Chapter Text
Months had passed ever since the ink flood changed the realm of Lorcana. While the Great Illuminary had recover, there was still the issue of artifacts being washed away. As for the glimmers themselves, they soon realized the various lands had merged into a singular landscape, creating chaos and confusion. When things finally simmered down, everyone decided it would be best for humans and glimmers alike to work together and retrieve the artifacts that had been washed away throughout the realm.
So with Shiki's Help Wanted alert, numerous hero glimmers came to what was left of her palace in hopes of providing their aid. Not just with wanting to uncover the mystery of the flood, but also to recover scattered artifacts. These were things she couldn't do alone, after all. She needed help. But who should she recruit?
Things had grown to a standstill for a while. Hero after hero visited the palace in hopes of helping out, but Shiki had to turn down their offers every time. Either they had magic that clashed with her own, or their personalities rubbed her the wrong way. Eventually she settled for trying to recover as many artifacts as she could. One of those artifacts was a magical lamp that could allow the wielder to either gather more resources or render an enemy immobile, depending on if the glimmer was good or evil. Like the other artifacts she found, the lamp was kept in one of the palace's towers for safekeeping.
But little did Shiki know that one faithful evening would change things for her...
This particular evening started out like any other. The young princess had stopped by the tower to update her record on collected artifacts. Mr. Mew was tucked away in his newly-made cat bed, so Shiki was currently alone. She had recently documented her latest artifact find: a steel frying pan that could supposedly render enemies unable to take part in combat. This wasn't the only strange artifact she had retrieved in her homeland. From a seemingly ordinary fork with unusual healing capabilities to a simple dagger that enhances a glimmer's speed, it seemed any object could count as a powerful artifact.
But just as Shiki was finishing up her daily inspection, she could hear some slight footsteps coming from the upper level of the tower. She froze up in panic. That was where she kept the magical lamp! She wasted no time to hurry over in an attempt to stop the intruder, whoever it was. That lamp was a rare artifact forged from amethyst ink. She couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands.
Upon reaching the top of the tower, Shiki slammed the door open and charged forward. "Stop, you thief!" she cried out as she grabbed the lamp. "Unhand this lamp or-"
The young princess realized who this mysterious intruder was. It was a young man who appeared to be around her age, dressed in a long-sleeved cream color shirt decorated with a gold and maroon emblem, dark pink pants, and light brown boots. Completing the outfit was a dark brown belt wrapped around his waist and a red-brown cape with a ruby ink pin as a clasp. His bright orange hair was unusually spiked and his bright blue eyes depicted panic of sorts as he desperately grasped the magic lamp. His free hand reached downward and revealed a familiar-looking sword: the Stolen Scimitar, an artifact forged from emerald ink that could grant a strength boost to whoever wields it.
At that moment, the lamp was the last thing on Shiki's mind. A single look at the stranger glimmer caught her off guard. She had no idea why, but she felt oddly drawn towards him. Likewise, it seemed he was feeling the same way. An unspoken mutual attraction despite never having met one another beforehand. They were fixated on this trance until they heard the abrupt clang of the lamp falling to the ground.
With the shock momentarily passed, Shiki clenched her fists and her hands were each surrounded by a single glowing star, the embodiment of her magical energy. Likewise, the intruder pointed his scimitar at the young princess as two identical stars slowly swirled around the blade. Shiki knew she had to be careful. She could tell this glimmer was stronger than her. One fatal swing of the scimitar could reduce her back into ink, banished to the Great Illuminary until she could properly recover. She wasn't even sure her own power was enough to take him out.
Whatever was she to do?
"State your business, thief!" Shiki commanded.
"You saw what I was holding," the unnamed glimmer said, his tone deep and lacking emotion. "I came to retrieve the artifacts that were stolen."
"For what purpose?" Shiki questioned.
"What else?" the unnamed glimmer asked in response. "Return them to their rightful place. I was told certain glimmers have chosen to keep some artifacts to themselves, so I took it upon myself to get them back."
"And you dare to accuse me of such thievery?" Shiki assumed. "I'm also trying to retrieve artifacts for the Great Illuminary!"
"Then why have you kept them at this tower?" the unnamed glimmer stated.
Shiki was about to counter the accusation, but then her gaze went back to the lamp that had fallen to the floor. Was she really hoarding artifacts this whole time? Sure she never returned to the Great Illuminary after that life-changing flood, but it was because she initially feared her magic wasn't strong enough to leave the safe boundaries of her homeland. She still planned to return once she had gathered enough artifacts in her tower.
But wait... How many has she collected by now?
She depowered her magic upon realizing why the stranger came to these conclusions.
"I'm afraid you have mistaken me," Shiki corrected, trying to save face. "I am nothing like the more nefarious glimmers you must have heard about. My original plans were to return to the Great Illuminary once I felt satisfied with the number of collected artifacts."
"Is that so?" the unnamed glimmer checked. He strapped his scimitar to his belt and walked over to the lamp, picking it up once more. "Some of these artifacts are dangerous if they end up in the wrong hands. This magic lamp is one of them."
"So I heard," Shiki agreed. "Anyone who rubs it gains more resources for combat."
"But only if the wielder has dark intentions," the unnamed glimmer added. "Someone more noble can render an enemy immobile."
"Are you one of the noble glimmers?" Shiki checked, feeling wary towards those spoken words.
"It depends on who you ask," the unnamed glimmer replied. "I used to be a lowly street rat, but then I came in contact with dark ink from a river and I gained this new form." He eyes the young princess suspiciously. "I take it the same thing happened to you."
"...Yes," Shiki reluctantly confirmed. "I was in the Great Illuminary when it happened. The Hall of Lorcana, to be exact."
"That's a peculiar place for royalty," the unnamed glimmer remarked. "What was someone like you doing the-"
"NYA!"
Without warning, the intruding glimmer had found himself splattered with honey near his feet, trapping him in place. That particular attack was caused by Mr. Mew, who appeared to have flown into the tower with his beehive staff pointing at the seemingly unnamed thief. While his stitched face remained neutral as always, Shiki could tell the cat wizard furrowed his 'brow' in a determined expression.
The unnamed glimmer wasn't pleased with this sudden turn of events. "What's with the flying bear?" he asked.
"How rude!" Shiki scolded. "He's not a bear! He's a cat! Mr. Mew the cat!"
"With honey magic," the unnamed glimmer stated while prying his feet out of the sticky substance. But even as he freed himself, he was still being threatened by a honey-drenched beehive.
"Nya!" Mr. Mew hissed, still fiercely protective. Thankfully the young princess was quick to interfere before things got messier.
"It's okay, Mr. Mew," Shiki said as she nudged her cat's staff downward. "I was able to diffuse the situation. I only wish to hear him out. Can you trust me with this?"
Mr. Mew's glance shifted between the two human glimmers. This went on for quite a while until he let out a mute sigh before landing on the ground next to his owner. Yet even though the conflict was diffused, there was another matter to discuss: the Hunny Wizard's own existence.
"So what's with that thing?" the unnamed glimmer asked, pointing at Mr. Mew.
"I'm not quite sure," Shiki admitted, briefly glancing at the black felt cat. "He's why I visited the Great Illuminary on that fateful day. I was hoping to bring him to life with my own magic, but no matter how much I used, I was unable to create an ally glimmer."
"That's impossible," the unnamed glimmer spoke. "We're made of story stars, a single ink color, and the imagination from humans. It would be impossible for us glimmers to harness all three of those things."
"Human imagination...?" Shiki echoed. So that's what she was missing. The difference between humans and glimmers were established long ago. She could bleed ink and cast magic, two traits that no humans possessed. But if that imagination was required to create glimmers...
"What else happened that day?" the unnamed glimmer wondered.
"Oh, right," Shiki realized. "I went to the Hall of Lorcana and found a ruby artifact called the Sumerian Talisman. The flood hit just as I grabbed it." She glanced at her hand. "It not only gave me this new form, but Mr. Mew..."
"Ended up like that?" the unnamed glimmer finished.
Shiki nodded in response. "I think the Sumerian Talisman fused with him, turning him into a sorcerer."
Things were silent for a while. Shiki hoped this unknown face could give her any kind of response. The cause for her nervousness was the mere existence of Mr. Mew himself. She just knew that ruby-forged artifact was inside his plush body. There was no other way to explain it. And if that really was true, he might end up depowered and revert back into an inanimate doll if the talisman was removed and returned to the Great Illuminary. Bringing the cat to life was better than she expected, but was it worth unintentionally stealing an artifact?
What she didn't expect was for the stranger to suddenly kneel before her.
"I'm Neku Sakuraba," the unnamed glimmer spoke. "I'm a Heroic Outlaw born from ruby ink. Whenever I defeat an enemy glimmer in combat, my sword absorbs their magic and transfers it into my body."
Shiki was initially confused, but she was quick to recover. "Why would you tell me your stats?" she wondered.
"Because it seems you're new to artifact recovery," Neku explained, not changing his stance. "I can sense noble intentions from your words, so I have decided to trust you." He looked up at the young princess. "I can accompany you and your animal friend. We can travel the Inklands together in search for more artifacts, if that's truly what you want."
Shiki was genuinely surprised by this offer. She just met this stranger and he was willing to help her out? For all she knew, this could be some kind of trap from an enemy glimmer. Both heroes and villains could be born from any one of the six ink colors. Yet his eyes... They seemed so familiar and unfamiliar at once. Why was she so drawn to him?
Perhaps...working with him would be a good idea. He seemed strong enough, so why not?
"Very well," Shiki agreed. She held out her hand towards Neku. "I'm Shiki Misaki. I am the Queen of Agrabah, a glimmer born from sapphire ink. My magic allows me to heal myself and all my allies at once."
"And your animal companion?" Neku asked as he stood to his feet.
"Mr. Mew doesn't have any special abilities as a Hunny Wizard," Shiki replied. "But what he lacks in skills, he makes up for with incredible strength."
"Nya!" Mr. Mew said with a nod, confirming his owner's words as true.
"So the Queen of Agrabah and a Hunny Wizard," Neku said. "From this moment on, you two are officially part of my team."
"Care to explain what is next?" Shiki asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Neku asked in response. He held out the magic lamp. "Returning these artifacts to the Great Illuminary."
The process took quite a while for the three glimmers. First, both Neku and Shiki shifted into their original forms, which also revealed his Street Rat attire consisting of a plain purple vest and tattered white pants. So with the Floodborn duo concealing their true power, they gathered all the artifacts from Shiki's tower and Neku led the young princess and Mr. Mew to what appeared to be a gold-colored blimp. Upon setting food inside, Shiki saw a very intricate-looking control panel with a flat, hexagonal-shape object next to what was probably the steering wheel.
"Is this what you used to get here?" Shiki asked.
"It's called an Inkrunner," Neku explained. "Humans and glimmers have been using them to explore the Inklands. They come in two different models: smaller insect-like mounts and large ships. The mounts are often used for single explorers, while the ships are for groups." He smiled fondly and gently patted the steering wheel. "This particular Inkrunner belongs to my team."
"Who else is on your team, might I ask?" Shiki wondered.
"Just three other glimmers," Neku answered. "A Wolfsbane, a Puppetmaster, and an Inventive Engineer. I joined them a month after the ink flood hit. I retrieved a stuck artifact they were looking for, so they asked me to tag along. I have been helping them out since then."
"I take it these glimmers are the ones you will be acquainting me with," Shiki assumed.
"We already have our own system," Neku explained as he set up the Inkrunner's controls. "The Inventive Engineer stays at the Great Illuminary to build various equipment used for tracking down artifacts, while the rest of us venture out into the Inklands. Once we gather enough artifacts, we regroup and exchange information."
"So that was why you stumbled across my palace," Shiki realized.
"Sort of," Neku corrected. He picked up the hexagonal object. "My Aurelian Gyrosensor was picking up an unusual burst of magic. If I had to guess..." He held the object towards Mr. Mew. "...your stuffed animal friend was the cause. No doubt because of the talisman inside him."
As if on cue, this 'gyrosensor' suddenly lit up as bronze rings hovered in a spherical motion. A silver compass from within pointed towards Mr. Mew, causing him to let out a small meow in surprise. He hovered from side to side, but no matter where he was, the compass continuously followed his motions.
"Are you proposing we remove the Sumerian Talisman from Mr. Mew?" Shiki assumed in slight disgust. "Because I'll have you know that while the method was unexpected, I had accomplish my original objective of bringing to life. I would never dare to revert him back into an inanimate item."
"Think nothing of it," Neku reassured. "The mix-up allowed me to find a large number of other artifacts in return." He placed the gyrosensor next to the steering wheel as it depowered. "Now then, shall we return to the Great Illuminary?"
"Yes, of course!" Shiki agreed, sounding a little impatient.
And so, Neku activated the Inkrunner and it took off in a flash of light, all while Shiki was still in disbelief for what had occurred. At long last, it seemed a hero unintentionally came to her aid, even if he didn't seem to know about her Help Wanted alert. This Heroic Outlaw seemed different from past heroes who visited her palace. She was drawn towards him for unexplained reasons. Furthermore, he was apparently working alongside other glimmers to gather artifacts. It perfectly lined up with the princess' objective of wanting to find the cause of the ink flood. It wouldn't hurt to stick with this ruby glimmer and his crew for a while.
