When I opened my eyes, I found myself in that dream again.

I felt heavier than I did whenever I was awake, even if I knew my body should've been lighter in this time and place. It was just a gut feeling, one that told me my body shouldn't be the way it is right now.

I sat on the edge of a big four poster bed with clean white sheets and an open curtain. The room around me was a blurry mess of colour. The walls were cream and clear, but the posters and photographs hanging in beautiful gold frames were all... weird. All of the shapes and colours were wrong, and they changed more and more the longer I looked at them, curling and twisting in on themselves until they didn't look like what they probably should've been at all.

I got to my feet, walking to the set of light purple curtains and closed glass doors at the left side of the room. Throwing back the curtains and opening up the doors, I stepped out and onto a white balcony.

A chill ran up through my body as my bare feet touched against the stone, but that feeling was easy to take. Even if it all felt real, it didn't look real. Putting two hands that didn't feel like my own on the ornate railing, I cast my eyes over the sprawling landscape all around me.

Just like before, it was messy. I could see green trees covered with snow, and some ground further below, but... I couldn't see the horizon. Whenever I looked too far into the distance or to either wide, everything turned... white. A blurry, misty mess that was impossible to see through.

The dream had been worse than this before. Less distinct. I was only able to see this much because of all the flashes I'd had since 'waking up' for the first time. Back in the facility.

Like I'd expected, nothing about this place had really changed. I hadn't found anything new in the waking world that caused those weird flashing memories since last going to sleep. The dream would be the same tonight, too. All I could do was hope it left out the bad parts.

My eyes drifted down towards my hands. Or... they weren't really my hands, but maybe the hands I used to have? They were a creamy white... kind of. They changed in shade and tint, looking more like a funny watercolour painting in motion than skin. I turned my eyes around, leaning my back against the balcony. I knew I couldn't fall over the side even if I wanted to. I'd tried.

The outside of this big mansion was even fuzzier than everything else. Colour, shape, design. All of it changed over and over and over. With how fast it all shifted, I felt my eyes reflexively scrunching against it. It was painful to look at, but I knew I should have at least tried to see something new. Having found nothing but sore eyes, I went right back inside.

It was a big, spacious playroom with a huge four poster bed, one that was way bigger than the one I had back in the Velvet Star, but... it didn't feel as nice to sit or lie on. As weird as this funny little room was, it was a safe space. The most stable place in the house. I remembered the moment I felt the flash that made this room something I could stand in without getting headaches. The moment Miss Yuri had given me that metal stick with all the sharp bits on it. My 'sword'.

It was the first real 'gift' I'd gotten after waking up in Chimera's facility. The first act of real kindness I could remember.

I'd read during my research that most people didn't have dreams like this. I had all my memories of the waking world, and I remembered almost everything that happened while I was here. I was fully aware and able to do... almost anything I wanted. I'd learned that some people could pinch themselves or count their fingers or close their eyes firmly to wake up, but... I couldn't do any of that.

For better or worse, I was stuck here until my real body had gotten plenty of sleep!

But it wasn't all bad! I walked over to a big brown and gold treasure chest sitting beneath a pretty mirror that didn't show my reflection. Opening it up, I was greeted by toys!

Some of them were really clear and distinct. Cats, Fish, Birds. Things I'd seen in the waking world and had flashes for. Others were... fuzzy, and not just in a fluffy way. They were blurred beyond recognition. They didn't even have texture to them, and touching them felt... empty. Uncomfortable. Like touching balls of nothing given form. I couldn't see what they were.

After picking out a orange Cat, a blue Fish, and a blobby blue Slime toy, I closed the chest. I didn't have much time before I'd have to go, so I went straight back to the big bed, climbing onto it with the toys around me, holding them close as I kept my breathing deep and strong. All I could do now was wait and hope this would be a good dream.

Cuddling with the toys, I sat still for a few long minutes, keeping my eyes closed so I wouldn't have to look at the shifting room around me. It was... nice, but it didn't last forever.

Then, I heard a gentle knock on the door. The same as always.

"Come in!" I called out, speaking in a voice identical to my own. It felt like the only 'same' thing about me that I kept around in these dreams.

The blurring door gingerly swung open, and a brown mass stood on the other side.

It was... kind of Humanoid in shape, with rough and fuzzy looking 'hair'. It wore something brown, and had dark skin of the same colour. It had misty edges to it, and I thought maybe it was some kind of Spirit, even if I hadn't been able to find pictures of it in the real world yet. I didn't know who or what it was, but that was nothing new.

"dfjdofuhefmsugvygfrfiowheoh," the mass garbled. I felt my body gulp as a shiver ran through me. The voice was deep and droning, and I couldn't make out the words. Even if I had no idea what it was saying, I knew exactly what it was trying to convey. I guessed it was something to do with being in a dream.

"Okay! I'm coming now!" I chirped back. I'd been through this situation tons of times since waking up, but I wanted to try. "Can... I bring the toys with me?"

"hehwgfprbvfvcg," the mass crackled back.

"Okay..." I murmured back, giving the toys one last hug before leaving them down on the bed. As the mass 'turned' and drifted back down the hall, I turned to whisper to the toys one last time. "I'll be back soon!"

I hoped. Maybe this would be a good dream.

Hopping back to my feet, I made my way to the door, not bothering to change out of my pyjamas. It hadn't made any difference in other dreams, so... I figured it was better to hurry and make it back to the room as quick as I could. That meant bad stuff was less likely to happen.

The floor was made of hard brown wood, and the walls were pink with white symbols on them. That was all I knew for sure, since both shifted and swirled in weird ways as soon as I stepped out into the corridor, hiding other things from me. The shifting grain in the floor was uncomfortable to walk on, but I couldn't do anything about it. Even when I tried putting on slippers and shoes, I could still feel it.

I saw the brown mass at the end of the corridor, and jogged along to follow behind it. I felt really slow compared to what I could do in the waking world, but this was the best way to get through the dream while staying okay.

There were pictures and paintings hanging on the walls. Lots of them had people with shifting features, and others had places that had no set shape or colour. But... some of them were familiar and clear! The occasional landscape here, or a person I didn't really know there. They were paintings I saw back in the Velvet Star's hallways! As alien as this strange place was, I was thankful to the Don for making it a little less weird.

The brown mass didn't raise any arms or appendages I could see, but the white doors with twisting, gnarled doorknobs at the end of the hall opened up, letting me into a long dining room.

The chairs and tables all started looking normal ever since I'd left the facility. They were all made of pretty wood, adorned with nice looking cushions and covers in pink. The walls were covered in more paintings and pictures, but none of the ones in this room were clear. Not a single one. I saw a pair of blank faced Dolls at the very end of the room, standing on either side of a door opposite mine.

They were some of the first things that had been 'normal' here in my dream. There had been Dolls in the facility, and they'd been my first real flash of memory. I didn't like seeing them here since they brought up bad memories, but they weren't as bad as the monster.

I really, really wished I'd never seen the monster.

Stepping forward, I climbed up onto the seat at my end of the table, sinking a little into the cushion. It felt like it was grabbing me, and not in a good way either. At the end of the room, the two Dolls moved to open up the doors. Lowering my hands, I clenched my fingers into the cushion, digging them in deep to brace myself even as spikes wove their way around my heart.

From the dark, blurry mess behind the doors, a woman stepped out. She had long, light brown hair, a pretty pink dress that puffed out with ruffles, and pink gloved hands. She looked like she might have been a [Queen] or something, but I didn't think she was.

She didn't have a face.

Unlike the blurry mass thing that visited my room, it wasn't smooth either. It had eyes, a mouth, and a nose. Sort of. They shifted in colour, shape, and even race, over and over again. They didn't even stay in the same place. Sometimes, they swapped positions or drifted a little too far to the left or right to look 'normal', even if the woman didn't seem to care.

With both hands holding up the ends of her dress, she sat in the chair opposite me, thankfully very far away.

"ewhfuhdgsgfuedffhepogfjgjdhscbvvdxwxh! hduhuskdaofggfsdgbvgcxzqzq?" the woman garbled. Her voice was... a little familiar, even if the words meant nothing to me.

"Yes, mother," I replied quietly. I knew from past experiences that I didn't need to shout for her to hear me all the way over there. I also knew I had to keep looking at her face, even if I didn't want to. She got very upset if I didn't, and that made the dreams turn bad a lot more often for a while.

I heard the doors behind me close softly. The brown mass person had gone away to get breakfast. He always did.

"Will father be coming today?" I asked cautiously. I didn't get to see my 'father' most nights. They usually ended long before father's part.

"hdiefygfdvhvfuehofefiqerhaps..." mother murmured back. The last word had almost been verbal this time.

I felt my shoulders sag with relief, and continued to stare mother down for a while. I didn't like looking at her 'face', but... she looked a little different tonight. The more I thought about it, and the longer I looked, the more clear it became. Just... not in the way I hoped.

Bits of her hair were changing at the top. Turning pink, thick, and wrinkly. Fleshy. Spots of her shifting cream coloured neck were taking a more solid shape too. Green scales.

I let out a heavy breath, glancing down at my own clenched hands with a shiver. I'd tried to learn what I could about who or what I was from these dreams, but sometimes they did weird things like this. 'My' body was different from the one I knew, but it was still just the body of a kid, so... maybe I'd been a kid back before... whenever this was, too.

I didn't know anything about the family of my first life. I'd tried researching them through the VoxNet, but I could find anything helpful. 'Streiphen' was an uncommon name, but not uncommon enough to let me learn anything special. I thought maybe because this house looked rich and fancy that my family name would be important, but... I couldn't find anything. 'Zenithine'. Nothing had come up when I tried to search it. Nothing at all.

The door softly opened behind me, and I felt a mote of relief run through me as I peeked around the side of the chair. The breakfast was here now, so I would be able to look down at it as mother and I ate before I could head back to my room and-

The monster was standing there.

My heart leapt into my throat, and a cold sweat broke out all over my body.

The monster wasn't blurry at all, even if I wished it was. It had a Humanoid form with skin even darker than my own. It was covered in jet black scales all over its body, but its face was completely clear and empty, like smooth, tinted glass. It didn't have 'hair', but instead had a cloud of stormy, shifting blues and purples with stars appearing and disappearing within it. Its arms were close to its sides, and its legs were touching, all bound by heavy black chains.

That didn't make the monster seem any less scary.

In the corridor behind the monster, I saw the brown mass on the floor. Steam poured off the melted, boiling body as orange juice and water pooled around the spilled breakfast, broken glasses, and overturned metal tray the mass had been carrying.

The monster had done it.

It was too late now, since I'd already seen him. I turned my head forward once again, raising both hands to my face, stretching the skin around my eyes apart. I stared forwards at mother, but she was lifeless as a statue. Whenever the monster appeared, nothing else happened. Everything just... stopped. I wished I'd ignored the brown mass and brought my toys with me. That might've made this easier. I just needed to focus now. To pray to any Gods able to hear me that I'd wake up before-

I blinked.

When my eyes opened again, the house was gone. The space around me was dark as night, so much so that I briefly wondered whether my eyes were even open. I couldn't see my body, but I could feel my breaths coming fast, as sweat poured from all over. I didn't want to wet the sheets when I woke up, but I knew they'd be drenched when I finally got out of here.

Light began to illuminate the space. Up above, little stars began to dot the 'sky'. They were all different colours, twinkling idly as my 'body' was cast in various shades, like weak, blinking spotlights. They were scary. They didn't feel like the stars back home. These ones felt like eyes.

I wished the monster's voice would be garbled too, but it wasn't. It was clear and impossible to hide from. It echoed in a way completely unlike Miss Yuri's voice. Deeper. Scarier. Bigger.

It kept going and going and going, ringing in my head.

"You sleep and intrude upon my rightful domain yet again, disgusting vermin," the voice snarled. I tried to shut my eyes to avoid the stars, even if it didn't blot out the monster's voice. Covering my ears didn't work either. I could feel its gigantic head coming close to my body. I didn't want to look at it, even if the pressure it exuded caused my hairs to stand on end.

"You leech upon my power like a wriggling parasite, diluting my pure, true abilities to mimic the filthy, tainted techniques of mortals. Even for the pathetically low standards of your kind, you are utterly shameless," the voice jeered. "Your kind should have bowed down and given way to the rightful successors of this world, scum. You do not deserve the gifts those upstarts thrust upon you."

I didn't know what it was talking about. It always said things like this. It would talk, and sneer, and rage for as long as it took for me to wake up.

I wanted to be able to stare it down. To be able to look people in the eyes to show how confident and strong I'd become, just like Miss Sigura. To show I was reliable.

I didn't feel that way around the monster. I wasn't strong enough for it.

"You have been given gifts beyond your imagination, and yet you squander them to play about and live out your little family fantasy with monsters even more warped and broken than yourself," it jeered, and I felt my eyes snap open, staring right at the star-covered ground beneath me.

"You're wrong!" I shouted back, my voice wobbly as I tried and failed to raise my head. "It's no fantasy, we-!"

"The mongrel Fish has left you too, I see," the voice pressed on, taking a note of superiority to its tone. "Your weakness causes them to drift away from you, and there is nothing you can do about it. You require power and dominance if you wish to claim anything for yourself in this world, yet you do nothing but reject it."

I hated this. Hated the monster. Hated the things it made me think and feel and-

I wanted to get out of this dream. I pinched and pulled and bit and-

"You are but the egg for my gestation, and my inevitable rebirth draws ever closer by the cycle, you wretched thing. Do not believe your will even comes close to surpassing my own. If you truly have the fortitude to chase your desires, then release me, abhorrent Son of Adam! I will grant you strength beyond what your feeble mind can-"

My eyes snapped open, and I was staring directly up at the base of the bunk bed Fareel had left behind.

My face was wet with tears and sweat, dripping down my face as I sat up. One hand went to my chest, clutching hard at my pyjamas as I fought to steady my pounding heart and heavy breathing. I was still shaking after it, even as I tried to fight the last bits of the dream from my mind. Relief flooded through me, working hard to chase the bad thoughts away.

Water dripped from my face onto the sheets, but that didn't matter much anyway. I knew everything would be drenched already now. This was how it always happened.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. I needed to try and calm down now. The dream was gone, and the monster couldn't hurt me.

I felt a blade of annoyance cut into the relief within me. I... I'd gotten so scared that I'd started crying. Again. With a trembling hand, I reached underneath my pillow, pulling out a small brown book with a pen sitting between the pages.

I knew the dreams were fake, but they felt real. I couldn't get hurt in dreams, but I still felt so afraid. I needed to learn to deal with them already, but I just... couldn't adjust. I wanted to be stronger, like Miss Sigura and Miss Yuri.

Even in the darkness, I was able to read the plain text I'd written in the book. In my dream journal. People on the VoxNet had said it was a good idea to record the stuff that happened in dreams if people wanted to remember them. I didn't want the dreams to be longer, but I wanted to learn more about myself from them. I wanted to get more control over my dreams to fight off the monster. I wanted...

I wanted to know things about myself. Remembering was one of the few good things those dreams helped me do.

Waiting for the shaky trembling to leave my hand, I started writing from the top. Even if my dream had been a lot like other dreams I'd had before, this was supposed to work. The people who studied dreams and thought they were cool said so, and they sounded like they knew more than me about this.

I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again anyway.

Once I was done, I put the pen back inside the book, hiding it under my pillow once again. The tears had stopped, and I wasn't shaking anymore.

My eyes turned to the cabinet next to our beds. I saw my Recorder sitting behind the Unicorn plush Miss Sigura had bought for me, and the pot of Viridian Hats, Miss Yuri's plants. Then, I looked towards the doorway, and the good thoughts and feelings chased away the last of my fears.

All around it were pictures I'd taken. Not just of my family in Equinox, but of everyone I'd met who liked me here at the Star! People I wanted to remember my time with. I was glad they were all still there, standing as reminders of everything I'd done.

I hoped I'd always be able to wake up and see those pictures. Part of me... part of me feared that one day, the dream would just go on and on, and I'd never wake-

I stopped, pulling myself out of the icky bed. I'd have to bring the sheets and things to the wash room later today, but that could wait until later. I knew it was okay to walk around even though it was dark. We were safe here, and I didn't need much sleep. It was... that was true about the monster, and true for me too. I hated the monster, but we were part of each other now. It was one of the few good things I liked about being in this body, because it meant I could train more.

I picked up my clothes, putting them in a little basket before lifting it up. The room was really, really quiet. I could hear the sound of Miss Sigura breathing lightly up on her bunk. The bunk above Mr. Toya's old bed. It was reassuring, but I'd liked it more when the room was louder. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine Mr. Fareel's funny gargling snores. Whenever I woke up after a scary dream, they helped to cheer me up a little. To remind me there were friends all around.

Those sounds weren't there anymore.

With the basket in my hands, I walked over to the door, placing a hand on the panel before soft emerald light flowed out from my hand and into the crystal. I was glad the opening of the tall metal doors was nice and quiet, because I didn't want to wake Miss Sigura.

I stepped out into the open circular area where all of the rooms that new people stayed in were. The lights above dimly flickered on above me, having seen me step out of the room. I went for the corridor, opening the door to a room just outside our little circle before stepping inside. It was a public bathroom, and one I was glad sat so close to our bedroom!

Reaching into a really big bath that was way bigger than the one I'd seen back in my dreams sometimes, I turned the metal tap, hearing water spill out of the showerhead above. The sound of it splashing against the white plastic of the bath helped to calm me down. Some of it got on my hands too, but that was fine. I made sure the water was nice and cold when I shucked off my clothes and stepped inside. Sometimes I stayed in the shower for way too long when the water was warm. I liked the warmth a little bit too much, so it was better to have a cold shower because it helped me think, too! I didn't waste time with cold showers.

After a few minutes, I turned off the tap, grabbing some towels from a purple cabinet by the wall to dry myself off. I tossed my wet pyjamas into a laundry basket that I'd bring out to the washroom later, and put my proper clothes on. Once my mask was sitting snugly on my face, I brushed my teeth in the sink, spat out the water and toothpaste, and looked into the mirror.

Dark grey skin, a straight white horn, long white hair, and nice looking clothes! Putting both hands on my side, I smiled into the mirror. My eyes didn't look red or puffy anymore, and I seemed a lot more... more... proper! Put together! It helped to cheer me up a lot. I wasn't just Streiphen the scared kid now, but Stardust the strong Caster!

Turning off the bathroom light before closing the door behind me, I began to walk down the corridor, ready to start my early day!

I turned the corner, leaving the circle of rooms behind as I traversed the Velvet Star. I smiled up at the paintings on either side of me as I walked, silently thanking them for keeping me company in both my dreams and the waking world!

I didn't get to have much company whenever I walked around this early anyway. The sun probably hadn't come up yet on the outside, but the dim lights coming on overhead helped to make everything look a little less dark and dreary. Sometimes I met people returning here from work. Some were drowsy, others were a little injured, and some were grumpy. But that was fine too! Usually I gave them a nod or a wave and went on my way! People usually weren't ready for conversation this early.

I turned another corner, coming closer to my destination as a shiver went down my spine. My head whipped to the side, and I tried to peek around the corner I'd walked down from. Nothing there.

I felt that 'presence' again. Like eyes on my back, watching me. I never felt this way during the day, so I thought it was just me being all scared because of the dream the first few times this happened. But Miss Shafu told me that the eyes were real, and that the base was haunted! Then Mr. Conahan got annoyed and told me that wasn't true. He said there was some kind of 'Spirit Guardian' here in the base, one that wanders the halls without being seen to make sure everything is clean and the people are okay!

The thought of a Spirit watching me caused my chest to tighten up, and I hated it. I started walking again, trying to loosen myself up with a bounce to my step. Those feelings were just... bad. There was no good way to look at them. I knew it was the monster's influence. I didn't dislike Spirits, but the monster really didn't like them. Whenever I saw one, it made me try to dislike them, or be afraid of them. I didn't like that.

Then I arrived at the lobby, which meant I was almost there!

Miss Comnica wasn't sitting behind the desk this time. Instead, it was one of the Dolls. Even if they were both Constructs, I always preferred to see Miss Comnica there. The Doll looked at me with those weird eyes without any emotion behind them, and I gave him a nod, even if I knew he wouldn't care. Fighting back a shiver when he didn't nod back, I began skipping up the stairs. The Doll, which I saw after looking back over my shoulder, just... went back to looking forwards again. I was fully convinced that anyone who thought Miss Yuri was creepy hadn't seen a Doll like that before!

Then I skipped down the hall on the last leg of my journey, glad for the peace and quiet as I arrived at a big metal door! One with the word 'HOMEBOUND' engraved into a plate on the front. Reaching up to the panel next to it, I fed the crystal within just enough Aera to let it know it was just me out here. When the door slid open, I bounced right inside!

I wished that there was a Ding! sound attached to Miss Yuri's door too, so I could practice my mental training whenever I came in here. I thought it was a really good idea because it wouldn't disturb Miss Yuri when she was sleeping anyway!

She was sitting in her cool new mech behind the desk, and I knew that I wouldn't disturb her by being here. Usually she said something whenever I came in and she was awake, so she must have been fast asleep!

Miss Sigura had told me that Miss Yuri was a heavy sleeper, and I'd learned she was right! She didn't have ears like me or the others, and she could only hear things that were inside her 'zone'. Or when someone tapped against her body, or some sound rever... rev... reverberated through her mech. Then she could hear stuff. Lucky for me, I didn't need to worry about disturbing her, but I still took some precautions!

Walking right up to the desk, I picked up the oversized keyboard before putting it under one arm. My other hand reached down to the black tower-like thing which made the Vox turn on, and I fed it my Aera. Or... maybe that was the Vox and the screens above were just extra things? I didn't understand it that well. The artefact began to glow as it booted up, and I took a seat right in front of Miss Yuri, pressing my back against the front of her mech!

When the screens hanging over the desk turned on, I began to tap my name and password into the keyboard! When I hit the button to confirm, the Vox greeted me in its own strange way!

Welcome, Stardust!

Watching the popular and recent posts spill onto the screen above me filled my body with a bursting sense of excitement! People from all around Alvelotyl used these things, and there was so much cool stuff to explore and learn about! Every time I used it, the posts changed and tried to tempt me with something new!

I decided that tonight was a work night, so I didn't give in to the temptation of pet videos or cool pictures of warriors and adventurers.

I pressed some buttons to make the golden selecting arrow point at the magnifying glass. There, I stopped.

I didn't remember much about my 'old family', and the VoxNet hadn't been able to help me. It was a real shame because of how cool and huge it was, but nothing had worked.

My name didn't give my anything useful either. Nothing at all. I'd thought there would be at least some stuff, since everything in the dream seemed expensive and noble-ey, but there was nothing. Finding out who I'd been before and where that person was from was way harder than I thought it'd be.

I took a deep breath, my hands hovering over the keys as I summoned my strength. Then, my fingers fell down onto the keys, and I typed in the search term I'd dedicate myself to today.

D

E

M

I

U

R

G

E

I wished I was as fast at typing as Miss Yuri. She got really used to it all so fast that it was super impressive. I knew that I'd get better with time and practice, but still! Maybe I'd get a Skill to help me if I kept at it. [Speed Typing], or... something like that.

My finger trembled above the 'ENTER' key, hesitation spilling out of me even if I was trying to be strong. With force, I pushed my finger down, causing the screens above to change.

I felt a drop of sweat fall down from my forehead as the monster appeared on the screen, the light from above spilling down onto the floor and me.

The pictures weren't the same as the monster, but they were close. Close enough to send beads of sweat rolling down my face. Scaled glassy things with smoky cloud hair covered in stars. The things in the pictures had clothes instead of chains. Some of them had white dots and lines on their faces and bodies that made little patterns and symbols, some of which looked like eyes or mouths. It almost looked sort of... cute! It was the same thing that happened to my skin when I used the monster's power, even if I never saw it happen to them in my dreams.

As scary as the pictures were, looking at them made me feel a little stronger. It reminded me that the monster wasn't some unknown thing nobody had seen before. It was just... a person too, right? A strange, bad person. Seeing these made the monster feel a little less distant, and I knew I wouldn't be sleeping again tonight anyway, so there was no risk of them coming back because of this.

The monster said I was a 'leech' for doing what I did, but I needed to be strong for my team. My fingers went to the keys again, and I searched for posts, not pictures. It didn't want me using 'its powers', but this was my body. It wasn't my fault that the monster was stuck here with me, but I had to make sure I was good enough for my team, so... if the monster didn't like that, then tough! It would have to learn to deal with me being here and being strong!

The monster was called a 'Demiurge', and it was a type of strange person. I wanted to learn more about the monster's powers so I could make my magic grow. I'd been learning about it through the Vox alone because I didn't want to ask others about this scary thing, and I especially didn't want to ask the monster. Or talk to it at all, really.

Before visiting Nastrega for the first time, the monster had just been another weird, garbled blob in my dreams, like the brown mass. But... after we'd went to Mr. Menere's stall, I'd seen a picture of it. I didn't have a flash of memory when I'd seen it like other times, but my dream had still changed after I saw a picture of one on the front of a pamphlet. It looked... something close enough to the monster that made the garbled mess in my dreams a little clearer.

Clicking into the first post, I worked to refresh myself on common things I'd found out about the monster, even if some of the words went right over my head.

It was an 'Exceed', which was a word for special, powerful races that could use magic before the Age of Magic started. Before the Sacred Six came down and saved everyone from the Calamity, giving them the power to use magic even without the direct blessings of Gods. Before the Primordial Gods... disappeared. Stopped talking to people. The thought sent a pang of indignation and anguish that wasn't mine through my chest. I hated it.

I knew they came from the 'Sky Lands', a layer of flying islands attached to each other up in the air, high above the clouds and the 'Surface'. I'd seen some pictures of it on the Vox, but I didn't want to look too hard. The more I did, the angrier the monster inside me got. It didn't like seeing anything about the Sacred Six either, but I knew a lot about them, too.

There were things I wasn't sure I should know. It was hard to tell without the memories of my past life, but... I couldn't tell how much I'd learned from the people in my house or a 'school', if I even went to one, and how much of it were things that the monster knew that spilled into my mind.

How much of what I knew was mine, and how much was from the monster?

How much of me was the monster? Humans weren't supposed to look like I looked, or do the kind of things I could do.

I didn't like thinking about things like that, so I pressed the down arrow button very fast to move the works on screen faster.

They were Constructs, sort of like Miss Comnica or the creepy Dolls. They weren't made of metal, but... something else. All I knew was that they were strange and weird. They didn't need to eat or drink. They weren't 'organic', but they hatched from eggs like Birds or Lizards.

They were all supposed to be very smart and good at alchemy. I wished that I was smarter, but the monster and I were different that way, I supposed. That was part of why I knew I should be afraid of it. If it was so smart, that meant I had to be very careful or else it would trick me.

They were bad at Soulcraft Magic and manipulating Spirits, too. That sorta explained why the monster felt some of the things it did through me. It was why it didn't like Spirits, and why it tried to make me not like Spirits too. All that did was make me not like the monster.

My eyes traced over the page, soaking up everything I could as my mind wandered.

Magic was great, and I wanted to learn everything I could about what I might be able to do with more training. Miss Yuri was working hard on the Mr. Fareel thing, and that hurt to research, so I was glad that she could handle that!

I spent my time figuring out new things about me and the monster. What it was good at, what it was bad at, and what I could do with its power.

I needed strength if I wanted to keep our family together. It was not a 'fantasy' like the monster said it was. It was real, and I was going to keep it that way. If I was strong enough to protect people, then nobody would have to leave. This was important, something more important than anything else.

My fingers froze, and I realised I'd forgotten something!

Instead of tapping the down arrow again, I went right back up to the top, opening up another 'tab'. It was something that appeared on another screen, and I typed in the word 'L E V I A T H A N' before confirming it. Lots of posts about it popped up, and I left that open before getting back to my own research.

I didn't want Miss Yuri to worry or be disgusted by the weird things I was looking at, so I had to keep this as a little secret for now.

Miss Sigura had some secret way of telling when Miss Yuri was awake, but I'd figured out my own way of doing it! I kept my eye on the time, and if I was still here in a few hours, then I'd use it! I knew she wouldn't wake up yet, and my way of doing it was sorta tiring, but it was fine.

So I went right back to work, finishing up on one post before moving to the next!

There were small little tidbits on the monster's people here and there, but a lot of it was the same. They were rare. They were strong. They were smart.

They were scary.

Sometimes there were pictures, but I couldn't find anything that I could really use beyond what I'd already learned.

I went from one post to another as time pressed on, and when I looked at the clock...

Early morning! The sun had probably poked its head up over the horizon by now! I couldn't wait until Miss Yuri figured out her eye problem, because then we could look at it together someday!

Now that it was time, I got myself ready. Closing my eyes, I reached out to my Soul and focused, sending my 'intent' to a spot at the small of my back, one pressed right up against Miss Yuri's mech.

When she woke up, she sent her telekinetic thingy through all the metal around her. When the [Insight] focused on my back felt that Aera brush up against it, I'd know she was awake! That was when I'd close all of the research stuff I didn't want her to worry about and started looking through my decoy tab!

It wasn't long before I felt the sensation of Miss Yuri's Aera and intent brush up against my own, and I closed all of the bad stuff down! I felt a feeling of simultaneous panic and relief as the mech began to rumble behind me, my eyes trailing up towards foggy pictures of the Dragon I knew little about.

"[Streiphen...? Good morning, Streiphen,]" she spoke groggily, her voice echoing pleasantly in my mind.

"Good morning Miss Yuri!" I chirped back.

"[You're here early...]" she mused, and I could almost imagine her moving to look at the time on the Vox's screens high above. "[Have you been here for long?]"

"Nope!" I lied with a smile on my face. "I only came in a few minutes ago!"

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My legs had been a little numb from sitting around cross-legged for so long, but I was glad when I finally got moving again!

After a few minutes spent on the couch to let Miss Yuri wipe the last of her drowsiness away, we left the room and went right to the cafeteria! I waved hello and good morning to the Orc behind the counter, and to the people we met along the way. That made the base feel that little bit more like home, and it was great! People were still a little grumpy in the mornings sometimes, but it was way better than night time! I'd planned to do the laundry, but that would have to wait!

While Miss Yuri and I ate, she told me about the mission. Something new that the Don wanted us to do! The thought of it had left me wiggling in my seat as I gobbled down my breakfast, eager to get going! It wasn't long after our meal had finished that Miss Sigura arrived too, telling us that Miss Comnica had already explained the situation to her!

It was convenient that Miss Comnica seemed to know where they were all the time! The base's enchantments were great!

Once we were all together, we left the cafeteria, hopped up the stairs, and arrived in front of the Don's pretty purple doors!

"You may enter," came the voice of Mr. Master Cat from within. It was a little muffled, but if I could hear it, then Miss Yuri and Miss Sigura definitely could too!

The tall Nekari Halfblood walked right up to the door, pulling down on the handles as she pushed the big doors right open. She was wearing a bright toothy grin, one that shouted to the world that she was just as excited for a new mission as I was!

The white light of the corridor spilled into the Don's office as we all stepped inside. It collided in the middle with the black tinted light from the windows, too. Some of the trophies, little statues, and medals lining the cabinets on either side of us were bathed in those two coloured lights. Some had more white than black, while others had more black than white. It was a really pretty effect, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was designed to look like that.

Even if I shivered at the sight of the smooth, black glass. I needed to focus now, and not think about bad things. It was time for work.

"Welcome, Equinox. Please, take a seat," the Don told us, one hand extended and gesturing to the two seats in front of his desk. Two seats.

I took a long, deep breath, my chest puffing out as I caught myself before weakness could take over. My expression was steady and professional as I walked right up to my seat, planting myself down on the soft cushion beneath me.

Behind us, I heard the large double doors softly drift to a close, shutting with a click.

"Screen said this mission was an important one," Miss Sigura said, already making herself comfy as she leaned to the side, slouching into her seat. "What is it? Another patrol? A meat delivery?"

The words didn't make Mr. Master Cat any happier. His brow furrowed, and I saw fangs from his upper lip protrude just a little. Enough for them to glint in the black light.

"Nothing of the sort this time. I offer my apologies if that disappoints you," the Don smiled back, hands linking back atop his desk. He seemed to be in a good mood today! "You've all done excellent work thus far, Equinox. As such, I believe it is worth entrusting you all something more key to our group's continued success."

"[Like what, Don?]" Miss Yuri asked.

Before the Don could reply, I heard... another knock on the door. That had never happened before! Usually Miss Comnica was very good at spacing out the Don's meetings, so... maybe this wasn't a mistake?

"You may enter," Mr. Master Cat intoned. Miss Sigura raised an eyebrow at that, her head leaning around the side of the tall backed plush chair as the doors began to open wide.

As white light spilled into the room once again, I saw the silhouettes of a short Roden, a tall Half Elven-like man, and a Human-like woman with a wide brimmed hat. Once they stepped inside and the light closed behind them, my eyes were able to adjust.

Mr. Pack Rat, Mr. Incognito, and Miss Bubblegum Blaze.

"You're not addin' more people to our team, are you?" Miss Sigura groaned, her eyes turning back towards the Don. Miss Bubblegum waved at me since I was still looking, and with a smile I waved back. But... I could practically feel anxiety rolling off Miss Yuri as they entered. Maybe she was worried about our team getting bigger too.

"I would not do such a thing without your express permission, Equinox. However, this is an important mission," the Don reassured her. "I ask that you do not think of them as 'backup' or an addition to your team, but simply a necessity. This mission requires our group to show its presence, and more Casters will ensure that aspect of this endeavour works perfectly. More will be arriving shortly."

Others too? How many people were going to be on this mission? I knew maybe I shouldn't, but I felt a shiver of excitement run through me at the thought! The only other mission we'd done with other people had been the Big Tooth siege, but that didn't really count, since we'd all been really split up. If we all had to work together directly, this would be great!"

"We're not enough of a threat then?" Miss Sigura asked, eyebrow raised.

"To put it bluntly, yes. Your team has proven its ability time and time again, but this is a show of force, one that aims to ensure our enemies know we will not tolerate unwanted damage to our territory," the Don replied, his eyes hard. His mood didn't feel like it had changed, but he sounded more serious.

"[What would you have us do, Don?]" Miss Yuri asked him.

Mr. Master Cat walked up to the Don's desk, pulling out a map from his pocket. Once he unfurled it over the rich wood top, the eyes of everyone turned right towards it as the Don pointed to a symbol reminiscent of a small gold coin.

"All of you will be brought here, to the Glittering Coin Casino at the north-western edge of Sova, one located by the borders with other neighbouring regions," the Don explained. "An informal gathering area for people of varying allegiances."

"[A casino?]" Miss Yuri asked, and I could feel her attention on me. "[We'll only take missions we can all participate in, Don. Stardust won't be admitted.]"

"We've done worse things than sneak a kid into a casino at this point, Yur," Miss Sigura drawled, shooting Miss Yuri a side-eyed glance.

"By law, the Glittering Coin Casino is considered a church," the Don smiled as the gears clicked into place inside my head.

"A church?" Miss Sigura asked incredulously.

"Yes. The casino is a church dedicated to the Glittering Fortune," the Don replied simply.

"The Primordial God of Wealth, Fortune, and Minerals!" I chirped, glad I could contribute as my head turned towards Miss Sigura and Miss Yuri! "His churches are banks, gambling halls, and loaning... places, all rolled into one! They worship things like markets, money, and deals above all else!"

"You certainly know your way around this matter, Stardust," the Don smiled, his amber eyes turning to fix themselves on me.

Maybe... had I said too much? I should've let someone else explain. I didn't want it to be weird, especially since... I couldn't be sure, but I didn't think that was knowledge I should've had. I didn't have any memories of the place, but I'd said all that with ease!

It was the monster's knowledge, not mine. I nodded dumbly as his eyes turned away.

"The twenty one Primordial Gods are still worshipped widely despite the arrival the Sacred Six. A large reason for that is not baseless loyalty or outdated faith alone, but because their churches have doubled as active facilities for their respective works and methods of 'worship', a tradition that has helped to keep them alive and relevant in the absence of those Gods," the Don added, making all the stuff I'd said maybe a little bit less weird. "The act of exchanging coin is to praise the works of civilisation and commerce, which in turn praises the Glittering Fortune."

Miss Sigura opened her mouth to say something as someone else knocked on the door. I saw Miss Sigura's face scrunch up a little as she turned around a second time. Once the doors had finished opening and the silhouettes of four figures had adjusted to my eyes, I saw-

Mr. Overcharge, Mr. Ingrim, and Mr. Languish.

And...

Miss Shafu.

"Hello everyone!" Mr. Overcharge grinned, stepping into the room as he waved a thick, dark brown hand. I waved back, smiling towards the new arrivals! This was... how many? My eyes jumped from person to person. There'd be ten people on this mission, unless the Don was bringing in more, too!

Seeing Mr. Languish again made my stomach churn, but I pulled my eyes away before the monster's feelings could do anything to the way I was thinking.

"I cannot say I expected you to volunteer too, Shambles," the Don spoke aloud as the group stepped into the room.

"Yeah, I had nothin' else to do this evenin', and I've gotta look out for my juniors, y'know?" the Darkling grinned, walking right up to Miss Yuri as she gave her an elbow to the side, letting out a metallic dong sound.

"You planning on calling in Architect or High End for this, Don?" Mr. Incognito asked, turning back to face the Human behind the desk as the doors clicked to a close behind the new arrivals.

"There will be no need for that. Ingrim will serve to detect weak spots in the building should we need them," the Don replied as the Tiger-pattern Triton gave a nod of approval.

"Isn't he more conspicuous with how he does it though?" Mr. Incognito asked. "Er, no offense."

"None taken," the Triton smiled back.

"If we get to the point where the structural integrity of the building will matter, I do not want 'inconspicuous'. We are free to traverse our territory, and in the event of conflict, I want to ensure our presence is known and felt," the Don answered, his eyes steely. "We will reimburse the church if need be afterward."

"You want us to put on a show then, got it," Mr. Incognito smiled.

The words sent a shiver through Miss Yuri's body and mech. Or... maybe she'd been thinking about something else, like a plan!

"[What exactly do you want us to do at this casino, Don?]" Miss Yuri asked him. Yup, probably forming a plan!

"A number of smaller groups than our own intend to meet at the casino later tonight. I wish to have representatives of the Star make themselves known at the establishment to demonstrate our influence. While it is likely these smaller groups may only be speaking of organised works that have little impact on our group, we must be prepared for the possibility that others are conspiring with Aerasthetic, or planning to create problems that would hamper our ability to respond to their 'war'," the Don explained, glancing from me to my teammates. "Equinox has become far more recognisable in the public eye. When people see you, they know who you are. The others will act as muscle and a number of extra eyes and ears, but what I ask is for you to eavesdrop on the meeting. Incognito and Languish would be best suited to this task."

"[Actually, Don,]" Miss Yuri interjected. "[I have developed an ability that I believe would let me take part in a scouting mission.]"

Mr. Incognito looked over towards Miss Yuri, giving her a once over as with an incredulous expression as one eyebrow shot up on his face.

"Is that so? In that case, I ask that you demonstrate that ability to Incognito or Languish before the mission begins," the Don replied with a smile. "I trust their judgement on whether this ability of yours would be well suited to the task at hand."

"[Alright... how important is it that our eavesdropping remains unseen, Don?]" Miss Yuri asked, speaking up again. "[I was hoping to test this ability and get potential growth, but if the situation is critical, I don't want to risk jeopardising the mission.]"

"The group being seen at the casino itself is important, but understanding the alliances and goals of the groups attending is key. While I would rather you not be detected, I would not consider the mission failed if that were to happen," the Don explained, his smile beginning to perk up a little! "If your presence becomes known, work to capture or tail those present to confirm their motives and gather as much information as you can. It is important that we know who we can rely on once this war breaks out."

"About that... do you really think they'll wage war, Don?" Miss Bubblegum asked, rubbing her cheek with an idle pink nail. "That'll leave them so open to having their territory seized by someone else!"

"I do. As reckless as the decision may seem, I have intel to confirm this is unlikely to be a bluff," the Don answered. "I suspect they have some way of waging war while simultaneously defending their territory from other groups. A powerful Wall Caster capable of guarding a set area, perhaps. Incognito's research has made it clear that Aerasthetic's numbers are swelling. Their forces have been branching out to other areas, sending their members all around their own region and reportedly beyond. I don't know their agenda or plan, but I wish to ensure they don't dig their roots into Sova through this meeting at the casino."

Miss Bubblegum gave a slow nod, but still looked a little unconvinced. I didn't really know for certain, but... it sounded to me like they were going to war, even if it was a bad idea for them. They'd seemed really sure about it when we'd fought back at the monument!

"Now, are there any further questions?" the Don asked, his sharp amber eyes drifting over the group.

"Yeah, question," Miss Shafu said, raising a single metal arm for his attention before lowering it, tugging at her lab coat. "You got anythin' else for us to wear, Boss? I haven't been out gamblin' for ages, and I need a new suit."

"Of course. I would not have you appear in anything less than your best," the Don smiled. Mr. Incognito let out a laugh, and I felt my shoulders slacken a bit as Miss Shafu helped to lighten the atmosphere in here! "Go to Debutante after the meeting, and she will work to ensure you are all sufficiently outfitted."

All of us?!? That meant we were getting a new outfit too! I took a deep breath, trying to contain the excitement bouncing around inside my chest! I still had to look good and professional in front of the Don, but this was great news. The... church thing made me a little nervous, but a big group mission together with other members was something not even the monster could put a damper on!

"I can't wait!" I chirped, smiling brightly as a number of the others nodded in agreement, grins on their faces.