Introductions

"Michael? That's your name?"

"Not quite what you'd expect, I know. But it is the name I chose."

"Ok then... What are you, exactly?"

"Hold on one moment, please. One last thing needs to be taken care of."

You look at Mouse, back in human form, as he makes his way over to you both. You wave a hand and freeze him in place.

"What are you-" Ilyanna starts.

"Don't worry, you'll see."

A snap of your fingers and Mouse's true form is revealed: that of a 20-foot tall Pride Demon.

"Mouse may have told you he was an apprentice killed by Templars-"

"But he wasn't. I knew that."

You turn to face her, your eyebrow raised skeptically.

"What?" she says indignantly, "If he was an apprentice, why was he wearing the robes of a Senior Enchanter? I knew he was lying from the start, I just let him help me."

Thinking back, you remember she was right. Huh. Turns out you don't know everything. You smile.

"Very good," you say, "Just let me deal with him."

With a flick of your wrist, you send him flying into a wall. And then through the wall. And then out the other side and into the endless void.

"There. Problem solved."

Ilyanna stares at you, her eyes wide.

"H-...How did you-"

"Tell me Ilyanna, what do you know about Spirits?"

She swallowed.

"They're the creatures that live here, in the Fade. They embody emotions."

"Correct. However, there is more to it."

Ilyanna tilted her head questioningly, "What do you mean?"

"It is true that some spirits, or rather most spirits, embody emotions. However, other, older spirits, embody more complex concepts. Still others embody more than one. Others like me."

"Wait, really?"

"Is it so hard to believe?"

"I... suppose not, no," she said, "So, what kind of spirit are you?"

Silently, you curse yourself. When you came to this world, you wanted a world that existed as you remember it. And of all the numerous playthroughs of the series, your first is the one you remember the most. Knowing that, you should have expected the 3rd degree Ilyanna was giving you. After all, you role-played her as a very curious person. You actually have to pause time again just to come up with a convincing story.

"Well, a long time ago, I was a spirit of Intellect. I was the embodiment of the mortal need to seek out knowledge and understand it. And that's what I did."

You hold a hand out to her.

"Here. Let me show you."

Unsure, she takes your hand...

And gasps as the ground falls away.

"What the-"

"The power of flight is one of the many things I have learned. And I can show you so much more."

Gripping her hand tightly, you burst forward into the ether.