan, it feels good to rely on someone how can somewhat understand her.


    She wraps her hand around Ren''s and softly shakes it. "Nice to meet you, Ren. My real name is Francesca, but..." She takes a quick breath, her tone dropping. "You can call me Lumina if you want."


    "Francesca?" Ren mulls over her name for a while. "I think I like that name better."


    Francesca blushes a little, slightly embarrassed. She figures that Ren chose to call her that to make her feel better. "So..." she tries to change the subject and finds the guys sleeping on the ground. She pulls Ren''s hand with her as she starts walking in the direction of the raising sun. "Let''s get away from those creeps."


    "Don''t you want to turn them in to the authorities?" Ren says as he is being led further into Lycore.


    "They''ll get what is coming to them," She answers. "But I don''t want to be near them." With that, the duo disappears into the crowd. Their journey together has just started. There may be many challenges ahead, but they believe that they are in good company.


    ***


    Minutes later, Malcolm towers over the sleeping men. He knows who they are, the first encounter. They were also the cause of his first reset. He remembers being excited about being in a fantasy world with a sword in hand. He found Lumina quickly and convinced her that he was her hero, faintly glowing in the blessing of light. Almost like fate, these three guys appeared out of nowhere and looked at Lumina with lust. Being the hero bathed in light, he stood up to defend Lumina. He was full of gusto as he wielded his sword, but bravado did not help him. In an instant, he was surrounded by the attackers, shivved and cut all over, and left to bleed out as Lumina was being taken away by them. The blessing did not help him. He should have won. As soon as he entered the world, it cut him down without mercy.


    Jikan reversed time and brought Malcolm back into her study. Back then, Jikan was smiling and extended sympathy to him. "I know that you are excited, but this is not a game, Malcolm. You have to get serious and not be blinded by you own delusion." Malcolm was brought into the second timeline with a bit more alertness. During the fight, he came to realize that his sword was better off in front of him to give him space rather than being used in flashy power moves. He did get hurt a lot, but he shouted at Lumina to heal him. That was his first taste of hell. Pain washed over him with every cut and stab, only to be healed by Lumina over and over again. His endurance and tolerance were tested for his formal welcome into Tera Ley. It was torture, but his victory was well deserved.


    Now in this timeline, Malcolm looks at the men in suspicion. They were all knocked out, but there was no damage done to any of them. If time reset and everyone was doing what they did before, then these guys likely went after Lumina again. He knows that she should only have Word of Mending, so she should not be able to win. She must have had protection if these men were already defeated. "So they have already met then." He says to himself, knowing that his replacement already happened. Bending down, he recovers the short sword from one of their grasps. It would make do for the lack of the blessing of light this time around.


    After looting the guys in broad daylight, Malcolm walks away with his gains. He thinks about how this new hero must have beaten the all three of them at once. With no injuries on them, Malcolm wonders if sleep was the attack the new hero used. "Magic..." he concludes. "So he chose to be a mage? Ridiculous." If the new hero is a mage, then Lumina can not be well protected. If he were to run into them right now¡ª


    "No need," he says with certainty. "They are not strong enough to leave town yet. They should still be here during the full moon." He looks in the direction of the cemetery, the next event for the new hero''s introduction story mission. It is unavoidable. Lumina would know that they can not ignore it. "Morning Sun Church," Malcolm says definitively. "Better get the Scroll of Exorcism before they can."


    The Scroll of Exorcism is key, he knows. Without it, the new hero would fail. Malcolm can use that fact to negotiate with them. He would force this imposter hero to step aside and let him retake his rightful place by Lumina''s side. If they refuse, then Jikan would be forced to restart time and realize that he is the only choice when it comes to appointing Lumina''s hero.

 Chapter Four - "I Swear, This Played Out Differently in my Head..."

    Inside Francesca''s home, the light of the lantern is brilliantly shining as Ren opens the lantern. Francesca''s parents watch as their daughter hesitantly puts her hand in the opening. The light dims from the lantern as the energy of the blessing washes up Francesca''s arm and spreads throughout her body.


    "Are you okay, dear?" Her mother, Linda, asks with concern. It looks like she is catching on fire, but she is somehow managing to stay stoic.


    With the light of the lantern completely gone, Francesca takes a deep breath as the power of the blessing takes her. "I feel..." she cliches her fist, "a bit stronger." The natural light magic in her pulses with a subtle intensity, the light of the blessing blanketing over her as it blinks in tandem dimmer and dimmer.


    "It protects you a bit from status effects, too," Ren relays what Jikan told him. "And if you get powerful enough to yield some divine energy, you can lend it to someone else for a while. After all, it is yours as Lumina''s vessel."


    "Ren," Francesca''s father, Morris, utters as he sits across from Ren. He has the scowl of a unconvinced, overprotective father pointed directly at Ren. "I guess I can not argue with the Goddess of Time''s decision to have you be Francesca''s protector." His eyes narrow at the unimpressive look of the ''hero''. "But you are reckless if you think I am going to be okay with you taking my daughter on an adventure. You do not know the first thing about our world."


    "Morris!" Linda shouts at her husband for his behavior.


    Morris shrugs as he turns to Linda. "I''m just saying! He needs to protect her, not take her to who knows where and get her into trouble. He can just keep her in Lycore. Problem solved!"


    "It''s not that simple," Ren tries to explain while not being confrontational. "There are a few ways for Lumina to ascend again, and traveling is the only way to be able to achieve any of them."


    "What?" Morris snorts, "You think that you are just going to find godhood in the wild?"


    Ren remembers the divine light energy that can potentially exists anywhere in the world. "Well, actually."


    "Daddy!" Francesca shouts to her father. She looks directly into his eyes and takes a short breath. "Do you have any idea of what I am going through? I am being thrown into a game of the gods'' making. I had no time to prepare. I was never given the choice!" Francesca puts a hand to her chest and she raises to a stand. "I am not sure how I even feel about this, but I know one thing. I do not like being told what to do!"


    A soft moan escapes Linda''s lips, "Fran..."


    However, Morris does not back down. "Young lady, I am your father! You better watch your tone with me!"


    Francesca leans forward as her voice gets louder, "Or what? You''ll ground me?! Just because I wouldn''t do what you say?!"


    "I would fight the gods themselves if they tell me that you are going on a stupid quest!" Morris responds. "You don''t even want to go! That boy is trying to string you along a suicide mission!"


    Ren flinches as Morris points the blame in his direction. While he is a little excited about this fantasy world, he legitimately thinks that restoring Lumina is the right course of action. He had expected some drama, but he did not think it would come right out of the gate.


    "Ren is as lost in this as I am! But at least he has a say in this! He is trying to make me feel better about all of this!" She points at her finger at her father as tears swell in her eyes. "But you think that you have more of a say in this than ME?!"


    Morris growls, "I am trying to save you from a fool''s errand!¡ª"


    Everything stops. A drop of spit flies out of Morris''s mouth, Francesca''s arm brushes against the lantern and it is tipping over, Linda is wearing an expression not too happy with either her husband or daughter. The family drama is at a standstill, the image frozen in front of him and the last cacophony of sounds ringing in his head as a sustained and drawn out racket.


    *-Time to Think-*


    ["This sucks! How do I deal with this?! I''m pretty sure that Mr. DeFont would not listen to a word I say! But if I do nothing, their relationship would get worse! I need to get him to shut up for a bit, but I can''t even do that! If I try, he might take a swing at me! Think! What do I got? I have Sleep Mist, but that might make things worse in the long run. Forceful Push? I would just be dealing the first blow. Damn it! Can I try to talk Francesca into... Nope, ''cause then I would be telling her what to do too! What else? Wait... Francesca''s mom! If their relationship is like I think it is, maybe he would listen to her. Or maybe, she would make him listen to her. But do I just ask for her help? A huge part of this is that he does not trust me, so I can''t just sick his wife on him. I need to prove myself to him. Then we can convince him that we need to go on the quest. But what would make him listen...?"]


    Time resumes as Morris continues his sentence, "I am not going to have you¡ª" The sound of the lantern dropping onto the ground rings through the air for a second.


    Seeing in the still image that was going to happen, Ren takes advantage of the opportunity, "Mrs. DeFont, I have an idea. Can you get your husband to listen?"


    "Ren!" Francesca looks at Ren with concern. She does not know where his confidence came from, but he was adding fuel to the fire.


    "What are you on about?!" Morris turns to Ren with fury in his eyes.


    Linda just crosses her arms and snorts. "Why don''t you just tell me?" Her voice was flat, her eyes looking directly at Ren. She does not see either Morris nor Francesca, nor did she intend to.


    Ren shoots a quick glance at Morris before talking as if he is not there. "Mrs. DeFont. To restore Lumina, we need to go on a quest."


    "Over my dead body¡ª"


    Ren does not skip a beat and continues as if nothing was said. "It would be dangerous, but it is also dangerous in Lycore. Just earlier, I had to step in to save Francesca from three men."


    Surprised, Linda rises and slams her hands on the table. "Someone attacked my baby?!" She screams as she looks to Francesca for confirmation. Francesca is too stunned to verbally answer her mother, only nodding in fear. Not just from the memory, but of her mother seething rage.


    "I saved her though!" Ren is quick to jump in. "And that is kind of my point. We can''t avoid danger forever, and it can get worse if people find out she is Lumina."


    Ren''s words fall into the background as Linda goes to Francesca and cups her face. "What did they do?! What did they want?! Did you run away and call for help like I told you to?!"


    With a nod and a wipe of her knuckles to her face, Francesca says with a whimper, "I did. But no one helped except for Ren. They all saw me, but nobody came."


    This was not exactly how he expected the scene to turn out, but Morris was not saying anything anymore. "Mr. DeFont," Ren leans into his advantage, "you want to keep Francesca safe in Lycore. But you know that Lycore is not safe either."


    Morris finds it hard to refuse Francesca''s savior, "Don''t... think this changes anything..."


    "It doesn''t?" Ren asks. "If you are worried about Francesca''s safety, then staying in Lycore is not a good solution either."


    Morris can not look Ren in the eyes. "Maybe not," he hisses, "but it sure beats going on a journey. The city is not safe, but it is safer than everything outside."


    Ren shrugs. He could try to say something else in order to convince Morris. However, he looks at Francesca from the corner of his eye. His focus was on getting Morris to calm down and and have him listen, but Ren unintentionally put Francesca on the sideline. She has her own problems that she has to deal with, and Ren was carrying the conversation in its own direction. He did not factor that into his calculation.


    Losing his momentum, Ren takes a step back as he looks at Francesca. "Um... Anything that you want to say?"


    Taking a moment to brush her mother''s hands aside, Francesca breathes in through her nose. "I-I just..." she pauses as she pieces what she wants to say together. "I know what I am expected to do, but it feels like I have to be someone else. I can not just refuse to do this." Her hands ball into fists and her face points down. "How can I let myself stop Lumina from rising again? The world needs her, but they don''t need me..." She wipes her face again. "I feel so powerless. Like... who I was supposed to be was just an afterthought..."


    Everyone listens quietly, watching as Francesca is suffering from an identity crisis.


    "And I thought," she continues, "that if I just focus on being ''Francesca'', then that would make it more bearable. But even being who I am is just as suffocating. I just made you mad and..."


    Morris rubs his arm humbly, "Sweetie, I''m sorry. I just want to make sure¡ª"


    "Hush!" Linda shushed her husband as she rubs her daughter''s back. "Fran... Sometimes, life would not let you be you. You think that I wanted to get married at a young age? Of course I didn''t. But I was a magicless city girl that never stepped out of the walls. I used to have your father come with me wherever I had to go exactly for the reason you faced today. To mostly everyone, I was just ''some girl''. That is who I was to them." She pulls Francesca in closer and into her shoulder. "And ''some girl'' is an identity in itself. They thought I was easy, weak. Oh, you should have seen your father''s face when I tore Mrs. Neloom to shreds when she suggested that I was not doing enough by only having you."


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    "There... were other witnesses too," Morris says uneasily, "but we were all too scared..."


    "Because ''some girl'' should not have been able to do that. But I know who I am. Your father knows who I am. You know." With gentle nudge, Linda rocks Francesca in her arms. "That is all I could want. If I can have you two, my entire world, know who I am, then I know that I am somebody."


    "R-Right..." Ren tries to dip his toe into the touching conversation. "And you have me, Francesca... I mean... not because of the hero thing, but..." Ren was not sure how to follow it up.


    Francesca asks from her mother''s shoulder, "Ren, you are my hero. How does that make you feel?" She is tied to him by a fate neither of them wanted. She hopes that he can sympathize with her.


    Taking a moment to think about it, Ren says, "I can''t say I was expecting it. In fact, I was a little happy when I first found out. It was actually I thought about a couple of times." He rubs the back of his head. "But now that I am taking this in, I get how serious this all is. But..." he thinks about what it truly entails to be a hero. Protecting Francesca in a fantasy world where threats can be more real than family drama. "In a way, I don''t hate it. In fact, it is pretty reassuring. I have you, and I also have the support of the Goddess of Time." He pulls out the timepiece holding the power of Time to Think. "Its a burden, but it is sort of a gift too. But... I know I am very privileged."


    Linda pushes Francesca back a little bit. "I think that you are gifted too, Fran. You are not just some girl. You are the vessel for Lumina. That comes with its own challenges, but great hardships come with rewards to balance it out." Linda looks at Ren. "You have sworn partner to protect you, who is willing to listen to you. It might feel like the world is not giving you have a say in the matter, but you are being heard."


    Francesca slows her breathing as she is taking in what her mother is saying. At the very least, she wanted answers. Something that can give her a little closure. She wanted everything to just fix itself. But from where she is at that moment, all her small little world can do is tell her that it is not so bad. There is some comfort in her mother''s words, but it changes nothing.


    Morris sighs as he thinks that he better say something. "Sweetie, since you studied in church, you were always taught about light magic and all of that. You were pretty damn proud when you knocked out Word of Mending." He sighs, "But... if you have trouble with being the Goddess of Light, or however that turns out, do you think the old Lumina would act like this? I''m pretty sure that she would be confident. So um..." after a slight pause, Morris continues, "What you are feeling... must be your own thoughts."


    Ren tilts his head as he thinks about Lumina. Francesca should not have Lumina''s memories, so nobody can really tell what she was like. "Francesca, let me ask you this. The Goddess of Time." He then brings up the image of Jikan in his mind. "What do you think she is like?"


    It is an odd question, but Francesca thinks about it for a second. "Well... She''s the Goddess of Time... So, she must be old, right? Elderly?"


    A small smile grows on Ren''s face, "She actually looks a lot younger than you would think." He vividly remembers the goddess he was talking to. "She has the appearance of someone a little older than you, but younger than your parents."


    Linda looks at Ren with skepticism. "But she at least has to be wise, right?"


    Ren shrugs, "I''d say she is. How would you picture it?"


    "I..." Linda tries to picture the deity the governs all of time. "She has to be high up there in age. Maybe have a lot of books, wear reading glasses, and is incredibly neat and proper."


    "Ha...!" Ren scoffs as he shakes his head. "Sure, she has glasses, but they seem to be regular, everyday glasses. Now, you are right about the books, but definitely not on neatness. Her entire place is messy with papers and books all over the place. And furniture, I think?" Unbeknownst to Ren, Jikan''s study was in that state due to the process of summoning him. However, the misunderstanding spreads.


    Morris puts his hand to his chin and looks off to the side as he wrestle with the image. "So what? You think she would really care how sloppy she is as long as she gets you to do what she wants?"


    "That''s not the point." Ren dismisses the idea. "The point is that she is not who you expected, is she?"


    "Maybe not," Morris concedes. Never did he think that he was going to hear a first hand account about the Goddess of Time''s appearance. Then again, he never would have guessed that his daughter would be the vessel for Lumina.


    Ren turns face Linda. "Do you feel less secure in Jikan offering Francesca her help?"


    "Well..." Linda says with uncertainty. "I guess not. I am much more worried about her actions rather than her... lifestyle."


    "Exactly!" Ren says a little too loudly. "Jikan is powerful, but she has her flaws too. And I think that is okay." He places a hand on Francesca''s shoulder. "You can be yourself, Francesca, and be the Goddess of Light. All that Jikan asks is that we succeed." He thinks about Jikan''s safety net and the two main ways they can increase Francesca''s power. "You''re not on puppet strings. You have options that you can make for yourself."


    For a while, no words leave Francesca''s mouth. She looks between everyone. Ren is looking at her with a look of a contagious hope. Her father is staring off in agitation but very reluctant acceptance. Her mother gives he a compassionate look of sympathy. Seconds tick by, and Francesca says nothing.


    "Still..." Morris starts as he looks at Ren, "No adventuring."


    "Don''t start this again, Morris!" Linda snaps at her husband.


    "The boy has a point, but so do I," Morris stands firm. "Lycore might not be all sunshine and rainbows, but it is the only place little Fran has."


    Ren raises his hands, careful not to trigger Morris again. "If I may, I know quite a bit about have this world would operate. More than just helping the Goddess of Light ascend, the journey can make our bases stronger too." He gestures with his hands to punctuate the different bullet points that he can expect from the fantasy nature of the world. "The more we travel, the more we grow. And the more favor we get, the better opportunities we get too. Wrap that up in good gear and some more teammates..."


    "So you''re committed towards writing an epic," Morris grumbles. It is a path to self improvement, albeit a reckless and dangerous one. "How about this? Give it another year. She can learn more at the church and you can learn more spells. How''s that sound?"


    Ren is a little shocked to see Morris flipping on the topic. While he is thankful for the opportunity, Ren is hesitant. "Well... If we let the church know that Francesca is Lumina, then that would mean that we are putting her more at risk." He looks at her as she is still silent. "I don''t think it would be a good idea to put her in a place that has nothing but expectations for her. Believe me, I know what you are saying makes sense. But going on an adventure also keeps her on the move and laying low."


    "There is a certain freedom when it comes to adventuring," Linda offers her two cents.


    "All the more reason that you should stay in Lycore before heading out." Morris answers with finality. "Nowhere else is going to have as much support for you than Lycore. Its about making the safest and smartest choice."


    "I''m ready..." Francesca says while she stands up, face pointed down. "I''m ready to go..."


    "Francesca?" Ren utters quietly.


    Morris goes to plant his hand on her shoulder, "Sweetie, understand that¡ª"


    Francesca pushes his hand out of the way. "I''ll prove it to you."


    Morris pulls his hand back and raises his brow. "Prove it how?"


    Raising her face to look at her father, Francesca mutters strength to stare down her father with conviction. "The full moon is in three days. I will cleanse the cemetery."


    Linda gasps sharply, "Fran!"


    Morris takes a step back, unsettled by the proclamation. "You can''t!"


    Ren sees the fear in the parents'' eyes and turns to Francesca. "A little help in explaining here?"


    Francesca turns to Ren with a dispassionate expression. "Two full moons ago, ghosts from the graveyard began to rise and invaded the city. Everyone was unprepared. Many people ended up getting possessed. The ghost indulged in their desires as they controlled living people. Some murdered, some went back to their families while stealing another person''s life, some committed crimes just because they would not have to pay the consequences. It was utter mayhem." She grasps her sleeve tensely, "Morning broke and the ghosts disappeared back into the cemetery. But there were some that managed to stay inside of their hosts. The sun does nothing to them when they have a body."


    Ren considers the story for a moment, "And you think it would happen again?"


    "It did last month," Morris confirms. "It was not a one time thing."


    "The church was under-prepared the first time around," Linda explains, visibly shaken. "They made protective wards and the such in case something like it happened again. They did not know it would happen again so soon."


    "But they still had a fighting change, right?" Ren asks with concern.


    "They did..." Francesca says with much hesitation. "But then the ghosts started to target the church. Once they saw that the church was trying to take them out, they possessed people at random to destroy the countermeasures."


    "Didn''t the church have something to stop possessed people, though? There should be no reason that they wouldn''t." Ren tries to reason.


    "Dealing with a ghost outside of a body is easier, if you have the magic or tools," Francesca shrugs. "But when they are in a body, it gets tricky. You would want to keep the victim safe. So, exorcisms require undivided attention to drive the spirit out while not harming the victim''s soul. That is just not something we can do during an horde invasion."


    Ren pieces it all together. Ghosts and the light of the church. Classic match-up, but the side with the supposed advantage is failing. "A boss fight...?" Ren muses to himself.


    Linda speaks up, "But you said that Morning Sun Church is running low on the reagents! You can''t take on the ghosts without protection!"


    Ren crosses his arms. With Sleep Mist and Forceful Push, he is not going to be of much help either. He glances at Time to Think, its sands still flowing in reverse. He weighs whether or not now is a good time to test to see if he can use it again.


    "I know of a way," Francesca says. "Father Yu has a Scroll of Exorcism in Morning Sun Church. If I can get it..." She looks down at her hand as the blessing of light pulses for a split second. "I can do it."


    Ren looks away for the timepiece, "What makes the Scroll of Exorcism so special?"


    Francesca raising a finger as she takes on a teaching tone. "Scrolls are like one size fits all conduits for spells. You don''t even need to have magic or know the spell in order to use it. But they do have a limited number of uses, unless you use your own magic as its resource. Also, the incantation must by read aloud for every use."


    "I won''t allow it!" Morris finally puts his foot down. "It is far too dangerous! If you do that, you would be the one that is targeted!"


    "I know," Francesca says as she looks at him. "I need to prove to you that I can handle it."


    Morris erupts, "Let Father Yu handle it! Don''t put yourself in danger like that!"


    "Fran, what if you get possessed?" Linda asks in fear.


    She looks at Ren. "With the blessing, my power increases and I gain resistances, right?"


    Mulling it over, Ren nods. "That''s right."


    "Then I can do it," Francesca tries to sound certain, but it is barely supported by mere hope.


    "Wait," Ren realizes something. "Scrolls can work if you use your magic to fuel the spell?" With a slight chuckle, Ren is glad that he chose to be a mage. "Then I can use it too, right?"


    Francesca looks at Ren''s staff by the front door. "Y-Yes...!" She cracks a small smile. "Its power won''t be depleted if you use it, Ren." She stands tall as she looks to her parents. "We have a plan. We can take the Scroll of Exorcism and clear the ghosts on the night of the full moon. I have the blessing of light and my hero with me."


    Linda takes a step towards her daughter, "Fran, you don''t have to do this."


    "I know..." she acknowledges. "But that is why I choose to do it." With the revelation of Lumina''s presence in her, Francesca felt out of control in her own life. The expectations that were soon to bury her did not even need to surface before she was crushed. The world might be out to get her soon, and she knows that her parents mean well. The hard truth of the matter, though, is that she needs to show initiative now before everyone starts making more choices for her. Almost getting kidnapped by three men left a mark on Francesca. She did not want to be that defenseless again, and she could make sure that never happens again.

 Chapter Five - "Who The Heck Does This Guy Thinks He Is?"

    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¡ª"


    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.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    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¡ª?"


    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¡ª"


    "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¡ª show all of you¡ª 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.

 Chapter Six - "The Answer is Obvious!"

    Morning Sun Church''s mood has dropped even lower. The Scroll of Exorcism was destroyed because of Malcolm. One of the greater defenses the church had against the spirits is now mere scrap. Francesca has reached her boiling point, seeing red as everything was going against her. A ''real hero'' who is trying to play by his own rules. Calling her Lumina even after telling him her real name. It is a massive insult that sends Francesca into a rage and the onlookers into a deep fear.


    Ren is in the middle of this. If he can find a solution to this, it might fix everything. He looks to Father Yu. "Is there another church with a Scroll of Exorcism that we can use?"


    Father Yu adjusts his collar. "There should... but seeing that Miss Francesca as no standing with them¡ª"


    "But that did not stop you from giving ours away to a random guy!" Fury fills Francesca''s eyes, contempt pointed to Father Yu who started this whole mess. "You just go around and give away everything just because someone calls them a hero, right?!"


    A tense step inches Ren closer to Francesca. He thinks that telling her to calm down would be counterproductive, so he tries to ease her into a different way of thinking. "Malcolm has not won, Fran. Maybe we can not go to the cemetery instead...?"


    "But...!" Francesca''s hands ball into a fist. "I needed to prove myself. I needed to show my parents... and myself... that I can make decisions for myself and follow through on them..." Her frustration squeezes tears out of her eyes. This was suppose to be a rite of passage that she assigned for herself, and everyone is failing her.


    Seeing Francesca like this hurts Ren. The smart thing to do is to tell her that she can get another chance soon enough. To avoid disaster by not test fate. He is close to doing that, but his sympathy for her makes him want her to breathe easily. Also taking into account that the town would be in danger of ghostly possessions, it feels like he leveraged the town''s safety against Malcolm''s demand to be Francesca''s hero. Now Ren places the blame on himself.


    He looks again to Father Yu. "Can she learn an exorcism spell that she can use without the scroll?"


    A shaking of Father Yu''s head pours cold water on the idea. "Guided learning can take weeks to see results." The cleric raises his eyebrows as he looks at Ren''s staff. "I assume that you should be versed in such teachings."


    Ren did not have to learn his magic in the traditional ways. They were starting level spells that Jikan gave him when he elected to be a mage. Of the spell he could have selected, he opted for the status affecting Sleep Mist and the versatile Forceful Push over more offensive magic. He quickly thinks of an excuse for his lack of understanding in the regular way magic is learned. "I am self taught."


    Father Yu nods. "So you relied on the ''epiphany'' method? You are fortunate and clever to get as far as you did."


    "Epiphany?" This seems like information that Ren can use for later. "How exactly did that work?"


    "You did experience strain when you learned your magic, correct?" Father Yu asks.


    Ren lies to go along with the cleric''s misunderstanding, "Yeah...? I guess so...?"


    Father Yu nods, "Magic can be learned through trial and error, though it is risky. One would imagine that learning to light something of fire could end up with having the user immolate instead, after all."


    With a sweep of his hand, Ren gestures to Francesca, "Then can Fran learn an exorcism spell from an epiphany?"


    The cleric looks over to his student. "Teaching known spells to students is the more preferable method. It is a matter of safety. Which is why I discouraged Miss Francesca from studying by herself."


    "But I don''t really have a choice now, do I?" Francesca says with venom from her lips.


    A jolt of fear rings out through Ren as he needs to talk Francesca down. "Maybe we can do something else?"


    "Like what?!" Francesca shoots a glare at Ren, the feeling of her connection with him snapping.


    With a step back, Ren brainstorms what to do. Time to Think is on cooldown, so his silence is felt in real time. His goal is to protect Francesca, but she is driven to do something during the night of the full moon. Without the Scroll of Exorcism, they can not deal with the ghosts unless she somehow gets an exorcism spell. He is a mage, so it should not be impossible for him to try his hand at it. He lack affinity with light, however. If Francesca getting an epiphany is unlikely and dangerous while she has good affinity, what chance did he have? Maybe there was a different school of magic that can use exorcism magic or something that can fight off ghosts other than light.


    Something comes across Ren''s mind. He needs to take stock of what they have at their disposal before doing anything risky. He has Sleep Mist and Forceful Push. Forceful Push might work as it is a telekinetic spell, but it does not do damage itself. Sleep Mist requires someone to breathe it in, so that is not effective against ghosts that no longer have the vestiges of life.


    Meanwhile, the only spell Francesca has is Word of Mending, which is a healing spell. As Ren thinks about it, he remembers something. "Wait!" He turns to Father Yu, resolve strengthening his stance. "The ghosts are undead, right?! Would using healing magic damage them instead?!" It is something that is present in many different games he has played. The counter to the undead is not exactly light magic, but instead is the promotion of the living.


    Francesca perks up at the question and looks to Father Yu for the answer. Father Yu rubs the back of his head. "Uh... That would be a fair summary..."


    "Then I don''t need an exorcism spell after all," the healer says with some hope.


    However, Father Yu cuts in, "But healing the spirits to serve as attacks would be cruel. An exorcism allows them the ability to ascend and pass on to the next part of their journey. But if they are given healing to the point the destabilize, they do not get that chance. You can make an argument that it might be acceptable under certain circumstances, but in this case, the ghosts are the dead people of Lycore."


    The remainder dampens the mood of everyone who is listening. They are scared of the full moon, but some in the church have loved ones that are buried in the cemetery. They would want the best for them. Some others, however, prioritize the preservation of the living.


    "They are already dead! That''s too bad for them!"


    "My grandparents are buried in the cemetery! Who here doesn''t have family in there?!"


    "There is the natural order of life and death!"


    "So would you want to be destroyed after you die?!"


    "What even is waiting for us when we die?! We could be absolutely numb to it all!"


    "The ghosts target their families and enemies! They are still people!"


    The Morning Sun Church is in an uproar as divisions form. Ren looks at Father Yu who is trying to calm the uproar. Instead, Ren moves to escort Francesca out of the building. "We should go. Now!" Francesca is still hot from her previous crash out, but she does not want to stay here any more. She pushes ahead of Ren as she forces her why out.


    ***


    "Stupid Yu...! Stupid Malcolm...!" Francesca rants as she and Ren walk through the streets of Lycore, but to her home. "Stupid everyone...!"


    Ren is trying to be careful about how he wants to approach this. Francesca has simmered down, but not by much. One wrong step and he can set her off again. He glances at Time to Think and the sands are still resetting back to the top bulb. It seems that he can not rely on it more than once in an emergency, taking maybe an hour or more per use. Thinking as he is walking with Francesca, he knows that the worst thing he can do is tell her what to do. So if he can get her to tell him what she is thinking.


    "We have something to use against the ghosts, but..." he offers with the ending up in the air.


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    Francesca spits out the grim reality, "Word of Mending would mean ending them for good."


    "Is that something you are willing to do?" The question from Ren is warranted, leading Francesca to grumble from the back of her throat.


    "Well... Going on a journey means having to kill people, if necessary." She steps out of her way to kick a pebble on the ground to vent her frustration. "It''s basically the same thing..."


    That is one of the things that Ren had to contend with as the reality of this fantasy situation hit him. He is not sure if he was ready for it. His two spells were selected because they were useful but not deadly. His eyes focus on Francesca as he takes a step closer. "But if you could avoid it...?"


    "Well, duh! I am not heartless," she spouts off as she folds her arms.


    The street ahead is crowded with people going about their business as usual, calmer than what was happening at the Morning Sun Church. As Ren watches them move, he whispers to Francesca, "And what about everyone in the city?"


    She looks at him with a stern look. "What?"


    Ren scratches his cheek as he looks away. "They are going to be in danger during the full moon. I know that you want to prove yourself, but do you have a feeling to protect them?" He asks serious from the corner of his eye, "Do you think that this is the right thing to do?"


    The healer casts her gaze down. "Well... yeah. I can be a hero, if that is what you are asking."


    "That is great to hear," sighs Ren.


    That irks Francesca a little. "You thought I wouldn''t?"


    "No, it''s just that..." Ren stops before facing her. "Can I be honest with you for a second...?"


    A moment of quiet pauses them before Francesca answers, "Sure, why not?"


    With a small nod, Ren carefully explains, "Before I met you, I thought you were going to be the gentle kind of girl. But given everything that has been happening, you got sharp edge. I was just happy that you were not on the complete opposite side of the spectrum where you were apathetic."


    Francesca furrows her brows, "Hey! I''m pissed off right now. If I was not being taking on a ride left and right, maybe you would see who I am."


    "Well, I''m listening."


    The quick and direct statement catches Francesca off-guard. She knows what he is doing. He is trying to calm her down by having her talk about herself. Typical. She stays quiet as they continue to walk. However, her breathing slows. This is all so stupid to her. "Well... Most of my life, I was pretty fortune. A lot of people say my light and that was that. But..." she struggles to find the words. "I think most of my personality is wrapped up in the light magic in me. The time I spent with Father Yu... He thought me about disincline, about the light, the gods... about Lumina..."


    "Did you have any impressions about Lumina before finding out that you are her vessel?" Ren asks as Francesca moves to squeeze her staff consolingly.


    "Well..." Francesca tries to look back. "I think that... I saw her as being pretty good. Not perfect, but I felt like I would have trusted her if I ever saw her."


    "And what about your life outside of the church?" Ren swifts the conversation to keep the focus on who Francesca is as her own person.


    Firming her grip, she looks up at Ren. "There was not really much time I spent out of church. I needed to learn how to use my light magic a little, but it was also my main source of education."


    "Do only the rich and privileged get to go to school?" Ren asks as he recalls the same thing in his memories.


    "A good one, sure." She nods. "But... I was always expected to do great things because of my gift. And now, I have to."


    "Would you prefer to do less?"


    Francesca scoffs, "Ack, yes! I never really got time to myself. I was a little girl with sparkly magic, and then WHOOSH!" She sweeps her hands to the side. "Charity! Memorizing the names of every deity and their jobs! History about the finding Allevmore!"


    "Which is...?"


    "The kingdom," Francesca answers. "I was never given any time for myself. I would go home and help Mom make dinner for Dad, talk about my day, and sleep. Everyone else gets one day off every week, but not when you go to church."


    Ren ponders for a moment. "Are you just fend up with the church? You don''t hate it, do you?"


    "I..." She sighs with uncertainty. "I guess? It''s just..."


    "So, are you worried that being the vessel is going make it even worse for you? That it is going to make you more connected to the church?" Ren probes.


    Francesca glares at Ren. "What are you? A therapist?"


    "If you need me to be." Ren''s face is inviting bright.


    "Don''t try to be cute." She looks forward and increases her pace.


    Ren stops to consider the following. Francesca is facing an identity crisis from discovering she is Lumina''s vessel. This links her closer to the church that she is getting tired of. Her own parents and the actions of the past Lumina are deciding her faith for her, and Malcolm is trying to insert himself into it. It is already obvious that Francesca has a lot on her plate, and it is a perfect storm that threatens to swallow her up. The best thing for her to do is to get some freedom. Which is exactly what she asks from her parents. She asked to be sent on the journey with him if she cleansed the cemetery. She knows what she needs. That is why she is not backing down.


    With a serious expression, Ren turns to Francesca. "Are there potions in this world?"


    She looks at Ren, "Yeah, why?"


    Ren cuts straight into talking about strategy, "Even if we had the Scroll of Exorcism, drawing upon our magic means we can only fight for so long. We would need potions that replenish our magic reserve anyway. But since we don''t have the scroll, Word of Mending is all we got. The need for potions has increases."


    "Stupid Malcolm," Francesca spits. "Do you know how potions work, Ren?"


    "You drink it and get its effect. Maybe health potions can be applied directly to wounds?" Ren guesses.


    She rolls her eyes, "Well, you''re right, but it is a little more complicated. You can only drink so many potions at one time because it fills your stomach. The magical effect can be felt immediately, but the liquid remains."


    Ren understands and asks, "And if we are moving around a lot with a full stomach, then we can make things worse for us."


    With a nod, Francesca explains, "Yeah. I can throw up if I have to, but I can''t do anything else while I am doing it."


    "Please don''t. That''s disgusting." Ren takes a step away as he calms his nerves.


    Francesca crosses her arms. "That is something Father Yu did teach me though. You have to be willing to do those in emergencies."


    ***


    Malcolm steps into an alchemist''s shadowy apothecary, his hands pressed against his wounds. The woman with a messy head of hair behind the counter looks at him with a far off smile. "Boo... I was hoping for a surprise." She coos as her slender fingers goes to grab a lesser health potion on the shelf behind her. "Do you have coin?" She turns to face him, her eyes loom in the corner of her eye.


    Malcolm does not answer immediately. Instead, he places one of the daggers that he looted off of the men the day before onto the counter. "Trade," he grunts simply.


    The alchemist looks at the short blade for a long moment. "Don''t you look familiar...?"


    "Hey! Is it good or not?!" Malcolm shouts at her stalling.


    "This makes me happy, young man." The alchemist retrieves the blade and gently hands the potion to Malcolm. "The silent one is elated to see that their injustice was rectified."


    Malcolm pops the cork off of the potion. "Whatever, weirdo." Stepping out into the street, he pours drops of the health potion onto the wounds on his arms. As his cuts close, he comes to terms that he has to be even more careful. Until Lumina is with him again, he can not rely on her to heal him of his damage. Potions were a small backup plan, but they are his lifeline now.


    Despite Jikan stranding him, he still retrained the power of his physical body. His tolerance for pain stayed with him. The blessing of light is gone, and none of his gear is enchanted, but he can still fight and survive. Not that it would matter. Two nights from now, Ren would fail to save Lumina.


    ***


    Under the full moon, the spirits loomed over the cemetery and moved to the city of Lycore. "I cast forth the might the divine to send the evil on its way!" Lumina chanted as the Scroll of Exorcism drew upon her light to trap a ghost in a ring of light. As the ring shrank, the snared soul squirmed before radiating in a bright light. The exorcism was complete when the light faded into transparency. That was one. There had to be over one-hundred more. "I cast forth the might the divine to send the evil on its way!" She repeats as she targets another.


    In the chaos, Malcolm''s sword was ineffective against the ethereal ghosts. What it was good for was getting their attention. With nothing else to do, Malcolm was busy with crowd control in an effort to keep them away from Lumina. That meant that Malcolm had to do a lot of running. Some ghosts followed him to have as a host, but some floated towards the healer that dazzled in the dark. "Lumina!" He called out, "Target the fast ones first! If they even touch either of us, it is over!"


    Lumina nods as she turned the scroll''s face to a faster spirit. "I cast about the might the divine to send the evil on its way!" The ring catches the spirit and stops it in its track. However, there were still many spirits to face. Lumina targeted the fast ones that can put a stop to her, but the slower ones were able to get closer without resistance. When she found them on top of her, she needed to move. She ran further into the cemetery repeating the incantation as she cleared the way ahead of her.


    Malcolm looked at Lumina as she left her post. "Lumina!" He cries out. "You getting further into the cemetery!"


    Lumina recognizes her mistake as she looked around her. The position she was in had Lycore to her back and the cemetery to her front, so she could not get flanked. But since she stepped into the graveyard, she was vulnerable. She struggles to fight her way back, but the ghost were coming from all angles. When one raised from the ground below her feet, it was over.


    Lumina''s eyes dulled and her stance was rigid. Twitching like a marionette, her body became more fluid as a sinister smile crosses her face. "Yes! Light magic! I can make a killing off of it!"


    "Lumina!" Malcolm cried out before everything went into reverse.


    Soon, Malcolm was greeted by Jikan''s indifferent face. To be fair, this was the second time he failed with the cemetery event. "You fared better than when you tried to invoke the power of ''Christ'' on them," she says coldly.


    Malcolm set the record straight. "Hey! I did not mess up this time! It was her fault!"


    "Even so, you still bear the responsibility of protecting her. You operate as a ''tank'' for her, as you have put it. Make sure she never loses sight of you, and make sure you never lose sight of her."


    "And what am I supposed to do if my attacks don''t work? Have her run and abandon me?" he said sarcastically.


    "Yes," Jikan confirmed. "Sometimes, it is better to disengage and regroup."


    ***


    As Malcolm applied the health potion, he clicks his tongue. These next two days do not matter. Ren would not be able to make it that far without the Scroll of Exorcism. Jikan would have to reset time again. Even if Ren tries to get the scroll before him in the next timeline, Malcolm knows what to say to get the cleric to hand it over. The Goddess of Time thought she can replace him? It is already a checkmate.

 Chapter Seven - "Listening is as Important as Talking."

    The noon sun shines over Lycore as Ren and Francesca navigate through the market. Stalls of merchants hawking their wares to every passersby. Torches are lit in an attempt to drive away the flies. This leaves Ren with one oversight he has let to consider. "Fran," he asks sheepishly, "do you have the money to pay for potions?"


    Francesca looks ahead, "If I didn''t, I would not have led you here first."


    The hero ponders for a moment and asks, "How do you make money? You said that you spend a good amount of your time at the church. That is more of a school for you and not a job."


    Stepping closer, Francesca says, "Sometimes, Father Yu has me use Word of Mending on people when the Morning Sun Church is running low on money. I legally have to get paid after that."


    Ren sighs. "Well... If it gets us the potions we need..."


    Francesca points to one of the buildings on the far end of the marketplace. "As a general rule of thumb, potions from stalls are not as trustworthy as those straight from an apothecary. Alchemists work best in sterile workplaces, and it helps if you see the spot where they made the potion."


    "Buyer beware, I get that," exasperation fills Ren''s voice. "Show, how many do you think you can buy?"


    A groan of dread is the first answer Ren got. "Depends..."


    Ren raises a concerned eye brow. "On...?"


    "You''ll see..." Francesca responds as the two of them enter the apothecary. The shelves are lined preserved botanic material encased in jars and empty bottles for the buyers'' miscellaneous uses. The shelf behind the desk is the only one with potions at the ready, arranged by color and effect. A woman comes to the front when she hears the doorbell ring. "Oh! Welcome! Welcome! What can I do you for today?"


    Francesca flashes a practiced smile. "Could you tell me how much magic replenishing potions are going for right now?"


    The woman nods as she quickly consults her ledger. "Of course! A group of aspirant magic wielders, are you? We can start you off with the standard Microdose Leyleaf Potion. The current asking price is one silver coin and two copper for an individual purchase."


    "Good gods...!" Francesca gasps out of shock.


    "If you recycle a bottle from home, we can reduce it down to eighty-two copper, after a small cleaning fee," the woman offers with a smile.


    "I''ll... consider it..." Francesca gasps before turning to Ren. "Come on."


    Francesca hurriedly brings Ren out of the apothecary and back to the market. Ren leans in close before asking, "Is that too high of a price?"


    "I don''t know..." Francesca says honestly.


    Ren counters, "Then why did you react like that?"


    Francesca shrugs. "One silver and two copper for a Microdose Leyleaf Potion? I drank some of those better, and I can cast maybe three to five extra Words of Mending. That has to be like... twenty-something copper for a single spell, if that."


    With a quick calculation, Ren assumes that one-hundred copper coins would equal one silver coin. The currency runs on tens and hundreds, which is nice and easy for him to keep track of. "Is there somewhere else we can look?" he suggests.


    "Definitely..." The healer''s expression darkens. "We just need to check every single apothecary before the end of the day."


    "Every single one?!" Ren shouts at the ludicrous suggestion.


    "If I want to save money and get the most potions possible, it is something I have to do," she says with dread.


    Ren comes to realize that in this system, even a trip to go shopping is a day of work in it of itself.


    ***


    Ren and Francesca stand in the dimly lit alchemist''s shop, the front shadowed and secluded in between other buildings. The sign above the door swing ominously, ''Edna''s Helping Hand - Apothecary''. This location was not as polished as the other locations that they have seen, as if the owner had neglected to clean the front. "You think that it is going to be an better inside?" Ren questions.


    Francesca''s stomach churns a little, "It''s fine if the inside is clean..." Her eyes loom over to the windows. "It doesn''t make for a good impression though..."


    Ren tries to look on the bright side of things. "Maybe this place would have the Microdose... somethings for less?"


    "At the risk of quality..." Francesca snarks.


    Ren opens the door to see a setup similar to the other apothecaries they have visited up to this point. Jars of plant roots and leaves, empty containers. However, a chill permeates the air that puts Francesca on guard. They look over to see a woman behind the counter ¡ª her hair a chaotic tangled mess. She looks at a knife as she is turned away from the door. A vacant smile parts her lips, her fingers sliding on the back of the blade. She seems to be drawn to the blade in a eerie manner. "Eighteen..." she purrs as her interest in the knife slowly dissipates.


    Ren clears his throat. "We''d like to buy some magic replenishing potions?"


    The alchemist''s smile does not falter, turning her head to face the guests. Her tone is detached, almost sing-song. "Do you have coin?"


    Ren and Francesca exchange a nervous glance before Ren continues. "Can we know what they are going for...?"


    The alchemist chuckles, strangely hollow sound that belies her amusement. "Ah, people always forget what''s important. Clever shoppers know to use their free time well. I wish it is more normal..." The odd cadence of her voice quickly twists their discomfort to unease. The woman''s gaze drifts past Ren and towards Francesca, her eyes locked as if concentrating on some invisible focal point over her shoulder. She continued speaking, but her words remain cryptic. "The price is impacted by tomorrow," she said, then added with a tilt of her head, "Weapons do not harm the silent ones. Some use magic as their bet. Emergency magic authorized tomorrow, but that is rather rude, no?"


    Ren furrows his brow. "What do you mean?"


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    She leans forward slightly, her voice turning conspiratorial. "Loud one want to keep their homes, you know. But the silent ones want to dance."


    Ren turns to Francesca and whispers, "Do you think she''s talking about the ghosts?"


    Francesca''s lips form a line. "I hope not. But... I hope that it would not be anything other than that."


    The alchemist straightens, her eyes unfocused again. Glee seems to shine for a second as she asks, "Are you going to dance, too?"


    Ren shakes his head, keeping his tone steady. "That... No no no...! You got it completely wrong..."


    The alchemist pouts. "No fun," she scorns.


    Francesca speaks up, "Look, can you tell us what your Microdose Leyleaf Potion are going for?"


    The alchemist begins to pace, her words detached from the topic Francesca is discussing. "The silent ones... they do not know the rules. They want to walk, to dance. Because they have not been silent for long enough. They see the round light and dance with no one to stop them. They walk the streets, like always, dancing fast and slow. Because they do not know they have a new home. But if they were to realize it..." She stops and turns to face them, her face looking at them with sorrow. "It is not a nice home."


    Francesca has had enough. This woman is not entirely with them. She tightens her grip on Ren''s wrist, her unease evident. "Ren, we should go. Now."


    Ren feels Francesca''s hand tugging on him, but his instincts scream that there was something important in the alchemist''s words. He closed his eyes, letting time freeze around him as he invokes Time to Think. To his surprise, the still sense of frozen time greets him as he can not feel any change in the world around him. It has been hours since his confrontation with Malcolm, and this is the earliest he was able to rely on Jikan''s gift. Twice or thrice a waking day. That seems to be what Ren can hope for in a day. But the faster he uses it and gets out, the less time it should take for Time to Think to recharge. However, it seems that it can never reliably be used for combat. But that does not matter right now.


    *-Time to Think-*


    ["Clearly, the ''silent ones'' refer to the ghosts that come out at the cemetery, not ''knowing the rules'' that they should stay dead. Some were ''not silent'' for long enough. If silent is supposed to mean dead, then that would make them the souls of people who have recently died. Francesca and her parents told me that the stuff happening at the cemetery first started just two months ago. Are they related?


    The round light is likely the full moon, as it is when they come out. Dancing likely means popping out of the ground and haunting the city. They move freely through the streets, like a dance in the moonlight? Poetically speaking, it makes sense... They walk the streets fast and slow... Well, they might be trying to find people to possess for their own reasons.


    But what is the deal with ''homes''? What would a ghost call a home? A body, I guess? But they were given a new home, right? Ghosts do not get a new body after they die. So what else is it? A grave? I guess the cemetery is sort of their home now. If it is the cemetery, then what makes it "not a nice home?" Cemeteries are not supposed to be nice to begin with. How does someone mess up a cemetery? It is just a bunch of people buried in holes. That is what a grave is. How can it be nice? I guess that it could be sloppy the people did not dig the hole right.


    ... They did not dig the hole right...?"]


    Time resumes as Francesca is tugging on his wrist again, but Ren turns to the alchemist woman. "Edna..." Ren invokes the name of on the sign outside, earning the woman''s curious gaze. "They''re not nice homes... because they''re small?"


    The alchemist freezes, her erratic movements halting as her face snaps to Ren''s direction. Her wide eyes locked onto his, sending a shiver down his spine. She leans forward, slamming her hands on the counter with her smile curling unnaturally.


    "Nice homes need much room to dance in," she whispers. "If the home has room, the silent ones don''t need to go outside where all the room is."


    Ren''s breathing stops for a second. All of the pieces are falling into place. He turns to Francesca, who was staring at him in shock.


    "Did you just... speak her language" Francesca asks dumbfounded.


    "I think I figured it out," he starts. "The ¡®homes not having enough room'' means the ghosts are from shallow graves."


    Francesca is skeptical. "Shallow graves? How did you get that from... whatever she said?"


    Ren shakes his head in dismissal. "I wish I can go step by step, but that is not important. I would have thought that the ghosts were restless because someone disturbed them, but the thing is that they did not get proper burials in the first place. That''s why they''re ''dancing''."


    The alchemist chuckles again, her voice now carrying a profound if haunting weight. "Such clever little dancers. But will you help them find their way home?"


    Francesca still has a bad feeling, but Ren seems to be so certain of himself. Humoring the idea for a moment, she sees how it might be possible. "Well... There is a reason that we bury the bodies deep underground. The dead decompose, which could spread disease to the town if the dogs dig up the graves. And the ghosts of travelers do tend to haunt the places where they had died. Some do have graves, but moving feet of dirt and rock at one time is impractical..."


    "Maybe digging deep graves helps keep the spirits from raising in the middle of the night," Ren inserts. "It could be that everyone did not see the correlation between deep graves and a lack of ghosts, or maybe they did notice and it was simply forgotten over the years?"


    Francesca furrows her brow. "I''m not sure, but that would mean that the new graves are all shallow. Why?"


    Edna offers, "If you were told to make a home, what is keeping you from making it nice?"


    Francesca does not understand what the woman is saying and turns to Ren. "Translation?"


    Ren considers it for a moment and suggests, "Laziness?"


    "Figures," Francesca spits. "Well, it is not like we can do much about that now. We can not just dig them up and make the hole even bigger. That is disgusting and dangerous."


    Ren optimistically reasons, "We can tell everyone that they should dig deeper holes in the future."


    "That does not help us right now, though." The healer points out.


    "Boo..." Edna whines. "How I wish accounting was more normal..."


    "If you are not going to get to the point, I don''t want to hear it," Francesca barks in frustration.


    A wicked smile crosses Edna''s face. "Eighty copper."


    Francesca gives Edna a look before realizing what she is talking about. "Is that the price for a Microdose Leyleaf Potion?"


    "If you buy twenty today..." Edna corrects.


    Francesca huffs. "How come the only time you make sense is when you are trying to make a say?"


    Running the numbers in his head, Ren calculates, "That''s like sixteen silver... right?"


    A growl comes out of Francesca''s throat. She sees that the woman is leveraging a secret behind the flash sale. It is a good bargain, but the upfront cost is a significant risk. "Whatever," Francesca relents. "Between two magic users, it is not like we won''t use them."


    "Are you sure about that," Ren asks.


    She speaks to Ren in a hushed tone. "The lowest price we got so far is one silver flat, with the bottles. Even if her potions are shoddy, we might be able to squeeze something out of it." From her pouch, Francesca pulls out of roll of twenty silver coins and hands over all but four of them.


    Edna counts the coin with a critical eye before putting a small crate on the counter. She loads in bottles of Microdose Leyleaf Potions as she explains. "If you know what the cause to a problem is, and how long it has been a problem, you can work out the scale of the problem. If the new homes started to not be good two to three months ago, then see how many silent ones came to be since then. If you know how many of them that have found their own home, then you get the number of those who are going to be dancing tomorrow." She nudges forward the full crate. "Start with nineteen that would not show."


    "Nineteen?" asks Ren. "Why nineteen?"


    Edna looks away with her creepy smile. "I do my own accounting."


    Francesca lifts the crate, "That is actually not a bad idea." She hands the crate over to Ren. "Someone should know how many people dead over the last few months. We can ask the churches how many spirits and people they exorcised. We can make this one big math problem." She takes one of the vials of potion out of the crate. "It can tell us if we need more of these."


    "We can also see if there is something else we can do about the shallow graves themselves." Ren suggests.


    Francesca scoffs, "Really, Ren? What do you suppose we do? Bury the graves themselves?"


    Ren looks at Francesca. Francesca looks at Ren. Ren says, "We need to go to the cemetery first."


    "I was being sarcastic," Francesca complains.


    "New homes can make do with renovations," Edna suggests brightly.


    "You are not helping!" Francesca shoots off.


    "Actually Edna, you have been a big help," Ren confesses.


    With a final scoff, Francesca figures that Ren has a point. Tomorrow night is the night of the full moon, the ''dance of the silent ones''. They have little time to prepare, but they actually have something to plan towards.

 Chapter Eight - "I Should Not be the Only One Doing Any Work!"

    Lycore Cemetery is already a ghost town as the people avoid it like the plague. There is so much fear pointed to it that there is a haunting silence in the last hours of the daylight. Yet, Ren and Francesca are at the coroner''s office to get to the bottom of things.


    <div>


    <div>


    The wooden sign creaks in the wind, bearing the words "Coroner''s Office" in faded letters. Ren pushes open the creaky door, and the stench of decay and death waft out, making Francesca''s eyes water. She follows behind him, wiping her eyes to see the figure behind the counter. The dimly lit room was cramped, with narrow shelves lining the walls, stacked with papers of what Ren assumes to be death certificates and other records. The figure in a stained apron looked up from behind a cluttered desk, his eyes framed by his glassed illuminated through the shadow. "Can I help you?" the  man asked in a stern tone.


    Francesca''s anger boils over as she takes in the disorganized space. "You''re the coroner?" she snapped, her voice echoing off the walls.


    The man furrows his brow as his eyes focus on Francesca. "Coroner Galen Abernathy, at your service," he dryly offers.


    Ren steps forward, his expression neutral. "We''re here about the ghosts that would appear tomorrow night."


    Abernathy''s eyes drops, and he fidgets with a stack of papers on his desk. "Ah, yes. The... ghostly possessions. Terrible business, that."


    Francesca''s anger flared. "You''re the one responsible for this mess, Abernathy! We''ve heard the spirits are rising because of shallow graves. Graves that you''re supposed to ensure are properly dug up!"


    Abernathy''s face hardens as he square up his shoulders and widens his frame. He is not sure how these kids managed to learn about him digging shallow graves. Even the authorities have only come over to try to plant their wards. They never looked into the shallow graves, even after the emergence of the ghosts. But with Francesca raising a stink right off the bat, Abernathy does not want to play a losing game where he has to lie. "It''s not my fault. Staffing has always been a problem here, and I do not have enough personnel to meet the demand. A new body is dumped on my desk and I am told to clean it up and have it ready in the morning. I can not help it if people die faster than I can bury them."


    "That... sounds plausible," Ren plays the devil''s advocate. "Do you not have the money for it?"


    "Hell no." Abernathy''s words are direct. "Many families are always pinching pennies and do not pay the fee. But I am required by the city to dispose of the bodies. I''m living off of the few that actually pay, but I still can not do them any special favors because of some other folks dropping Grammy and Pappy off. How the hell am I supposed to hire help?"


    Francesca raises her voice, "Excuses won''t fix this, Abernathy. People are suffering, all because you were cutting corners. Now we have to deal with your mess!"


    Ren placed a calming hand on Francesca''s shoulder to calm her down, his eyes locked on Abernathy. "Coroner, we are trying to deal with the ghosts tomorrow night. We do need your help."


    Abernathy regards Ren''s calm attitude sharply. "You need my help?"


    Ren nods. "We need to know how many people died since you started to digging shallow graves. If the ghosts are only coming from those graves, then we can have a good idea of how many ghosts there are."


    With a sigh, Abernathy slumps in his seat. "Oh... fine." He points to a crate on the far wall, prompting up several more crates. "Fetch that crate for me. It should be the assignments from three months ago. That was when I had to make ends meet."


    Francesca glares at Abernathy before helping Ren remove the crates on top of the one they needed. Paper gets heavy when stacked on top of each other, so the strain in carefully lifting the container burns a little. Francesca and Ren both lift the selected crate onto the coroner''s desk with a heavy thud. Without a word, Abernathy looses the twine that binds an individual case''s papers and quickly cycles through leaflets of information.


    "Ah," Ren notices that the coroner does not have any staples or paperclips. Tilting his head, Ren asks, "Why not just count the strings?"


    Abernathy pauses before putting an elbow on his desk and cup his face in his hand. The oversight is a little embarrassing for someone trained in record keeping. "At a point, you get to a point where you are too through..." He waves his hands over to the crates that Ren and Francesca had lifted away before. "Those are the more recent ones. Go... go knock yourselves out."


    Ren and Francesca look over to the crates and look at each other warily.


    ***


    "Forty-six plus fifty plus fifty-one is..." Abernathy calculates before saying, "One hundred forty-seven..."


    Francesca completely flabberghasted by the number. "One hundred forty-seven?! In three months?!"


    Ren shares in Francesca''s confusion. "That would have to be more than a body a day!"


    "See?" Abernathy says in a somewhat dreadful manner. "It is pretty high for someone working alone, isn''t it?"


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "That seems criminally high!" Ren says in disbelief. "Why?!"


    "We just came out of winter," the coroner speaks from experience. "Deadliest time of the year. Freezing temperatures, food runs low, crime goes up." Abernathy speaks like it is a foregone conclusion.


    "And there are the ghosts that possess people and kill their enemies, too." Francesca says while glaring at Abernathy, not forgetting that he is a part of the problem.


    "Damn." The reality hits Ren hard. He sits on the number, one hundred forty-seven. He remembers what Edna told them. She counted nineteen ghosts that they can subtract from. "One hundred forty-seven... minus nineteen..." Doing the math, Ren comes up with, "One twenty-eight?"


    Abernathy raises his eyebrow, "What''s that about?"


    Francesca rolls her eyes at Ren. "You serious think that woman stopped nineteen ghosts, Ren? She is an alchemist, not a magic user."


    Ren shrugs, "You don''t know that."


    Francesca scoffs, "She was not all there Ren."


    Abernathy asks again, "What is going on?"


    Ren looks over to the coroner and says, "There is an alchemist woman that specifically pointed us towards counting the dead before coming here. She told us to subtract nineteen ghosts from the total."


    "And I don''t trust that," Francesca says while crossing her arms with a pout. "She was speaking in riddles and everything. For all I know, she could be talking about nineteen ghosts that we should know the specific names for."


    The coroner blinks for a bit and says, "Might be better to work with one hundred forty-seven. I would not trust someone who can not back up their statements."


    Ren nods before bringing up a different idea. "And Abernathy, I think I know how we can stop some ghosts from rising before the full moon."


    "No, Ren..." Francesca groans, knowing that Ren is still hanging on to his idea.


    Ren asks anyway, "What if we point more dirt on top of the shallow graves to make them deeper?"


    A minute passes in the stuffy coroner''s office. Then, Abernathy laughs at the idea. His howling, far different from the no nonsense demeanor he had before, rattles the room and vibrates Ren and Francesca''s bodies through the air. The laughing stops and Abernathy looks at Ren with a new light in his eyes. "Make them deeper?! What are you doing, finding loopholes?!" Small snickers continue to pour out of Abernathy''s mouth. "You trying to be a lawyer, kid?!"


    While he does have a tinge of humiliation, Ren doubles down. "Why not? Can you think of a reason it might not work? As long as they are deep enough underground, then everything would be fine, right?"


    Abernathy snorts as he is still in a good mood. "That would just look so tacky! You would have the normal graveyard on one side, and then there would be a hill in the middle of nowhere. And where would I get the extra dirt from, the other graves?"


    Francesca pouts and quips, "You just don''t want to cover up your mistakes?"


    "Hey!" Abernathy scowls at the healer.


    "Play nice, Franny," Ren scolds Francesca. "We need all of the help we can get."


    "What''s in it for me?" Abernathy sets as his older demeanor resurfaces. "I ain''t going to be doing the hard part for free. I would have to source new dirt and transport it here in one day. You better pay me good money for that."


    Ren looks over to Francesca, the unofficial wallet of the two. She breathes through her nose and shakes her head. She went big on the Microdose Leyleaf Potions and does not have that much to spare anymore. Ren asks the coroner, "Can you put it on a tab?"


    "If everyone else paid theirs," Abernathy answers.


    Ren thinks for a moment and asks Francesca, "Can we talk Father Yu into chipping in funds?"


    "Morning Sun Church used a lot of money on the countermeasures for tomorrow..." She reminds him.


    "What about..." Ren tries to brainstorm of a new idea. "What if Father Yu and the other churches pressure Lycore into giving Abernathy the funds to run the office? That way, it saves him the trouble and this does not happen again in the future."


    "And raise taxes?" Abernathy scoffs as he waves the notion off. "Good luck selling that idea, boy."


    Ren puts his hand to his chin, "Actually, this might be the best time to ask for it. You could not pay for extra workers, and then this happened. They need you. This town needs you, and it is time everyone knows it."


    "You are putting too much faith in someone who did not do his job in the first place," Francesca argues. "It is his fault in the first place. Don''t reward him."


    "I said it is not my fault!" Abernathy stands his ground as he looks at Francesca. "Let me make one thing clear! I did not ''neglect my job'', I was not given the right conditions to do my job right! I needed men! I needed money! I cut corners so that everyone else could save a silver coin! If I had it my way, I would have an assistant behind this desk," he pounds his callused hands on the desk''s surface. "I would have some guys available for the digging! I would outsource building the coffins out of house so that we have less operations here! I know how to do my job, but ain''t nobody letting me do what I do best!"


    Francesca is intimidated by passion and anger coming off of Abernathy and retreats behind Ren. However, Ren sees the potential. "Then twist some arms. Collect debts, make people volunteer to bury the graves, threaten that we are not going to pick up a shovel if you don''t get paid." Ren steps aside and grabs Francesca''s shoulder even though she is trying to hide from view. "Franny and I are going to go to the churches tomorrow any way to count how many ghosts were exorcised. We''ll tell them that the cemetery needs funding, and they would would twist the city''s arm to help."


    Francesca squeaks out, "How do you know they will?"


    "Because," Ren speaks with a wisdom that holds true in both worlds, "this alternative would save them money too."


    Francesca tries to explain, "But Lycore''s elite¡ª"


    Ren interrupts, "Everyone would benefit from this. People do not get possessed, the cemetery could get money, and everyone does not need to spend money in the worst case scenario again."


    Francesca shouts, "Ren! Stop! It is not as easy as you think it is! Father Yu told me that the elite would not want to have any new tax on the city. The churches are some of the greatest meeting places, and the clergy have power, but not enough to oppose the elite! If the churches vouch for a new tax, then they would get buried!"


    Ren flinches as the sharpness of Francesca''s voice. His earlier wisdom should have accounted for the power dynamic between the churches and state. But he was not deterred. Partly because this is a world where he can do what he could not before, Ren had a fervor in his eyes. "And they would win. After all, they would be seen as the ones doing anything. They responded to the first two nights, they would do what they can again tomorrow." He thinks note Francesca''s light magic and says, "And you would lend your strength tomorrow too, right?"


    Francesca grips her staff as she remembers. She has the rare affinity for light magic and the blessing Lumina left behind, ideal counters to the ghosts and spirits. She is the vanguard. It is the best and most logical situation she could ask for. And she did ask to cleanse the cemetery. "Y-Yes..."


    "So why not go all the way?" Ren asks Francesca. "If we cleanse the cemetery and go on our journey together, we would have to make enemies. We just need to be smart and know when to fight back."


    Francesca feels her heart beating fast. She is aware of the social dangers in telling the churches to raise a tax for the cemetery. It would put the churches at risk. She takes a deep breath and says, "I think it is really dangerous, Ren. But... I think we have a shot at it. At the very least, I do not want to go on a journey and leave Lycore undefended for next month''s full moon."


    Abernathy snorts and gives an open mouth exhale. "You are asking for a lot, kid. You have guts saying it here." The coroner puts the bundles of paper back into his crate. "Me? I got nothing to lose. If I do nothing, I am going to be out of a job anyway. Maybe people would think like your girlfriend and blame me for everything."


    Ren and Francesca blush and say "We are not a couple!"


    "Sure, sure..." Abernathy waves it off, not convinced. "Actually, I am pretty sure I am going to get flak anyway. Might as well drag as many people down with me." He points at Ren. "But you, kid. You have a lot to lose. You and your girl."


    Ren tries to spare himself the lecture. "I will protect Francesca. I am already prepared to defend her to the end."


    Abernathy gives a single shout of laughter, "Ha! We''ll see about that."


    Ren turns to look at Francesca. Her eyes are incredibly doubtful and her hands are shaking. Ren does not blame her. This is their first real obstacle with real lasting implications. "Tomorrow is going to be quite eventful." Ren gives a nod to Abernathy before taking Francesca out of the coroner''s office.


    Abernathy sits back in his chair as he looks at the papers of orders of the people he buried. It was not his fault. He securely believes that. This is just the natural cause of what happens when people do not pay for his work. Even the ones that do get hurt just as much. "What a shame," he says as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, people have to be taught to do the right thing.