“Luna…” Jackie pondered.

Jackie’s mind wandered back to when she first summoned Luna. That was how her second day in Phantasia began. Sumire had humiliated her with a pair of tight, red athletic bloomers before disappearing and leaving Katherine and Kitty to show the human how to channel Luna. Predictably, Kitty wasn’t of much help, but Katherine’s advice was precise and accurate, although looking back on it knowing that the nekomata was a kinkind herself, Jackie didn’t find that too surprising in retrospect. When Jackie first took the form of Luna... Who was really the one in control? At the time, Jackie felt as if she was just wearing a costume, but maybe Luna was in control of her body the whole time? As far as Jackie could tell, there was no way to know for sure. When was the earliest moment that she could recall not being able to control Luna? Jackie couldn’t quite recall at first, although Noh’s heartbroken screams from the screen as the werewolf’s cycloptic boyfriend’s corpse lay in his arms soon reminded her. Noh Hiraoka. It was after saving him from Excalibur that Jackie first felt as if she wasn’t fully in control of the tengu’s actions. Jackie had met Noh outside Kabuki’s house, although the Londoner couldn’t recall why she was in Old King Hamlet at that moment. Something about “getting a feel of how it was to be Luna” or something? Although Jackie hadn’t picked up on it at the time, Noh was definitely hitting on her in hindsight. If only Jackie had known, she could’ve let him down easily rather than betraying him later… Although perhaps Luna would’ve theoretically taken over at that point, rather than taking over Jackie’s mind when the kinkind warrior tried to leave the party…? If Luna HAD taken over at that point, the ensuing battle with Excalibur would’ve probably ended very differently. Luna would have probably killed him right then and there, rather than on the castle bridge about half-an-hour ago. Instead, Excalibur retreated when he was confronted by Marissa Keane. She seemed like a friendly yet badass cowgirl. Jackie wished she had gotten to know the minotaur better. All she could really remember about Marissa aside from that she was really attractive was Kuro presenting the cowgirl’s decapitated head.

Death. Misery. Everywhere Jackie went, they followed. Was that all Sumire’s fault too? Was it all Jackie’s fault? Perhaps Luna was the one to blame? Jackie was unsure, but she supposed it didn’t matter now that she was in the Unconscious Zone for all eternity. She couldn’t cause any more harm to befall anyone from in there. Maybe losing control of her body was a good thing? She never had to be responsible for any pain she caused another person to have. “No,” Jackie thought, “I am responsible. I should have never agreed to help Miss Shakespeare! I never should’ve agreed to become a kinkind warrior!” All the pain Jackie caused… The most vivid of her wrongdoings in her memory was betraying Noh. After Luna attended his party, the two wolves left to grab drinks together. To go on a date together. To sleep together. Jackie still wasn’t sure what Noh meant when he said they’d slept together. Did he simply mean that they went to his house and collapsed on his bed? Given Noh’s somewhat innocent, simple-minded personality, Jackie didn’t doubt that he did simply mean that they had slept on the same bed. Although she definitely couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was alluding to them making love either. Whatever the case, she recalled waking up that afternoon with an almost-naked Noh sleeping on top of her, using her breasts like pillows. That was how the present day had started. She absconded without telling Noh what had happened. What was she thinking?! She could’ve avoided the misunderstanding with Kabuki if she had just told Noh the truth there and then! Jackie sighed. “I just can’t do anything right,” she thought. After Kabuki and Vladimir chewed her out for sleeping with Noh, Jackie returned to Sumire’s house to take flying lessons from Katherine. Even though she was scared of being so high up, she felt a sense of comfort from being with Katherine. Was this what being in-love felt like?

Jackie realized, as she thought back to her flying lesson, that she had never been in a relationship before. Although she supposed, being a bit of a geek, that she only had a very niche sexual appeal. Adding on top of that the fact that, statistically speaking, anyone she was even remotely attracted to was more likely to be straight rather than a fellow lesbian. Maybe Katherine was “the one”? But if Katherine returned with her to the human realm, she’d probably turn into Jun. That could be awkward. Was Jackie attracted to Katherine for her looks? Her personality? Both? The human girl certainly didn’t find Jun attractive, but maybe his personality was the same as Katherine’s? She seemed to be able to change back whenever she wanted, so that could easily be the case. Perhaps that was why Katherine always referred to herself in the third person? Maybe it wasn’t Katherine speaking? Was it Jun? Was he referring to Katherine as a different entity? And if so, were they really two different people? Two beings? Not two beings? If Jun left Phantasia to be with Jackie, would she be ok with forming a relationship with him? They could always just remain friends, right? Jackie didn’t have to leave Katherine did she? Although, if she had to choose between either Katherine or returning home, Jackie would pick Earth in a heartbeat. Maybe she could get Katherine’s phone number? Would she be able to call her from outside Phantasia? Jackie shook her head. No use getting worked up over hypothetical scenarios like that. She was never getting her body back anyway. There was no way she could return, neither to her home on Earth nor to Katherine’s loving embrace.

Tears poured from Jackie’s eyes, lifting away from her face and floating aimlessly in the void around her.

“Jackie,” Maryanne piped up, “don’t cry!”

“B-But,” Jackie whimpered, “we’re trapped here! Forever!”

“It’s ok,” Maryanne smiled, lifting her dress slightly as tens of books poured out from below the garment, “I’ve got all my books here! They’re your favorites, right? You can read and reread them for eternity when I’m gone!”

Jackie mumbled something beneath her breath.

“Whaddid you say?” Maryanne smiled.

“I said that I hate your books,” Jackie grunted through gritted teeth. “I hate your books, I hate Phantasia, I hate kinkind and what I really hate…”

Jackie and Maryanne stared at the screen as Luna loomed menacingly over Sumire’s body.

“…Is you.”

As the maidens watched the screen, they saw Sumire Shakespeare sink into the floor through one of her purple vortexes.

“See?! You abandoned me! Again!” Jackie cried.

“T-That’s not me,” Maryanne tried to explain, “T-That’s S-Sumire Sh-Shakespeare!”

“I don’t care,” Jackie shrieked, looking back to the screen, “Look, I know that I said this wasn’t your fault, earlier, but…”

Jackie stared blankly at the screen. Luna was all alone in that dark room. Jackie was all alone in that dark void. Maybe the two really were the same? Alone, in the dark, and surrounded by death and destruction.

Jackie flashed back to when she first noticed the Unconscious Zone. It was at Noh’s second party. She’d decided to tell Noh and Kabuki what was really going on. On her way into the forest where the party was once again being held, she ran into one of Kuro’s familiars. Rusalka Dvořák. Jackie had met her summoner, the cashier from Ye Olde Corner Shoppe, in the Unconscious Zone, before Luna killed her along with her summoner. Jackie didn’t even ask the cashier for her name. If Jackie returned to Earth, she wouldn’t have a name to give to anyone who might be looking for the woman. Maybe she’d show up on a “missing person” poster alongside Jackie and Arthur? The Londoner supposed that was quite likely. That battle… That was when Jackie and Luna’s relationship with Kabuki and Noh really went downhill. She ruined Noh’s party. She drove him and Kabuki apart. She ran away rather than facing the consequences of her actions. The fact that Noh had told her to leave didn’t matter to Jackie. The way she saw it now, she had run away like a coward. She left Noh all by himself at a party he likely threw for her in the first place. Jackie felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. That first trip to the Unconscious Zone… That was when she realized she was no longer in control. That was when she tried to go back home which led to her first encounter with Lady Kuro. When she saw Vladimir die right before her eyes. When she found out Marissa was dead... That Kabuki had joined the bad guys which led to her once again fleeing. The fact that Vladimir had told her to leave didn’t matter to Jackie. The way she saw it now, she had run away like a coward. She left Kabuki to leave with Kuro to the villain’s fortress. When Kuro used her powers to block off the border, to block off Jackie’s way back home, she asked Sumire to take her back. That was when she found out about mary sues. About how Luna would permanently take over her body and mind. About how she’d have to fight Kuro if she wanted to go back home. Jackie wondered if Kuro’s black holes disappeared when the pirate-like witch died. Perhaps the border was clear again? Jackie shook her head. “What does it matter?!” she thought, “I’m stuck here forever.” Kuro. Jackie had stormed the pirate’s fortress all by herself… No, that wasn’t it. LUNA had stormed the fortress, Jackie merely bared witness as the tengu slaughtered Excalibur. Slaughtered her best-friend Arthur. Slaughtered Kuro. All but slaughtered Sumire. Slaughtered Kabuki.

Jackie stared down at her body. Still covered in blood. Her blood. Rusalka’s blood. All blood claimed in Luna’s name. Jackie curled up into a fetal position as more tears poured from her eyes before floating in the void around her. Maryanne reached her hand out and stroked the young woman’s brown hair.

“Go away,” Jackie’s voice broke.

Maryanne turned back around in order to float off in another direction, her eyes widening as she saw a familiar purple vortex appear in front of her.

“I hope this works,” a voice from within the portal muttered, causing Jackie to turn around, “I’ve never tried taking something from the Unconscious Zone before…”

“M-Miss S-Sh-Shakespeare…” Jackie asked as the purple-and-black-clad witch stepped into the Unconscious Zone.

“Sorry about all this,” Sumire sighed before her face completely lit up, “but whatever! You defeated Kuro! Let’s take you back home!”

“B-But what about L-Luna?” Jackie asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“Hmph,” Sumire chuckled, “I knew you’d say that. You’re not gonna leave us without making sure Phantasia’s safe, are you?”

All of the selfish thoughts Jackie had when recalling her adventure seemed to vanish, as she remembered what she had really been fighting for this whole time. Not for her own safety and return to Earth. For Sumire. For Katherine. For Phantasia. For peace. Jackie shook her head.

“Miss Shakespeare,” she began, “let’s save this world one last time.”