Traversing the White Abyss

The most annoying part about this was the fact that the two sisters were kinda separated and unable to reach one another. Something like that made the vital communication kinda impossible at the moment. Though maybe something like that wouldn't even be needed, as the ground started shaking slightly again. The dragon started walking towards them, bearing it's fangs menacingly. This guy really didn't want to give up, huh? But that was good, as he got closer, it would also allow her to approach it easier. Well, that was the plan. But it had to be slightly adjusted when the wall that was hiding her suddenly disappeared as the abyssal beast swiped one of it's wings, shattering it with ease and making the fox girl fly few meters ahead. Regaining her balance quickly, she faced her enemy, staring right into it's many eyes. And as he lunged at her, she got an interesting and very risky idea. Just the kind she loved! Sprinting right at it, she got a very good and close look at all of it's razor sharp teeth as the beast's jaws closed on her. But instead of munching on her flesh as was intended, only quickly vanishing purple particles were between it's teeth as it bit down. The girl teleported in the last second, actually moving further into the beast's mouth, as it was easily big enough to hold several people inside of it. It was kinda gross with all the saliva, dancing on the creature's moist muscle that was called tongue.

And why exactly was she doing something so gross and dangerous? Well, she had her own plan of attack. Seeing how ineffective most attacks at this one were when performed from outside, she figured attacking from inside would be probably her best bet and beating it. So she surrounded her arms in small venom gales, quickly starting to spin in a circle. "Venom God’s vortex!" Her voice sounded muffled to anyone outside, but what she did was still visible even to them, especially Leila who looked over her cover to see it all. The dragon's mouth was suddenly forced open as if a bomb exploded inside of it, purple haze expelled outside and inside of it's throat. It looked unpleasant and probably felt even worse as the fox girl fell out of the mouth, hitting the ground harshly. Though her main problem now was the fact that her whole body was covered in sticky saliva, giving her rather unpleasant and somewhat suggestive appearance. But at least it was effective, making the enemy dragon tumble backwards, it's body further forming into a black-ish mist. It probably wasn't even capable of flight at this point as it's wings started falling off slowly. Now was probably time to lay into him again, as the Eden's spirit moved from her cover now that even the shadow was too busy trying to stay on the moving beast to fire his spell. Growing another branch below her feet that shot up like a sling-shot, the girl got onto the beast's head and transformed one of her arms into a wooden drill, quickly jabbing it into the enemy's skull. And it was rather effectively, making it howl out in pain and agony as it tumbled around some more.

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In fact, it could be easily felt that the creature was loosing most of it's strength at this point. With it's rapid movements, Leila soon fell right next to her sisters as the two watched the mighty dragon dance around in agony, finally falling to it's side as it's whole body became but a black mist that dissipated into nothingness. It was a great sight to be honest. A victory well deserved! Though the fight was not yet over, even after the seemingly greatest thread disappeared from the battlefield, as was reminded by a wave of unholy magic that suddenly struct Noheme, forcing her feet of the ground as she was pushed back, her hands burned from the attack itself. It came from the shadow that was now standing in the middle of the dark fog, as he was still on top of the beast when it collapse. So now he stood in it's place, ready to continue this struggle of power. "Heh, you think you can still win somehow even after we defeated that? I managed to hurt you before and I'll do it again!" With that, she started sprinting towards the shadow who remained silent, being supported by her sister who started shooting arrows. However, the enemy didn't even try to dodge as every single one of the arrows simply phased through him. And finally, the moon goddess would try to strike him down with her coated claws again. But to no avail, as even her hands went right through as if he wasn't even there. A wave of magic send her back with few more burns on her body as she started thinking.

Something weird was definitely going on! When the fight started, she certainly did managed to damage this being with the exact same ability! Did he do something to his own body when he was on top of that dragon? It was true that the girls didn't exactly get a very good look at what the shadow was doing back then and during most of the combat. So right now, the two girls could be just dodging the occasional waves of unholy magic as they tried to come up with a strategy that would ensure their victory. Their enemy was not strong at all, but very sneaky and probably one that relied on the sisters tiring themselves out first. Something did hit the goddess though, a thought of something that she did not use yet. With a smirk, she got close again, looking just like before with her coated arms. But it was nothing more than a faint attack, one that was meant to distract the shadow while eight different pitch black orbs came from behind Noheme's back. To power of her lineage manifested, her darkness that defied logic and space. "How about you eat something of higher power?" Just as she suspected, the orbs actually drilled into the shadow, affecting him completely. And just like that, the being was forced quite a distance forward, making it crash into rubble. And once the dust blew off, it was easily visible that some sort of strange barrier was breaking apart around their opponent. Probably the source of their invincibility until now. "Heh, say whatever you will, that ability is gosh dang useful!" Leila joined her sister's side now as well, standing next to each other, they were ready to take on this beast!

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With the enemy now vulnerable, it was time to start laying on the damage! First, they had to make sure that their attacks were actually doing something now, however. As Leila started using her bow again to shoot the shadow from afar, Noheme produce her sword again, using one of it's more interesting abilities to change it's shape into one of a bow as well, shooting magical arrows coated in blue flames. And indeed, some of them managed to hit, digging deep into the darkness of the ghost that they were firing at. But not all of them, as their enemy quickly started moving after being injured like that. Now it was clear that they were getting the upper hand in this battle, finally. The Eden's spirit would put away her weapon for a model to start running towards her enemy, engaging in close combat. In response, the shadow would produce a sword, one similar to his own body. Shame he did not know that the girl in front of him was quite focused on close range as well. Transforming her own hands into claws, a little trick that got her through most of her early missions. A signature move she had, if you will. And just like that, sparks would start flying as the wooden fangs clashed against the dark sword in a furious dance, flurry of attacks on both sides, as well as injuries on both bodies. It went to a point where they both had to equally step back for they would tear each other apart if it continued. It was surprising that an enemy who was so dormant this entire time could keep up in close quarters combat like that.

But it also distracted the shadow quite a bit, making him forget that there was another enemy for him on the battlefield. And it was far too late when he realized it, for there was a mold venom fist headed straight at him. And with a pretty strong impact, the shadow was send into the rubble again. Noheme wanted to attack more, but she was stopped as their opponent showed their empty hands, gesturing that he had enough.
"This is the extend of my abilities, I give you the victory. Congratulations, ones of divine worlds. I am proud that you finished the test with flying colors."
Even though he said that, the girls were quite reluctant to actually trust him after all that had happened. Anyone would. They didn't even properly know what he was after all, only that he was capable of using fairly strong unholy magic and that he probably brought all those creatures into this world. "Alright. Now that we're done, you better tell us what is going on. Who's this fair lady that you were talking about and what in the world are you even?" Many questions that would require many answers. The shadow looked to a side a bit before turning back. While they were asking about specific things, he was instructed to tell them the whole tale anyway if they were successful. And since they were, they deserved to know the whole truth about what happened in this place. Story filled with darkness and light, story of miracles, gods and demons. Story that the two sisters were part of, even though they knew not of it.

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"I am sure you two are already aware of what Miracles Demons are by now. Creatures with nearly limitless power over creation of just about anything. They don't reside in Earthland, or anywhere near it. But few of them managed to find their way to that dimension anyway. The one who feeds of names, the Eater of Names."
Noheme flinched with unpleasant feeling. Obviously he was talking about Lilith, the one who gave life to the sisters. He was the one who ruined everything just for the fun of it, even cutting off the goddess' pinky and most of ring finger with cursed magic that did not allow her for regeneration. It was something that she didn't really want to hear about, but she had to stay calm. Because important information would surely be revealed at some point during this story and she did not wish to miss it.
"he was not too interested in the world itself. But he found something that did capture his attention around it, in the void of nothingness. Clusters of magical energy that was extreme in their potency and size. So he gave them form and made them sentient. That his how three new beings came to life. One who represented light, One who represented dark. And finally, the balanced core that could control both. But he grew bored of them all soon enough. And with that, he merely continued to monitor one of them, the one that held seemingly most power because of the ability to control both elements of the balance."

A first mention of something new, something that made the two girls look at each other in questioning manner. "Wait, you just said that he made three? But there are only the two of us. Does that actually mean..." "That we have another sister that we never even knew about?" Noheme did not know about Leila and vica versa. So it was entirely possible that they indeed did have another sibling that they were not inform of. And if that was the case... they probably had to find her and rescue her from the grasp of yet another miracle demon.
"There were three, the two, then three again. Miracle Demons like to play games, ones that would be considered cruel by mortal creatures. But they are nothing more than fun to the immortal beings that cannot suffer defeat in any form. But the presence of his creations lured more to this realm. The Eater of Souls that took interested in the one of Eden. And the Eater of Love that took interest in the one of Abyss. They both played their tricks on the gods, just like the first one. And thus began the tale of gods and demons. One that you are part of. This test is but a small portion of that story, for there is so much more."
The one of Abyss. That mush have been the third sister that was apparently given life by Lilith as well. One that was capable of controlling darkness freely. And she was pestered by the Eater of Love, a third miracle demon that they had no idea about. Things were getting both interesting and more desperate as more enemies showed up, stronger than ever. But the two girls were also getting stronger themselves, especially after experiences like these. So there was absolutely no way they would just give up before the road ahead of them was harsh, no way! They would push through and show everyone just how strong they really were. The gods formed in the void. Maybe they were not born much, but they will be something people will talk about for eons by the time they're done.

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"I would not celebrate just yet, sisters. There is still more to this story to tell. And how exactly this test fits into it all. Our fair lady send me to this land along with several of her other servants. We were to test your skills, make sure you were worthy of pursuing your goals further. The name of our fair lady is Elleanor. The Goddess who created the Abyss. She is sister to you two, yet she does not wish to contact you directly. While you were born the same way as her, she does not consider you family. She is simply our goddess and we will serve her until the end. The fact that you survived today means that you might be in fact strong enough to meet her one day. But only when she gives you the chance, only then."
The two girls stared at the shadow with their eyes open wide. Was it really speaking the truth? The third sister already knew about them all along, yet she did not attempt to contact them? It probably had something to do with the demon that was interested in her. Considering what he was feeding off of, it would make sense as well. It was... not the greatest of situations. But perhaps they could save this Elleanor yet. But as the shadow said, that road was probably still very long and treacherous. It would take time to reach their goal, but at least they now knew what that goal was. They knew what they had to work towards, making sure that they would not drift off the path they had to follow.

"I have given you all the information you needed and deserved. That concludes my duty here. I wish you good luck in your next adventure, sisters of the divine. May miracles smile upon you."
And with just that, the figure dispersed, it's magical energy disappearing completely. The girls were finally left alone, able to rest easy as nothing else would try to take away their lives. Leila was the first one to fall onto her back, making the rubble into her temporary bed. And with a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes, relaxing her muscles. "Well... that was a ride. But I guess everything makes at least some sense now. Everything that was written in that letter, it was information that our sister would actually know. I wonder what she's like..." Unfortunately, Noheme was not as optimistic about it. After all, she had probably most experience with the miracle demons of this couple. "If she's been corrupted by the Eater of Love, they we might have few big problems ahead of us. But who's to say, really. While this test wasn't exactly kind, it was not designed to actually kill us either. It gives me some really mixed feelings..." Elleanor could be hostile towards them, or maybe she could be friendly like Leila was when she learned about the fact that she had a sister. There was really only one way they could find out, by meeting the last goddess in person. And in order to do that, they had to figure out a way of getting into her world that was apparently called The Abyss. What a lovely name...

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In any case, that was for another day. Right now, they deserved some rest and not having to think about complicated things that would happen in the future. As the rule they had stated, it was time to leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's you. The problem of today was... "Remember the way to the portals?" Noheme could only return what should be described as a confused look that you really did not want to see after asking a question like that. "I thought you were keeping track?" Well, that was probably that. Once they would rest up properly, they had to find their way back to the portals and get back to Earthland. Though it was interesting to look around right now. "We really rekt this place, huh...?" When they came, the city was already in ruins. And as they fought, many parts and houses were destroyed. But now that they were done, there was city no more. Just a giant, fairly even scorched ground that would eventually be covered in snow just like everything else in this forgotten world. It was shame, really. The place looked really neat when they first arrived, could probably be fun to explore. Or even get them a good reward in jewels if they were to inform some research people about all this. Yes, maybe they still could do that and get at least some actual reward from fighting all day long. The only shame was that the torch they found at the start was permanently gone now. Lost in the rubble somewhere, never to be found again. And it even helped them so much, how sad.

But alas, there was not time for crying over spilled milk. The adventure was over and they could go home. That was the imagine reflected in a big mirror, standing tall in the middle of a gothic-styled bedroom. And a single maiden sat on a small chair in front of it, playing with her blond hair as the shadow emerged behind her. "Good job. You may join your bothers and sisters in the Abyssal plain. I'll call upon you when the time is right." Simply nodding without any words, the shadow left once more, leaving the pretty girl completely alone. She was clan in all black, creating a great contrast with her pale skin and hair. "So they are that strong indeed. How troublesome... but no matter. We will all succumb to the void again eventually. And when that time comes, nothing will matter anymore." Uttering those words, the mirror grew black, no longer showing the reflection that belonged to the two sisters. Only a pitch-black surface, same as the world all around her. This was The Abyss, an endless spiral into oblivious, filled with creatures of black and white, ghosts of humanity that became corrupted by it's own thoughts. This was the girl's world, her empire and dominion. Place that was much different from the Gardens of Eden and even the Astral Realm. It was drowning in darkness and sorrow. A place that would have to be visited in the distant future.

Word Count - 17072 / 17000 (WC achieved)