Two Mystix inhabitants together at last. A North Spiran human man, and a half-elf, half-human woman, both of whom remember their homeworld and still possess the powers given to them.

But... this should be impossible. Even Clone Eryk can see that.

“Aren’t you supposed to be amnesia’d or whatever?” he asks. “I thought only North Spirans get reincarnated on new worlds. You certainly aren’t one of us.”

“I cannot explain that,” Keitou says. “I know nothing of it. All I can tell you is my story.”

“Tell me, please. I really wanna know.”

She nods. “It isn’t the most fascinating one, I will admit.”

“But I still wanna hear it.”

“Alright.

“I was born in the midst of World War II in the furthest reaches of northern Japan. My parents, too old to fight and too remote to face the brunt of bombings, raised me in a quiet fishing village just south of Mount Osore. That place is connected to Mystix, I know it. It’s the divine representation of the gateway to Hell, complete with a literal boiling lake of sulfur. But my powers could not interact with it, and still can’t. As far as I know, its power has since been sealed. But in ancient times, it must have been connected to Mystix, and that must be why Japanese and Ancient Elven are connected so deeply. I cannot fathom it to be a sheer coincidence.

“I grew up unaware of the significance of Mount Osore, and very much aware of the American occupation of our nation after the end of the war. It fueled the economy and helped my area grow into a much larger place. When I was just a teen, I left home and moved to Misawa, where the U.S. Air Force had created a massive base with endless opportunity.

“Eventually, I met a pilot, we married, and I moved to America with him in the late 60s. A un-perfect time for America, rife with struggle, inequality, and disillusionment. Much like now, in many ways.

“The marriage did not succeed except for the two children I gave to the Earth. I moved to Hollywood and made myself a career as a producer. But while living here in America... I began to remember.

“Bits and pieces of a life on a different world began to seep into my memories. A warrior with magical abilities in a place called Mystix, with a destiny and a class. Friends, family, and a tragic young death to a rampaging Maw Dragon.

“I went to therapists, to psychologists, to psychics, desperately trying to uncover the meaning behind these fragments in my mind. None of them could tell me anything other than what I already knew—these were genuine memories in my mind, and with no explanation for their appearance.

“It also turns out that, because Japanese is simply an evolved form of Ancient Elven, I still have magical powers. Even if my system is not intact, I can still use my magic from Mystix, so long as I speak my words with the correct tone and cadence. That is how I subdued your friend over there. There are only a select few I still remember, but they have still helped me in my time in Hollywood, that is for certain.

“All my life, I’ve looked for another person like me. Another person who has been reincarnated on Earth from another world, hopefully Mystix itself, whose memories are suddenly coming back to them just like with me.

“You are the very first, Eryk Solbourne. I didn’t believe it when those South African agents came to contact me, but the moment you walked in that door, I knew you and I were the same.

“But there’s something different between us, I suspect. While I am recovering scattered pieces of my past... You remember everything. You still have your system, don’t you?”

Clone Eryk nods, after this lady finally finishes her long-ass speech. “I definitely still got my system. It’s great.”

Master Keitou examines him with great scrutiny. Looks over his entire soul.

“You know, the system isn’t the end-all-be-all,” she says. “You saw the magic I performed. It did not cost me Life Points, for I do not have any here. It’s magic of the purest form.”

“Yes... Is it possible to learn this power?”

“Not from an active system user,” she says. “But from me? I can teach you everything I know. Do you have the correct class for Ancient Elven magic?”

“No... I’m an [Adventurer,] sadly,” Clone Eryk says. “Oh, but I’m also a [Demigod] sort of! It’s locked inside of me due to some confusing complicated stuff nobody cares about.”

“A [Demigod!] My God, you’re a monster. Were you one of the Fury Twins?”

“Fury Twins? No, I don’t know what that means.”

“The Fury Twins... They were two [Demigod] fighters, brother and sister, who wreaked havoc around Mystix for many years and defied all expectations for the normal [Demigod] curse. I can only assume they lived long past the time I died, which was a full... well, many years ago.” Master Keitou winks, as if hiding her age is something cute.

“I have never known a [Demigod,] I say. Besides myself sort of. Even though I’m not currently one. All I can say is, I probably do have some latent magical abilities.”

“Then I will teach you with all my might,” she says. “And I will expand your life here on Earth as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“As a favor for teaching you magic... I ask for only one thing in return.”

“That is?”

“Your allegiance,” she says. “The South African Secret Service claims to be monitoring us system users, protecting us from certain doom. But they also know that the CIA, the U.S. government, will not stay in the dark forever. And if they know, then so do the other powers of the world. China, Russia, Moldova, India... They will act quickly to find the world’s system users, and we will be destroyed.”

“Bah, that’s nonsense,” Clone Eryk says. “The U.S. government would never do something so successful. If they were any good, then why am I the King of Santa Barbara?”

“That’s precisely my question,” she says. “I’m worried they know about you already, with how prominent you have become. You already have a Wikipedia article.”

“Awesome.”

“But I have one foolproof plan to help you not be captured and dissected by government spooks,” Master Keitou says. “Become a movie star. Become an eccentric Scientologist celebrity, and suddenly all speculation will disappear. I’m a famous producer, you know, so I can make it happen.”

“...Does this include lots of parties?” Clone Eryk asks.

She smiles. “Plenty.”

“Done.”

They shake hands again.

Oh, what a great five days this is going to be, Clone Eryk thinks. What a great time.