Phantasia, about fifteen minutes earlier…

As Sumire stepped out of her vortex and back into the tatami room, she pulled a determined Jackie out with her by the hand.

“Jackie!” Katherine smiled, running up to the human girl and wrapping her arms around her. “Katherine’s so glad you’re alright!”

As Katherine let go of her, Jackie looked around the room. Sumire Shakespeare, Katherine Genet, Noh Hiraoka and Kitty Genet were staring back at her. Her allies. Her friends.

“Miss Shakespeare,” Jackie began, “before you close that teleporter, isn’t there someone you’re forgetting?”

Sumire raised an eyebrow, “That girl who was in the Unconscious Zone with you?”

Jackie nodded. “Miss Shakespeare, that’s your summoner.”

The witch stuck her head back inside the portal and snickered. “This dork?” she snorted, “That’s me?”

“Hey!” a disgruntled Maryanne called back to her kinkind.

“Yep,” Jackie confirmed, “and I think it’s time she returned back home.”

“But, what if…” Sumire mumbled, “If she’s on Earth while I’m in Phantasia, what will happen to me when she’s gone, I wonder? Will I become a regular demon rather than a kinkind?”

“Someone has to tell everyone what happened to Chloe,” Jackie sighed, putting a hand on one of the witch’s shoulders.

“Chloe?” Sumire asked, “You found her?”

Jackie’s heart sank. Sumire didn’t know… Sumire never found out Lady Kuro’s true identity.

“Yeah,” Jackie’s voice cracked, “Kuro…” she gulped, “Kuro killed her.”

Sumire hung her head in shame, reaching her hand into the portal and withdrawing Maryanne before closing the vortex. “Ok, Mary-Sue,” Sumire said, opening another portal in the corner where the previous portal had just disappeared from, “Time to go back home.”

Maryanne smiled. “It was fun being you,” she smiled to the witch.

“Likewise,” Sumire smiled back. “From this point on, we’re two distinct individuals, no matter what happens,” she explained.

“Two beings…” Maryanne muttered.

“I’m gonna miss you, Jackie,” Noh smiled.

“Noh, come on,” Jackie blushed, “don’t say that. I’m not leaving quite yet, after all!”

Katherine and Noh stared blankly at the Londoner.

“You’re not leaving with Ms. Webber?” Katherine asked.

“No,” Jackie shook her head, “I’m gonna help you guys beat Luna and save Phantasia.” Jackie paused. “But before that, can someone please give me a piece of paper? I want to write a note.”

“A note?” Sumire asked, pulling a tiny slip of paper from between her breasts, “What for?”

“None of your business,” Jackie winked, taking a pen and writing on the paper, before putting in on her couch. “Miss Shakespeare, can you send my sofa back home, now?”

“Sure thing!” Sumire smiled, enveloping the couch in a purple vortex as it was whisked away back to Jackie’s apartment.

As Maryanne stepped into the vortex and out to a random street on Earth, Sumire’s body started flickering. The witch raised her hands to her face, her skin turning paler with fear as her hands seemed to disappear before her eyes. Jackie looked over to Sumire, the English girl’s eyes widening as she realized where she had seen something like this happen earlier. Vladimir Chekhov. These were the symptoms Valdimir experienced when he entered the human realm. The symptoms he experienced right before he… Right before he died.

“Miss Shakespeare!” Jackie anxiously yelled, holding out an arm to the witch.

“The… border…” the witch coughed, spitting up another pint of blood, “Get Jackie to the…”

With a bright flash, Sumire’s body broke into glass-like shards which proceeded to disappear as they hit the tatami flooring. Without Maryanne-Susan Webber in her subconscious or in Phantasia, Sumire was but an illusion. Maybe they were the same person after all, and Sumire was but a fragment of Maryanne’s being? Jackie’s way home, her friend… Sumire Shakespeare was gone. Kitty stared at the empty air where her master was standing just a second ago and reached out to touch the blank space.

“Where’s Miss Sumire?” the younger maid asked.

“Is she…” Noh trembled, “Is she… dead?”

“Don’t say that!” Katherine cried, turning around and tightly grasping Noh by the werewolf’s shoulders. “Miss Sumire will come back!” the French maid cried, “Katherine knows she will!”

“There was something that Sumire and Kuro each told me once,” Jackie sighed, grabbing Katherine and pulling the crying girl off Noh’s body. “Demons and witches… They can’t exist in the human realm,” Jackie explained, “and if M.S. Webber’s in the human realm now… That must mean…”

“Miss Sumire…” Katherine sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes, “she ceased existing…”

Jackie grimly nodded.

“So…” Noh said, twiddling his thumbs, “Shakespeare’s last words… What was that all about?”

Katherine put her finger to her lip inquisitively. “Get Jackie to the border?” the French maid said, quoting her deceased master, “What did Miss Sumire mean…?”

A light bulb lit up above Jackie’s head, “That’s it!” the human lady exclaimed, “If Miss Shakespeare vanished when her summoner returned to the human realm, then Luna will too, right?”

Katherine, Noh and Kitty looked at Jackie blankly before each smiling at her.

“It’s worth a shot,” Noh said. “Anything to try and avenge Kabuki.”

“We’re gonna save the day like superheroes!” Kitty beamed.

“I guess our time together is nearly over?” Katherine said, walking up to Jackie and giving her a gentle hug. “Remember me when you return to Earth, ok?” she winked after giving Jackie a quick kiss on the lips.

“Uh…” Jackie stared at the nekomata, her face awestruck and bright red, “Y-Yeah, of course…” she drooled.

Katherine put one hand to her mouth and giggled softly.

 

Phantasia, the present…

“This is it…” Jackie said, standing in front of Vladimir’s guard station and determinedly staring at the borderline between Phantasia and Earth. “All I have to do is cross this border and I’ll be back home.”

“Actually, Katherine’s pretty sure that the border goes to the United States of America,” Katherine informed the human, “not Great Britain.”

“Well, that’s close enough,” Jackie said. “…Wait, why did you guys follow me?” she asked, looking to Noh and Katherine.

“We thought Luna might come for you, if she notices that you’re no longer in her subconscious… or something,” the handsome loup-garou shrugged.

“It’s fine,” Jackie smiled. “Thanks for everything, but I have to leave now.”

As Jackie was about to put her first foot over the borderline, a dark purple vortex appeared on the other side, blocking the girl’s way back to Earth. This was one of Sumire’s wormholes! …No. Sumire was dead. And even if she wasn’t, she’d have no reason now to prevent Jackie from going home. Of course, this was the work of…

“Luna Wolfe,” Jackie scowled, turning around to face her adversary.

“Really, Jackie,” Luna sighed, “you’re really helping these two defeat me, after everything they’ve put you through?”

“They’re my friends, Luna,” Jackie frowned. “And they’re your friends too.”

“Not anymore!” Luna cheered, spinning around on the spot on her tiptoes. “...What happened to Shakespeare?” the tengu growled, her face completely shifting from the faux-smile she was displaying just a second ago.

“She’s dead,” Katherine bluntly stated, her expression completely blank.

“I know that, you idiot!” Luna snarled, “How did she die? Blood loss from our last encounter?”

“M.S. Webber went to the human realm,” Jackie replied. “You had nothing to do with it. You were never strong enough to kill Sumire Shakespeare.”

“Pfft!” Luna spat. “Don’t make me laugh!” she paused. “I’ll show you…

…

……

………

I’m the strongest demon in all Phantasia!”