It's time to begin the Post-Soul! Also, spoilers for Umineko, I guess? Actually, not really, that series is way more complicated. XD
Post-1: Centuries Old Virgin
Rokkenjima, 1980s
Rokkenjima was a peaceful island with a beautiful vineyard. This private, secluded property was owned by the Ushiromiya patriarch and managed by its dedicated servants. Every year, the family sails here for the annual conference. The adults would take part in conversation while the children would just play. Of course, most of the children were well into their teens and were much more mature, but the exceptions were Maria and Ange.
It was about twilight when Rosa led her 7-year-old daughter outside. She stared down at Maria with reproval. "Maria, I told you not to bring that toy to the island."
"But I didn't bring him, Mama." Maria hugged her stuffed lion closely. "Sakutaro flew after me."
"No, you got him while I wasn't looking and hid him from me. You had it since you were three, but you can't just carry it around wherever you go, especially here."
"But Mama made him for me. This is Mama's gift. Uu-uu."
"Maria, you can't stay attached to that toy. Give it here." She grabbed the doll.
"But it's mine! It's Mama's gift, uuuu!"
"Stop saying 'uuu'!" Rosa shoved the child and ripped the doll from her grasp. She began to march into the forest.
"Mama! Mama!" Maria ran after, trying to tug her mother's dress. "Mama, please! Maria promises to put him away! Mama, no!"
Rosa pushed her daughter down again and arrived at the beach. She threw Sakutaro out to sea. "SAKUTAROOOO!" The child ran out into the water, but Rosa grabbed and yanked her back.
"Stop obsessing over that toy!" Rosa smacked her. "You have to grow up and let go of these things!"
"Uuu! Uuu! Uuuuuu!"
"Stop saying 'uu'! STOP IT!"
Gohda had followed the parent and child down the stairs to the beach, watching in secret. His wide face bore a remorseful frown.
"Rosa's abuse had become more frequent as Maria grew older. It was clear the mother possessed an inferiority complex. She had been treated rotten by her family since childhood, or so I've been told. She had begun passing her abuse onto her daughter."
Rosa suddenly stopped herself. With a gasp, she stared at her own hand. "Maria-chan… Mama is sorry. Mama lost control."
"Sniffle…it's okay… Mama is possessed by a bad witch…"
"Yes… it was the bad witch… but the bad witch has gone for now…"
"That's good…" Maria forced a smile. "…Does Mama want to pick flowers in the garden?"
"No, Mama has to rest. But Maria-chan can pick flowers for Mama."
"I'll look for a really pretty rose for Mama! Uuu!"
"Mmmgh…" Rosa groaned.
Gohda sighed, turning back up the stairs.
For the next hour, even as twilight had passed, Maria was crawling through the rose garden, searching for the perfect one for her mother. "Maria-chan? Is that you?"
She heard a voice she hadn't recognized. Maria stood from the garden, finding a woman with ginger-brown hair and a brown dress with orange lines. "You look… familiar…"
"You must know me from the portrait. I am the Golden Witch, Beatrice."
"Bea…trice?" Maria rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Beatrice! Maria knew you were real!"
"Of course I am, Maria. I've always existed on this island. However, I can only appear before a heart of innocence and magic."
"Magic?"
"Yes, Maria. I can sense the magical potential inside you."
"Maria has magic?! Maria has to tell Mama!"
"No, Maria-chan. If you tell her, the black witch inside your mother will know, too. She may decide to hurt your mother more viciously."
"Oh, no. But Maria created a magic word to defeat the black witch. Uuuuu. If Maria practices magic, can she get rid of the witch forever?"
"Perhaps you can, some day. For now, you can give this to your mother." Beatrice presented a white rose with a pink ribbon. "Tell her that you found it."
"Hai! Thanks, Beatrice! Uuuuu!" Maria happily took the rose and ran to find her mother.
"…" The person posing as Beatrice released a somber sigh. No one else saw them… except for a four-year-old Ange, her face pressed to a window.
"But that Beatrice was actually you?" Death the Kid asked. "You were a cross-dresser?"
"Maria and Ange were the youngest children in the family. Their hearts were still innocent. But I was not lying. I could sense the magical chi inside Maria. Eventually, she would be called to a magic school to have it developed. I wonder how Rosa would've reacted to that. Regardless, Rosa was Maria's only close relative. If she abused her daughter during the conference, I could only imagine how awful her home life must be. So, during her visits, I secretly assume the role of Beatrice and entertain Maria with tricks. For all I knew, I was the only person whom Maria could look to for support, the only one who could keep her in bright spirits. However, she seemed to have lots of imaginary friends, and those 'friends' kept her heart and mind pure. Rosa probably hurt her for believing in them, too."
"I see why you wouldn't like Rosa, but how did the entire family end up dying?"
"The legend of Beatrice reads that she had given Kinzo an immense sum of gold, and that gold was hidden somewhere on the island. He had left a riddle for his family to solve and find the gold, and the one who did would inherit Kinzo's will. During the conference of 1986… I had left out a clue on how to find it."
"So, you knew where the gold was?"
"I had stumbled upon it, but I never did anything or told anyone until that day. As a mere servant, it was not my place to claim the gold. However, the adults of the family had been facing financial trouble, and they were at each other's throats. I feared life was about to get more difficult for the children, especially Maria. I thought that if they found the treasure, they could solve all their financial problems and the tension would fade between them. But I was starkly mistaken."
The sounds of gunfire filled the island on this stormy night. The maids, Shannon and Chiyo were dead, the head butler Genji, and the children: George, Jessica… and even young Maria lay dead, lain in a pool of her own blood.
Gohda was as pale as a ghost, standing over the innocent child's corpse. The horrific sight alone wanted to make him pass into the afterlife. "This…this isn't how it was supposed to go. How did… this happen… there was plenty of gold… for everyone… Just one bar was enough to help each of them… how…how did…"
Returning to the chamber of the gold, Gohda found the bodies of some of the parents: Krauss, Hideyoshi, Natsuhi… and even Rosa. As awful a mother she was, Gohda wanted to hope for some form of redemption inside her… but now he would never know. "Any moment… they will hunt for me as well. This cursed family… this island… it has no future…"
"There was one other secret I knew about the island: Rokkenjima used to be a military base. Furthermore, it was loaded with a stash of active bombs, with a mechanism set to explode them. What Kinzo planned to do with such a contraption… I do not know. But I decided to use it… to end the curse that was Rokkenjima."
If one could view the island from beyond the stormy sea, they would bear witness to a great flash of light.
Just as well, whiteness engulfed Gohda. As his body vanished in blazing glory, so did his pain. It was the sweet, albeit violent embrace of death.
…
Gohda awoke within a regal chamber that almost resembled a courtroom. The Ushiromiyas and their servants were present, and standing atop the podium was their patriarch: Kinzo. There were strange figures lined up before the podium, such as seven girls in red uniforms, girls with colorful hair and rabbit ears, and a Black Butler with a monocle.
"Pitiful." Kinzo chortled. "My treasure was practically handed to you… and this is what you choose to do."
"F-Father!" Krauss gasped. "You… How could you be…"
"Then… is this the fabled Golden Land?" Genji asked.
"Hardly. This is merely the gateway. But my wretched family… you were never worthy to inherit my legacy. The legacy that Beatrice blessed us with!"
"Father, what sort of illusion is this?!" Rosa yelled. "Who are these people?!"
"We are the true servants of Ushiromiya Kinzo." replied the butler, Ronove. "We are duty bound to serve the one who finds the gold. The finder of the gold has long been decided. We serve… you, Toshiro Gohda."
The family twisted around, gaping at the broad-shouldered chef. "G…GOHDA?!" screeched Rosa.
"M-Me?!"
"Gohda is not even an Ushiromiya!" Natsuhi argued. "He can't inherit Father's will!"
"I don't have the faintest clue what's happening…" George mumbled.
"Gohda-san… how long have you known about the gold?" Shannon asked.
"I…I…"
"For certain! There is no doubt!" Kinzo declared. "Gohda is the reimagining of my beloved witch, Beatrice! He is Beatrice embodied as a man! Only he was worthy to find what belongs to her!"
"We are your faithful servants, Lord Gohda." Ronove bowed. "Order us as you please."
"Enough of this farce!" Rudolf said. "Gohda, how dare you not tell us sooner!"
"These 'servants' may follow your orders," Kyrie replied, "but you still listen to us. So, make them useful for us."
"Tell these clowns to bring us back to Rokkenjima right this minute!" Rosa hissed. "I'm too young to die like this! And what of Maria?! Surely, you won't allow my precious daughter to remain down here? She needs to grow up under her loving mother!"
The child in question appeared to be asleep on a bench. Was she even aware of the situation around her? How quickly had her own death transpired? How sudden was it? Did she even know? "…You brought this upon yourselves."
"Excuse me?!"
"Maria is not the kind who would destroy others over gold. Perhaps even now, she is hoping to wake and be with her family. But she deserves a better family, not one corrupted by greed and darkness."
"H-Hold on, Gohda!" Jessica said. "If I had found the gold, I would've gladly shared it with-"
"May your souls be drowned in the Sanzu River!"
"As you command." said Ronove.
"A battle followed suit. The Ushiromiyas struggled to combat the strange demons, but it was a loss of a battle. Their souls would be dragged to and thrown into Sanzu. And I… merely stood and watched."
Gohda held Maria in his arms. Her slumbering features were pretty and blissful. "Ho ho ho…" laughed Kinzo. "So, the one you favor is Maria. Just as you always have… Beatrice."
"You missed one." Gohda told the servants.
"Sorry!" The rabbit-earred girls conjured an energy bow and struck Kinzo in the chest. His soul reeled back and fell into the river.
"Take good care… Beatrice." Kinzo spoke his final words. "I'm glad… I could repay my debt to you…" He was submerged into the sea of souls.
"But we appear to be missing some members." Gohda noticed.
"It seems they still exist in the world of the living." Ronove answered. "By some miracle, they survived the explosion. And they are likely to inform other still-living relatives of what happened."
"Then here are my next orders: keep your eyes open for when they eventually fall to the afterlife. Once you see them, throw them into the Sanzu River as well. Beyond that… I command that you keep away from myself and Maria-chan from now on. I'm taking Maria-chan to the Spirit World, the haven where she belongs. I will not let her be corrupted by demons or family strife. I will not let her be tainted by the truth."
"As you command, My Lord." Ronove spoke. "Alas, we cannot follow you to the Spirit World, anyway. But know that we will always be loyal to you… Beatrice."
…
Maria awoke under the shade of a tree. The wind presented a pleasant chill. Her tired eyes opened to Gohda's smile. "Awake now, Maria-chan?"
"Gohda-san… Maria heard a loud noise and… Where are we?"
"Welcome to the Golden Land, Maria."
"The Golden Land? This is Beatrice's Golden Land?!"
"Yes, Maria. This is the land of happiness."
"Where's Mama? Where are the others? Did they make it to the Golden Land, too, uu-uu?"
"I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Let's search for them, Maria-chan."
"While Maria believed we were searching for her family, I was actually searching for a way to deceive her. In this Spirit World where anything was possible, there had to be some way. …Eventually, I found it in a tome that spoke of the Lost Voices. You know the story from there…"
Current time
Gohda was cuffed in the arms and legs as he stood before Kid in his office, accompanied by Maria, Emily, and Nolan. "So, all this time, Maria's family have been floating around in the Sanzu River. And apparently, Kinzo had some sort of accord with the Underworld, which you inherited."
"That's correct." Gohda confirmed.
"I can see why you were accepted to Spirit World. You only had good intentions when you showed them the gold. Even your final act was somewhat noble, albeit suicidal. So, what became of those still-living relatives?"
"Eva's death eventually came, and I presume she has been drowned accordingly. Otherwise, I presume Battler would be in his late 60s by now, and Ange in her 50s. Ange had been sick during that conference, so she didn't get to come. A blessing, really, as her soul was still as pure as Maria's, but I wonder if that purity persisted through the years."
"Whatever the case, it seems we have some fishing to do. We're going to find the Ushiromiyas' souls and have them judged properly. Some may get to live with Maria in the Spirit World, but some might not. What do you think about all this, Maria?"
The witch was silent for a moment, glancing down with half-closed eyes. "Maria… can't believe her own family would do that. But Maria's mama…" She looked up with slightly more conviction. "Mama was not a terrible mama. It was all the black witch's doing."
"Are you saying she actually was possessed by a witch?" Sandman asked.
"Maria-chan, the 'black witch' didn't exist." Gohda said. "Your mother was-"
"No! The black witch made Mama be evil! Mama loved Maria! I wanna be with Mama again, uuuu!"
"During this massacre," Kid began, "did Rosa kill anybody?"
"I…I'm not sure. I wasn't there in the treasure room when they…"
"Then I suppose that truth has yet to be determined. Let's get to work fishing out the family as soon as possible. Perhaps you can still order these servants of yours, Gohda. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping to clean up your mess?"
"Shall…shall I call for them?"
"Immediately. And once this is all done, we're tossing you into the Fog of Lost Souls for as long as they've been floating in the river. Is that alright with you, Maria?"
"Mmmm…" Maria looked away. "Maria… doesn't know what to say."
"I shall accept my fate regardless." Gohda affirmed.
"Well, that's dandy." Kid said. "I'll call to see if other operatives are willing to help. I'm sure a relaxing fishing mission could relieve everyone's minds after this catastrophe."
Coruscant
With the threat of the parasites in the past and the fear having left most of everyone's hearts, business returned to operating on Coruscant. It was a bright sunny day as people were out and about. Bayonetta was strolling the streets, dwarfing many aliens with her tall height and only dwarfed herself by the larger species. She was sporting a fluffy gray scarf and her hair was cut nice and short. She looked ever shiny in her white gown and sun hat, decorated with white roses. "Isn't it nice to get off that tight little planet?" she asked her companion. "Honestly, with all those moons, it must be terribly claustrophobic."
Huntara was wearing a tight purple robe with crescent shoulder pads and elbows. "It just feels nice to be off duty. I spent a thousand years away from Etheria, then 20 years trapped on Etheria, and even after, I don't even leave the planet. Sometimes, I just get bored of it, even though I missed it for so long. I'm weird, aren't I, Cereza?"
"Not as weird as some people."
"Hey, it's rude to leave your pack mutt behind in the dirt!" It seemed as if a load of colorful bags with legs were waddling after the ladies, but it was actually Enzo. "And when did I become your pack mutt, anyway?! I sure hope you brought this muscle lady to fight in the ring, Bayonetta!"
"So, this little dwarf is your manager, Cereza?" Huntara asked.
"Hey, it's good money. Plus, I get to do what I love: beating up big men and bossing around little men~"
"And where did this 'Cereza' shit come from?!" Enzo asked. "That ain't a fighter name, that's a name for little girls! Not sure how I feel about 'Huntara' either, you're just adding 'a' at the end of 'hunter' to make it sound cool, but it sounds totally cheap."
"No one asked you to judge our names." Bayonetta told him. "In fact, what do you say about jumping planets straight to Hyrule? I heard Gerudo Town is LOVELY this time of year, and with our tall and refined physiques, we'd fit in perfectly~"
"Cereza!" Huntara gasped, alerting her to an alleyway. "I sense we're being watched."
"Hm?" Bayonetta cocked a brow and glanced down the alley.
The silhouette of a blonde, muscular figure was staring at them. "Hey… aren't you Dracula's son?" Bayonetta recognized him.
"Alucard. Forgive my intrusion, but I come seeking your aid."
"Then go to a hospital, I'm not a nurse."
"No, it is not a matter of health. However, I have decided it is time to find a woman of my own."
"A what?!" Bayo flushed.
"From what I understand of you, you appear to be a very refined lady who displays an air of beauty and affection in order to attract those of the opposite sex. However, this is merely a trap to single out the males you deem unworthy, as you turn down anyone who wishes to profess their love to you. Clearly, you possess very high standards."
"And where is this observation coming from?!"
"I asked your father and he told me of past incidences in which his Angels tried to subdue you."
"Well, tell him he's not allowed to disclose information about me! What bad parenting!"
"Incidentally, if I were to find a partner, one of my topics of conversation is how I despise my father."
"What do you want with me?"
"I would like for you to train me to become the ideal man. If I learn under a woman with high standards, no doubt I will become worthy enough to be someone's ideal romantic partner."
"Look, buddy, I'm supposed to be on vacation, I don't wanna spend it giving dating tips to a centuries-old virgin. Come on, Huntara, let's hit the MomCorp Mall. Her robots make the most lovely outfits. Hurry up, Enzo."
Bayonetta walked off, and Huntara spared a curious glance to Alucard before following. As Alucard stepped out of the alley, he saw Enzo toddling by, bobbing the stack of bags. "Ouch!" The bags bumped Alucard, causing Enzo to whirl around unstably. "Well, aren't you a strong pair of arms?"
"A dwarf?" Alucard cocked a brow.
"I ain't a dwarf, bucko. But 'ey, I couldn't help but overhear, you lookin' to find a dame of your own, huh? I'll tell ya what dames like, they like it when ya carry their bags~"
"Then are you learning from Bayonetta as well?"
"Of course I ain't learnin', I'm her freakin' manager, not a chore boy! But listen, between you an' me, she LOVES a guy that does shit for her, and no guy better than one who carries her bags."
"So, the reason she declined to teach me was because I failed to be properly courteous." Alucard deduced. "I was interrupting an important errand and showed little interest in its progression."
"Smart thinker, you are! But don't worry, ya still have a chance to make up! So, hurry, before my back caves!"
"Very well. I shall gladly carry her belongings!" With swift motion, Alucard took and amassed the bags on his sturdy arms. Once he was all stocked up, he rushed after the ladies.
"Phew, that man sure stole my heart!" Enzo joked, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. "I love a guy who's willin' to be a lapdog! It means I don't have to~"
Bayonetta and Huntara were crossing a vast parking lot to an enormous, heart-shaped mall. "I can't believe 'Mom' is still around." Huntara said. "I remember a few decades ago when she was just making a name for herself. GKND targeted her a few times."
"Humans can live a long time with the right health." Bayo replied. "Or the right, illegal resources, in our case."
"My ladies!" Alucard rushed to their fronts. "Not to worry! Your belongings are properly secure!"
"WHERE DID ENZO GO?!" Bayo yelled.
"He enlightened me on my mistake. Rest assured, I will patiently wait for your errands to conclude. Until then, I will do my part to be of convenience."
"Oh, I am going to send his arse flying all the way to the next city!" The witch whipped her leg in the air. "Fine then! Just stay quiet and make sure you don't drop anything. In fact, why don't you run ahead and find a café, take the best table and order us some good drinks?"
"With my keen senses, I will ensure they produce the most quality beverage from their ingredients!" And so, the dhampir leapt onto the cars and galloped across them, the bags bobbing on his person.
"Now I know what they mean by a man-killer." Huntara remarked.
"If a man wants to die, let him go out on his own terms." Bayonetta shrugged. "But so long as we're getting some good drinks, it's fine by me~"
Heaven's Hotel
"And here's your room, Mr. Gilligan!" Charlie beamed as the pilot opened the door to said room. Hoagie's room was full of airplanes of every model, a plane bed that he could customize as he pleased, a comedian's stage, a refrigerator full of chilidogs and other favorite foods of his, and a book shelf of comics. There were also pictures of his relatives, but this was common in every room.
"Yep, it fits you to a 'T'." Rachel smiled.
"Don't you mean a 'P'?!" Hoagie exclaimed. "Because I'm Hoagie 'P.' Gilligan?! AAAAH HA HA HA HA!"
"I'm going to throw ya off the hotel again." Fanny warned.
"I got plenty to last the afterlife! So, can I see you guys' rooms?"
Nigel's room was filled with lots of secret agent gadgets and costumes, some of which were classic KND gadgets. "Wow, you have every James Bond and Spy Kids movie!" Hoagie noticed. "You sure didn't leave much room for Rachel."
"What are you talking about, our bedroom is right there!" Nigel pointed to the door on the right.
"Couples who are still in love with each other get to have connected rooms." Charlie informed. "'Course, even married pairs deserve their respective privacy, so they can't enter each other's rooms without permission."
"Better lay off the jokes, Hoags, or Abby will be spendin' a lot of time in her own room." Fanny remarked.
"Anyway, here's my room!" Rachel cheered, unlocking her door. There was a glass display of cheesecakes, mounted swords and shields, and ninja and spy gear.
"You were always quite the glutton for cheesecakes." Hoagie said. "Ow!" Fanny smacked him.
"She was also the best spy in the KND." Gwen followed. "Hey, Rachel, who would you say is the best spy currently?"
"I couldn't really say. Though I like Nagisa's style, so maybe him."
"I would put my vote on Vweeb and those little guys." Kade inputted. "I mean, you can basically hide in any tiny gap in the floor."
"No way, they're doing it the easy way, same with shadowbenders like Dillon. When it comes to stealth operations, nothing beats the traditional way."
"Ay agree." Fanny nodded.
"So, what's your room like, Fannykins?" Hoagie asked.
"NO BOYS ALLOWED!"
"It's chockfull of Rainbow Monkeys?" Nigel asked.
"It's chockfull of Rainbow Monkeys." Rachel affirmed.
"RACHEL, you're not invited to my next sleepover!"
"Here's my room!" Kuki danced into her room. There were Rainbow Monkeys, an aquarium of fish, a shelf of Rainbow Munchies, and French fries.
"French fries?" Gwen asked.
"It was the first gift Wally ever got her." Nigel informed.
"Fanny has her beat on Rainbow Monkeys though." Rachel said.
"Well, let's hurry up and get to my room!" Gwen insisted.
Gwen's room had a collection of classic Disney movies, with replicas of Merida's bow and Mulan's Sword of the Ancestor. "I had a dream one time where I was Mulan. Except there were a lot of other characters involved, like King Triton was the Emperor, and I had a Meowth instead of Mushu… I can't remember the others, but it was pretty weird."
"Wanna have a sword fight later?" Rachel asked.
"You would cut me in half."
"Hey, if Dimentia is here," Hoagie began, "does she have a room?"
"She sure does!" Charlie jumped. "DIMENTIA! Over here!"
The Zathurian zipped over from around the hall, dressed like a cute maid. "Yes, Miss Charlie? How can I help you?"
"You've got to be kidding me." Nigel sighed.
"Dimentia, we would like to see your room!" Charlie cheered.
"Coming right up!" Dimentia raced off. The others followed suit, watching as Dimentia unlocked her room. There were stairs leading up to an observatory with a telescope, several star decorations, and a few scripts of Shakespeare plays.
"Since when were you into Shakespeare?" Kade asked.
"It's just something I kinda got into." Dimentia shrugged.
"I bet Nolan's room is full of Batman stuff." Gwen said.
"Batman, Transformers, and anything that has to do with rebellious adolescents." Nigel confirmed. "And I'm pretty sure he had more comics than you, Hoagie."
"Hey, there's my favorite group of tikes!" called the exuberant voice of Dr. Facilier. "Just so you know, I refer to your kids as the grandtikes. Which ones do I like better? Who knows! Hahahahahaha!"
"Uncle Facilier!" Hoagie beamed. "What's up!"
"Back when I first got here, I was able to meet a certain somebody. I thought ya'd like to see him again, too."
It was then they acknowledged another man behind Facilier. He was rather chubby and wore a brown aviator's uniform and heavy hat. Hoagie gasped quietly. The man tilted his eyes up, revealing his blue eyes. "Hi, son."
"Dad!" Hoagie jogged up and embraced his father in a hug. The son and father were almost identical in age and girth.
"You used Farfegtubing. I'm proud of you, Hoagie. That was some mighty fine tubing."
"That's the first subject, seriously?!" Fanny shouted.
"I never lost faith, Dad! I always believed in Betsy! And she came through for me!"
"She sure did, son. I don't think we'll ever see a Tube-a-Thon as great as that."
"That might be because we kind of grew out of Tube-a-Thon." Nigel replied. "We just started having swimming contests. Same with our kids."
"Don't listen to them, Dad! I passed Betsy onto my kids!" Hoagie vowed. "Hoagie III used her in the Swim-a-Thon, and now, Artie is carrying on her LEGACY!"
"Well, two kids out of four ain't bad." Fanny shrugged.
"All's well that ends well." Dimentia smiled. "…" She glanced back to her own room. "Hey, Charlie… when I was cleaning the halls earlier, I found a room labeled for Skull Face. But isn't he in prison now?"
"Oh, yeah." Charlie answered. "But he was already accepted to Spirit World, so he still technically has a room."
"I wonder… what did his room look like?"
Tower of Babel
A shooting star flew up to the top of the tower, poofing to become Jirachi. "Hi, Meloetta." He greeted the Music Firstborn, sitting with legs crossed and a tiny light on her open palm. "So, who was it you wanted to show?"
"This little cutie." Meloetta reached her arm. Jirachi walked closer and got down, staring at the little light.
"Is it a firefly?"
"No, this is Synthia. She's a spirit the size of our cells. …She says that your cells look like galaxies."
"But I didn't hear her."
"Let me amplify her voice for your ears." Meloetta waved her hand.
"So, your name is Jirachi?"
"Oh, I heard her! Yeah, I'm Jirachi." He smiled and leaned a bit closer. "So, where did you come from?"
"I was helping Skully with his plan. I mostly hung out with him in his room the past couple years. Back when Skully was alive… he had a couple hobbies. He always wanted to play in an amusement park, and he liked foxes. Well, he was a Negative, so he called them 'xofs.' His room in the hotel looks like an amusement park full of xofs. He called it Xof Land, and it would always make him feel at peace."