As the bright light died down, everyone’s eyes turned to the lake. Everything past the lake’s horizon had been enveloped in a black hole like the one on Phantasia’s borderline with the human realm. Sumire quickly glanced back at the table, finding Kuro stood atop it, the villain’s feet surrounded by shards of broken glass.

“So…” Sumire begun, “you’re ‘Lady Kuro’?”

“In the flesh,” the pirate-like witch affirmed.

Most of the party guests turned to observe the monster who was standing on the punch table, before running away in terror.

“I must say, I’m not impressed,” Sumire said, looking up at her adversary, rolling her eyes as she did so, “those underpants don’t match your thigh-highs.”

Kuro furrowed her brow angrily and grunted. “Wherefore must thee so-called ‘heroes’ at each moment acteth so juvenile?”

“I guess I’m just the comic relief,” Sumire shrugged.

“Wherefore, if ‘t be true that this wast a play, thee would beest breaking the fourth mure,” Kuro smiled.

“I guess so,” Sumire smiled, “but this isn’t a play. This is real life.”

“But would thee not sayeth that Phantasia is a fantasy?” Kuro asked, “Especially compared to thy ‘Earth’?”

Sumire froze. How did Kuro know that she was originally from the human realm? How was that possible? Was that just a lucky guess?

“Wherefore, all Phantasia’s but a stage,” the villain continued, “and all the men and women merely mine players.”

“Cut the crap,” Sumire demanded, “what do you want?”

Kuro held out her figuratively bloodstained hands and shrugged. “All I wanteth be revenge.”

“Uh, Shakepspeare…?” Noh interrupted, tapping Sumire on the shoulder, “you might want to take a look at this?”

Sumire turned her head to the lake, her eyes widening as she saw the stone fortress with two giant towers which had appeared from the giant void that was engulfing the sky.

“Ah, so thou has’t notic’d mine abode?” Kuro grinned, “Telleth me, doth thee bethink ‘t looks fancy? I art quite fond of mine dwelling, personally.” The entire top surface of the table transformed into a black hole as Kuro sank into it with a maniacal laugh. “Oh, and one more thing,” she looked to Sumire, “please telleth thy kinkind warrior that I'll beest waiting in the castle? I art looking forward to finishing this once and for all,” Kuro said, disappearing along with the tabletop portal.

“That’s the witch who’s been terrorizing Old King Hamlet?” Noh asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Sumire nodded.

“Pfft!” Noh chuckled, “She seemed like a total dork.”

Back in Sumire’s house, Katherine had set up a few targets in the tatami room.

“Ok, Jackie,” the French maid smiled, “hold the Magic Gun steadily and aim at the target.”

“I think I’ve played enough Call of Shooty to know how a gun works…” Jackie sighed, pulling the trigger with Luna’s right index finger, as a blast of magic energy shot out from the pistol’s barrel and completely missed her target.

Katherine folded her arms and flashed Jackie a cheeky smile.

“Ok, so I know how a gun works, in theory…” Jackie blushed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Katherine walked over to Jackie. “Just imagine that the gun is your hand, ok?” she smiled.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at the nekomata. “What will that do for me?” she asked.

“Well, after imagining the gun as your hand, you imagine that the targets are Katherine’s breas-”

"Nope, nope, nope, nope!” Jackie stammered, red-faced and waving her hands in front of Katherine. “I’m not doing that!”

Katherine howled with laughter like a person with a dark sense of humor viewing a stand-up comedian’s newest show.

“Jackie!” a voice called out.

Jackie and Katherine turned around to see Sumire hopping out of one of her teleports.

“I know where Kuro is!” Sumire beamed, “Let’s finish this!”

Katherine bit her lower lip and stared to the side nervously.

“B-But what about my training?” Jackie asked.

“There’s no time!” Sumire explained, “We can’t let Kuro strike again!”

Jackie sighed. “…You’re right, Miss Shakespeare. Let’s go.”

Sumire pointed to the corner of the room as another vortex opened up.

“After you!” the witch smiled, gesturing for Jackie to step into the void.

“Here goes nothing,” Jackie thought, placing Luna’s right foot carefully into the vortex and taking a deep breath. All she had to do now was defeat Kuro. As long as she had Sumire and Katherine by her side she’d be alright. Jackie closed her eyes and threw her entire tengu body into the portal. She looked back to Sumire and Katherine as the opening in the portal started shrinking. “Come on, guys! The portal’s closing!” she called out, “Hurry up!”

Katherine hung her head in shame. “You’re horrible sometimes, Miss Sumire,” she muttered.

Sumire’s eyebrows dropped solemnly as she looked towards the closing portal. “Sorry, Jackie,” she sighed, “we’re not strong enough to fight Kuro,” Sumire lamented as the vortex fully vanished.

“Woah!” a deep voice gasped, followed by a thud.

Sumire and Katherine stared down at the werewolf who had just fallen out of the vortex that Sumire had used to teleport from the forest to her tatami room.

“Noh?” Sumire asked, “What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” the handsome loup-garou groaned, spitting lint from the floor out of his mouth, “I’m here to tell Jackie that I forgive her!” Noh proclaimed, looking around. “…Where is she?”

Jackie found her surroundings fading away as they were replaced by the purple insides of Sumire Shakespeare’s wormhole, before once again changing to a dark room made of pure stone. The inside of Kuro’s castle. Jackie stood still, blinking non-stop for a few seconds as she reoriented herself within the strange new surroundings. She figured that she was in Kuro’s evil lair, although she had no clue what room she was in, nor what room Kuro or her familiars were in.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Luna…” she sighed.

“No,” a voice in the back of Jackie’s mind growled as Luna’s body flickered like the screen of a faulty pre-owned game console going through a tough boot up, “it’s just me.”

Luna wasn’t going to let her wimpy, nerdy human summoner hold her back any longer. She was ready to kick ass and take names. She was ready to become the most-loved demon is all Phantasia. And most of all… She was ready to defeat Lady Kuro. Luna’s wolf ears twitched as she heard a loud clunk.

“Well, well, well…” Kuro’s voice echoed as the giant wooden door that faced Luna slowly lifted up, revealing the bridge between the tower she was currently in and its paralleling spire, “I has’t been waiting for thee…

…

Luna Wolfe.”