Noheme and jiyu clockwork.

What was time to a god? An immortal being that could not be conquered by the merciless teeth of decay, even thousands of years would be nothing more than a simple grain of sand in the largest hourglass. Noheme did not know for how long she lived, how many years her existence flew through. It was hard to keep tract of something like that, for the beginning of her consciousness was nothing more than darkness. It was not cold, nor warm. It was simply dark, all around. And she knew nothing else, endlessly wondering the void. That was until she met a certain someone. A someone that claimed to be the one who gave her life. In human terms, a father. But could a god truly have a parent? Perhaps yes, perhaps not. The young goddess did not know, so she could not judge or make decisions on her own. She could only be lead to her goal by this mysterious being that claimed control over her and gave her the power to form entirely new realm. The Astral World that would sprout out of nothingness, bearing the seed of life and color. No longer was her world dark. In her new world, she would spend a long amount of time indeed. But how long, she still did not know. It was until she finally managed to open a partial rift to another dimension, one known as Earthland. There, the humanity saw her as a true goddess and started worshiping her. Perhaps only then she became a god? But if so, then what was she until then? Not that it truly matter... tis' was but a matter of the past. It was even silly to think about it all. So why did she? Why did Noheme think about such trivial matters? Well... perhaps it was because of what happened recently. An information provided by her 'father', one that she did not expect.

An information that provided the goddess in mortal vessel with a new target. A female human-like being named Jiyu Kazehime. Though her true nature was something quite different indeed. Or at least that was what the mysterious being told her. And she knew that she could rely on his information, as it proved to be truthful again and again in the past. She was the mark. Why? For one single reason... she was apparently the reason for a death of one of her sisters. Sisters that Noheme herself did not really even know about until now. If she knew, then she would surely try to contact them in some manner. But that was no longer possible, at least not with this one. The way the fox girl was running through the woods, it almost looked like she was hunting. But her goal was not quite to kill. For now, she just wanted to know why. After that, she would decide what is next. And she was close now. The knowledge of what this girl was lied in her head, so she made extra sure that she would hide her magical signature along with all the sounds she was making. And then, she would jump right from the trees and bushes, flying right above the girl's head. It was clear that she was heading somewhere, but that would have to wait. The moment Noheme landed, she would instantly turn and charge back at the girl, attempting to restrain her with her own darkness-coated hands by grabbing her hands.

Word Count - 579 / 579 total

The girl's eyes shifted around a bit, one beast to her side and her target right in front of her, just a little bit off from grabbing. So she managed to dodge like that, this was truly interesting. Sensing the magical energy around, it became clear that the girl in front of her was not only distant from the breed of humans, but was also hiding some large amount of magical energy inside of her body. She was a witch of pretty high standing, so this could quickly escalate into a battle. However, the fact that she retreated so swiftly instead of blocking Noheme's attempt at grabbing her probably meant that close quarters combat was not her strongest suit. Yet, it was the goddess' speciality so she should take full advantage of it. Closing her eyes for a bit as she appeared almost wild-like, a snaring beast on all four that was ready to strike. But instead, she propelled her body up, only leaving one of her hands touching the ground as she spun around in a circle, dark energy quickly surrounding her and forming several objects. One of them being a rather large shield that fell between herself and Jiyu, creating a barrier and the other one being some sort of gun that she quickly grabbed and aimed at the large fox. She did not wait and pressed the trigger instantly, but what came out was no bullet. It was some sort of net, made out of darkness just like the weapon and the shield themselves, meant to stop the beast in it's tracks for at least a moment. After all, it would be unpleasant to talk while being surrounded like that, so the fox girl wanted to at least get some form of advantage here. And no matter what Jiyu did, she probably didn't get farther away, so she still should be in range.

Activating her teleport ability, she moved her own body behind the one of the other dark goddess, quickly getting a hold of her hands, forcing them behind her back so that she could not quite use them. There was a clear smile on Noheme's face as well if the small girl managed to somehow see it from that angle too. "Well, I guess you do deserve the title of a deity. Who would have thought... or maybe you can now actually use your powers properly, since majority of the blockades were sealed away by sacrificial magic of 「○○○」... whops, forgot those outside of our reality cannot comprehend that name, my apologies." Even though she spoke like this, it probably wasn't really helping the situation. So instead of making the painful hold on Jiyu stronger, the goddess would decide to ask directly. Leaning towards one of her dog ears and whispering gently. "Why did Leila sacrifice herself for you...?"

Word Count - 474 / 1053 total

As expected, the girl tried to resist the best she could. But as Noheme figured out by her behaviour, she really was one who preferred combat from distance, as her attempts to free herself were rather... pathetic. But that was good, as they could at least have a talk now in which the goddess would feel properly dominant, something she liked very much and desired every time. She was a selfish one after all, and it matter not to her who would bow to her because of her power. She simply wanted that acknowledgement, that proof of her own strength actually being there. But this time served another purpose. The purpose of Eden's goddess being forever gone, something that clearly did not bode well with either of the girls. Though one clearly hid their emotions better than the other one. Noheme merely listened after she finish her talk, taking it all in with her equally furry ears, every words sounding as loud as if it was indeed shouted right at her. She didn't even know why she focused on her hearing so much, as if she wanted to make absolutely sure that she heard everything right and that the girl would not have to repeat herself. But that one single sentence pained her more than anything else. It was worse that death, it was worse than that time when she got impaled by a scythe while saving a rotten city from certain doom! Yet, her body was perfectly fine, not a single scratch from this encounter. So why did it hurt so much? It was rather... peculiar. Was this a human emotion? Something caused by her possessing a mortal vessel, a female from Joya that was indeed a mortal human? Or was this actually something that she was capable of as a god, an emotion that she simply did not feel until now?

Whatever the answer was, it did not feel good. Letting go of the dog demon girl without a warning, Noheme would gently push her forward so that she could fall onto her own knees and not hurt herself in that process. And with that sudden swirl of emotions, she turned her back to her, a darkness coating her right hand as she swung it, instantly breaking several trees in front of her with the shockwave alone. But that anger was not what was least expected from this. Noheme was actually... crying. Yes, tears flowed down her cheeks as she started sobbing out loud, letting out sounds of partial choking and trying to forcefully calm herself down. "WHY? Why would you do this to me? I hate you... I hate everything! My own sister, yet I was refused her love while others were not? I had to endure years in pitch black solitude when I could have had a sister instead?! Why didn't you tell me 「○○○」? Why are you torturing my like this?!" Eventually, the tailed goddess would fall to her knees as she covered her face in her palms. The weapons of darkness slowly disappeared, freeing the grown up fox and showing that the dark magic became unstable as well. If Jiyu wanted to attack and kill Noheme, she had a chance right now, for she was completely defenseless and absorbed in her own sudden grief and confusion from all the emotions present. The world around her completely disappeared, not even her enhanced senses bringing her back into reality as the birds chirped a happy melody and the sounds of forest enveloped them all. A cruel punishment from the one who claimed that he gave her life. And now, she was faced with the fact that it was actually all true. That this Leila Vergious truly existed and was very much the same as herself.

And what more, her grief could be felt across the worlds themselves. In the Astral word, her loyal servant bowed down her head with hint of tears in her tree eyes as well. And in an unknown world, the mysterious being smiled maliciously, feeling rather well about torturing his own creation to a point where even the goddess filled with unmovable pride shed tears of sadness in front of others.

Word Count - 699 / 1752

The universe was a strange place filled with mysteries unexplained. And no matter how far you would get, you would never actually meet an end. Noheme was a god to the humans of Earthland, yet the mysterious being was like a god to Noheme of Astral Realm. The cycle would continue on and on, forever forward and never stopping. That was simply the nature of it, the chaos and order bound together by bond unbreakable. And as the fox girl kneeled on the ground, she came to accept many things. Because now she got confirmed what was the truth and what was a lie. Though she still wanted to believe that it was nothing more than a simple white lie, there was no way that it was something like that. The sisters were separated? Were they truly? After all, Noheme remembered every moment from the second she awoke, her life beginning from zero. Yet, she never knew of a sister, or a parent. Pieces of the milky puzzle started falling into place in her head, one by one. Yet there were many pieces missing still. And it would be a while before the whole, colorless picture could be revealed and seen by all. Time had a way of healing all wounds, or so they said. Perhaps that was the truth and all they had was to wait. For good things could sometimes come out from waiting as well. And the goddess accepted it all, wiping her face, or at least trying to. The trails of tears were still rather visible alongside the bloodshot eyes as Noheme tried to get up on her own two legs, her fluffy tail swinging from one side to another ever so slowly. She was still alive. They both were. Well, obviously... she only wanted to talk from the very beginning.

But emotions were running high, and none could tell what would happen in the moment's notice. Scary thing indeed, but at least it was all over now. And the goddess was surprised quite a bit too. "I thought you would take revenge on someone you don't even know. You would be justified, I suppose. Especially with those wounds you got there... guess I can repay you a bit as a thank you for not taking advantage of that situation..." clenching her hands together as if for a prayer, Noheme started channeling her magic. But this time, it was far from the darkness she used up until now. It was magic of light, one that could easily bring comfort and heal one's wounds. And so it did, as comforting and warm rays of sunlight slowly started appearing and Jiyu's wounds would quickly regenerate, putting her back into the unharmed state she was in before this whole encounter. That was the least she could do for this wind witch after what transpired. It would certainly create a memory that the fox girl would not forget any time soon. And for some reason... she felt kinda at ease. Was that because the other tailed girl was also a deity? They were different, yet they were kin in some way or sense, right? It was a strange feeling, as Noheme did not yet meet another higher being like this. Perhaps this could be a start of something more interesting. Though there was still something that she wanted to ask, and so she just did. "You knew her very well, did you not? You know who she was and what her story was, yet... you're not questioning how she could possibly have a sister?" After all, that little bit felt odd even to the goddess of the moon. But she did not mean to dig into that fact too much right now, as she had a point. If there was some sort of danger, then they should probably stop wasting their time here and head over there already!

Word Count - 648 / 2400 total

This girl sure was something if she could chuckle like that right after saying that she can even take revenge on her fellow mates in a guild that she was part of. Or perhaps that was yet another trait of their godhood. After all, Noheme could be like that too sometimes. She could only see other deities as equals and everyone else should better listen to her! Because if they did not, then she would make sure that they would feel pain in the upcoming days or even moments. Were all gods arrogant like that? Was the Eden's goddess Leila like that too? Well... there was not too much of a point in learning about those that were gone forever. It would simply serve no purpose at all, safe for driving Noheme herself even deeper into the dark thoughts. Which was why she did not ask out loud, she did not desire to know more about her dead sister, no matter if she was a real sibling or not. For now, she should focus on the reality in front of her and figure that out. "I merely approached you so that I could ask the question that I asked. I knew that if I were to use common methods, you would probably refuse to talk, so I had to overpower you first. Killing me in that moment you had would result in my mortal vessel stopping being useful, sending me back into the Astral Realm. I would not bother with approaching you again after that... it would be useless. I'm sure that my father would give me the answer instead of you eventually. I simply wanted to hear it from you directly." That was the basic idea of their encounter here. And with everything done, there was really nothing keeping Noheme here anymore. She could have left no problem. And yet, she somehow did not want to.

She wished to spend a little bit longer at this one's side, despite her defiant nature. Perhaps it was because of their similar status that she could tolerate it all, as if she was a regular human or some other being, she would already try to get her into submission. But not this time. She was even far too emotionally exhausted to be flirting with anyone right now. Truly a unique and very rare situation to be in, not that Jiyu would know. Noheme was the one who knew much more than she should have in this situation, even being partially aware of the different personas inside of her. After all, she had to catch the correct one if she wanted to get a proper answer to her question. "I don't care which one of you is present or what that one will want to do, but... every single one of you could be dead where you stand." And it was not a lie. The fox girl was confident in her combat ability just as much as Jiyu was, but there was a big difference between them. What was one's weakness was the other one's strength. They got a lovely display of that not too long ago when the goddess grabbed her prey and completely stopped her with just that. And after getting hurt so much just by falling onto the ground, just how many direct hits could she really take? That was the focus of Noheme's selfish darkness, it relied on direct melee contact instead of the usual destructive spells. Perhaps that made her weaker than most, yes... but in certain situations, she would gain enormous advantage. Just like mere moments ago... But, well, there was really no reason to be testing that theory right now. There would surely be plenty more time for them to kill one another later and for much better reason than just testing things.

With a sigh, the fox girl made sure her new partner was fully healed with her gaze before she would look up into the skies. It seemed that the wind girl had some toys with her that she could use for her own advantage. And it did seem like flying would be much better than going somewhere by feet or even vehicle. Shrugging for a moment, Noheme too would perform one of her tricks. That being the mastery of perfect movement where even air itself could act as a solid ground for her. Able to easily walk on nothing, she would jump into the air next to the floating feather and observe it for a moment before starting to walk next to it at the same speed as if it was no big deal and completely normal occurrence in your everyday life. Well, it was true that the goddess did not really know what was normal and what was not, she one could not blame her for not figuring this out just yet. Her journey was still at it's start it seemed. And then, a mention of Leila again. This time, the girl said the dead sister would have liked her fluffy tail. Somehow, that made Noheme blush and turn her head away from her in that mild embarrassment.

Word Count - 856 / 3256

Powers of a god were always great in scales and incredibly difficult to master if you were not someone that knew them from the birth. Meaning that Noheme somewhat knew how this girl could fare in combat and what trouble she was going through. Especially considering her origin as a whole. One god was not the same as the other god, everyone was unique in some aspect and that went for these two as well. While Noheme was considered to be the two-faced goddess of a moon, she really possessed only one face and that was her true self. But the Inugami was quartered, different emotions taking over different personas and parts of the power. It would be difficult to exactly explain how these things worked, and why they were this way, but there was one thing that could be said about it all. It sucked bad. Hiding several other beings that could burst out at any moment? It could not possibly be a good feeling at all. As if you yourself were crumbing into pieces and those different pieces gaining their own purpose and consciousness. And as Jiyu herself said, one of those pieces was actually extremely dangerous as well. Not that it mattered to the fox girl who was sure that she could fight off anyone. In fact, Noheme loved fighting, especially when she was put up against expressive enemies. So an assertive being with true blood lust would be one of the better opponents she could face and be entertained by. But as she already thought, this was no place, nor time to be testing and fighting. For they had to protect those of Earthland from harm, or at least that seemed to be the goal of this unknown mission. And it was something that the goddess was not really opposed to, as her mission in this world was to actually learn about humanity.

And how could she possibly do that if they were all dead because of something stupid that could have been stopped? Yes, someone like herself should definitely be able to stop any kind of thread that could wipe out humans. She already stopped one such thread after all, though she did not do that alone. A different dog demon happened to be there to help her, which now seemed somewhat ironic. And yet, a smirk crossed the girl's face, finally chasing away that gloomy expression as she heard Jiyu's words. "Do you really think I came here expecting that someone would be responsible for my safety? Of course I didn't, I've always only relied on my own power! The power that got me this far and protected me always, ensured my victory. I am powerful, Jiyu Kazehime. I am a god! No matter your own powers or those of the enemy, I shall stand victorious in the end. You've nothing to worry about at all... yeah, I'm a god as well. I don't know exactly what powers you wield, but even if they were to try and affect me, I could break free and defend myself. Even from cursed promises." It probably was something like that if the girl spoke of promising in such worrying manner. The fox girl read something about curses and such in a book before she left her tribe in Joya, but since she never dabbled in that area, she had no idea how they actually worked. But if it was anything like her own brand, then it would surely be possible for her to break any cursed promises thrown at her, given enough time and powered would be gathered. Yeah... she had a quest to understand the humanity itself. A task that would take much longer to complete than even those famous 100Y graded jobs. So she could absolutely not afford to die here, not yet!

When they were in the air, she sighed quietly as she was spoken to and asked to sit down beside her partner. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she did just as she was told and sat down behind Jyiu, her legs hanging down over the edge of the feather. It was a strange item, but it clearly worked. When one could not fly by themselves, then they could rely on contraptions such as this one, huh? It was interesting to say the least. Though there was really no reason for her to be actually sitting on it, as her perfect movement was something that used her Astral energy as a source. A source that was nearly infinite unlike the actual magic power inside of her mortal body. But never mind that, she tried to relax a bit. Her old personality finally started returning a bit by bit as her big, fluffy tail slowly wrapped around the other girl without Noheme even properly realizing it. Yes, she was sitting next to an adorable shorter female that she would normally totally try to charm. But if she tried it now, well... it would not end well. So even if she was getting back to normal, she made sure to hold back. Not that she had much time, as they approached the woods rather swiftly. And even from that height, the moon goddess managed to spot something down below them. A figure heading somewhere. Not really waiting for the feather to descend, she jumped down and landed on the ground like a cat, only leaving marks of her hands and legs buried in the dirt. And some distance in front of her, an ancient door-like structure that had active teleportation gate activate. And that something she spotted just went in! Was that the enemy? Most likely... so there was no time to waste, she had to enter and follow their mark.

"It's right here! Move in before they escape!" Informing Jiyu of her find in rather vague manner, Noheme started sprinting towards the gate and lept into it. What waited on the other side... was a world far too familiar to the four-faced dog goddess. A vast garden that consisted of azure blue grass and silver trees with leaves of the same blue color. Only it looked even more ruined than the last time. But not by the corruption that served as Lisette's home, it was burning with toxic green flames. Something that was caused by forces outside of this world. And strangely, even though the moon goddess was in this place for the very first time, it felt rather familiar. And the magical power she felt from everything around? It was nearly identical to her own, yet different ever so slightly. Still, it formed rather strong sense of familiarity. Jiyu probably crossed the gate at this point too. A fresh wind blew over the clearing where they were standing, a small mountain-like meadow that overlooked the azure blue forests. And in front of them, something like a ghost appearing out of nowhere. A figure of child-like being, but blue in color and transparent. It was not really here, it was merely a magical imagine send from distance. Noheme did not recognize it at all, but Jiyu probably did. It was Yuki, the guardian of local god that was no more. "If anyone is there, heed this message! The Gardens of Eden are under attack by an unknown force that is seemingly searching for something. Lest you want to lose your life, turn back now!" After it was said, the hologram simply disappeared and another explosion in the distance shook the ground. There was no doubt that this world had seen better days.

Word Count - 1262 / 4518 total

Noheme dove deep into her thoughts for a moment. Jiyu explain her powers of contracts and it instantly made the moon goddess think of her own power. After all, it seemed very similar with only few minor differences here and there, but the origin of that ability surely lied in the very same field. "I guess that must be a trait of most higher beings then. Sounds awful lot like my branding, though I can make the contract only one-sided with only the branded one promising something if they're especially loyal to my figure. Doesn't happen all that often outside of my tribe thought, and it takes time before new humans are born and ready for the brand to adorn them as I watch over their well-being." In all honesty, that was how it worked between her and her worshipers back in Joya. Her brand, a mark on one's body and the symbol of active contract was more like a blessing in their eyes. After all, it was done by someone they were looking up to, devoting their very lives to. So she would brand them in exchange for promises like they would take care of her shrines until the end of their lives, or something similar to that. Silly promises that they would not have too many problems fulfilling. Because if they were to break their promises, it would end in very similar fashion to contracts formed by Jiyu it seemed. Their whole life would be torn apart by the magic, unless Noheme were to void the entire contract. Which she was capable of doing, in fact, she was somewhat capable of completely breaking apart even contracts that were not formed by herself. In that way, she could probably help the young goddess out quite a bit. Though she never actually tried doing so, so it would be a bit of an experiment.

In any case, she tried to enjoy her experience on the feather at least a little bit. And hopefully Jiyu's fragile nature wasn't so bad that simple swipe of her tail could hurt the girl and scratch her or something. It actually sounded like something really inconvenient. Well, every weakness was like that, but this was going to extreme. Was she not even properly able to hug other people because of that body of hers? Perhaps she should have just chosen a different vessel for her adventures then. That was what Noheme thought, not really aware of the fact that other gods are not quite the same as she. The moon goddess had a body made out of pure divine energy and that body was not capable of actually existing in Earthland the way it could exist in her Astral Realm. Because of that, she needed a mortal vessel. An empty body that she almost wore like armor, one that would act as her hands and feet. In simpler therms, it was as if she was a ghost possessing a dead body that happened to be still quite warm and not really decomposing. It actually made her wonder what exactly would happen if someone would try to possess her body. Since the same situation as in that haunted house she had to clear out in the past could not really occur in this regular reality, she wasn't really sure. It would probably create a power struggle between the two souls, fight over control of this body. But even if someone was to get that body of hers, it would be of no use to them. Unlike many mortals, her magic was actually bound to her soul, not to the living flesh. So even if she were to get a completely new vessel, her magic would still be there and she would be capable of using it as easily as ever without any problems. Really handy that was. Something many people should try to achieve, just for the sake of not having to worry sometimes.

But that was already getting quite far from the topic. Right now, they were enjoying their little journey. And even Jiyu's tail landed on the goddess' lap along with her question as to which one was fluffier. Sure, the dog's tail was something. But looking behind her, it always surprised the girl just how much volume did her tail have. It was enormous and could probably be easily used as a pillow or even sheets. "I don't think that's even a contest..." she replied with small smile on her face, looking more melancholy than anything else for some reason. Thankfully she didn't have to be like that for too long, as they got closer to the gate. And yes, just as the small girl predicted, Noheme was in too great of a hurry to even listen to the words of advice and warning. They were all but noises of the world around her as she focused solely on her target. But once on the other side, there was no sight of the enemy. They clearly moved fast, so they had to follow just as quickly. But that was not rightly possible with the wind witch suddenly collapsing like that, nearly falling apart on the mere sight of this place. And with all that she was saying, it was rather obvious that this was not the first time she saw this place. And furthermore... with how familiar this dimension felt and what the girl mentioned, even the moon goddess could piece this puzzle together. It belonged to Leila, did it not? It was her world, just like the Astral one was Noheme's. It made the fox girl bite her lip lightly, but not enough to actually draw blood. "Who cares who's fault was what in the past. Right now, it will be your fault if this place gets destroyed because you didn't act quick enough. Pick yourself together! We're heading straight for them!"

The goddess did her best to hide what joy she had from this. She was only happy that she could see this world, how different it was from her own. And that she could fight again, tear the enemies apart and hopefully feel satisfaction. Not really waiting for the sobbing dog girl, Noheme started sprinting towards where the giant explosion happened. She ran and ran, until yet another hologram appeared. And hopefully Jiyu managed to follow at least somehow, because Yuki's words were clearly important to her. "I've no notion of who you are, but should return. Let this world fall, for it serves no purpose any longer. The spirits that lived here perished all, me being the only exception as the last guardian. There is no reason for this world to continue, for the one who created it and us is no more. Retreat and at least save yourselves." With that, the hologram disappeared once again, only to reveal a makeshift grave. Nothing too grandiose, in fact, it looked rather sad. A simple tombstone made out of white rock, a name engraved on it. "Harpae, the spirit of blind devotion and protection" Tis' was all that was written on it. But there was no actual grave in true sense of the word, nothing buried beneath or around it. Indicating that there was simply no body they could bury, or there was a reason entirely different. Noheme had no way of knowing, so she dared not to assume. Instead, she just looked around to see how her partner would react to it. If she knew this world so well, then perhaps she would even know it's residence. In that case, this could strike her hard as well. But it only seemed natural... Leila was the one who created this world and even the spirits within when she first obtained her powers. If she was gone, then this world and the spirits had absolutely no reason in existing whatsoever. Their death was only... natural at that point.

Word Count - 1316 / 5834 total

Yes, this world was quite different from Earthland. But in a sense, it was very similar to the Astral Realm, a world that Noheme herself created with the power that was gifted to her by the mysterious man. In that way, she was exactly the same way as Leila. They both started out in the dimensional gap, a black space where nothing normal could survive. They were born there and left alone for the longest time. But then they were both rescued by a powerful force, granted enough strength to form an entire world from scratch. Just what was the purpose for all of that? What did these mysterious beings gain by gifting others power to form new world? The answer probably wasn't lying around here so there was really no point in seeking it. Instead, she should focus on what was around her. The withering Gardens of Eden, slowly transforming into one giant graveyard. Without the god of this world, everything was slowly fading away. But the world itself would most likely stay, preserve itself. After all, she knew her Astral Realm. And with all the similarities, it would be only natural to assume that even this dimension was partially sentient and self-sufficient in case something like this were to happen. Even if the spirits that were created by the Eden's goddess were gone, the world itself would move on. It was kinda sad when you thought about it like that. Abandoned and devoid of life, but the Gardens would continue their everlasting blood and growth. Sad and beautiful at the same time. It seemed like that was the nature of their story, no matter how hard they would try to avoid it or perhaps even change it completely. For something like destiny could not be changed for as long as you believed in it yourself.

Gazing down on the four faced god that Noheme was helping, she could only smile with sadness in her eyes. Was she no different? No, her birth origin was completely different. So perhaps her journey could end differently than in bitter sacrifice. After all, she was holding the memories of her fallen friends close to her heart. So as long as she would remember, she should do everything in her powers to not get lost, to continue on her path forward without dying. Finally, that sad smile would grow into a grin. "Maybe you should start working on your other senses as well. My world is just like this one, or perhaps even more different from Earthland. If I were to ever invite you for a cup of tea, you would have some serious problems!" A little teasing remark as they would embark on their journey through this fascinating place. Once they arrived to the graves, the moon goddess thought that her companion would react quite harshly to what they found. But instead, it seemed like she was doing her best to not mention it, ignore it almost. Was this just far too saddening for her to see and thinking about? It certainly was a possibility and the fox girl would not blame her. She would grieve as well if someone she knew were to perish like that, a useless death almost. So for now, she would just stop holding Jiyu's frail body for a moment, coating a good chunk of her body with darkness as well as summoning a chain that was wrapped around her right arm. "So that's the enemy, huh? Not what I expected to be honest... fighting machines is no fun at all... The end of her sentence was said in rather low tone, almost unhearable one. It was because she didn't want the grieving girl to hear.

She was here to honor her friend and drive out the forces that were plaguing this world. Mentions of Noheme loving fights where her enemies are expressive as they scream out in pain would probably not help the situation in the slightest. So instead, she would just try to focus on the battle, not really caring about enjoying herself too much. This was not a playground and this was not a game... it was a duty that had to be fulfilled. Taking a step back and swinging her arm in a swift motion, the chain quickly covered a wide area, tearing the chicken-like machines apart only to leave a brief green smoke where they once stood. In few seconds, she took out most of them with ease. But as she planned to take care of the rest, something caught her attention, her ears twitching rapidly for a moment. Looking up, the goddess' eyes widened, her figure quickly sprinting towards Jiyu and grabbing her. She had to push her out of the way, but she also knew of how frail that body was. So she would jump down to the ground, creating a pillow out of her own body for the smaller female as the area behind them exploded in a green flame. "A frigging mortar?! Do they have an artillery here or something? I know they are probably heavily armed machines here, but.. goodness..." Thankfully the grave wasn't damaged either. But it was really damn close to being and another one of those shots in this area would probably wipe it's frail structure from the face of the Gardens. They had to move further into the forest if they wished to find the rest of the enemies and whatever shot that rocket at them from probably insanely big distance.

Word Count - 918 / 6752 total

The charred ground behind them burned with green flames from the mortar. It consumed the lush, azure colored grass as well as trees around it. But as soon as the four faced goddess fell into her forced sleep, something strange started happening. A comforting green aura would start surrounding the fox girl, forcing her into a confused state as well. This was not her doing and she had no idea what was going on. At least for the first few seconds until the aura started spreading and putting out the flames completely. And without fire destroying the nature here, the grass would start growing once more at a rapid pace. Not even few seconds passed and the palce looked just how it was before. And Noheme could only stare at the beauty in awe. "The world itself is not dead yet..." she spoke those words and looked down at the other beauty that was in her arms now, still passed out. And she almost jumped back in shock and surprise! Strange black and white markings were adorning the black-haired girl's body. They were everywhere, forming intricate patters and symbols that no one else would be capable of recognizing. But the moon goddess could. After all, she had a spell like that herself. One that she did not thing she would ever use. But Leila surely thought the same thing. The sacrifice magic of highest tier. It was a seal that was once the Eden's goddess. They were together all this time. And simply looking at all this, even the fox girl managed to solve the puzzle. The reason why was her sister not reviving after she used that spell, after she sealed one of the faces away. Or at least calmed it a bit. It made her laugh. Laughter that could not be heard by none, as there was no one else around but the sleeping princess.

"Ah, I see. So she gave up her divine form for you after all. Every other time, she simply eradicated her own physical form, which allowed her to be reborn once more because her true divine body was still intact. But for you, she truly did sacrifice everything. I wonder... if you really deserve it. Just for one single person. The only one that could save her now is..." she stopped. Not only was she talking to no one, she also realized something which quickly shifted her expression into something much more negative. Her sharp teeth would grind against one another as she looked up into the skies. All she saw was a darkness and slowly fading starts surrounding a transparent moon. As the spirits died one after another, the starts were slowly disappearing and the moon was no longer shining as strong as it once was. The moon... "Me..." And the dark down below this world. The abyss. So they were connected all along, but never realized. How twisted could they creator be? What game was he actually playing here? His motives and true extend of power were unknown even to the goddess. But she knew what her own goals were. She wanted to kill him and take it all back, even if it really was impossible now. With a sigh, she would start walking forward as her train of thoughts shifted into a different direction. "You're right and wrong. It should be ended quickly, but there is no 'we' in there. I alone will do this, for that is my task." Not that it she could hear it all. But if she were to wake up, it would probably bring problems for both of them. So the moon goddess would find another solution to this problem and she indeed had one. A cruel solution befitting her dark nature which was hidden from light of day.

Placing one of her hands on Jiyu's forehead, an extra eye would open on that very palm. A spell that was normally used to force someone's unpleasant memories to come forth, putting her victims into position where they had to relive the worst moments of their lives. But this time, the effect was nothing short of opposite. The eye would search for everything pleasant, as the images projected into Noheme's mind as well. The moment Marschal saved her, when she met Leila, their journey together and much more. And just like that, a pleasant dream was formed. A dream that should keep the girl asleep for quite some time. At least until this whole mess would be resolved. "I can see why she liked you, you know? Just from those memories... she lived a good life. She walked a path that I am trying to get on as well. Simple path of mortal life, one filled with happiness and sadness at the same time. One that follows both good and bad. Path filled with friendship and enemies. It had it all. She was content. But in the end, it all fell apart, did it now? I wonder if we're simply not fated to have a life like that. No... surely we can grab fate into our own hands and direct it however we ourselves want. But now that she is gone, it is my duty to protect this place in her stead, for we are sisters bound by our very existence! Continue your slumber, for I will have them all burn in the black flames of despair for what they did!" They walked towards the burning meadow from where the previous attack came as the girl talked. It was unknown to her what dream the four faced goddess was having, but it surely was a pleasant one. Even if she was friend with Leila and even if the Eden's goddess sacrificed herself for her, it was not her place to protect this world. Because it was the exact same being as the moon goddess that formed it. Sisters that had to walk side by side to conquer their enemies.

And finally they arrived. Looking at this place, it truly was horrid. The green flames were consuming the grass and trees, burning brightly and with venomous feeling. Twisted clockworks were all over the place, surrounding a nightmarish construct that was the source of all the destruction. Carefully laying the fragile girl against a tree, Noheme would let her rest in the comfortable grass. "All you have to do is wait. Your presence alone in this world can mend it because of the seal. It still has her powers after all. So just sit here motionless and bring this world back to life while I'll deal with these walking problems." Those were the last words she spoke to the girl named Jiyu Kazehime. The rest would only be a fight to the death. And so, the moon goddess would steel herself and walk forward with her head held high. And as the magical moon illuminated the battlefield, her green hair appeared silver and almost partially transparent, swaying in the gentle waves of wind. Eight orbs formed around her back, dancing to the melody of crackling flames, power that Leila herself gained towards the end of her journey. Power of gods that were born from raw magical energy, molded by Lilith - the miracle demon and god. And as the gap between herself and her enemies started growing closer, strange questions started filling the girl's mind. Questions formed by what she saw in the dog girl's memory. How did it feel when you first found out about your demonic powers? They asked. How were you acting when you faced against angels with your beloved partner by your side? It questioned. How happy were you when she gave up her everything for you and you only? She laughed.

A knight like machine approached and attempted to swing at the goddess with it's halberd, but quickly stopped. The whole space around them suddenly became dark, strange crimson markings adorning now formed walls of a cube that indicated their battlefield. And every single machine turned towards Noheme, as they were all affected by it, their artificial life being sapped away by the barrier in amount that was definitely not insignificant. And before the knight could properly move again, a darkness coated hand pierced it's stomach. That alone was not enough to stop the machine completely, but even it's head was soon crushed completely between two of the dark orbs, a third one forming a black sword in the fox girl's hand. Somehow, an image of a young, green haired lady appeared in her mind when she observed the sword that formed almost automatically. A memory? She and Leila shared this power, perhaps it was sentient as well and kept certain events in it's hidden mind. She sure had an interesting journey, did she not? Letting go of the motionless machine that fell to the ground, the dark god would continue walking forward. At least five more enemies would approach, all looking like jellyfish machines. But the goddess only smiled, a shade starting to form by her side. "Let us cleanse these fools, sister." A dark, semi-transparent version of Leila would form by the fox girl's side and not. It was not really her, merely an imitation formed by the powers of dark. But at least in this form, she could be present here and save her own world. Noheme's appearance too, would slowly start shifting as black flames started to consume her body, giving her a completely different look. It was good that the four faced goddess was not around for this, for she would probably faint once more.

Dark Appearance:

A perfect performance. The team work performed by the two dark beings was nothing short of that, as they were linked together and could read one another's mind. And they smiled as the darkness pierced the machines, breaking them apart one by one along with the dark orbs that were floating around, occasionally hitting the machines and tearing them apart, crushing the metal plates and cogs that were spinning inside. It was strange, actually. The girl did not feel anger, nor wrath anymore. It was as if she was at completely piece, her movements natural and following already predetermined path, like a flow of water in a complete darkness. All the while, a green aura surrounded the dark goddess, whispering sweetness into her ears without even having her realize it all. Ah, how pleasant it all was. The joy for battle was completely gone. The dread following her for as long as they were here, completely gone. And all the negative feelings that she harbored, everything simply vanished. Only strange happiness remained. Was this the nature of Gardens of Eden? The world that her sister created with the same power that Noheme used to create her Astral Realm. It was laughable how much more creativity Leila had. The Astral realm was nothing more than set of floating islands in orange oblivion. And everything atop the unstable ground was very much reminiscent of Earthland. Green grass, green trees and completely normal buildings. Even the spirits there looked mostly like regular animals you would find in Fiore. Well, it was alright. After all, this place was not yet lost. Surely the moon goddess could enjoy it as much as she wished to once this was all over. Feel what her sister felt when she was ruling this place.

Finally, all the machines would fall to the ground and only two remained. Another knight, accompanied by that leading machine who was trying to burn this place to the ground. As the humanoid clockwork approach, a chain formed around the fox girl's hand as she swung it, making it take a hold of the enemy's foot and lift it into the air. Swinging it around, the knight quickly crashed into the machine that was labeled as 'MAMA' on one of it's parts. It damaged them both, but not to the point where either one would stop working. At least until the point where MAMA itself pierced the knight machine with one of it's sharp legs, dismantling it completely. They clearly lacked any kind of emotion or reason. Why were they in this world, she had no idea. But she knew that she had to dispatch of this thing. The eight orbs would form one giant spike in the air as it quickly flew down to the ground, piercing the machine as much as one could pierce such a twisted horror of parts and cables everywhere. That was her chance too! Quickly sprinting towards it, the enemy suddenly exposed several flamethrowers and formed a searing wall of pain. But the moon goddess did not care in the slightest. Covering her face, she jumped through the flames. And as she got closer to it's body, a great sword formed in her hands, allowing her cut through the weaponry. One of the many arms that were present on the beast suddenly swung forward and managed to send the goddess flying. But that was fine. At this point, it wasp probably damaged enough for the finished. After all, Noheme was using all the power she had to conquer this one, send it into it's eternal slumber! A smug smile appeared on her face as she placed her hands on the charred ground.

Her appearance started shifting even more, eight more tails forming on her body as the magical energy itself started shaking the earth they were standing on. "You'll be the one who will be reduced to ashes here! Repent!" A spark of flames and a burning trail that suddenly made it's way towards 'MAMA'. And as soon as they touched, a giant column of flames would shoot up into the heavens, consuming the machine completely. It's heat was enough to wither away the remaining grass and leaves on trees that were around, even coloring the trees in the distance completely black. And soon, it was all over. Only a melted piece of metal remained, completely destroyed and not capable of functioning any further. With an exhausted sigh, the goddess' appearance returned to normal. She would approach what was left of the enemy and sat down in front of it, cross-legged and serene. Suddenly, the nature would start crawling back. The trees that were destroyed sprouting anew in an instant, azure blue grass growing beneath their feet. Even the melted machine became covered in blue moss and flowers, as if it was laying there for centuries. And the same happened to Noheme too. Her body becoming pale instead of her usual tanned color, nature embracing her. She was completely fine, but she wished to remain here for a while. Even the shade that looked like her sister vanished by now, for the battle was over. Maybe Jiyu was awake at this point, or maybe not. She really did not care much. For she would remain here longer than the girl. Even with her problems of navigation, she should be able to find her way back to the gate that lead back to Earthland. So the moon goddess continued sitting there without any reaction or answer. And she would remain until the other girl left, for she had work to do in this realm. Work that should not be interrupted by bystanders, no matter how close they were to the Eden's ruler.

Word Count - 2550 / 9302 total (WC achieved)