Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess
We seek it thus, and take to the sky
Ripples form on the water’s surface
The wandering soul knows no rest

On the main stage of Velare Ambrosi’s opera house, Mei Tsukuda stands, facing away from the seats. She raises and flexes her left forearm a few times, then repeats the motion with her right, nodding to herself, as if satisfied with her little test. She has the appearance of her Puella form, though the Valkyrie is nowhere to be seen. On the ground beside her is a broken megaphone. In the two nearest seats are the Maestro and the Virtuoso.

Mei: I’m getting the hang of it.

Velare: But how do you feel, Cadenza? 

Mei: …Stable. More or less.

Velare: It was much the same for myself, of course. Though, your soul stabilized in this realm far quicker than mine did. Perhaps it is the malleable, compacted nature of a Puella Magi’s soul that allows this?

Mei: …No, I don’t think that’s it, Maestro. I always knew this was how I’d end up. It just feels… right. (She turns to face the two other Conductors with a calm expression)

René: You only just died. I’d take it easy for a bit. (He glances at Velare) And there ain’t no need to start in with the “Cadenza” bit.

Mei: Oh, uh… I insisted on it, actually. Master— er, Yui… she never really liked the title, but it’s still mine.

Velare: Indeed, old friend. This machination is not my own. The Cadenza has chosen her path, I merely honor her wishes. 

Mei: I always knew… I knew I’d end up down here. Even before I met Yui, I knew I would die and end up in a realm like this. It sounds crazy, right? But… this was my fate. And now, I get to embrace it. I appreciate your concern, Virtuoso, but… this was always what I wanted. The Conductors just gave me a focus for my fate, that’s all.

René: Well, I guess the cool names are popular with the young ‘uns. Just don’t go endin’ up like a Conductor, yeah?

Mei: (she smiles) What do you mean, Virtuoso?

René: Ain’t a good path! I know you haven’t had time to hear the whole lousy story, but take my word for it. 

Mei: I read Yui’s journal, I got the abridged version. I mean, if you think I’m the type to “Starscream” into some grand design, you can relax. I’m dead, after all. Not much I can do to affect the other side from here. …Besides putting Worldeater’s head on a pike anyway.

René: There we’re in total agreement. What’s the latest on the Boy Wonder out there? 

Velare: Worldeater has made his domain very loud, bright and impossible to miss. It is an alluring target, quite possibly intended to lure us into attacking him.

Mei: So, what, he’s got the place trapped? What do we do, then?

Velare: We spring the trap, of course.

Mei: (Mei nods slowly) So what’s our goal? Kill the fucker?

Velare: Ideally, we would neutralize him. However, our primary target— René’s and mine, that is— is to liberate the souls that Worldeater is keeping contained in his domain. Namely, one Yuma Amaya.

Mei: Yui’s mother?! Oh shit, count me in, Maestro!

René: I owe her this much at least. Let’s get this done. 

Velare: Very good, old friend. Come, Virtuoso, Cadenza. Let us, the Conductors on this side of the tracks be about our business.

The three then set out, leaving the Opera House and walking away from it. As it fades into the horizon, a blank wasteland stretches out before them. They are silent as they walk, seemingly without end, until in the distance, the sky is cracked, bleeding into the stark contrast of the dead of night. In the middle of their view, a skyscraper, lined with violet and red neon lights, a purely chaotic pattern, clearly designed to attract attention. 

The Conductors approach the building, entering its cold, chrome lobby. At the reception desk is the unmoving soul of Yuma Arashi. Her eyes are closed, though her soul is still intact. From the intercom along the corners of the walls, a familiar voice called out.

Worldeater: Welcome, welcome! My esteemed guests, I’m so glad you could make it! Just make sure my secretary gets the appropriate information from you all, and we can get this meeting underway!

Mei: You son of a bitch… 

René: (He speaks softly to the others) Still holding onto her… he must really be set on luring us out. 

Velare: Indeed. (he holds Mei back) This is quite the trap. Which of us shall spring it?

René: (He rolls his shoulders) May as well be me, right? 

Velare: (He gives a sheepish little grin) I wasn’t going to be direct, you know me. But yes, that would be the appropriate way to go about this. ‘The usual’ as it were, old friend.

Mei: What the hell? No, no way, Maestro. Let me at him. I have to avenge my own death somehow, and I don’t exactly see Sugartits coming down any time soon.

Velare: Then take notes, Cadenza, and watch a consummate professional at work. (under his breath) Your time will come.

René: (He swaggers into the center of the lobby, axe drawn) Alright, garçon, let’s get this show started. 

But no one appears at the Conductor’s beck and call. Instead, the form of Yuma Arashi sits completely motionless. It’s as if she were a dead body, yet her form remains perfectly intact. Her soul is still alive, though it’s in a deep sleep-like state.

René: (He shrugs and sighs in annoyance) What, you’re gonna make me walk all the way over there before you spring your trap or whatever? While we’re young, man. (He strides behind the reception counter and places a hand on Yuma’s shoulder) 

Yuma Arashi is unmoving. The jostling of her soul does nothing to rouse her. After a minute or two, a deep sigh can be heard, Worldeater leaning against the counter, appearing as if he had always been there. 

Worldeater: First the Diva, now the Virtuoso. Do none of you have any appreciation for the classics? A young man like myself should not be educating my elders. (He takes a step back, between the desk and the front door, drawing a rapier from his cane. His stance is identical to the Troubadour’s.)

René: Nice form. Let’s see if you know how to use it as well as he did! (He steps forward with a bold downward swing of his axe) 

Worldeater: (In the exact same fashion in which Nebbia would have, Luca sidesteps the swing, bringing the gem on the top of his cane-sword upwards towards René’s chin)

René: (In his own re-enactment of an exchange he and Nebbia once had in a sparring match, René spins away from the blow, swinging the haft at Luca) 

Worldeater: (This, Luca cannot avoid, taking the blow and jumping back. He checks for blood on his lips, nodding as he finds none) …I see. Father was far more prudent in his sparring and fighting than I could adequately prepare. But eighteen years is hardly enough time, even for someone as gifted as I. (He changes his stance, one more his own than Nebbia’s.)

René: That’s the right way to do it. Imitating him won’t get you anywhere, ‘cause when he and I fought… I usually won. 

Worldeater: A mistake that is wholly mine. But you’ve not fought me before, Virtuoso. (He lunges, much more swiftly than when he emulated the Troubadour’s technique, his aim far more deadly)

René: (He only narrowly sidesteps the lunge, the sword slicing through the clothes on his shoulder and making a cut. He growls, charging at Luca for a body-blow)

Worldeater: (The blow lands, sending the younger man back against the side wall of the lobby. With a scoff, he straightens upright, launching forward again. With a cooler head, his thrusts and swings are slower, but more calculated)

René: (Once past the initial surprise, René regains his composure. His style is more bold and daring, but with a lifetime of experience, his risks are well-chosen. He focuses on using his greater weight and power to force Luca back) 

Worldeater: (Unable to land another blow, even fighting at his full strength, Worldeater staggers back) Tch… What, Virtuoso? Do you think yourself a hero now? Your countless sins do not weigh you down in these twilight years of yours?

René: ‘Course not. I know where my heart’s at. Were you thinking like that when you shacked up with Kyubey? Why don’t you try and do something good for once?

Worldeater: You assume two things, Virtuoso. That either I do not see myself as doing something good, or that I merely do not care. That, my dear Conductor, is your riddle. …That, or strike me down, yet alas… something is holding you back, it seems! 

Velare and Mei had left as soon as the fighting began. Mei protested at abandoning René, arguing that she was still the better pick to fight against Worldeater. But as they snuck around to the back of the building, she began to realize that this was part of the plan. She remembered the Virtuoso’s might from reading Yui’s journal, something Velare was quick to point out. As they searched, the duo came to a small door, leading to a narrow stairwell, possibly some attempt at recreating an emergency stairwell. They raced up the stairs, one flight at a time, and Mei finally asked the most important question of all.

Mei: Okay, Maestro… but what are we looking for here?

Velare: Hmm. It’s simple, really. There has to be some mechanism that allows Luca Giordano to wear that mask, or maintain it somehow. That is what we seek up here. He would keep it hidden in the innermost depths of his domain in the Dreamscape.

Mei: So we find whatever’s powering that mask…

Velare: …and you smash it to pieces. This, Cadenza, is why I did not leave you to fight Worldeater. That technique of yours will be invaluable in finding whatever secrets Worldeater has to hide. You heard his voice, correct?

Mei: How could I not? Son of a bitch wouldn’t stop talking.

Velare: But did you hear his voice, Cadenza?

Mei: …Yeah. I got it. I got his memory stored in my megaphone. Valkyrie’s ready at a moment’s notice.

Worldeater and the Virtuosos, however, continued to clash in this building’s mockery of a lobby. Eventually, Luca caught the business end of René’s axe, and staggered back a bit, laughing out loud as he gathered marble to cover and seal the wound.

Worldeater: But of course! What holds you back is the machinations of your dearest friend, the Maestro! (he holds his hand upright) …And you would think me a pure simpleton if I did not notice those rats scurrying away from me as we fought. A proper gambit, one deserving a place in this script, but alas…

Closing his fist, Worldeater looked upwards as the walls began to flow downwards through the foundation. Floors and ceilings crashed around them, leaving René and Yuma’s unconscious soul unscathed, yet it became evident that the building itself was compressing, and finally, Mei and Velare collapsed behind the Virtuoso.

Three friends go into battle.
One is captured
One flies away
The one that is left becomes a hero.

Worldeater: And what have we here, but three Conductor rats all gathered together again! What fools, to stand against me in my world.

René: Huh! (He jabs his pointer finger at Luca’s wound) You got a marble streak a mile too wide to be callin’ yourself that! 

Worldeater: Calling myself what, Virtuoso? God?

Mei: (Mei staggers to her feet, holding her megaphone in front of her not unlike a pistol) Virtuoso… step back. I’ll take this drama-student dropout myself.

René: (He gives Mei a silent glance, one that asks a clear question: “Are you sure you’re okay for this?”) 

Mei: (Mei glances over her shoulder, her eyes answering that question affirmatively.) Go check on the Maestro. Get Yuma outta here. I’ll take Worldeater down myself.

René: (Not taking his eyes off Luca for long, René crouches down beside Velare. He rests his axe on one shoulder and grabs Velare’s shoulder with the other hand) Hey, you alright?

Velare: (The Maestro stirs, slowly rising to his feet) I’ll live. …Or not. But I’m fine. The Cadenza makes her move. We must do the same. Let us get Yuma Amaya out of this horrid place.

Mei stepped forward, then lunged at Worldeater. He dodged swiftly, yet his follow up was stopped by a back kick from Mei. She continued to take unorthodox swings and attacks at Worldeater, who struggled to dodge while maintaining an offense of his own. As he finally found his footing, bringing the walls in, he felt a loud shriek inside his very skull, stopping his attack. Jumping back, Worldeater placed his palms on the glass doors, melting them into scimitars and jumping back into the fray. Mei was now on the defensive, dodging and parrying where she could. Back against the wall, Mei closed her eyes. Worldeater swung down at her head, but found his attack parried by a spear, a sudden set of bronze armor manifesting between them. Valkyrie stood ready, spear in hand pointed at Worldeater. His eyes widened in panic, realizing that Mei was tapping into Memory Voice, and knew he had to stop this before it started. But before anyone could move, another voice called out, stopping both combatants in their tracks.

Velare: Excuse me. (Standing between the two and René, who was trying to extract Yuma’s soul from its position behind the receptionist’s desk, Velare pushed his glasses up.) But this has been bothering me quite a bit. How old did you say you were again, Luca Giordano?

Worldeater: What kind of— could you not have waited until our duel was concluded, old man?

Velare: (The lenses of Velare’s glasses flashed a familiar shade of blue) It’s an important question, Worldeater.

Worldeater: (scoffing, he dropped his glass scimitars, both of which shatter upon impact) Fine! I’ll humor you, Maestro! I’ll have you know I am eighteen years of age. Satisfied?

Velare: …Truly? Eighteen years? And you were born in Italy, right? …Not Japan?

Worldeater: What kind of stupid fucking— (his eyes suddenly go wide, as if realizing something, something that suddenly did not make sense to him. He removes his mask, glaring at Velare.) 

Luca: No… no, you did not just…

René: Just so we’re clear, Nebbia wasn’t ever the kind of guy to cheat, ever. 

Luca: No… you lie. You scheme, you plot, you connive… You lie, like the sneaky, treacherous Conductors that you are. Liars, the whole lot of you! You lie… you lie! YOU FUCKING LIE! 

Luca returns the mask to his face, and the ground begins to tremble. Clutching his head in his hands, Worldeater falls to his knees, repeating the phrase over and over. The building explodes. The building disintegrates. The building implodes. The building bursts into flame. The building shatters like glass. The building was never there. What building? What soul at the desk? What desk? Was there ever a desk in this non-building? What IS a desk? What what what what what—

---

The building returns to normal, with Mei, Velare and René standing in an empty, pristine lobby. The marble looks completely untouched, even by their footprints upon entering the building. Noticeably, Yuma’s soul is also nowhere to be seen. The building is silent, eerily so. There’s no sign of Worldeater anywhere.

Velare: (The Maestro adjusts his jacket, then pushes his glasses up along the bridge of his nose) …I’m not sure if I should be concerned, or envious of Luca Giordano’s penchant for the dramatic.

René: (Looking left and right) Did he run away? That little shit. 

Mei: Looks like it… but I don’t get it, why would asking about his age or place of birth matter so much? Especially enough to make him… whatever the fuck happened to reality there for a minute.

Velare: It’s simple. I wanted to poke a hole in his narrative to see how he would respond. If he maintained composure, I would have just let you kill him. You were winning, for the record, Cadenza. 

Mei: (Mei puffs her chest out, unabashedly proud of herself)

Velare: But consider this. Yui Arashi is twenty years old. For Luca Giordano to be eighteen years of age, he would have to have been born here in Japan. When Yui was two. And when Yui was two, Nebbia had been staying in Mitakihara for a while. Yui was born at the tail end of our war with the Arashi Family, a war Nebbia Piccolo took part in. But Luca’s story claims he was born as a bastard son to Katherine Agnes Esposito… in Italy. Now, bonus points, Cadenza, but where was Katherine eighteen years ago?

Mei: …She was already Kae…

Velare: Precisely. But given Worldeater’s rather dramatic exit, we can safely deduce that even he is unaware of the web of lies with which he has crafted his entire persona, and his desire for revenge against us.

René: Does any one of these “Balancers” have a damn thought in their skull? (He clicks his tongue in annoyance) Looks like he’s taken Yuma, too… 

Velare: A setback, to be sure. But her soul is still intact.

René: Yeah… must still be holdin’ a torch on luring us out. Like that’ll do him any good. 

Mei: Not for us, no… this is Yui’s bait. That’s why he’s keeping her mother alive.