While players ran frantically around Mac Anu, fighting off monsters that had been loosed into the city, Skeith calmly sat on the roof of one of the buildings, coldly gazing down at the panic. Even though it was a staged event, the panic was real, and he relished in it. Through it all, he kept to the rooftop, scythe in hand, both players and monsters unaware of his presence. There was one player he kept his attention on: a Long Arm by the name of Albireo. He raced along the streets, slicing up monsters with his spear. Holding on to his hand was a little girl in red with silver hair.

'Captain of the Cobalt Knights, wielder of the Spear of Wotan, and he's dragging Lycoris around like a toy. He tried to delete her once before, didn't he? I wonder why she doesn't seem to recognize him…'

Shrugging to his feet, Skeith followed them along the rooftop, jogging lightly while he kept them in sight below him. His movement should have alerted someone to his presence, but he was using his basic cloaking, a skill that allowed all of the Phases to hide themselves while they were in PC form. It couldn't hide them from each other, but it allowed them to stay hidden from regular players.

Albireo finally encountered the boss, a giant demonic monster, and Skeith sat down to watch. The creature had already taken out a large group of players, but Albireo faced it alone without fear. He attacked nearly relentlessly, pausing occasionally to heal. Skeith whistled, slightly impressed, when the monster finally fell, but inwardly scowled at the players who had tried to help. Albireo deliberated with Lycoris for a minute before he left, rudely brushing off a player who had tried to talk to him.

Without hesitation, he snuck off after them, following them back to what appeared to be Albireo's apartment. He entered as they did, paying no heed to his lack of invitation. Lycoris, however, was aware of his presence: she was facing toward him, where Albireo and his company, a scantily clad girl, would have only seen empty space. After some heated discussion, the pair left, and Skeith followed, watching Lycoris. When they went back to the apartment, Skeith had reached the limit of his patience. He was about leave when someone knocked on the door. He planned to use the opportunity to sneak out, but Lycoris reached out and tapped his hand.

Stay. Stay with me.

Skeith froze, staring wide-eyed at her. 'Did she just… but how?'

Regardless, he stayed, hacking into the private conversation Albireo had stated with his guests: the player he had brushed off earlier, who went by the name of Orca, and Orca's partner, Balmung. Inwardly, Skeith chuckled. 'Myths, and stars, and animals, oh my. Quite a group they've assembled here.' They talked about a variety of things, but mainly an event that the pair planned to attempt: The One Sin. Skeith was mildly interested, having wanted to try it, even though Morganna had forbidden it. Albireo declined their invitation, saying he was on another event, giving Lycoris a quick, barely noticeable glance.

Finally, they turned their attention to Albireo's spear. He explained that he had been a test player in 'fragment', and it had been brought over in his conversion to 'The World'. 'I wonder… Did he bring it over in normal conversion, or was it a special privilege he got with commanding the Cobalt Knights?' Eventually, Orca and Balmung left and, after some more heated discussion, the girl, Hokuto, left as well. Albireo, held in 'The World' by Lycoris, went still, his player presumably off to get some rest. That left Skeith along with Lycoris, who was still staring in his direction.

"Aren't you happy you stayed?" she asked, making Skeith jump.

He sat down on the floor in front of her, his crimson eyes level with her closed ones. "Do you understand what you are, Lycoris?"

"I'm an AI, like you."

"Do you know who he is?" he asked, glancing at Albireo.

"No. Should I?"

"Yes. Do you trust him?"

"Yes. I trust Albireo."

Skeith grumbled, leaning back against the wall. "You shouldn't."

"Can I trust you, then?"

"For now, at least."

Lycoris tilted her head in confusion. "Why is that?"

"You're important, Lycoris. It's hard to explain, but I'm here for two different reasons. Someone wants me to protect you…"

"And the other wants to get rid of me?"

"Right."

"Who do you trust, Skeith? Which one do you trust?"

He blinked slowly, once. "I'm not sure."

"You should be. You should trust what your heart tells you."

"I'm data. I don't have a heart, and neither do you."

"Not a living heart, but an emotional one."

"I don't even have that. I'm 'The Terror of Death'. I can't have a heart."

She wasn't discouraged. "Even death is full of feelings. You should know about that better than anyone else."

"You expect too much of me," he smirked. "I'm not as brilliant as you think I am."

"Of course not. You're much better," she giggled, her smile radiant. "If what you say is true, then I have not much longer in this world."

"We'll see where that leads. Until then, explain to me why you're dragging him around."

"Albireo is helping me recover my segments. I don't have all of them yet, but I'm sure I'm close."

'That explains it. She segmented herself, and she's missing some parts. One of them must be her memory…'

"Skeith?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you… do something for me?"

"Depends. What is it?"

Lycoris fidgeted. "Can you give her my thanks?"

"Her?"

"The girl who I can't remember."

"Aura," he said, giving her words some thought. "The girl is Aura."

"Aura… can you tell her that for me?"

"Of course."

"It's my final wish. I would have liked you to delete me, but I guess that it's not my decision to make. It's a painfully irony. Isn't it?"

Skeith chuckled darkly. "An incarnation of death, and I can't kill you. I shame my title."

"You may still get your chance."

"Not likely." He looked over at Albireo again. "I have a feeling that someone else will, long before I get my chance."

"Do you wish you could?"

"No, but I haven't been given a choice. I have orders, and I have to follow them."

She smiled. "Skeith, there's always a choice. You just have tried to make it."

"You sound like you're making a prophecy or something."

"Maybe… or maybe… I want to give you a chance that I was denied."

"Lycoris…"

"I want you to come. Today is the end of The One Sin. I want you to see it. I want you to see the end of many things. From there, promise me you'll make your own decisions."

He stared at her for a long time, not sure of how to answer. She was inviting him, and it was an invitation he couldn't refuse. Finally, Albireo sprung back into motion, looking down at the smiling Lycoris. Lycoris transported them to a field covered in a blinding snowstorm, the event area for The One Sin. She grabbed Skeith's arm with her free hand, not intending to let him leave.

After a while, they met up with Hokuto, who joined their party, and headed towards the center of the field. They were ambushed by a monster, which killed Hokuto, but they continued on. Eventually, they found The One Sin, the immense monstrosity haunting the players of 'The World', and watched as Orca and Balmung fought and defeated it.

Lycoris tightened her grip on Skeith's hand as the monster crumbled, releasing an angel from the confines of the field, raining white feathers down on them. She said something Albireo, and the Long Arm ran out into the center of the field, reaching out as a feather, a red one in the sea of white, drifted towards the ground. Turning back to Lycoris, he gave it to her and she opened her eyes, bright golden orbs that stood out from her pale face.

"What do you want me to do, just follow you around?" Skeith asked angrily, using Whisper Mode so no one became aware of his presence.

"I expect you to watch. I expect you to learn," she smiled, constantly smiling. "I expect you to believe me when I say that this is important, and someone of this 'world' needs to be witness to it."

Lycoris then transported them to another field. When they arrived, she let go of Albireo's hand and told him to follow her, dragging Skeith along behind her. She pulled him over to a Spring of Myst and, with a quick smile, she dove in, much to Hokuto's horror. Albireo interacted with the spring's creature and got something, not at all phased when Lycoris climbed calmly back out, taking both his and Skeith's hands. Instead, he led them out of the area.

The area Albireo brought them to was a cathedral in the middle of what appeared to have been a lake. The place looked forlorn and worn down, but light spilled out from around the back of it, making it appear to glow.

"This is…"

"The Hulle Granz Cathedral. A holy place within this 'world'. It's on the Delta server, so everyone can access it. Once we're inside, I can't talk to you."

"Because you can't hide secrets from God?"

She smiled. "You'll still be hidden from sight, so don't worry. Listen."

She inclined her head towards Albireo and Hokuto, who were discussing 'The Epitaph of Twilight'. From it, Skeith learned something he'd never heard before. 'The Epitaph of Twilight' was the setting for 'The World'.

"Is everything in 'The Epitaph' put into 'The World'?" he asked Lycoris.

"Not everything, I don't think," she replied, tapping her chin in thought, "But a lot of it is. This place is in the poem, from what I've heard."

"Heard?"

"I've been acquiring information off the net since I lost some of my parts. It's very useful."

He smirked. "What is 'The Epitaph of Twilight' about, anyway?"

"It's a story about a race of shadowless beings. The menacing Cursed Wave is threatening their world, so they send a man with a shadow to find the Twilight Dragon, who they believe can save them. He is accompanied by two half sprites. Meanwhile, the two eternally feuding enemies, Helba, Queen of Darkness, and Apeiron, King of Light, join forces to fight the Wave. The journey takes them through many places that have been replicated within 'The World'."

"I'm bad guy, then?"

Lycoris giggled. "Maybe, but not quite, I think."

"How so?"

"Skeith, described in 'The Epitaph', is the bearer of the Shadow of Death, the first part of the Cursed Wave. However, the poem was originally written in German, so many of the Phases are named after European mythology. For example, 'Fidchell' is a Celtic game of chess, and 'Macha' is the Celtic war goddess. 'Skeith', in an old form of Scottish, means 'shadow'. I think it may have some other connection to the poem."

He shrugged. "Sounds like you're reaching to me."

The entered the cathedral, so Skeith was unable to continue talking to her. They stopped in front of the altar, Albireo and Hokuto continuing their conversation until Albireo turned to Lycoris. He gave her something and, when she received it, her eyes widened in horror. Then Albireo summoned his spear and pointed it at the girl. Hokuto squawked and complained, but Albireo kept his calm as he tried to lie his way out of the situation. Instead, Lycoris grabbed the end of his spear and stabbed herself with it.

The space around them dissolved into nothingness, leaving only Albireo, Lycoris, and Skeith. Lycoris began talking to Albireo about Harald and Morganna, but her message to Skeith was different, one only he could hear. He watched the memories that she showed Albireo, listening to her words.

You and I are of one, my brother. We walk similar paths. Once they have used us, we will be lost. Once they see us as a threat, they will destroy us. I refer not to humans, but to our creators. Beware of the powers of Morganna. Beware of how she decides your fate, and then choose for yourself the path you seek. Someday, Aura, the light, will reveal the path, and we must make the choice to take it or not. Seek no comfort from the words of your creator. Seek solace in the knowledge that we are AI, and that we, like humans, are free to make our own paths.

Finally, Lycoris dissolved around Albireo's spear, and the player was dumped from the space. Only Skeith remained, staring blankly at the empty air where Lycoris had stood, her last movement spent to look at him.