Chapter 1

The moment her feet were on the ground once more, Mitsuhide was practically at her throat, more furious than No had ever seen him in the six years she had spent in Nixtorm. "What in the name of the Legendary Pokemon were you thinking, No? You could have broken your neck! What could have possibly compelled you to climb onto the castle roof?"

No didn't understand why he was making such a fuss. "I wanted to know if I could see all the way to Spectra."

"Kicho? Can you hear me?" No's vision was filled by Miyuri's green eyes peering down at her, far closer to her face than necessary.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Miyuri said. "You were out cold. I was starting to think I might have to slap you awake."

"I may do that to you if you don't get off of me," No grumbled, ignoring Miyuri's pout as the dark-haired girl slid off the bed. Thanks to a spirit that had taken up residence in the castle kitchens, No had gotten little rest. As with most of the spirits she had dealt with over the last several years, it had taken her the better part of the night to draw it out and convince it to haunt someplace else. Such sleep deprivation was the cost of being the only medium in the castle, and having to conduct her work in secret.

Propping herself up, No scanned the small room for their other two companions, brushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "Where are Chigusa and Tsubaki?"

Miyuri shrugged. "You know Chigusa, she's always up at the crack of dawn. One time I told her she really doesn't need to bother, since it's not like Lady Fuyuka has ever left her rooms before noon, but that just got her going. She told me I shouldn't disrespect Lady Fuyuka that way, so I told her it's not disrespect if it's a known fact..."

No picked up the folded clothing at the foot of her bed and entered the adjoining washroom, her roommate's chatter fading into background noise. She grimaced as she undressed and felt the thin sheen of sweat covering her body. The past week had been far warmer than autumn in Spectra had any business being, and the castle's temperature during the night had grown unpredictable as a result. But at least No was able to take her time bathing, time to drill herself on the cover she had spent the last four years building.

A hand grasped her chin, bringing her face up, and for the first time in six years No was suddenly face-to-face with the woman who had ordered Hideko's murder. No fought to keep her expression humble, despite the revulsion screaming within her. She could not afford to fail in this moment.

"What is your name, girl?" Fuyuka asked, inspecting No's face like one would a Miltank about to be slaughtered for dinner.

"Kicho, my lady," No murmured. She found the meaning fitting - returning butterfly. All she had to do was win Fuyuka's approval today, and then her plan could begin.

Fuyuka narrowed her eyes, and No was forced to admit the resemblance between her aunt and Hideko. They had the same facial structure, the high cheekbones and full lips. But while No shared Hideko's violet eyes, Fuyuka's were a cold steely blue. No realized too late that Fuyuka might notice the resemblance as well. What if word had somehow gotten out that Hideko's daughter had fled the safety of Nixtorm's castle? No barely ever prayed, but now she sent up a quick plea that Mitsuhide had realized raising an alarm would only put her in more danger.

"Do you have no parents? Any family at all?"

Whether it was a sign of suspicion or not, No had been cautious enough to prepare for this. "I never knew my father, my lady. My mother and I lived in a village west of here for all my life. She was a seamstress, but about half a year ago-" No allowed her voice to catch, briefly looking downwards as though to blink back tears. "There was an accident. Her shop burned down with her inside. I've been on my own since then, but I have the skills she taught me."

Just enough truths to balance out the lies.

No brought her head up from beneath the water, unsurprised to hear Miyuri still gossiping on from the other room, oblivious to her lack of an audience. No gradually tuned back in as she dried her hair. It never hurt to possess information that could potentially be utilized later, and becoming friendly with the nosiest servant in the castle had been one of No's smartest decisions.

"I mean, I did see Tsubaki getting very friendly with that guard who has all the tattoos," Miyuri giggled conspiratorially as No re-entered the room, now wearing the purple kimono that served as their uniform. "So I guess it's not that much of a surprise that she didn't make it back last night, if you catch my meaning. You'd think Chigusa would be used to it by now, but she still acted so scandalized!" No gave a noncommittal nod and went about tying the outfit's gold sash around her waist. If Miyuri's only news was their roommate's fling of the week, that was nothing No was interested in. Ensuring she was always presentable, on the other hand, was far too important to skimp out on in her line of work.

The four of them were Fuyuka's personal handmaidens, hand-selected for the duty four years prior out of practically every girl in Spectra. Being one of Fuyuka's butterflies wasn't just No's ticket inside the castle - she, Miyuri, Chigusa, and Tsubaki were the highest-ranking of the servants, and No had an ironclad excuse for needing constant access to items that helped her conceal her true identity. Makeup to apply over the tattoo on her shoulder was crucial, and No still found herself inking protection sigils onto her skin when the full moon hung in the sky. But most importantly, it meant that on an almost daily basis, No was in direct contact with her reason for returning to Spectra.

In the first few months, No had pondered poison. It would be clean, and Fuyuka certainly had no shortage of enemies the act could be blamed on. However, No had only been fourteen then, and had come to realize that most warlords who would be willing to throw their support behind a child would be doing so in want of a puppet. Biding her time for the next four years had been a task, but in hindsight, No was glad that she had waited.

She had learned how to keep her powers at bay, and within the past year had begun testing the limits of her influence over spirits. It was slow going, but her cover would be beyond saving if the wrong person noticed how frequently spirits flocked to wherever No was. In the meantime, she had begun to seek out those within Spectra who could offer her their support, and even those whom No knew whispered that there was something unnatural about her were at least bayed by the rumors that had circulated in the wake of the incident two years earlier. Throughout it all, No's plan had evolved.

Under Fuyuka, Spectra was being run into the ground. No didn't need to overhear the whispers in the castle to know Fuyuka's personal spending was wreaking havoc on the treasury, and she had seen firsthand in Nixtorm how many warlords had found the nature of her aunt's rise to power disgraceful enough to withdraw their alliances with the Ghost kingdom. Should any warlord even see worth in invading Spectra now, they would find a second-rate, poorly-equipped army. Yet Fuyuka was able to hold onto her power, for nobody had been able to rally her subjects against her. After all, No was still widely believed to be in Nixtorm, now little more than a political pawn of the Ice kingdom after growing up within its walls for ten years.

And as for life within Spectra's castle, there was the Pokemon ban. Having been born without the warrior gift, Fuyuka's jealousy of those who did possess it had caused her to decree that no servant under her command could be discovered with a partner Pokemon, not even her handmaidens.

This had also complicated things for No. Despite being a magnet for the spirits of both humans and Pokemon, No still hadn't found a partner, and that wouldn't do if she wished to present herself as the better option over Fuyuka. She kept telling herself it was simply a matter of time, but there were only so many Pokemon in Spectra, and No hadn't felt a connection with any of them thus far. Why had she never thought to ask Mitsuhide about how he had met Lapras? As long as she was Kicho, attempting to contact him would be far too dangerous. Besides, No doubted that Mitsuhide would even recognize her now, much less want to hear an explanation for her disappearance from Nixtorm.

Returning to find her home in this state had been what ignited that spark of violence No had first felt in the days following her mother's assassination. In Nixtorm, No had begun learning to defend herself, both with her fists and with a blade. She had repeated those combat drills to the point of exhaustion during her time in Spectra, and taken similar care to study the castle guards whenever they trained. No fought like a serpent, biding her time from the shadows, waiting until the perfect moment to deliver the killing strike. And now she was eighteen, four years smarter and stronger.

No fell asleep every night and woke every morning knowing who she was, the vow she had made to herself the only prayer she needed. "I am the heir you could not kill, Fuyuka. And I swear on every soul in the castle graveyard, your final sight is going to be me. Whether I cut your throat the same way my mother's was, or I feel your pulse fade beneath my fingertips, or I rip your heart out of your chest, you will die knowing who I am."

Throughout Spectra, the players took their positions. No began another day as Kicho the handmaiden, accompanying her fellow servants out into the city. As always, she was mindful of the lunar cycle. Tonight was a full moon, and she could already feel its effect on the spirits. As she left a shop, something caught her eye, a man on the other side of the square accompanied by a two-headed Pokemon. No blinked, and they were swallowed by the crowd. It didn't matter.

At the northern gate into the city, a young man arrived with the morning. His partner, a Zweilous, attracted stares, but both warrior and Pokemon had grown accustomed to the poorly-concealed gawking. He found an inn close to the center of the city, and rented a room for an indefinite period of time. He didn't quite know what yet, but something was drawing him here, to this infamous kingdom of ghosts. He didn't see the handmaiden in purple notice him from across the square. Not yet.

On the outskirts of the castle grounds, a forgotten shrine rested, halfway enclosed by the forest. The inside was overgrown with dead plants, the altar nothing but eroded stone. But despite the decay, the place still held power. It stirred now, ancient ghosts whose names were written upon the walls waking for the first time in centuries. The shadows thickened, and dozens of voices softly clamored together as the outline of a woman materialized atop the altar. Hideko's ghost gazed out towards her former home.

It was beginning.