In a small, cramped studio apartment no more than 100 square feet a woman lay on her back, a futon mattress shielding her from the cold concrete floor. Above her was a holographic projection of various computer windows, internet sites, and other applications.
Aside from brushing a rebellious strand of hair or scratching an itchy nose the woman was still, but the projection was a flurry of activity.
Like most technology of the 22nd century, it used a Neuro-interface to allow users to control the computer directly with their mind.
At the moment she, "Philo" as those few who knew her personally called her, was focusing all her attention on a single window centered amongst the rest. It was a video editor, a pirated copy that was temperamental at best and threatened to brick her entire computer at worst.
She was finishing a project, one she had rushed to complete before the end of the week to avoid missing her upload schedule. Had she failed, the algorithms would have punished her, making her work near invisible to the common user and spelling a quick end to her revenue.
With a last few cumbersome cuts, pastes, and timeline fiddling the video was complete. A simple tutorial going over the new Player Home options for Shangri-La from the most recent update. The last update, as it was just announced the game would be shutting down at the end of the year.
What the hell was she gonna do? She had enough left to maybe last till the shutdown, but what about after that? She had tried to make videos about other DMMO games, but they never did as well as the Shangri-La stuff.
Her spiraling thoughts were cut short by a notification:
Message From: Father
Her heart leaped up her throat. Why the fuck was he messaging? They hadn't spoken in almost half a year.
Did he fucking know? Was he fucking waiting for a moment like this so he can hang the Sword of Damocles over her head again?
She had clawed her way out of that fucking house, she was not going to let that piece of shit pull her back.
She dismissed the message. She would read it later. She would worry about the shutdown later. Those were tomorrow's problems, for tomorrow's Philo.
For now she just wanted to escape into the digital, to leave this hell-world behind and pretend she wasn't shackled by this physical body.
She put on her Dive-Set, and ran away from it all.
Morgan strolled through the cobbled streets of Megiste Larva. There was a chill in the air, a novel feature for the Monastery thanks to their new locations much higher elevation. Around Morgan the Outer Disciples milled about, some rushing to deliver supplies from the gardens to Sophia's School of Mind, other repairing and maintaining the dozens of multicolored structures which lined the pathways, and still others were loitering about, enjoying the fresh morning air.
Morgan was on their way to Philo's personal chambers, located in the central structure of the monastery: a small domed church.
They had been summoned by Philo, though Morgan knew not why, and the Elf had no intention of making their Creator wait.
Entering into Philo's chambers, Morgan was struck by a rare sense of nostalgia.
This is the site where Philo had first created Morgan, and during their training the two of them had spent a lot of time in here. It was never clear to Morgan why they spent so much time there, Philo spent most of that time reorganizing her furniture and her items in storage, but Morgan was not one to question their creator.
The room itself made a strong impression. It was anchored in the center by a small zen garden surrounded by various flowers. The ring formed around the garden was made up of four main sections: by the entrance was a kitchen and eating area, furnished with polished wood carved with various intricate designs of dragons, tigers, turtles, and birds. Clockwise from the kitchen is a small library and sitting area, and counter-clockwise from the kitchen is a storage area, were various enchanted cabinets, chests, and more sitting alongside a haphazard collection of crafting, enchanting, and alchemy tables. The last section, opposite the entrance, was the sleeping area. A mattress set into the floor and covered in a mountain of blankets and pillows sits adjacent to a polished ebony desk on one side, and a dressing area replete with large wardrobes and various mirrors.
The roof is decorated with a mosaic of the Four Cardinal Guardians: the Blue Dragon of the East, the Red Phoenix of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North. A glass cap at the very top of the ceiling allowed the suns light to shine down like a spotlight onto the central zen garden, creating the image that the Four Guardians were calling attention to the centerpiece.
Philo herself was in the dressing area. Approaching her, Morgan was surprised to see Philo out of her usual Dragon Scale armor and instead wearing a simple scholar's robe.
"Teacher?"
Philo, absorbed with watching herself in the mirrors, jumped like a startled cat.
"Morgan! I didn't hear you come in!"
"I apologize, teacher."
"No no, no need. I was just surprised is all, thank you for coming so quickly."
Morgan bowed. It was only to be expected that they would act with haste when summoned.
"Of course, Teacher. May I ask why I was called here?"
Philo nodded.
"You, myself, and Sophia are going to travel down from the Mountains to scout the lowland areas around us."
"I see. Is that why you are wearing those robes?"
Philo glanced back at herself in the mirror.
"Correct. I want to keep a low profile for now, and presenting as a group of cloistered scholars will hopefully arouse less suspicion than a group of monks armed to the teeth."
"That makes sense. Should I also wear a different outfit?"
Morgan gestured to her own clothing. They were a set of black silk robes embroidered with gold and silver. Underneath was a set of Cold Iron chain-mail.
"I want you to wear something a tad martial," Philo answered, "we'll have you act as our bodyguard so that if we come across any adventurers we won't look out of place taking a closer look. You would be a mercenary looking for work, after all."
Philo looked Morgan's outfit up and down a few times.
"Cold Iron chain-mail doesn't look very different from normal chain-mail, so keeping you in that should be fine."
Philo then took out a plain black Chokha, a kind of long coat which falls into a skirt hemming just below the knee.
"This should have similar stats to your current robes, it'll also offer a passive boost to Illusion spells and skills."
Morgan took the coat and once again bowed.
"Thank you, teacher. Was that all?"
Philo grimaced.
"...No. There's something else I need to tell you. The truth of how we ended up in this place."
Psyche scrounged through their quarters, gathering everything of importance into a Bag of Holding they kept at their waist.
Items, potions, artifacts, armor, everything Psyche needed in the world beyond the monastery was thrown into the bags bottomless depths.
At least, everything Psyche thinks they need. They had never actually been beyond the confines of Gentle Shade, so they packed based on what they remembered Philo taking with her on journeys back in Shangri-La.
Psyche held up a Warrior Shard, an item that when shattered gave a temporary boost to your physical Attack and Defense.
I remember Teac- Philo used to bring these things with her all the time, but I don't think she ever actually used one?
The thought of their mentor made Psyche's chest sink into a deep, hollow anxiety.
Was this all a mistake? Should they stay? Should she talk to Philo? Or Sophia?
They had agreed to help the villagers, and abandoning them like this seemed wrong.
They could always use Gate to come back... but that could mean running into someone from Gentle Shade.
They weren't mad at any of them (well, maybe Philo a little bit, but Psyche was still trying to untangle that emotional knot), and they didn't wish any of them any ill will. They just...
Just...
Just what?
Psyche felt they needed to get out of this place, to try and figure out who they are out in the world, but was that really true? Maybe this was just another false memory, or emotion, or anxiety, or whatever which was motivating them to do this. Were they still just a puppet acting according to an implanted personality?
They stopped packing.
They sat on their bed, and rested their head in their hands.
Knock Knock
"Psyche? Are you there?"
Psyche's heart clawed up their throat.
It was Philo!
Why the heck was she here?
Did she know? Did someone find out Psyche's plan and tattle? Did Philo plan all this?
"Can I come in?"
Psyche's breaths grew erratic and shallow.
What should they do?! Should they just wait for Philo to go away? But that would give the game away, it would be clear something was off! Maybe they can lie or deflect? Talk to Philo and just try to avoid the problem? Or maybe she should just come clean? Was Philo going to be angry if they told the truth?
"Psyche? Are you alright?"
"Uhh- Just a second!"
Aack! Welp, cats out of the bag now! At least they bought themselves a bit more time to... panic, Psyche guessed?
Deciding to at least try to keep their scheme hidden, Psyche tossed their Bag of Holding below their bed.
"O-okay, you can come in!"
The door swung open and Philo walked in. Rather than her usual jet-black armor, Philo instead wore a set of light blue scholar's robes. She smiled when she saw Psyche, and the Moth-kin felt a pang of guilt.
"How are you?" Philo asked.
"Umm... I-I'm alright, I guess."
Philo's smile dipped a bit.
"Do you mind if we sit down? I wanted to talk to you."
Oh god oh god oh god. She knows she knows.
"Oh! Um- Sure!"
Psyche shuffled awkwardly, looking around the room for where they could sit, before settling on the side of their bed.
Philo followed.
The two sat in silence for some time, the intermission giving Psyche the chance to stew in their own anxiety even longer.
Soon, they couldn't bear it any more.
"So... What did you want to speak about."
Philo started to tug at the hem of her sleeve.
"I... Wanted to say I'm sorry."
...huh? Of all the scenarios Psyche had envisioned in her head, this was not one of them.
"Sorry? For what?"
"Since we came to this world, I've still been treating you guys like we're back in Shangri-La. I told you to help out the villagers without even asking if you thought it was a good idea, or if you were okay with it."
"...I don't mind helping out Gram and the others."
Philo smiled.
"That's good, I'm glad."
The two sat in silence a bit longer. It wasn't exactly related to the problem they were dealing with, but they felt a bit calmer seeing Philo open up a little and apologize.
Maybe... they should do the same.
"So... Sophia told me you weren't feeling too well?"
Darn that fox.
"...Yeah."
"Is it because of what I told you? About Shangri-La?"
The question Psyche dreaded the most, because even they still couldn't answer it for themself.
"I... I don't know. I mean, I think so? Is guess its just..."
Psyche started chewing on her sleeve.
"Everything is just... a soup in my brain. I don't think I'm 'upset,' more... confused. I don't know what I feel, or I guess whether what I feel is what I feel or just something I was designed to."
Psyche soon found their anxiety being washed away in a spoken tide of stream of consciousness outpourings and half-formed ideas, all the while Philo sat at their side, letting them say their piece and giving gentle nods and words of affirmation to assure Psyche that she was still listening.
"I don't know who I am, I-I think is my issue, basically. I feel like a jigsaw puzzle that's been thrown onto the floor and mixed with a bunch of different puzzles, and I don't know which pieces are me and which are... something else. I want to know who I am, to put the puzzle back together... I guess."
"And you want to do that by leaving the Monastery on your own?"
Hearing Philo say it made it feel so much more real than before. A few minutes ago she was waffling back and forth about what to do, but now...
"Yes."
Philo looked away for a moment and closed her eyes, chewing on her index finger.
Psyche at this point was just glad to have gotten it all out, keeping it all inside had been agony, but now they felt more confident and sure- this was something they wanted to do.
"Alright." Philo said after a few moments.
"You're not upset?"
"No no- not at all, Psyche. Its your life, you get to choose how you spend it. Whether that means here at the Monastery or somewhere else is entirely up to you."
Psyche let out a sigh of relief. While they were confident of this course now, they hadn't wanted to leave things on bad terms.
"I will say— you're always welcome back here at the Monastery. Also remember, we aren't sure whats out there. I want you to be able to go on this journey, but if the world out there is too dangerous, please promise me you'll come back here. You'd still be free to pursue whatever you like, even while staying here, I just can't bear the thought of something happening to you while you're alone."
"...Okay. I promise."
"Here, take this." Philo reached out and her hand disappeared into a hidden space. When she pulled it out, she was holding a small crystal bell.
"This is a Return Bell. I don't have the right class levels to use this, but you do. If you ring it, it will return you to a set location."
Psyche nodded and took the bell.
"Thank you."
"Sophia, Morgan, and I are going to be starting our own journey into the outside world. I hope we'll be able to see each other."
Psyche smiled at that.
"I hope when we do I'll know more about who I am."
"Me too. Can I have a hug?"
"Of course."
The two leaned in for an embrace, and Psyche was startled to realize that Philo was trembling. In that moment, Psyche saw a different Philo than what they had always envisioned. Rather than a calm, confident, all-knowing teacher and Sage, Psyche saw a young woman frightened of the world and position she found herself in.
Psyche had initially resented the fear and anxiety they felt had been forced onto them, and while they still wanted to reshape it into something of their own, they appreciated it in this moment. It helped them empathize with Philo, that maybe Philo had made them this way not out of the casual malice of a bored creator, but of a real person who wanted someone, anyone who they felt could understand their own fear and anxiety.
Empathy. That would be the first piece Psyche put back into the puzzle. Above all else, they would have Empathy.
The two pulled away, and Philo took a couple shaky breaths to steady herself.
"D-do you need help packing?" She asked.
Psyche smiled.
"That would be lovely."
The two spent the next few hours filling up Psyche's bag of holding, talking about items, strategies, and life.
It was the first time since she had learned the truth that Psyche felt sure about the future.
Oberon sat at the water's edge on the Island of Avalon, his trusty fishing pole in hand.
He basked in the gentle realness of it all— the rustling of forest leaves, lapping waves, and the concert of life humming and buzzing and calling for miles around him.
He closed his eyes and allowed his senses to carry him away from his body. Allowing the sensations of nature to pull at him, to draw his Id from the Ego and become one with the all.
Then, there was a tug at his line.
Oberon snapped back to his body, alert and ready, and yanked on the fishing pole as hard as he could.
His quarry put up intense resistance, fighting and clawing against Oberon, forcing the Fey to earn every inch towards the shore with sheer effort and determination.
The rod twist and bent, its rugged form barely managing to keep itself together against the immense forces which dueled at either end of it.
The battle was fierce, and a few times his quarry came close to shaking off the great King of Summer, but Oberon was stronger still.
With a final heave he dragged the submerged creature from beneath the waterline and launched it into the sky.
"Haha! Seems I win again!" Oberon exclaimed.
"Ahhh damn ya, ya bastard! Ya got lucky that's all!"
"So you say, Mer-King, yet a win is a win- lucky or no!"
The Mer-King, tossing the end of Oberon's line back to the Fey, made a derisive snort.
"Whatever! What the hell do you want?"
"How fare the people of your realm? The Great Sage Philo has confirmed the rest of Gentle Shade Monastery has been caught up in an... enigmatic situation, and so I have begun a tour of my lands to ensure all is still well!"
"A situation eh? No, can't say we've noticed anything outta the norm..." The Mer-King tugged at his long white beard, then added "Well, some of the Sea-Horses threw a bit of a fit a few days ago. They used to be so docile, but recently they've been agitated and ornery. We mostly managed to get that under control though."
"Hmm- I see. Well, keep an eye on those Sea-Horses, and keep up the good work!" Oberon gave a hearty thumbs up. "Oh! And by the way, there is to be a festival in Tir Na Nog tonight, I hope you can join me! I assure the banquet will be to die for!"
"Haha! Well why didn't ya lead with that ya bastard? We'll be there! Wouldn't miss a party thrown by the Pendragons for the world!"
The two men gave their last goodbyes, often delayed by fits of booming laughter and jabs at the other's strength, and soon Oberon returned to his home in Castle Camelot.
Strutting through the castle's stone halls, illuminated by floating wisps of magical energy, Oberon moved towards to his personal chambers.
"Howdy, Gwen! Everything all right over here?"
Gwen, one of the Outer Disciples, smiled as Oberon passed her by.
"Everything is just swell over here, King Oberon!"
"Haha! Glad to hear it!"
The King continued on, stopping by any of the other castle denizens he passed by to ask how their day was going, if they had any troubles or needed assistance, then when assured all was well continued on his merry way.
The process slowed him down immensely, but he considered it a necessary part of being a good King.
After much carousing, Oberon arrived. With great pomp Oberon threw the doors open.
"Titania! I have returned!" He boomed.
"Welcome home, love." Oberon's wife, Queen Titania, sat at a table drinking tea. Across from her was another familiar figure.
"Hello Oberon, how have you been?" Philo asked.
"Teacher!" Oberon strode over and swept the Sage up in a massive bear hug.
"Urk! G-good to see you too!" Philo squeaked out through the crushing pressure.
"Philo had something she wanted to tell the both of us, so we decided to enjoy some tea while we waited." Titania said with a warm smile.
Oberon released Philo and she slumped back down into her chair.
"Is that so?" Oberon said while taking a chair of his own. "Well, what is it you wished to speak of."
Philo started fiddling with her tea-cup, staring at the ripples on the surface of the liquid.
"There's... A few things I wanted to talk about, but I think there is something more important that I need to start with."
Philo took a deep breath before continuing.
"Do you remember the fog that brought us to this place?"
The two monarchs nodded.
"You see..."
Oberon and Titania sat silent as Philo explained everything to them. Her "real" home of Earth, the existence of Shangri-La and games like it, and the fact that Oberon and Titania were created by Philo as NPCs in that game: unthinking bundles of code with no intelligence. The fact that they are now thinking, feeling people is a drastic and new development. All elements of who they are now in this moment were created by the backstories Philo wrote for them, and the settings she applied to each of them.
"...and included in those backstories I made... is your marriage."
I kept my eyes downcast, trying to avoid eye contact.
Oberon and Titania remained silent for some time after. Titania had her eyes closed and was tapping the side of her cup. Oberon put his chin in his hand and stared down at the table.
"This all must be so frightening for you." Oberon said, breaking the silence.
...Huh?
That was... not what I expected.
"Having characters of your own creation suddenly come to life, being swept away from your home without warning... I can't imagine what it must feel like."
Titania nodded along with her husband.
"It would be like the characters in a novel crawling out from the pages." She said.
"R-right..." I didn't have the heart to tell them leaving the hell-scape that is Earth was the best thing to ever happen to me.
Still though, I felt bad. Their marriage is something I fabricated, that feels a lot scarier than what I went through.
"What you told us about our marriage is... a lot to take in, but-" Titania said.
Damn, can she read my mind or something?
"I think Oberon agrees that its not something we would want to throw away because of this revelation."
Oberon nodded. "Everyone enters the world with some kind of background- even just who their parents are. We just get to start off with a lot more than others, haha!" Oberon belted a laugh that make my teacup shake.
"Still though, thank you for telling us. Titania and I will want to have a more in depth conversation on this- its important to make sure we keep building our relationship and trust in each other from here, especially if we have to do it all ourselves now!"
"...Thanks, guys."
Honestly, Psyche choosing to leave really scared me. I know I said I wanted anyone who wished it to be able to leave, but seeing them actually do that...
I was worried maybe they'd all leave. I guess maybe I'm doing something right.
Titania, reading my mind again and no doubt sensing my internal winging and worrying, walked over and wrapped her arms around me.
"Don't worry, you're still our 'Teach." She said with a smile.
Oberon leaned over and patted me on the shoulder.
"Glad to finally meet ya, huh 'Teach?" He said, a massive grin on his face.
"Heh- it sure is, Oby." I said.
Titania sat back down.
"Now- what were the other things you wished to discuss?" She asked.
Right right, lock in Philo there's more to do!
"R-right. The short of it is that myself, Morgan, and Sophia are going to explore the area beyond the mountains."
"Mmm. Makes sense. We suffer from a critical lack of information." Oberon said.
"I also want to send the Grail Knights in the opposite direction from us, but since they're members of your School I wanted to get your approval first."
Oberon turned to Titania. "Its your School right now, what do you think?"
Titania put her fingers to her chin and closed her eyes.
"Yes— that should be fine. I would ask you keep Nimue here, but Gallahad, Bors, and Percy should do fine out there."
I nodded. It made sense. Since we're losing Psyche, Nimue is now the best healer we have, so keeping her here is kind of necessary.
"Fine with me." I said.
The two nodded.
"The last order of business," I continued, "is that while I'm gone I'm entrusting the Monastery to you two. Is that alright."
Oberon's eyes went a little wide at that, but Titania gave a firm nod.
"We won't let you down."
Excellent.
"If you can, I'd also like you to work with our allies in the valley. They have asked us to assist in their development, and I think in the long term helping to grow a large urban center near the Monastery works in our favor."
"Understood." Titania said.
God am I glad everyone here is so competent, I'd be a flailing mess without them.
I finished the last of my tea while we continued to chat, both about logistics but also just making regular conversation. Oberon was quite interested in learning about life on Earth.
After another hour or so of conversation, I took my leave.
Now that I've spoken to all the Inner Disciples, all that was left was to gather Sophia and Morgan and head out into the great unknown.