“You’re saying that guy over there, Lukas, killed the anomaly guardian.”

Nod.

“And then he went all murder-hobo on you.”

Another nod.

“And he has a way of destroying the anomaly core without accumulating Sin.”

Tanya nodded again.

“Look.” Zuken made a face. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but even you’ve got to admit it’s a bit unreal.”

“You mean like the spiritual beings we fought earlier? Those are supposed to be unreal too, right?”

Everyone stiffened at that. Tanya still wasn’t really sure how those things had managed to possess Maude and transform her into…that. One moment Maude was standing there, staff in hand, casting healing magic, and the next, all kinds of strange sigils formed on her face and cheeks.

“I still can’t believe there are yokai in the desert,” Olfric groused. “They aren’t supposed to be anywhere in the Empire. By the Goddess, they aren’t even supposed to exist anymore!”

Tanya rolled her eyes. What did he think kami were?

“It’s the Namzuuhuu Desert,” Elena chimed. “I’m not surprised they’re here.”

Tanya glanced toward Lukas’s unconscious form. Telling the others her true thoughts about him was out of the question. It wasn’t about trust. Lukas knew her secrets. Her ability with Frost. He was the reason behind her newfound control over her latent powers. All of them, individually, were great reasons to not only keep him alive, but also to keep him close.

But none of that even mattered. Whenever she even considered killing him, she was filled with a feeling of profound wrongness. It was an instinct that came from the depth of her soul.

She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let anything happen to him.

“He claims he is from Maluscion,” Tanya informed them. “Not Cyffnar.”

“What is someone from Maluscion doing here in this desert?” Zuken mused.

“A spell gone wrong,” Tanya replied quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly.

Olfric snorted. “A Maluscian here in the desert, thousands of miles away from his own country, wearing Cyffnarian armor. And you really believed his lies?”

“He’s shown familiarity with the land.”

She conveniently omitted the fact that he had also shown passing familiarity with the Llaisy Kingdom and the surrounding regions.

“When did you meet him?” Elena asked out of nowhere.

“After I got separated. I was hunting for Olfric’s kami, and came across him.”

“He has something on you, doesn’t he?”

“Why would you say that?” Tanya asked.

“For someone whom you claim you only met here in this cavern, for the first time, you’re speaking an awful lot in his support. Any reason why?” Elena implored.

Tanya bit her lip. She expected an insight like that from Zuken, but from the changeling? A glance toward the wily terramancer showed that he held similar questions too, but merely kept silent about it. “Let’s just say he got me out of a mess and leave it at that.”

“Did that mess have to do with whatever happened with the yokai?”

Tanya stiffened. She sensed Elena was deliberately trying to throw her off-balance with her rapid-fire interrogation, but didn’t know why. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Too many strange things happening all at once,” Elena replied, a smile on her face. “I know you were about to lose control during the fight with the yokai. But now you have it back, fully restrained.”

Tanya’s lips twitched into a distant echo of a frown. “Control?”

“On your emotions,” the changeling explained. “I’m a charmer, and I feel others’ emotions. You’ve been restraining yours this whole time, until you needed to. Which is when you lost control.”

Something ugly deep inside Tanya unsheathed its claws. Everyone had it inside them, somewhere. It took fairly horrible things to awaken that kind of savagery, but it was in everyone. Hidden. Camouflaged. Maybe both. Only in her case, it was always awake. Always there. Waiting for a slip-up.

Until she met Lukas.

“Everyone has good and bad inside them,” Tanya replied stiffly. “What’s that got to do with him?”

“It’s been exactly three days since we lost you,” Elena went on, a strange intensity in her otherwise dreamy expression. “So you must have met him during this time. Three days is very little time to get a measure of someone. Meaning, you fought him. And he won.”

Behind the changeling, Zuken grinned with something akin to pride.

“Just what are you implying, Elena?” Tanya snapped.

“What happened after you fought Maude?” Elena’s voice sharpened. “Did you kill her?”

Tanya’s knuckles turned bone white as she clenched her fists. For someone who’d dealt with suspicion and scorn on the daily, she was surprised at how much the question hurt. She didn’t think she’d have to deal with this kind of nonsense after finding her teammates again. There was no time to lose, and she didn’t want to start something violent with Elena, the nicest member of their team, either. She’d catch all kinds of hell.

Tanya sighed. “I didn’t kill her, if that’s what you’re asking. Maude escaped with the kami. I was attacked by a horde of monsters, and by the time I managed to get free, she was gone.”

“And you didn’t think of looking for her?”

Tanya shrugged. “In case you forgot, I already have a job. Killing the anomaly. Not babysitting incompetents.”

“Right. Why bother caring for your teammates and all that!” Elena snapped.

Tanya folded her arms and looked away. She knew that Elena had a point, but rationality was coming at a distant second to succumbing to the urge to just…slap her. Who the hell did the changeling think she was, ordering her around like that?

“Look, Elena,” she spoke again, her voice more gentle, “I know things haven’t been easy for us since we came in here. We lost Maude, and we also failed to get Olfric’s kami back.” She sent an apologetic nod toward the aquamancer, who stiffly nodded back. “I know it hasn’t been fun for you, and the same goes for me. But…there’s something you need to hear.”

Elena’s expression softened. “What’s that?”

“Get over it.”

The clearing went quiet for a moment. Everything except for Tanya’s insides. That ugly part of her started to get louder and louder.

“We are adventurers on an anomaly mission. I know this is new territory for you, but things going perfectly according to plan isn’t how missions go. Maude was possessed, as was Olfric. Thank the Great Goddess that he managed to get free. I understand that you’re hurting, but it doesn’t give you the right to question others. All of us are hurting, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Didn’t notice?” Elena’s brows slowly furrowed, and her teeth were painfully gritted. “In case you forgot, I’m an allayer! Every time someone freaks out at a shadow, I feel it. Every time someone suffers, I feel it. This desert and its curse haunts me in my sleep. Didn’t notice? I wish I could show you the kinds of things I notice.”

Tanya sighed. Exhaustion was creeping up on her earlier, but now it had a stranglehold. She was too tired to argue anymore. She was just…done. “What do you want from me, Elena?” she asked.

“I want Maude back,” the changeling declared. “If you didn’t kill her”—Tanya clenched her jaw—“then that means she’s still running around in here somewhere.”

“Possessed,” Olfric interjected, his lips twisting into an uncertain expression. “But it doesn’t make sense. Maude running around, I mean. Especially considering how he’s here.”

“Care to elaborate, Olfric?” Zuken prompted.

Olfric grunted an assent. “Remember when we had that argument and I walked off? Maude followed after me. The both of us then found him.” He glanced down at Lukas’s form. “He was practicing with his fire, only it was a lance back then.”

A lance? Tanya struggled to remember if Lukas had ever used a lance during their fight, but her memories of that incident were still blurred.

“I thought he recognized you,” Zuken muttered, “but I couldn’t be certain in the heat of battle. What happened between the two of you?”

“I killed him,” Olfric admitted. “I used a lethal attack, and it hit him. He was broken, bleeding, and on fire. There was no way he could have survived.”

“Well, he’s still alive and kicking,” Elena added. “So you had to be wrong.”

“That’s the thing. I wasn’t. The sort of healing this bremetan can use isn’t natural, is it? Definitely some arcane skill at work, and definitely beyond the Blessings of Okuninushi. Anyway, when I killed—when I attacked him, there was also a black-haired girl in a kimono nearby. She viciously attacked us back then, which is why we fled.”

“You were defeated by a single girl?” Tanya asked condescendingly.

“A girl?” Olfric let out a bark of laughter. “Remember that demon you fought? That’s her.”

The bottom fell out of her stomach.

A yokai? Lukas was…with the yokai? Was that why he was in the cavern? Because he was— No, he could use lifeforce. Lots of it. But so could Maude, and after her transformation, she had reached terrifying heights.

Tanya’s mind went into overdrive.

Lukas’s familiarity with the land. With Cyffnar, Haviskali, the lands, the languages, him wearing Cyffnarian armor. Did that mean— Had some strange creature killed Lukas and was now wearing his body like one would a dress? Had she been spending time with a dead man?

Had she been thinking about being intimate with a walking corpse?

Bile rose to her throat.

No, there had to be something else. Something that explained everything. He was a pyromancer. That meant a kami was involved. But Olfric’s possession had destabilized his bond with his marid. Lukas, on the other hand, used both fire and Qi with equal dexterity. So, a fire-wielding yokai? But wait, Lukas certainly didn’t share any of those strange sigils. Not a possession then.

But—then what was he? Was he— Could he be an o—

“An oni?” Elena voiced her thoughts before Tanya could. “Is that what you’re saying he is?”

“It’s possible, right?” Olfric asked. “I mean, I killed him. Or at least lethally injured him. But look at the way he heals. Isn’t it just like the demon back then? Remember how it was regenerating itself? Or those phasing monsters we faced earlier?”

Tanya’s thoughts screeched to a halt. “…What did you say?”

“I said his regeneration was like—”

“Not that. What you said after—”

Olfric frowned. “The monsters…?”

Her eyes brightened. Of course! “Yes, the monsters. Eternal Light. No yokai can survive in its presence, right?”

“Obviously.” Olfric scoffed, but then his lips twisted into a rage-filled smirk. “Actually, now there’s an idea.” He began to take out one of the canisters from his bag.

Tanya smiled. Yeah, she was feeling a lot better now. It made so much sense. Granted, she still had questions she wanted answered, but it was better than him being a yokai corpse.

“Hand me those canisters,” she said to Olfric.

“You’re still trying to protect him?” Olfric actually leaned back, moving the canisters out of her reach. “Don’t even think about it. I’m gonna vaporize this oni freak.”

Tanya resisted the urge to hit him over the head. “No, I’m going to use them to prove that he isn’t a yokai or an oni.”

“And…you know this because…” Zuken trailed off.

“Because I personally handed him one of the Eternal Light canisters before, and he basked in it without so much as a whimper. I’m not sure what he is, exactly, but I’m hoping he’ll tell us when he wakes up.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t kill us,” Elena sighed.

“That too.” Tanya nodded. “But first, there’s something you need to know.” She looked at Zuken. “In exchange for taking care of the anomaly core, Lukas asked me for something in return. He wants a fresh start.”

Zuken narrowed his eyes. “A new identity and employment, I’m assuming? Why? Is he a fugitive?”

“Not from the Cobalt Army,” Tanya replied. “At least, that’s what he told me. He’s reasonably certain that whatever he wants to happen will happen when he destroys the core. But in case things don’t work out, he wants us to have a backup plan.”

“A new beginning,” Zuken said, nodding. “If what you’re saying is true, and he is amiable to our plans, then I have no problems with that.”

“Banksi!” Olfric snapped. “You’re forgetting he tried to kill us.”

“After you tried to kill him first,” Zuken pointed out. “Don’t forget, Tanya fought him too. If she’s still vouching for him despite everything that’s happened, then there must be something special about him.” He turned toward Tanya. “You’re sure he’s not with the yokai?”

“He’s asking to live in the land of Eternal Light. Is that not proof enough?” Tanya countered. “Though, there’s also something weird about him. I was hoping you would have an answer. It’s why I wanted the canisters.”

Zuken nodded to Olfric, who grumpily shoved them into her hands.

Without any further preamble, Tanya switched the canister on. Four pairs of eyes squinted as everything around them was inundated with bright, white light.

Everything except for the portion of terrain directly behind Lukas’s head.

“A—a shadow?” Olfric stammered. “Under the Eternal Light?”

Tanya grinned. “Exactly.”

“But—but how is that possible? He’s got to be a yokai then!”

“Yokai can’t survive under the Eternal Light, you moron,” Tanya sighed. “That’s the whole point of this demonstration.”

“So to summarize,” Zuken began, “this guy is fast, skilled with a blade, a master pyromancer, and a warrior. And, he claims to have a resistance against Sin. Am I missing anything?”

“He has a shadow!” Olfric screeched.

“And a shadow,” Zuken seamlessly added. “Normally, I’d agree to the terms he stipulated. A man of such talents could come in handy. There’s just one problem really. As Olfric helpfully keeps pointing out, he has a shadow. It’ll raise far too many red flags in Haviskali.”

“Oh, trust me. That’s not very difficult to deal with,” came a masculine voice.

Each of them had a different reaction. Tanya summoned wind blades into her hands and pivoted on the spot. Olfric reached for his sword, but grabbed at nothing and brought up his fists. Elena squeaked nervously and shuffled in place, warily looking in the direction of the speaker. And Zuken calmly turned around, though his wristbands slightly glowed with Qi.

“How long have you been awake—” Tanya questioned, before she was interrupted.

“Why don’t you have a shadow anymore?” Olfric screamed.

“I know you have questions,” Lukas began, “but if it’s all the same to you, can you let me up first? Being interrogated while halfway stuck in the ground isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.”

“You!” Olfric stabbed a finger at the buried man. “Answer my question!”

Lukas turned toward Tanya. “Are you two related? I can see the resemblance.”

Tanya almost choked on her own spit. Olfric’s face turned an unusual shade of orange. And Zuken just looked amused.

“I’m sure Tanya will back me up on this,” Lukas replied, his voice careful and gentle. “I’m definitely worth at least one decent conversation without us all coming to blows. We can talk this out peacefully. Seriously. It’s starting to itch in some really uncomfortable places.”

“Lukas, is it?” Zuken asked, tilting his head. Tanya hid a smile. She had a feeling she’d enjoy a conversation between the two of them. “If I release you—”

“Yes, yes, I swear on the pain of death not to attack you.”

With a wiping gesture of his fist, Zuken raised the sand around Lukas out of the ground, bringing him with it. Tanya took the opportunity to create a tiny gale, helping move the sand away faster. Impatience wasn’t a virtue, but it would sure save some damn time here.

“If we don’t like what we hear, you’re going back into the ground,” Olfric replied imperiously.

“You’re a true giver,” Lukas droned.

“Let’s start with who you are,” Zuken half asked.

“Lukas, but you already knew that. My full name is Lukas Aguilar.”

“A family name? Interesting.” Zuken rubbed his chin. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Aguilar Clan before. Where are you from?”

“The land of shadows and decent conversations,” Lukas quipped back. “Like I told Tanya, I was involved in a spell accident, and somehow appeared inside this underground cavern with nothing but the clothes on my back.” He paused. “Though, these clothes are from a very nice Cyffnarian soldier who very kindly agreed to part with them. A bit heavy, but it does the job just fine.”

“But where, specifically, are you from?” Zuken repeated.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Olfric snorted softly. “I bet it’s no weirder than believing that yokai have been hiding in the desert, right under the Empire’s nose, all this time.”

Elena crossed her arms and smiled challengingly. “Yeah! Just try us!”

Frankly, Tanya wasn’t really sure why Lukas was making the moment so dramatic. It was true that Maluscion was rather far away, but if the “spell accident” excuse was to be believed, then distance wasn’t much of an issue. Plus, he had already demonstrated enough knowledge of the region for it to be a believable answer.

“Just tell them what you told me, Lukas,” Tanya said. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

Lukas stared at her for a long moment, and then gravely nodded. “Very well. I swear that what I am about to say is true to the best of my knowledge.”

What did I just say… She internally groaned, opening her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when—

“My name is Lukas Aguilar. I’m from a different world.”

…

“That’s not what you told me!” she yelled.