Delilah stared in amazement at Marcus as he stepped through the door. His usual simple attire — a white shirt, white pants, no socks or shoes, and a mere rope for a belt — were traded out for something grand, something noble, something that brought one word to Delilah’s mind.
Paladin.
Paladins came in all shapes and sizes, but Marcus, dressed as he was now, was the first Delilah had met who looked exactly like what that word made Delilah feel and think. His usually bare feet now wore smooth, thin white boots with silver trim and small, crescent-moon shaped charms dangling from their tops on short silver chains. His pants and shirt were clean and white, his belt a chain-like cord of silver, and over it all he wore a long, flowing robe of white and silver. The sleeves were long and were very wide and asymmetrically shaped at the cuffs, the tops fitting nicely halfway up his hand, while the bottoms dangled far down, long and shimmering in the light. A hood of white and silver sat atop his head, emblazoned with an X-shaped star within a crescent moon. In his right hand he still held his staff topped with ring-shaped bells, and his kind eyes shone with a quiet radiance.
“You look totally awesome,” Alice murmured, staring.
Delilah agreed, but there was more than that. He looked… familiar somehow.
Wait… dressed like that, with that hood…
“You’re the man,” she said, staring. “The one I saw, that… Solla sent me to, or let me see, on the Moon.” She reached into her shirt, pulling out the key that hung on a silver chain around her neck. “You gave me this.”
Marcus smiled. “Indeed I did,” he said. “Though I did not, at the time, realize it was you. A curious thing this is…” Still smiling, he shook his head. “But no matter. I’m glad it was you, Delilah.”
“You gave it to her on the Moon?” Alice asked. “But wait… weren’t you still in Grimoire when…?” She shook her head, smirking. “Ah, what the heck do I know? You’re way too mysterious, old man.”
“I don’t understand, though,” Delilah said, gazing at the key she bore. “Is this the Key of the World? But it was also in the mirror, and that was so much bigger.”
“Did Revue sing you the Verse of the Key?” Marcus asked.
Delilah’s eyes widened. “There are… three of them.” Marcus nodded. “But then… we have one right here, have had it all along? But I don’t understand. What does it do? What…?”
“ ‘When all the world falls, dust, ash, or shadow… Light lies out of reach, our hands cannot hold.’ ” Marcus recited the first two lines of the verse without melody. “The Key of the World is our greatest hope when all hope seems lost.”
“So right about now, then?” Alice asked. “Stars going out kind of seems like hope being lost, you know?”
“So we need to find out everything we can,” Delilah said. “Unless you know everything there is about the Key… the Keys? It’s plural, right? Why did Revue talk about it as if the three Keys are singular?”
“A mystery, that one,” Marcus said. “And one well worth the effort to decipher. In dreams, through the glass… that accounts for two of the Keys. Perhaps you understand?”
“Oh, I think I do!” Isabelle said, raising her hand. “It’s one Key, but also three!”
“I thought you said you understood,” Alice said.
“But that’s precisely it,” Maribelle said, nodding. “I see. A single Key — three, but one. In three places, in three forms, but all the same Key of the World.”
“So… it breaks the rules of reality, then?” Alice asked.
“It was laid in place by one who understands reality better than we ever will,” Marcus said. “Now, then. If Revue told you about the Key, then it’s time we all knew about it. And not just the stories, the songs, the myths and legends. We must know the truth.”
Alice placed a hand on her hip. “You’re saying you don’t know everything, huh?”
Marcus chuckled. “Precisely. How to turn the Key at all three places, in all three forms… how to find each place and form… what power the Key holds… these are things I do not know. It may be our best hope, but if we do not know what form that hope takes, what power that hope holds, then we are yet powerless to grasp it.”
“So we still need to do our research,” Alice said.
Delilah nodded. “Where do we start?”
“Exploring, love!” came the voice of Revue out on the main stage. “My Palace is huge, and it lay Lost for so long, and I divided for so long, that even I do not remember every detail. But the Reflection Theater is here, so there must be more clues to the Key of the World here somewhere, yes? After all, the greatest hint we have at its nature comes from song — song composed in these very halls, before even I was born.”
“You were born?” Alice asked, heading out onto the main stage.
“How else would I exist?” Revue asked. Delilah and the others followed Alice, finding Revue stooping low to the floor so her masked face could look Alice at eye level.
“I thought you were, like, sung into existence or something weird like that,” Alice said, shrugging.
“I was!” Revue said, standing tall, spreading her arms wide as a spotlight clicked on, basking her in a beautiful glow. “Sung into conception, carried, then borne into the world. That’s my origin story, love.”
“You skipped a lot of details,” Isabelle said.
“Don’t mention it,” Alice said, waving a hand. “We don’t have time for long-winded stage speeches, right? Hey, Revue. You got any hints for where we should start?”
“So dismissive of me, yet she asks for my help,” Revue said, still staring skyward, basking in the spotlight’s glow.
“Don’t talk about me in the third person,” Alice said, pursing her lips.
“Revue,” Delilah said, stepping forward. “Where do you think we should start? This is your Palace, after all. If anyone would know, it’s you.”
Revue bent forward, gazing down at Delilah with a smile. “So very polite,” she said, chuckling. “We must first start by finding the Lobby and Entrance Hall. Always start by finding the entrance — and it needs proper cleaning, of course! You’ve done marvelous work, but my Palace is still filthy!”
“But the Main Theater isn’t,” Delilah said, looking around with a smile. The floors were waxed, the mold scrubbed away, the carpets replaced, the chairs reupholstered, the spotlights repaired, the railings of the four balconies polished, the curtains dusted, the water that had flooded the lower levels drained. The main theater was beautiful and bright, even though it still stood empty. “So don’t worry. We’ll clean everything. But we need to find out about the Key of the World right now. It’s all about prioritizing.” She looked up at Revue. “We’re with you forever, now. Just like we promised — we’re your Paladins, and we’ll make sure Revue Palace is beautiful and remembered forever. But right now, we need to find out information, as much as we can.”
“And you’re so very reliable, love,” Revue said. “Don’t worry a bit, I trust you. Come along, then! Let’s find the Lobby and Entrance Hall!” She spun, glittering with dazzling color, and vanished into thin air.
“Don’t dawdle, darlings!” came her voice from beyond the high door of the Main Theater.
“Acting like we can move as fast as her,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “Rabanastre, let’s go!” Her towering, muscular rabbit Summon appeared at her side in an instant, walking with her off of the stage.
“Come on, Felines!” Delilah said with a broad grin. All four Felines came to her at once, and she followed Alice off the stage with them, delighting in their company. They’d done excellent work in various places while the girls had been choosing new outfits and exploring, but now it was time for everyone to be together. Isabelle, Marcus, and Maribelle followed as well, the entire group climbing the stairs from the Main Theater out into the hall.
Delilah had always thought it strange that the Main Theater wasn’t directly connected to a central lobby or entrance hall, but Revue had said, “This is the premier performing space! You don’t put it right next to the front door, love!” Instead, the Main Theater was attached to what was called the Premier Lounge. A grand, sweeping, domed space, the Premier Lounge featured some of the most lavish, lush couches and armchairs, six fireplaces, a cage-covered hearth in the center of the floor, and massive murals on the marble floor, the rounded walls, and the domed ceiling. Each mural was a wondrously detailed, colorful painting of actors, dancers, and other performers bringing stories to life, and though they were still images, Delilah always felt as if they were moving, telling a marvelous story.
Revue stood at the exit. “Come along then, darlings,” she said. “The hunt has begun!”
“To find the Lobby!” Isabelle said, pointing as she raced forward. “And the Entrance Hall!”
“Not to mention the Box Office, sweetie,” Revue said. “We won’t be able to put on any proper performances until we can sell tickets!”
“And we’ve gotta sell tickets!” Isabelle said. “That’s the most exciting part!”
“Isn’t the show supposed to be the most exciting part?” Alice asked.
“But, but — !” Isabelle said, her face alive with enthusiasm. “Seeing people willing to pay their hard-earned money to enjoy the show is the most amazing thing! It’s a reflection of the people’s appreciation for art!”
“Too right you are,” Revue said with a breathless, dramatic sigh.
“And we can’t properly revive Revue Palace without a Box Office,” Delilah said, stepping out of the Premier Lounge into the First Breezeway, a grand corridor with a glass roof and numerous glass doors open to other areas of the Palace. Through the glass roof one could see images that were always changing, so Delilah always looked up when she came in here. Right now there was a beautiful, multi-colored nebula bursting with the last gasps of a dead star.
“We always go that way,” Alice said, pointing to the door far to the left, which led out to a series of halls leading to the Bastion Transport Hub, a room full of doors that led to other Bastions. It was their line between Revue Palace and the Library of Solitude. “And we’ve never gone to any other places.” She looked up at Revue, raising an eyebrow.
“You’ve had your work cut out for you with the Main Theater and the Premier Lounge, love,” Revue said with a laugh. “Not to mention Backstage. Now’s as good a time as ever to explore, though.”
“Some of these doors lead to desolation,” Maribelle said, peeking through one door after another along the left hall of the Breezeway. “There’s more than cleaning that needs to be done here. Extensive repairs are —”
“I’ll handle that!” Revue said proudly. “Don’t you worry, darling. The time will come for restoring the entire Palace. One step at a time, naturally.”
“So which way do we start?” Delilah asked. She gravitated towards the second of the two largest doors in the Breezeway, the other of which they’d just come through from the Premier Lounge. The doors were closed, but opened outward with ease, into a dark, dusty room.
“That goes to the Theater of Introductions,” Revue said. “It should be the next theater we focus on cleaning.”
“ ‘We’?” Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I help in my own way,” Revue said. “Now, then. The Theater of Introductions is where every new performer makes their debut, and many new shows are first introduced to the Palace’s repertoire here.”
“So it’s not a way to what we’re looking for,” Delilah said.
“Unfortunately,” Revue said with a sigh. “Come, then. I know where we should start. No splitting up for us this time, darlings. Let’s all stick together in our search.”
They followed her down the right hall of the Breezeway, passing numerous smaller glass doors with darkened, dusty desolation beyond them. After all they’d managed to restore, and after just leaving a nearly perfectly restored and magnificently cleaned Main Theater, to see so much emptiness and brokenness was startling.
We really do have a long road ahead of us. To bring Revue Palace back to life… it’s going to take a long time, and a lot of work.
I…
I really am in this for the rest of my life, aren’t I?
“Brave heart, Delilah,” Marcus said, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder as they walked. “You don’t have to face the challenges before you alone.” He nodded ahead, smiling at Alice and Isabelle, the closest ones to Revue, constantly bantering back and forth with each other, Alice playing with her new shoulder cape. “And with those two, I doubt you ever will.”
Delilah found herself smiling, and she nodded. “Thank you.”
Revue Palace feels so lonely. Gigantic and nearly empty, with so much that needs to be restored and cleaned and made ready for performers and audiences…
But I’ll never be alone here.
“But… what about you?” she asked. “Alice and I… you were preparing us to be your Sub-Paladins at the Moon, but now —”
“I told you, didn’t I?” Marcus asked, a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ll find others. With you working towards a partnership with the Library of Solitude, it’s given me many ideas. Ideas of how the Bastions should function going forward. You’ve set more in motion than you realize, and this journey with you through the Lost Bastions made me realize a great many things. We need to change how we operate, or more Bastions will be Lost. Our failures and complacency are to blame for the Endless Night now encroaching on us all, an unchecked rise of Darkness that we failed to prevent.” Despite his words, he was smiling. “No, the Moon will not fall into disrepair again. And I won’t be alone. Don’t you worry.”
“Here we are,” Revue said, pausing not at the farthest door of the right hall, as Delilah had expected. Instead she stood before one in a long line of doors along the hall’s left wall, looking exactly the same as the doors to either side. “This leads out into the General Gallery, if I remember correctly. Somewhere in here should be the right path to the Entrance Hall and Lobby.” Revue opened the doors and bent low to stride through, rising confidently in the darkened hall beyond. She clapped her hands twice, and lights crackled and flickered slowly to life, their murky beams creating a dingy, rundown atmosphere.
The group stood at the top of the General Gallery, with a grand staircase before them descending into a tall, winding hall with various doors and stairs branching off from it. The lights that did their best to illuminate the dusty, dirty space were spotlights that dangled from high catwalks, and even as the group stood there, one of the spotlights suddenly snapped free of its mooring and came crashing to the floor.
“Best to watch your step, darlings,” Revue said, starting down the steps.
“And keep an eye on the sky,” Alice said dryly. Delilah noticed with a smile that despite Alice’s shocking wardrobe transformation, she’d made sure to find a skirt with pockets. One habit she hadn’t left behind was walking around with both hands shoved deep in her pockets.
“Our Summons can help illuminate the space,” Delilah said, wordlessly directing her Felines to fan out and cast their steadier glow to different areas of the Gallery.
“And I can make a magical light!” Isabelle said, raising her hand overhead, palm towards the ceiling. An orb of white light formed, slowly growing from baseball-size to about the size of a volleyball before Isabelle released it, letting it hover over their heads, gleaming brightly. Isabelle heaved a sigh. “I’ve been practicing that for a long time.”
Delilah smiled even as she felt a pang of homesickness. That orb of light was the same color and smooth shape as the ones Caleb made. No doubt Isabelle had been inspired by Delilah’s oldest brother.
The lights of Summons and the magical orb helped give the General Gallery a bit more of a homey feel. Even though the floors were cracked and pitted, even though paintings on the walls were worn and faded to grey obscurity, even though dust wafted thickly in beams of light and Delilah ended up having to cover her mouth and nose with a scarf, things didn’t look as gloomy as before. It was a small victory, but it meant a lot to Delilah.
It’s a tiny glimmer of what this place is supposed to be like. Of what this place will be like, given time and effort.
“So?” Alice asked, looking up at Revue. “Which door do we take?”
“Yeah, yeah!” Isabelle said, rushing up to walk beside Alice and look up at Revue with her. “Which door do we take?”
“I told you, I don’t remember everything perfectly,” Revue said. “And more than that, the long Lost nature of the Palace, being the Drowned Palace… it’s changed things. My home is not what it once was — even elements of its internal structure have changed. Not every door leads where it used to. It’s baffling.”
“My home was wrecked, too,” Isabelle said. “But it’s more beautiful than before, now. Your home will find its way back, too.”
“What clues are we looking for?” Delilah asked. “Any hints that could show us the way?”
“The door to the Entrance Hall and Lobby should be larger than the others,” Revue said. “And — if it hasn’t faded after all this time — there should be at least some kind of sign above the door. All doors are supposed to be signposted, but alas, the signs seem to have been one of the first things to go.”
“Why are we looking for the entrance, anyway?” Alice asked. “We can get out of the Palace just fine. Shouldn’t we be looking for maps or directories or something?”
“Ah, but of course, love!” Revue said, raising a finger. “Of course! And that is why we seek the Entrance Hall and the Lobby! There are all sorts of important things there — the Box Office, Coat Check, and… most importantly to us in the immediate future… a full and detailed Directory.”
“Well, you could’ve mentioned that at the start,” Alice said.
“Where else would a Directory and maps be?” Revue asked. “Guests need to be able to find their way — would you ask them to explore beyond the entrance without guidance? Always keep maps and directories by the entrance, love. That’s a golden rule.”
“Well, at least you put proper thought into this place.”
“Do you think I built and designed Revue Palace?” Revue giggled. “Oh, no, this home was fashioned for me, before I was born. I’ve been able to have some input in changes over the ages, but there are certain things one doesn’t change. Having guidance available at the entrance is one of those things.”
“Someone made you a giant palace before you were born?” Alice asked. She whistled. “No wonder you’re such a prima donna.”
“Ah, you pay the most marvelous compliments, love,” Revue said with a dramatic sigh.
Marcus paused as they reached a wide, central area in the Gallery, with many halls and stairs branching off from it. He closed his eyes, tapping his staff once, then twice, then once on the marble floor. Bells rang out with the taps, resonating with an echoing, beautiful harmony. A moment later, Marcus opened his eyes, striding confidently towards a set of ascending stairs. “This way.”
“You know just like that?” Isabelle asked, following after Marcus.
“Why didn’t you lead with it?” Alice asked.
Marcus chuckled. “I was looking for an open, central area from which that particular technique would be most effective. And even then, I can’t be sure of the exact door. Just the general direction.”
On they walked, passing more and more faded, impossible to decipher paintings. Delilah kept gazing at them, sometimes running a careful hand along their frames, thinking of what they would be like when they were properly restored. What kinds of beautiful artwork would lift people’s hearts as they made their way to their theater of choice?
“Here we are,” Revue said, pausing as they reached a dead-end. Four doors were arranged around this circular hall-ender, each about the same size and shape.
“They all look the same to me,” Alice said, pursing her lips.
“This one looks bigger, don’t you think?” Isabelle asked, racing up to the rightmost door and pointing at it. “It’s gotta be the one!”
“Are you blind?” Alice asked. “That’s totally the smallest one!”
“I’m obviously not blind!” Isabelle retorted, sticking her tongue out.
“Which one is it, Revue?” Delilah asked, concealing a laugh at Alice and Isabelle’s antics.
“Straight ahead,” Revue said, starting forward. Isabelle let out a dejected sigh, and then glared at Alice’s teasing laughter. One by one, they all followed Revue through the door straight ahead, emerging into a short but marvelously wide corridor that soon opened up into a wide lobby with a ceiling so high it rivaled the height of the Main Theater, though the space wasn’t nearly as large or grand. Counters were arrayed against walls, smooth and curved aside from occasional cracks and decay. Straight ahead were a series of huge, glass doors leading out onto a wide, stone veranda, and a shimmering silver sky beyond. To the right were various windows that must be the Box Office, and to the left was a spacious area with plenty of cushioned sofas and armchairs, and racks where old, faded programs and brochures cracked and crumbled beneath a thick coating of dust. Several other doors, booths, windows, and counters were around the perimeter, and Delilah was easily able to imagine how things would look when it was cleaned up and filled with guests.
“Ahh, a sight for the sorest eyes,” Revue said, crossing to the great glass doors and gazing out at the veranda. “Yes. Hope returns to Revue Palace. Soon… soon this place will be alive with light, with music, with guests, with performers, once more.” She turned to Delilah and Alice, bowing low so that her masked face nearly touched the floor. “Thank you, loves. Thank you more than words can ever tell.”
“Y-yeah,” Alice said, suddenly embarrassed, folding her hands behind her head and looking away. “It’s no big deal, you know.”
“We won’t stop here,” Delilah said, smiling. “Come on. Let’s figure out what comes next. You can thank us when Revue Palace gets its first guests.”
Revue rose, smiling. “Of course, love. Now then, sit down for a moment, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll need to find the key to the Directory.”
“The Directory needs a key?” Alice asked.
“It’s its own room,” Revue said. “For such a vast space, a map you can hold in your hands could never show things in proper detail.”
And then she vanished.
“Of course, another disappearing act,” Alice said with a groan. She cast a sidelong glance at the couches. “But we can’t just sit down. Those seats are filthy!”
A glowing blue presence strode to her side, and Delilah laughed, stroking Reginald’s ears. The small butler-cat looked up at her eagerly, and she nodded. “You don’t need to hold back anymore. Go ahead and clean things up.”
Reginald Feline Meowmont III went straight to work dusting, sweeping, polishing, doing everything possible to clean a seating area large enough for their group. In just a handful of minutes, the five of them were sitting down in clean sofas and armchairs, and Reginald moved on to the rest of the Lobby, cleaning with an excited gleam in his eyes.
“Such a dependable kitty,” Alice said with a smirk.
“He’s my favorite!” Isabelle said, bouncing in her seat.
Delilah smiled as she sat turning the Key around her neck over and over in her hand, staring at it. It was such a small thing. Was it really so powerful? Was it really their greatest hope?
“Say, old man,” Alice said, leaning forward to look at Marcus. “Where’d you get that Key, anyway? How come you had it?”
“If you must know, I stole it,” Marcus said.
“You stole something?” Isabelle asked, eyes wide in shock.
Maribelle sighed, shaking her head. “Explain properly, please.”
Marcus chuckled. “Ah, but it was fun to see her reaction. It’s true — I did steal the Key. But I did so because if I hadn’t… it would have been swallowed by Darkness.”
“I don’t understand how you know so much,” Maribelle said. “How did you even find it? Even Mother is convinced it’s just a myth.”
Marcus smiled, a twinkle in his eye. “I know less than it seems, I’m afraid to say. But I always knew the Key of the World was real. It’s a long story, how I discovered the Key’s location, and how I knew the danger it would soon face. The Key rested in one of the oldest Daylight Bastions, one that has fallen into Darkness, a Darkness so deep and so powerful that it is more than a Lost Bastion. It is a wholly different place now.”
Maribelle’s eyes went wide. “The Fallen Bastion,” she said in a hollow voice.
Marcus nodded, his expression grim. “That was the resting place of the Key of the World. It was meant to be its defender. The Key was entrusted to it precisely because it was the safest, most powerful Bastion of them all, commanded by the three greatest Paladins who have ever lived. And yet… it fell into Darkness, a Darkness from which it will never return.” He sighed, a single breath filled with emotion. “I managed to slip inside, find the Key, and escape with it in hand. Though the Bastion was filled with Darkness, infested to its core… its last remaining defenses to guard the Key were still just barely holding on. The Key was safe. But it would not have lasted forever. So I took it, to keep it safe. And its powers… they have been used for terrible purposes, because I entrusted it to the wrong hands.” He looked up at Delilah, a smile returning to his face. “I’ll never have to worry about that ever again, now that I’ve entrusted it to you.”
Delilah clutched the Key tightly, nodding. “I won’t let you down.”
“So why don’t we just turn the Key?” Alice asked. “We have it right here. Let’s figure out how to get through the glass, turn it there, then go to the dream place or whatever, turn it there, and then take it to the… ‘depths,’ was it? And turn it there. What are we waiting for?”
“Because we don’t understand its powers completely, remember?” Isabelle asked, sighing with adorable exasperation. “We have to know everything about it to be able to use it properly.”
“Don’t get sassy with me, kiddo,” Alice said, but her ire only earned her a giggle from Isabelle.
“That plan wouldn’t work, anyway,” Delilah said. “One and three at the same time… we can’t just go from one place to the next.”
“Why not? I don’t…” Alice started, but then her eyes went wide, shifting from white to black. “Ohhhhhh, so that’s how it is!”
“What?” Isabelle asked, kicking her feet. “What’s how it is?”
“Three and one, at the same time,” Delilah said. “We have to turn all three Keys in all three places at once. That’s the only way it’ll work.”
“Precisely,” Marcus said. “I don’t know enough about the Key, but I do know that. A fitting safeguard for the power it holds.”
“And there are only five of us,” Alice said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “Kinda hard to split us up, and it’s more dangerous that way. We’re gonna need help, aren’t we?”
“That’s why we need to learn the full truth,” Delilah said. “Everything about the Key of the World, so that we can convince Lady Kodoka that it’s our best hope. Then we’ll have the strength of every Paladin and Sub-Paladin with us, all of the Bastions working together to find the three resting places, the three Keys, and turn them as one.”
“A tall order,” Maribelle said, her brow creased with worry. “I… will do my best.”
“You don’t think Kodoka’ll go for it?” Alice asked.
“Why wouldn’t Mommy believe us?” Isabelle asked.
“Oh, Belle-Belle…” Maribelle said with a sigh. “I hope I’m wrong. I do. And I am with this group, I will fight and strive to see the Key of the World turned and the Night defeated. But… I have little faith Mother will side with us.”
“We’ll find a way to see it done,” Alice said. She nudged Delilah, grinning at her, her black eyes shifting to white. “Whatever it takes. There’s nothing we can’t do, right?”
Delilah smiled.
Whatever it takes…
We’ll find the truth. We’ll learn what hope this Key holds for us.
Whatever it takes…
The Endless Night will be stopped, and the Lord of Night defeated. And…
She looked up as Revue returned with the key to the Directory.
Revue Palace will be restored.