My consciousness bloomed in a strange place. Using a sense that didn’t exist in the body, I felt the presence of the one who had been calling out to me. It shone bright and solid within its vessel and opened its “container” to let me in.

Bewildered, I felt myself flowing into the shape of that container. I brushed against that being’s senses — a bloody scent, burning muscles, a writhing dark — and scrambled as I felt myself slipping into their shape. The other’s presence in the vessel felt like an egg yolk in danger of being broken by my weight. I was scared I was going to crush it.

In my clumsy movements, I accidentally spilled out of that vessel into the ones around it.

These vessels weren’t solid in the same way my summoner’s was. Their minds and edges bled into each other, like they were protrusions emerging from the same ink blot. Though I fell into their vessels, they were much more flexible than my summoner. I felt like a layer of oil being poured over water, floating in their existence without worry of destroying anything.

These entities’ senses were also harder to make sense of. It was like their entire surface was capable of seeing and tasting. Somehow, through their distributed consciousnesses, I pieced together an impression of my surroundings: chaotic like waves, so vibrant with color it was dark, with a beautiful black moon somehow shining overhead.

And my summoner was a person-shaped hollow that burned like a beacon in the middle of it all.

The light felt absolutely revolting.

Putting the pieces together… Since I was pretty sure that I’d been pulled somewhere else in the moon paths somehow, did this mean I’d accidentally possessed those strange creatures lurking in the dark?

My summoner called out again.

— Help me.

The directive rang through me like a bell.

The collective entities I’d fallen into were closing in on him, radiating hostile intent. It was strange. The longer that beacon’s light shone on them, the more defined the entities became, differentiating into various shapes that no longer coexisted pleasantly within the dark. It was uncomfortable to the point it was painful. I felt like I’d do anything to extinguish it.

Staying in the collective entities seemed like a real headache. I tentatively made a motion to slide back into my summoner’s vessel. His senses connected with mine again in a much more legible human form.

His whole body hurt all over. The entities’ alien bodies, swarming over him, burned and tore where they touched his skin. There was a painfully sharp feeling in his chest when he breathed. Hm? His eyes were already closed. What did he do to draw so much hostility, then?

Even as I wondered, the entities paused in their aggression. The burning feeling subsided as they withdrew to circle around my summoner.

— Huh?

— He was one of us?

— No, but he shines too brightly.

— But he is one of us.

— Was he hiding it?

— He must be sick.

— He must have been infected by the sun-side.

— How is that possible?

— But he is one of us.

— So that must be what happened.

— Poor him.

— Yes, poor him.

— What should we do?

I wasn’t sure if the entities could hear me if I spoke physically. Their senses were different from human senses, after all. But my summoner had managed to speak to me on that strange wavelength, even before I got here; maybe he would know.

I tried speaking to my summoner.

[Ahem, testing, testing… Hello?]

Perhaps jolted by surprise, my summoner tightened his grip on the sword, but compared to the frenzied conviction with which he’d called me, his response was quite calm. [I am here.]

Great, communication was a go. [Can you hear them? Try speaking to them.]

I felt him grip the weapon handle in his hand tighter before he spoke.

— Everyone…

Wow, it really worked!

The whispers shifted around us.

— He can speak to us.

— See, he was one of us.

— Poor him.

My summoner was so talented! This was fantastic; it didn’t count as lying if someone else was doing it for me.

[Here, tell them this…] I began.

He followed my instructions faithfully, repeating my words.

— I’m sorry for the trouble. It’s true; I’m sick. If you get too close you might become sick like me, too.

— How terrible.

— How pitiful.

— But why did he fight with us?

— I thought I might be able to join with everyone again… I’m sorry.

— He has been separated from “us.”

— Sad.

— How sad.

— We cannot help him.

— Yes, I think I should stay away from everyone after all. But, being sick has been hard. I can’t remember how to leave this side.

Ahh, it was so much easier to deceive people when you could lie. It was so good! I didn’t know why the formerly hostile entities suddenly started considering this guy as one of their own, but the situation was great! He was so talented! Should I get this guy to serve as my mouthpiece forever?

Just kidding. That wouldn’t be practical at all.

— How can he leave this side?

— The sun-siders lose their shadows to leave.

— They give up their secrets to cross the barrier.

— He can’t do it.

— He can’t give himself up.

— He will die.

Were these entities composed of “secrets”? Since they considered my summoner to be one of them now, perhaps that was why they thought giving up his “essence” to exit this dimension would result in his death.

My summoner seemed to pick up on the same idea.

— How do I give up a secret?

The entities answered.

— Someone has to learn it.

— Not us.

— We can’t do it.

— A sun-sider is coming.

— Yes, tell the sun-sider. It will work.

— But he will die if he does.

— He can’t do it.

So it was an exit method that required two people at minimum. Luckily for my summoner, someone was coming; and luckily for me, I had Cynara. I had to say, despite my initial disgruntlement, this summoning thing had been a real net profit for all of us.

[There you go,] I told him. [Now send me back.]

My summoner shook his head. He strained his senses, muscles tensing despite his protesting wounds.

[The person who’s coming is my enemy.]

Our shared senses sounded an alarm, and he raised his weapon just fast enough to ward off an explosive strike. The force reverberated down the metal, into his arms, numbing his hands so badly he nearly dropped his weapon. He barely managed to hang on as the impact sent him catapulting back.

A low, arrogant voice spoke.

“Who are you? … No. This is a memetic effect. What being have you summoned this time?”

I recognized that voice. It was the Duke. Should I linger around longer to probe for more information? It didn’t seem like my summoner would have the mental leeway to send me back to my new body right now, anyways.

[You might as well open your eyes,] I told him.

He did. Some ways away, the Duke stood in all his imposing glory, holding a golden sword in one hand and a glowing lantern in the other. A faint path was lit beneath his feet, quickly fading outside of the lantern’s glow.

He looked regal and dignified, but I couldn’t help but recoil from the indescribable sense of filth he gave off.

He was really dirty. His karma was very, very heavy. A familiar hatred welled up inside me, alongside the conviction that the Duke was indisputably, definitely worthy of death.

Which was weird because I didn’t know anything about him except that he’d stabbed a guy to death in front of me. Not that that wasn’t a bad thing, but if I got this worked up at every random act of violence I saw, I’d never have any time to calm down.

[What is that?] my summoner whispered. [That dirtiness…]

I’d thought that this type of sense was coming from him, though. It couldn’t be that it originated from me, right? I nudged my summoner into looking down at his own body.

He looked awful, bleeding everywhere like that, but he didn’t give off the same disgusting feeling as the Duke. Still, the coat looked familiar. I followed the coat sleeve down to the pale hand emerging from it, and then to a certain distinctive pitch-black sword in its grasp.

Ha, fuck. If I’d known that my guest had been faking his death, I wouldn’t have spared a single thought for him at all. How did he manage to trick my eyes?

While I was lost in thought, the Duke narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. “Answer me.”

Whatever happened between them, the Duke hadn’t escaped unscathed either. His previously pristine suit was now torn and stained, and I could see a few cuts on his face. It was weird that he wasn’t wearing a blindfold, but although the nearby entities seemed restless, they didn’t show any particular hostility to him.

“I thought you wouldn’t catch up so fast,” my guest said. “You are very capable.”

The Duke’s expression grew disdainful. “A mere firefly claims to recognize the brightness of the sun.”

My guest watched him carefully. “But because this firefly called forth that monster, you can’t easily attack anymore.”

Hey. He wasn’t talking about the monster tearing up the moon, was he? Did that mean Cynara and I’s current predicament was this guy’s fault, too? Should I just ditch him here and leave him to figure this out himself?

My guest lifted his sword, steady and graceful despite the fatigue that screamed through his body. A shadowy aura arose around him, darker than darkness, emitting a dangerous feeling that made even the Duke narrow his eyes.

Then my guest turned and fled.

As he did so, he swung his sword, sending the shadow of a wolf stretching into the void. It opened its great mouth, wide enough to swallow the moon in the sky, and the terrible white light of a star began to shine from between its jaws.

“Stop!” the Duke shouted with sudden urgency.

The light washed the void bright before splashing against colossal shape. Massive coils of darkness began to move.

With a flick of his wrist, the wolf and its star dissipated, once again dyeing the moon path realm in darkness, but my guest didn’t stop hurtling forward towards the monster, even when a soundless growl began shaking through his bones.

I got worried about Cynara and my body again.

[How did you call me here?] I asked him.

[It’s one of my skills,] he replied. The serpentine monster’s presence was rushing towards us, but he didn’t slow down. [My voice can reach certain types of existences. Thank you for heeding my plea.]

He’d mentioned calling forth that monster before, though. What the hell did I have in common with that?

[I hope you will stay a while longer,] my guest said. [I won’t ask for much; it’s enough to simply watch and observe. Once I escape, I’ll do my best to introduce you to Kosmonymia and pay you back.]

I did need a guide to Kosmonymia quite badly.

I extended myself outside of my guest’s vessel and tried to spread my senses. Like before, there was the amorphous collective consciousness all around us. The monster felt more like one dominant soul with hundreds of thousands of smaller wills attached to it; though it shed some of these weak attachments as it moved, it also attracted masses of consciousnesses from the amorphous collective around it, replenishing everything it lost.

Could I… attach myself to that creature?

That seemed like a dangerous thought. I put the idea away and felt out my own existence. Most of me had slid into the guest’s vessel, cradling the fragile yolk of his soul; my “soul body” had extended feelers out of the vessel. Like this, I could feel even more intensely the weight of karma on the Duke’s soul. Unlike the amorphous collective and my summoner, the Duval’s vessel was protected by a barrier I couldn’t break — not without some effort, anyways. And I didn’t want to get close to him at all.

More importantly, I finally noticed a thin tether stretching out from myself out into the distance, far and away past the Duke. It felt like I could do it, so I tried transferring some of my soul body there.

I was struck with the bizarre sensation of occupying two bodies at once. My guest’s senses were clearest, but I vaguely had a sense of Acacius’ body as well.

The giant serpentine monster had arrived in front of my guest. Its head was so huge it surpassed my guest’s entire field of vision, and its breath reeked with hatred. It came close enough to stir the strands of his hair, as if it was about to snap forward and swallow him whole.

“Cynara,” I said through Acacius’ body, slightly slurred. My sense of hearing was clear, but everything else was fuzzy. Judging from how near Cynara sounded and the rustling of her clothes, she was probably holding me, but I couldn’t feel her at all.

My guest closed his eyes. He held still.

“You’re finally awake,” Cynara said, sounding relieved. Still, her voice was strained and her breathing was heavy; I heard the sound of a sword cutting the air. “Are you okay? I tried to put together the door, but the monsters turned aggressive all of a sudden.”

Strangely, the monster turned and passed my guest by, hurtling towards the Duke, and towards Cynara and I.

“I heard it just now,” I said. “We can escape the realm by exposing our secrets. Like dumping ballast. Do you have anything you want to share?”

Another vicious crack of her sword, the outraged scream of the monsters in the shadows. “We’re about to die, and the only thing you can think about is getting another advantage over me?” Cynara snapped.

Okay, so she wasn’t eager to say anything. What did I have?

My guest started fleeing again. Behind him, the monster let out a silent roar that shook the whole void.

“I’ll tell you, then,” I said. “I can’t feel my body, so—”

“You can’t feel your body?”

“—So you’re responsible for getting us out when the exit becomes apparent. Are you ready?”

“Are you serious right now? Acacius!”

[For me to leave, someone has to hear my secrets,] my guest said. [I hope you don’t mind listening.]

I told Cynara a secret.

“My favorite color is red.”

[I looked through my teacher’s documents the other day.]

“Ah, but other bright colors are good too. I don’t like it when things are too dark. Life is already dark, so I think it’s best if your environment can at least be bright.”

“What are you talking about right now!”

[I do my best to trust her, because she’s done so much for me. But I can’t help but harbor questions in my heart. So when she forgot to put some papers away, even though I shouldn’t have looked, I… gave into the temptation.]

The darkness around my guest seemed thinner somehow. The shockwaves from the monster’s battle with the Duke were becoming muffled.

“And I like spicy food,” I said. “I don’t have more I want to say about this one. It’s a secret.”

Cynara sounded like she was about to cry. “What could you possibly say about liking spicy food that’s a secret?”

[I know my teacher is trying to protect me by enrolling me in the Academy. But if it’s so dangerous for me to be associated with her, I don’t understand why she gave me her name.]

“Is there an exit yet?” I asked.

“Something is definitely changing. I feel like we’re getting closer to leaving this place, but… it’s not fast enough.”

Did I need a weightier secret? But…

[And… I haven’t told anyone yet,] my guest said. He took a deep breath. [But I think my skill has advanced by another stage.]

The darkness around him broke like the surface of the sea. He fell out of the night sky towards a forest below. Black aura wrapped around him like a shadowy armor, cushioning his fall; he rolled to a stop on the leafy forest floor.

“You have more trivial secrets to share, right? Hurry up, spit them out,” Cynara urged. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold these things off.”

I sighed. In the end, some secrets weren’t worth my life, and it wasn’t like Cynara would have context for them anyways.

“I feel sorry for the legacy I’ve left behind,” I said.

Cynara breathed in sharply.

The chorus of whispering screams around us faded away.

Then I heard rustling and wind, and perhaps feathers beating in the air. I felt the impact of landing on grass and dried leaves.

“We made it,” she said. Then, with a breathy laugh, “We made it! I don’t know where we are, though, and it’s still dark out. I hope we can find a road nearby.”

“Forget about the road. Build a fire or find a place to shelter first.”

“Alright.”

But I didn’t hear us move.

“Hey…” Cynara said. “What did you mean by that? Your legacy?”

Oh, Cynara. She made it so easy to deceive her.

I faked hesitance before I forced out my next words in a quiet voice.

“What kind of impact do you think this family has left on the world?”

“Are you saying you…” Cynara hesitated. “Do you… regret it? Really?”

At times like this, it was easier to sell the story by pulling back. With just a hint of self-deprecation, I said, “What do I have to regret?”

Sadly, Cynara didn’t answer my question. I would have to dig into Acacius’ history some other time.

But at least she’d proved that she was ultimately willing to look after Acacius’ life.

“Hey, Cynara,” I said in a weak tone, affecting exhaustion, “I think… I’ll be entrusting myself to you for a little while again.”

I had other things to check on, after all.

“Wait a minute. You still haven’t explained a thing about—”

Answering questions was for suckers. I decisively retracted my senses from my host body so I could focus on what was happening with my guest.

He’d already found a good resting place and set up a simple fire. As I watched, he began shedding his coat to inspect his injuries.

All in all, he seemed to be in good shape, so I spoke.

[You’ve escaped.]

[Yes. All thanks to you.]

Sure, if being someone who listened to his secrets counted. [What is your relationship with that man?]

[He is responsible for the capture and selling of spirits like you,] he replied. [However, most of his victims don’t have your power… such as my friend.]

That was most likely the crow spirit he’d mentioned before, huh. Where did he get the impression that I was a “powerful spirit,” though?

Well, it was advantageous for me, so I didn’t intend to correct it.

More importantly.

[Spirits like me?] I probed.

[Are you new to Kosmonymia?]

Seeing how casually he asked, it didn’t seem like a big deal, so I answered straightforwardly, [Yes.]

[I see. I’ll tell you what I know. Let me introduce myself first.]

Right, introductions. Should I come up with an alias, too?

[My name is Luka. Thank you once again for your life-saving grace.]

Hm?

Huh?

Had I just saved the guy that I was supposed to kill?

Chapter 4 Chapter 6