Epilogue: A Dreamy Visitor

When Arcus came to, he was standing dazed and alone in an unfamiliar place.

“Huh?”

He studied his surroundings, his mind still foggy with sleep. He appeared to be standing on a path. It was narrow, barely wide enough for two adults to stand side by side. The light of the sun was far off in the sky and blocked out by a tall wall, making the path below Arcus seem more like a cramped, gloomy alleyway.

Wooden crates and cardboard boxes were piled up haphazardly, trash was piled up in corners, and the whole place was dusty. Worn outdoor units hung tick-like from shuttered windows. Maintenance ladders malingered in their places, rusty and in disrepair. When Arcus looked down, there was a black, muddy puddle beneath his feet, exposed wiring writhing around in it like snakes.

Where am I?

The last thing he remembered was Craib chasing off Aluas, and being held by Noah. There were no memories beyond that; nothing linking to his current situation. There was no way he had wandered off and gotten lost. In the first place, everything about where he was now was too...different.

The objects here were from the man’s world.

Thinking about it wasn’t getting him anywhere, so Arcus headed for the bright light at the end of the path in search of an answer. The light coming from the main road was so dazzling compared to the alley that Arcus had to shield his eyes. When his eyes had finally adjusted, he was greeted by a familiar scene spread out in front of him.

High-rise buildings of concrete and multicolored lights loomed over the street. Engines rattled as cars raced down the road, and trains clattered across elevated bridges in the distances. Below Arcus’s feet was a tiled sidewalk, and past that an asphalt roadway.

This was definitely the man’s world.

Which meant that Arcus might have been dreaming, and become that man once more. He checked his reflection in a storefront window, but he didn’t see the man. He saw Arcus Raytheft.

“What’s going on?”

If this was the same dream, he should have been the man. Why was he Arcus?

Still without an answer, he ambled down the sidewalk, until eventually he reached a crossing. There was a crowd of people there, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Arcus tried to study their faces; he couldn’t tell whether their features were actually nonexistent, or whether they were just hidden by shadows.

When the light eventually turned green, the faceless people traversed the white painted lines as one. Office workers, housewives, students; all of them. Like they were being pushed along by the current of an invisible river.

Arcus was wondering whether he should follow them when suddenly he caught sight of a familiar blueish-white, flickering light. It glimmered, floating between the people in the crowd. Its movements seemed confused, like a ball of flame that had wandered from the graveyard into modern society.

Without particularly thinking about it, Arcus walked up to it. He had the sense that he was like an insect being lured to a light trap, but it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go. When he approached, the figure holding up that inviting light became clear.

“This way!”

It was the Grave Sprite, Gown. A blue hood covered his face, leaving only his smiling yellow eyes visible. He was holding up a lantern much like Arcus’s own, and beckoning him on eagerly. To see a creature so fantastical against a modern backdrop made Arcus feel like he was hallucinating. Or perhaps this was a vision he was seeing in his final moments.

“This way!” Gown beckoned again, slipping in between the bodies of the crowd.

Arcus followed and eventually caught up.

“Hello, Arcus!”

“Hi. You’re here to help me pass on, right? I sure didn’t live very long...”

“What? You’re not dead yet, Arcus!”

“Really? I could’ve sworn that’s what all this meant.” Arcus gestured to their surroundings.

“No,” Gown replied, shaking his head with an exasperated sigh.

That Arcus was wrong was actually somewhat of a relief.

“Has Tribe been a good doggy?”

“Of course. It’s helped me out a ton of times. I still don’t know what goes through its head sometimes though.”

“That’s normal. You still need time to get used to each other.”

Arcus was more concerned about whether Tribe had accepted him in the first place, never mind the fact that they weren’t “used” to each other, but he left the thought unspoken.

“Where are we exactly then?”

“Come this way.”

“Wait, tell me what’s going on first.”

“Come on!”

Gown was setting his own pace as usual. Arcus was a little relieved to see the Grave Sprite hadn’t changed, even if their surroundings remained a mystery.

Uneasiness continued to weigh on his chest as he followed Gown. They slipped through the crowds, between buildings, and under bridges, and approached a train station Arcus recognized. They carried on until they arrived at a tidy café, one you might find in any town. A large glass window in place of a wall made the inside clearly visible from the sidewalk. The uniform white wallpaper gave a sense of cleanliness and brightness to the interior, and the tables and chairs were made from wood. The terraced outdoor seating left a fashionable impression.

Arcus glanced at the terrace. Among the many faceless people sitting at the tables, there was one whose features were crystal-clear.

Huh?

It was a young girl; she looked to be in her mid-teens. She had flowing black hair and eyes so blue it was like there were glittering sapphires embedded within them. Her skin was white as snow and her lips a light, glossy pink. In fact, she looked more like an exquisite life-sized doll sitting there at the table. Something about her reminded Arcus a little of Sue, though he dismissed it as his imagination.

As for her clothing, she wore a white high-necked jacket and black pants. That alone was enough to give her appearance a futuristic feel, but Arcus was more interested in the chains that garnished every part of her body. There were so many of them hanging from her clothes, they’d probably clink against each other with every tiny movement. At a glance it looked as though she were bound, but there was nothing to suggest that they hindered her.

“I’ve done my job now! Have a good time, Arcus!”

“A good time? What?”

Gown waved at Arcus, his figure growing faint. And then he was gone, as though swallowed up by an invisible mist. Left in the lurch, Arcus felt his energy leave him.

The girl on the terrace smiled at him warmly. “Come, have a seat.”

Her voice was gentle. It was almost too clear and smooth, which in turn made it faintly terrifying. Arcus stepped onto the terrace and took a seat in the wooden chair across from her.

“Are you the one who set this whole thing up?” he asked.

“Yes, exactly. I thought it better to have an acquaintance of yours lead you here than for me to go out and meet you myself.”

“That’s very kind of you. But everything else about this is kinda confusing.”

The girl let out a modest laugh. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Arcus Raytheft.”

“Chain?”

“Yes.”

Chain. She was a figure of legend known to everyone in the world Arcus called home: one of the Twin Phantoms from The Spiritual Age. A supernatural being, she and her elder sister Wedge traveled the then-chaotic world, pacifying it and setting it in order. On their travels, they defeated monsters, quelled calamities, and acted as leaders to the people. Their actions inspired a deep devotion in many, and it was a rare thing to pick up a fairy tale or picture book that didn’t include them in some way.

“I didn’t think I’d dream about someone so incredible.”

“Call it a dream, if you like; however, it is a little more than that.”

“What is it then?”

“Well, it may help to think of it as...a shared thought, taking shape as a dream. This is nothing so vague and obscure as the things you humans dream of—more of a universal mental space.”

“I dunno, that sounds kinda science-fictiony to me.”

“Perhaps, but I trust you will understand what I mean, for you have his memories and experiences.”

“‘His’?!”

Arcus followed Chain’s gaze as she looked to the side. There was a round wooden table positioned in the sunlight, accompanied by two chairs. And there was that familiar man. The man from the other world who’d died far too young.

His intellect and physical abilities were exceptional. He read much and was well-versed in the martial arts, a genius who’d received many a blessing from the heavens. People expected much from him, but those expectations weren’t enough to prevent his early demise.

He was there with his lover, talking and laughing about nothing in particular as they smiled gently at each other. Arcus could hardly imagine a more blissful scene. It must have taken place shortly after their engagement.

Their voices were filled with hope and joy, but hearing them speak like that only filled Arcus with unease. While they excitedly discussed topics such as the venue and the guest list, Arcus could only think about the heartbreak that awaited the joyful pair.

All of a sudden, shadows fell upon the couple’s faces. At first their expressions became diminished, like figures in a children’s book, before disappearing and becoming just like the faces of all the other people walking past.

Chain passed Arcus a handkerchief. Only then did Arcus realize he was crying.

“What happened to Tsugaya after that?”

“You do not need to know that much. It would only distress you further.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Hearing that she had fallen into despair would fill Arcus with guilt. And if he heard she’d found herself a new man, that would be sad in its own way.

Arcus was not that man, but he had been him once. That was enough to fill his heart with sadness, so any more than that may well be unwarranted. After calming down a little, he spoke again.

“You said your name’s Chain. Are you...that Chain?”

“Yes. I am indeed the Chain you are thinking of.”

“Oh, um... I should have spoken more formally to you then, shouldn’t I?”

“No, you may carry on as you were. I believe that would be easier on you.”

“Um... Okay, well. I will, so please pardon my insolence.”

“Of course.” Chain smiled radiantly at him.

Arcus felt himself growing self-conscious, which he quickly disguised with a cough before moving on to his next question.

“So, this conversation is the same as if we were talking in real life, right?”

“That is correct. Oh, I am capable of speaking to you in the other world too, but we are a ways apart there; noospheric communion seemed the expedient option for the both of us.”

In the man’s world, gods and spirits existed only in stories, but in the other world, they had a material presence. Despite belonging to that world, because of the man’s influence, Arcus couldn’t help but think of that aspect as fantastical.

“Why did you want to meet me?”

“I have a request to make of you.”

“A request?”

“Yes. Before long, certain events described in The Prophecy of Shadows will come to pass. I would like you to prevent them.”

“Wh... Huh?”

“That is all I have to say.”

“W-Wait! Wait, you can’t just leave things there!”

“There is no need for panic. Nothing has started yet; you have plenty of time.”

“That’s not the part I’m freaking out about!”

“I understand. It sounds a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? You are having trouble processing everything.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it...”

Chain laughed quietly. She was more mischievous than Arcus had expected.

“Please accept my apologies. However, we will be in great trouble should you turn down my request.”

“I get it. Why did you pick me though? There are probably a ton of people who’d be a better fit for the job. I must be pretty far down the list.”

“I am asking you precisely because you are you, Arcus Raytheft,” Chain explained, her tone confident. Where that self-assurance came from, Arcus didn’t know. But he had an inkling.

“Has it got anything to do with this?” Arcus looked around their surroundings and then glanced back at Chain.

This was the only reason he could think of. That she picked him because he had knowledge and experience of the man’s life and this world.

“That is one reason, yes,” she answered without elaborating.

Arcus doubted she would give more information even if pushed, so he returned to the main topic. “You want me to change the outcome of these prophecies, right? Is that even possible?”

“It is not impossible. The Prophecy of Shadows is more of an indicator, or an approximation of what is to come, if you will. They are events which repeat for eternity, but the outcome can change each time. There have been several events in the past where the outcome has changed due to a focused effort.”

Arcus was satisfied. If one of the Phantoms was telling him it was possible, he had no reason to doubt it.

“What is your answer?”

“Well, if you’re telling me to do it, I can’t really refuse.”

He wasn’t a devout believer in the Phantoms or anything, but as an inhabitant of that world, he couldn’t pretend they didn’t exist either—especially when one was making a direct request of him.

“There’s other stuff I need to do too though,” Arcus said.

“You are free to work on your own goals whenever you have the time.”

“The time... Yeah...”

That was the problem. If a Phantom was involved in this situation, it probably wasn’t something that would afford him much free time at all.

“So what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“That is not for me to say.”

“If you don’t tell me what to do, how am I supposed to know? What am I dealing with? The resurrection of the Demon Kings from Demons and Society’s Collapse? Some huge monster? Or some crazy creature that humans can’t do anything about, like from The Spiritual Age?”

Chain spoke of him preventing something, which to Arcus sounded like she was talking about some huge disaster. The closest thing he could think of were the four Demon Kings from Demons and Society’s Collapse, the sixth Ancient Chronicle. They were incredibly powerful beasts that attempted to destroy the world in the years following The Magician’s Elegy. If they were to return, that event would surely be described in The Prophecy of Shadows.

Another possibility was dark spirits born from hex. They were said to be the direct cause of the breakdown of the magic civilization described in The Magician’s Elegy. Back then, magic was hugely common, which resulted in the creation of vast amounts of hex. That created a storm of dark spirits and hex fiends to appear all over the world. Their numbers increased rapidly, threatening human civilization, resulting in great loss until the appearance of the Demon Kings.

Then there were the beasts described in The Spiritual Age, which differed from those spirits.

The giant wicked spirit that drank the entire ocean dry. The Crystal Queen who trapped humans she took a liking to in precious stone. Heartless tin soldiers who were said to create demons. The beast with one huge eye that changed everyone it looked at into black steel. The Headless Knight, who fought many a battle with The Mistletoe Knight, Floam.

These were all creatures that human beings couldn’t hope to defeat. Arcus probed Chain for more, but when she spoke, her voice was curt.

“I would like you to read and judge for yourself, and then for you to prevent the danger accordingly.”

“You won’t help me?”

“The era in which spirits helped to solve humanity’s problems is long since over.”

“Hmm...”

Arcus almost wanted to call that irresponsible, but he couldn’t. This was a creature that had protected the world long before he was born. If her role was over now, then not only would it be impudent to complain, but he should be grateful to her.

“This sounds like it’s gonna be really tough,” Arcus said.

Chain couldn’t tell him anything more, nor would she help him. Not only was she asking a lot of him, but she was asking him to do it all alone, which would only make things more difficult. Chain seemed to sense his concerns.

“Let’s see. I think I can tell you one thing that may prove useful.”

“What’s that?”

“You must seek an emerald.”

“An emerald?”

“Correct. Should you find it, a new path will be opened to you.”

“Okay...”

Her advice didn’t ring any bells at all. An emerald would open a new path—what did that mean? A single gemstone in that world wouldn’t be too difficult to find, but Arcus couldn’t think by what mechanism it might “open a new path” for him.

“Be at ease. You will understand once you find it.”

“You can’t tell me any more details about this either?”

Chain shook her head with a gentle smile. “My business with you is done. Thank you for your help, Arcus Raytheft.”

“Uh, I’ll do what I can.”

“That is enough for now. Farewell.”

“Hngh...”

Suddenly, Arcus was struck by a wave of drowsiness. If he was already dreaming, this must have been a sign that he was waking up. Just before his consciousness faded, he heard a voice.

“Magician, Arcus Raytheft. May you have great encounters and form powerful bonds.”

Her final blessing was fitting for the Phantom of Chains.