“Heh, came back for more? I thought you already went to Planarcardia. Did you really think you’d be in Edo Star, Gray Hair?”

Sparxie’s taunt still echoed in your mind despite it ringing out across 2D City streets over ten minutes ago, and if you were honest you could have done without the bickering over the group chat from your friends Dan Heng and March about imaginaea enemies growing, although Sunday remained oddly quiet save for inexplicable messages about the Leader of the Galaxy Rangers called La Mancha, who was currently caged in its planet. The aftermath of Amphoreus, and now entering a new planet whom Akivili visited in a recent trip must be getting to each member, you reckoned. Dealing with a Lord Ravager and being taunted by a Masked Fool was no place for an Astral Expresser.

Well, at least someone finds this situation entertaining. For a few seconds, all you can hear is the sounds of ringing bells when the noise dies down, and a sly giggle. Was she the Aha to your Akivili? Streaming while somehow fourth-wall breaking? Could this be a parasocial storyline that you were forced to participate in? Emanator’s of Elation are no joke.

With both your lance and baseball bat, you trusted your instincts as you made your way through the area, ignoring the sounds of Youkai echoing throughout the corridors. From what you could piece together from Dan Heng and March before separating ways via. messages, they were fighting tooth and nail against materialised enemies but were being forced back and back, all retreating in the same direction. You stepped over the unconscious bodies of imagenae beings and any other fictional-turned-reality beings alike, ignorant to them and focused on only one direction, listening to your gut. If it said left, you went left.

“So much sorrow and sadness… why not Let There Be Laughter? It’s about time you stride over here. Yes, you. Through that screen! Rules are made to be broken! So, for this new live stream challenge, I am forcing Gray Hair to embrace Elation as someone promised!”

Screwing your eyes shut and willing your ears to ignore her latest ridicules — it was so easy for her to play her tricks and mind games on you. Her perception of what Elation was, her involvement with Elio’s script...though when she helped you back on Penacony, you had to begrudgingly admit that the sheer resolve she had made you respect her a little as a Masked Fool. Had she had not intervened, your Trailblazing journey would forever remain incomplete.

As your gut told you to round a corner to the right, you wondered how March would have taken it, and the sight took your breath away.

Nothing.

The room was empty, huge but void of life, save for the hundreds of tiny illustrations floating lazily in the air. Dull artificial light filled the room, casting more eerie shadows than it chased away. The centre of the room was filled with uniformly identical tables, sporting muted grey chairs attached to the tables’ framework that perfectly mimicked the grey floor, and pillars dotted the room to support the heavy air vents and various pipes attached to the ceiling. It didn’t look too far removed from your past memories of certain digital cyberpunk buildings or Punklorde’s many buildings, and a strange sense of familiarity tickled your mind. Some things change, you mused to yourself, and some things stay the same.

Clearly, however, Sparxie was not present. You stealthily crept inside, snapping both of your weapon’s aim left, right, behind you, at any place you could be ambushed. That was Sparxie all over, distraction and ambush. Cowardice.

“So, what will it be?” a voice echoed throughout the room, issuing a painful reminder that though you checked everywhere in front of and behind you, you did not think to check under the imaginenae bodies.

Slowly, you turned around…and indeed, Sparxie was smirking even as she held the selfie stick away from her, and levelled a toy pistol at your head. “Embrace Elation, or meet your timely demise, Gray Hair? The stage is all ours, and I am its Director!”