I, who have embraced the dark for the sake of light

"Have there still been no changes to the usual growth?"

A familiar voice would be carried by the wind to the goddess as she turned around again, spotting her most loyal servant and the strongest spirit of Eden, the "first child" Yuki. The young girl looked as enthusiastic as usual, the completely cold and neutral expression adorning her face while half-closed eyes of crimson red color would pierce anything and everything they would gaze upon. The tail covered in sleek blue scales would still be dragged behind her on the ground, the tip adorned with white fur almost making it look like a sweeper of a kind and usually working as such when the young girl did not bother keeping the extra appendage suspended in the air. Her dressing style did not change one bit either from all those days back when she would fight by Leila's side at all times, still wearing that same old short white yukata that would not dare hide anything below the middle of her thighs. Her feet bare and only slightly protected from the harsh ground by thigh-highs that would have the space for toes and heel cut out. Such was her style. The girl would always fight using only her bare hands and legs, alongside the ice magic she possessed of course. But some would surely question the odd design of her uniform, if it could even be called that, as it was awfully easy to see beneath that short skirt whenever she would start moving. The dragon child clearly did not care about that fact a bit, as her focus was always placed elsewhere completely. Unlike many humans and other beings that would roam the world freely, she did never have to worry about things outside of survival.

Aurora could only sight as she shook her head. She stood here, observing the cage for a good while now. And still, it's transformation was happening in accordance to the pattern they observed at the very beginning. At first, Leila just rested inside of the structure. But eventually, it seemed that her magic started reacting to her changing mental state, the ethernano from her body working as a fertilizer for all this greenery displayed in front of them. However, the concerns arrived with the miracle energy leaking from inside as well. All of that green made it impossible to actually see what was happening inside, and it wasn't like they had the option of just busting in. Any forceful interventions would very likely cause heavy damage to Leila's physical and divine forms, very likely completely shattering her mind beyond recovery point. That, obviously, was something they would rather avoid if at all possible. Unlike any other time, if the girl were to sustain any damage right now, it would not recover, ever. When the cage was formed, Leila was deprived of her Earthland form and forced into the primal code, the form she came to be in. Or rather, the form that Aurora was born in the void. Though seeing how the two girls were essentially one and the same, they both possessed these true forms. But unlike the goddess, Leila never actually moved around in her true form and instead favored her Earthland form that allowed her to interact with that word without restrictions. The decision was... not something that Aurora could understand. After all, she created this world. It was her home. She had no need for another dimension and people inside of it.

So, what exactly was the problem here? If the miracle power was present in the area and even worse, the cage itself... it was highly possible that Unknown, the miracle demon, was trying to do something. It would not be beyond him to somehow tamper with the cage itself and what was inside. Which would obviously affect Leila herself. But Aurora and all the other spirits required the girl to emerge from her temporary prison of beauty safely. The required the caretaker and guardian of this realm to be present and stand tall for all threats that could possibly target this world. While the legends about Gardens of Eden were slowly faded away into the forgotten in Earthland, some stories and books about this world still existed and there was no telling when another crazed magician would try to steal a portion of the Garden's power for themselves. The corrupted forest was still present not all that far away from here, after all. And they truly did not need it growing any more than it already has. They have all seen what effects it had on the spirits themselves, as Lisette who roams that part of this world became a crazed maiden of horrors that knows nothing better than aggression and destruction. Even though she was not the strongest, she was the most uncontrollable resident of the Gardens solely because the area she lingers in became poisoned by the humanity itself, forever touched by the man of Earthland who would know no limits to their greed. If something this bad was caused by corruption of humans, the goddess did not even want to imagine how much damage a corruption of the miracle demon would cause, especially if it were to be spread by the caretaker of this world.

However, there was little time for worries. The ground would shake and shift around, a dark feeling quickly filling the air and suffocating everyone who would dare breath as they turned around toward the darkness spilling into the gardens of paradise. The gate to void, something was happening with it. Rather than that, it was reacting to an activation. Countless demons would suddenly start traversing from the endless abyss of nothingness into the Gardens effortlessly. They were invading! Something that everyone taught impossible was actually happening. Tightening the grip on her celestial staff to the point where the metal actually started making squealing sounds, the goddess would breathe in and out heavily. Her precious world was being violated by beasts most simple. And the way they were moving, they had only one clear goal. And that was the cage that stood in the center of this realm, towering beyond all as if it was a beacon of despair that loomed over every inch of the azure blue world. They were drawn in by the miracle power, but something else allowed them to traverse the passage that would have normally corroded them into nothingness. It didn't take long before Aurora would start blaming the only miracle demon she knew in her own head, but there was little time to actually worry about such things. Act first and then figure out what was going on. Normally, such plan would be naught but folly. But right now, they had to protect Leila's prison no matter what. If these enemies were to reach it, it would most likely be the end of this entire world as a whole. And the goddess that created this place did not want to lose her home and life again... not ever again!

But despite her readiness to fight, the situation looked grim. All manner of void beasts started quickly approaching the cage. Some looking like nothing more than animals, but with pitch-black fur and skeleton-like plating on their bodies, serving as a protective outer shell. Ranging from wolf to boards and even small drakes, they were moving in large numbers. Among them, moving shades that would leave behind a ghastly trail of black liquid, even more of the beasts being born from it and clawing their way to this new world only so that they could ravage it whole. Not an ounce of mercy could be sensed from these monsters as they quickly surrounded the goddess and her loyal companion. Of course, those two would not falter in the face of even this much danger. Scoffing, Aurora would raise her celestial staff as eight different orbs of dark matter formed around it, suddenly shooting off into eight different directions and crashing into the bodies of their enemies, breaking bones and tearing their skin apart in a single foul sweep. And Yuki did not want to stay behind either, as she fearlessly charged into the front lines, throwing powerful kicks and punches that would leave a coating of ice and frost on the enemies. Following up with stronger attacks, she would shatter their frozen limbs and heads, crushing their organs with sheer force and pushing them back. But alas, the enemy numbers seemed far too great. Even with such power, these two were simply not strong enough by themselves to defeat all of these foes. And the rest of the spirits of this world... they had to protect their respective areas as well. On all fronts, this sudden and harsh attack seemed planned exactly to destroy everything that could have been destroyed.

And suddenly, a shockwave would push them all back. A shockwave that came from the cage itself, as it's pieces were suddenly flying through the air, hitting the ground and breaking apart trees that were in the way. Something destroyed the caretaker's prison. And considering how it looked like, that something came from within. Trying to ready herself for the worst she expected, Aurora would steel herself and exhale. The whole world she created could crumble right in front of her eyes the very next moment. She wasn't ready to accept something like that... but she had to. But even as the cage fell apart, nothing really happened. The green foliage would slowly wither away to reveal a giant flower resting in the middle of the ruins that once were the grand prison. A flower similar to lotus, dancing in all colors anyone could ever imagine. It was closed, yet to bloom. But still, a grand energy was radiating from it. It wasn't only the goddess and Yuki who stopped, however. All the enemies were pushed back as well and now, they stood frozen as all their gazes were directed toward the lotus. And suddenly, it's petals would start to open. Slowly and gently, as if trying to caress a maiden most fair, the flower would bloom. And a figure would rise from its center, standing tall. A figure with long, white and curly hair, closed eyes, horns atop her head that were adorned with many different flowers. A black fancy dress with a short skirt, leaves, and vines covering portions of her body as if she was an avatar of nature itself. She was the source of it, Aurora finally felt it. The miracle energy... it wasn't what she had thought it was. It was so similar that she made a mistake. It was not a power of those demons... it was a magical power so horribly dark that the two became indistinguishable.

Both girls were in awe. They knew who this person who came from the cage was. There was only one person locked in there, after all. There was no way it could have been anyone else. But... they still had a hard time believing it. After all, Leila had never possessed such a dark magic. If ethernano was to be visible, she would be surrounded in a whirlwind of black wind right now. Such an oppressive and powerful aura, almost making them shiver as they gazed at her. And suddenly, two pairs of black bat-like wings would sprout from her back. In her hands, she clutched a bouquet of flowers. Suddenly she would let go of them. And before the flowers hit the floor, the girl would be gone. Taken aback, both Aurora and Yuki would take a step back, trying to look around to spot where their caretaker went. But what they saw instead was one of the shadows right above them, an orb of black and crimson energy forming in it's long and slender hand. It was attacking them with something powerful! But before it could finish, the thing's body was forced back, a gaping hole suddenly present in its stomach. In an instant, it's ethereal form would fall apart and disappear completely. Only hearing very faint footsteps behind them, the girls turned to spot the girl right behind them. In an instant, she moved so fast they weren't even able to see her and punched a hole straight through the wraith, landing behind them. Such speed and power, it was far beyond even the goddess and first child of this world. What exactly happened in that cage?! Aurora's lips would quiver as she eyed the demon in front of her before she finally opened her mouth. At first, no words would come out. But a few seconds later, she finally gathered enough courage to speak up.

"You... are you really Leila? Leila Vergious?!"

The demon would turn to face the goddess, her eyes now open unlike before. Leila's eyes were always ocean blue, reflecting the beauty of this world in them. But right now? They were green, shining as the most beautiful of emeralds. And that was something the goddess reacted to.

"The eyes of jealous beast... a demon of jealousy..."

Before the white-haired girl could even answer, more enemies would charge in mercilessly, trying to catch them all off-guard. But they were only met with the demon disappearing again, zoming between those of void so fast that her body was not even visible. What she would leave behind were only enemies falling to the ground each and every one of them having a single injury from the girl's strikes. Shattered skulls, pierced bodies, torn off limbs. She too was merciless to the beasts that desired naught but to destroy her world. And she had to be... the creatures of void, unlike Leila and Aurora themselves, they were lifeless. Nothing more than puppets controlled by a single, negative emotion to destroy all they could get to. In that sense, the two girls were very lucky. They were born from magic gathering in a cluser, gaining sentience. They were able to gain emotions and feel hapiness unlike these poor beasts. Putting them down was the best they could have done. And so, without questioning it any further, the goddess would join the fray as well. Yuki was still taken aback, but seeing her creator take action gave her a bit of focus back as well, fearing not the enemy. Following the one she was meant to serve, she acted.

No matter what happened to Leila, the fact that she had more power than ever before right now was served well to encourage those present here to take action. So as they rushed into the battle, they would do their best to defeat as many of the void creatures as was possible. Not to mention, they could have fought freely now. Before, they had to make sure these beasts would not reach the cage with caretaker inside. But that was no longer the case, as Leila was right by their side. That said, what these two were doing was almost nothing in comparison to the rampage of a demon. At first, the goddess figured that her form would mean not much had changed in terms of her power. But Leila became surrounded by foes, she would spin around, a strange blue mark appearing beneath her feet. And suddenly, a formation of ice would shoot out, effectively piercing through the bodies of foes that were not completely frozen and shattered into pieces afterward. It seemed that nature was no longer her only element. She danced around the battlefield as frost surrounded her, vines and trees still grew to crush her foes, but also purple crystals formed everywhere. Those that would be attacked by her and somehow survived that single attack would suddenly find that purple shards were forming on their bodies, piercing their black flesh and crystallizing their organs to destroy them from the inside. Without a doubt, this was a horrific sight of a horrific battlefield where no one knew mercy. A bloody battle without any actual bloodshed. But one had to beg a question soon enough. Was this actually still a battle at all? Was it a war? Looking at the battlefield from distance, one could probably mistake this for a one-sided slaughter.

As nature itself turned against the enemy, their bodies encased in ice and pierced by crystal, the void creatures were swiftly pushed back and dispersed. In mere minutes, only last few stragglers were left behind for the spirits to finish off. With her power alone, Leila was easily able to change the flow of battle into their favor and conquer the enemy without suffering any damage herself, not even breaking a sweat. A lone demon stood atop a pile of slowly withering bodies of the beasts, her form relaxed and not bothered by the horror she went through only mere moments ago. Leaving the clean-up to Yuki, Aurora would walk to her other half. She asked the question if it was really her before, but she already knew the answer. They were two pieces of one soul after all. She could never be fooled by anyone like this. On a level that no one could sense, she just knew that this girl was indeed Leila Vergious. And the demon would turn, smoke suddenly starting evaporating from her body everywhere.

"I did what had to be done. Breaking the cage and using all I had to eliminate them was the only viable option that would not end in this world broken again."

"I know. And I don't blame you for anything. But... this power of yours. Now that I'm this close, I can still sense it. The Eden's caretaker, you are still carrying that role on your shoulders. Eden is yours to command. But then, what is this unruly dark? Why does it feel like I'm standing in front of a miracle demon?!"

The demon's gaze remained unbroken, those green eyes piercing the goddess as an answer. And suddenly, Leila's body would start changing, the darkness disappearing as the Eden's caretaker took on a different form altogether.

Along the strange vapor, the girl took on a much more familiar look. Though it was still a different one from how she looked in the past. In contrast to her previously silver hair, now it was snow white, still straight and long. The end of her hair would still gently fade away as the individual strands of her hair became invisible at their end. As the horns disappeared, they would be replaced by fluffy white ears, ones that one would normally see atop animal's head. Their fur was going all the way down the side of her head too, replacing the place where her human ears once were. Behind her body, a same colored tail would be slowly swaying from one side to another, almost brushing the ground gently as it did so. Her skin as pale as ever and wearing a completely different clothes, a white kimono with red adornments and ornaments. Judging by her magical power, it was not too hard for the goddess to guess that this was her actual form. Whatever it was before, that was not the real Leila. It was a transformation of hers that utilized that dark energy she felt in order to engage with the enemy and crush them with sheer force. But that still didn't exactly explain it to Aurora who was rather curious about that whole ordeal. In fact, she demanded the knowledge, as she would not calm until she knew precisely what caused all this to happen in the first place. With a sight, Leila would stretch a little and gaze beyond the goddess to see the now withering lotus she came from.

"Once you locked me in there, I started working precisely on what you told me I should. Piecing back my mind. However, as I was surrounded by that solitude, I discovered much more. Locked in this world of ours, I was able to sense it's flow of magic much more than ever before. You said something to me before... that my divine form became the same as my physical one which I used to traverse Earthland. But I found out that wasn't a bad thing. I found a way to create a new connection. Ever since my death, I was lacking in power. My connection to this world was much weaker than ever before. So I created it all anew."

Extending her hand toward the goddess, it would suddenly become covered in the gray skin which looked and felt akin to a bark of a tree. It was the corruption of Eden, something she had on her body before at all times. But now, she was capable of making it appear, expand and even retract at will. Whatever that meant, the goddess didn't quite understand. But she remained silent and continued to listen instead.

"I changed my body. A designed it so that the connection with this world would be stronger than ever. This form of mine, which is same whether I use my divine form or a physical one, can accept Eden's magic so much easier. As such, I grew capable of transferring energy from an entire area of this world and compressing it into a single form I take on. That is what you saw before. The form... I love this world as much as I love Earthland. So I accepted everything about it. Including the darkness that looms above it and that hides in it's very core."

"Are you telling me... that because you 'accepted the darkness left behind by the miracle demon made you capable of controlling that power and gave you that monstrous power?"

Somehow, the goddess just wasn't quite able to believe that. That this girl would be able to control such power so easily when she, the one who created this world in the first place, was unable to do so in any larger scale than those eight black orbs she was able to summon. The fact that the caretaker could be so much stronger than herself, it was infuriating to her.

"It's not like I can summon such power at any time. This time, I was awakened. Fed force from this world itself while locked away. Only because of that, I was actually able to manipulate this power freely. But I used it all up in this fight. There is no way I'll be able to take on that form without expanding my power several times still."

In other words, she was able to use something way above her actual power level and rank this time, which saved them. But she is now unable to use such power again until she grows stronger and ranks up to the point where she would be regarded as one of my most powerful mages in Earthland. And she still had quite a good bit of journey left before she would get there. Looking around, the white-haired maiden would wonder though. Why exactly did those monsters enter this world and tried to destroy everything? Was it before they sensed her process of change nearing its end? In the last phase of her transformation into the new 'her', she was gathering the biggest amount of dark magical energy. It was entirely possible that it was this energy that escaped the Gardens of Eden through that giant gaping hole, wafting through the void and guiding to void beasts back here. But at least they were now completely dealt with, so none of the spirits would have to worry anymore about it all. Finally catching up, Yuki would now appear at the scene as well, staring Leila down with an uncertain gaze.

"So it really was you..."

"Yes. Sorry if I scared you, Yuki."

Sighing, the young dragon girl would cross her arms at her chest and look around. She really was a little bit scared back there, the extreme power that was radiating from Leila would do that to just about anyone. But she would never really admit that out loud, now would she. So the Eden's caretaker just silently smiled and walked up to her loyal companion, placing her soft hand onto that white short hair and patting her with all the affection she could give. With her connection to the Gardens and their celestium restored like this, she was finally capable of using this dragon's key as well, so they would finally see one another in Earthland as well. Just like the old times. The times they all missed so dearly.

Shame that Aurora was much more irritated, only scoffing and turning around. Everything was saved, but the fact that Leila might have very well been stronger than her now was not sitting all that well with her for now. Even way before, the caretaker still needed a help from her spirits and friend Jiyu Kazehime to defeat the goddess. But, well... all that was in the past. Times have certainly changed, as they all grew in strength greatly. And their journey was still far from finished. Separating her hand from Yuki's fluffy hair, Leila would stretch again and look up at the dark, yet bright skies where a giant round moon looked over them all always.

"Thank you, Aurora. You opened my eyes, at least a little bit. After all that time locked away, I was able to sift through a lot of my memories and feelings. And I've decided... that from today onward, I will accept the happiness that comes my way. I will be selfish, even if just a little bit. Because that is what I want. Not only for others to enjoy their lives, but for myself as well... I want to be happy too!"

Flinching a little at those words, the goddess had to fight hard to not just fall apart right there. But in the end, she managed to keep her composure and just turned her head to the side, showing her other half a cool profile shot as she smiled.

"Of course. My advice is always the best! And you finally understand. If you only work for others and never look in the mirror, you will eventually fall apart. And you nearly did. It was my duty to save you as your goddess! So... make sure you stand up to those words of yours. Do not stray from your path, woman! Go out there and be happy for the Lord's sake. Those scars on your wrist might not go anywhere, but at least don't add any more to them."

Nodding to those words, Leila was happy. Things worked out and now they were free to roam the world once more. To travel and have fun with their friends. Whether the world would accept her, that was entirely different question. But if nothing else, the girl would do her very best and be satisfied with it all. And that was surely the most important thing.