Musique and Xinyu sat atop a sandstone tower in Kalahari, overlooking the desert city as it swayed in the wavy heat. They watched traders in wide hats mush chunbulls pulling carts of goods while everyone else walked shoulder to shoulder in the narrow streets. Child pickpockets ran rampant, ducking under adult legs as they swiftly reallocated gold from one person's pocket to another. It was a lawless land, but without a unified government to uphold order, there was nothing anyone could do. Even so, it was the place where dozens of thousands called home. The buildings weren't as tall as the lost city, but the architectural design was more impressive, and the lands went out much further, reaching walls that were comparable to those of Wunderdum.
"I'm worried," Musique said, tightly gripping the odd flute in his hands. "Kitsune…"
"There is no use in worrying about it now," Xinyu said. "Let us talk about more happy topics! Oh! Tell me about the singer you spoke of so passionately before, Selena, I think her name was."
"Seren!" Musique said, his demeanor instantly shifting. "I've watched her since she was just a poor child performing on the streets. And now, she's one of the biggest and most famous singers in all the lands!"
"It sounds like you have a crush on her," Xinyu teased.
"What I have for her is pure admiration," Musique said, his pupils dilating into stars. "One day, I want to be just like her."
"A famous singer?" Xinyu said.
"Well, yes," Musique said. "But more than that, I want to inspire people with music. I've watched these lands from atop Kitsune's mountain, and there is so much pain in this world. If I can make people happier, even just a little bit, then that would be enough. I'm not strong, so I can't protect them. At the very least, I can bring joy to their hearts."
Xinyu looked at him with a satisfied smile. "Hehe, so it appears we are not so different."
Musique paused for a second.
"What about you?" Musique asked. "What… what is your dream? You mentioned it, but you never told me what it was."
Xinyu stared at the dusty skies, a beautiful hue of orange, admiring it all the way to the great beyond. Her life, her smile, her everything was dedicated to her one purpose. The one that she would fight for until the world's end.
"I want to see them smile," Xinyu said under her breath. "And free them from their shackles."
"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?" Musique asked.
"It means that I will give them the option to choose their own paths!" Xinyu announced. "A life free from godship."
"Free from the gods? Is that really a good idea?" Musique asked. "People have enough freedom as it is, and from what I've seen, it's awful. Think about how much worse society would be if the gods weren't keeping humanity in check. I've seen what people are capable of, and it's disgusting."
"The gods keeping us in check? The gods are no better than humans," Xinyu said. "But you are right. Freedom begets suffering. That will never change. I could rid the world of humans, but then there would be no smiles left. Humanity could achieve immortality, but then there would be no meaning to life. We would suffer in a different sense. It would never end. The way I see it, I believe we should live, laugh, suffer, and then die. Some of us will be selfless and fight to bring the smiles of others, while others will selfishly fight for their own. Wars will be fought, and people will die in an eternal cycle. It is who we are. We are beings born to fight. Just as long as we die staying true to our beliefs, then our existence has worth."
"That's… a lot," Musique said. "I wish I could be wise like you."
"I am not wise," Xinyu said. "I just have to think like that, or else I will not be able to make them smile."
"Ha, yeah. I bet you could make anyone smile," Musique said, chuckling.
"That is not true," Xinyu said as she faced him with deadpan eyes. "There was a woman I had a disagreement with not long ago. It might not have been a big deal, but it still troubles me. I wish I could have made her smile, but I only made her cry."
Musique tilted his head. "Why so serious? I was only joking. You can't possibly get along with everyone, no matter who you are…"
"I try to be a hero everyone can look up to, but often, I feel like I am just digging myself into a hole from which I will not be able to escape," Xinyu continued. "I wish to show the path forward, yet I must constantly hide the fact that I am more lost than anyone else."
"Then tell me this, if you are willing," Musique said. "When we were in the underground city, after we were attacked by molemen, you said you felt fear often. Is that really true?"
"Truer than all I am," Xinyu said, clutching her chest. "I am scared. I do not want to be here, nor do I want this goal that was thrust upon my back. I just want it to end…"
"That's not what you were saying before…" Musique said.
"Ah! Was it not?" Xinyu asked. "I am so weary of all this that sometimes it is hard to remember everything I say. Think nothing of it!"
"Isn't that out of character for you to admit?" a voice behind them asked. They looked behind, and there Kitsune hovered, glowing in the afternoon sun.
"It's you!" Xinyu exclaimed.
"Mother!" Musique said, running up to the fox as they embraced. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, it's me," Kitsune assured. She looked at Xinyu as she held Musique tight. "You've done well helping my hopeless son out. For that, I must thank you. I don't know what I would have done otherwise, since healing powers are so rare."
"It was no problem!" Xinyu said, giving a cheesy thumbs up and winking. "But why are you here? And what was this artifact you sent us to retrieve?"
"A relic from long ago," Kitsune said. "I will admit, there is no use for it now, but one day its necessity will arise. Of that, I am sure. For now, we must leave this city immediately."
"Why the rush?" Musique asked. "We only just got here."
"The prophecies have begun to unfold sooner than I thought. Soon, this city will be destroyed alongside every life within," Kitsune said. She pointed in the distance. "Look there. See that dark storm in the distance? It's going to make its way over here and consume this place whole. What lies in its midst is calamity itself. We must leave at once and head straight to Wunderdum. Time is running out."
Xinyu put her hand out in a stopping motion.
"If what you say is true, then you are asking me to leave everyone to die in the city," Xinyu said.
"I am," Kitsune said.
Xinyu looked at her with disapproving eyes. "You know I cannot do that."
Kitsune sighed. "It's a hefty price to pay, but one that may save humanity. I have swayed possible futures with thousands of visions, and they all ended the same, yet there is one uncertain one that I cannot see the result of. That is a future where you survive."
"Did you not say my death was inevitable?" Xinyu asked.
"Yes, it is dictated by fate," Kitsune said. "But after watching you recently, I realized you must survive. If our goal is to escape to the lands beyond fate, then that means you, too, Xinyu. If you live, you may give humanity a chance to persist. That can only happen once you make this sacrifice."
"I will not abandon anybody," Xinyu said. "Whatever darkness arrives, I will vanquish it and protect this city."
"Not this time, Xinyu," Kitsune said.
"I will," Xinyu ascertained.
"And what if I told you it's a god?" Kitsune asked. "Even someone as full of pride as you knows they haven't a chance to contend with nature itself? You cannot change the world's order with your fists, surely you know this."
"Are you sure that is what it is?" Xinyu asked.
Kitsune shook her head. "I am of the divine. Their presence is unmistakable to me, I fear. Everyone in this city will perish, regardless of whether you stay or go."
Xinyu was silent.
"We're out of time," Kitsune said, looking at the swelling darkness.
"How many corpses must I carry on my back?" Xinyu asked in a whisper.
"Only as many as you choose to carry with you," Kitsune said.
"Then I will not carry a single one more," Xinyu said. "Tell me this, before I give up my pride, my smile. Why must it be me? You said it yourself. I cannot contend fate with my fists, but that is all I have. Live or die here, I do not see myself having a future past tomorrow."
"Arthur and I have devised a plan, one that will transport entire kingdoms across the sea with a certain magical device," Kitsune said. "The power needed for that is immense, but it is possible."
"Then go run across the sea," Xinyu said. "You do not need me for that."
But we do!" Kitsune said. "Before we can attempt such a move, we need someone to find and brave those lands and create a gateway forward. Someone strong. The strongest in all of history. That someone is you. You are stronger than any warrior that came before. If you are not on the ship that sails there first, I can assure you that there is no chance of its survival. You can save everyone."
"But not those of this city," Xinyu said.
"And how do you intend to save them from a god?" Kitsune asked. "The prophecy dictates that you will die for nothing if you do not leave now. Bite your tongue and give up on your headstrong ideals, just this once. You said it yourself, you're okay with death and suffering as long as there is freedom. Well, freedom is there, across the sea, but we need you to pave the way, as you always intended. If you are not there to light a path forward, many more people will die in darkness. You must live, Xinyu Ma!"
"But…" Xinyu started.
"It's time to choose," Kitsune said, cutting her off. "I know who you are. You are many in the body of one, but two voices reign supreme above all else. Those two are the ones at odds right now, so tell me this: will you die as Xinyu Ma, or will you fight for the future as The Merchant of Joy?"
Xinyu stopped for a moment, thought about it, then smiled. "You know more than you relay, fox."
"Make your choice," Kitsune said. "Choose between the present and the future."
"Who do you think I am?" Xinyu asked. "I am the Merchant of Joy. I always fight for the future, now, and always."
"So you'll choose to live?" Kitsune asked.
"If that is what will allow my dream to come true, then yes, I shall," Xinyu said, raising her head to the sky. "The journey out of Kalahari is long. Let us prepare before we depart!"