Miss Planner sat hunched over her big blue tarp with a gleeful expression on her face. The sun was shining brightly through her office window, casting a shadow of the little blonde girl onto the plastic. She smiled to herself and glanced down at a pink hunk of plastic.

"This changes everything... hehehe... nearly finished, now...

She traced the outline of her new creation with one hand, admiring it from every angle. Just yesterday she had an epiphany that changed the direction of her work, and now there was a real physical manifestation of her idea. This would be more than just a suit of armor. It would alter and amplify the user's psychic energy, allowing them to stand against even the strongest opponents with ease. And it would contain an artificial soul in its core, which meant it could learn over time and help guide its wearer in battle.

"I can't believe I made this... hehehehe!"

A high-pitched laugh escaped Miss Planner's lips. Her eyes sparkled in delight, and her mind buzzed with excitement and joy. The project had been a long time coming, but now that she finally had the pieces in place, it felt like nothing short of a miracle. The end was near. All she had to do now was build a full-scale version of the various components and put it all together. She carefully removed a white piece of psychic plastic from under the sheet and examined it. It was incredibly thin and light. She wobbled it back and forth, testing its strength and flexibility.

"Hm..." she hummed thoughtfully. "I could get this even thinner... I'd need a different mold. No, no, the problem is the shape. This is more than flexible enough... thicker is better. Yes."

Another idea struck her, and she quickly drew a rough sketch in her notebook, a male figure coated in thin synthetic fabric, more-or-less completely covered in connected plates of protective metal and plastic. He wore a metal helmet on his head with sinister bug-like red eyes embedded into it. The blonde girl pursed her lips as she worked out the details in her mind. She knew exactly what she wanted this thing to do, but she wasn't quite sure how it should look.

Many parts of her design necessitated further refinement. But she couldn't wait much longer to create her first fully functional prototype. For the time being, she decided to focus on function over form. She set up her tools and began cutting.

"Hehehe! Well done, Jessica! This is incredible! The ultimate armor, and the ultimate weapon! You're so clever, Gordon... I could kiss your handsome face right now."

Miss Planner was completely absorbed in her work. Time flew by as she continued to cut and assemble. She didn't notice the movement of the sun in the sky or the ominous gathering of storm clouds. She only saw her task before her, driven and wholly consumed by an inextinguishable desire to create. The only sound in her office was the swoosh of her sharp blade as she carved away at pieces of cloth and plastic. As she cut away the excess and trimmed the edges of her prototype, she started to think about what to name the final product.

"Hmm... maybe something like Chosen Armor?" she mused aloud. "No... Hmmm. Hmm. What else? Ah! It contains a soul... I'll call it the Soul Shell! How perfect! Perfect!"

Miss Planner stood back and admired her finished creation, a patchwork full-body suit made of synthetic fiber adorned with colorful plates of metal and plastic. It looked like something a colorblind clown would wear. And yet, it made her heart sing with joy. 

The colorful costume was massive and cumbersome, with thick belts holding everything in place. Miss Planner took the arm, leg, and head pieces off and laid them on her desk. She ran a hand down each piece and adjusted the fit. The gloves, boots, and backpack seemed a little loose.

“It won't be able to move around very well without a few adjustments. Yes... That’s it. Hehehe! Should I try it on? I can't resist!"

Miss Planner slithered out of her skirt and blouse and roughly threw them on her desk. She quickly slid open the back of the armor and forced her legs inside. Just then, her door started to open.

"Hey boss lady, I brought you some... Ugh! I'm sorry!"

One of the analysts from the research division, Gordon, barged into Miss Planner's office and froze in shock when he saw the half-naked little woman. Miss Planner shrieked and scrambled to cover herself up with her hands. Gordon clumsily averted his eyes and walked back out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind him.

"You really need to learn how to knock!" shouted Miss Planner.
"My bad," said Gordon through the door. "I'll come back later."
"No, it's okay. Just give me a minute."

Miss Planner let out a sigh of exasperation and put her office clothes back on. She stared at her masterpiece for a moment, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. With a deep breath, she gathered all the courage she could and slowly opened the door.

"What is it, Gordon? I was in the middle of something."

She was clearly annoyed, but her voice was just as cool and collected as always. Gordon nervously bit his lip and looked up at her from beneath his dark hair. There were tears in his eyes. He hesitated a bit before answering.

"Yeah... I know you haven't been getting out of the office much, so I brought you a coffee and a sandwich from the cafeteria. I was hoping we could eat together and talk about my new idea."

Miss Planner shook her head in exasperation.
"Come on in, Gordon. Make yourself comfortable."

Gordon shuffled into Miss Planner's office with his head down in embarrassment. He listlessly placed a paper bag of food on her desk and sat down.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so there's a steak sandwich with sweet sauce, a salami and pepper one with triple salami, a pulled pork, and a grilled chicken with basil."
"Hmmm... I want the steak and the salami. Thank you for lunch, Gordon."

Gordon reached his hand into the paper bag and retrieved a plate and napkin. He piled the sandwiches on the plate and passed it to Miss Planner. She picked up the fork and knife and began attacking her meal. The analyst watched as she dug into every inch of each sandwich. Her demeanor was cold and distant.

"So what's this 'new idea,' Gordon?" she asked after finishing the first sandwich. "It's important if you're coming up to see me about it, right?"

The long-haired young man sighed and nodded. His whole body trembled slightly, and he clutched his hands together tightly. Miss Planner rested her chin on the palm of one hand and waited patiently.

"First, I... want to apologize again for the intrusion."
"Think nothing of it. It's my fault too, partially. My door was unlocked. And I know it won't happen again. What did you want to tell me, Gordon?"

"Well, it's a concept that I've been thinking about since last month. I wanted to run it past you..."
"Go ahead."

"I was thinking about the Grand Temple. We could... make it open to the public. Like an attraction or something. You could go inside and have a look around. I thought maybe people would like it. I mean, we could do something similar to those religious shrines they set up in shopping malls. I think a combination of spirituality and entertainment could be pretty popular."

Miss Planner listened to Gordon's proposal intently. She tapped her fingers against the edge of the desk and pondered his words. He cleared his throat and continued.

"Tracy's website really opened my eyes to how many people are out there looking for meaning in their lives. Just going in the Temple... it's a place where it's possible to experience some really powerful mystical feelings. It doesn't matter what your personal beliefs are. Once you walk through the door, your perspective totally changes."

"The Grand Temple is sacred, Gordon," said Miss Planner. Her voice was almost hypnotic. "We can't let outsiders into the temple. That's a big no-no. For one thing, it's not safe. There's a lot of scary stuff inside of there. And it's really easy to get lost. If you went in there alone, it's entirely possible you'd never come out."

Gordon pursed his lips and considered her argument for a moment before replying.

"But... but isn't the point of the temple to bring hope and joy and happiness to everyone? Why shouldn't we share it with everybody who wants a glimpse of what's in there? We could set up tightly controlled tours and screenings."

"There's a reason the Grand Temple is closed off from the rest of the world. I'm sorry, Gordon, but every religion has its own special secrets. I don't want to scare you away, but... well, it might be best if we just respect the rules."

The depleted God Vessels and sealed God of Destruction Llamoomoo in the inner sanctum of the Grand Temple. The Choir of the Chosen whose haunting voices proudly proclaimed the coming end of human civilization. The sleeping Nameless Child, the imprisoned Taboo Sages, the Fragments of Destruction... these and countless other mysteries and miracles of the Grand Temple were hidden from mankind for good reason. Only those with the proper reverence and faith were permitted inside the Chosen Ones' holy sanctuary so as to prevent sacrilege. No one else could ever be allowed to know what was hidden within.

"Yes... yes, of course." Gordon nodded quietly. He looked down at his feet and began to fidget. His eyes darted back and forth.
Miss Planner studied the young man carefully. It was obvious that he still wasn't convinced.

"I think it's a good idea, in principle. But I don't think you understand what you're asking for."
"I'm... I'm sorry. It's not like I want to do this without permission."

Gordon clenched his hands into fists and bowed his head in shame. Miss Planner tilted her head to the side and smiled softly. She reached out and took the young man's hand gently.

"You know, Gordon... there is some precedent. We have a few temples set up in Grandebelle proper. And bringing the Ancient Race out of the Temple was a big success. I think it might be possible... to allow people who are already dedicated to the cause to go inside."

Gordon swallowed hard and looked up. He tried to smile, but his face didn't look like it was capable of it right now. Miss Planner felt her heart go out to him. She stroked his hand sweetly.

"I want to give your concept due consideration, Gordon. I'll talk to some people about it and see what they think. If everything goes well, you can go to the Temple with a research team next week and develop a more comprehensive plan."