It was a quiet night with only a gentle cool breeze under the crescent moonlight. Luna was tossing and turning in her sleep, her consciousness was wandering between malformed illusions, in one moment she was walking down a hall before suddenly being in a room of seven chairs that each meet a different fate: one burned, one imploded and crushed itself into a perfect cube, one melted down and reconstructed itself into a tree, one seemed to vanish from existence, one would disassemble, and one would transform itself into a chest, made of a different type of wood. Her dreams kept going incredibly instable as she would go from malformed illusion to malformed illusion when she kept getting glimpses of a tree that was vaguely familiar until the memories formed, Yggdrasil before Luna would find herself seeing a malformed corpses reaching at her from an abyss gripping her throat before she would suddenly awake in a cold sweat. She looked around the room and couldn't sense any aura or life force for something out of the ordinary. She let out a deep breath as she let her guard lower as she sat against the wall taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a moment before processing the information that she could recall from the dreams.
The only consistent part of her dreams, nightmares, or whatever she had just experienced was images of Yggdrasil, the tree in which housed the main guild hall for Sabertooth. Luna by far had the strangest relationship with the entity, mostly due to her Chloropathic nature as a Nature Fae, she was able to commune directly with Yggdrasil itself, which was at times quite trying. Luna knew it was due to the sheer cosmic and mystic nature of the tree but she wished that communication wasn't so difficult at times as she would experience, sometimes the tree cannot be direct and communication isn't always smooth.
She slowly rose out of bed as she sighed, her red silk nightgown brushed against her body as she reached for her dark blue robe as she knew after such a vivid experience she wouldn't be able to sleep. "At this point I can only assume the tree wants my attention... this is going to be a pain." She thought to herself as she began to search her house for any other occupants. She could sense Neptuna and Zina's life forces, as well as her mother downstairs on the couch. Luna approached the couch to find her mother atop a pillow in her fae form, she gently stroked her mother's hair before the miniature woman groggily woke up and noticed Luna who laid her hand out, Shirain crawled over and kneeled on Luna's hand. "Something the matter? There an emergency somewhere?" Shirain groggily asked. Luna shrugged as she kept her voice down as not to wake anyone as she walked to the kitchen to grab something to drink before she left. "I am not sure. Yggdrasil called for me so I don't know how long I am going to be gone. Zina has some school friends coming in the morning for a project, boys included. So yeah, I already prepped food for them but in case I'm gone for a few days to some far off world mind hanging around?"
She asked as she poured herself a glass of grape juice and began to slowly drink it as her mother sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the kitchen island. She nodded as she listened to her daughter's situation. "Sure, not a problem, do what you gotta, may not be Renei, but Yggdrasil is not one that can or should be denied easily, in one way or another. Just be careful, you sure you wanna go out dressed like that?" Shirain said concerned as Luna finished the glass before putting it in the sink. "I got my chronometer and there's a few sets on the station. Besides I think this might just be a social call. Just want you to know just in case, as I don't get the feeling this is a full guild thing." She explained before she opened her magical senses and focused them in the direction of Gaia's house, while they weren't exactly neighbors, the houses were close enough for them to be within sensory range, at least for Luna. Given that Gaia was still sound asleep at the time, not even close to waking so she began to assume that she wasn't called in either, and if an Ace wasn't called, Yggdrasil wanted her alone, that much was clear.
She considered stopping by and bringing Gaia along, but she pulled out her Ilac and sent Gaia a message outlining what happened and to check in with her after a few hours if she doesn't say anything. "Gaia, Yggdrasil has called for me through vague means, I may be in danger and it appears you were not invited, If you don't hear from me in sixteen hours, let me know."
She took a deep breath before she would slowly make her way to Ace of Spades, see if any Guild members around there reported anything similar but much to her chagrin it was looking more and more that she was right. Not wanting to share the news more then needed to since it was Yggdrasil asking. Once satisfied she proceeded to leave and enter the great tree. She looked around as she opened her mind to the tree and wondering just why she was brought forth. She looked around, seemingly talking to no one. "Hello, Yggdrasil? I am here! I know you called, I recognize your touch inside my mind."
Her words seemed to fall on death dears until something strange happened, Luna could feel a rumbling in the floor before a rectangular portion of the floor disappeared before underneath the marble floor was a rough wooden staircase lit by strange green Lacrima. Luna was not quite hearing any words however the entrance opening up proved to be a clear sign of what the entity wanted. Luna looked around and relented before she would walk down the stairs into a green lit tunnel. After Luna walked down to the bottom, she could feel the area around rumble as her entrance was sealed back up. While displeased with the results and slightly startled, her experiences let her know such a result was to be expected. While the circular area around was large and twisting, there was only one path, forward.
Luna nervously walked forth and was curious to see where this road was going to lead her. As she walked she came to note something about the area, she was able to feel the power and Life force of Yggdrasil stronger here but she could also feel something outside the area, a chilling empty void, almost as if there was nothing out there, not even emptiness.
"How perceptive." Came a voice belonging to a elderly lady dressed in a green kimono walking next to Luna supported by a cane. Luna almost jumped as she was shocked to see the woman. She took a few steps back and to the side as she raised her guard for a moment analyzing the other woman, until she realized she couldn't sense anything at all. Slowly she started to ease as she recalled this is how Yggdrasil speaks to her, through conjuring a hallucinatory medium for Luna to interact with. "Oh, just you Yggdrasil, my apologies."
The elderly lady chuckled, brushing off the reaction as the two began to continue walking down the round tunnel that took varying twists and turns. "It is quite alright dear, I suppose I should've had one waiting for you earlier. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice, or did I send word a long time ago? Time is a fickle thing and hard to judge by your standards, I know you are one who lives in a timeline of constant hassle." The elderly lady began to explain regarding about the current situation. Luna began to ease up a bit as from what few interactions the two had, they weren't close friends, but the two weren't exactly on bad terms either. "It's quite alright divine one, I have time for the moment." She replied respectfully. "If I may presume, if there is some imbalance you wish for me to go on a journey to correct? Did someone or enter a world and causing contamination threatening order? Or is there someone unprepared close to finding your portal in a world and you need me to toss them off the trail as they are not ready to handle visiting other worlds? She asked trying to get a feel for the situation as to whether or not she was being asked to handle some form of disorder. She knew Yggdrasil was not one for social calls so she had to assume there was something urgent.
The elderly lady chuckled as the tree was either amused or feigning amusement to make the interaction easier, Luna could never tell what the tree felt most of the time. "True, true, guess I wouldn't send for you in such a manner if it weren't an urgent matter, and I regret time is cut short. I had to wait for a opportunity out of focus for your comrades, while I am no enemy to Sabertooth I would prefer this conversation ensured to be unknown until resolved." She explained to the Nature fae as the two were wandering down the corridor. "Speaking of ensuring, do you know the path your body is walking?"
Those words seemed to pique Luna's curiosity as she reexamined her earlier notes as she began to examine the idea of where this place was, she was bellow the tree walking in wooden and circular shape, as well as the strange experiences to her magical senses. The unusual void outside drove Luna to one conclusion. "I suppose this is one of the, er, your roots if I'm not mistaken." She said practically hypothesizing at this point. The elderly lady nodded, gradually guiding and coaxing Luna into understanding the situation that she was in. "This concept, existing, it's not entirely true, but never false. Are you familiar with the theory of the Omniverse? You might know it's smaller scale version the multiverse." She asked which was starting to help and confuse Luna's understanding. "Yeah, the theory just above other realms, the theory that for something to exist in one state there must be another world where it exists in a different one. Such as a world where Earth-Land has no humans, a world where I'm a Faschist ruler, a world where my dating history doesn't boil down to daddy issues and inherited fetishes. A world where I don't have to fake a smile half the time to prevent everyone, even myself from seeing how the stress has been eating me day in and day out, yeah I'm just gonna stop talking."
The elderly lady sighed for a moment before getting back on track. "Yes, you understand. You see I do more then just connect realms, but for order's sake I don't casually permit multiversal travel, for you see there are more versions of me then you know, all of us connected, disconnected, and one, and nothing alike. For your world, I am aligned with Sabertooth. Normally I rarely act on my own accord in terms of multiversal affairs, but this time I need help."
Luna was listening carefully, wondering why Yggdrasil mentioned that they were not dispatching her but they brought up something beyond the normal matter of popping over to another world for a few favors when it comes to the multiverse. "So if you don't need me to travel to another world for a task, what is it that you're trying to ask of me?" She asked as she knew she was missing one last piece of evidence to allow everything she knew about the situation to make sense. "You see the Multiverse is a tricky thing to keep balance, there are things to upset the balance, so the universe often has a funny way of counterbalancing it through the multiverse. For every act of love, an act of hate happens elsewhere, for every power, there is an opposite. Throw one away, and the balance gets lost, and the corrections can often lead to more chaos, more corrections, and a lot more issues..." She explained. "While impressive, even gods can fail so why can't the universe make mistakes?" She explained which was starting to give Luna pause as there was a sinking feeling in her gut as she was starting to worry about what is going on.
"Really starting to wish I got dressed before this..." She uttered as she was starting to believe she was homing in on the issue. "So if you're explaining this to me there is an imbalance somewhere and I assume you want me or to use me as a method to correct the problem before the universe does?" She asked followed by a nod of the hallucination. "In a sense, more like before the multiverse does, You see this is more concerning the next universe over so to speak and a different one, I believe that one is called Earth-land 344255, Earth-LND 22245, Earth-Alpha/Beta/Beta/Gamma/Delta, depending on the multiverse guidebook you are subscribed to. It was a world similar to your own accept that a artifact existed there made from the wood of Yggdrasil, and a speck of its power."
Luna stopped and almost fell over in disbelief at the words she was hearing coming out of the emulated body's mouth. It took a moment for the reality of that situation to process before she was able to at least try to comprehend the situation before her. "Woah woah woah, a spec of your power can make or shatter a civilization if used right." Luna interjected wondering just how such a item came into existence. It seemed nearly impossible for her to conceive that such a item would be permitted by any version of Yggdrasil. "I can sense your justified confusion. As for why this item existed, that's beyond my power, that world's Yggdrasil no longer communicates, for it no longer has any purpose. It's world has been destroyed, but Yggdrasil can survive outside of traditional realms and logic, so when the world was wiped out, the artifact remained."
Luna suspected Yggdrasil was withholding information but was more curious about the fate of the artifact and what the tree wishes for Luna to do about it. Suddenly Luna found herself no longer walking through a narrow passage of the root and was in the midst of a battlefield, standing next to what appeared to be a Samurai. "Still me, this is but a fantasy, look." He said pointing forward and Luna's eyes followed in the same direction as she watched a man surrounded by three dozen men holding a metal blade sheath it only to draw a wooden one, which seemed to achieve mockery from his enemies before a dark green energy surrounded the blade and he slashed the blade in a circular motion around him releasing a thin circular wave of green energy out quickly.
Luna flinched for a moment reflexively but soon realized she couldn't sense anything to begin with, she blinked twice before feeling where the wave would have cut before believing what she saw was a mere illusion. She would look forward as all the enemies of the man would be still for a moment before she watched their bodies split in half as the top part fell off onto the ground before the man walked across the field to a man dressed in a similar garb laying dead on the ground before the blade glowed a light green and the man slashed the body before the man's wounds seemed to heal rapidly and grew smoke before suddenly a gasp of air escaped his body.
Luna stood in admiration as the body started to move and suddenly gain consciousness. "Thanks brother" He said before the two brothers stopped, as did the clouds and every thing else as the area turned still save for Luna and the avatar for Yggdrasil. "You see it LuShirain, the artifact that is currently molded into a sword can be quite useful in the right hands, can slay a dozen foes with a blast of energy, or can revive a dozen comrades in the same time. In his hands at least." Luna relented as she had to admit the power was great. "So let me guess, this Artifact after it's initial world was destroyed, fell into mine and you want me to look for it?"
The Samurai shook his head as the two began to continue walking again. "This actually fell into the neighbor universe's world, the one I mentioned before. Meaning ours is the one off balance and the only way to restore balance is to add a version of the Artifact to ours, and soon before the instability causes, consequences, especially with the Artifact's other capabilities, including opening portals between realms and if misused, could potentially harm several worlds of the multiverse if given a chance unbalanced."
Luna nodded as she was starting to understand the magnitude of the danger at hand. "Unfortunately the artifact is like me, cannot be destroyed in any meaningful way, and sending it back into the void will only cause it to land on another world. It would be much easier to instead add the same power to your own world. However there's the matter of who to imbue such a power to. Naturally I started my selection among Sabertooth's ranks." He explained as he went along, Luna almost choked in surprise as she learned what was to come for a member of the guild... "I see, so you want me to help you with coming to a decision among who to give it to? I'd recommend either Victoria or Gaia, they'd be wise to not mistreat the power. Itori would be good for a long term choice." She offered her opinion on the various members of the guild, unaware that the entity had already made up their mind.
"I have already made my selection." He informed the Nature Fae who wasn't surprised as soon as she realized the next possible option for the divine tree wanting her involved. "Ah, I see, you want me to communicate with the recipient on your behalf, relay the knowledge of what you just told me?" Yggdrasil remained silent for a tense moment as the notion of what the tree was driving at sunk in as she ran out of options. She began to accept the idea that Yggdrasil was requesting her. "No. You can't possibly mean me can you?" She asked still partially disbelieving the reality of the situation.
"By careful plotting, you are the most worthy by a small margin." He informed her which seemed to confuse the Fae given her knowledge of her peers within the guild as she was trying to understand how she was the one Yggdrasil approached, "So why me, why not someone like Kenna? She is the guild master after all." Luna did have a great respect for the demoness and she didn't want to feel as though they weren't being unfairly passed over. "Indeed, she is the master and while I don't consider her an enemy... I see more ways the artifact ruins thousands of lives in the hands of the demoness. Her future is, uncertain and dangerous..."
Luna would suddenly see the area shift to a battlefield that reeked of blood and smoke before seeing a shadowy figure in the distance holding a blade like object dripping of blood. "Wait.. isn't this the Wizard Saints office in Era?" She looked over a the avatar of Yggdrasil, who now appeared as a meek librarian. "What could be what used to be that which you currently now as the office." She explained to the fae before the area reset back to the tunnel like roots. "That raises a full binder of questions but only Kenna can answer those. However, I understand, Kenna's off the list for you. What about Gaia?"
Suddenly the area around them would be converted to a vault like area with mysterious individuals adorned with the Sabertooth guild tattoos before a mysterious individual leaving holding the Artifact with a menacing grin. Luna sighed as she knew where this was leading. "Let me guess, future down the line decision to seal away the Artifact but someone desperate enough for power breaks the seal and takes it, thus the choice of having the sword remain in the guild family prove to be a costly mistake on Gaia's part." i She brought up as she was starting to understand the method of how Yggdrasil was thinking for the long term. "Yes, also the other simulations suggested the Artifact ceasing Gaia or rare instances inducing, states of altered mental health from prolonged usage." they explained as the illusion faded and the two were walking through the tunnel again. "You mean it could lead to her death... Altered state? You mean being driven mad by the power?" Luna asked wondering exactly what they meant. "If Gaia couldn't handle it what makes me so special? Mentally she's stronger then me."
"This has little to do with mental strength, more so about nature, no pun intended. What do you and the Kitsune have in common again? I'll save time, it's your natural ability to process death and fighting it. You're abilities can draw on life force and bring someone back as you see life itself and in a different way as your mind is more fae like in certain regards as you fully shift into your fae nature. The Kitsune however has a foot in either camp. While not definitively saying humans can't, but to be able to counteract death more casually then normal could bother someone. You were once human and in a position close to Gaia's, would you tell me if you had the power to counter life and death before your fae blood bloomed, wouldn't you be unsettled? Not saying it's a definitive outcome, but the ability to cope with the outcome of the Artifact's capabilities does factor in."
Luna listened to the explanation that essentially boiled down to saying that because of her Nature Fairy side giving her a different mentality that could withstand the notion of reviving, and Itori's state between life and death in the long run they have a lower probability of a certain outcome affecting mental health. She assumed that Kenna could also be ascribed into this category given her own relationship with death, however it was already mentioned as to why she was unfit, or rather a glimpse shown why.
"I understand, so should I dare ask why Victoria is out of the running?" Once more Yggdrasil got quiet before the avatar stopped and stared Luna in the eyes for a tense moment, a chill went down Luna's spine as she was not sure what to think during the period of utter silence as the avatar had a blank look on their face before they spoke. "They have enough weapons and are on their own Journey. Also as they are now, moderately higher then usual risk for the aforementioned altered mental state. One who slays evil shall nurture their own evil." Luna was starting to get concerned from how Yggdrasil was discriminating but at the same time understood that if someone was to be entrusted with something so powerful, there's no such thing as over caution when analyzing all the details.
However she circled around back to a point that Yggdrasil seemed to avoid. "So what about Itori? You clearly spoke highly of her subtly through." She asked wondering why, no argument so far would proclude Itori as Luna did find her intelligent, patient, calm, reserved, immortal, seemingly perfect for the position of a guardian. "I feel if they would be asked they would turn it down, also the Immortal Kitsune is ill fitted so long as she resides in the Royal Demoness's bed." The Avatar explained before a small hint of annoyance could be heard in their own voice. Luna sighed as she began to play over what she learned in her head. "Alright so Kenna and Victoria got some darkness in their lives that you think would only worsen if you give them the Artifact, which by extension precluded Itori but you believe they wouldn't accept the job regardless, and you believe giving it to Gaia would only delay an inevitable issue, and let's just skip the rest for now as I think I heard all the factors by now..."
She said as she began to factor in all the details of the situation and begun to realize why exactly she was being offered, no, not offered, drafted for this honor and duty. "So you're on a tight time schedule and you needed someone who could understand the power of life and has a adaptable mental structure to be able to cope without succumbing to the power and will hold onto the artifact for a period of time without a significant risk of going mad in the highly plausible future and by a long and arduous process of elimination you chose me so balance can be restored and maintained?" She summarized out loud in order to confirm the long explanation being told to her.
The Avatar nodded as Luna essentially summed up the point succinctly. "Harsh but not personal, anyways I believe you're educated on the essentials of the Artifact, any other questions?" The avatar asked Luna. Luna took a moment to breathe and take stock of the multitude of information being thrown at her regarding her own fate and the near doomsday level fates of others. "Well lets see, we got who, what, why, and how that got me to this point are clear. Only thing left to accomplish is to press forward with what this is before we end up spending a few days here and I fear that when the time comes, going to explain this to the guild is tough as it is... But I'll cross that bridge later." She said before going over the facts in her head and wondering if she should tell the other guild members.
She knew her own protégé and adoptive daughter would be excited and happy for her, maybe wanting something like it herself. Luna was more then confident she could handle the slayer child if things got out of hand, so the Goddess Slayer Nature Fae did not fret Mai's reaction. She believed Itori would understand, after all the kitsune was around for a long time and was old enough to remember ancient empires or run into her old friends as ancient exhibits in museums, she knew Itori has experienced nearly any possible situation that involved entrusting a dangerous power would require careful consideration. She didn't know Imai or Kenna well enough to be able to predict their reactions to the news which is another reason why she'd want to be careful, especially considering Yggdrasil shown Luna visions of Kenna committing atrocities.
Luna knew this was going to make dealing with and respecting Kenna strenuous and she never got on the right foot with Kenna at first. She would never judge anyone by their race, and she never thought Kenna was evil from their first impression, maybe a bit careless but generally a good person. However she knew Yggdrasil wouldn't show her something so devastating and horrific if they didn't think it was a reasonable possibility. This egged on so many questions for the Fae that she did not know how to handle. She was growing greatly concerned for herself and the guild at this point as Yggdrasil in no uncertain terms pointed out the biggest flaws of most of the members. She wondered what she was supposed to say to the rest of the guild. After all she didn't really fair any better as Yggdrasil did seem to imply Luna was a settlement choice during a desperate situation. "This news alone, feels like so much personal information and security violations, plus should I even tell the Aces? If I talk to Gaia or Imai they have to include Itori... Then I can't be certain how Itori or Kenna will react. I never seen Itori lose her cool, but can she truly be impartial about her lover who's also Guild Master? Seems like a major conflict of interest in this rare instance but since Yggdrasil didn't confirm it was a locked possibility." Luna thought as she was trying to analyze all aspects of the issue, clearly she'd need to go seek counsel before she would be able to make a decision on the matter, but in this instance there was no time or good reason to involve anyone else.
Luna began to see that this could be seen badly by her peers if she kept silent, as her silence could be misconstrued into being led by baleful motives. She did not wish to create bad blood or ruin anyone's faith in the guild master after her own experience with Aurora. She knew what happened when the character of someone who bares the role of a guild master is attacked, they are the last person to suffer from it, as everyone suffers first. The weight of the responsibility and ancillary decisions along the way already felt heavy, and as time passed they would only get worse. Then there would be the matter of the trust of Gaia and Victoria, she is not sure if she would be able to find friends like them elsewhere. Though she felt that the two would in turn probably understand why, she knew Victoria already possessed a great amount of dangerous power that required to be under control, and Gaia being a parent and scholar herself knew the precautions of withholding knowledge and power.
However she could think all she wanted on the subject but Yggdrasil implied that they lacked the time to wait for an opportune candidate to reveal themselves. "Let's get this over with..." Luna said before the tunnel would seemed to end and suddenly she was standing in a large open room formed in a spherical shape. There seemed to only be a single entrance. There was a wooden path leading to a circular platform with a small mound on it, featuring a smooth and flat top as well as on the side facing the path there were stairs built into it. On top of the mount was a pedestal made of a stone like substance holding the sword, with a groove right bellow it where the sheath would lay out of sight. In graved on the pedestal was the following text:
"He who wields the blade of all but none and none but all, shall wall walk among gods and fall among men. Elifa Von."
Bellow the platform was a pillar reaching the bottom. Bellow the platform was was filled with water, glistening and sparkling green and white specs from a combination of something in the water and the lighting from the ceiling. There were sixteen clusters of small orbs equidistant from each other, with a flat circle shining down a light onto the platform. The area had a pleasant sea and forest like scent to the mix, and while Yggdrasil always had a mystic, vibrant, and elegant aura within its life force; however within this chamber the aura was unbelievably and almost blindingly strong as Luna found herself utterly enamored and shocked by the chamber.
Luna looked around slightly shocked as she she would move forwards, hearing her steps echoing throughout the large room as she walked towards the light. She was almost stunned such a room could exist within Yggdrasil till she remembered that this was no mere tree or deity. "Gotta admit, they do have impeccable taste in interior design. This room does feel incredible to all the senses. Aesthetically pleasing to the sight, the gentle tones of the water are easy on the ears, the scent of a river creates peaceful vibes, and the smooth wood is easy on the feet." She thought walking along the bridge towards the platform, slowly reaching up the stairs into the spotlight as she approached the wooden blade in the pedestal, taking a moment to analyze what she was seeing. Her eyes slowly traced down the blade from the hilt down to the pedestal.
On first glance relying on sight alone the blade did not look like it had the capacity to be the dangerous weapon that the great deity explained to Luna. The blade had a simple appearance of a one handed wooden sword with a simple cross guard. No jewels or anything, a completely unassuming weapon that one would assume is just a sharpened training tool or a toy. However when the magical senses and the soul provided a much different story. Luna could feel the mystical energy emanating from the weapon, akin to that of its creator. While most might assume it very well could be a joke weapon, being so close and having a chance to observe it would prove it is the genuine article. Luna's emerald eyes gazed down towards the engravement on the stone pedestal. "He who wields the blade of all but none and none but all, shall wall walk among gods and fall among men. Elifa Von." She said reading aloud the inscription before her eyes drifted down to the groove where the sheath lied. A simple wooden sheath matching the blade, with a leather strap at the end. Luna would get closer as she looked around as it started to get suspicious that she was able to so thoroughly enjoy the ambiance of the room without interuption. She looked around finding no figure. "Huh, seemed like you'd have something to say about now." She said waiting a moment and was stunned there was no sudden voice appearing out of sight, no hallucination or anyone around.
She figured Yggdrasil had nothing left to say at this point as for the time there was no more wisdom left to impart, no dangers left to explain, or anything left to ask that could not be clearly interpreted. The pink haired fae raised her right hand toward the blade, grabbing the hilt before she managed to pull it out of the pedestal. A green spark glowed at the tip of the blade before a green energy spiraled down the blade reaching into her arm before she felt a tingling sensation run from her fingertips all the way to her heart, before a pink spark reached out from her heart and traced through her arm, before emerging from her hand as a secondary spiral of pink light started in the opposite pattern of the first, intersecting at many points before reaching the top point. Both spirals intensified for a moment as the pink spiral slowly turned green and the green spiral slowly turned pink, before both turned pink then green. All the while Luna could feel something, like a new limb and it was clear to her that the sword itself, it was joining with her as the two would be bonded on a deep spiritual level. Luna gasped, trembling for a moment and briefly stumbled before regaining her balance as the two spirals stopped as trails slowly came to an end, even without the intensified and visual display Luna still felt the blade as if it was an extension of herself.
Luna adjusted her grip before she would swing the sword lightly as she was trying to get a feel for the blade before she gave it a serious swing, feeling the airflow around before taking a moment to breath. Luna felt a strange ease as the sword clearly felt as if it was like slashing with her nails, a shocking level of natural sensation. Luna would kneel down as she reached for the sheath, picking it up with her left hand before she would slowly introduce, or perhaps even reintroduce the sword to its resting place. After the sword fully entered the sheath, Luna felt a rumbling in the ground behind her. Luna quickly turned around as she saw entrance behind disappear as a wall formed perfectly aligned with the wooden wall, almost as if the entrance way never existed. Soon afterwards the pathway would fall into the water, creating a large splash sending water flying high. Luna raised her arm to guard her face as her robes and hair got wet. She would lower her arm breathing silently as she saw the pathway she had less then a few minutes ago walked across fall into the depths of the water, seemingly vanishing into nothingness.
Luna would turn around, looking at the other side and as the inverse of the former grandiose display of vanishing was a such a silent and subtle appearance as the pathway was on the other side, and at the end of it was the exit. Luna looked on in silence, listening to the sound of the ripples of water, some of which still splashed onto the pathway, either moved or newly formed. Luna could not honestly tell what was what at this point as she began to walk down the steps slowly before she would walk around the platform before she would begin walking down the path.
She walked along the pathway towards the way out. At this point she knew there was nothing left for the divine tree to say through a hallucination or similar conduit. Luna assumed that the literal signs of closing one pathway and opening another was its way of showing Luna the door as she would reach the exit and found herself walking among a root path once more. Without another figure to talk to Luna got a bad feeling as the eerie silence and dimly lit ambiance left the Nature Fairy into a state of suspense. The unknown factor in all this gave her incredible pause and apprehension, as well as a lingering frustration that she is solely at the mercy of Yggdrasil, with no control over her fate for the time or any options but to follow the path presently laid out for her.
Luna would find herself walking for minutes, until there was a bright light ahead from the end in the distance, as she got close she started to make out the source of the light as she got closer, it was a staircase identical to the one that brought her down into the roots of Yggdrasil. Luna would slowly ascend the stairs, leaving the roots and returned back to the common castle like area of Yggdrasil many were familiar with, looking around with her senses to see if there was anyone watching or sensing. She was not surprised that for the most part it was still quite silent, she assumed Yggdrasil waited for the opportune moment to call upon her when no one else would be around to find out about their private meeting so soon.
Looking behind her, she would notice the opening for the stairway had silently and mystically vanished as the marble flooring was once again restored. Aside from the fact Luna was standing there holding the weapon, there seemed to be no trace as far as the senses could perceive that the meeting ever took place. "Crafty old tree, anyways should probably get home..." She thought to herself before she would make her way back towards the exit and through Ace of Spades towards her townhouse.
Once back home Luna would snap her fingers causing her armoire to open up, placing the wooden sword inside before closing it manually, leaning in resting her head on the doors sighing profusely in the moonlight lit room. "I know that look, that's the look you had on your face every time you took on something serious comes on that you don't wanna handle but will believing you don't have a choice." The older Nature Fairy said sitting up on the padded arm rest of the couch. Luna's eyes drifted towards her mother as she turned her head slightly. "This isn't exactly doing my brother's laundry, this time there are stakes of cosmic proportion." She said seeing no use in trying to deny her mother's observation about her behavior. The exhaustion in her eyes was apparent as the stress of the burden was already eating away at her. Shirain stood up and gently floated down onto the couch before gesturing for Luna to take a seat near her. "Come on, you can't sleep on this as it is, don't even try lying to me. Let's hear this out." She said with a soft smile, inviting her daughter to open up.
Luna gently approached the couch as she glowed into a soft pink light that shrunk down as her wings grew out, her height becoming five inches tall as the glow dissipated, revealing her smaller self with her transparent wings, wearing a dress made of dark pink flower pedals. Luna opened her eyes as she looked up at the room that turned ginormous. It always felt odd to be in the house in her natural fairy form as she was always used to the human sized perception. It was always refreshing to see the familiar place in a new light.
Luna would lightly jump as she began to float gently upwards and across before landing on the couch close to her mother, slowly sitting down, slightly hunched over. "So the long and short of it is Yggdrasil ran about a million scenarios through their mind and came up with the least undesirable outcome." She said trying to briefly summarize the interaction she had with the divine tree. "But it puts me in a rather awkward position." She sighed before starting to try to comprehend where to begin with this situation as it was built upon calculated predictions she couldn't hope to comprehend. "In order to keep balance, Yggdrasil needed to introduce a certain power into this world, and I was chosen as the receptacle as the least undesirable outcome." She said as the last three words seemed to sting her as they came out of her mouth, she recalled each and every reason people were struck off the list. "I, made the mistake of asking why me, and why not any of the others..." She said looking away, biting her lip lightly which spoke volumes to her mother. "And you got the answers, and they were quite some, ugly truths weren't they? Truths that you don't wanna share, truths that eat at you inside, and by keeping knowledge of these truths you fear you will hurt others and their faith in you for knowing or keeping this new power secret?" Shirain would speculate as she got a sense of the dilemma that was ebbing away at Luna's soul. Luna nodded in response as she wanted to just wrap up all the memories regarding the visions in cloth and throw it into a ditch where it will never resurface again.
"One by one all my peers, people who I would throw myself into hell for and can say vice versa with certainty, all of them. I can't see any of them being a great evil as they all sacrificed a lot for the sake of others, selfish is not a predominant trait I would ascribe to any member of the guild. Some of the arguments I got, but if even Itori and Gaia bring about a worst case scenario what makes me any different?" Luna said as she was getting right into the heart of the issue. "You're not special." Shirain would say bluntly as she knew exactly what kind of talk Luna would be most receptive to. While Luna was great at helping others through emotional connection, the majority of her life was learning through pain and struggle, so blunt force would be the best way to proceed. Luna looked back at her mother listening intently. "Look as good as you are, you're no Mary Sue or pure saint. You got as much flaws as anyone in the guild and I am sure that old ash tree hid your worst case scenario with the power, as you're not immune to risking any of the mistakes the others made, but as you seem to have implied a decision had to be made, and with Yggdrasil being so heavily tied with Sabertooth options were slim." She would say as she would slowly crawl towards Luna, resting her hand on Luna's shoulder supportively. "Be honored you were chosen, and do your best to be worthy of the boon of the tree, that's all you can do. You cannot hold yourself responsible for the decision of the divine being, only what you do afterwards." She said before recalling the other part of the situation being Luna's relationship with her guild mates.
"As for your friends, Yggdrasil wouldn't give this gift if he demanded it be kept secret, so you can tell them when you're ready. If you need time to process the reality, it's only natural." Shirain said softly. "But wouldn't that be tantamount to lying? If it concerns Yggdrasil shouldn't it concern the guild?" She said as she felt a confliction between the trust of Yggdrasil and the trust of the guild. She did not want to be accused of any misconduct but this entire dilemma was not great. She did not known how many would react, especially if they found out in a long time. She had some sense for how a few members would react, she had hopes Itori, Victoria, and probably Gaia would understand, she knew for sure she could convince Mai it was a good thing, but the unknown elements were still rather at play. "Considering I don't interact with them often, and they are the people you gotta work with not me, I can't really give you much advice on that front. But if you feel they should know the truth you should tell them, when you are ready. You had a responsibility and power thrust upon you suddenly, they can't expect you to be nonchalant about something so radical.
" She said before Luna had a look on her face that showed a lack of faith.
Recounting the last few years she recalled every single instance of the very thing happening. "Mai, my Nature Fairy Heritage, the fact that you weren't dead, the fact you faked your death, the fallout that happened after you faked your death, Integration Magic, the entire Aurora Guild, Neptuna, Amelia, being a third of Sabertooth's healtcare." She said listing off the biggest examples over the last few years. "Those are just the big names that came to mind, this is hardly the prime example." She confirmed as Shirain was awkwardly rubbing her wrist, wracked with guild as she was in part responsible for most of the list. "Yeah, well, I got nothing I'm sorry. I'm a pacifist, I don't have much advice to give when cosmic divine beings bestow weapons in secret late night meetings." She said almost laughing at the sheer absurdity, the tension built up between the two in silence.
Eventually the two started to giggle a bit, slowly getting louder and louder as the two would burst out. "Would it kill us to have normal mother daughter problems? Here we are talking about swords, divine power, betrayal, and deception." Shirian said giddily as the mother and daughter would find themselves having to just laugh at the sheer magnitude of the situation. Luna herself wished there was something she could say but she had to essentially agree with the sentiment. "That'd be nice, but I doubt it. Financially I'm well off, I have no partner to need advice about, so yeah, not sure what's left at this point." Luna said acknowledging her mother's remark as in the end she could not deny it as much as she wish she could. "Honestly so, it is a shame we, can't always communicate, though there are no words in any dialect that can express my sorrow and guilt for what I have done, however at the same time there are none that can due justice to my pride in you. You've broken in ways I cannot heal but still stand strong, you have the courage to do what you can for others and still find the compassion for your enemies. Honestly you always find your true self even in the depths of chaos, your heart may be Nature Fae in origin physiologically, but emotionally..." She said leaning closer resting her fingertips on Luna's chest. "Emotionally you inherited it from your father. Even if the world was eating him alive he still found time to save everyone else. That part of you is the best part. Don't ever let that go."
Tears started to well up in Luna's eyes before she would quickly lean in, wrapping her arms around her mother as she let down the last of her airs as she embraced her mother. While she spent most of her life having to always act as she was collected and could walk into nearly any storm without being ruffled, the moments she could truly be without her psychological armor were always the best. Shirain wrapped her arms around Luna, the two fairies silently embracing the other for a few minutes. "Thank you..." Luna whispered gently before Shirain would tighten her embrace. "Your father would be so proud of the woman you became, no matter what is in your way, no matter what the situation you face. As long as your heart still beats, it will guide you all the way." She said with confidence that Luna could handle whatever was in her way. She knew Luna by her very nature was selfless and observant, never letting any lesson fall short.
A few countless minutes later the two broke off the moment of embrace as Luna would look about as she recalled the time. She sighed as she would start to get up, walking towards the edge of the couch. "It's, late. I should get to sleep... Also I still need to text Gaia to not worry about me- should probably do that first, and come up with an explanation as for why I was summoned." She said before gently jumping off the couch, gliding down to the floor before she would revert back to her human guise, walking as she grew in size with her wings retracting, as well as restoring her silk nightgown and robes. Luna slowly ascended the stairs as she took her iLac out of her pocket as she would begin to text Gaia again.
"Gaia, I am back safe and sound. There was just a mess inside Yggdrasil they wanted cleaned immediately and called for me. Nothing too major. Back home safe and sound now." She would text Gaia, almost bothered by how easy it was to twist the truth in such a way, but for now it was just easier to avoid the discussion until Luna herself was calm enough to have it with others. She did not want to risk a heated argument so she had to be very careful as to how she spoke of the night. Since she only told one guild member and was careful to not be seen by others she had a feeling no one would question it.
Walking back into the master bedroom of the house she would lock her phone, gently placing it down on a charging dock. With a single finger she loosened her robes before leaning her arms back, letting them slide off gently before she removed her left hand from the sleeve to hold them in place while she slid her right arm out, gently tossing the blue robes onto the door knob before approaching the closed window, opening it slightly letting the cool wind air in brushing against her skin. The nightmares Luna experienced when she was being summoned a mere two hours prior still fresh in her mind. Luna did not know what was bothering her more, the visions or the fact that across the worlds Yggdrasil was able to broadcast them into her slumbering mind.
However the fact remained the same that she was still tired, and a lack of sleep would not do her soul any good. She would slowly walk towards her bed as she would lay down, feeling the tension in her body drop as she sluggishly moved about, using one arm to bring her pillows closer to be more comfortable, before wrapping her left arm and leg around her body pillow, letting out a deep breath as she would close her eyes, letting her mind slowly drift out of consciousness as she would find herself going to sleep easily.
Time eventually passed on as Luna fell asleep and would inevitably wake up the next morning. Waking up Luna groggily checked her iLac as she would see that it was early in the morning. As it was a new day she knew she had no choice but to keep going, life had to go on. She would slowly sit up, stretching out her arms up into the air, slowly standing as she would walk over towards the window, closing the curtains, taking a deep breath before walking over to her parlor and sat at the stool. Taking up her hair brush she would start to comb through her silk like hair, all the while avoiding her reflection for the meantime. Shortly after she was done she would move towards the dresser, removing her nightgown before getting dressed in a sports top and shorts. She followed this by adding on the arm band to holster her iLac, as well as loosely hanging the wireless earbuds around her neck. Picking up her iLac she would connect the wireless earbuds, making sure they were connected before holstering the device on the arm band.
Lastly Luna put on her sunglasses and would grab a hair tie on her way out as she would put her hair in a ponytail while walking through the hall and down the stairs, around, before making her way towards the door. Before she left she would grab a pair of black running shoes and slowly put them on one foot at a time before leaving out the door before beginning her stretches, looking about before putting in her earbuds and started to play a podcast of the news. Two minutes later she would start her morning run through Ace of Spades, it had always been part of her routine but it was more, noticeable in recent months. Since accepting the Goddess Slayer lacrima from Carpo, Luna's near normal peak physique turned well above average, and as a result Luna had to expand her running route and pace.
Luna began to run through Ace of Spades, all the while listening to the news at the back of her mind as she would carry on as normal, concentrating on her surroundings trying to make sure she didn't run into anything or anyone by accident. Everything was normal for the most part, just a small deviation presenting itself up ahead in the form of construction work trying to repair holes in the ground and as a result blocked off the roadway. "Guess I'm getting some Parkour in today." Luna said in a joking tone as she would look at the trees along the right side before she turned to run towards one between two houses. She wound jump up, springing from the ground as she would grab a tree branch with a slightly loose hold and use her built momentum to help her swing twice around before and fly upwards towards another tree, catching herself with her feet on another branch so she could center herself again for a moment. She would reach downwards towards another branch just out of reach before letting herself fall so she could grab the branch with her hands. She would guide her feet to landing on the branch before jumping forward and landing on the ground in the next street over before she would continue with her run.
Minutes passed as Luna didn't realize she was not hearing anything from her earbuds, distracted by the lingering thoughts of her late night rendezvous with Yggdrasil. Passing by a familiar sight she stopped as she took a moment to think, the guilt wrapping around her like a serpent binding, hissing, the anticipation on whether it will strike weighed heavily against her heart. However she put that aside for a moment as she would sense the exuberance of the life force of the garden around the house. Feeling rather generous, two blue and pink seeds started to emerge from the skin on Luna's hand as she would do the math in her head before she lightly tossed them towards the house. "About right, yeah." She said before the two seeds landed in parallel spots along the path before the applied Chlorokinesis would grow the two followers at a rapid speed. "Anima Purificatoria, a long lost plant to man. It was said that tea of these flowers could cleanse even the most wicked of souls but that's just folklore that hasn't been able to be proven in years." She recounted to herself as the seeds grew into two large eight petaled flowers with a blue base and pink accents.
"However in addition to being lovely, they can purify toxins in the air and release a pollen that when living beings breath in can ease stress and pain." She said taking in a slight breath, enjoying the benefits of the plant that was thought to be extinct before she would continue on her run as she was getting close to the end of her route. Soon after Luna made her way to the Red Dragon Inn. Walking into the tavern she held her hand up as a bartender tossed her a bottle of water. Luka opened the bottle as she made her way towards the private Sabertooth hall, entering the room as she did daily every time she was in town. While she wished she could do more to commit to exercise she prided herself on being able to maintain some daily things while she wasn't off on some adventure dealing with creatures of the dark, monsters, or other high stakes. Looking over the job board she knew odds are she was not going to set off on one today but it was always a good opportunity to check both of the boards just in case there was a good opportunity.
Drinking from the bottle Luna quickly scanned all the ads and there was none she was willing to immediately impart on yet. However as she normally did if she had nothing hard set that required her presence, she would sign her name to a sheet saying she was willing to undertake jobs with those who need a partner or want someone more experienced to accompany them.
Passing by other members of the guild on her way back, she would begin to check the more public board open to any takers. Studying the opportunities and keeping the other ones in mind she reaffirmed silently to herself to not venture out quite yet unless needed for the day as a waitress came up to her. "You on handholding duty today Miss Luna?" She asked before Luna would hand her the empty bottle of water, nodding in response. "Yeah, tell Victoria please. Sabertooth Members only for now, I'll be home for most of the day, call if needed." Luna said before walking towards the door as she would begin to lightly jog all the way back to her house.
Pacing through the house she would would hurry up the stairs to her private bathroom. On the way she listened in as her younger sister Zina was preparing for the arrival of her friends, her mother trying her best to help, and even the presence of her younger brother's fiancé, Ema. Luna was not entirely sure why Ema was here but she assumed it hat something to do with her needing help or just being in the neighborhood.
After a long shower Luna would emerge, drying off before getting dressed in a red sleeveless top, black skirt, and stockings before she approached a table. She knew she had to make her confession at some point otherwise she knew it would eat at her. Even being close to encountering her guild mates being able to so naturally maintain herself like nothing happened proved to be an outcome both encouraging and despicable. Picking up her pen she would take a deep breath before she would find the next blank page and start to write.
"These words, if they are a confession of guilt or regret, or even just a plea to displace blame I cannot know. I am not worthy of being my own judge, jury, and executioner as that privilege belongs to my peers, of whom I cannot be certain I am betraying or not.
Late into the night I was summoned by Yggdrasil, honestly that should have been the worst part. They invaded my dreams as I began to spiral through horrors, perplexing events, and self images. Honestly this world has a funny way of proving everyone wrong. Honestly I knew as soon as I woke up I should have just gone back to bed. But I didn't, I let the ash tree beckon me in. When I got there I was immediately suspicious, Yggdrasil planned it so I would enter and leave when no one would notice. I don't know what's scarier, the fact they managed to predict and time everything down to my smallest reactions that would impact the whole timeline of the two hour span. Then again I suppose it is to be expected that someone as ancient and divine as Yggdrasil is capable of calculating and perceiving time with effectiveness well beyond many others.
Regardless I went to meet with Yggdrasil and as normal when I am within them, I am able to communicate in a direct manner with them, provided they wish to say something of course. They piggyback off my chloropathic abilities and induce hallucinations of avatars, to me they are like real people and exist consistently so long as I focus and Yggdrasil cooperates. It's awkward, intense, and weird as one moment I am speaking to an elderly Minstrel woman and then suddenly a young Icebergian guy. Disorienting isn't it to hear about? Well maybe if I shared that power somehow I could show others what it's like if Yggdrasil wants to speak. Anyways I suppose I'm trying to avoid the actual part that is irksome.
When I got there, it opened with a pleasant discussion of cosmic concepts and philosophy as well as finding out there's more space within Yggdrasil then everyone is permitted to believe. However the purpose of why I was summoned turned into something I don't even wish to fathom if I could help it. Yggdrasil gave me a glimpse of the nature of their existence and how it stands across other versions of existence, and in turn how other versions of itself effect it in our own world. In particular Yggdrasil warned of consequences, a piece of it became a powerful artifact in what was according to Yggdrasil, the next universe over in the multiverse, one that was connected with ours. In order to maintain a balance, that artifact needed a counterpart in our own world.
This is where my troubles start as Yggdrasil had chosen me, no, that is not it, not entirely. I was the least undesirable outcome. At first Yggdrasil made me seem like I was the most worthy which I did not believe as I hold my fellow members of Sabertooth in the highest of esteem, but then one by one Yggdrasil dragged them through the mud showing me horrid outcomes. From one standing in a blood bath after a massacre to another who sealed it away only for generations later the blade to be used to slaughter the another generation of Sabertooth I saw horrors after horrors. While there were a few good arguments the facts all boil back down to everyone either having a liability attached to them, heavily suspected of not handling all or particular aspects of the power, or some other factors.
I, can't say this as I feel like I've invaded a lot of their privacy, I feel sick, I feel, I can't even describe it as I lay out my sins. I accepted it, I accepted the Elifa Vonn, the blade of Yggdrasil. I know this secret cannot be hidden forever, but how will my colleagues, friends, people I consider as close as family react? Will they feel betrayed? Will they accept happened? I cannot know...
All I know is, I have to move forward."
She would put her pen down for a moment before she looked at the full page and ripped it out of her diary gently before walking to a waste bin and picked up a small flame lacrima she used for lighting a candle the previous evening and lit the page on fire, watching as the words on the badge were burnt away, the page crumbling before she dropped it in waiting for the page to burn through completely before the fire died out, unable to consume more fuel. Luna took a deep breath putting a smile on her face as she would turn around, leaving the room and going down the stairs. Her emerald eyes glazed over the armory armoire where her recently acquired wooden sword was leaning against a wall. She knew she had no choice but to embrace it was hers now, and in time she would.
Her focus turned over towards a group of teenagers, Zina included sitting around the living room with notebooks, ilacs, lactops, and books about. She was able to catch the tail end of a discussion, not surprisingly it was about some of the magical tools in Luna's possession. She knew she had a specialized magical lock that only members of Sabertooth could open so she was not worried about tampering or stuff getting out of hand. Making her entrance downstairs Luna kept her smile as she heard someone wonder just how powerful her wand was. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you, otherwise you might be repeating grade school for a while. That's a Fragment of the other world, it can do many things but most notably turn back the clock of time on stuff." She said in passing on her way to the kitchen, completely naturally acting as she went to grab herself a drink and carry on with her day.
Meanwhile unbeknownst to her, evading her senses her window was opened as a blonde haired woman climbed through the window and made her way to the waste bin. She reached in as a white light flashed before she pulled out Luna's written confession completely intact, snickering to herself. "This might come in handy..." She said before her body slowly turned into a solid white silhouette before fading out of existence, with the confession in tow.
WC 11251
The only consistent part of her dreams, nightmares, or whatever she had just experienced was images of Yggdrasil, the tree in which housed the main guild hall for Sabertooth. Luna by far had the strangest relationship with the entity, mostly due to her Chloropathic nature as a Nature Fae, she was able to commune directly with Yggdrasil itself, which was at times quite trying. Luna knew it was due to the sheer cosmic and mystic nature of the tree but she wished that communication wasn't so difficult at times as she would experience, sometimes the tree cannot be direct and communication isn't always smooth.
She slowly rose out of bed as she sighed, her red silk nightgown brushed against her body as she reached for her dark blue robe as she knew after such a vivid experience she wouldn't be able to sleep. "At this point I can only assume the tree wants my attention... this is going to be a pain." She thought to herself as she began to search her house for any other occupants. She could sense Neptuna and Zina's life forces, as well as her mother downstairs on the couch. Luna approached the couch to find her mother atop a pillow in her fae form, she gently stroked her mother's hair before the miniature woman groggily woke up and noticed Luna who laid her hand out, Shirain crawled over and kneeled on Luna's hand. "Something the matter? There an emergency somewhere?" Shirain groggily asked. Luna shrugged as she kept her voice down as not to wake anyone as she walked to the kitchen to grab something to drink before she left. "I am not sure. Yggdrasil called for me so I don't know how long I am going to be gone. Zina has some school friends coming in the morning for a project, boys included. So yeah, I already prepped food for them but in case I'm gone for a few days to some far off world mind hanging around?"
She asked as she poured herself a glass of grape juice and began to slowly drink it as her mother sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the kitchen island. She nodded as she listened to her daughter's situation. "Sure, not a problem, do what you gotta, may not be Renei, but Yggdrasil is not one that can or should be denied easily, in one way or another. Just be careful, you sure you wanna go out dressed like that?" Shirain said concerned as Luna finished the glass before putting it in the sink. "I got my chronometer and there's a few sets on the station. Besides I think this might just be a social call. Just want you to know just in case, as I don't get the feeling this is a full guild thing." She explained before she opened her magical senses and focused them in the direction of Gaia's house, while they weren't exactly neighbors, the houses were close enough for them to be within sensory range, at least for Luna. Given that Gaia was still sound asleep at the time, not even close to waking so she began to assume that she wasn't called in either, and if an Ace wasn't called, Yggdrasil wanted her alone, that much was clear.
She considered stopping by and bringing Gaia along, but she pulled out her Ilac and sent Gaia a message outlining what happened and to check in with her after a few hours if she doesn't say anything. "Gaia, Yggdrasil has called for me through vague means, I may be in danger and it appears you were not invited, If you don't hear from me in sixteen hours, let me know."
She took a deep breath before she would slowly make her way to Ace of Spades, see if any Guild members around there reported anything similar but much to her chagrin it was looking more and more that she was right. Not wanting to share the news more then needed to since it was Yggdrasil asking. Once satisfied she proceeded to leave and enter the great tree. She looked around as she opened her mind to the tree and wondering just why she was brought forth. She looked around, seemingly talking to no one. "Hello, Yggdrasil? I am here! I know you called, I recognize your touch inside my mind."
Her words seemed to fall on death dears until something strange happened, Luna could feel a rumbling in the floor before a rectangular portion of the floor disappeared before underneath the marble floor was a rough wooden staircase lit by strange green Lacrima. Luna was not quite hearing any words however the entrance opening up proved to be a clear sign of what the entity wanted. Luna looked around and relented before she would walk down the stairs into a green lit tunnel. After Luna walked down to the bottom, she could feel the area around rumble as her entrance was sealed back up. While displeased with the results and slightly startled, her experiences let her know such a result was to be expected. While the circular area around was large and twisting, there was only one path, forward.
Luna nervously walked forth and was curious to see where this road was going to lead her. As she walked she came to note something about the area, she was able to feel the power and Life force of Yggdrasil stronger here but she could also feel something outside the area, a chilling empty void, almost as if there was nothing out there, not even emptiness.
"How perceptive." Came a voice belonging to a elderly lady dressed in a green kimono walking next to Luna supported by a cane. Luna almost jumped as she was shocked to see the woman. She took a few steps back and to the side as she raised her guard for a moment analyzing the other woman, until she realized she couldn't sense anything at all. Slowly she started to ease as she recalled this is how Yggdrasil speaks to her, through conjuring a hallucinatory medium for Luna to interact with. "Oh, just you Yggdrasil, my apologies."
The elderly lady chuckled, brushing off the reaction as the two began to continue walking down the round tunnel that took varying twists and turns. "It is quite alright dear, I suppose I should've had one waiting for you earlier. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice, or did I send word a long time ago? Time is a fickle thing and hard to judge by your standards, I know you are one who lives in a timeline of constant hassle." The elderly lady began to explain regarding about the current situation. Luna began to ease up a bit as from what few interactions the two had, they weren't close friends, but the two weren't exactly on bad terms either. "It's quite alright divine one, I have time for the moment." She replied respectfully. "If I may presume, if there is some imbalance you wish for me to go on a journey to correct? Did someone or enter a world and causing contamination threatening order? Or is there someone unprepared close to finding your portal in a world and you need me to toss them off the trail as they are not ready to handle visiting other worlds? She asked trying to get a feel for the situation as to whether or not she was being asked to handle some form of disorder. She knew Yggdrasil was not one for social calls so she had to assume there was something urgent.
The elderly lady chuckled as the tree was either amused or feigning amusement to make the interaction easier, Luna could never tell what the tree felt most of the time. "True, true, guess I wouldn't send for you in such a manner if it weren't an urgent matter, and I regret time is cut short. I had to wait for a opportunity out of focus for your comrades, while I am no enemy to Sabertooth I would prefer this conversation ensured to be unknown until resolved." She explained to the Nature fae as the two were wandering down the corridor. "Speaking of ensuring, do you know the path your body is walking?"
Those words seemed to pique Luna's curiosity as she reexamined her earlier notes as she began to examine the idea of where this place was, she was bellow the tree walking in wooden and circular shape, as well as the strange experiences to her magical senses. The unusual void outside drove Luna to one conclusion. "I suppose this is one of the, er, your roots if I'm not mistaken." She said practically hypothesizing at this point. The elderly lady nodded, gradually guiding and coaxing Luna into understanding the situation that she was in. "This concept, existing, it's not entirely true, but never false. Are you familiar with the theory of the Omniverse? You might know it's smaller scale version the multiverse." She asked which was starting to help and confuse Luna's understanding. "Yeah, the theory just above other realms, the theory that for something to exist in one state there must be another world where it exists in a different one. Such as a world where Earth-Land has no humans, a world where I'm a Faschist ruler, a world where my dating history doesn't boil down to daddy issues and inherited fetishes. A world where I don't have to fake a smile half the time to prevent everyone, even myself from seeing how the stress has been eating me day in and day out, yeah I'm just gonna stop talking."
The elderly lady sighed for a moment before getting back on track. "Yes, you understand. You see I do more then just connect realms, but for order's sake I don't casually permit multiversal travel, for you see there are more versions of me then you know, all of us connected, disconnected, and one, and nothing alike. For your world, I am aligned with Sabertooth. Normally I rarely act on my own accord in terms of multiversal affairs, but this time I need help."
Luna was listening carefully, wondering why Yggdrasil mentioned that they were not dispatching her but they brought up something beyond the normal matter of popping over to another world for a few favors when it comes to the multiverse. "So if you don't need me to travel to another world for a task, what is it that you're trying to ask of me?" She asked as she knew she was missing one last piece of evidence to allow everything she knew about the situation to make sense. "You see the Multiverse is a tricky thing to keep balance, there are things to upset the balance, so the universe often has a funny way of counterbalancing it through the multiverse. For every act of love, an act of hate happens elsewhere, for every power, there is an opposite. Throw one away, and the balance gets lost, and the corrections can often lead to more chaos, more corrections, and a lot more issues..." She explained. "While impressive, even gods can fail so why can't the universe make mistakes?" She explained which was starting to give Luna pause as there was a sinking feeling in her gut as she was starting to worry about what is going on.
"Really starting to wish I got dressed before this..." She uttered as she was starting to believe she was homing in on the issue. "So if you're explaining this to me there is an imbalance somewhere and I assume you want me or to use me as a method to correct the problem before the universe does?" She asked followed by a nod of the hallucination. "In a sense, more like before the multiverse does, You see this is more concerning the next universe over so to speak and a different one, I believe that one is called Earth-land 344255, Earth-LND 22245, Earth-Alpha/Beta/Beta/Gamma/Delta, depending on the multiverse guidebook you are subscribed to. It was a world similar to your own accept that a artifact existed there made from the wood of Yggdrasil, and a speck of its power."
Luna stopped and almost fell over in disbelief at the words she was hearing coming out of the emulated body's mouth. It took a moment for the reality of that situation to process before she was able to at least try to comprehend the situation before her. "Woah woah woah, a spec of your power can make or shatter a civilization if used right." Luna interjected wondering just how such a item came into existence. It seemed nearly impossible for her to conceive that such a item would be permitted by any version of Yggdrasil. "I can sense your justified confusion. As for why this item existed, that's beyond my power, that world's Yggdrasil no longer communicates, for it no longer has any purpose. It's world has been destroyed, but Yggdrasil can survive outside of traditional realms and logic, so when the world was wiped out, the artifact remained."
Luna suspected Yggdrasil was withholding information but was more curious about the fate of the artifact and what the tree wishes for Luna to do about it. Suddenly Luna found herself no longer walking through a narrow passage of the root and was in the midst of a battlefield, standing next to what appeared to be a Samurai. "Still me, this is but a fantasy, look." He said pointing forward and Luna's eyes followed in the same direction as she watched a man surrounded by three dozen men holding a metal blade sheath it only to draw a wooden one, which seemed to achieve mockery from his enemies before a dark green energy surrounded the blade and he slashed the blade in a circular motion around him releasing a thin circular wave of green energy out quickly.
Luna flinched for a moment reflexively but soon realized she couldn't sense anything to begin with, she blinked twice before feeling where the wave would have cut before believing what she saw was a mere illusion. She would look forward as all the enemies of the man would be still for a moment before she watched their bodies split in half as the top part fell off onto the ground before the man walked across the field to a man dressed in a similar garb laying dead on the ground before the blade glowed a light green and the man slashed the body before the man's wounds seemed to heal rapidly and grew smoke before suddenly a gasp of air escaped his body.
Luna stood in admiration as the body started to move and suddenly gain consciousness. "Thanks brother" He said before the two brothers stopped, as did the clouds and every thing else as the area turned still save for Luna and the avatar for Yggdrasil. "You see it LuShirain, the artifact that is currently molded into a sword can be quite useful in the right hands, can slay a dozen foes with a blast of energy, or can revive a dozen comrades in the same time. In his hands at least." Luna relented as she had to admit the power was great. "So let me guess, this Artifact after it's initial world was destroyed, fell into mine and you want me to look for it?"
The Samurai shook his head as the two began to continue walking again. "This actually fell into the neighbor universe's world, the one I mentioned before. Meaning ours is the one off balance and the only way to restore balance is to add a version of the Artifact to ours, and soon before the instability causes, consequences, especially with the Artifact's other capabilities, including opening portals between realms and if misused, could potentially harm several worlds of the multiverse if given a chance unbalanced."
Luna nodded as she was starting to understand the magnitude of the danger at hand. "Unfortunately the artifact is like me, cannot be destroyed in any meaningful way, and sending it back into the void will only cause it to land on another world. It would be much easier to instead add the same power to your own world. However there's the matter of who to imbue such a power to. Naturally I started my selection among Sabertooth's ranks." He explained as he went along, Luna almost choked in surprise as she learned what was to come for a member of the guild... "I see, so you want me to help you with coming to a decision among who to give it to? I'd recommend either Victoria or Gaia, they'd be wise to not mistreat the power. Itori would be good for a long term choice." She offered her opinion on the various members of the guild, unaware that the entity had already made up their mind.
"I have already made my selection." He informed the Nature Fae who wasn't surprised as soon as she realized the next possible option for the divine tree wanting her involved. "Ah, I see, you want me to communicate with the recipient on your behalf, relay the knowledge of what you just told me?" Yggdrasil remained silent for a tense moment as the notion of what the tree was driving at sunk in as she ran out of options. She began to accept the idea that Yggdrasil was requesting her. "No. You can't possibly mean me can you?" She asked still partially disbelieving the reality of the situation.
"By careful plotting, you are the most worthy by a small margin." He informed her which seemed to confuse the Fae given her knowledge of her peers within the guild as she was trying to understand how she was the one Yggdrasil approached, "So why me, why not someone like Kenna? She is the guild master after all." Luna did have a great respect for the demoness and she didn't want to feel as though they weren't being unfairly passed over. "Indeed, she is the master and while I don't consider her an enemy... I see more ways the artifact ruins thousands of lives in the hands of the demoness. Her future is, uncertain and dangerous..."
Luna would suddenly see the area shift to a battlefield that reeked of blood and smoke before seeing a shadowy figure in the distance holding a blade like object dripping of blood. "Wait.. isn't this the Wizard Saints office in Era?" She looked over a the avatar of Yggdrasil, who now appeared as a meek librarian. "What could be what used to be that which you currently now as the office." She explained to the fae before the area reset back to the tunnel like roots. "That raises a full binder of questions but only Kenna can answer those. However, I understand, Kenna's off the list for you. What about Gaia?"
Suddenly the area around them would be converted to a vault like area with mysterious individuals adorned with the Sabertooth guild tattoos before a mysterious individual leaving holding the Artifact with a menacing grin. Luna sighed as she knew where this was leading. "Let me guess, future down the line decision to seal away the Artifact but someone desperate enough for power breaks the seal and takes it, thus the choice of having the sword remain in the guild family prove to be a costly mistake on Gaia's part." i She brought up as she was starting to understand the method of how Yggdrasil was thinking for the long term. "Yes, also the other simulations suggested the Artifact ceasing Gaia or rare instances inducing, states of altered mental health from prolonged usage." they explained as the illusion faded and the two were walking through the tunnel again. "You mean it could lead to her death... Altered state? You mean being driven mad by the power?" Luna asked wondering exactly what they meant. "If Gaia couldn't handle it what makes me so special? Mentally she's stronger then me."
"This has little to do with mental strength, more so about nature, no pun intended. What do you and the Kitsune have in common again? I'll save time, it's your natural ability to process death and fighting it. You're abilities can draw on life force and bring someone back as you see life itself and in a different way as your mind is more fae like in certain regards as you fully shift into your fae nature. The Kitsune however has a foot in either camp. While not definitively saying humans can't, but to be able to counteract death more casually then normal could bother someone. You were once human and in a position close to Gaia's, would you tell me if you had the power to counter life and death before your fae blood bloomed, wouldn't you be unsettled? Not saying it's a definitive outcome, but the ability to cope with the outcome of the Artifact's capabilities does factor in."
Luna listened to the explanation that essentially boiled down to saying that because of her Nature Fairy side giving her a different mentality that could withstand the notion of reviving, and Itori's state between life and death in the long run they have a lower probability of a certain outcome affecting mental health. She assumed that Kenna could also be ascribed into this category given her own relationship with death, however it was already mentioned as to why she was unfit, or rather a glimpse shown why.
"I understand, so should I dare ask why Victoria is out of the running?" Once more Yggdrasil got quiet before the avatar stopped and stared Luna in the eyes for a tense moment, a chill went down Luna's spine as she was not sure what to think during the period of utter silence as the avatar had a blank look on their face before they spoke. "They have enough weapons and are on their own Journey. Also as they are now, moderately higher then usual risk for the aforementioned altered mental state. One who slays evil shall nurture their own evil." Luna was starting to get concerned from how Yggdrasil was discriminating but at the same time understood that if someone was to be entrusted with something so powerful, there's no such thing as over caution when analyzing all the details.
However she circled around back to a point that Yggdrasil seemed to avoid. "So what about Itori? You clearly spoke highly of her subtly through." She asked wondering why, no argument so far would proclude Itori as Luna did find her intelligent, patient, calm, reserved, immortal, seemingly perfect for the position of a guardian. "I feel if they would be asked they would turn it down, also the Immortal Kitsune is ill fitted so long as she resides in the Royal Demoness's bed." The Avatar explained before a small hint of annoyance could be heard in their own voice. Luna sighed as she began to play over what she learned in her head. "Alright so Kenna and Victoria got some darkness in their lives that you think would only worsen if you give them the Artifact, which by extension precluded Itori but you believe they wouldn't accept the job regardless, and you believe giving it to Gaia would only delay an inevitable issue, and let's just skip the rest for now as I think I heard all the factors by now..."
She said as she began to factor in all the details of the situation and begun to realize why exactly she was being offered, no, not offered, drafted for this honor and duty. "So you're on a tight time schedule and you needed someone who could understand the power of life and has a adaptable mental structure to be able to cope without succumbing to the power and will hold onto the artifact for a period of time without a significant risk of going mad in the highly plausible future and by a long and arduous process of elimination you chose me so balance can be restored and maintained?" She summarized out loud in order to confirm the long explanation being told to her.
The Avatar nodded as Luna essentially summed up the point succinctly. "Harsh but not personal, anyways I believe you're educated on the essentials of the Artifact, any other questions?" The avatar asked Luna. Luna took a moment to breathe and take stock of the multitude of information being thrown at her regarding her own fate and the near doomsday level fates of others. "Well lets see, we got who, what, why, and how that got me to this point are clear. Only thing left to accomplish is to press forward with what this is before we end up spending a few days here and I fear that when the time comes, going to explain this to the guild is tough as it is... But I'll cross that bridge later." She said before going over the facts in her head and wondering if she should tell the other guild members.
She knew her own protégé and adoptive daughter would be excited and happy for her, maybe wanting something like it herself. Luna was more then confident she could handle the slayer child if things got out of hand, so the Goddess Slayer Nature Fae did not fret Mai's reaction. She believed Itori would understand, after all the kitsune was around for a long time and was old enough to remember ancient empires or run into her old friends as ancient exhibits in museums, she knew Itori has experienced nearly any possible situation that involved entrusting a dangerous power would require careful consideration. She didn't know Imai or Kenna well enough to be able to predict their reactions to the news which is another reason why she'd want to be careful, especially considering Yggdrasil shown Luna visions of Kenna committing atrocities.
Luna knew this was going to make dealing with and respecting Kenna strenuous and she never got on the right foot with Kenna at first. She would never judge anyone by their race, and she never thought Kenna was evil from their first impression, maybe a bit careless but generally a good person. However she knew Yggdrasil wouldn't show her something so devastating and horrific if they didn't think it was a reasonable possibility. This egged on so many questions for the Fae that she did not know how to handle. She was growing greatly concerned for herself and the guild at this point as Yggdrasil in no uncertain terms pointed out the biggest flaws of most of the members. She wondered what she was supposed to say to the rest of the guild. After all she didn't really fair any better as Yggdrasil did seem to imply Luna was a settlement choice during a desperate situation. "This news alone, feels like so much personal information and security violations, plus should I even tell the Aces? If I talk to Gaia or Imai they have to include Itori... Then I can't be certain how Itori or Kenna will react. I never seen Itori lose her cool, but can she truly be impartial about her lover who's also Guild Master? Seems like a major conflict of interest in this rare instance but since Yggdrasil didn't confirm it was a locked possibility." Luna thought as she was trying to analyze all aspects of the issue, clearly she'd need to go seek counsel before she would be able to make a decision on the matter, but in this instance there was no time or good reason to involve anyone else.
Luna began to see that this could be seen badly by her peers if she kept silent, as her silence could be misconstrued into being led by baleful motives. She did not wish to create bad blood or ruin anyone's faith in the guild master after her own experience with Aurora. She knew what happened when the character of someone who bares the role of a guild master is attacked, they are the last person to suffer from it, as everyone suffers first. The weight of the responsibility and ancillary decisions along the way already felt heavy, and as time passed they would only get worse. Then there would be the matter of the trust of Gaia and Victoria, she is not sure if she would be able to find friends like them elsewhere. Though she felt that the two would in turn probably understand why, she knew Victoria already possessed a great amount of dangerous power that required to be under control, and Gaia being a parent and scholar herself knew the precautions of withholding knowledge and power.
However she could think all she wanted on the subject but Yggdrasil implied that they lacked the time to wait for an opportune candidate to reveal themselves. "Let's get this over with..." Luna said before the tunnel would seemed to end and suddenly she was standing in a large open room formed in a spherical shape. There seemed to only be a single entrance. There was a wooden path leading to a circular platform with a small mound on it, featuring a smooth and flat top as well as on the side facing the path there were stairs built into it. On top of the mount was a pedestal made of a stone like substance holding the sword, with a groove right bellow it where the sheath would lay out of sight. In graved on the pedestal was the following text:
"He who wields the blade of all but none and none but all, shall wall walk among gods and fall among men. Elifa Von."
Bellow the platform was a pillar reaching the bottom. Bellow the platform was was filled with water, glistening and sparkling green and white specs from a combination of something in the water and the lighting from the ceiling. There were sixteen clusters of small orbs equidistant from each other, with a flat circle shining down a light onto the platform. The area had a pleasant sea and forest like scent to the mix, and while Yggdrasil always had a mystic, vibrant, and elegant aura within its life force; however within this chamber the aura was unbelievably and almost blindingly strong as Luna found herself utterly enamored and shocked by the chamber.
Luna looked around slightly shocked as she she would move forwards, hearing her steps echoing throughout the large room as she walked towards the light. She was almost stunned such a room could exist within Yggdrasil till she remembered that this was no mere tree or deity. "Gotta admit, they do have impeccable taste in interior design. This room does feel incredible to all the senses. Aesthetically pleasing to the sight, the gentle tones of the water are easy on the ears, the scent of a river creates peaceful vibes, and the smooth wood is easy on the feet." She thought walking along the bridge towards the platform, slowly reaching up the stairs into the spotlight as she approached the wooden blade in the pedestal, taking a moment to analyze what she was seeing. Her eyes slowly traced down the blade from the hilt down to the pedestal.
On first glance relying on sight alone the blade did not look like it had the capacity to be the dangerous weapon that the great deity explained to Luna. The blade had a simple appearance of a one handed wooden sword with a simple cross guard. No jewels or anything, a completely unassuming weapon that one would assume is just a sharpened training tool or a toy. However when the magical senses and the soul provided a much different story. Luna could feel the mystical energy emanating from the weapon, akin to that of its creator. While most might assume it very well could be a joke weapon, being so close and having a chance to observe it would prove it is the genuine article. Luna's emerald eyes gazed down towards the engravement on the stone pedestal. "He who wields the blade of all but none and none but all, shall wall walk among gods and fall among men. Elifa Von." She said reading aloud the inscription before her eyes drifted down to the groove where the sheath lied. A simple wooden sheath matching the blade, with a leather strap at the end. Luna would get closer as she looked around as it started to get suspicious that she was able to so thoroughly enjoy the ambiance of the room without interuption. She looked around finding no figure. "Huh, seemed like you'd have something to say about now." She said waiting a moment and was stunned there was no sudden voice appearing out of sight, no hallucination or anyone around.
She figured Yggdrasil had nothing left to say at this point as for the time there was no more wisdom left to impart, no dangers left to explain, or anything left to ask that could not be clearly interpreted. The pink haired fae raised her right hand toward the blade, grabbing the hilt before she managed to pull it out of the pedestal. A green spark glowed at the tip of the blade before a green energy spiraled down the blade reaching into her arm before she felt a tingling sensation run from her fingertips all the way to her heart, before a pink spark reached out from her heart and traced through her arm, before emerging from her hand as a secondary spiral of pink light started in the opposite pattern of the first, intersecting at many points before reaching the top point. Both spirals intensified for a moment as the pink spiral slowly turned green and the green spiral slowly turned pink, before both turned pink then green. All the while Luna could feel something, like a new limb and it was clear to her that the sword itself, it was joining with her as the two would be bonded on a deep spiritual level. Luna gasped, trembling for a moment and briefly stumbled before regaining her balance as the two spirals stopped as trails slowly came to an end, even without the intensified and visual display Luna still felt the blade as if it was an extension of herself.
Luna adjusted her grip before she would swing the sword lightly as she was trying to get a feel for the blade before she gave it a serious swing, feeling the airflow around before taking a moment to breath. Luna felt a strange ease as the sword clearly felt as if it was like slashing with her nails, a shocking level of natural sensation. Luna would kneel down as she reached for the sheath, picking it up with her left hand before she would slowly introduce, or perhaps even reintroduce the sword to its resting place. After the sword fully entered the sheath, Luna felt a rumbling in the ground behind her. Luna quickly turned around as she saw entrance behind disappear as a wall formed perfectly aligned with the wooden wall, almost as if the entrance way never existed. Soon afterwards the pathway would fall into the water, creating a large splash sending water flying high. Luna raised her arm to guard her face as her robes and hair got wet. She would lower her arm breathing silently as she saw the pathway she had less then a few minutes ago walked across fall into the depths of the water, seemingly vanishing into nothingness.
Luna would turn around, looking at the other side and as the inverse of the former grandiose display of vanishing was a such a silent and subtle appearance as the pathway was on the other side, and at the end of it was the exit. Luna looked on in silence, listening to the sound of the ripples of water, some of which still splashed onto the pathway, either moved or newly formed. Luna could not honestly tell what was what at this point as she began to walk down the steps slowly before she would walk around the platform before she would begin walking down the path.
She walked along the pathway towards the way out. At this point she knew there was nothing left for the divine tree to say through a hallucination or similar conduit. Luna assumed that the literal signs of closing one pathway and opening another was its way of showing Luna the door as she would reach the exit and found herself walking among a root path once more. Without another figure to talk to Luna got a bad feeling as the eerie silence and dimly lit ambiance left the Nature Fairy into a state of suspense. The unknown factor in all this gave her incredible pause and apprehension, as well as a lingering frustration that she is solely at the mercy of Yggdrasil, with no control over her fate for the time or any options but to follow the path presently laid out for her.
Luna would find herself walking for minutes, until there was a bright light ahead from the end in the distance, as she got close she started to make out the source of the light as she got closer, it was a staircase identical to the one that brought her down into the roots of Yggdrasil. Luna would slowly ascend the stairs, leaving the roots and returned back to the common castle like area of Yggdrasil many were familiar with, looking around with her senses to see if there was anyone watching or sensing. She was not surprised that for the most part it was still quite silent, she assumed Yggdrasil waited for the opportune moment to call upon her when no one else would be around to find out about their private meeting so soon.
Looking behind her, she would notice the opening for the stairway had silently and mystically vanished as the marble flooring was once again restored. Aside from the fact Luna was standing there holding the weapon, there seemed to be no trace as far as the senses could perceive that the meeting ever took place. "Crafty old tree, anyways should probably get home..." She thought to herself before she would make her way back towards the exit and through Ace of Spades towards her townhouse.
Once back home Luna would snap her fingers causing her armoire to open up, placing the wooden sword inside before closing it manually, leaning in resting her head on the doors sighing profusely in the moonlight lit room. "I know that look, that's the look you had on your face every time you took on something serious comes on that you don't wanna handle but will believing you don't have a choice." The older Nature Fairy said sitting up on the padded arm rest of the couch. Luna's eyes drifted towards her mother as she turned her head slightly. "This isn't exactly doing my brother's laundry, this time there are stakes of cosmic proportion." She said seeing no use in trying to deny her mother's observation about her behavior. The exhaustion in her eyes was apparent as the stress of the burden was already eating away at her. Shirain stood up and gently floated down onto the couch before gesturing for Luna to take a seat near her. "Come on, you can't sleep on this as it is, don't even try lying to me. Let's hear this out." She said with a soft smile, inviting her daughter to open up.
Luna gently approached the couch as she glowed into a soft pink light that shrunk down as her wings grew out, her height becoming five inches tall as the glow dissipated, revealing her smaller self with her transparent wings, wearing a dress made of dark pink flower pedals. Luna opened her eyes as she looked up at the room that turned ginormous. It always felt odd to be in the house in her natural fairy form as she was always used to the human sized perception. It was always refreshing to see the familiar place in a new light.
Luna would lightly jump as she began to float gently upwards and across before landing on the couch close to her mother, slowly sitting down, slightly hunched over. "So the long and short of it is Yggdrasil ran about a million scenarios through their mind and came up with the least undesirable outcome." She said trying to briefly summarize the interaction she had with the divine tree. "But it puts me in a rather awkward position." She sighed before starting to try to comprehend where to begin with this situation as it was built upon calculated predictions she couldn't hope to comprehend. "In order to keep balance, Yggdrasil needed to introduce a certain power into this world, and I was chosen as the receptacle as the least undesirable outcome." She said as the last three words seemed to sting her as they came out of her mouth, she recalled each and every reason people were struck off the list. "I, made the mistake of asking why me, and why not any of the others..." She said looking away, biting her lip lightly which spoke volumes to her mother. "And you got the answers, and they were quite some, ugly truths weren't they? Truths that you don't wanna share, truths that eat at you inside, and by keeping knowledge of these truths you fear you will hurt others and their faith in you for knowing or keeping this new power secret?" Shirain would speculate as she got a sense of the dilemma that was ebbing away at Luna's soul. Luna nodded in response as she wanted to just wrap up all the memories regarding the visions in cloth and throw it into a ditch where it will never resurface again.
"One by one all my peers, people who I would throw myself into hell for and can say vice versa with certainty, all of them. I can't see any of them being a great evil as they all sacrificed a lot for the sake of others, selfish is not a predominant trait I would ascribe to any member of the guild. Some of the arguments I got, but if even Itori and Gaia bring about a worst case scenario what makes me any different?" Luna said as she was getting right into the heart of the issue. "You're not special." Shirain would say bluntly as she knew exactly what kind of talk Luna would be most receptive to. While Luna was great at helping others through emotional connection, the majority of her life was learning through pain and struggle, so blunt force would be the best way to proceed. Luna looked back at her mother listening intently. "Look as good as you are, you're no Mary Sue or pure saint. You got as much flaws as anyone in the guild and I am sure that old ash tree hid your worst case scenario with the power, as you're not immune to risking any of the mistakes the others made, but as you seem to have implied a decision had to be made, and with Yggdrasil being so heavily tied with Sabertooth options were slim." She would say as she would slowly crawl towards Luna, resting her hand on Luna's shoulder supportively. "Be honored you were chosen, and do your best to be worthy of the boon of the tree, that's all you can do. You cannot hold yourself responsible for the decision of the divine being, only what you do afterwards." She said before recalling the other part of the situation being Luna's relationship with her guild mates.
"As for your friends, Yggdrasil wouldn't give this gift if he demanded it be kept secret, so you can tell them when you're ready. If you need time to process the reality, it's only natural." Shirain said softly. "But wouldn't that be tantamount to lying? If it concerns Yggdrasil shouldn't it concern the guild?" She said as she felt a confliction between the trust of Yggdrasil and the trust of the guild. She did not want to be accused of any misconduct but this entire dilemma was not great. She did not known how many would react, especially if they found out in a long time. She had some sense for how a few members would react, she had hopes Itori, Victoria, and probably Gaia would understand, she knew for sure she could convince Mai it was a good thing, but the unknown elements were still rather at play. "Considering I don't interact with them often, and they are the people you gotta work with not me, I can't really give you much advice on that front. But if you feel they should know the truth you should tell them, when you are ready. You had a responsibility and power thrust upon you suddenly, they can't expect you to be nonchalant about something so radical.
" She said before Luna had a look on her face that showed a lack of faith.
Recounting the last few years she recalled every single instance of the very thing happening. "Mai, my Nature Fairy Heritage, the fact that you weren't dead, the fact you faked your death, the fallout that happened after you faked your death, Integration Magic, the entire Aurora Guild, Neptuna, Amelia, being a third of Sabertooth's healtcare." She said listing off the biggest examples over the last few years. "Those are just the big names that came to mind, this is hardly the prime example." She confirmed as Shirain was awkwardly rubbing her wrist, wracked with guild as she was in part responsible for most of the list. "Yeah, well, I got nothing I'm sorry. I'm a pacifist, I don't have much advice to give when cosmic divine beings bestow weapons in secret late night meetings." She said almost laughing at the sheer absurdity, the tension built up between the two in silence.
Eventually the two started to giggle a bit, slowly getting louder and louder as the two would burst out. "Would it kill us to have normal mother daughter problems? Here we are talking about swords, divine power, betrayal, and deception." Shirian said giddily as the mother and daughter would find themselves having to just laugh at the sheer magnitude of the situation. Luna herself wished there was something she could say but she had to essentially agree with the sentiment. "That'd be nice, but I doubt it. Financially I'm well off, I have no partner to need advice about, so yeah, not sure what's left at this point." Luna said acknowledging her mother's remark as in the end she could not deny it as much as she wish she could. "Honestly so, it is a shame we, can't always communicate, though there are no words in any dialect that can express my sorrow and guilt for what I have done, however at the same time there are none that can due justice to my pride in you. You've broken in ways I cannot heal but still stand strong, you have the courage to do what you can for others and still find the compassion for your enemies. Honestly you always find your true self even in the depths of chaos, your heart may be Nature Fae in origin physiologically, but emotionally..." She said leaning closer resting her fingertips on Luna's chest. "Emotionally you inherited it from your father. Even if the world was eating him alive he still found time to save everyone else. That part of you is the best part. Don't ever let that go."
Tears started to well up in Luna's eyes before she would quickly lean in, wrapping her arms around her mother as she let down the last of her airs as she embraced her mother. While she spent most of her life having to always act as she was collected and could walk into nearly any storm without being ruffled, the moments she could truly be without her psychological armor were always the best. Shirain wrapped her arms around Luna, the two fairies silently embracing the other for a few minutes. "Thank you..." Luna whispered gently before Shirain would tighten her embrace. "Your father would be so proud of the woman you became, no matter what is in your way, no matter what the situation you face. As long as your heart still beats, it will guide you all the way." She said with confidence that Luna could handle whatever was in her way. She knew Luna by her very nature was selfless and observant, never letting any lesson fall short.
A few countless minutes later the two broke off the moment of embrace as Luna would look about as she recalled the time. She sighed as she would start to get up, walking towards the edge of the couch. "It's, late. I should get to sleep... Also I still need to text Gaia to not worry about me- should probably do that first, and come up with an explanation as for why I was summoned." She said before gently jumping off the couch, gliding down to the floor before she would revert back to her human guise, walking as she grew in size with her wings retracting, as well as restoring her silk nightgown and robes. Luna slowly ascended the stairs as she took her iLac out of her pocket as she would begin to text Gaia again.
"Gaia, I am back safe and sound. There was just a mess inside Yggdrasil they wanted cleaned immediately and called for me. Nothing too major. Back home safe and sound now." She would text Gaia, almost bothered by how easy it was to twist the truth in such a way, but for now it was just easier to avoid the discussion until Luna herself was calm enough to have it with others. She did not want to risk a heated argument so she had to be very careful as to how she spoke of the night. Since she only told one guild member and was careful to not be seen by others she had a feeling no one would question it.
Walking back into the master bedroom of the house she would lock her phone, gently placing it down on a charging dock. With a single finger she loosened her robes before leaning her arms back, letting them slide off gently before she removed her left hand from the sleeve to hold them in place while she slid her right arm out, gently tossing the blue robes onto the door knob before approaching the closed window, opening it slightly letting the cool wind air in brushing against her skin. The nightmares Luna experienced when she was being summoned a mere two hours prior still fresh in her mind. Luna did not know what was bothering her more, the visions or the fact that across the worlds Yggdrasil was able to broadcast them into her slumbering mind.
However the fact remained the same that she was still tired, and a lack of sleep would not do her soul any good. She would slowly walk towards her bed as she would lay down, feeling the tension in her body drop as she sluggishly moved about, using one arm to bring her pillows closer to be more comfortable, before wrapping her left arm and leg around her body pillow, letting out a deep breath as she would close her eyes, letting her mind slowly drift out of consciousness as she would find herself going to sleep easily.
Time eventually passed on as Luna fell asleep and would inevitably wake up the next morning. Waking up Luna groggily checked her iLac as she would see that it was early in the morning. As it was a new day she knew she had no choice but to keep going, life had to go on. She would slowly sit up, stretching out her arms up into the air, slowly standing as she would walk over towards the window, closing the curtains, taking a deep breath before walking over to her parlor and sat at the stool. Taking up her hair brush she would start to comb through her silk like hair, all the while avoiding her reflection for the meantime. Shortly after she was done she would move towards the dresser, removing her nightgown before getting dressed in a sports top and shorts. She followed this by adding on the arm band to holster her iLac, as well as loosely hanging the wireless earbuds around her neck. Picking up her iLac she would connect the wireless earbuds, making sure they were connected before holstering the device on the arm band.
Lastly Luna put on her sunglasses and would grab a hair tie on her way out as she would put her hair in a ponytail while walking through the hall and down the stairs, around, before making her way towards the door. Before she left she would grab a pair of black running shoes and slowly put them on one foot at a time before leaving out the door before beginning her stretches, looking about before putting in her earbuds and started to play a podcast of the news. Two minutes later she would start her morning run through Ace of Spades, it had always been part of her routine but it was more, noticeable in recent months. Since accepting the Goddess Slayer lacrima from Carpo, Luna's near normal peak physique turned well above average, and as a result Luna had to expand her running route and pace.
Luna began to run through Ace of Spades, all the while listening to the news at the back of her mind as she would carry on as normal, concentrating on her surroundings trying to make sure she didn't run into anything or anyone by accident. Everything was normal for the most part, just a small deviation presenting itself up ahead in the form of construction work trying to repair holes in the ground and as a result blocked off the roadway. "Guess I'm getting some Parkour in today." Luna said in a joking tone as she would look at the trees along the right side before she turned to run towards one between two houses. She wound jump up, springing from the ground as she would grab a tree branch with a slightly loose hold and use her built momentum to help her swing twice around before and fly upwards towards another tree, catching herself with her feet on another branch so she could center herself again for a moment. She would reach downwards towards another branch just out of reach before letting herself fall so she could grab the branch with her hands. She would guide her feet to landing on the branch before jumping forward and landing on the ground in the next street over before she would continue with her run.
Minutes passed as Luna didn't realize she was not hearing anything from her earbuds, distracted by the lingering thoughts of her late night rendezvous with Yggdrasil. Passing by a familiar sight she stopped as she took a moment to think, the guilt wrapping around her like a serpent binding, hissing, the anticipation on whether it will strike weighed heavily against her heart. However she put that aside for a moment as she would sense the exuberance of the life force of the garden around the house. Feeling rather generous, two blue and pink seeds started to emerge from the skin on Luna's hand as she would do the math in her head before she lightly tossed them towards the house. "About right, yeah." She said before the two seeds landed in parallel spots along the path before the applied Chlorokinesis would grow the two followers at a rapid speed. "Anima Purificatoria, a long lost plant to man. It was said that tea of these flowers could cleanse even the most wicked of souls but that's just folklore that hasn't been able to be proven in years." She recounted to herself as the seeds grew into two large eight petaled flowers with a blue base and pink accents.
"However in addition to being lovely, they can purify toxins in the air and release a pollen that when living beings breath in can ease stress and pain." She said taking in a slight breath, enjoying the benefits of the plant that was thought to be extinct before she would continue on her run as she was getting close to the end of her route. Soon after Luna made her way to the Red Dragon Inn. Walking into the tavern she held her hand up as a bartender tossed her a bottle of water. Luka opened the bottle as she made her way towards the private Sabertooth hall, entering the room as she did daily every time she was in town. While she wished she could do more to commit to exercise she prided herself on being able to maintain some daily things while she wasn't off on some adventure dealing with creatures of the dark, monsters, or other high stakes. Looking over the job board she knew odds are she was not going to set off on one today but it was always a good opportunity to check both of the boards just in case there was a good opportunity.
Drinking from the bottle Luna quickly scanned all the ads and there was none she was willing to immediately impart on yet. However as she normally did if she had nothing hard set that required her presence, she would sign her name to a sheet saying she was willing to undertake jobs with those who need a partner or want someone more experienced to accompany them.
Passing by other members of the guild on her way back, she would begin to check the more public board open to any takers. Studying the opportunities and keeping the other ones in mind she reaffirmed silently to herself to not venture out quite yet unless needed for the day as a waitress came up to her. "You on handholding duty today Miss Luna?" She asked before Luna would hand her the empty bottle of water, nodding in response. "Yeah, tell Victoria please. Sabertooth Members only for now, I'll be home for most of the day, call if needed." Luna said before walking towards the door as she would begin to lightly jog all the way back to her house.
Pacing through the house she would would hurry up the stairs to her private bathroom. On the way she listened in as her younger sister Zina was preparing for the arrival of her friends, her mother trying her best to help, and even the presence of her younger brother's fiancé, Ema. Luna was not entirely sure why Ema was here but she assumed it hat something to do with her needing help or just being in the neighborhood.
After a long shower Luna would emerge, drying off before getting dressed in a red sleeveless top, black skirt, and stockings before she approached a table. She knew she had to make her confession at some point otherwise she knew it would eat at her. Even being close to encountering her guild mates being able to so naturally maintain herself like nothing happened proved to be an outcome both encouraging and despicable. Picking up her pen she would take a deep breath before she would find the next blank page and start to write.
"These words, if they are a confession of guilt or regret, or even just a plea to displace blame I cannot know. I am not worthy of being my own judge, jury, and executioner as that privilege belongs to my peers, of whom I cannot be certain I am betraying or not.
Late into the night I was summoned by Yggdrasil, honestly that should have been the worst part. They invaded my dreams as I began to spiral through horrors, perplexing events, and self images. Honestly this world has a funny way of proving everyone wrong. Honestly I knew as soon as I woke up I should have just gone back to bed. But I didn't, I let the ash tree beckon me in. When I got there I was immediately suspicious, Yggdrasil planned it so I would enter and leave when no one would notice. I don't know what's scarier, the fact they managed to predict and time everything down to my smallest reactions that would impact the whole timeline of the two hour span. Then again I suppose it is to be expected that someone as ancient and divine as Yggdrasil is capable of calculating and perceiving time with effectiveness well beyond many others.
Regardless I went to meet with Yggdrasil and as normal when I am within them, I am able to communicate in a direct manner with them, provided they wish to say something of course. They piggyback off my chloropathic abilities and induce hallucinations of avatars, to me they are like real people and exist consistently so long as I focus and Yggdrasil cooperates. It's awkward, intense, and weird as one moment I am speaking to an elderly Minstrel woman and then suddenly a young Icebergian guy. Disorienting isn't it to hear about? Well maybe if I shared that power somehow I could show others what it's like if Yggdrasil wants to speak. Anyways I suppose I'm trying to avoid the actual part that is irksome.
When I got there, it opened with a pleasant discussion of cosmic concepts and philosophy as well as finding out there's more space within Yggdrasil then everyone is permitted to believe. However the purpose of why I was summoned turned into something I don't even wish to fathom if I could help it. Yggdrasil gave me a glimpse of the nature of their existence and how it stands across other versions of existence, and in turn how other versions of itself effect it in our own world. In particular Yggdrasil warned of consequences, a piece of it became a powerful artifact in what was according to Yggdrasil, the next universe over in the multiverse, one that was connected with ours. In order to maintain a balance, that artifact needed a counterpart in our own world.
This is where my troubles start as Yggdrasil had chosen me, no, that is not it, not entirely. I was the least undesirable outcome. At first Yggdrasil made me seem like I was the most worthy which I did not believe as I hold my fellow members of Sabertooth in the highest of esteem, but then one by one Yggdrasil dragged them through the mud showing me horrid outcomes. From one standing in a blood bath after a massacre to another who sealed it away only for generations later the blade to be used to slaughter the another generation of Sabertooth I saw horrors after horrors. While there were a few good arguments the facts all boil back down to everyone either having a liability attached to them, heavily suspected of not handling all or particular aspects of the power, or some other factors.
I, can't say this as I feel like I've invaded a lot of their privacy, I feel sick, I feel, I can't even describe it as I lay out my sins. I accepted it, I accepted the Elifa Vonn, the blade of Yggdrasil. I know this secret cannot be hidden forever, but how will my colleagues, friends, people I consider as close as family react? Will they feel betrayed? Will they accept happened? I cannot know...
All I know is, I have to move forward."
She would put her pen down for a moment before she looked at the full page and ripped it out of her diary gently before walking to a waste bin and picked up a small flame lacrima she used for lighting a candle the previous evening and lit the page on fire, watching as the words on the badge were burnt away, the page crumbling before she dropped it in waiting for the page to burn through completely before the fire died out, unable to consume more fuel. Luna took a deep breath putting a smile on her face as she would turn around, leaving the room and going down the stairs. Her emerald eyes glazed over the armory armoire where her recently acquired wooden sword was leaning against a wall. She knew she had no choice but to embrace it was hers now, and in time she would.
Her focus turned over towards a group of teenagers, Zina included sitting around the living room with notebooks, ilacs, lactops, and books about. She was able to catch the tail end of a discussion, not surprisingly it was about some of the magical tools in Luna's possession. She knew she had a specialized magical lock that only members of Sabertooth could open so she was not worried about tampering or stuff getting out of hand. Making her entrance downstairs Luna kept her smile as she heard someone wonder just how powerful her wand was. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you, otherwise you might be repeating grade school for a while. That's a Fragment of the other world, it can do many things but most notably turn back the clock of time on stuff." She said in passing on her way to the kitchen, completely naturally acting as she went to grab herself a drink and carry on with her day.
Meanwhile unbeknownst to her, evading her senses her window was opened as a blonde haired woman climbed through the window and made her way to the waste bin. She reached in as a white light flashed before she pulled out Luna's written confession completely intact, snickering to herself. "This might come in handy..." She said before her body slowly turned into a solid white silhouette before fading out of existence, with the confession in tow.
WC 11251
