The Memory Sifter’s abode was one of the many little towers that dotted Ark Interior. Reportedly, she lived there alone — and rarely stepped out unless she had a sudden craving for street food. Otherwise, everything else was handled with her repertoire of intelligent artefacts, which ranged from the overseeing authority of her little tower to even small brooms and dustpans.

As for how such mundane things were able to gain a spirit or something, no one knew. It was a mystery that lasted a decade, and it didn’t look like anyone was going to solve it anytime soon after.

“Good afternoon, Constellation Gemini, Lila.” Something that looked like a basketball rolled out of a small hole. “Your presence has been expected. Emily is already waiting for you two in the reception room.”

“Expected?” Lila asked.

“Yes,” said the ball. Green lights appeared, forming a small smiley face. “She was modelling your anxiety coefficient. You are here regarding the primal demons, no?”

“Y-yes,” said Gemini.

“Exactly.” The door opened, and the ball rolled into a well-lit entrance hall. There was almost nothing inside. White, sterile tiles that looked like they belonged in an operating room lined the floor, while walls of silver glared down coldly at the newcomers. Gemini could make out a few imprints here and there; they were most likely to be where artefacts were installed.

As he stared in one tile in particular, the tile in question split into two, and something that looked uncomfortably like one of those minigun-esque artefacts rose out of the gap.

“Move on,” said a gentle voice. “It’s not like you haven’t seen this before.”

“R-right,” said Gemini. “Just looking at your defensive measures. Have you considered building a few more such towers for the other people in Ark City?”

“My quoted price was too high,” replied the voice. “Hurry up. I have work to do too. We only have around fifteen minutes to chat, since I’m working on a schedule right now.”

Schedule? Gemini tilted his head, but he didn’t say anything. The temperament of the Memory Sifter was quite unique. The impression he had of her afer one or two short meetings was one that couldn't work according to a schedule — she was a free-spirited person, one who did whatever she wanted.

Another door opened. It was actually an elevator, but there weren’t any buttons for him to press. Instead, she would decide where her visitors would go to — and if they were a threat, they would be neutralised lethally or non-lethally, depending on her mood.

With a pleasant chime, the door closed behind them. There was a moment of so, in which Gemini could hear some humming, and then the door slid open once more to reveal a laboratory. At the far end of the room was a giant screen, one that reminded Gemini of those LCD screens he saw in shopping districts, but right now, it was displaying the local topography of Ark City.

And in the middle of this impossibly-modern scene was a golden-haired girl, with a cup that contained noodles. Or rather, Emily Lorenze, the Memory Sifter, was holding on to a packet of bona fide cup noodles. Five artefacts floated around her, creating a faint screen of light that was deceptively weak. It was part of her defences — she had faced multiple assassination attempts — but if she was feeling any fear right now, she wasn’t showing it on her face.

“So,” said the Memory Sifter, “your girlfriend there is a demon?”

“Yes,” Gemini replied. “But that’s not the point of today’s visit.”

“Didn’t peg you as the decisive type. What happened to cultural differences between races and whatnot?” Emily replied. “Besides, I thought it was the norm of males now to be wishy-washy about their feelings. Didn’t you try to make her confess to you or something? Whoever confesses first loses?”

“I formally protest against that stereotype,” said Gemini. “And the latter…never mind.”

“But he is a bit shy, though,” Lila said.

“Lila?!”

Emily suddenly reappeared one metre away from Lila, shoving her hand in Gemini’s face. “Don’t leave me hanging! Details!”

“Uhh…”

“Oh, you want to treat it as girls’ talk? Sure, sure. Gemini, there’s a small room at the side, so please wait there while I pick up some juicy stuf—”

In a small voice, Lila said, “I-I’ll tell you later. I-is that fine?”

“Ah, I must have scared you,” said Emily. “I’m sorry. Things like these should be shared amongst friends, not strangers…I’m Emily Lorenze. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ars-Lila,” Lila replied.

“I’ll call you Lila, then,” said Emily. “Now, I want to hear about your boyfriend’s little confession, but I suppose you guys want to hear my thoughts on the upcoming war, no?”

“Yes,” said Gemini. “And the—”

“My analysis of your CSS is not over yet, but there are some things that you should take note of,” said Emily, producing a small, blue folder. “It’s in this file here. The stuff regarding the primal demons too. You should pass it to the Congress once you’re done assuaging your anxieties.”

The Constellation wanted to flip a table or two at her words, but in the end, she wasn’t wrong. Far from it. After spending two to three seconds wrestling with himself, Gemini walked over to a corner and sat down in it, depressed. In his hand was the file she’d mentioned — Emily had thoughtfully sent it over with a floating artefact after he sat down in that particular corner.

“Uhh.”

“He does that sometimes,” said Lila. “It’s cute, isn’t it?”

“T-to each their own, I guess.” Emily forced out a smile and began to interrogate Gemini’s girlfriend closely. The Constellation wanted to help Lila out, but he couldn’t muster up any mental strength that could be directed against such a herculean feat.

Instead, he chose to flip through the file, blotting out the two girls’ conversation. If he didn’t, Gemini had the feeling that he would have to be carted out of the room due to an obscenely high fever. He had caught little bits of their talk, and even that was enough to make him want to dig a hole and hide in it — permanently.

Breathe in, breathe out. Now, as expected, Emily too doesn’t think much of the Five Lands’ chances. Zeroth Armaments don’t make their wielders immortal, and it’s not like the enemies couldn’t use them either. The Constellation flipped to the next page, but he couldn’t find it in himself to continue reading either.

He placed it down on the floor and then leaned back, his senses now completely sealed. It would be an hour before Lila finally woke him up from his self-induced stupor.