"You are grooming a monster, Popola!" Number 2 growls as she closes the door to Popola's office.
"Calm down, please!" Popola replies: "Don't worry! We're just using him to find the shadow lord!"
"And we'll restrain him before anything bad happens," Devola adds
"You know this is a lie," Number 2 leans against the door as a spear hovering beside her: "Your failure doomed the human race to extinction!"
"Just have some faith in me," Popola pleads: "And can you please keep it down! We don't want the villagers to find out!"
"Oh, what's so bad about that?" Number 2 rolls her eyes: "They find out, so they can stop killing themselves!"
"Please calm down!" Devola says: "We understanding your concern, but if they find out, then they will go insane!"
"We don't know what would happen, but it can't be good," Popola sighs: "Please, just give us some time!"
"Hello!" their argument was interrupted by a gentle knocking sounding: "Popola? Is everything ok?"
"Yes!" Popola shouts while making hand gestures to Number 2: "Can I help you?"
"I was just walking by and heard you guys are arguing; I just want to check on you!" the young man replies from the other side of the door.
"We are fine!" Devola replies as Popola hastily throws some documents into her drawers: "Thank you!"
"Ok, just checking," the young man says: "By the way, do you know where Emily is? I want to buy some bread, but her shop is closed!"
"I'm in here!" Number 2 replies, looking at Popola: "We are just having a conversation about...things!"
"Ok, sorry for interruption then," the young man says, his voice filled with suspicion: I'll just...have something else instead."
"Let's go, lad," another, more matured voice says to the young man: "They are clearly having some passionate discussions."
As the sound of footsteps fades, Popola lets out a sigh of relief: "You see what I mean?"
"Look," Number 2 facepalms: "You can't just hide it forever. And remember: you are created to serve humans, not the replicants nor the gestalts."
"I know, I know," Popola replies: "But both are essential parts of a human! If the replicants are gone, the gestalts would go insane and collapse. If the gestalts are gone, then the replicants would all die! You know that replicants are bodies without souls, and gestalts are human souls without a body. Either is complete without the other. Yet, the replicants somehow try to kill the gestalts and vise versa! Neither party are aware of what they are doing! We need to find the shadow lord, so he does his job!"
"Then you guys could have sent me!" Number 2 says, her voice somewhat muffled by her hands: "Why did you send him of all person?"
"First, you refuse to fight the shades because they are essentially gestalts," Devola argues: "Second, he is the body of the shadow lord, and they share a connection with each other!"
"Say whatever you want to," Number 2 argues back: "The souls are going insane without bodies, and the bodies are collapsing because all the souls are being killed by that man!"
"Look," Popola explains: "Why don't we just nurse Sunset back to health for now? Maybe she knows things that we don't!"
"Plus, you can visit the Aerie for information!" Devola says: "They are trying to put the souls back into the bodies. Maybe they have something to say about that!"
"Whatever," Number 2 groans: "This time, it better works."
"Hi, do you know where Emily is?" a villager asks a young man with a floating book beside him.
"Oh, she was having a conversation with Popola!" the young man replies: "I doubt she would be back any time soon, though."
"Oh, come on!" the villager replies: "She's the best baker in town!"
"And her skills with blades are unparalleled!" the young man adds: "But she refuses to fight, and she doesn't even teach others! So what's with her?"
"She told me that her hand shakes whenever she has to fight a shade, so she stopped fighting," the villager shrugs: "But still, where does she learned her skills from?"
"Don't know," the young says: "If she's willing to teach me, then I will find Yonah in no time!"
"Speaking of which," the book adds: "She wields peculiar magic. For example, how do you make a weapon float, disappear and reappear whenever you want to? That certainly isn't normal!"
"You said it, Weiss," the young man says: "And I wonder where does she get that spear from. It's way too heavy to use."
"Oh, look what time it is!" the villagers say as he takes a look at the clock tower: "I've gotta go, see you later!"
"See you!" the young man waves: "Weiss, just who do you think Emily really is?"
"I don't know, lad," the book replies: "But you need to keep your guard up. She seems to be hiding something."
"Emily?"
"Yes, lad," the book says: "She can wield magic but doesn't understand anything about the basic theories of magic. Besides, she can read Old World English. From my knowledge, learning that language may take years of training. If she spent all that time perfecting her skills with blades, then how does she find time for anything else?"
"Ok, Weiss," the young man rolls his eyes: "Whatever you say. By the way, how good is she at fighting anyway?"
"Better than anyone I have seen," Weiss says: "She was either born with supernatural strength or used magic to enhanced her power."
"Which one do you think is it, Weiss?"
"The former, lad," Weiss responds: "Whatever she is, be careful. I don't trust her."
"Does she remind you of Kaine?" the young man smirks: "Is that why you don't trust her?"
"The hussy?" Weiss raises his voice: "Even the hussy won't call me a 'flying square thingy'! How dare she..."
"Again, they do kind of look like each other," the young man adds: "Not a lot, but a little."
"They look nothing alike," Weiss says: "The hussy is a person, and her...well, her faced looks like it's manufactured in a factory."
"Whatever you say, Weiss."