By now, everyone on the team—with the exception of the Morrigan—has visited the Spire on the other side of reality. Both available levels of the tower have been scoured for information by everyone with a remotely relevant ability. The second floor has another Spire, of course, but that one’s protected by a magic seal instead of a boss monster. The seal is actually pretty similar to what’s on Jupiter’s prison, according to the scholarly types, so Herbalist is studying it to see what can be gleaned before we make any serious attempts at cracking it open.

The second layer of the otherworld Spire is a vast shopping mall where every single product is tied to a magical girl or witch.

In the food court, every burrito, sandwich, and noodle meal bears the name of someone in Visage. The Starbucks only carries their themed drinks. McMemento has gone from an item on the menu to the name of the chain. Every sit-down restaurant in the mall proudly boasts of being owned by Radiance.

The Lego store has an Agatha cutout. The jewelry stores are all branded after Memento. Pearl Princess gets three different makeup franchises. Glamour has a clothing chain.

The weeb stores carry their usual stock, but it’s all been mahou-fied. I could buy matching Kira Kira and Sweet Tooth body pillows or shrimp ramen with Mako on the cup. There’s a line of Agatha figurines that are actually quite tasteful, but the nearly-naked Narcissa figure has way bigger tits than the real thing. Glamour headlines an ecchi manga right next to a clingwrapped hentai DVD starring Maenad. Just a few shelves down, there are Dusk & Dawn slice of life stories and a Sonata idol manga.

But it’s not just Visage on the shelves.

The game store does have a few Visage titles—a dating sim with all the girls, Sonata rhythm game, Pearl Princess dress-up—but those aren’t the big ticket items. Play the hit new Call of Vanguard shooter title where you blast baddies as a new Vanguard recruit—you get to make your very own magical girl, and the back of the box encourages you to think about how you could earn the eye of the Jovians to make your very own contract. Firewatch gets a tower defense game. Legionary headlines a hack and slash. There’s a squad shooter, four player co-op, where you play as Invicta’s team, the one that Thunderclap is on.

A few Coterie members show up in that store, but they’re far more common in the toy store—present among the plushies, but absolutely dominating the tabletop section. Wavecaller and Sister Nature share the cover of a roleplaying game about committing ecoterrorism in a world where pollution is a sentient force of evil actively trying to destroy the Earth through its corporate proxies. Lilith and Harlequin get a game about being horny queer teens that are also literal monsters. Minotaur headlines a TTRPG with percentile dice that seems to mostly be about rolling on absurdly large tables.

We wander from shop to shop, Agatha taking her glasses off periodically to scan, but we don’t really find anything new. We take a breather in one of the clothing stores, which leaves me staring at Striga merch with hungry intent.

Strix Striga does not, in the real world, have any official merchandise. There’s plenty of bootleg garbage, but Vanguard has no interest in producing anime figurines or branded hoodies. So the Venus-produced merch lining the shelves is the nicest I’ve ever seen, and I want it very badly. The crop top and skirt patterned to look like a slutty Halloween version of Striga’s armor would be a very funny gift to buy for Sophia. The perfect replica of her owl mask could be a nice souvenir for my second apartment. I saw a few Striga figurines in the weeb store and Striga plushies in the toy store and I desperately need all of them.

The panties with “Strix” on the back and “Witch Slayer” on the front are tempting in another way but I think I’d die of mortification if Sophie ever caught me, ah, using them in the manner that I would. But, like, if I only wore them in my second apartment…

Agatha is holding up a perfect copy of her corseted dress and frowning at it. She’s been reserved and withdrawn since the meeting.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask her, reluctantly putting down the Striga panties.

“It’s nothing,” she says, then immediately corrects herself. “Okay, it’s not nothing, but I’m not sure if it means anything. I was wondering if our depictions here represent how Venus sees us or how the world sees us. This place harvests ‘meaning’ from the thoughts and actions of everyone in Forks, but it’s also some kind of reflection of Visage and whatever Venus intends for that organization, I think.”

“The first floor definitely felt like it was being presented by Venus,” I muse. “The amusement park version of Visage, the company on its best behavior. A propaganda machine that you have to pay to see.”

“Exactly!” Agatha sets down the dress. “This is the second layer of the propaganda machine. Venus is using the ideas of magical girls to sell magical girls as products, and those products sell new ideas nestled inside. Buying the merch is buying into what it represents. Letting Venus tell you what to think, what to believe, who to trust, and who to admire. A machine that convinces people to become magical girls, or witches, so they can spread her influence further.”

“So what idea is she using you to sell?”

Agatha sighs. “That’s been the question on my mind.” She picks up a shirt showing a chibi Agatha dropping a stack of books as she trips over herself and cries. “I mean… look at this. It’s all like this. Dorky Agatha. Cutesy Agatha. Protect the Agatha. Pat the Agatha. I’m not a hero on any of it. It’s infantilizing.”

So what does the Venus-constructed Glass-side Archon merch say about me? In nearly all of it—games, toys, clothing—I’m depicted alongside another Visage performer or someone outside the company, fangirling over them or sweeping them off their feet. In others, I’m a fan on my phone or on the computer, admiring magical girls from afar and chatting with other fans. I’m outgoing, I’m accessible, I’m fun. I’m an uncritical celebration of the system that created me, and that could be you, too, if you caught the attention of those funny magic cats.

Well, it’s a perception I’ve encouraged, so I don’t mind it. But is it useful beyond infiltration? Is that a cluster of ideas that I can transmute into usurpation of divinity? Love, beauty, and adoration. My impression of Venus is that she’s happy to wield love, but she doesn’t really feel it herself. Could my obsessive desires be a stronger, purer form of love? Could I tap into the adoration of the masses more directly? Could I wield the fires of transformation to be more beautiful than the goddess of beauty?

Those are long-term plans. Right now, I’ve let the silence stretch and I need to prod Agatha again before it gets awkward. “It’s easy to see why you wouldn’t like being infantilized, but there’s more to this, isn’t there?”

Agatha sighs again. “Of course there is. Let’s… walk and talk. Maybe we can pick up something from the food court before leaving, since this was clearly a waste of time.”

I had some of the others confirm that the food in the tower isn’t poisoned or enchanted, and that it’s unlikely to become either of those things. Howl was annoyed at me for eating those delicious, scrumptious churros with Agatha—or possibly just jealous that she didn’t get any herself—but turns out my theorizing was correct! Or at least, Striga and Herbalist ultimately agreed with my reasoning and their magical scans checked out. I think I caught Striga on the verge of rolling her eyes when she learned what I’d done, but alas she didn’t scold me for taking the risk.

As we stroll through the endless corridors of the shopping mall, the voice of Yokohime Rin chimes pleasantly over the intercom, encouraging us to visit various shops and spend more money. Buy gifts for your friends and family! Buy gifts for yourself to feel less lonely if you don’t have any friends or family! A new pair of earrings will fill the hole in your heart. Depression can be easily counteracted with sufficient intake of cinnamon sugar.

The form of the Visage mascot follows us on the screens of information terminals and advertisement boards, stalking us through the mall as her voice blares from above. The background chatter of shoppers is ceaseless, but just like in the amusement park, no one else is around. Without the animatronics, this place feels even emptier.

It takes Agatha a minute to find her words. I can see her visibly struggling with it, so I leave her be until she’s ready. Finally, with effort, she says, “I hate the idea that they might be right about me. That I’m not really a hero.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re actively working to save the world under the leadership of the greatest hero to ever heroism. You’re one step removed from Strix Striga, invited to a secret conspiracy with her approval.”

“But I’m nothing like her!” Agatha bemoans. “I’m too soft, too weak, too conflicted. I want to be a hero so badly, but I don’t have what it takes. The fate of the world is at a stake and I’m here struggling to—to flirt? To pretend I like girls? To act with any amount of confidence? This is the stupidest mental block to have. Everything else in Visage was easy because it was all stuff I already wanted to do, but as soon as I find something I don’t like, I’m useless. I just… what kind of hero am I if I can only wear the mask when it’s convenient?”

“I can help with that!” chirps Venus in a cashier uniform, poking her head out from the Hot Topic as we pass by.

I shoot her, obviously. The bullet turns into a spray of rose-scented perfume, but it’s the thought that counts. “Venus!” I say with a forced smile. “How lovely to see you again. Have you come to surrender so I can rip your heart out and eat it?”

Venus laughs like it’s a joke between old friends as she steps out of the shop and skips over to sling her arms around our shoulders. Agatha stiffens while I roll my eyes. “Maybe later, you cad. Right now, we need to talk about darling Agatha! Oh my heavens, you’ve been in quite a state, haven’t you, dearie? Don’t worry, Venus can make it all better.”

Agatha shoves Venus off, steps away, and whirls on her with grimoire raised and a fireball forming. “I will never make a deal with you, so don’t even try.”

Venus smiles. With a snap of her fingers, the fireball extinguishes. As Agatha stares at her spellbook in shock and horror, Venus says, “Ah, but you haven’t even heard what I’m offering, darling, or what the price might be. Would a true hero turn away a weapon in a time of need? It would be awfully selfish of you to continue handicapping your team just to avoid a bit of sacrifice, don’t you think?”

Agatha flinches. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s obviously not true!”

I can tell Agatha feels an ugly grain of truth in that speech. For a goddess of love, Venus is quite vicious with her words. Maybe that shouldn’t surprise me; I know better than most how much love can hurt.

“You’re still so weak,” Venus sighs. “You know, the heroes in all the stories you admired—Valkyrie Cain, Peter Parker, Harry Dresden—would never have joined Visage in the first place. They wouldn’t have forsaken the righteous path for fame and money. And when doomsday came calling, they would do whatever proved necessary to save the world. But you, Agatha, are still a coward. You do what’s easy and run from what’s hard. But you don’t have to be like that anymore. I can help you. I can bring out your best self. You can be like your heroes. You can be brave, and charming, and full of the confidence and willpower to do what needs to be done. You can stop running, Agatha. You just have to take my hand.”

The mall darkens as Venus speaks until the only light pours from the egregore’s golden eyes. All other voices fall silent, the chatter and announcements banished by their mistress. The cashier uniform melts away, replaced by a flowing dress of purest white. In this moment, her hand outstretched, Venus embodies the goddess she claims to be.

I almost think Agatha will take the deal. Her hand twitches, and I can see the torment written across her face. But whatever else she is—coward or hero or both—she still knows better than to trust a thing like Venus. A lesson we’ve all learned, I suppose, after our respective encounters with the Jovians.

“No,” she says, voice clear and loud in the darkness. “I won’t do it. I abjure thee, you horrid beast. Begone!”

The darkness recedes, the mall chatter resumes, and Venus chuckles. “Well, can’t blame a girl for trying. Later, losers.” She walks back into the Hot Topic, white dress turning back into a cashier outfit, and locks the doors behind her.

Agatha slumps as soon as the doors lock, her brave face going away. “Let’s just get out of here,” she mutters. “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

Not yet. I can’t squander this chance to steal Venus’ thunder. I nod and conjure the shifter, then pause. “Hey. If it wasn’t Venus making that offer—if it had been someone you trusted instead—would you have said yes?”

Agatha frowns at me. “What do you mean? What are you getting at, Archon?”

I hesitate, though only for effect. I made up my mind the moment Venus started talking. “I’ve been working on something. Just an idea, really, but I think I’m ready to test it. I think, if I do it right…” I conjure my green flame, look Agatha dead in the eyes, and say, “…I could transform a magical girl. I could do what Venus was offering, only with no strings attached. But you’d have to trust me.”

A myriad of emotions cross her face in rapid succession. I see calculation, hope, and concern. “Is that even possible?”

“Anything is possible,” I insist. “Think about what Lilith can do, Herbalist, the Morrigan—all of them have figured out that the constraints on our powers are not absolute. This is the same.”

Agatha bites her lip. “What exactly would we be doing? You’re talking about transformation, but this wouldn’t be something physical, would it? We’d be changing my mind.”

I need her to say yes. If I can convince Agatha to do something right after Venus failed to do the same, I’ll be more Venus than Venus. My first step on the path to usurpation. I just need Agatha to agree, and for Prometheus to cooperate, and to avoid accidentally doing more harm than good with the resulting spell. Easy.

“You’ll be the one making the changes,” I tell Agatha. “I’ll provide the power, but the will should come from you. In theory, you could become more like your ‘best self,’ as Venus put it. The ideal version of you that lives in your head. The hero you wish you could be. Confident, determined, unconcerned, whatever being a hero means to you. And if anything goes wrong, I can just take my flame back and any changes should be undone.”

Agatha looks away from me. I can see the pain and need etched into every inch of her, but then she relaxes and it all fades away. “Maybe it’s immature of me to want to be like a character in a book. Real life is more complicated, right? It’s messier, uglier, and there are never guarantees that the good guys will win in the end.” She turns back to me, suddenly smiling. “But I still want to believe in heroes. I want to be a hero. Let’s do it. Make me live up to my name.”

[commentary]

what could possibly go wrong?

A special thank you to my Grandmaster-tier patrons, whose support has kept food on my table: Adrian CC, Ashlyn, CaosSorge, Crows Danger, Demi, Lirian, M, Mgbm, Mhai Wind, Morrigan, October, Paige Harvey, PR4v1 Samaratunga, and Selacanis. Wow that’s a lot of you! Thank you so much!

If you like this story and want to see more of it, please go to the RR page and leave a rating or review! Web serials live and die on audience support, and this one is no exception. The better the story does on RR, the more people click through and read, the more motivation I have (both on a mental health level and on an “able to pay rent” level) to keep writing and to write faster.

The next scheduled break week starts on the 11th of January. THAT MEANS NEXT WEEK THERE AREN’T ANY CHAPTERS! ABSENCE! VOID! NONE! NADA! ZIP! ZILCH! ZERO! A BIG FAT GOOSE EGG, GANG! A LITTLE LATE ADDITION TO THE NUMERICAL SYMBOL CHART FROM OUR FRIENDS IN ARABIA!

[/commentary]