Crossing Threads

## Crossing Threads

### Site

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"Crossing Threads" is the fifteenth episode of Reflection, and the first episode of the show's second act.

*The day of OPIA's rebirth arrives and the hospital is now reforged into a fully functional academy for the purpose of protecting the future. While FLOW looks forward, Arg0s is dragged backwards into the abyss of the past.*

## Summary

The episode begins in an unknown, dusty location, where a mysterious narrator speaks through a variety of old televisions about the nature of the story so far, coming to the conclusion that the story of the world is in essence a love story. Back at a now-restored OPIA, Arg0s practices with his second Reflection, Fateweaver; attempting to use its strings to make contact with Fio. Ridill briefly joins him, but eventually leaves. After she does, Arg0s finally makes contact, but the process takes a surprising turn as he finds his mind in Fio's body.

Fio awakens in Arg0s's body. Immediately after, she is greeted by Mic, who quickly senses that Arg0s is not controlling his body due to her Muse abilities. Treble then arrives in the dorms and quickly ascertains the situation. After explaining the situation to Ridill, they decide to help guide Fio through the orientation of FLOW Wave Three without making anybody suspicious. In the new lobby, the group meets with Willow Wisp and Melli Luxity. Soon after, Basilisk Id and Cam arrive, accompanied by two new companions from Cialla, Solace and Genesis Aeon. Basilisk immediately pegs Fio as suspicious due to her ESP, and becomes angry that he wasn't allowed to be a FLOW senior because of her similar circumstances during the incident with the Court of Death. The group briefly speaks to another new FLOW member, Robin. Basilisk gives her her "dog", a cat named Ace, but Cam takes him from Robin after he starts becoming violent. They then visit the refurbished FLOW dorms, where Ridill shows Willow, Robin, and Basil their rooms. Willow and Basil break down the wall between their rooms.

Beneath the Coda, Arg0s finds himself in a small room in a dilapitated iron building. After leaving the room, he is approached by Stephano, who is excited but worried to see Fio out of her room. After a convoluted conversation, Arg0s manages to convey his situation, and learns from Stephano that all of the Archdemons and Strangers are meeting with the Queen of Flames for the funeral of the Hunter of Mortals. He also learns that Fio is in mortal danger from the Coda's overseer, Eternity, who wants her killed for her insubordination. Stephano agrees to help Arg0s, and leads him through the Derelict, where they meet the Queen's own Stranger, Nectar, who immediately figures out what's going on. She also agrees to help Arg0s. The trio stops for a moment in the kitchen, where Arg0s is inspected by the Pristine One, the Stranger of the Court of Beasts, who Arg0s manages to bribe into submission with a piece of muffin. The group briefly speaks to Vinter before finally arriving at the funeral. After a brief procession, followed by the introduction of Instrumentality's new Archdemon, the Golden Knight, the Queen of Flames discusses the Coda's new plan: to mobilize all of their forces and conquer Fuse City, a mission of unprecedented scale. Arg0s then leaves to avoid further suspicion. He is greeted by Isaac, the Archdemon of Inner World, who carries him to Fio's bed and tells him about the world before the Cycle. Nectar then takes him to the Queen, who fixes the entanglement of his and Fio's Flames.

Back on the surface, Ace Galatine visits his childhood home in the Undercity. He thinks about Ruth, and is slightly bitter at her immediately rejoining FLOW after his years of effort to save her from the Coda. He experiences a brief flashback of a conversation with Mic, which quickly fades. At some point, he goes to sleep and dreams of a shadowed figure collecting bodies consumed by Flame. After waking up and regaining his bearings, Ace heads out to do another movie shooting.

At OPIA, the various "Gates", groups of new recruits led by a small handful of senior FLOW agents, meet up in an official manner for the first time. Willow immediately thrusts her group, the Gate of Dreams, into training by hunting them relentlessly across the OPIA garden. Elsewhere, Mic and Treble speak to Arg0s's Gates, the Gate of Gravity, covering their goal to outplay the other Gates through raw skill and "scheming". At the other end of the garden, Ridill speaks to her group, the Gate of Humanity, but they are interrupted by Saru being attacked by Willow, all of whom are ambushed from above by Liam. Genesis steps away from his Gate to join in on the fighting. Some hours later, Arg0s returns to his body. He rushes with Mic to Darkside, where some FLOW members are talking about the day. After arriving, Arg0s rushes up to his coworkers and informs them that "we're fucked."

## Characters

### Party

* Ace Galatine
* Arg0s
* Basilisk Id
* Willow Wisp
* Ridill Arondite

### FLOW

* Ascalon
* Lugh
* Twice
* Aura Pridwyn
* Lyst Solais
* Melli Luxity
* Ruth Galatine
* Satyr
* Genesis Aeon
* Liam
* Helena
* Saru
* Robin
* Charybdis
* Colt

### OPIA

* Mic
* Cam
* Circuit
* Cast
* Serve
* Cursor
* Danger
* Solace
* Ace (Cat)

### Demonic Courts

* Fio
* Vinter
* Stein
* Isaac
* Compulsion
* Logic
* Queen of Flames
* Stephano
* Sonnet
* The Pristine One
* Nectar
* Enforcer of Morality
* Rio Fenrir