In the early morning, in the main art studio of Dezigners, a variety of posters all appeared to be dyed a deep blue regardless of the pigments that were used on them. Allen was currently working on a poster for an upcoming event called the Summer Sun Mirror Festival and was looking for inspiration while gazing around the room at other people’s posters. What eventually caught his eye was none of them, but a realization that the blue light that seemed to dye the posters did not come from the windows but the walls themselves. The walls were painted a luxurious and vibrant blue that mirrored an early morning sky. The way the painting used color to appear almost luminescent compelled him.

That gave Allen an idea.

He proceeded to spend a lengthy amount of time on his poster using colored pens past a point that was feasible for a single poster. Eventually, as more and more people left, the sun had reached its zenith in the sky and nearly everyone except Allen had finished for the day.

“Hmm, almost done now…” The dried-up colored pen scraping against the poster snapped him out of his trance. He checked all the rest and saw they were dried up as well. He breathed a sigh and looked at what he had done so far.

The scene depicted on the poster was that of a shadowy, ebon wolf devouring a blazing sun amidst an azure sky. It drew from the events of the previous night. Allen highlighted the color of the rising sun and morning sky through a sharp contrast with the inky blackness of the Warg’s figure. It made each part more striking in comparison.

‘Just need a little more to fill in that sun…” Allen could tell without looking around how empty the room was.

‘Well, Leonardo Da Vinci took over a decade to paint the Mona Lisa’s lips.’

He proceeded to head to where supplies were stored for more pens, but caught a glimpse of someone else in the studio. A young woman with long, curly blue hair wearing a colorful crop top and shorts, a sapphire jacket wrapped around her waist like a makeshift skirt. She was so absorbed in her work that she was unaware she was running out of pigments for the oil painting she was working on.

‘Hmm..’

“Here.” Allen said as held out some paint tubes to the fellow artist. In response, she tilted her head back oddly to look at him with piercing sea-green irises, her long hair drooping even closer to the ground. He set the paint tubes down on her stand, unfazed. Owlette’s head-spinning trick had done well to prepare Allen for something like this.

He got a good look at the woman’s upside-down face. She had an olive complexion and ear piercings with a tie-dye bandana covering her lower face. Her dark mascara-lined eyes shifted slowly to where he placed the paint tubes. “Ah, I didn’t realize I was almost out. I appreciate the favor…”

“It’s Allen.”

“Oh, I’m Xalia.” She tilted her head back forward and looked at him normally. “Never noticed you around before, you’re not some kind of specter are you?”

“Huh?!”

She lowered her bandana to reveal a large mischievous grin spread out on her face. Her lips had ring piercings on them as well. “Sheesh, you should see your face right now my man. I’m just joking. Who believes in ghosts anyway?” Xalia pulled her bandana back up and proceeded to evenly disperse the paint tubes onto her pallet. She quickly glanced behind him.

“So, that’s what you’re working on, looks wicked. A wolf devouring the sun is a bold move for a festival celebrating it, dontcha ya think?”

Allen could not tell if she was praising him or mocking him.

“Yeah, but it sort of just came to me.”

“I understand. The inspiration for my art is like that as well.” Xalia turned to her painting again and Allen observed it keenly. It looked like a random splattering of blues, greens, and oranges.

“Hope you don’t take offense, but what exactly is this supposed to be? Abstract art?”

“You must be playing me if you can’t tell, man. This is obviously the sun’s light reflecting off the surface of a murky swamp.”

“Uhh, I think I can see it now.” Allen stated while rubbing the back of his head.

“Damn, you’re gullible.” Xalia snickered to herself and kept on painting. This struck a nerve for Allen.

“What’s the point of creating art for the Summer Sun Festival if no one can tell what the hell it is?”

“Not creating this for the Summer Sun Festival. It’s for my personal collection.”

“Why-’

“And I’ll be lending it out for people to hang from the balconies during the festival.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Everything. My art is always for myself first and everyone else second. I didn’t come here to follow some cookie-cutter template just to make a quick buck.” Her attention never left her canvas for a second.

“Roger. For me, art is just a path to success. If I have to follow some ‘cookie-cutter template’ to do so, then that’s fine by me.” He responded nonchalantly.

“Hmm, I wonder how that’s going to turn out.”

Allen could almost hear her grin from underneath the cloth covering her face.

‘I know this is bait, but I have to ask.’

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t come to Atelier City to not be successful. Aside from becoming an assembly line artist that can produce exactly what is asked of them, there are two other types of artists that Atelier City’s benefactors are looking for.”

“And what are those?”

“One, an artist with a charismatic personality and large following to draw in publicity for any work they have their hand in, and two…” Xalia gestured to the walls all around them.

“An artist with a distinct creativity that can spark the imagination of others around them.”

Allen viewed her skeptically until it dawned on him and his eyes widened.

“These inspirationally blue walls were my contribution to the Summer Sun Festival.”

“I guess you are the real deal then.” Allen admitted with a humbled grin.

Xalia looked back at him with a hunched-over gaze filled with mirth. “Enough about me. Just what type of artist are you trying to be, Allen Lee?”

***

At the edge of a spacious lobby of a prestigious museum, two young adults could be seen on a pair of benches pressed against the wide, ivory walls of the establishment. One sat straight up with perfect posture, a man with sleek-black hair that wore yellow gloves and goggles. On the bench beside him, the woman wearing a purple-lined tracksuit lay spread out while listening to loud music.

“What’s taking him so long?” Nera lamented in annoyance.

“He said his shift would not end until a few minutes ago. To be direct, I think he probably overestimated how fast he could travel here within that time.”

“So, you’re saying it’s his fault for giving us false expectations?”

“Well, not exactly. I’m not sure how to put it.”

Before Iyo could attempt to excuse Allen’s absence any longer, that person came rushing in himself. His breathing was a bit ragged from the hurry he had been in.

“....huff..Sorry…this place is a lot farther than I thought and the sidewalks were packed with people.”

“Save it for later.” Nera curled up forward on the bench. “Let’s just get down to business.”

“Roger.” Allen grinned, eager to start their next job. It was only the next day and they had already stumbled upon another curious occurrence. “This should be rather easy. All we need to do is look around for any clues of a Specter lurking about, corner it, and then payday!”

Iyo tilted his head to the side. “What makes you think it’ll be that easy? I’m even more new to this specter hunting business than you two and it is likely that a Specter is being controlled to commit like at the construction site, but I don’t see why one would be here, right in the open.”

“He has a point.” Nera chimed in. “Just because you read in the news that there have been five incidents of museums finding counterfeits in their collection without a trace of any break-in, how can you be sure that this Specter will be at this one in particular at this time? ”

“Well, to start with…” Allen sat down beside Iyo and leaned against the back of the bench. “...the counterfeits were all from exhibits that are normally closed to the public most of the time.”

“...And this one currently has some special Viking exhibit open today.” Nera’s tone lightened as the realization dawned on her. “Not only that, I overhead from people walking around that it’s only going to be open for one day before it’s closed again for who knows how long.”

Allen nodded. “Exactly, I suspect that however they’re getting through security, the method isn’t great enough to get them through a sealed vault. That’s why today, while the museum’s open, is the only time they’ll have access to what they’re trying to steal.”

“I see. That still doesn’t explain why this museum would be the next location and what makes you think they haven’t already swapped an art piece out for a counterfeit already.” Iyo pondered.

“That part’s easy. After one counterfeit was discovered, the other four were found just two days later. Whatever way the first detected the fake, they must have spread it all around.” Allen said as he pulled out his smartphone and opened up a website to show Iyo and Nera. This site was covered in bright colors and fanfare. The two quickly saw from the assortment of museum photos stacked on top of each other that it was a ranking list of different museums in Atelier City.

“And as you can see, in terms of popularity, this place is right under all the rest that were stolen from. It’s likely they would’ve been told as well and they haven’t reported anything about a counterfeit. At the same time, they’re likely the next victim.”

“Except, we’re going to catch that monster before that happens.” Nera sat up fully. Now that she was convinced of Allen’s inference, she was eager to resolve this situation with her own hands.

“I agree. I can’t stomach allowing another person’s hard work to get taken away.” Iyo affirmed.

“Likewise.” This agreement sprung forth naturally from Allen.

With that settled, their job had officially begun. Not wasting a second, Nera pulled her Dream Reflector, a violet mirror, out and spun it around in her hand.

“There’s a chance this is like the Warg incident and one of the employees had a run-in with this Specter that left a deep impression on them. Let’s try the mirror out on some of them first.”

Under the guise of the mirror being from the gift shop and looking for the exhibit it was based on, they checked the Dreams of a lobby attendant, security guard, and janitor but saw nothing resembling a monster.

Eventually, they even went to the gift shop to look for clues. Behind the counter stood a woman bearing blonde hair and light brown eyes wearing a button-up beige shirt with long sleeves.

“Hey.” Nera started just like all the times before.”Do you know where we can find this store item’s exhibit? We’re mega interested in checking it out.”

The shop clerk’s eyes betrayed her confusion. “I’m sorry, but our store has no item like that.”

‘Oh crap, we should’ve changed our story when talking to someone running the gift shop itself.’

“...Uhh, she’s kind of confused. She meant to say that she got it from another museum and wants to know if you have an exhibit that reminds you of this mirror.” Allen rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.”

“What? …Oh yeah, that’s right?” Nera agreed haphazardly.

“Then, why didn’t you just go see the one at the museum you got it from?” The clerk’s voice grew suspicious and she reached under the counter for something. “I think I’ll call my supervisor and see if they can clear up your confusion-”

“To be direct, they’re both too nervous to admit that they want to show you the mirror because you work at this museum and they hope you can give them some clues by looking at it,” Iyo interjected.

“Hey, why did you go and say all that?” Allen blurted out. He could tell Iyo was probably a rather honest person but this exceeded his expectations by a wide margin. Before Nera could give Iyo an earful herself, the clerk spoke up.

“I see. I think I know what’s going on here now… You both bought an expensive trinket without knowing what it was and don’t want anyone to know about your blunder!” The clerk proclaimed before letting out a light and jovial laugh.

“Yeah, that’s what it was. I guess we had to tell the truth eventually.” Allen replied sheepishly.

The clerk sighed wistfully. “Yes, whether you want to or not.”

“Hmm?”

“Anyway, about the mirror. It looks like it might have some connection to Nordic countries with its runes. I’m not an expert so I can’t be sure, but I hope that helps!”

Allen exchanged a look at Nera to confirm that the clerk had gotten a good look at the mirror.

“Yeah, that should definitely help.”

***

The image that Allen drew from the mirror showed an upside house that looked like it crashed into the middle of a grassy field. This image did not appear to depict any kind of Specter. After trying out their first plan, they decided to move on to staking out the spot where they believed the Specter would appear to steal a painting, the Viking exhibit.

However, as they walked down the hallway to their next destination, Iyo spotted something peculiar.

“Wait, is that the image you just drew?” Iyo questioned Allen.

“Huh, you’re right. Why would that be there?”

Curious, Allen reached out a hand to it and sensed mana emanating from the art piece. It felt familiar. It held a similar feeling to the passageway he and Nera uses to traverse back and forth from the Luminiere District, the Underworld section of Atelier City.

He quickly relayed this information to his two partners.

“I guess we should go through it and check it out,” Nera suggested. She shrugged. Allen could tell by now that Nera was confident she could deal with anything they might encounter.

Allen puzzled it over. “It probably is connected to the Specter we’re looking for but where will it lead?”

“Probably an Expanse, some Wraith can manifest gateways like this that send people to isolated locations just like the ones of the Luminiere District. I think we should give it a look.”

‘Hmm, that’s how the Luminiere works, huh? Just where does that send people then? Time’s of the essence, so I’ll save that question for later.’

Allen nodded. “Alright then! I figure Iyo could get through the barrier on his own but both of you grab onto my shoulders just in case. We’re heading in.”

After making that announcement, the three pressed their hands against the surface of the mural until eventually all resistance they were met with disappeared, and darkness enveloped them for a brief instance.

When light returned to their vision, they found themselves in a small wooden room barren of any furnishings. They looked around in bewilderment before walking out through an empty doorway they saw in front of them. The rest of the building seemed heavily damaged while feeling strangely off at the same time. The first room had not been an exception, none of the rooms had doors to them.

It did not take long for them to find stairs that led to the bottom floor of the building. All throughout the area, they saw no sign that any living being resided there. It was completely empty, devoid of even dust.

Spotting nothing of note, they walked outside the first exit they found. They were met with the sight of a wide grassy plain filled with a circular line of tiny cottages.

“This isn’t quite what I was expecting for a monster’s lair. It’s a bit too quaint, right?”

“That’s putting it lightly. If I didn’t know any better, I would think we’re at some kind of amusement park attraction and we’re all going to be treated to a song and dance.” Nera joked.

As if on cue, people started gradually filing out of the miniature abodes wearing clothing that would not be out of place for a period piece set in 1800’s Europe. These individuals ranged from people as young as them to even wizened elders.

“I wasn’t expecting that…What?” Nera said. She looked more confused by her own words than by the people approaching them.

“What are you all doing here?” Iyo asked.

“We’re called the Munchkins and have been living here for several months now. Who are you?” A middle-aged man with a tranquil voice was the one to answer Iyo while offering up an inquiry of his own.

‘Probably best to not reveal all our cards from the start. I’ll just say we work for the museum and stumbled in here by accident.’

“We’re a group of specter hunters and we’re looking for a Specter we think is going to steal something from the museum.” Allen’s eyes widened as heard the unexpected words that came from his mouth.

“Huh?! I wasn’t trying to say that at all!”

Nera exhaled sharply and clenched her fist. “So, it isn’t just me. I was going to joke about expecting these guys to show up just now. It’s like a voice-over is replacing our words like a good dub. …Wait, a great dub. Dammit! I want to say this is bad!”

As Allen observed her, he saw that there was no discrepancy between her speech and the movement of her lips. Whatever was happening, seemed to be affecting more than just what they heard.

“What’s going on? We can say some stuff but other things get completely overwritten.” Allen clutched his head with an exasperated sigh. “This is giving me a feeling of mild annoyance. Hold on, I wanted to say headach-ah, nevermind.”

“Why are you here?” Iyo continued on with his line of questioning while ignoring Allen and Nera. “I’m also curious what is having that effect on those two.”

“I’m not sure if it would be in our best interests to answer that first thing, but what’s going on with your friends is that no one can lie inside this place.

Allen’s brow furrowed. “That explains why Iyo didn’t seem to be affected. He’s honest to a fault.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Nera agreed before turning her attention to the so-called Munchkins.”However, there’s such a thing as a lie by omission. We’re here to help, so go ahead and tell us why you’re here.”

The older man’s face looked troubled as he replied. “I would, but that is very sensitive information…”

“C’mon, I’m not sure what’s keeping you here, but I have a feeling it can’t be any good. Trust me, no matter who or what is threatening you, I will do my best to beat them.” Her violet eyes beamed with a genuineness that would have let them know the truth in her words regardless of the situation.

With some reluctance, the villager opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it in surprise. Allen, Nera, and Iyo turned around to see the cause. There, in the same entrance they had come from, was a young woman with long blue hair and piercings wearing a black tanktop and a jacket around her waist like a skirt.

“Yo, Allen Lee. I didn’t expect to see you here.” She raised her hand in a nonchalant greeting.

“You?! I thought you were weird before but this blows that out of the water. Did you follow me here?” Allen bluntly called out.

“Sheesh, that stings even harder with the whole truth serum effect this place has. I can tell you really mean those words.” Xalia stated while walking past him and toward the villagers.

“Hey Samuel,” Xalia greeted the middle-aged man that acted as a representative for the village.”Here’s something nice that’s sure to make your flowers stay in good health.

She pulled a green vial from a gray pouch she had wrapped around her waist and handed to him while receiving a simple nod in return.

“Hey, don’t just ignore me. What’s going on here?”

Xalia paid Allen no heed as she went to several other villagers to hand them other mysterious vials.

“Evening Gertrude, this should make your house’s interior really pop. Oh, Melissa and Dennis, this one has an enchanting fragrance you both are sure to enjoy.”

She eventually turned back to the three of them. “You asked why I’m here, right? Well, I’m just here to sell my wares to my loyal patrons. I’ve been coming here for a while. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Hold on, do you really expect me to believe that…I guess have no choice.” Allen finally relented. Nera then walked in front of him with her arms folded.

“Regardless of where you two first met, could you at least fill us in?”

“Hmm, sure. It’s rather simple actually, but I think we should discuss this somewhere over there.” Xalia pointed to a cottage about a dozen meters away.

Allen and Nera were about to protest but Iyo urged them to go along with it. The four found themselves standing behind the small wooden lodging.

“So what did you drag us all the way over here to tell us?”

“Just look over there, you should get some answers from that, Allen.” Xalia’s gaze could be followed to back where they just met. Winds started to gather while picking up stray blades of grass and dust until a great whirlwind sprung into existence. In an instant, it vanished to reveal something even more unsettling.

“That’s…”

“The boss of this Expanse.” Xalia finished Allen’s sentence. This Wraith possessed a roughly humanoid figure with its entire body wrapped in brown and white cloth like a mummy. Its arms were draped with sleeves that resembled burlap sacks and its eyes and mouth were stitched shut like a voodoo doll. Adorning the top of its head was a large brown witch’s hat while its most eye-catching feature were two long silvery boots that appeared melded to its form.

One could mistake it for a human that had undergone extensive body modification if it was not over three meters tall.

The monster held what looked like a painting in one arm and walked up to the group of villagers. Hurriedly, they urged one of them to rush into a cottage, promptly retrieve a seemingly identical painting, and hand it to the Wraith.

“So, this is what they’ve been up to this whole time,” Xalia commented dryly.

“What? I thought you were a part of this whole operation. What was that about them being your patrons?”

Xalia shrugged. “I just stumbled onto this place by chance a few weeks ago. I have a knack for sensing magic and these saps were gullible enough to trust me just because I couldn’t lie to them. There are many more ways to deceive someone than that.”

“That’s just another way to say you’ve been profiting off these people while not even trying to figure out their situation or how to help.”

“Hey, it’s a fair trade. I give them some concoctions I whip up, and they give me valuable compensation. Plus, it’s not like it’s my job to protect anyone.”

Allen sighed. “Yeah, but it is ours. Nera. Iyo. Let’s hurry up and confront that monster before it leaves…”

He slowly realized that Nera was no longer standing beside him.

“She’s way ahead of you,” Iyo informed.

That answer came much too late. Allen could see with his own eyes that Nera stood alone against the Specter.

“Enough of all this. I’m putting an end to this farce right now.” She crossed her arms and snapped her fingers to summon her gauntlets over her hands. At the same time, Allen and Iyo quickly rushed to her side to give support.

However, nothing they could have done mattered. With a click of its boots, a whirlwind erupted from the Wraith and sent all three flying back.

Allen ended up crashing into the side of the same cottage they had hidden behind.

“You really aren’t going to help, are you even Crafter?! It would be really disappointing if those ‘magic potions’ of yours were a part of your deception too.”

‘Was seriously thinking about testing one out.’

The blue-haired woman just folded her arms without a care in the world. “What can I say? I’m not proud to admit it, but I don’t have Mystic Skills. I am simply someone who has learned the ins and out of magic while having no talent for it myself.”

“Gotcha, I guess we’re not that different after all.” Allen got up to his feet and stared back at the Wraith whose head was twisting and jerking in every which way like a compass caught in an electrical storm.

“If you’re just a normal person then stand back. Even if we’re alike, I still think I’m worth a bit more in a fight than a snake oil salesman.”

Xalia remained silent as he rushed back to the battle. The Wraith seemed to zero in on getting rid of the nuisances attacking it and charged in their direction. It let loose two kicks from its abnormally long legs at Nera and Iyo. They both managed to block each one.

“Metal, this thing seems to fight with its legs, so it should be wide open for an attack!” Allen proclaimed as he gathered up Extract in his legs and his fist to leap high into the air and deliver a crushing blow.

Allen grinned confidently as the wind raced past. ‘That’s right, even if I was just a normal person before. I have this power now and I can use it to protect people like that.’

A certain person’s face flashed in his mind but it did not just fade away. Allen’s eyes widened as a blur passed over their opponent and its cloth wrappings came apart to reveal a human face.

A young woman with silky black hair that reached her waist gazed back at him with deep blue eyes.

The power faded from Allen’s limbs as he croaked out a single name. “Charlotte…?”