Author's Note

"It's a plane of existence just beneath the surface of what you see," Emil explained.

It was weeks after he'd fully regained his memory and Ratatosk had separated entirely from him a second time, once more in his core form with Richter. Now he stood beside his daughter in a thickly overgrown area of the forest near Luin. She floated there, staring at him with bright blue eyes that never seemed to blink.

"To enter the dimension where we reside is a readjustment you have to feel on an intimate level. It might take a lot of effort on your first try."

"Is it anything like the Ginnungagap?"

"The Ginnungagap is part of that dimension but because of its role in keeping the door to Niflheim closed, it has a completely different aura. Due to my human body I can't leave this plane without help, but I can guide you enough to enter."

Ithunn concentrated as he described the difference between realities. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she tried to feel something she couldn't see, just under the space she was in. After a few minutes, she could just almost discern a hairline difference in the pulse that ran through the world surrounding her. A few minutes more and she could actually distinguish its separate rhythm.

"I think I can feel it now just out of reach..." she whispered.

Emil watched as she stretched one paw out and seemed to catch onto something solid in the air. Mentally Ithunn gripped that place and tried to pull herself through into it. There was a surprising amount of resistance, but she kept holding on until she landed beyond the invisible wall.

"Wait, something's not right. Ithunn, don't—!"

Then the doorway she used snapped closed behind her. Looking around, the young summon wondered how she could have gone wrong. But obviously she had. She was in a tiny white room with no doors or windows. The only things to see were a chair, a desk, and an old-fashioned typewriter with a strange black box balanced delicately on top.

"Whoa...I never thought I'd see this place again."

Before she had enough time to investigate the typewriter, a portion of the wall swirled with shifting colors and a young woman entered. She was weighed down with a collection of tools including a flamethrower, crowbar, saw, pickax and a jackhammer. When this stranger saw the green mink floating in the middle of the room, her jaw went slack and everything she was carrying fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"You?! What are you doing here?"

Ithunn gave a shrug that looked more like an odd crouch in her current form. "I didn't mean to, Janika. I was trying to get to the summons' home dimension. Before this I've only ever been brought to this place by you. I didn't realize I was coming here until I arrived."

The Author stood there, hands on her hips. "I don't see how you managed to end up in the Author's Note. Usually I use them to answer questions or clear up plot holes—that kind of thing. In this case I'm trying to add a few pieces that I felt were important. I just can't figure out how. What am I supposed to do?! Randomly put them in a junk chapter and hope my readers appreciate the effort? I'll get flamed for sure."

"Well, since I'm here I might as well see if I can help. What do you have so far?"

Janika's sour expression softened and she went over to the typewriter. "Here, I'll show you."

A stack of papers sat there on the desk, a second little black box weighing them down. The Author struggled to take a paper out, grunting as she braced her foot against the edge of the desk and pulled with all her might. It finally popped out and she stumbled back with a triumphant sound.

Ithunn reached out with one paw but the instant it touched the paper she was swept away into a cloudy sky...

—

It had only been half a day since she'd taken to the air with her father and already she was feeling less like Marille and more like Ithunn. She perceived things more. Her eyes saw a constant shifting of mana but it wasn't overwhelming. Everything definitely looked strange, though. It was still hard to recognize things, so her first sight of the twins had been...confusing. They had looked so different from each other that she couldn't tell which was which, and when they spoke she had been able to hear something other than just their words. Intentions? Sincerity? Emotions? It was hard to put her finger on what exactly.

They'd left almost right away since both she and her father were eager to return home. And Ithunn couldn't help enjoying the feeling of flying under her own power. It felt like an entirely separate type of experience from riding. The ocean was so far below that it looked like a plate of deep blue glass, and she couldn't help wondering if she could travel as easily underwater as she did through the sky. Probably. After all, she really didn't need oxygen, and she felt a strange affinity for water that she'd never noticed before. Fresh water more than salt, though.

Ratatosk glanced at her from his place on Swift. "There is something I doubt Emil will ever tell you, but I feel it's important for you to know."

She glided closer until she was directly above and could twist her head down to look him in the face, hearing in his voice the desire for...openness? "Are you saying he's been keeping something from me?"

"Let's just say he doesn't want to admit it even to himself. The fact that you're a summon very likely saved him."

She gave him a questioning look. "Saved how?"

"The worst part about a summon acting like a mortal is that eventually the charade has to end. Emil has always been afraid of losing your mother, and knowing he will keep on living after she dies torments him." He paused, squinting ahead as land came into view. "We're too aware of each other to fully integrate, but if you and Marta had both died, chances are he would have purposely let himself fade away to escape the pain of that loss. Now that we know for certain you are a summon spirit and will probably live as long as mana on this planet endures, he has a reason to keep living. To him, it's all the difference in the world."

Ithunn didn't say anything. She was too overwhelmed with his truthfulness. But for the first time she actually felt glad for this change.

—

Ithunn came to herself with a start. Those things always took her by surprise.

A grating, rhythmic noise attracted her attention and she realized the Author was standing on top of the desk, poised over the typewriter and sawing at the little black box. And having absolutely no effect on it. The saw, dull and chipped now, dropped to the floor and she lifted a pick ax instead.

"Whoever invented these things should die!" Janika muttered through gritted teeth.

"What is it?" Ithunn wondered. "I've never seen anything like that here before."

"It's the bane of all authors: writer's block." The Author tugged out another sheet of paper and waved it at her. "I don't know how you pulled it off, but you helped me with the last one, so take a look at this. Maybe you can miraculously find a way to fit it into the final chapter for me."

"I'll do what I can."

The summon reached out and touched the paper. It vanished and she saw her parents' bedroom...

—

Marta Castagnier leaned against the nightstand as she perched on the edge of the bed, mentally preparing herself to get up. As weight slowly settled on her legs, the muscles trembled and she stood as long as she could before sitting back down. It certainly wasn't much, but it was better than collapsing on the floor and having to wait there until the neighbors came back an hour later to check on her.

Tapping her fingers along the spine of a book to relieve some of the pent-up frustration she was feeling, Marta wondered for the thousandth time whether Emil had found Marille or not. Almost two days since she woke up in his arms, no memory of the past week and a half.

Then just a few hours after she came back to herself he'd closed his eyes and gone quiet. Eerily quiet. So quiet she thought something was seriously wrong with him. Finally he'd looked at her and said Marille was in danger. He didn't know how or from who, but there was something ominous making its way toward her. So she stayed and he went. Now it was nearly evening, and she was in the dark in more ways than one.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway jerked Marta out of her thoughts and she caught sight of a familiar figure. A joyful cry burst from her as she almost leaped to her feet and stumbled forward. He caught her by the arm and helped to steady her.

"Emil! Did you find Marille alright? Where is she?"

He stood there looking at her as though unsure of what to say. "You're...my wife?"

She blinked. "Emil, what's wrong?"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he looked at her again she knew it was Ratatosk.

"You've been away a long time," she commented. "I thought I'd never see you again after we left the Ginnungagap."

"It was necessary. I am only able to be in control because of what happened to him. I could think of no way to tell you other than this."

She cracked a smile. "You never were one to mince words, and I know you prefer action to talk anyway. Is Marille safe?"

"Yes. She's waiting outside. She asked me to prepare you."

Piece by piece the truth came out, from the Sorcerer's Ring, to Genji, to Marille's current appearance. Marta sat on the edge of her bed, lips pursed through it all. Finally at the end she shook her head.

"Why is it whenever you feel guilty about something you try to shoulder the entire burden yourself?"

"I didn't want you to be in a constant state of anxiety. Seemed like I filled that role pretty well." He spoke for his other half, but their thoughts on the matter were identical, so it was as much his fault as Emil's.

"Did you really believe I was happy not knowing why Marille kept needing to be healed?" Abruptly Marta's eyes widened and she put a hand to her head. "So that's why you were always gone. You idiot!"

Ratatosk stood perfectly still as she threw herself at him and pummeled his chest with weak little blows. After a few seconds she nearly fell to the floor and he lifted her up, a sad look in his eyes.

"I can't believe it! I just can't believe you would be that stupid!" she said accusingly. "What made you think it was a good idea to avoid me just so you wouldn't have this conversation? Just so you didn't have to tell me the truth about Marille? All this time I thought it was because you were trying to be noble. If I had known you were just running from me I would have hit you upside the head so hard you wouldn't be able to remember which of you is which!"

He continued to stare at her silently, knowing full well no excuse would make up for this breach in trust.

"We have so little time together. Do you really want to regret having wasted so much of it for thousands of years?" Marta's words were half-sobbed.

"No." He lifted her into his arms bridal style, holding her close. "I am sincerely sorry for hurting you. How can I make up for it?"

Marta wrapped her arms around his neck then shared a passionate kiss with him. After a moment they looked at one another and each gave a smile.

"Don't ever hide anything from me again. Now where is Mari— Where is Ithunn? I want to see her."

He carried his wife outside into the evening sunlight and she caught sight of the giant creature that had to be her child's true form. Ithunn lay flat against the ground staring at a rosebush. The branches were busy growing wide and full, little buds sprouting and blooming within seconds.

Hearing them approach, she sat up and tucked her incredibly long tail around herself twice, almost self-consciously. "Hi, Mom. I'm really glad you're okay. I...uh...helped your roses."

"I like the colors you added," Marta said, glancing at the roses that looked more like they'd been painted than grown. She leaned forward, reaching out to gently cup her daughter's face.

Ithunn could feel joy radiating from both her parents but she had no idea why, considering she looked like a monster ferret and wasn't likely to be human for a while yet. How could her mother be so happy to see her like this?

"You will always be my little girl no matter what you look like, no matter what your name is. Some things never change, and my love is one of them."

—

Again Ithunn blinked and found herself still in the white room beside the Author. This time Janika was trying to get the jackhammer onto the desk but it was too heavy.

"I don't know if I'm all that comfortable with that one. I was getting some really weird vibes near the end of their conversation...and eavesdropping on my parents always makes me feel guilty."

The Author looked a bit offended. "It's not eavesdropping. More like tapping into a memory crystal or... Oh, never mind. The point is it's allowed."

"If you say so. But it still seems like an invasion of their privacy to me."

She spun around, now clearly angry. "Invasion of th—?! I can't believe my own protagonist would be so irritatingly naïve. Fine. Fine. You can tell me what you think of this."

The last page on the table was removed from its black paperweight with much grunting and yanking. Ithunn accepted it and was surprised to recognize the town leaping into existence around her...

—

Geo wandered slowly through Luin, making his way to the Castagniers' home. The last time he'd seen Marille had been just after his mother had found himself and his brother tied up in the room underneath the shop in Izoold. He and Leo were nursing their wounds and explaining with some embarrassment how they'd been defeated so easily while they returned to the spot where they'd left Marille undefended half an hour earlier.

No sooner had they finished glaring at the now-harmless Genji when suddenly a creature appeared out of nowhere directly above them.

Geo shook his head, remembering with acute shame his initial reaction to her. Even after understanding had dawned on him and he'd sheathed his sword, he couldn't think of a thing to say. Leo had enough to say for the both of them, thankfully, but Ithunn hadn't said much in reply. She left the explanation to her father. Everyone seemed to take it in stride...except for himself.

What must it be like for her unable to speak with her old voice, walk on two legs, or handle a sword anymore? When everything had changed for her so radically, did that mean her memory was still the same? How did she remember him?

He looked up as he reached the street where the Castagniers lived. His eyes were instantly drawn to the silky green form wrapped around the chimney like a long, draping scarf. Ithunn didn't move at all and Geo stood watching her for several minutes.

Some time back he realized he'd stopped thinking of her as more of a cousin. He always got the impression she couldn't be interested in him without being interested in Leo too. The twins were inseparable (well, except for his current solo mission here), so people couldn't think of one without thinking of the other. Did she?

And what if she wasn't interested? Or maybe just interested in Leo? In this new form was she even capable of those kind of feelings?

Asking was more likely to force her to confront emotions and possibilities she'd rather not deal with this soon after such a traumatic experience. Maybe in time...a few months...a year...? Well, he would bring up the subject someday when he knew she was more comfortable with her situation.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Ithunn, so he could wait. When she was ready he'd be right there.

Geo turned away, the decision giving his steps a lightness they didn't have on the way here. He didn't feel her sad sapphire eyes watching him walk back the way he'd come.

—

"That's why he left without seeing me?" Ithunn gasped.

"Well...mostly. The Story was completely lacking in any real romantic interest except for one or two hints. I wanted to have it a little more obvious that Geo was interested in a closer relationship with you." The Author shrugged, focusing more attention on a lighter that was refusing to cooperate so that she could fire up the flamethrower. "Unfortunately he's also the type who won't settle down and have a serious conversation with someone he's only ever kidded with. I couldn't convince him to go talk to you no matter what because he thought you'd consider it all a big joke."

"I guess that means I'll have to go to him instead." She looked at her creator and gave a little laugh. "Janika, I don't think there's much point in using that."

The Author looked away from the ornery lighter and saw the faint wisps of ash that were all that remained of the two little writer's blocks.

"What—? How—?" She stopped gaping and instead smoothed her skirt as though attempting to appear more presentable. "Hm. I guess it's pretty much over now. So, what are you going to do once you leave?"

Ithunn gave her a penetrating look. "The world must be ending because I don't think you've ever asked me anything. All you've ever done is tell me what to do."

"I might as well ask since your adventures by my hand are now officially done."

"Really? I can do anything I like without your say-so?"

"Really and truly."

An expression of absolute freedom washed over the summon's features. "I'm going to Heimdall! I've always wanted to know what it was really like, and I can't help wondering what the elves will think of a summon who lives in the mortal world—though it's not like I'm vain or anything. Just curious. And then I'm going to Meltokio—I love the architecture there. And I want to meet Origin in person...even if Dad does despise him for not breaking his pact with Mithos. I still want to meet all the other summons. Maybe they can help me where Dad can't. And maybe when I'm traveling I can convince Geo to come along. I want to spend more time with him."

For the first time Janika gave a good-natured grin. Then she pressed her hand against the closest wall which swirled with a kaleidescope of colors before going opaque. There didn't seem to be anything on the other side, but it was clearly a way out.

"I think I'm actually going to miss you. I can only say that about one of my other characters."

"Oh? Who's my competitor?"

"Imbri."

"The immortal female knight? Nah, I can take her." Ithunn smiled back at the Author, then stretched as she headed toward the exit. "I'll remember you once in a while on my journeys."

The summon drifted through, her long tail taking a while to disappear. Once she was gone Janika sat down on the chair, and with an air of finality typed two words on the only remaining page.

The End