We all watched as the goddess Amaterasu walked around the side of her haiden. She was wearing a pure white kimono with red trim and golden flowers. She also had a small magatama around her neck that was constantly changing colors. I’ve only ever heard about her from some of Starlight’s guild members, yet her appearance seemed vaguely familiar to me.

Kei, Nina, and I started to kneel, but the goddess stopped us. “It is alright. You are all guests in my home, and with quite the unique situation at that.”

“As you wish, goddess,” Kei answered.

Amaterasu turned to me next. “Sylvia. We meet again.”

I tilted my head in confusion. “ I don’t think we’ve met before, miss goddess.”

The goddess smiled. “I suppose we haven’t. It sounds like you and your friends have come to a disagreement. Do you know what that’s about?”

“Um, about me, I think?” I replied. “Um, I’m from this world, right, miss goddess?”

“Is that what you believe, my child?” Amaterasu asked.

“Yeah! Or, I did. But now I’m not so sure...”

“And what do your friends believe?” She asked.

“Big sis says that I’m from here, but Miss Kei says I should go with Alec and Karyl, so I don’t really know what to do…”

“You need to do what feels right, my child. I believe I have a grasp on the situation now. If I may?” She asked, gesturing to my group of friends. I nodded in affirmation.

“The memory issues you all have been arguing about likely stem from the merging of Sylvia and Nina’s soul.”

Kayrl frowned. “I’m not really following…”

“The players of Soulseeker Online are connected to this world by manifesting a piece of their soul as a guide,” the goddess explained. “The magic in these lands reconstructs these fragments into living beings; people that take on the personalities of their creators.”

“However,” she continued. “This is the first time a fragment and its original owner have been in the same world. Two entities that are sharing the same soul, and quite unequally at that.”

“Isn’t that what happens when players make alternate characters?” Karyl asked.

“Correct. However, the fragment is shared equally between all its inhabitants in Haredo,” Amaterasu answered. “That is why the bonds between alternate characters are usually familial in nature.”

“But Nina and Syl are currently sharing unequally…” Alec stated.

“That is correct, my child. When Nina’s spell ended, Sylvia’s soul was free to share with Nina’s according to the rules of our universe. In order to do so, this world corrected itself, carving out a place where Sylvia fits in.”

Karyl chimed in, “And if she has a place here, that means she doesn’t have a place in our world,” Karyl looked like she couldn’t believe what she was saying. “That’s why she doesn’t remember me. Even if we’ve spent our whole lives together. That’s so cruel…”

The goddess sympathized, “My apologies, Karyl. With the anti-cheat system in the way, there is little I can do without having people bear their souls to me in this shrine.”

“Then, where does Sylvia belong now?” Nina asked quietly. It looked like she was having difficulty coming to terms with all this.

The goddess answered vaguely, “That depends.”

My sister’s tail twitched in annoyance. “Depends on what?” 

“That depends on Sylvia.”

All eyes turned to me, and I reflexively took a step back. Nina and Kei were on my left, and Karyl and Alec stood on the right. I could practically feel the weight of everybody’s worried expressions bearing down on me.

“O-On me?” I repeated.

“Yes. There are two roads ahead of you, and the one you decide to take will determine what happens next.”

“Wait, I-”

Amaterasu continued, “To put it bluntly, your previous form has… passed.”

Alec looked stunned. “No… so that means I’m also… ”

“I’m sorry, both of you,” the goddess consoled. “That does not mean you cannot return to your world, however. I can send you back, but I cannot return you to your original forms. You’d have to return as you are now, albeit in human form.”

“But they both look like middle schoolers,” Karyl protested. “You can’t like, age them up or anything? How are we going to explain this to their parents?”

“Just as this world adapts to its unexplained beings, so too will yours. It will be as if their original forms never existed at all.”

“No!” Karyl shouted suddenly. “That means I’ll forget about them, right!? I don’t want that! Whatever they have to do to go back, do it to me too!”

“You have a brave soul, Karyl.” Amaterasu soothed. “Unfortunately, you came to this world the same way Sylvia did, which means you must face the same decision as her. You also house a fragment of your soul in our world and thus are likely to face many of the same problems Sylvia has. If you or Sylvia wish to return, I will need to take a large portion of your current memories before it is too late to restore them.”

“You can restore them?” Alec said. “Then, couldn’t you fix everything right now?”

Amaterasu shook her head. “Only in theory. The merging of souls is not something that is easily undone, no matter how far it has progressed. If I were to find a way to separate them, I may be able to. I do not know how long that might take me.”

“I don’t have a piece of my soul here,” Alec thought out loud. “What does that mean for me?”

The goddess thought for a moment. “If you were to return, I would advise you to also leave your memories with me. We do not want to risk another ‘correction’ by your world. Judging from your current bonds, I believe being in the same situation as your friends would increase the chance that the three of you meet in this new reality.”

Alec bit his lower lip as he pondered his options. The sudden calm gave Nina a chance to ask the next question. “What about Kei and I? Will we lose our memories too?”

“I believe I can prevent your minds from further changes as long as you stay under my protection. I planned to offer you and Kei work at the shrine here for this reason, regardless of the choice Sylvia makes.”

“Then, couldn’t we all just stay here?” I suggested.

“Sorry, Syl. I think I want to go back,” Karyl said. “There’s still things back home that I still want to do. I think living here would be fun, but I’d never forgive myself for walking away from my goals, you know?”

“Me too,” Alec agreed. “Even if we don’t remember it, or our goals change, I still want to make a positive impact on the people and communities that are important to me.”

Amaterasu turned back to me. “That is your first choice. You may return to the other world, and your memories will be altered accordingly. You will likely forget about your former friends, but I have no doubt you all will meet again if that is what you all truly desire.”

Making an impact, huh? Was there something like that I wanted to do? 

I didn’t have time to continue processing as the goddess continued her explanation. “Option two is that you remain here. You will see off Alec and Karyl as planned, but you would need to stay under my protection until I can deal with the anti-cheat system. You would join Nina and Kei in helping around the shrine. Once I’ve untangled your memories and your soul, you’d be free to return to Tanbomachi with your sister. Or, if you wish, I could send you back to the other world then.”

Kei interrupted, “Don’t get me wrong Syl, I like you. But wouldn’t choosing option two cut you off from Karyl and Alec?”

“They are always welcome to visit,” Amaterasu corrected. “And that goes both ways. There is no doubt in my mind that Nina and Kei will make sure that they get to meet you all again. As soon as Nina makes that spell of hers a little less dangerous, you can visit when I solve these soul-merging issues that have caused you all much grief.”

“So it’s not a hard cutoff either way,” Karyl mused. “Either Alec and I can visit Sylvia sometime in the future, or Sylvia can visit her family here if she comes back with us.”

“So it doesn’t really matter?” I asked.

“No, it matters!” Nina countered swiftly. “No matter what you choose, you’re temporarily cutting off half the people here for part of your life.”

“So I suppose it comes down to who you want to grow up with,” Kei said. “Nina’s a pretty strict tutor, you know. Maybe the teachers in your original world are nicer? Either way, I’ll respect your decision.”

“Whose side are you on, Kei?” Nina glared at the elf angrily, but there was a slight smile tugging at her lips. “I really don’t want you to leave, little sis. I know I shouldn’t be pressuring you, and it’ll only be temporary, but I want to be there while you grow up. I want to see you blossom into the amazing woman I know you’ll be. It’s selfish, I know, but please stay here.”

It was Karyl who spoke to me next. “Please come back home with us, Sylvie. There’s so many things I want to do with you! We can have slumber parties and go shopping together again but with the real you this time! We’ve been through so much together, and I really don’t want to just let you go, so, please? I want to be your best friend again, for real this time.”

Alec took my hand and looked me straight in the eye. “I don’t know what you remember Sylvie, but I’ll treasure the memories I made with you this past week forever. As much as I want you to come back with me, I’ll respect your decision either way. But whatever you choose, I’ll find you again, I swear.”

I stared at everyone in disbelief. The four closest people to me had all just given heartfelt speeches about what I meant to them. I must have been very close with Karyl and Alec to make them say what they did. I shifted back and forth, physically leaning as I pondered which option to take. Clear your mind...

“Think carefully, Sylvia,” Amaterasu warned. “You’re about to decide your future, after all.”

Okay. Deep breaths Sylvie. Deep breaths. What do I want to accomplish? Who do I want to be?

“O-okay,” I said at last. “I… I want to-”