Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Valkyrie's Knight ❯ Prolouge III ( Prologue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

-2,553 days later-

Belldandy and Urd emerge from the Central System Hub, both a bit beat from a long day’s work. This as both were floating in a saunter from their respective sectors, out over the high walkway and into the midair, heading for their quarters in the Brightwater habitation plane, past the Deweamor and the Consortium magic academies. Behind them emerges a young and sprite Skuld, holding her characteristic Bug Hammer of her current station, looked miffed as usual, having been antagonized all day again by the punk fluff balls, raspberries and all the like. She complained again as usual. “Man, why can’t those Bugs just give it a rest for one cycle? They keep picking on me too much!” ...said as she rubs her sore shoulders. Urd just mock complains back... “And why can’t you get hammered for once by ‘them’, and see how you like it.”

Skuld just zips behind her in too close. “This from miss ‘lazy in my seat’ all day, Urd. When’s the last time you filled out a report for the Hub Administrator anyway?!”

Urd just flicked it off with a bland tone. “What’s to report? Some no name Third Class that spots nonsense about there being too many Bugs? Besides that, Troubadour’s idiocy, and the gripes of mortals, I got my hands too busy anyway. The underlings like you are better at paperwork.”

Skuld really fumes and blasts back behind her, as the trio hover towards a floating covered walkway of pearl and light agleam. “Ooohhhh! I can’t see why a lazy deity like you got to be a Second Class anyway! Even ‘I’ can do your job better.”

Belldandy just giggles lightly in her own perspective way, as Urd keeps parrying comments. “I’d like to see you try. You cry so much, the consoles would get waterlogged. You could even pass through them if you cried enough.”
Skuld... “HAH! Shows you! I need hot water to do that!”

Urd just spins around. “Got enough hot air to do it with.”

Just before Skuld considers seeing if Urd is a Bug in disguise and uses her hammer, Bell speaks up. “Now come on you two. It’s been a long day and it’s reward should not be squandered on arguing. So many have benefitted from all that we have done today.” ...this Skuld whines to Bell as per norms. “Aww Sis, but she started it again.”

Urd... “And finish as well.” ...which about blows Skuld’s lid off again. Bell just shakes her head gently, and gives advice to her younger Sister. “Now Skuld, you know your task is as important as Urd’s is. Just keep up your studies and you’ll be up to Urd’s level one day. Just believe in yourself and keep doing your job as wonderfully as always.”

Skuld’s eyes light up and glimmer again, as she croons back. “Oh thank you Big Sis. I will keep trying.” ...and then stabs back at Urd. “Hah! See Urd, I too can be at your level someday, and then you’ll see when I boss YOU around!” ...she says with a haughty laugh.

Urd just rolls her eyes and floats along with her arms behind her head. Her purple laden outfit flowing around her in a backsitting position as she floats forward. She moans back. “Gee, what a watershed day if that comes.” ...this as Urd just ignores Skuld’s haughty laughter as the three goddesses progress forth. Urd however turns her head and asks... “How you feeling today Belldandy? It was another long day.” ...said with a good touch of concern.

Belldandy looks over with a smile as bright as Heaven is, and simply puts back with full on cheer and grace. “Why it was another wonderful day as usual. Hard work and accomplishment are their own reward after all. Plus the mortals I met today were all so happy to receive their Wishes, it makes it all continues to be worthwhile.”

Urd nodded and admired Bell for her always cheerful outlook in absolutely everything. Urd just replied. “Then it was a good day for us all.” ...though with a listen to Skuld’s manic mumbling of ill conceived plans for Urd’s fate one day, still on the same vein of previous quips, Urd wonders if all ‘was’ good. Bell just looked around as Urd sighed in weariness.

...and also in relief. It had been a year now since the Celestine Incident. No traces of that tragic event seemed to be seeping through whatsoever, in this Urd was glad thereof. No one was meant to have to suffer such torment and truth like that, when nothing could truly be learned from such a mistake. Yes Celestine may have believed he was in the right, but that didn’t say at all for the victims of the crime he almost committed, both of the Sister next to her, as well as three dimensional planes as a whole. Earth most felt of this assertion of ill will.

Celestine was a fool, and Urd knew it. Still, she kept a close eye on Bell ever since that day, just to be sure. Nowadays however, the need to do such was lessened more and more. Urd realized that soon there would be no more need for worry. (At least, for now anyway.)

As they passed into the floating walkway, very high on up into Heaven's sky, the clouds gracing like puffy marshmallows of purity here, the blue atmosphere as clear as Bell's eyes were, Urd was brought out of her thoughts when Bell suddenly imparted. “Isn’t that Lind over there?”

The bronze tanned Second Class righted her head and mind, and looked to where Bell was. Skuld did the same, as they saw Lind floating in midair, upon a colonnade that floated on its own recognizance. All of thirty meters away it seemed by Urd’s judgment. The elder goddess of the Past commented. “Apparently, though why she would do so...”

“Say, aren't those clouds a bit thick and all?”

Urd looked bemused a bit at Skuld, and then past Lind, and saw indeed. “Dear me, in fact they are. Good eye.”

Skuld just haughtied out another laugh to Urd’s annoyance, as the clouds started turning a strange shade of dark white-in-blue, glowing with colors not normally used to Heaven’s sight of populace. “What’s going on?” Urd wondered out loud.

The goddesses reached and peered out of the pearlescent walkway edge, just as the clouds began to shimmer and sparkle, no sight or sound of thunder or such, rather sound of shimmer and energy weaving within the now huge clouds. The sight isn’t lost on anyone else in Heaven, as the massive energy spike registers in System Hub, and on most System Network-datalinks as a result. That along with the sheer energy rift forming, easily felt by these beings, causes to have many witnesses all across Heaven emerge to see for themselves.

Amongst them, down at the Chamber of Valor, Thor emerges along with the Generals Hirund, Rend and Mist. All three already got the wind of what was going on from Almighty. Mist was even holding her head with the amount of dataload that was sent. “Ohya, that pup knows how to make a scene.” ...Mist complained. Thor just smirked as the cloud spread well over a great many kilometers now. “: Aye, the ancient Lord was correct in that. Why did I bother to ever doubt such. :”

"Must be the blows to the head." ...such Hirund enjoyed the begotten glare of.

They weren’t the only ones that got the word, hence why Lind was where she was, the first to witness the first whisper of this now gargantuan cloud. By now, the cloud was growing translucent, and through it, stars could be seen, as well as something rather ‘large’ within, though still only ‘small’, compared to the translucence of the cloud. Bell saw all of this and whispered. “It’s a portal, a real big one.”

Urd looked over, at the cloud, and twice more, as she put within turns of the head. “That’s as plain I’ve ever heard you speak about anything before.” Belldandy just smiles and remarks... “Sometimes simplicity is best.”

Just then, a light echo sound floats out from the cloud. Muffled at first, but growing clear as the cloud mass stops growing, and the translucence becomes terminal, said of the portal horizon now formed. “...his thing on? Uh... hello? Can you read me Heaven? Man this takes…”

The goddesses on high hear echoing back... “This is Intracel, reading you on vocal sensors now Lord Knight. We also have your vessel acquired as well.”

Urd blinks. “Vessel? Are they serious?”

“I would say dearly so.” Bell comments, as she looks at the unmoving form of Lind, arms folded and all, the Valkyrie’s jumpsuit fabric lengths flowing in the wind the cloud portal is causing. In fact a decent wind at that, Skuld has to hold on to the hovering walkway railing to keep a bit steady.

Back through in electronic echo.... “Oh good, thought this thing was busted.” ...this with more than a few giggles throughout Heaven in kind, with added... “Alright, coming through the portal now. Hope no one gets mad or such.”

“Acknowledged Milord knight.” ...comes vocal back, Urd recognizes it as Peorth’s voice now. Just then, the cloud roils severely, as the obscured vessel within suddenly leaps partially through the event horizon, bursting through a great amount of the bow of a massive gleaming warship. In so doing, the clouds around it flow about its surface in thick wisps, as it slowly begins to finish it’s portal jump.

The scene progresses as such, until the entire three kilometer mass of the warship all but finishes emerging, it’s vast white superstructure gilded with golden beams, wrapped around it, making it all look like a rounded cathedral with great oval bulbs about its side and upper surfaces. The lower is rounded in an upward curve, where the sides are curved angular, a thin looking area from distance internal structure bulk between the two parts of upper and lower superstructures. The entire ship is still slender enough looking to keep the whole thing from being a fat blob of metallic mass, as it takes the new light of Heaven on its surface easily agleam. The shadowed areas of the white-in-white superstructure, and in fact much of even the alit part of the warship, studded with thousands of gold lights, and white lights, all pinpointed, and some running along lengths, where within vast viewports show.

A large gold band runs around both wings at an angular point angle up towards the pointed bow of the vessel. This melds with the golden glide beams that run along the superstructure in mentioned fashion, rounding around the mentioned bulbs. All around the vessel as well, long sensor-cluster pole structures in clusters dot parts of the ship, from the ‘wings’ to the point fore of the vessel. Add to this, a vertical superstructure runs down from the fore of the ship, along the belly to about a fifth of the vessel length, and further down about another third as well. To the rear, unseen mass driven engines of powered fusion, glow to the aft rear in a great yellow aura.

The bridge tower runs off to the side about past central length of the warship, a cluster of larger tower pods that center on a large oval-saucer superstructure, more thin ‘antenna-clusters’ protruding around three large shield generator towers. Unseen from this side by the goddesses, starcraft docking bay superstructure adjoins off the port side, just short of full length. It, along with the rest of the warship, is like large pieces of ivory and white pearl, are sculpted and melded with a gold harp. All of it very elegant and majestic, despite how obvious a ship of war it is.

A craft worthy of its commander, of which there is only one bio-lifeform aboard.

The other goddesses see this entirety and stare in disbelief. Apparently the rumors were more founded than first anticipated. Whisper aloud crescendos across much of the viewing populace, as Urd looks in gape shock, in as much as Skuld does of mecha awe and Bell of stunned silence. Lind of her part, watches with quiet pride.

“This is the Illistrum, returned from liberated Galaxy 2189, requesting instructions for landing this sucker.”

This makes Urd snicker reflexively, which Skuld looks blankly unto, while Bell just watches on calmly. Echoed back... “Acknowledged Lord Knight, dock the Illistrum unto the following coordinates being provided. Approach at the following landing port now proceeding to appear to visual acuity.”

By link of uplink data, the goddesses instinctively know where to look, as an entire part of the horizon begins to clarify on deliberate cue, a vast looking space port set in the same manner as Heaven’s architecture. The makeup looks of a true to honest starport. Skuld just quips. “Are we still in the same manga here or what?” ...Urd just smirks. “Almighty seems to give great respect to our mutual knight. A lot more than I for one was crediting for.” ...at this, as the vessel begins to turn, voiced back comes... “Coordinates acquired. Approaching for docking.”

Just as the vessel turns, a swift motion catches the trio’s eyes, as Lind flies off towards the new heavenly starport. Skuld sees this and has just about the same openly said thought at that moment, for her to her sisters. “Anyone got anything else to do about now?”

Urd just quips. “Nope.”

Even Belldandy moves fast, as a literal cloud of goddesses can be seen filtering in a dotted, scattered sheets of figures, from about half of Heaven towards the unusual sight.

--------------------

"Holy light!!"

Ishara looked back at Jora, as the Valkyrie (by a REAL chance of happenstance,) flew by her. The elder goddess just snickers. "By what providence indeed. More and more this story becomes of interest."

At that, the Council goddess of Medical, looks and sees 'exactly' where Lind is. Ishara just sighs. "Better and better, for worse unto unknown more." ...a mother's whim knowing what this all meant.

"You have no idea." ...this Ishara looks back a second time, much more suddenly. "Frode?"

The Judicator just looks and nods. Ishara just quips over, as they flew past clouds aplenty. "And here I thought you'd never leave that guillotine chamber of yours."

Frode reacted with a poisoned blanch. "I do 'not' use such to torture the trainees within! Sheesh, told you this I have before." ...this before he realizes, and sees Ishara all but beside himself with laughter.

The Judicator just moaned, and decided to draw the ire instead, towards the newfound vessel on approach. The problem was, he was having trouble holding that ire suddenly. Ishara for one, felt that.

--------------------

The landing platform itself was agleam of Heaven's best light. Such where a docking hallway, all but a modified normal open air hallway, finishes latching to the docking port along a two hundred meter stretch length. Needless since the owner could just fly over the crevasse between the Illistrum and docking port waiting area. But the accompaniment to come along with, could not. Plus the sense of dramatic was palatable here to be formal.

The five tiers above the loading platform, and the three more below, are chock full of interested onlooking celestials. When something this gaudy in event happens, it draws attention somewhat. The Illistrum draws much detailed speculation, as the far hatch opens. Towards the arch that walkway connects to at the loading platform, Lind lands to see Thor and the Generals already present, apparently more than speed that beat all the other goddesses here.

Belldandy, Urd and Skuld land at a far right vantage point of the second tier just above the loading platform. With the entire scene easily fitting in the entire view of the vessel itself, the platforms twice as sized, plenty of room and vantage points unobstructed are given at any angle, the goddess trio can easily see a contingent of Valkyries in parade formation off the right of Thor and the generals.

“Wow, all of this on such short notice.” Skuld quips. Urd just murmurs in agreement, as a figure starts emerging from the far docking hatch. Preceding it, a number of artificial humanoid constructs of white and pearl exit unto the loading bay arch and take up guard positions themselves. Skuld sees them and squeals... “Oh how cute! Robot mecha!”

“Awful advanced looking too. Where did he get them?” Urd wonders in turn. This as the owner completes walking up the platform in great strides. Bell meanwhile notes Lind again, off the left from where the other Valkyries and the War God contingent are located, knowing the Valkyrie is essentially her own command now. It isn’t lost on Bell what this means. (Nor on other eyes, one a tier up, two elder others another up from there.

At platform level, the knight finally emerges through the arch, pretty much the same as before, save for a change of apparent hair color and a deep bluish-purple scarf apparently made of stars, of within detail. In fact, Lind notes for her in close part, the hair looks almost feathery in makeup, rather than real hair. It looks rather familiar to her in a sense.

Lord Thor steps forward as he greets... “: Milord Knight Imladris, a hearty welcome back to you unto Heaven’s graces. :” ...this Imladris stops and bows in the same angle Thor does. The knight replies. “It is indeed most well to ‘be’ back. I think I actually missed this place.”

Thor just laughs and smacks ‘Imladris’ hard in the back, which makes for a mutual wide wince of the onlooking gallery, including the Valkyries. The Master of the War Section then quips heavily. “: I believe you were missed as well. My Generals kept whining about you many a passing day. Annoying really. :”

Imladris smirks and looks over at three head shaking goddess Generals, giving sense this last part was embellished. Imladris doesn’t mind, truly having missed all of his now personally presumed kin. Thor notes this on his facade, and smirks. “: Why, I do believe you were serious. We need to fixate that with liquor this eve. :”

Imladris laughs in turn to Thor’s (and many other deities listening,) surprise, and comments back. “I will have stories to tell this eve as well. Prepare for a long night.”

Thor laughs and smacks him again, though this time Imladris’s armor makes as much a welt on Thor’s hand, as the god does to the knight’s back. However after, the knight resumes his official mode, and informs... “I need to debrief before Lord Almighty, as I was instructed via Dream Program.”

Thor nods and bows officially as well, then turning to walk with the Knight in equal stride, this as the Valkyries call attention from their number as they close up to the Generals. In turn after short chatter speak with them, Imladris is noted towards where Lind bows her head towards him from afar, to the bemusement of the Generals, Rend most notably.

At this, the number leave to head for Almighty’s chambers a good distance off. As such, a teleporter station is now waiting.

--------------------

Almighty listened as intently as most of the others that could fit into the waiting chamber, and even some outside in view, kinda comical with so many goddesses gathered in all up and down directions. Not so much with the entire Council in presence as well. The display alone at first, took the knight back a great deal. The story told did the same in turn. This as the debrief was as much a summarized story, in of itself, as much as plain information to satisfy Almighty’s commandment.

Imladris, as he called himself now, in lieu of true name by choice, progressed to part of the story that amazed the listening crowd. Imladris started off with the two month war of attrition as the burgeoning Galactic Alliance began its first painful steps to free themselves from the Demons, and from there after that...

“We liberated the systems that were named after the leading interloper Demoness Mara, the Demons under her dragged in more adjacent civilizations to up the ante upon the forces I allied myself with. Apparently after the Alliance adapted technology to sever the demonic influence from their slave network, and as such undid their works, the Demons tried to expand their scope of operation to strike back at the new Illumina Alliance, named initially after the world I first arrived on, and which became the eventual capital world and system. The first of seven others down the galactic road.

And yet at that time, apparently the Demons couldn’t get the hint, after the Alliance moved in to drive out the Demonic invaders. This led to them moving into successive further civilizations, apparently trying to find one that they didn’t need to artificially subsume into their doctrine. The Glassians were the next major attempt by the Marian Empire, the Alliance in turn moved to liberate. It essentially begot from there, and so on.”

“:: Nothing else, if to form. ::” Almighty commented. Imladris added... “Too much. I would have thought after about three thousand star systems of such Indian giving activity, they’d get the hint. By then my allies had a disjointed, yet full blown galaxy alliance to maintain. A large military, growing interdependent economy that slowly grew into a surplus over time, amongst other cultural iotas. A unity was beginning to develop, that I kept instilling, that held it all together, in those early Phases.  And yet the Demons still kept at their dang plans.

And all of this within the first two and a half years. And that all apparently wasn’t even the tip of it all.” Imladris said with an exasperated slap of his hands to his sides. This gave the goddesses nearby a good giggle, as Imladris continued. “About the forth year into all of this, the Demons found a large civilization that almost met their criteria, but in so doing, caused adjacent civilizations to come pleading to the Alliance for assistance. The Griffionals were one of the major coups for the Alliance in that period.

While the first major battles around Illumina and surrounding sectors had been a sight of their own, this next attempt by the Demons engulfed the entire galaxy. Battles spread to over ten thousand star systems in the first few weeks, before the Alliance melded militaries with the non-aligned realms, to form a force that could outnumber the Demon’s own converts three to one." ...he stops to give pause with. It didn't stop there, to the continued amazement of the celestial gallery.

"The next two years after were the most active. The Ionic severing technology applied to the weapon systems from starship to warrior ended up speeding the process greatly. Especially that planet sized thing that could fire a beam to sever an entire planetary population from demon enslavement. I mean it all became more than even fiction could call unreal, and yet it all was still so.”

“Wow, how many battles did you see” ...an Operator Section goddess behind, wedged in amongst many others, asked. Imladris saw and commented... “Don’t you all have jobs?”

“Not right now.” ...another goddess nearby the first asked. Imladris just sighed. General Mist alone in the chamber  just giggled. “Someone got purty popular.” ...this making a couple of Councilors puck faces a touch. The knight groans, as Almighty nudged. “: Please continue. :”

The knight sighs, and continues, starting off... “Well, to answer that question, I had been in countless battles of all sizes. Many fleet battles and planetary sieges and invasions. More than a few strategic defenses of many other worlds and other stellar assets. Even had to stop this demonic weapon that could destabilize a star, from destroying a major alliance star system.” ...he scritched his head as he professed. “Name a type of battle, and I was most likely in it. Including this escort mission with this rather obtuse child that demanded too much even in the middle of heavy fighting. Being spoiled didn’t help him when one of the Demons actually showed up to kidnap him. Apparently being the son of the Silveren high magistrate, made for a rather tempting target. And on that fun little note, that was when Demon Tartus was sent packing back into Demon Central, and the start of the end of the First phases of the war began."

“: So he was there. The intelligence was correct. :” ...Thor spoke of, Imladris nodded. “Apparently more than. That gift I 'received' from you Almighty, along with all the remainder of the pertinent data and schematics, really turned the war against the Marian Empire. Everything built up to this point, and as it was, that event started to break the Demon solidarity over the then named Infernus Confederacy. The Alliance then planned out and invaded three key Marian systems, and that started all the cards falling everywhere.”

“Thought they were dominoes.” Mist prodded again, this Imladris just sighs to the added bemusement of all others. “Anywho... after we captured the Sendra-VIII star system, the Demons tried to counterattack with a major assault on two of the by then, seven Alliance Capital systems, with demonstration assaults on three others. I had to race back with my own fleet group to fend off this assault at Illumina. However in the middle of the battle, the Demons openly attacked me in person this time.”

As the goddesses listening gasped at this, Almighty remained serene, the story now focused on... “Demoness Mara and Demon Satorna led a boarding party to my vessel, the same you saw me land with today, there upon which apparently all of Thor’s training came to the fore. The last demon of the apparent quartet, Demoness Wyonea, tried to reach and detonate the vessel’s fusion core. During the heavy fighting all around, I drew decent wounds but managed to seal capture Satorna, which scared off Mara in doing this. The last Demon managed to escape but not with her target imploding, thanks to my alliance crew’s actions that day.

Many died of Wyonea’s hands as we fought to impede her. She however escaped with what was left of her fleet, before I could stop her. As it was, the entire battle was essentially a stalemate, though now only one last Demon remained. Whatever the Demons via Hild had intended originally with their plans for the Alliance Galaxy, it all essentially ended for them that day. The war however itself didn't end yet.”
“Wow, they went that far? This is most unlike the Demons.” Hirund commented rather profusely. Almighty agreed. “: Apparently your actions drove the Demons to lengths they never would have so done. As it is, they are greatly weakened by the lack of souls they received through all of this. :”

Imladris struck in to this effect... “A well reason for ‘that’. Because of the Demon interloping, and your vast assistance My Lord, I had resurrection technology added to the medical suite of abilities of the Alliance. Controversial, but endlessly effective, it essentially regained souls that died in battle, and most of which would return to the fronts in a couple of weeks. Between that, and the eventual driving of the Demons from most of the additional systems they subsumed, the Confederacy was doomed. With only Wyonea remaining, the Demon subsumed forces began to lose cohesion, as well as their enslaved states, the more Alliance forces drove in further.

Finally, about two months ago, the final battle of Ovestra Prime saw over seven hundred primary Fleet Groups of the Alliance, overwhelm sixty remaining Marian-Infernus versions, while about thrice that number of Alliance assets acted in support operations to clear six other occupied systems. Over a three day period, we pushed and broke through six separate defense lines, taking heavy casualties, but gaining still more souls from severed liberations of enslaved troops we managed to remove from Infernus control. Finally we managed to reach and assault the three moons and, interplanetary station network, and orbital assets of the enemy, taking each one down at a time. Then finally on the successive fourth day we finished the war with an assault on the orbital place Wyonea retreated to. Alliance Knight-Marine ground forces had managed to reach to the palace city first and drive her to where I could confront more appropriately.”

With everyone leaning in to hear the end of the tale. “I found Demon Agent Wyonea trying to overload the fusion core of the orbital palace, and take much of us with her. But I stopped her before she could activate the sequence. During a rather lengthy duel, she finally informed that the whole point of the entire saga had been to prevent the natural evolution of that galaxy to the very standard I ended up assisting them accelerate into. Irony no? It would have taken another five thousand years to cause, what they caused in catalyst in just seven.”

“They sure flubbed that one.” Rend bluntly put.

“After this, we danced our last deadly steps and she managed to get a bad cut in on my left shoulder, of which I traded a quick stab to her midsection. I then shoved her blade off and undercut her to trip her up. As she struggled to recover stance with her last strength, I used that capture device again, and she finally pleaded for her life. Got me why exactly, but that was when she said something very strange.”

Almighty sensed something dire of import, as Imladris informed... “She said someone that had been attacking goddesses, would come to Heaven soon. That Hild was using all of the acts of the War to conduct a test. That the whole point of the war was to prepare for this, though I don’t...”

Suddenly, his vision blurred for a split second, and all in attendance, including the War God’s mind froze for a split second, as Almighty spoke to both their minds in this sudden frozen moment of time. “: Your words cannot be spoken to memory as yet my Lord Knight. I can only explain after the time comes, which you must keep mindful of despite what I must do now. :”

Thor quickly asked... “: Does this mean...? :” ...as Imladris listened for a moment... “: Aye, the information is direly correct. Until then, your minds must be kept wiped to not alert the enemy of our plans. Forgive me, your words are changed of your story, my mortal. All will understand in short cometh of time. :”

At this, spatial time was essentially rewritten for a short instant, as everyone of the System ‘forgot’ the last few seconds of the story. Such to effect Imladris had it ‘replaced’ with... “...she said that I would have come to stop them anyway. Despite her... um... uh...” …Imladris stopped for a second, his mind dizzy. He wasn't the only one, to be sure. Almighty however feigned... “: Aye? :”

Imladris shook it off and finished... “...um... essentially if not for me, the galaxy would not have formed the Galactic Alliance like it did. Um... aye. Yes.” ...this leaving flat in his voice, along with uncertainly placed facade blush.

“Our little hero. Even Demon Agents fear you now.” Rend ‘put’ in. Imladris nodded with a further blush. “Well, anyway. I showed mercy to her, if she got her kiester out of the mortal plane once and for all. Wyonea didn’t even try one of those cheesy backstabs or anything. Kinda wimpy and anticlimactic to be honest.”

“Her loss, your victory.” Mist chippered up, a few claps (more like a torrent,) in the background. Imladris nodded and then finished up. “Well, after that, the Alliance forces found the Confederacy broke morale and the hold of the Demons utterly, surrendering to the Alliance within hours.

The war was over, but I remained for the next two months or so to help stabilize the government, even being the one to suggest certain measures. Guess being a war hero gave me clout to steer certain aspects of the new galaxy that resulted.” ...in the midst of murmured awes, Imladris ended it all with. “As of the time I finally left to ‘see to other duties in the universe’, as I told them, the Galaxy Alliance formed a seven System Council that governed over twenty five thousand star systems. The Senatoria formed from there, of which goddesses knows how many races there actually all are. But I tried to leave with words to help them keep a centered governmental state and all, and also to allow in the former enemy as quickly and openly as possible." ...he then started trailing off with a hint of regret in his voice.

"I also told them, remember the road that led them to this point of freedom. Their choices would from now on reflect in the future they saw fit. The wrong ones could lead them back to the dominion the Demons had wrought in the first place. From the look of their faces, I think they understood, the leaders at least at the time. Such I left them to work for their own unity. At that, my task was done.”

As he finished, a sudden flood of remiss entered his soul, again the open tome problem noticed by the deities all around him. He admitted. “In a sense however, I do wish I could have remained among them to see their progress over the next few decades. I sense they will grow into a strong civilization in a very short amount of time. Still, I am glad nonetheless to have returned here. Even though using my own Synthetic crewed starship to return here was a bit much. I ‘could’ have just returned on my own vice My Lord.” ...he finished with a query to the Almighty, as the gallery went a bit gushy with that past paragraph.

Said Lord of Heaven remarked. “: I kept track of your progress. It seemed fair to have you return in a chariot befitting your station. Beyond more, it was I whom sent it in dreams to your allies to construct. Through it, much of the said technology you used for this Alliance, was my make to combat the Demon’s influence and invasions. Hild had overstepped her bounds, and so I sent my own resolve to avert. Through you, the task was done. But through the vessel, was My secrets that the mortals were not formally ready for. Still, their lesser versions of technology will still satisfy their advancement for some time to come.

I applaud you for your entirety of conduct in bringing a realm of hope, for your now departed allies. It all still saved many lives. Returning with all such prototypes and auspices therefore was prudent, as it was your ascribed reward. And what more, your legend needed a properly rewarded entrance for your kinships to see in eye. This was my wisdom of that last dream, and security to end your mission with. As such, you have succeeded. Your return heralds the end of this tale. Rest now, for another may begin soon at any time. :” Imladris bowed and replied. “My life is to serve the System and Heaven.”

At this, he is dismissed and so in turns unto a renewed cheering throng, heading towards the heavily occluded hallway and chamber beyond leading from Almighty’s chambers. Even for the ample space this place usually has, it was ‘crowded’ nonetheless. This made for a comical scene as Imladris reached a wall of deities, almost literal, angled and positioned in every direction, and all in the way. The ones closest to the mortal part like water, as he sighs and passes literally underneath and between them, being patted, cheered, groped even, as he passes through with the Generals close behind.

Thor chuckles and after the procession begins to finally filter away, he turns to Almighty and comments. “: It seems his last test was a resounding success. Even moreso than I anticipated this ‘legend’ would ascribe to. One wonders however, if all such was too much embellishment. The story seems so focused as such  :”

Almighty only responds. “: The story is no more centered than anyone else’s is in subjective make. What more, that was not his true test. :” Thor turns and tries to ask what that means, but finds his voice silent, and will impugned against further. At that, Almighty dismisses him, no further discussed.

Sometime later, he sends for Gaea.

--------------------

"That was an incredible tale, don't you agree Commander?" ...this Demesus looks back, her mind filled with sights even Valkyries would have used a Wish to partake. Phosus however spouted a different facade, such that Demesus just sighed. "Well don't be excited all at once."

"I'm thinking." ...the fire mane Commander said with stiffer arms folded than usual. Demesus knew what that meant. "But he just got back. Give the mortal a chance to..."

"Tomorrow he will." ...Phosus suddenly grinds in. "As will I." ...the sudden weird manic giggle just makes Demesus want to transfer to Pandemonium Fortress, right there and then.

Suddenly, a rather terse yell makes the two look, along with several other goddesses. Phosus comments... "Wasn't that Lord Frode's voice?" ...this as the two approach the supposed area of the yelling. On reaching, as several other various celestials look around blankly, the two see... "Commander Jora." ...ala both. (Whit the two eye each other weirdly.)

"Commander Demesus. Commander Phosus." ...said Valkyrie look in seeing. Phosus asks. "What happened?'

"I was in the area, when I saw my Father and Lord Thor starting to argue about something. I couldn't even understand them, despite how loud they were arguing. When my Father then yelled something really bad, if I sensed right, Thor saw me, and in fact 'me', if I didn't know any better, and they both just vanished.

I have 'no' idea what they were arguing about." ...Jora put with a pensive look. Phosus just nods. "I suspect they must have had a Protection Program upon whatever they discussed. Plus the usual encoding between Councilors only, that they could only understand."

Demesus fingers her chin, and looks at Phosus. "You sure you don't want to work in Hub Section? You sound like a natural." ...this Phosus just blanches back like a wildcat. "Like I'll ever be caught there in my celestial lifetime!" ...this Demesus just snickers at. Phosus just shakes her head, and looks at Jora, just to change the subject. "So, I hear you are on the fast track in the 7th Host, Commander Jora."

Jora nods. "Eh, it's a living. I guess everyone in the family has some good stats now to look upon."

Demesus prods, to the sudden growling of Phosus beside her. "Keeping up with your sister then?" ...this Jora just giggles at. "I can try, though I can guess who Lind is keeping up with now." ...such further giggling Phosus just growls further. "Great, just what we need. More complaints from the Medical Section."

Jora eggs in to a hazard, leaning in on Phosus. "My mother intends to send said regards, indeed. Like I don't know better, what with helping her with her training." ... "Oh yay." Demesus just dryly cracks.

Phosus suddenly snaps! "That's IT! I'm gonna teach that pup a lesson! Where'd he beget to!!"

"You'll need to wait your turn." Jora eyes smirkingly. Phosus just gave the Valkyrie-eye right back at the goddess.

--------------------

“I hear that... uh... base… is now your own residence and operations sector.”

Imladris looked over at goddess Rend and smirked. “So I hear. ‘Now’ in fact.” ...this Rend beams a quirky smile. “Aye, such is my province of command. That plus Almighty approved, and space is infinite here in Heaven anyway.”

“Good to know.” ...Imlade simply commented.

Behind, Hirund simply comments with a brush of her wine red locks. “Apparently we’ll need to make home warming calls, to be able to attend to you as previous. Can’t have you doing everything yourself now can we?”

Imladris dryly retorts back. “Guess that means I really am self sufficient now. Oh jeepers, how will I survive. Such a crime of...” ...Mist just muffles his mouth with the sparkly scarf. “Such love and compassion.”

Imladris clears his mouth of the scarf, and then looks up to see the Generals start floating off away from him. In fact much of the area becomes devoid of goddesses, in sudden of note. Imladris notes this each detail and quips. “What? My breath is well of enough.”

“I believe you can save that honor for ‘her’.”

He cocks an eye as Mist and the others vanish in phasic mode, before he realizes and looks around. He finds reason more than enough why, when off to the far left, along another pearl walkway, parallel to the one he currently is standing on, is one certain face and form that was missing from the debriefing. (Or whatever it all truly was back there.)

He gulps a bit, as he sees her.

...then doesn’t a split second alter.

...then does right up to his left, sudden and phasic all the same. She then folds her hands behind her in a relaxed parade rest format, as he gathers his shaken senses. He then for a moment falls blank, before he finds words of... “Of honor indeed.”

“My heart is gladdened.” ...Lind quickly returns, and at this, Imladris simply takes a couple of steps forward. Her own match his, and unto from there. They don’t seem to withhold such for quite some time into the deepening Lunia.

--------------------

A darkened and very solemn feeling within Almighty One’s chambers, this time no effidice, nor avatar. This Gaea is sent unto. This time It is everything and everywhere in this chamber, as is her own mind. Of her arrival without warning it had been as so, for some time now in fact.

No words or even Network exchanges in communication. Instead something deeper is at play here, in a format of language that exists as only the Almighty can understand, where time ends and begins again, in many forms and then none at all.

Within it, the truth is told. All of it, far greater and more than what Gaea ever suspected. Of this, the plan is finally professed.

Now less than a two day sun away.

--------------------

“You’ve made good use of your jumpsuit I see.”

Imladris craned his head over lightly to Lind, still not utterly comfortable to look at her directly, silly of all and naught. He just nods. “Seems it became a symbol for the Alliance, some of the designs became part of the standard uniform code once the military got its head on straight. If only they knew where it really all came from.”

“At least you did. That seems to be what counts.” Lind looks with calm pride. Imladris smiled and professed. “I kept that note you wrote all this time as well, I...”

“Note?”

The knight stopped and so she the same, as he queried. “Um... that gift card... um... thing, that you wrote. I found it when I opened the package and found this suit.” ...seeing her confused glance, he furthered. “Did you not write this?” ...he says, reaching into and pulling the said now well worn card from his dragonskin backpack. He hands it to her, Lind taking it, and examines it over. Lind just then simply hands it back to him. “I fear you are mistaken. I did not write this.”

She then saw a surprised, and then disappointed look on Imlade's facade, one he failed to cover up with a smirk. He comments simply... “Well, my poor of mind then.”

Lind however steps a couple of paces forward, and twirls toward him calmly. “It was however I that had that suit sent to you. I even wore it for one day before I had it sent to be refitted for your use. I presume your senses do not fail you there.” ...this she finishes with a smirks, to his sudden flush of facial pores.

He gulps more than once and stabilizes his breathing, at which Lind turns to step forth in their original random direction again. The now unfocused moonlit eve playing across this strange moment of serene realization. What was disappointment is replaced with a far more comforted feel. Such signals are not ignored this time, not even as dense as the mortal admittedly professes unto.

Eventually he hears a slight cough from her, and he readily catches up, and such is continued into the eve. Such this reward to become difference after what had become familiar over the past seven years, and of it her profession of the only variation of her barriers ever since the day Imladris left.

It is the ‘only’ thing that calls off her near suicidal training regime of recent note. It is the only time she feels the lapse of rumors resided to her nickname. The only one she feels understands her. For him, it’s the first and only time, so far he feels, to be in such lengthened company with her.

It is bliss in a sense, if retracted all other times, for them both. This time is not wasted either, by any span of second passed or step taken. As he talks of his adventures, she talks of her progress to call forth her other angel. She even lets Spear Mint forth to join in with them both, but professes her disappointments to her singular presence. He enjoys seeing the angel again, floating to his freeside, wherever Lind is not. He however tries to profess to her in more confidence, what may truly be needed to call on the twin.

Lind still does not heed, for some reason even this rare trust is not enough. Imladris senses something is missing, but cannot figure within himself what such may need of require. Still, it is of unrealized goal alone, and not enough to end this lengthened moment of duality.

Path is lost, and time flows through and between them unheeded.

Such is their moment of rare comfort nonetheless, the wheel of Lunia slowly tilting overhead through eternity.

--------------------

-System Hub-

The late of eve here, while still active all hours alike, there was a muted feel here on the celestial chronometer here, hence what Gaea floats into, and flying down to where Peorth is overseeing the off shift duty cycle. A trio of low level trainees take up station for Ex, Chrono and Ere, learning in these ‘off hours’ how to maintain in these less stressful times. Someday they’d take over for the main operators, or be on station when situations arise the main three would come in for at a moment's notice. Peorth saw Gaea approach and rose from her seat to bow, imparting… “Bonsoir grande dame.”

Gaea only ‘nodded’ and then informed. “Please have the System begin a level four scan for anomalies. Keep scanning until further notice.”

Peorth cocked and eye yet nodded her head. She still asked… “Certes. Est-ce possible se renseigner au sujet de pourquoi?”

Gaea just shook her head. “System duties my friend. The why will be in of itself soon.” ...echoing what Almighty rendered unto her. Peorth wondered out loud. “Still, I would be more comforted...”

Gaea impressed somewhat emotionlessly. “I am sorry, but I cannot speak more of this yet. Please comply.” Peorth nodded and didn’t press further. She just saw Gaea depart and she turned to her current charges that had heard the exchange and ordered likewise unto them. Of their part, the young Third Class deities didn’t argue either.

--------------------

Passing unto the Green Fields, the Golden Hills, the Dragon Eryie even as they walked through random portals through this passing celestial night, the soft trek finally arrives into sight of the new artifice structure, in sight of the interstellar warship within it. There Imladris and Lind finally end their solitary jaunt, and come into view of the hybrid of Intracel and ‘Alliance’ architectures, though most of the immediate area is a flat affair, much like a large spaceport, detail and all.

The duo arrive at a high vantage point where the highest platform tier begins to merge with a small city where apparently, Imladris’s residence is located. The mortal sees this and quips. “I think they made it all stand out a bit much.”

Lind shrugs as she looks over the vast ‘valley’ of the spaceport depression, easily seeing the entire bulk of Imladris’s warship Illistrum with gantries connected, though not much for movement at the moment, as such was no need at this late hour. The Valkyrie Commander then shrugs looking up further at the residence city, and comments. “Actually it’s rather tiny to be honest. Even the Second Class ‘apartments’ outstrip in size over in Brightwater. Yours would more like Third Class accommodations.”

“Gee, thanks.” ...Imladris quips, apparently feeling his importance in that statement. Lind just snickers lightly and adds... “Sometime my accommodations would be to your liking, if you are brave enough.”

Imladris gulped a bit and parted. “I am not so brave as yet.”

Lind just huffed lightly in a playful mood, and kept on heading up towards the ‘residence’, as Imladris kept looking around, split in concern to whether this new area was even that large in the first place,. It would easily be so to his former Alliance comrades, but here it might as well be a one bed room apartment, or log shack barely of home back in Montana when he grew up, verses conventions to the Heavens own. The split concern was also upon the figure ahead of him, acting very comfortable by his presumptions of, compared to beforehand accounts.

They slowly wound up sloping, interconnected walkways that connected to many levels of this residence. All of it was softly lit and shifted in increasing light to meet ocular needs as the two passed through. The residence itself was semi-sentient, even knowing romantic innuendo by even the way Lind floated along the walkways. It was so unlike her as much as she realized, and more what she didn’t. Imladris just gingerly kept pace as he was giving his first time in this area a good once over.

Eventually they reach a very high tower spiral, where several overlooks meld into a large towering structure that comprises the actual living quarters. Light akin of moon and starlight here, bathe across the white surfaces with pearlescent aura and reflection off everything, but also play enough shadows to now overpower senses.

By now, the awe Imladris had was simply veiled over by plain fatigue, celestial or otherwise. It had been a much longer night than he suspected it would be. Finally the two reach a very large overlook that is apparently adjacent to the knight’s living quarters, almost a mansion to his sight of mind, as Lind reaches and stops at the far optimum edge of the overlook. She floated her slight off floor height to a soft tip toe landing, as Imladris softly walked up to stand about a meter away to her left, giving her better view, if in angle.

All of Heaven seemed to dominate here, panorama was incredible from every direction and angle, past the ‘spaceport’ zone. From here, they could easily be the height of the old Empire State building that the mortal remembered well. The iron wrought and girder work of that structure still keen to him from that one day he had on leave, before the troop ship left for the Western Front. This view however was far more, in everything, including company.

For a moment, the two just stare out at the panorama, nothing passing between them, other than the soft wind. It was cool one moment, and warm the next, adjusting with actual sentience of its own, to the comfort and immediate feel of the skin both have. As this occurs, Imladris has one obvious question impinge on his mental recesses, as he vocalizes. “I do wonder where the boundary of this are... a... ah?” This as suddenly in the distance, numerous blue, soft LED lights begin strobing softly on and nor. They extend all around in sight, to about a few kilometers, alternating in pattern. Imladris just sighs. “And so I asked.”

He chuckles a touch, and then suddenly feels a warm body unto his entire right arm and shoulder. He smells her steel blue hair so readily, frozen from such a bold moment. He gulps and controls his breathing as Lind realizes she couldn’t hold off her containment, of her own version at least. Imladris feels a finger lightly stroke upon his gloved hand, then a nuzzle of a cheek unto his shoulder pauldrons, though it might as well touch bare skin for all she cared at that moment. For all he cared...( in fact he didn’t.) His mind lost cohesion for a moment, trying to figure how to react, if he could.

Just then, Lind asks... “Can I share your bedchamber this eve?”

He ‘did’ stop breathing in that split moment after, gulping so hard he nearly tears his chords doing so. Trying to speak has only rasping silence muffling out. Lind expected this and adds. “I promise not to test your chivalry.” ...this makes Imladris level out in overall emotion in the next speechless moment. Lind continues as she clutches a bit more unto him. “I have not slept well as of late, you see. I seem to even have... ill dreams, hardly comforting.”

The mortal looks over with a bit of honest concern, as she professes in just as rare form. “I have been training so hard, it seems to have affected how I rest each night of passing. How everyone still reacts to all I do. And then your lack of presence... I need to feel comfort of mind for one night.”

“I see. Such would be a first for moi.”

Lind looks up as some breeze swirls her long right mane lock under her chin. “Indeed? Did not the three...?”

Imladris coughs a bit, but then professes. “Nay. In fact my chastity has not been infringed at all since my arrival. Even unto before my death as it is. I... I never have felt comfort with considering such… activities. Never thought it was wholesome for myself to conduct such when I am trying to prove my privilege to exist here. Wish or nor.” Lind was actually surprised. “So the rumors were...”

“Wrong.” ...Imladris finished lightly, the entire conversation now rather uncomfortable to him. “Not that it stopped them from lengthy chatter about such things when they had me drinking with them. They even thought...” ...he stopped, looking at her, and then away with a heavy blush. Lind looked away too and felt uncomfortable a bit about discussing further either. She pulled away for a bit, as he sighed and quipped... “So how about those Dwarves? Heard they finished another shipment for the Pandemonium Frontier. Busy blokes they are.”

Lind just giggled and sighed, just as Imladris offered... “Still, I could use shared bodily warmth for one eve. Don’t know when the next may come after this eve as it is.”

Lind nods, looking away, hiding her own blush. She just responds softly. “Thank you.”

This moment doesn’t last however, just as Lind feels comfortable enough to move back unto Imladris’s arm, a sound catches off to the rear of them both. One sound becomes another as Imladris looks behind him. Knowing celestial burglars are nay here, he realizes to his growing disdain. “That better not whom I...”

Lind hears more sounds off inside, and the two head into the large chambers, and towards an apparent betrayed light. Off the left, one that grows exponentially as they approach. Some kind of sounding sonnets grow as well, and Imladris realizes. “Oh no.”

The two reach an internal overlook, where the residence drops three levels into what is best described as a living room, for a garden mansion in type. There Lind is surprised at the sight of so many unexpected guests. And so in turn the voice of one of the Generals. “Ah! There they are!” ...Rend of apparent tone, as the two younglings note, to Imladris’s annoyance. “You have ‘got’ to be joshing.”

Below, a good gaggle of goddesses act gangly and all groupie like, as Hirund floats up to them both in the shadowed recesses. “Welcome to your home warming party. You didn’t think we forgot about that stiff drink.”

Lind shakes her head as Imladris groans. “Isn’t it a tad late for a party? It’s been hours since...”

Hirund smirks. “You indent to tell us about the passage of time? You forget us of the celestial temporal mechanics here.” Imladris bites his cheeks at that. He remembered all too well then, that apparently time was what was wanted it to be, not of its own nominal will here. Just then, Mist pops up. “Ah! There’s the angel lovebirds. We got punch and lots of cake.”

Imladris starts to sweat as one of his main weakness is mentioned. “Um... cake?”

Mist leans in to the knight’s open right side. “We’ve got three kinds. White, choco-chip and strawberry. Nice and fluffy.” Lind shakes her head. “All the favorites.”

Imladris blinks and looks over from his mouth watering state, and comments... “How did you know... huh? Hey! YIPE!” ...just as Mist hefts Imladris by the arms and pulls him literally down to party level. Hirund rolls her eyes and looks at Lind. “Sorry.”

Lind just hops over the railing to float on down, commenting to Hirund in so doing. “There will be other moments to come, I am sure.”

Hirund was surprised to hear that, floating down as well in turn. "Indeed."

--------------------

-Earth-

It was another late night, as another mortal sat at a computer terminal, in some office for a company in Warsaw. The internet here was still somewhat a novelty, so security was... lax... at the very least. This kind of activity was therefore all too common, as was what the kinds of ‘downloads’ that was browsed, very little of it all that ‘wholesome’.

Such cyber piracy, and cyber at ‘that’, kept the mortal prying where demonstrated of all lack of a social life, and everything much of sin incarnate. It had been years since this road had been trodden, and no pamphlet left in a lavatory stall for ‘salvation’ would garner this mortal’s eye. In fact, he didn’t care one whit for either vein of what religion espoused regularly. So much so he even cursed both all too readily, even vocally when not even drunk enough.

The only reason this mortal held this job, was because the hiring practices were as lax. Eventually his poor performance would garner attention, at which another too bit employment would be found, all to fund his less than healthy pursuits. Mongering of such a lifestyle hadn’t endeared him to anyone else he once grew up with either.

To summation a long story short, it didn’t even come down to a poor upbringing, but rather a poor soul in entirety. It was one level short of criminality, but the care to even do such things was more not in measures of good or evil, but rather a true lack of the word ‘care’ at all. Such a complexity for effort where there is truly lack thereof, makes for a strangely empty soul that doesn’t even attempt to realize this, even in a mirror.

Fate therefore that night, found someone for renewed plans, untold years in the making.

As the mortal blandly watches a monitor screen, filled with... well... cyber iotas, he hops site after site trying to find all that satisfies what cannot be. Such a lack of human compassion, and even inter-human interdependency, makes for such a dusk soul, open and all too unwitting to the randomness of the network waiting for the chance of fate to connect to it instead. And for an internet that was of such nascent ability, what was to come was beyond all norms of reason of norms.

As the mortal at some random point sits in a cubicle, he eventually hops unto some apparent site dedicated to soullessness, thinking it was a strange pornography site. A lone person, a strange network that realized the time had come, and chance of horrid fate, combines as the first words are read...

“And unto my lack of love and hate, I will become one that likens no other to take both the same? What the hell is...” ...the stranger drawls out in his polish tongue, before a growing hum sound begins to form from the wires underneath the archaic computer model. Before he can guess at what he is hearing, it is far too late. His soulless state becomes the perfect next shell for the continuance of the other ancient war that is nominally forgotten.

One where a third aspect despises both Intracel and Nidhog alike. More than either despise each ‘other’ even.

--------------------

-The next Heavenly day.-

Daylight of Mercuria finally crested over the breadth of Heaven, the near pure white haze of morning melded with the sparse clouds of equal white, as the angel birds began flocking in small group to drink in the suffused light as their energy source.

A number flew over the now named Tyr starport, thanks to a toast Hirund started at that party, in front of like a hundred night party type portfolio goddesses, where such was named, (why the knight didn’t truly know.) The light bathed the white surfaces of the base as Lind awoke from a large bed, refreshed and soul of peaceful than she had been in quite some time. She also however awoke to an empty bed, rising to straighten her adorned jumpsuit, indeed only seeking a mutual soul for pure comfort alone, and then began looking around to seek the same mortal soul that engendered her rare trust. She floated to the overlook edge, and tried to sense where he was.

She however sensed something else instead. Down at the loading level. "We have company." Wondering, she hops over the overlook and flies down to seek this more uneasy feeling. Lind quickly reaches and looks around, finding a familiar individual suddenly coming towards her of a strong stride.

She turns and notes. “Commander Phosus.” ...said with a nod, the equal rank and license Valkyrie with an exasperated look on her facade. The two finally drew up close near the gantry-way arch that led to the Illistrum warship. Lind saw Phosus’s frazzled look and commented. “Early is it not for such a mood?”

“Keep your tongue for the Fields. Where is that pup at by the way?”

Lind cocked and eye and drew a reserved comment back... “I awoke without him in sight, can I ask of why of this line of query?” Phosus turned an agitated eye at her equal number and bit back. “I will answer when the pup is found.”

Just then a clanking sound of footsteps falls away from the arch, as said knight emerges from the gantry walkway, having gone to quickly inspect the Illistrum duty logs the Synthetic Units were maintaining. He sees Lind and Phosus and immediately bows per expert practice of a noble. “Morning milady warriors, I hope you both...”

Phosus stabbed in. “Save that nonsense pup!” Lind frowned her ire as Imladris looked up with a confused look. Phosus put in to effect... “Both of you, to the Einherjar Fields in an hour! I’ve a gripe to settle, especially unto you mortal!”

Imladris felt great reservation well into his chest, and gulped in return. “Uhm... what did I do this time?”

Phosus just bit in harder... “You can guess it as you walk yourself there. Lind will come with me, now.” ...the last part growled, Lind gave an irked grimace to Phosus but was curious enough to not fight this.

At that, Lind just looks plainly at Imladris, as Phosus jerks her head for Lind to follow. In a moment, both are out of sight, as Imladris just stands there dumbfounded. He just blurts out openly. “What the ‘heck’ did I do this time?! Almighty sakes!”

--------------------

The morning of Mercuria drew into nominal day morning of Intracel’s own, all the stereotypical clouds and blue sky as dominant as the traits of Heaven itself, as the sound of weapons clashing began to fill the air near the domain of Thor. The sound filtered to Belldandy as she carried a simple tablet with instructions from System Hub, for the Valkyrie Commanders to peruse, in their due time. As the Goddess First Class of the Present floated on, she saw off to her right as Knight Imladris walks up, a decent amount of pensiveness glammered to his facade.

As she wasn’t in any hurry during this break in her duties, she took time to turn and greet the famous knight. As Belldandy walked up to greet, Imladris realized her presence and broke out of his mental swirl of tension. “Greetings Lord Knight.”

Imladris bowed very reverently, he no less realizing the Norm of the Present of fame than any other resident of Heaven. “Greetings Lady Belldandy.”

Bell asked with query in heart... “Heading to see Lord Thor again?” ...and he just gulps in turn. “Nay, apparently Lady Phosus called me out, her ire upon me for reasons I am not aware.” ...this to which Belldandy just remarks with a simple grin. “You do seem to call upon trouble for yourself from such comrades of the arms. Such is their respect for you.”

Imladris rubbed his head, a bit pensive in presence of such beauty. “More than I wished for, Wish or nor. The lack of insight makes my mind nervous as to why I am so called out.” Belldandy hears this to consider openly. “Perchance may such be to simply be in honored company? They do respect you so as nearly one of them, I see such as pride in your duty to them.”

The mortal chuckles and imparts to professed latter. “More just as likely my melon is to be cracked upon, if such is their respect.” Bell just smiles and puts. “Then their respect must be grand indeed. A shame my Sister Urd is not here to witness such.”

Imladris laughs plainly, Bell more sweetly in kind. He then asks seeing her tablet. “Business with my respected kinfolk as well milady goddess?”

Bell cradles the tablet and offers. “A duty of chance I volunteered for so as to pass the time during my break. I already had dined for luncheon, so here I am in short term before I return to the Office.”

Imladris nods and offers... “I understand your work, even in hints from the Hub, gives many professes of pride for your impressive work done. I profess my pride for the same, since is my chance here as well.” ...this to which Belldandy nods with a broad smile. “I am very happy you see my work is so well in mind. Thank you.”

Imladris just bows again, just before he hears and sees approaching. “HEY! PUP! The day of time does not retard on your whims!” ...as Demesus cracks her voice at Imladris. Bell just blinks a couple of times, as the knight sees the Valkyrie Commander float off with speed. He just gulps, and quips in general. “I think that I'll be seeing Medical section once again here soon. So much for a vacation.”

Bell offers, thinking in her own open anime way... “I understand Valkyries consider this training, ‘as’ of it a relaxation mode. Have fun if that be so.”

Imladris just moans before starting forth again. “Dare I ask what work is like then.”

--------------------

“The shifts are increasing in regularity in the subsystems, not just the Wish apparatus of apparent now.”

“Keep an eye on it. Alert if anything is attempted to be breached or unlocked.”

“Aye” ...comes three Hub operators at the same moment. Peorth had been on duty all night and into the morning. Gaea wasn’t anywhere in sight or System by link.“What is going on? Ce qui est à venir?” ...she whispered.

--------------------

Belldandy was amazed at what she saw as Imladris witnessed said same, reaching the foot of the Fields. “What the light are they doing today?!” ...the knight of mortal exclaimed. Belldandy remarked in what limited fashion she knew of the battlefield. “Appears to be a combat exercise.”

Of only just that, the vast span of the field had changed in size in of itself alone, to thrice of served memory size of the nominal Einherjar Fields. This was so to accommodate by some divine intent, for two separate looking armies to face each other on this vast field. So situated with an entire apparent Valkyrie army with backs to the two arrivals, facing an apparent Petitioner army of some form far off in the distance. At least five large formations to either side from the walkway vantage point. A haze hovered both sizes, veiling everything in a suffused silver aura. Imladris just gulped and heard... “Who miffed whom of ‘this’ day?” ...this as Bell turned her head this way and that over and over. Imladris didn't answer, he already knew in a fashion.

Just then one of the Valkyries yells off to the fore at Imladris, apparently a small contingent off to the right of side to the entire formation, just off of the walkway span into the field, one of them a warrior at arms of apparent in teal hair. “Hop to it pup! Off to the other side by instructions!”

Imladris just irked a bit at the continuance of the ‘pup’ bit, as he garbled at and back... “Just what the Seven Layers is going on here?”

“Don’t ask me! I just yell at people, now move it!”

Bell found this exchange amusing as Imladris just complained. “But I just got back yesterday from a war already, can’t I have more time to...”

“THE GENERALS ARE WAITING PUP!!!”

“OH ALRIGHT! I’m going, I’m going!” ...Imladris screams all girly like in arm wacky-waving tone, before turning to apologize and bow to Belldandy, before hop skip and then hover flying off to the other side of the Fields, passing over a much larger formation than surmised at first glance.

Bell just begins floating off to find an obvious Commander somewhere near, as Imladris shoots overhead of the now noticeable five true formations and forward skirmish lines, also noting a sphere formation of Valkyries are also hovering to the center of the formation, above the central Valkyrie formation. “Wonder if they’re protecting something.” ...he whispers as he passes into the center ‘no deities land’ part of the Fields, before seeing ahead in the large petitioner formations. This where the Generals are chatting and waiting, just behind a similar skirmish line. No apparent sphere or anything else holds sway over this side of the Fields.

Belldandy eventually meets up with Demesus, off to the rear within the walkway, just further left of the center-left formation ahead of her in the Fields proper. Bell bows as does Demesus as the tablet is finally delivered. Belldandy does ask to her curiosity. “May I ask what is going on?”

Demesus replies... "We are conducting a special affair unto the Lord Knight." ...much to the Goddess First Class’s amazement, such that Bell then asks... “May I remain and watch for awhile?” ...Demesus to which gives a look of concern of. “Are you certain you wish such? This could... well... will be rough, to witness.”

Belldandy just considers and imparts. “I rarely see the other side of what we stand for. I cannot remain so fragile of such. I have also considered adding to my License profile, along these lines, and was interested to see what was beholden in witnessing an event, such as this.”

Demesus just comments of the early part, as a shift wavers into the Valkyrie formations... “Fragile is not a word I’d use to describe ‘you’ goddess. Open, however, is a word that can be a more double edge to consider instead.”

Belldandy considered that, as echoes of orders started to reverberate down the formation chains of command. Of on the other side, Imladris lands near his goddess ‘nannies’ and comments plainly. “Okay, who got them miffed, and why am I dragged into it?” ...he gives a look to Mist. “Was it you from last eve?”

Hirund just quipped back. “I believe you yourself are the culprit, though why may do more of whom else is on the other side of this field now.” Imladris just folds his arms as a number of Petitioners focus their hearing. “Why so am I the ilk here then?”

Rend imparts... “We received a challenge notice for a Petitioner mode of battle, informing Commander Phosus had a discord with your personage. She wished to settle this in a manner befitting her irked state. Apparently whatever you did, this what we have around us now, is her intended message.” ...said with a wave of her arms and raven mane around their length, of the massed participants present. Mist then adds. “But so as it is not simply an argument in nature, she also informed that something dear to the Master was taken in the even prior. So readily did He send out our own Petitioners to consider this conflict at present.”

“What was taken.” Said of knightly cocked eye. Hirund shrugs. “Unknown, but it is being held within that defensive sphere, I am presuming you have noticed by now.” ...Imladris does note of the ball of Valkyries floating over the formations afar. Rend then continues. “Simply put, we four must retrieve the Master’s property, less we find a very bleak future to come. Of which if ‘we’ find bleak, ‘yours’ will be even more so.” ...the silver haired General puts to the mortal’s discomfort. “Therefore, we must get said artifact back, by all means unto the Jaws of Nidhog itself.”

Imladris just held his head and shook his in his right hand. “Can’t the lady just come and talk this out peacefully like a normal goddess?”

“Like it helped us any.” ...Hirund plainly retorted. Imladris then turns and notes the sky is starting to fog up much of the area, the air of battle overcompensating upon the sky. He then asked generally. “Anything else I should know of before we start this?”

“They have all their best warriors out there today, no one less than Second Class with veteran experience on the Frontiers of the World Tree. No meek ones out there this day.” Hirund finished. Imladris just looked over and decried... “And this is all because of ‘me’? Not to be narcissistic or anything, but... why me?”

At that, Mist just quipped. “You can ask her on the field, since I suspect she’ll be looking for you.”

Imladris became angry and yanked his sword out, getting tired of the lack of answers. He then imparts coldly. “Fine. Making a point like this just irks me. I’ll remind her of that.”

Hirund sighs and then steels her senses, as she plucks her right earring, and summons her golden staff axe, the gold aura and blood red standard banners fluttering in the stiff breeze. “Then we have a task to finish.”

--------------------

Almighty was informed as per standard, as the anomalies began to grow more erratic. After waiting for so long, an unwanted answer was soon to come. Of whom the reports came from however, went also to unwanted form.

Such where tragedies lie...

--------------------

“And I was the ‘rough’ one?”

Phosus just huffed in an annoyed tone, back to Lind. “My form of expression with my current displeasure. Live with it.”

The equal number Valkyrie however felt just as irked, but focused more on the task at hand. Being at the center of the ‘sphere’ meant she was obviously meant to witness the results of this ‘argument’ the Valkyrie Commander of red fire mane (and apparent spunk,) had for the mortal. Still, taking on the three Generals as well was pushing it, even for the best of the cadre creme. Lind wondered if Phosus was playing any of this smart, or just simply to deal with personal issues in a strange form of communication. Lind wondered as Phosus ‘saw’ the Petitioner side of the field begin to shift forward on the flank wings and the skirmish lines to the fore. The Valkyrie Commander barked out. “All units at the READY!”

However just as she barked this, a shocked yelp suddenly cascades from the front of the defensive sphere. Phosus and Lind wonder out loud, just as a bright flash of light blinds them all for a split moment. Phosus sees this and growls. “How dare that pup!”

In so doing however, it also agitated the front most 'onion' layers of the sphere, and several dropped off from the surprise, others breaking momentary formation. Phosus sees this and realizes. “NO WAIT! HOLD RANKS!!”

It was too late. Just as quickly as the battle was beginning, a first strike of unexpected, unorthodox, seat of the pants planning, saw the three dimensions of the center of the line, ground and sphere alike, to be caught blinded. Literally. The shock raced through the adjacent lines, just long enough for the ‘entire’ Petitioner side of the field to be racing at furious pace towards the stunned and recovering Valkyrie formations.

Demesus had to fly up a bit, as did Belldandy to see what was initially happening, the flash catching them both off guard as well. As soon as the entire mutual side of the Valkyries sees what is barreling down at them, Demesus gulps. “I think Phosus is getting her wish.” ...said in a warily tone.

--------------------

The battle itself was a pure diversion. As soon as Imladris learned what was going on, he agreed with the Generals to drop the war of attrition crud, and opt for a swift blitzkrieg stratagem. They had the lines of the Petitioners slowly move, just as Imladris himself leapt towards front of the defensive sphere, and use his armor aura to blind the entire fore line. And then as suddenly, with the knight leaping back as the Petitioner line charged forward.

Apparently Phosus’s message was lost on the rules and tactics of war, and the charging Petitioner line went with frenzied abandon at the suddenly flatfooted Valkyries. It all happened so fast, the Valkyrie Commanders were forced into small formation command tactics, Phosus essentially cut out of the loop at the immediate get go.

Given this was a set of non-Petitioner opponents, their normal weapons were traded for stun energy versions, of which Imladris was all too ready to comply with, at least for the primary bulk of the Petitioner battle troops. He himself entered the battle with his energy sword for the moment, taking back up position to command the center approach. The Generals took up the other formations, Mist taking the far left two, and pushed to close up a bit quicker, leaving Imladris to hold up just enough to keep the sphere in sight.

As to impress the fact of the sphere’s position, Imladris had the center formation literally leap up to attack it, instead of the center formation itself, causing the fight to start dragging the sphere down into the center Valkyrie formation below the sphere, pinning it down by sheer mass of numbers.

In so doing, the layers of the defenses of the sphere peeled away as Petitioners ‘broke off chunks’ of goddess warriors into large squabbling melees, leaving the defended objective in the center all too readily exposed, along with the core of the Valkyrie defenders. This all took less than five minutes to accomplish, utterly shattering what apparent intent Phosus had in mind.

Somewhere in the far placed Chamber of Valor, a War God was pleased. So far.

And somewhere off to the side, a Medical Section goddess, once again on seeming hand and presence, was impressed more and more, with the tactics of a mortal, Ishara was forced to acknowledge. Her presence was however, most silent, and more judging. As was the Judicator next to her.

--------------------

Skuld was confused. Working around the System interlaced architecture grids, she twirled her hammer around, so far today not much to do with it. “Huh? Where are all the Bugs?” ...she commented, not seeing any of the furry pests.

None were anywhere to be found. "The System never runs this smoothly. Weird." ...this the Debugging goddess just kept walking around, looking for something to do. Her thoughts kept trailing off towards the ice cream shoppe in the Goddess Mall.

--------------------

"Did I... ah, crud, they already started." ...this Frode and Ishara look back, as Jora appears, axe in hand and ready to go. Ishara however just snips. "Not fast enough on the datawork to arrive here on time, daughter?

Jora just grumbled... "Too much parade inspection to inspect through in time." ...this Jora looks over... "Did you know there are over ten thousand units to inspect, and all to be done every other celestial day?!"

Frode actually smirks for once. "If the task of XO is becoming too much for you, maybe your mother has a spot to fill, for..." ... "Forget it." ...this coming from both a mother and daughter. Ishara needless to word what Jora does better next. "I like my job. I just wished that... ouch." Jora suddenly winces, knowing the sight of a General's attack, for how harsh it was. She felt it herself once, on a training exercise. To then see all three in action was not in her scope of comfort. "...they don't hold back ever."

"I would expect no less of any Valkyrie." Frode puts more openly.

"What about him?" Jora then remarks, as an obvious mortal sight literally swats away three Valkyries with one blow. Frode just all but snarls, wincing as well as he imparts. "Of things I wish I could demand of." ...this Ishara looks over, herself not knowing what that meant.

Just then... "Hey! Jora!" ...from Demesus afar. "What!" ... "Get your axe into the fray already!"

Jora just coos happily. "Sweet, time to play." ...before just bowing to her parents per protocol, and just flat out leaping into the morass of battle in front of her. Frode just shakes his head. Ishara just snickers... "Well, at least she'll come away happy."

--------------------

“Happy now?” ...one of the other Valkyries shouted, as their layer of defense was nearly exposed. Less than a few meters away, warrior Petitioners of the War God were constantly peeling Valkyries ahead of Phosus, off little by little, in frighteningly short order. Barely a second apart from losing a Valkyrie to battle's lust. Phosus just exclaimed. “So what of it, It just means...”

Suddenly something much more substantial than a mere Petitioner attacks the sphere, a swipe of a glowing bronze Axe shoving a good number of Valkyries out of the way. Enough in fact, that Phosus and Lind can clearly see... “It’s Rend.” ...Phosus comments in unexpected fear. Suddenly the General vanishes, as there is now only one layer of defense ahead of the last one. Behind them a glowing container of white sees only this last layer, as Phosus just growls out... “Where is that pup?”

Lind however sees something else a split second alter, as a vicious blue haze suddenly chills a haze off to the left side of the sphere, as Valkyries drop from the sharp temperature drop. “General Mist, in true form.” Lind comments to Phosus’s growing agitation.Just then, something large appears dead in front and parries with added flashes to sensory impairment effect, heavy clashes of steel clamoring to their fore. Phosus recognizes at least the form. “Finally.” ...and orders. “Break sphere and give chase NOW!”

Lind is surprised by this, as what is left of the sphere formation, suddenly zips all around the suddenly surrounded mortal knight. Only Lind is left near the glowing container, suddenly with clear view of what is apparently a trap.

--------------------

The Generals, Demesus and Belldandy, two Councilors, and even for a moment, Thor watching from grandiose afar, is taken aback as Phosus apparently abandons her formation’s position, and changes it from defending the artifact, to now surrounding a single target.

Imladris, attempting to breach the last defense, to reach the goal quickly, senses this may have been of intent all along. Off the left, Mist sees after returning from her quick strike, this sudden change in tactics. “Well that tain’t good.” ...she simply remarks before easily shoving off an offending Valkyrie.

--------------------

“Hello lil pup.” Phosus croons as she notes Imladris looking all around him at the apparent trap. “Uh boy.”

Phosus raises her hands to swivel her Axe furiously. “Time to settle accounts on bad advice.”

“What?”

Imladris sees Phosus about to attack, the other Valkyries surrounding him with their own axes aimed to keep him from escaping, and decides on a quick retreat, utilizing a sudden thrust of arms out, the sword of energy floating before them for a split second. “HOLY CLOUD!”

In another instant after, a mass of white mist billows in all directions with a gleaming shimmer within, as the knight releases the mass of celestial energy, blinding his trappers as they lose sight of even those next to each other. The cloud blankets most of the present battle line, as chaos ensues over everything in one unexpected instant. Phosus tries to sense where Imladris is, but the cloud interrupts all sensory ability, a slight static field taking away the natural acuity’s of the Valkyries for a brief moment. Enough to escape by. Somewhere off the rear of the cloud., a single form zips out, finally landing as his hover abilities fade for the moment.

“There he is.” Belldandy says in reflex, sensing first just before anyone else does. Demesus senses and huffs. “Just like the old Master's teachings, fending off with effect.”

“: Is war ever so straight forward? :” ...comes into the mind of Demesus a split instant later, the Valkyrie gulping at the sudden lesson of war in her mind. Being spoken to by the War Master in mind of link is ever so startling.

Meanwhile Lind from her vantage, sees a horde of angry Valkyrie ‘bees’ start shooting out in a good torrent at the mortal target, as Imladris from his spot gulps and leaps with great speed away from the general direction the Valkyries are chasing him in. Their path quickly angles after him as Imladris continues to retreat. Lind cocks an eye at this as the path wobbles back and forth everywhere in wacky fashion, like some oversized bee swarm with effect of a kite in a breeze.

After about thirty celestial seconds of this though, Imladris tires of this act, and sees Phosus leading the host after him, and he angles downward to then land and hop double back prompt at her, changing his weapon to a more conventional double sword, nominal rather than energy blade even. Phosus catches eye of this and parries his first blow easily on her Axe!

“WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM GODDESS!?” ...the mortal ‘pup’ barks out, as the momentum suddenly shoots them both pass the chasing host, reaching high up into the silver gray sky. The act tossing many Valkyries about like dolls in a breeze! "Watch it mortal!!" ...ala more than a few retorts in kind.

However, voice is focused upon one furious Valkyrie Commander! “It’s your fault! ALL OF IT!”

“WHAT IS!?” ...he just yells back as the two exchange vicious blows, both chasing after each other, Imladris using Phosus's own momentum to keep airborne. This time Phosus finds he is able to keep up much more readily, apparently the training with Thor and the Generals improving his reflexes and speed. She however makes punishing axe blows in rapid succession unto his weapon, Imladris twirling his blade pair in chasing after her shots.

“All of my troops for years! Being harmed and beaten asunder! All of them because of YOU!!”

Imladris just shoves one hard side cross slash at her to blunt off, and yells... “It's called training!! Wait! Who are you talking about?! Make sense Commander!”

Phosus finally kicks him off her blade and grabs his left arm to swing him down at the ground, doing so hard. As he crash bounds into a roll, she zips down and misses a slash before blocking a quick knight sponsored side kick spun at her, and then clashing weapons into a hard lock with him.

“The ‘sense’ of it, is that I found out why commander Lind has been training my troops unto her with such violence. Guess what my suspicions dug up young pup?!”

As the clouds begin to haze off, the battle seems to dim somewhat, as Imladris blinks, starting to get a sense, with her pressing... “Did not someone say something about Twins on past day?” ...and then to his shock. “What? How did?” ...he says just before managing to allay a parry and then a smack to his face with a stiff arm. “Do you MIND!?”

“You didn’t! Don’t you have any clue?!” ...with a retort of his own weapon, slammed hard.

Phosus then pushes Imladris off, but her attempt to follow up with successive shots finds him all too ready and blocking. Her agitation only grows further. A high kick he ducks and a roundhouse down slash of her axe he avoids to then level a down parry to shove her weapon down, rather than attack Phosus directly. She yells in further... “Ever since that day, all she does it beat my troops apart, even to her near suicidal levels of training, unto herself as well!” ...she then shoves her weapon up and slides his sword off, before he spins to blunt off a side clip swing, to which Imladris then swings his shown blade upwards to fling her weapon edge away. He then backs off, her continuing. “Can you not consider your words more ‘carefully’?!”

Imladris grows a bit tired of this, and spins his blade around all about him and attacks her this time, stymieing  her offensive with his own, parrying with dynamic parries and thrusts to keep her off balance. Considering Phosus was the one being agitated, seeing Imladris suddenly turn the tables with steadily more vicious blows, catches her off guard. Eventually he locks metal upon morphemic crystal, and shoves her backwards at an angle. He then imparts with venting... “What makes you think ‘I’ make other goddess’s choices for them!?” ...he then shoves off of Phosus, causing her to lose balance for a moment, as Imladris hops back and tries to give it all a rest.

By now the battle is quite actually dying down, apparent that the Valkyries were going off the half baked orders Phosus was espousing. A number of Valkyries near the center of this agitated duel, just watch with interest, as Phosus can’t seem to breach the mortal’s defenses this time. The converse within seems to be of interest as well, as several stand with some petitioners now, eerily buddy like, as Phosus recovers. “This story seems to be battle heavy for this series.” ...one Valkyrie quips to a Petitioner next to her.

Imladris meanwhile begins to see Phosus recover her stance and form, and twirls his long blue diamond blades around like it was an energy blade. He yells out at the Valkyrie in so waiting... “Is ‘that’ why you started all of this? Just because I gave advice years ago?”

Phosus snaps back. “You realize how much gripe the Infirmary Section has been slamming me with because of Lind’s impossible training levels? I’ve been dealing with it all for seven eternal years you dope!”

Imladris groans and levels his weapon behind him. “It still doesn’t mean whatever I said had to be listened to. And on top of, THIS BATTLE IS DOING JUST AS MUCH FOR MEDICAL COSTS!”

“We have currency here?” ...one onlooking Valkyrie quips, to Imladris’s rolled eyes, to whit Phosus tightens her hold on her weapon, bruising her palms on the stiff surface. She then realizes that all she is doing is yelling at him, essentially. She decides on a different tact. The slit of a smile most ominous, makes the knight shiver. “Nonetheless, here we are, and nonetheless, this battle isn’t over yet. We still have control of the artifact we took from Lord Thor. I presume you were told the consequences for failing to retrieve it from us, dear Imladris.”

The knight gulps and plainly responds... “I had a hint of such.”

Phosus then levels. “If my memory serves then, one of my number still remains at the objective. You can settle this with her to end all of this.” Imladris blinks. “It hasn’t even been ten minutes.”

“Battles can take less time, you should be more than aware.”

Imladris looks away and up where one last Valkyrie hovers near the glowing objective. It doesn’t exactly surprise him whom it is either. All of this seems so painfully obvious to the knight now. He looks back at Phosus and whines. “Can’t we just have a tea party next time?”

At that, Phosus makes one last attack, which to Imladris twirls his blades to catch the head of Phosus’s Axe blade, and then uses it to spin her weapon, and goddess attached, around. This allows the knight to rush forward and leap with great speed at the defended artifact. Phosus recovers again and then starts to leap after him. Her progress however is impeded as Rend suddenly phases dead in front of her, blocking Phosus’s weapon held unto her reflexive defense, this unto said Valkyrie’s ire. “You had your chance goddess.” ...the general quips, Phosus growls.

As if coming to the next chapter of a cheesy romance-battle manga, Imladris’s leap reaches the objective, of which the last Valkyrie suddenly moves to block him. Their weapons clang with great sound across the battlefield, and a good part of  Heaven as well. Seeing Lind this close makes him reflexively blush, even despite the heavy screeching their weapons make. (Romantic no?)

Lind then wordlessly shoves Imladris off, his free fall readily apparent, as she suddenly starts chasing him ‘quite’ suddenly. Knowing this, he tries to react by switching his weapon, morphing it into a long staff to connect some kind of reactive momentum with. Lind has none of that and just swats him between the hands where the weapon is held, slamming him into a rough skid across the ground.

He backflips out of this to land in defensive stance, just as Lind closes FAST and clobbers her weapon onto his. Imladris tries to react by shifting momentum to the right and make Lind back off a bit, but instead Lind deliberately shifts with him and shoves him off again, swinging her Axe tip end into his armored skull.

Imladris gets to feel for the first time just how rough she plays, ending up somewhere off to their far right, causing Petitioners and Valkyries to scatter. "We said watch it mortal!!" ...from more offending Valkyries. Lind flat out doesn’t let up and chases to press her advantage. Imladris senses this and leaps again, but catches a hard flat blade shot from her Axe, across his armored chest. Another hard crash, and Lind ‘still’ pushes her advantage, not even trying to give quarter.

Afar, two Councilors actually worry of a knight's well being, as the combat becomes much more vicious from here. Frode however keeps seeing a sight from the past, more and more as the battle continues. Ishara just sees... "My medical unit is going to be busy here again."

She then hears... "Or not." ...this making Ishara look weirdly at Frode.

Imladris meanwhile keeps scattering troops from both sides as he gets rather frayed already, not used to her method of combat just yet. He barely skids to a stop, before Lind is about on top of him already. He yelps and rolls under her hard approach and simply rolls up to a standing position. Lind spins and faces him, as he recovers from this initial tarring.

Imladris blares a tic annoyed... “Nice to know we had that chat.” Lind just snaps back tersely. “And here I thought you might impress me.”

Imladris hums and then considers the last few moves, as well as their speed. Doing that, he then judges quickly Lind is waiting on his next move. At that, he flexes and cracks bones in the typical male form, and then leaps towards back at the objective, at the same split moment she follows him likewise.

What starts is something beheld for a short time that day of passing, as all the Valkyries, goddesses and Petitioners witnessing, would later remark as a rare sight. As soon as Imladris leaps, and Lind chases after him in hot pursuit, he turns and catches her incoming blow. This starts a long tirade of brutal attacks that forces Imladris to keep up with Lind. To her growing surprise, he starts indeed keeping up, dynamically evolving his moves to her own alterations.

The more bruises he gets, the less he lets her get through, even the strongest shots he manages to eventually adapt. This all takes place running all ‘over’ the sky and Fields. Eventually the two land again somewhere near where the original petitioner side was. Both breathing rather hard, both of their sets of hands badly bruised. Imladris sports a good number of cuts in places, as Lind’s hair is all disheveled. (Just as bad a wound apparently...)

“Y... you... are getting be... better...” ...of a form of a Valkyrie compliment.

“U…. huh…” ...Imladris gasps out, just as both set and leap in virtual simult, zipping and smacking at each other across the sky again. By now the objective is long since forgotten, which to whit acquired by Hirund to end that part of the battle. But apparently not even coming close to finishing the now all too obvious duel between Valkyrie and Knight. Even Phosus loses her angst in her original irritation, all of it essentially being settled by the two souls that caused it all. To her amazement, Phosus notes how well the mortal is keeping up with her now, though all note both of them are probably reaching their limit.

Rend sees this as she and the other two Generals meet up with Phosus and Demesus, Belldandy in curious tow. The zinging and clashing keeps dotting the sky as neither seem to be giving quarter, the dance of warriors becoming very clear as the duel progresses.

“It seems he’s finally reached the physical plateau of a Valkyrie, would you not agree Commander?” Hirund comments to Phosus, who begrudgingly agrees. “After being beaten senseless by Master Thor for so long, it better not be a surprise as such.” ...the Valkyrie commander puts, reflexively rubbing her fire red mane in unsaid ‘similar’ surprise.

“It’s like they’re dancing.”

The mutual War Section best give Belldandy a curious look as the clashing keeps continuing above and around. Belldandy can clearly see how their moves swirl and clash with each other, casting their robes and cloth about them as they continue to counter each other with both measured strength and wit of mind. Demesus noting this, quips to her bemusement at Bell’s comment. “If you say so.”

Bell in kind asserts softly. “I do. The more they understand each other, the more their moves grace about each other more in synch. Such could be their love in each inflection and quirk of motion.” ...this as Lind spin strikes to Imladris’s parry and counter... “Their respect and trust in their own actions, refraining from holding back, and yet not wanting either to do so. It makes them more fluid unto each other.” ...as Imladris cartwheels a blow to which Lind blocks overhead and kicks at him midair, to whit he uses as momentum to then side swing a blow, which whit she slides her staff down in hand to shove off his blade. “But their eyes never close to either, neither is remiss in this rare moment, even when their bodies are pushed beyond their limits. Never wanting this moment to end. If that is not a dance, what there is?”

At this Belldandy finishes, finding only in her majestic way to make a battle seem much more than just two souls clobbering unto each other. As she does, each of the Generals and Commanders wipes a tear from their eye, very much despite themselves. (As do many a Petitioner and Valkyrie witnessing in hearing.) Just as they do this, Imladris and Lind clash once more, pushing the blow with all their might, just as their muscles and bones scream unto the breaking point. As soon as they connect, they drop from the sky and land hard to the muddled ground, the green fields trodden to mush again.

The gathered throng watching seem to think it is over, but then Phosus sees it first... “Good Almighty.” ...this as the two warriors struggle dearly to raise themselves to their feet, even when both their bodies ‘are’ screaming at them. Imladris on his old continence to never give up, and Lind on mirrored reflex of equal measure, the two manage to pull themselves up.

For a moment the two lock eyes again, and then stumble towards each other in a rather ungainly charge at each other, swinging their weapons rather anime wackily looking, such is their utter fatigue, the loud clang of their last clash unto each other, pushing their last burst of stamina into each other's blow. For a moment the two are locked like this, and then the two collapse literally into each other, their battle had been ‘that’ draining unto each other. Their weapons shove-drop off of being suddenly too heavy in each other's hands, as their chins smack lightly each other’s opposing shoulders, breathing into such and each other’s ears in gasps that start to slow. Lind tries to raise her hands and can’t, neither can Imladris move ‘anything’, again it all having been such hard fought.

Looking from afar now to the far rear near the right flank tip of the original Valkyrie line, Hirund judges. “Well that lover spat is done for now.” ...as she starts to float off towards the straddles and kneeling pair.

The two leaning into each other from utter fatigue, also find a strange moment of comfort in each other’s lactic acid flooded bodies. Lind slips her chin and left cheek into his shoulder, but then hears gasping softly from his ragged voice.

“Y... you... You win... this...” ...just as he falls blank unconscious, dead out cold. Lind feels a twinge of remorse suddenly well up, but then she too falls out cold. As a result, he falls off the side first to his chest hard, to which her fall ends up on top of his cape drawn back. The two ‘oofs’ ends this part of the play, just as Hirund reaches them.

She sighs and chuckles. “What children of a pair.”

Jora afar just gulps, in the midst of a gaggle of Valkyries that knew more than well enough of sight and familial. "I think my Sister found a perfect match. Lord preserve."

--------------------

Ishara just shook. "I've seen no equal of such, ever before."

"I have. It's all the same."

Ishara looked over at Frode, but halted her next question, on sight of a face that looked of all of longing, haunted deeply beyond all that Ishara had ever known before.

Frode couldn't contain his memories, but was forced to by Protection Program, nonetheless.

It was torture.

--------------------

“Wha... What is THAT?!?”

Thor holds his ‘artifact’ in a cradle, kissing it over and over for a moment. Imladris, draped over Mist and Rend’s shoulders as he hold himself up by the legs. Lind off to their right, is helped by Demesus, as Phosus looks on with an agape jaw.

As Thor sits on his mighty throne of riches a splendor and ego profuse, he keeps treating the artifact like a newborn child. As he keeps doing this over and over, Imladris blinks over and over, and then realizes from enough detail, after it was removed from the storage cage, of what it actually is. The three Generals are teardropping rather dear, as Imladris quips... “Is... Is that a... rubber DUCK!?”

Thor looks up from mushing over the all but apparent bath toy and plainly puts. “: I’ve had it ever since I was a tweeny godling. Ages on Eons have I had this, I tell you. Tis important to me, it is. :” At that, the god goes back to glossing over the duck, gem crusted and all, but ‘still’ so. To this Hirund just moans out. “Why did  we have to have such a ‘weird’ Master? By Almighty sakes!”

Imladris just feels his head go pop-sizzle all over, as the sight is just too much for sanity to take. Still he of too many head concussions smirks and blurts in... “Bet my old toy boat was better.”

“: TWAS NOT! :”

“OH AYE?”

“: AYE!!! :”

Mist and Rend just punch Imlade back out cold... "QUIET!!" ...much to Lind’s bruised smile.

--------------------

The day of light drew eternally on, upon the interlaced and tiered architecture of Heaven. All such upon the forests and waterfalls all about the rounded serenity of the grand System, the light would reflect off clouds for the nominal midday round of rainbows that would ‘rain’ their arcs across the infinite expanses. As they did so, the hard working goddesses would take time on their breaks to visit the Mall again, or take midday naps, or other such relaxation activities before the latter half of the day commenced. This included the Valkyries that had by now recovered from the ‘scenario’ Phosus had conducted earlier that day. Of which plenty of golden grapevine flowed like wine in gossip, amongst the celestial populace.

There was also other rumors, such as the complete lack of Bugs in the System, as well as other oddities that didn’t seem to be all that much of a problem. Another was the fact chronometers throughout Heaven were readjusting themselves a good deal, keeping the time current, something not usually done so often.

A couple of goddesses were floating along when the gray maned number looks up at one of the rainbows cascading down, and croons out. “Wow, perfect as always.”

“I’ve seen better.” ...a cyan spiky haired version quips back, as she looks up at it. The latter however notes something odd, and imparts... “Then again. Um... is it me, or is that rainbow a bit strange?”

The other looks up, as she notes to detail. “Huh. You’re right. Isn’t the upper color supposed to be red?”

The cyan goddess nods. “Yeah. The whole thing looks like it’s upside down.”

The two just scratch their heads, just before the cyan goddess just quips. “Eh, must just mean I need more sake.” ...before the two drift off elsewhere, not thinking any better of it all.

--------------------

The seal on the regeneration tub hissed open, as three Generals watched the short procedure take place. Soon after a mortal’s eyes flutter open as if waking from a good slumber. Just then he hears off out of vision to the left. “Regenerative stasis complete. Back to full health.” Hirund sighs and quips. “Once again.”

Imladris steps out of the upright tube that had infused him with healing celestial energy to expedite recovery from the previous battle, this to a stretch and yawn. “Dang... I had a nice dream too.”

“Was there a Valkyrie in it?” Rend prods, to which Imladris coughs and retorts defensively. “Naaaay! I fear not. It had to do with flying with birds for some reason, if you must pry.”

“We do.” ...Rend and Mist quip in simult tone. Imladris just rolls his eyes, but then looks around, seeing the multi-tubular Infirmary more empty than he thought it’d be. He quickly asks. “Where’d they go?”

The three Generals giggle to Imladris’s annoyance, before Mist informs. “Sorry angel boy, but your goddessfriend heals faster than you do. Kinda pathetic for you really.” Imladris just pains back in a whinny tone. “I’m still mortal, give me a break.”
“That Valkyrie sure didn’t. Nice to know she won’t hold back for anyone.” Rend quips level.

Imladris rubs his neck a bit, as he remembers what Phosus informed him during their part of the battle. He sighs and remarks. “Probably best too. Since apparently it’s all my fault for how she is now.” ...he then quips to himself... “Though, I didn’t think anything I said would affect anyone here so. I am the inferior one here in the end.”

Rend just softly replies to that with... “Inferior is only a word that describes those that seek to not push their abilities, not to simple terms of immortal or mortal. While even we once felt you were as such still in the beginning, you have far from been such as of late.” ...the raven haired goddess imparts. This Hirund adds to impress such respect. “While never to be truly one of us, you are as if family nonetheless. It is in the end, a part of the variety that even Heaven can benefit from. If you had been less, would you have even begotten that original Wish?”

Imladris cocks an eye at this. “I thought it was more to do with fate than just morals?” ...this in turn Hirund quips. “We leave the more destitute versions to normally their own whims, or lesser so to their own eventual fate. We can’t control such of mortal fates, but for those that truly have good souls and poor fates. Dying in the war as you did, how you did, and the life beforehand, became just simply an equation that had to be solved. That algorithm has since benefited fruit better more than the trouble the original Wish caused.”

“Even if I was afraid of dying at the time?” Imladris put warily of himself. Hirund in turn... “No one should normally face such, and such trepidation even we dissuade thought from. We are not so different, you and we.” ...the General finishes, to whit Imladris chuckles. “Is that why we drink so hard on some nights?”

“Plan for tonight as well. I think you passed your last test.” Mist comments with a chipper. Imladris blinks. “What test? What does that mean?” Hirund waves a dismissive hand. “You’ll have to wait and see.” ...she then produces a white pearl tablet for the knight, a smaller version of what he saw Belldandy carrying earlier that day. Hirund then imports. “For now, please take this small errand for us to the System Hub. After that the remainder of the day is free unto you.” ...this Imladris takes the tablet with a curious eye. “What’s in it?”
“Nay nay, keep to your simple task without prying. I doubt the Master would appreciate such.” ...this Imladris just nodded meekly too, presuming to keep such in healthy mind indeed. At that, the knight assured his footing, and then bowed to the Generals. “Well, to my task then.”

As he reaches the sector hatch, nodding to an Infirmary goddess in passing, Mist quips out. “Say hi to Lind if you see her.” ...this to which the mortal frazzles and the same Infirmary goddess giggles.

--------------------

Lind was walking out from an adjunct system oversight chamber, rubbing her elbows some, as she headed for a architecture grid sector to check on the spatial processors and data bus upkeep there. As of late, she had been more and more directed to learn of the System more, though at present she wasn’t fully appreciating why this was being impressed. She felt it all was just in the way of her ongoing training, since she hadn’t achieved herself imposed goal as yet.

As all was business here, she didn’t experience the gossip and such drudgery, thankful for it, however it was managed. Being in the heart of the System Hub meant all focuses had to be for the System, and not on trivial matters. For all the relaxation and beauty that reigned outside the Hub, all the amenities and such, it was here that the reverse of the strictest nature commanded here. Even Lind was aware of this.

The System was why Intracel existed. Ever so long well before anyone at all could remember why, the dimensional realms below the tenth that Intracel watched over, all of it was all that Intracel was for. That was purpose and law here, even if the fact was sometimes taken for granted, and many in Heaven denounced the lower planes for their inferiority of evolution. Most however was fully aware of the great purpose of the System, and the responsibility inherit.

Lind was however mindful of something else, as her still raw encoded limbs felt, despite the recovery from a short while ago. She was privately glad for the chance that came, and the sores were just reminders of him, the imagery was clear as it had been. "(It was been good to see him like that.)" ...she thought.

She altered out from her memory, once she entered the next appropriate chamber, back to business as usual. There she checked on the Third Class goddesses that were doing the only work that was available. Multi-checking the processor data-buses. Everything kept running too smoothly, except for the strange chronometer nubs that kept forcing system clocks to correct themselves. None of it seemed to however affect the System or sub-layers to any apparent ill. Lind wasn’t the only one to find it all strange.

In fact, there seemed a unsettled air that was slightly repressing the natural strict air of the Hub in of itself. Lind wondered about that as she left, rounding to head to her next check area, the tertiary life support supply apparatus sector. However as she did so, she came across a small group of goddesses apparently having one of the low level gods in a corner, berating sounds coming from them as the god, apparently a high spirit more like, looked defiant in the face of a heavenly wrath.

Lind came up and barked. “What’s going on?”

The gaggle of goddesses,  six of which Lind counted, turned to note the Valkyrie’s presence. Here Lind noted of all beings, it was Troubadour who was cornered.

“Commander Lind.” ...a pale green maned goddess Second Class gasped, as Lind looked around at the sight. Troubadour just looked at Lind in about the same manner as he did all the rest of the goddesses, a poor ilk to his nature. Other than Urd apparently, all other goddesses to him, were akin to what mortal males would show in a chauvinistic ply to females all too often, the ones that were too akin to be such in the first place. Lind was aware of this, and thanked Kami there was types like the mortal Knight to level out this version of the celestial playing field.

Troubadour started with a plain croon of... “Well if it isn’t our infamous one-wing. Come to save moi from this harem I seem to have collected?” Lind sneered a touch at the tree Plum Spirit. “My intent was to ascertain. Please explain this?”

A purple maned long hair responded quickly. “Apologies Commander, but this blowhard was saying ill things about Lord Imladris a short bit ago.” ...this to whit Lind gave a less appeased glance at the spirit. “How so?”

Troubadour seemed all too willing to impart. “Well if you must know. I still do not approve that we have such impurity upon our hallowed grounds. It truly is distasteful to have such a person that can’t even nominally fly among us, walking on our grounds like he belongs. I was simply telling everyone here, how I thought of our mutual incursion of our solidarity.” One of the goddesses, a gray hair with braids all about her head, snaps back. “This coming from a dope that thinks Urd belongs to you. Even Adonis is tiring of your antics there. And now this idiocy.”

Lind tried to calm the situation with... “Do not over impress this matter. It is not worth it.” ...knowing Imladris wouldn’t approve of this. However it didn’t keep Lind from feeling agitated already at the Spirit, as she tried to defuse this situation. Apparently the slow day was causing mischief even the Hub couldn’t normally allay with what should mountains of workload. Lind was about to inform them all to disperse to their duties, when Troubadour opened his yap again, finding Lind’s austerity aggravating enough of press this poor choice or words.

“I heard you two had a fight today. What happened, he couldn’t seduce you like a proper male and had to beat it into you instead his sodden feelings?” ...this to which Lind glared with holy fire at the Tree Spirit. Apparently the Tree Spirit’s distaste for the mortal was enough to even add in. “It’s probably best that you whipped him. It can only serve to bring him humiliation to better learn where he belongs amongst...” ...the words dropped dead as the gathered goddesses watched in shock as Lind actually grabbed the Spirit by the scruff of his neck and clothing, his brows clenching in fear to either side of his forehead Sigil. Lind was breathing very hard and not apparently caring of her actions, blind or otherwise, as she strained his neck. Such was the display that the other goddesses became fearful incarnate.

As the Spirit struggled for breath, Lind seethed out.. “Perhaps you would like to be shown what I did to him in person. I assure you, ‘he’ took it all better than I imagine you could ever fraction your senses unto.” ...this as she was almost blind with rage.

--------------------

Imladris was amazed by the sight of the Hub. While not a first time, it still was incredible to the mortal of all the sights, sounds and colors that reverberated in this central computer that commanded all of reality. The knight slowly entered and took some time to meander his way past a number of circular overlooks and walkways that gave impressive views of the System.

As he did this, he garnered more than his share of greetings and well wishes from the goddesses working within. He also beheld many stares as he walked by, as he tried to simply focus on the general splendor of this vast chamber.

He walked to a golden railing over the pearl white, rounded walkways that curved everywhere, energy bus-lines pulsing code strings through them occasionally, the sight of miniature trees within small crystalline pools, and looked down to see the magnificent detail that was the central processing core and status screen tube that rose up to great heights, into a glowing ceiling that ran up unto the Councilors operational offices. Up there the Hub information was processed by the lower gods and disseminated to where it was needed, or stored and classified when needed. Somewhere the knight knew, the Almighty watched it all as well, the mortal’s respect for the infinite being giving his facade a betrayed look of reverence that nearby goddesses reveled in for the short moment it lasted.

Finally the knight remembered the texture of the tablet and the goal of being here, and he decided to attend to this matter at hand. As he turned to find whom to bring the object to, a goddess Third Class with white hair floated up, almost on cue.

“Greetings Lord Knight. A query do you have?” ...the goddess put in inflection, a bit artificial sounding to the knight. He just comments back... “Um... I have an errand to run from the Lord of War. This tablet needed to get to a Hub Administrator.”

The goddess just gives open vein with a hand unto. “Down there milord, Lady Peorth on duty can attend to your quest.”

The knight just sighs. “Thank you milady goddess.” ...and bows his head before turning off to head on down, apparently given leeway to enter the Hub more proper than was probably required. As the knight strode off under passing sight, a second goddess working nearby comments to the flower white hair. “Think you might have overdone that bit girl.”

The greeter goddess just cutely puts with hands on her cheeks. “But tis was so fun, such I am a fan.”

The other goddesses nearby just giggle as Imladris reaches the lower levels of the Hub, entering sight of from the left hand chamber, the central operators and a pacing Peorth. As he enters sight, the goddess First Class welcomes the knight with a good sigh of relief, and waves him towards. “Bienvenue chevalier en armure brillante.”

Imladris just bows and professes. “And a welcome back to you milady administrateur.”

Peorth croons back. “Un fabuleux a mon cœur blessé.” ...this to Imladris doesn’t follow so easily. “Um...” …to whit Peorth... “A bit more flatter of such language will acquire anyone’s hear my dear chevalier.” ...said with a sly smirk. Imladris just gulps and then offers the tablet. “Um, this is from the Generals for your discourse.” ...he offers the tablet, to which Peorth takes the tablet, and offers. “Un offrir le plus de cher.” ...with a brush of a hand on his, in a tease. Chrono among the three main operators, see all of this and quips. “Layering it enough in thickness are we?” ...this to which Peorth draws back with the tablet and coughs in reflex, to the relief of the knight and mortal.

Imladris changes the subject, as he looks up at the vast up close display of the Hub central display tube and remarks. “I must continue color myself most impressed.” Peorth smiles and quips. “As well you should, never more such a imposant display such as here. All of your reality you originally hail from is, overseen here. Not even I am no less impressionné.” ...this to Imladris nods. He then hears Ere call Peorth over, to which. “Excuse-moi paladin.” ...to which Peorth hover-hops on over to Ere’s side. Imladris gets a bemused smile from Chrono and Ex alike as he watches on for a moment, just as Peorth comments a bit loudly. “Initiate the Level Two programs to begin ascertaining when the event will occur.”

Imladris comments in query. “A problem?” Peorth looks up and informs. “A problem we’ve been noticing for some time now. Je m'excuse pour, but I cannot enlighten further to you for now.”

Imladris nods and understands completely. “Of course, je m'excuse pour en nature.” ...this to which Peorth just glimmers a beaming smile for a moment. He then offers... “I should head off, my time is free, yet I only interfere here. Please excuse moi.”

Peorth just floats over and waves a dismissive hand. “Souci que non chevalier. If anything, we all could use a distraction for the short term. Plus you serve the System as well, so avoir le droit de faire universel bien appris. Indeed learn well at that.”

Imladris nods, and decides a stint to learn by keen eye would not do much ill. He takes up a spot below Peorth’s station as Peorth returns to her seat keeps an eye on the growing situation. For a short while he just tries to keep eye on everything, but admittedly finds his acuity’s less than to the task of keeping up with much of what is going on. He ends up just simply watching until his senses are soaked, at which point he sighs and understands there is little more to be gained by simply watching like a tourist.

Eventually he notes Peorth’s voice. “Everyone here still has their place. Even if it is not always understood.” Imladris welcomes that honest voice, even if he accepts his own failings in this vein. He comments in kind. “I pray to understand that, even further.”

Peorth just shrugs. “Tel est surfait parfois.” ...Imladris blinks and tries to understand that part. Just then however a soft ringing tone is heard from Peorth’s console. Imladris looks up as the Admin flicks a glowing button. The message is sent via link, so Imladris doesn’t hear, a good reason Peorth reasons a moment later after hearing. “Mon dieu.” ...with a sudden reflexive glance to Imladris, whom cocks an eye up. “Aye? What tis it?”

Peorth looks away and simply puts. “A slight problem was dealt with. You may want to head off for now paladin.”

Imladris blinks and wonders what this all means. He heads off, and saunters on somewhat aimlessly from there. The thoughts of the battle prior swim in his thoughts from there for awhile. Peorth sees him leave, and as such trades uneasy looks with the all too knowing Operators nearby.

The Forever goddess just sighs... "So much trouble for one that doesn't even know of such cause at times."

--------------------

It was one of the few times Lind ever had to stand before anyone for an actual disciplinary hearing. It was flat out worse in front of whom of choice, in the Judicators own Office. Elsewhere, Troubadour was getting an earful from the Spirit Council.

At least the neck marks would remind the Spirit of his unwanted discourse from earlier, would do better than the Spirit Council's own words, Lind knew of that much. However the act of near violence upon the Spirit, was enough to apparently warrant this meeting.

One Lind wasn't sure 'was' of merit.

"I warned you of becoming too close." ...nor the words the Judicator decided to start with. Lind cocked an eye, as she and Lord Frode traded a rather harsh stare. In fact, the way this was going, Lind as such began to realize something was ill here more, than a mere reprimand. Lind tested that, along the lines of... "I defended whom could not do the same in absence."

"And nearly committed a Sin in so doing." Frode countered. Lind really cocked an eye. "Pardon Lord Judicator? My actions wouldn't have ended up as..."

"And yet you nearly did."

When Frode suddenly turned away with discomfort, Lind stated, a bit out of turn. "I cannot condone such treatment unto one that lays all he does for us, with each mission undertaken. If we cannot see this, are we so much the better?"

"All I see is..." Frode starts to blast out with, but then snap controls himself. The next words would have snapped the Protection program upon his voice, such that would have threatened a whole lot more unto the both of them. Frode was no fool to not realize Almighty wasn't 'hearing in'.

Not that it helped next, of Lind's terse impart. "This isn't just about me."

Frode looked up at that. Lind's eyes reflected that the family line was more than capable of figuring unknown facts, to unwanted conclusions. One Lind didn't have enough information to go by. Frode simply stood, and barked out... "I warn you, of your actions, ones that are too likely to bring about harm unto more than just yourself. Harm that you cannot scarcely comprehend!"

Lind of course in the 'heat' of emotions, unusual to her stature, remanded  back. "Then I am 'warned', but not dissuaded."

"Fool."

The nigh venom in that single word, made Lind take a step back. As soon as both realized this, things in the room changed profoundly. Frode instead 'heard' how to proceed next, over the Council's own Network feed, and then imposed. "Your duties are amended, such to appease to discipline."

"I understand."

This time Frode was the one to shiver. From where this whence proceeded...

--------------------

When Imladris does find out, the Lord Knight is shocked of what the details impart. The fact he had been at the center of this incident, does not ease his always present insecurities. Enough in fact it drives him back to the Tyr spaceport sector, to keep out of the way of the incident in entirety, before it came for him as he feared it probably would in some measure of a form or another.

Meanwhile the incident has both Troubadour and Lind in front of no less than a Goddess of the Higher Seat. Both despite prior meetings. It twas not a fun affair.

In the discourse of learning what transpired, the System giving all relevant information without fail, the matter resolves with a slight reduction in license status for both deities, as well as both of them being assigned remedial system duties equivalent to a trainee Third Class cleaning bus ducts, or other such less than glamorous duties, for the remainder of the passing day. Other discipline was supposed to come after in fair measure.

However makes it a bit too clear her feelings on the matter, when Lind espouses her defence for the Lord Knight. Far more than what mere words started out as. Far more than mere insults had wrought, this Troubadour actually somehow listens to. Afterwards, Lind heads out to find the now retreated center of the quarrel, upon imparted advice.

Troubadour's fate, however was not in the hands of even a loved Norn.

--------------------

“Me, Lord Almighty?” Urd quips in surprise.

“: Aye. In your mind I am placing instructions concerning a Wish parameter that will occur in the early morning hours upon the third dimensional plane. :” ...of this, Urd quickly feels the data streaming into her coded mindlink. She also receives a coded algorithm indicating that the data cannot be discussed with anyone, on bar of a Protection Program, added unto a rather nasty feeling counter Seal. Urd senses this, gulps, and asks. “What is going on?”

Almighty calmly informs. “: To answer that question would be difficult to accept. As such, I am assigning two Valkyries to protect you. This is a unique situation, and I intend to have it all ended before it progresses further. Do you understand. :”

Urd truthfully isn’t sure. Almighty simply informs. “: All you must do, is initiate contact. If anything unusual occurs, do not hesitate to call on your support. At that time, all will become clear. :” ...this Urd simply nods. Almighty was taking a gamble here with Urd’s dual nature, but was also a tactical choice as well, given the circumstances. The two chosen Valkyries had already received similar orders and instruction, but in different parts of the plan than what Urd was given. At this, Almighty simply imparts... “: I pray for your success and for your safety. I trust you in so much of  my child. :”

Urd hears this, with utter confidence and concern, that Urd only nods. “I’ll get it done My Father.”

The Second Class goddess heads off, leaving Almighty to consider what the last remaining hours may mean.

--------------------

Meanwhile a phantom network is about ready to initiate the Plan, without either System realizing it.

--------------------

The eve didn’t seem as splendid this night. The stars seemed occluded, Lunia not as brilliant. Maybe he thought it was simply the mood he was in, the fact the day had been rather rambunctious and his senses were tapped as a result. He leaned over the railing of the same overlook from the night prior, and mulled over these thoughts. And much more. He had begotten enough of the incident with Troubadour, that a new wash of old insecurities kept striking at him, over and over. The more he tried to shove it all off this time however, as needless worry, the more it somehow made him consider how unique he himself was here.

No matter how many times he was told that there were other mortals in Heaven, simply said in other subspace frequencies, or whatever else shifts there were that existed in the infinite Multiverse and Planes, and that he was simply one being that existed in a layer of such dimensionalized space, therefore not that utterly exceptional in the end, he still felt the sting of being ‘unique’ enough in concert of this account at hand and Almighty written. The long of it, he felt too singled out, and was swamped of emotion to run away from it all with. Again.

He felt it, he knew it, he accepted it far more than what was healthy. He knew of the good and ill of both sides of this equation, and it still gnawed at him deeply every time he was involved in any situation that concerned him. This day had in fact been a banner day for such nonsense, and the incident with Lind and Troubadour exacerbated the worst of this entire aspect he suffered through.

He thought of what that was, and felt the sting so dearly, just as a voice flowed towards him from behind. “Imladris?”

He knew the voice well by now, but didn’t turn to look. Hearing the voice only echoed the sting just that much more, despite himself, dearly he tried.

Lind looked at the figure of the knight and cocked an eye. She didn’t sense it yet, and unlike another goddess or god, couldn’t sense in acute detail the mortal’s feelings. This was something that bothered her very dearly as well, and been a main consternation of pushing feelings further. Unfortunately this eve, the fears would be founded.

“Imladris?”

“Why?” ;

Lind blinked and wondered for a moment. She only responded with a clutch of both hands in front of her abdomen. “Meaning?” Imladris sighed, knowing just as well his emotions weren't readable without the System as a crutch. He just simply blurted out.. “I found out about that argument.”

Lind sighed and closed her eyes. “My apologies. Troubadour was...”

He turned and toned back... “Why did you do that? Why do such for me? Why?”

Lind reverted her emotions more neutrally, and responded. “I stood up for you, since the words were too much to bear. I do not regret my actions.”

The mortal turned away and huffed in discomfort as he felt his mind roil over and unto. Lind tried to comfort with a softer tone with... “No one is above such comments, especially when it is one I care for.” Imladris however was still not hearing what he should, and feeling too much emotion to think properly. He started blurting out without thinking. “It... still can’t justify standing up for me. Not here, not in this realm. I can’t be worth that, or above anyone. I know my place here, no matter how much others may want me to belong. I can’t... can’t...”

Lind puts in more roughly. “Your path can’t be alone if you are to remain here. I thought you were above this type of concern by now.”

“Not if I have crutches like you standing up for me like that! There is no honor in such things!”

Almost as soon as he stops, he hears a strange sound behind him. He turns to look and sees Lind turn away to hide very real tears. Without realizing it, the words hit her very hard, in as much all his words ever had so done all this time. Imladris wonders for a moment, then realizes this, and then his own words to his growing realization. The pit in his stomach falls out as he sees Lind struggle to keep her emotions together, and slowly failing most apparently.

He realizes he can’t say anything now to apologize, and just stands there. Lind soon after looks up through her tears and says... “I... I still don’t regret.”

A short moment later, he knows he is alone, most rightfully so. He taps the railing with his right hand, standing off from it, as he finally remembers himself properly. He silently curses his own stupidity, and then looks about.

“I need a fork.”

--------------------

The night that passed was one of the most uneasy ones Intracel ever had. Not included in the story so far, had been the effects on Nidhog and its own enslaved populace. Rivers of lava would turn cool and spring forth fragrances that were most unsulfur like. The sky parted with clear daylight in places, even at the dead of night. And hexes tended to make demons dance strangely, more so than ever beyond norms. Even some hexes themselves, acted ungainly on casting.

Even Hild began to notice something was amiss, and for someone that demanded such obedience from every last detail of everything the CEO demanded, this was beyond aggravating. More than a few demons were punished as a result but the situation was hardly resolved. Hild had intended to see to the matter with Almighty come morning light between the two realms of the Ash Tree, but time was essentially already expired.

And for two heavenly souls, Imladris slept poorly that night, Lind didn’t at all.

As the light did indeed start to break on that fateful day, one forgotten name would finally reassert itself, having pilfered enough system resources from both Systems, to recreate its own subsystem to act on the Plan that had been in the making for over five hundred years now, ever beyond since the last attempt a millennium ago. The catalyst was already long since in place. The Mandala to initiate with, connected via the same System protocols that governed Reality.

All that was left, was time's incessant march.

--------------------

He really didn’t sleep well that night. For once all that his mind could do was reverberate those last few moments in his mind over and over. It was like a curse was cast on him, the only rest of refreshment he got was in body alone, thanks to the essence of Heaven itself. Otherwise the mind was a wreck this growing Mercuria of light.

He walked/sauntered/something like in his replete armor, to the Mall, one of the food courts for a breakfast. He didn’t know why exactly he went there, he just felt staying at the starport residence was not a good thing at the present. However as he progressed, he noticed few goddesses that were near him, and those that were, weren’t giving endearing glances unto him.

Not that he expected such, he was a heel anyway. It all made him consider new things, all the while he was acquiring a small ration breakfast of fluff-milk pastry and more of that 1000% concentrate juice he liked normally. He went to a most empty table and sighed as he sat and ate silently.

At least for a short while anyway. “And so hence found.”

Imladris looked off to his left, and saw only one of the Generals this morning that hounded him down. The mortal winces at seeing Hirund and gulps down a last bite before leaning back and looking depressed.

Hirund... “I imagine I don’t need to admonish you, so I won’t. Still I imagine you should know better anyway.”

“I’m a royal ass. How’s that.” ...ala knightly self-admonishing.

“Fair enough.”

Hirund floated over and sat across from the Squire, as he finished his drink cup, then pushing it off to the side, where his plate and cup were phased away to be recycled for later use. Hirund waited for it, and Imladris delivered soon enough. He slumped his head into his arms on the table and moaned out. “I can’t shake it off. That whole day yesterday seemed to make me stand out more than I wanted to. The whole problem with it is that it seems the more I try to just fit in, the more it seems this place puts me on a pedestal. I think it’s time I accept that I cannot truly exist here without causing some kind of problem, by presence of just merely existing here.”
Hirund shakes her head and prompts... “Well you did make that Wish.”

Imladris just leans his head to the side, and asks with no common point really... “Did I make a mistake making that Wish? Do I belong here? Heh, course I don’t. Wouldn’t be the first story someone oversteps their bounds to become something out of a sense of belonging. I know what I keep hearing over and over, and still over and over. -deep sigh- Just wonder if I’ll ever do enough to justify that selfish Wish.”

“Did it ever occur to you, that we simply don’t judge that way?”

“Lord Troubadour does.”

Hirund laughs suddenly to Imladris’s discomfort, she settles down to a pointed... “That idiot thinks a song bird is the greatest of glories. He just represents veins of what alignments are. We are too straight forward a culture to be given more complexity than you give us credit for. Maybe too straight at that. What more, we are not being considered for that same straight forward thought by simplicity.”

Imladris raises his head. Hirund explains further. “When Phosus accused you yesterday, it was for that advice you gave Lind that one time.” ...he remembers well enough and comments... “It wasn’t really advice. I only guessed at her problem at the time. Boy was it guessing, can't believe I was right about that one. Surprised I was really listened unto then.”

Hirund leans forward at this. “Works about the same. When one of us listens to another, we don’t feel jaded emotions or complex mindset in the way mortals do. We are hinged essentially to the alignment of our realm, and hence we are pretty straight forward in how we act when around mortals. As much do we nominally do unto each other. Being a mortal just means you are a voice we hath more insight to heed from.”

Imladris shrugs, not quite buying into it, as expected of the mortal. “How often does that happen, besides through Wishes?”

“More than you think. Dreams and imaginations are their own worlds too to us. Beyond that, in the here and now, you are very much a part of this algorithm. We are inherently driven by those we oversee, even if many disdain for such. The responsibility and the power we occasionally oversee and give along the path, while watching evolution of the mortal races, means that while we are the better, we have to consider the lesser.

Since Lind has become so enamored upon you, however it happened, so such it has, your words affect her greatly. It affected Phosus, and my sisters and I rather dearly. What more, your character has been driving much of heaven to its own limits, pushing them the same what you do so often. The Combat Section in almost all it’s entirely feels this greatly."

Imladris blinked, as Hirund continued... "Between how you died, why you are here, and what you have done so far, it’s not that surprising you have fit as a cog in your own way in Heaven. One we have become reliant and proud upon. Maybe that is what you should be concentrating on more, and less on simply fitting in as a mortal does with a group of similar beings. It just simply doesn’t work that way in Heaven. All of us have to learn to earn our place. Nothing is lauded without earning equal measure. Ever such as so in Heaven. That is why you were defended. Why you gained both trust, and love.”

Imladris considers this as he looks down at the table. He still is uncertain about it all, as Hirund leans back and looks at the glowing morning sky. She then offers up as her suggestion to the matter at hand. “I’d consider taking that into account when you apologize to Lind. It’d probably be easier than you realize, if that is you accepted the truth of the obvious already.”

“That I love her? I already considered that.” ...the knight put forth rather readily. More than he realizes, about a second after he does realize. Further despite, apart to his remaining uneasiness... “Still, what may be so easy for you, isn’t so for me. I for one am not as evolved in the end, and I still feel my own admonishment for myself, before I feel what I obviously should. That plus I really did flub last night anyway.” He leaned down again. “I think I might go and see Almighty to request an assignment and be a coward for a short while.”

“I’d put in to disapprove it of course.” ...this Imladris chuckles, and sighs. “Expected you would.”

“And I’d yell for real if you do that. Goes against your very chosen name after all.” This the mortal squints up at. “So? It’s the name of an elven refuge in the books I cherish. Not really about honor or such.”

Hirund comments further to this. “And yet you chose it to honor yourself by. I know it is not your true name, and that you wish to save such for the one you love. Such we fully know you've lost access to your true name, and despite we would expect no less of this. Your mind is such open and all in the end. This is not a dour way of thinking, though you tend to be too mysterious for your own good." Hirund smirks at, and imparts with a dear tone unto... "If in the end you are by this name whom you become in our eye, at the very least honor that all in the end, by remaining truthful to such. If you do love her, just go to her and end this nonsense. It’ll at least give your mind ease, and begin an unknown road you foolishly have been enchanting careful steps to avoid.”

Imladris looks up with bland, closed eyes. “What if she kills me if I try to come unto her now?”

Hirund leans in at him and smirks. “We can always resurrect you good pup. Better to face your medicine and all.” ...this to whit the knight thunks his head on the table, now with the daylight in full measure upon the food court. “But I hate medicine, especially that damn castor oil.”

Hirund actually laughs a good bit, which covers the first sound of trouble off in the far distance. As she settles down in laughter, it slowly drops off, as more rough sounds start to remark in the air. It’s then the ‘last’ sound either of them expected occurs. Imladris raises his head, and recognizes the sound before Hirund does.

“What was...”

“Something detonated.”

Suddenly more of the explosions echo in the distance, and Hirund shoots to her feet, feeling it in the System, or ‘lack’ thereof. “Wha... I... I can’t sense Intracel.”

Imladris rises with growing worry in his heart, just before a scream is heard off in the distance. A kind Imladris knows all too well. “I think... no... we ‘are’...”

Hirund looks over, just as suddenly, a strange dull feeling auras over them both, as suddenly ash seems to suddenly form in midair, and deposit two gray and ashen beings, most zombie and lifeless, before them both.

“What the?!” Both warriors blurt, this as the two unknown beings each raise an arm, and ‘fire’ some kind of gray laden code energy at the duo. Imladris dives and knocks the General clear, just as the ‘shot’ shoots off and hits two spots in the food court, turning both into decaying areas of material.

“I think we better not get hit by those, whatever they are.” Imladris quips needlessly. Hirund rolls to her feet as Imladris rises. Both brandish their weapons in short and brilliant action. The two offenders of the unknown simply adjust aim and ‘fire’ again. Both dodge skillfully, and witness the impacts decaying the matter struck as well.

“What the heck?! Decomposition spells?” Hirund blurts in shock.

Imladris doesn’t respond to that, seeing an enemy simply attacking without warning. He has only one response for that. He shoots forward and quickly dispatches them both in two slashes, the offenders dropping into piles of ash and vanishing. Imladris blinks at the sight...“What the? What the heck?”

“WATCH IT!!”

Imladris barely sees Hirund shoot past him and decapitate two more offending ash-zombie things, avoiding their method of ‘fire’, and dispatching them easily as well. Imladris sees this and... “Thanks.”

“To the Hub, I can’t feel my System link.”

At that, the two shoot off on a long approach to race a suddenly besieged System Hub. Unbeknownst to them both, much of Heaven is under similar and unexplained assault. More of the unknown beings stand in their way and fall just as easily. Rising and falling in apparently limitless numbers.

Such is how Operation Ragnarok has begun.

--------------------

-System Hub on the cusp-

Peorth rubbed her eyes. After hours and hours of waiting, apparently results were at hand. Unbeknownst to her, it was coming from the last area she expected, yet what should have been utterly obvious from the outset.

About ten system minutes ago, Urd departed for the three dimensional plane and was making contact with an apparent Wish recipient. The System had just ended it’s weird anomalies, though no Bugs still were experienced presently. Urd had just made contact with the subject individual.

...just before a strange anomaly registered on the System holographics. As she watched, everything unfolded with horrid speed. She gasped at one point when the information was confirmed. “Oh dear Kami.”

--------------------

-A Wish on the edge-

Urd had reached the surface of a mountain side in the middle of the Carpathian mountains, hardly a fitting place for a Wish to be granted. “Where on this world is this place?”

As she arrived, she saw something move towards her. A strange shadowed over being, that seemed to look like the light played off of him, was of a negative from mortal cameral film. She guessed it was simply the morose weather, and tried to shrug it off. However trying to peer detail from the recipient, was difficult. As if her eyes were having trouble seeing this being logically. Any detail at that. She guessed this soul was the recipient, but it seemed like the target was approaching, without surprise. As she stood near the fire that was her teleport spot, rather than a television of norm, Urd sensed something was off.

As did the two Valkyries that watched the approaching recipient carefully. Urd kept her calm as the recipient finished approaching. Urd started as per normal routine for a Wish contract. “Greetings mortal, I am...”

“- Urd... system duality adjunct to the System, borne of Infernal Nidhog as well. -”

Urd 'urked' at the tone. The voice alone was disturbing, more than one it sounded like, such that sounded like some hivemind voice. But the words within were apparently just as striking. Urd demanded quickly. “How did you know...”

The stranger then suddenly raised his arm, and deployed some kind of black and gray lined spell blade, a kind of energy not of either Intracel of Nidhog. Urd saw this immediately and yelled. “What the Devil that is my Mom, are you...!??”

“- Your presence is no longer required. -”
Urd instinctively rolled clear out of the sudden slash move made by the stranger. As she does, the cut digs into the ground, causing it to actually melt and sizzle away into a decaying froth of matter. Urd sees this and realizes the energy in the blade is universal in effect. Dire in utter terms. "Oh no you..." Urd dives quickly further out of the way, but turns back to see the unknown assailant suddenly leap very swiftly at her. Urd tries to leap again, but the blade nicks her. She drops and feels even this small cut start to burn into her encoded flesh, and further, her system code network, even her personal firewalls. All of it with no apparent restraint, save for the size of the cut.

Urd feels it, as the stranger strides over her, holding the bade of his weapon high. She feels true terror swamp her senses, as she tries to figure out a way to...

“- Your presence is no more. -”

Urd cringes into a ball as the blade drops.

She hears two clashes stop the blade and she looks quickly to see two Valkyries blocking the blow. Why the blade of dark didn’t cut through the staff arms escapes her thinking, as a blue haired Valkyrie informs. “So ‘this’ is whom we were informed.”

However the tables turn just as fast.

“- Valkyries. Dual number. Countermeasures. Counter... unlocking objective parameter 663-091.7 Processing. -”

Urd blinks and blurts. “That sounds like system code parameters. How?!”

The being suddenly turns blank in eye for a moment, but then the ‘real’ mind suddenly comes to the fore. As if a switch is suddenly turned with horrid effect. At this, a dark, gritty seething, much more monolithic than a mere demon version, and much less emotion driven, stabs the air of this empty morning.

As the three goddesses watch on, the being draws back and holds his blade with more loose grip. He then opens his utterly hollow eyes, filled with gray ash.

“- And so the day of Voluspa has come. -”

All three react in shock. “What did he say!?”

The next blow came so fast, and acted so strangely, the two Valkyries never saw it coming. The two goddesses fell in screaming wisps of decaying code, that suddenly flowed right into the ashen being. In fact everything happened so infernally fast, Urd all but blindly leapt back into the still lit fire to port back to Heaven. Doing so didn’t matter to the dark Wraith, since it already had enough stolen code from the two downed Valkyries, along with all the previous First-Class victims, not just goddesses alone now, to create the necessary System breaches to invade through.

As soon as Urd escaped, the Wraith took the now ash colored, stolen code and forced open the first invasive virus portal. A simple ‘copy-paste’ of the same code was sent back through the Wraith’s subsystem link, to the Voluspa Network, which had now finished all the necessary shadow links with both Intracel and Nidhog. All that had been needed, was one more proper goddess set of codes, through which the Doublet System would provide one other demon parameter set. Urd however presented a quandary not expected by the Wraith. Then the ‘saviors’ arrived.

Now he had one extra set instead.

At that, the Wraith entered the portal and a genocide ages in the planning, began.

--------------------

Peorth was watching this all happen in far too all clear real time, when Chrono shouted out. “Urd just phased back into the System! We’ve lost contact with the Valkyries!” ...this Peorth gasped as she ordered. “Seal all access points and don’t let anything...”

Just then, Peorth felt a hand on her shoulder, a feeling of deathly cold ire. She looked over and saw what she thought for a moment was... “Madame Gaea?” ...before she saw the familiar features look every bit corrupted and turned, as if looking into a negative photograph. Peorth started to ask reflexively, then felt her shoulder turning ‘gray’. She pulled away suddenly as... “QUE...?!”

‘Gaea’ simply replied. “: I foresee your demise. None else cannot. :”

Before Peorth or anyone else could react, the Hub suddenly started to lose operational power. Even the Hub nexus and it’s holographic screen tubes began to shut down. All without apparent heed! “We’re losing power! Nothing is responding!!” ...Ere announces, before she loses complete operational control.

As the clamor of panic began flooding the Hub, Peorth turned around and struck chord back at ‘Gaea’. “What are you doing? I can't feel the System, what...!?”

“: It was MY System to take away in the FIRST place! Whom was it that gave the secrets in the first place when asked! Was it not I!? :”

The voice change alone, one never to be forgotten, makes Peorth float back and accuse in a struck pointed finger... “You’re not Gaea!”

All the being that was supposed to be a goddess does, is clench a wretched sneer, and reply. “: As if I ever cared being that weak fool. As if ‘caring’ matters now. :” ...this as strange sounds start flooding the Hub chamber, as the first of dozens of ash-zombies suddenly start appearing and attacking, scattering the goddesses in all directions. Escape is by both random act, and random chance. For some, there isn't.

As this happens, the Hub goes dark, the Voluspa Network invading the unwitting System and severing all links via its own firewalls, ones it slams into all system links. As a result all the goddesses lose track of almost everything, save for life support, provided by the very heavenly Plane itself, and their own base acuities.

The assault meanwhile attacks Nidhog in the exact same vein, as more ash-zombies attack the Nidhog Core, the demons given no equal quarter, as a flood of ash-zombies starts to spread through both systems. In an unprecedented and unknowable act, the assault moves swiftly to spread into both Realms, taking full advantage of the confusion that Voluspa herself had created.

The intention: End. Pure of End itself.

No one was spared from the assault.

--------------------

Belldandy was working in the relief Office, and witnessed Urd head off on an assignment, and was therefore there when Urd appeared in a flare of fire portal swirl! Bell and a number of other Office goddesses saw this, with Bell racing over. “Sister?!”
“A trap!” ...Urd has only enough time to stab out, before the first soulless ash-zombies suddenly appear, equal to the shock of everyone including Belldandy. Then the chaos and attacks begin, as they utter over and over... “- All is not needed. -” ...as decomposition spells stab out at their elusive targets.

Rapidly the Office is emptied, as more soulless appear and keep targeting any goddesses in sight.

--------------------

Skuld falls to her rear in terror, as she managed to avoid the first attack of more of the strange beings that started appearing all over the place. “W... wh... who are you?”

“- All is ‘not’ needed. -” ...says the ashen assailant, before leveling a blast at Skuld. The child goddess screams before she feels herself yanked away in the utter nick, by a white clad jumpsuit number. “What?”

“Keep sharp.” ...Lind says, Skuld nodding in pure reflex. The ash-zombie emotionlessly turns and aims for another shot. It never finishes it, as Lind quickly summons her weapon and dispatches the being, depositing it in an ash pile.

“What the?” ...even Lind says, as suddenly another of the beings appears and suddenly attacks the nearest goddess, a separate Third Class number that takes the blow dead in full. Skuld and Lind watch in horror as the goddess screams into a decomposed pile of decaying code matter. Lind furiously shoots across and destroys the creature in turn, just before yet another appears! Lind does not give it the chance and slashes it back to whence it came. Lind then sees another two forming and orders. “EVERYONE OUT!!”

Lind however gets caught off guard by a side blast that she just barely dodges. Just as the being turns for another shot, a hammer fells him from a wide left to right side swing blow. Lind sees the thing pile into a gray mound. Lind looks over and notes. “Hey, this is our duty station you know.” ...to a Norn lass's huff.

Lind just looks, but then blasts over to destroy another ash-being in quick succession. Lind realizes. “If you stay, you don’t hold back. Skuld nods, though scared out of her wits, a brow of rage however burning within them. “You know it.”

Lind shoots back out, whence she came. Her doldrums of the night prior utterly replaced by the situation at hand. As the sudden battles keep spreading everywhere, it’s clear whatever is going on is bigger than even Lind can conceive. "What the blazes is happening?!" Not that ‘any’ First Class goddess could.

To even get any answers, she has to fight through ashen hordes of these things that keep springing up and attacking, then falling with such ease, only to have more take their place, over and limitless over to her Axe.

Lind could do only what she could.

--------------------

What all the rest of Heaven could. Fight back.

For the goddesses in general, it was fight in place or run and get caught by another assault elsewhere and end up fighting or being eradicated anyway. The assault was so expansive, even the more amicable and pacifist of goddesses were not spared.

And some were not.

The battle already took down sixteen goddesses of all license levels, but worse, another seven fell without ever being struck.

For Nidhog, seven fell to attacks, but sixteen of their own burst in black encoded flame without ever getting scratched. The ashen opponent of both Systems knew better the deadly secrets of the Doublet System better than their targets did, and knew it was only a matter of time before one side or the other would fall to a mistake and two would die as one.

And still they kept on coming.

--------------------

Medical Section was under equal assault, a Medical Section Head of Seat, having to rely once more on Valkyrie skills she thought she'd never have to use again.

The same in Pandemonium, on both sides Sector.

The same of a Judicator that near became the first of the Council to fall, at the onset. The skills of three Valkyrian celestials mettled equal to Lind's own this day. And no time to speak, or think of any other between them.

Only time to fight. And fight all of Heaven did.

--------------------

The fighting engulfed even the War Sections, the Valkyries and even Einherjar Fields into the Chamber of Valor. There Thor was quite busy himself slamming every intruder he saw, his power insurmountable, even as a number of shots struck his form. Apparently the decomposition code not very effective on him. He did see the effect is did have on a Valkyrie that was struck blindsided. His shock and anger resulted in a high leap and slam to the ground, obliterating over thirty in a single shockwave blow. After, he rose from his kneeled position, and barked out... “: If this tis to be War, SO BE IT ALL OF HEAVEN’S CALL!! :”

This reverberated though Heaven as a clarion call.

Heaven responded.

--------------------

“: They did not even get close. :” ...Kami-sama informed as two more Higher Seat gods, Freyana and Veli attended him, the piles of ash accumulating as they tried to form, creating a decent ashen mess all over the floor. Spotty at that.

“: It seems they managed to override the main System protocols and assert their own codes. We ascertained that much, but more information is still sketchy. More of the Council are trying to reach the Hub and the Mainframes, but we cannot contact them in their current blackout state. :”

Almighty asked quickly... “: What of the lower planes? :”

The two gods were shocked at this. “: Do you not know? With the System down, we do not know either. :”

Almighty informed with a tone of unease. “: It would seem Something is occluding my senses beyond this realm. I have a Formal sense of why however. :”

Just then Thor’s voice bellowed over ‘all’ of Heaven, at which Veli commented. “: How interesting everything is happening so quickly. :” ...a bit out of tone for the dire situation at hand. Veli however senses a moment later a change in Almighty’s mood, this to whit Freyana asked with a shudder of her gold mane. “: What just ha... :”

“: A foreseen destiny finally taking place, I remark. :” ...at that, Almighty Commands... “: Attend to the System and it’s assailant at Central. Keep other concerns to my trusted servants as of now. :”

They didn’t ask. They obeyed and departed. (Fighting all along the way as they did. Boy pissing off the Secretarial Section was a bad idea.)

--------------------

“What do you mean Intracel is under attack too?” Hild seethed.

The demon that delivered this striking report, replied roughly... “We believe this is the case, as we cannot ascertain how we are losing so many agents, other than possibly having to do with...”

Hild waved it off, as she noted another ash being immolate upon another activated trap, such that her Office was saturated in. Once it was clear what was going on, Hild wasn’t having any of it and ordered all Demons forces to scour Nidhog of the intrusions. The Horde alone, was having a field day with this new enemy. And they as any, felt the same brunt from the endless Soulless assault. What Hild suspected however, was essentially confirmed by this report, giving her reasons of the Doublet System at heart a clear cause and target of this assault. But so far, that was all that was happening. It seemed only the populace was under attack, not the Systems. Not directly that Hild herself felt of dire worry. For whatever measure this meant, was lost, as this was a poor presumption to take. Such Hild ordered with a snarl. “We want Our System up and running within ten minutes. If you wish to live that is.”

The demon however complained. “How can we if the System isn’t responding? It's not like we're not trying dammit!”

“If that is so, why are you not falling dead like flies? The System ‘is’ running. We suspect the same for our counterpart. Disconnect our System from theirs for a short time, then reboot from our backups, and regain control.”

The demon looked shocked. “But if we do that, we’ll lose all access to the souls of the Third Plane.”

Hild just grabbed the Demon. “Would you rather lose all control forever? Or just for a short time! Decide if you complain as someone apparently the wiser.” The demon just blurted. “It will be as you demand.”

“Good slave.” ...just as Hild tosses the Demon Agent off for her to rush back whence she came. Hild meanwhile considered immediately a different tact. She turned and commanded her personal system archives, separate from the rest of any other system links, to activate. “Prepare this command code algorithm. Search and eradicate protocols.”

“- Target parameters? -” ...the mini-system voice chorded out.

“Viral code Alpha, search sector Periphery adjuncts.”

“- Subject target? -”

Hild smiled, knowing what she was doing. “Do not target Intracel bus lines, concentrate on links foreign to either primary System.”

“- Acknowledged. -”

Hild smiled. If this went right, she would have an Ace up her sleeve for some point in the future.

If anyone survived this assault that was. Such she then ordered. "Amend to also have a Viral Eye Program spy in on any events within Intracel. We suspect destiny will play a dire part here today. This if We know Heaven's vices well."

"- Acknowledged. -"

Hild just waited from here on out.

--------------------

It had been all less than a half hour, at least. Yet by now Thor’s voice had rallied the Host to arms. Petitioners began to gather in small groups, as did goddesses and Valkyries. For the Valkyries began to gather at designated rally points all over Heaven. From there they began to quickly over power their numerous assailants. However the Hub was still silent and energy levels for the goddesses were starting to become noticeably lower.

There were few indications of what the objective of all this was, only that it was expansive, and seemed to be attrition draining at the very least. The Soulless enemy of ash seemed to be weak and unorganized, yet extremely numerous and deadly with their single apparent attack. By now every last goddess was striking back for their fallen brethren, their speed and quick learning managing to overcome much of the initial surprise of the assault. Each and all were infused with at least White Wing training for a demonic version of an event like this, and all such came to the fore.

However time was not on the goddess’s side, with Hub and their power source cut off. And yet they fought on as wrath dictated. And yet of them all of these Soulless attacking, one finally arrived was utterly different than the rest. This what Almighty sensed all too dear.

Destiny indeed becometh.

--------------------

Hirund and Imladris manage to fight their way to the connection lines between Hub and War Sectors. There Phosus and six Valkyries with her link up with the pair. Hirund compliments... “Tis well to see you.”

“We have troops starting to create a perimeter between this causeway. Despite their ability, these ash foes, we seem to be able to overpower them at ease.”

Hirund nodded, noting explanations were not needed. They spoke as Imladris and the other Valkyries dispatched any attacks up to ten meters away for the short breath moment. Phosus asked as they were fighting. “Any word on what is really going on?”
“No, I can’t contact my Sisters, or the System itself. Everything is cut off.”

Imladris hears this and barks. “We need to breach the Hub then. That’s the only place we can get answers.” Phosus agrees readily. “That and get back our energy support. I can feel the drain on my reserves already. We may have to use our boosters soon here, and lean on our angels more.”

Hirund then commands. “Then the path is clear. Follow the Lord Knight's path, he's not affected by the drain, like we are!” ...at that the lot of them begin a long chained fight, as they obliterate every ash-zombie that stands in their way. Doing so, they gather every goddess they see and form a main assault party to drive even harder with.

--------------------

At the same time, goddesses from the Brightwater residential zones begin taking back important areas where technical deities manage to arrest communications from subsystems and power them with hastily made generators from all sorts of energy sources. Some even use fashions of a cycle chained to a clunky generator machine. Whatever it takes. Including assistance from the Spirits, whom on permanent Invitation from the Almighty as it was, begin feeding spirit energy from various Planes such as Elysium and beyond. Even some lower third-dimensional energy is siphoned for this emergency. Indeed, whatever it takes.

As a result, it does not take much longer to create static communication lines between certain sectors. Coordinating where they can, and off further word of mouth, the originally surprised populace wrests back control of enough to begin creating safe zones, areas where concentrations of goddesses, gods and spirits can support each other, and not be caught alone and ambushed. A harsh decision is also made, as the Seraphim are ordered to take more of the brunt of attacks, of which the act is done with willingness of knowledge of what was suddenly at stake. Given the Seraphim harnessed energy directly from Heaven itself, the same as Imladris did, this gave the goddesses the ability to conserve their power, for the most part.

This however does not solve the problem of the apparently constant invasions, the numbers rising and dropping as the battle progresses. It also doesn’t help explain anything of ‘why’ this is happening.

However the enemy concentrations seem to be higher at the Hub, and there the battle is far more in doubt. Still, the numbers are high, yet the fighting equally furious, yet casualties low, most injuries caused are near hits that ‘wound’ the code of each goddess’s dimensional structure. Despite the calamity of it all, only two more goddesses in fact fall. No others mysteriously fall either in fact, of the Doublet.

At least from the brunt of the Soulless alone, not including the single vector of such Hate amongst.

--------------------

Foot falls plod heavily along, as Mist and Rend keep pace, behind them a literal Host of Valkyries and Petitioners with Demesus amongst a number of Valkyrie Commanders. Ahead of them all, the War God in a rage, runs in thick plods, as his own troops behind him, fly in a growing cloud or wrath on behind.

Mist comments as she sees more of the assailants get cut down by small periphery battles, holding her ice whip. “Why are so many continuing to appear when they are defeated so easily? It doesn’t make sense.”

Thor just commands. “: Nay of it matter any! They all will be cast out of hallowed ground! :”

Rend just comments to Thor. “Master, why do you not fly with speed?”

“: I prefer to have my victims hear my approach. :”

Mist and Rend just teardrop a glance at each other. Meanwhile the fight approaches where...

--------------------

The group led by Hirund left from The Goddess Mall Sector, now approaches a ring of gardens below the circular structures that comprised the Hub outer archways. The fighting had been incredible enough already, if straight forward. Imladris suspected something was wrong with just mere attacks like this, even in numbers, as they all pushed forward. Such Imladris voiced after cutting down another ashen foe. “Is this all they are going to do?”

Hirund slashes three more in the same swing of her Axe as she yells back. “I’m game for any guesses what is going on here!” Phosus cuts her own share of enemies, commenting with two Valkyries watching each other’s backs. "All they seem to want to do is attack, nothing else obvious has happened yet."

“That’s what worries me.” Imladris replies back, dispatching one aiming for another Valkyrie. “Either their attack on the Hub failed, since there’s no other reason to attack Heaven like this, or their attack is distracting us from getting to stop what the real attack is.”

Hirund destroys another ash-zombie and guesses. “To keep fighting like this means it’s all out. They can’t have failed yet then. Nor we then.”

At that, Imladris reforms his weapon into a projectile energy bow, and prepares to discharge an intense blast at the nearest archway. “DOWN!” ...this the Valkyries see and duck!

A large blast bolt the size of a modern truck, aglow and furious, clears large numbers of the ashen enemy. The massive blast detonates a large billowing discharge radius all around one end of the outer ring, removing large numbers of the enemy in the way with one shot. However the attack refrains from harming even a single celestial within the area. Even Hirund is surprised at the scale of the attack. “Where did you learn that attack?”

“Thank the demons about a year ago. We don’t have time for crud.” Imladris outright bolts forth with, reforming his blade in so doing. Phosus rushes forth with her numbers in tow. “Right behind ya.” ...this Hirund follows the same. The group dispatch a few more enemies that form, but find the blast did its job well, and they manage to fight their way into the inner ring, up to the upper levels.

--------------------

All too well. The original Wraith sees the blast, and knows where to go, apparently sensing destiny at hand as well. As he progresses however sees three Valkyries stand before him. “Hold it!”

“- No. -”

One is cut down and two more wounded, as the Wraith begins to push aside all too easily, the celestial warriors that intercept him. A gruesome trail begins to form behind him as he heads for that detonation.

--------------------

Peorth manages to gather several of her kin and make a stand near an energy conduit chamber. She looks back at her charges, Chrono, Ere and Ex among them. “Tout le monde d'accord?”

“Not really.” Ere winces, having taken a glancing shot to her left side, the wound slowly eating at her like a bleeding wound. Peorth sees and knows her friend does not have much time. Nonetheless, each of the staff wielding goddesses still keep their eternal cool, as the blasts zing around their position, but none connecting. Any offending enemies are destroyed without hesitation, such as one Peorth sees forming to their rear, but which Ex pummels in anime wacky fashion. “Take that, and THAT you creep!”

Peorth however dives her head away as a decomposition code shot bounces off the side of the chamber door. “We can’t stay here for long.”

Just then, a set of explosions starts to echo in closer and closer, this Peorth hears before she dives fully away from the hatch, as another detonation blows a large gout of ash-zombies into oblivion. Peorth looks up, and wonders, just as the sound of... “Now that’s goddess bomb power!” ...a Future form of salvation!

Peorth disbelieves, and checks with a rise and turn of her head around the corner. Whit to at face level, she meets Bell’s face dead on. “Oh, hello there.” Peorth blinks twice, and then sees Urd and Skuld chucking bombs and spells all over the place, using up what they have on their rather obtuse alpha strike. Peorth stutters... “B... Belldandy?”

“We’re gathering survivors and trying to head outside.” ...the eternal goddess Presently informs. Peorth nods, and thanks the Almighty for these three Norms. However she realizes and shakes her head. “Non. Wait, how many of us did you reach?”

Bell thinks and speaks... “A few dozen, mostly from the Hub room after the confusion of this fighting.” Peorth informs. “We have to make it back to the control center and stop Gaea.”

Belldandy gasps. “Lady Gaea? Why her?”

Just as Skuld blows to smithereens another zombie thing, Peorth just puts a hand on Bell’s shoulder and informs. “Because she is not who we think she is at all.” Bell blinks, and then sees Peorth’s shoulder. “You’re hurt.”

“No time, we have to get there now!”

Just then a large detonation billows shimmering energy into the hallways, and destroys a huge number of enemies, as the energy swirls around the goddesses. Urd nearby yelps. “What was ‘that’?!”

Bell and Peorth however cover each other as the blast makes Skuld scream and fall to her hinny. They are thankful to never see the Soulless that formed right on top of them, but never made it's attack. Knightly providence indeed.

--------------------

By now, three distinct groups of Valkyries and celestials are closing in on the Hub, as the larger Thor enraged force approaches in close battle pursuit. The enemies keep appearing in a constant rate, but the grouped numbers and wise of though tactics of the warriors of Heaven essentially render the attackers inert. The wounded are moved along with the healthy to keep the enemy from claiming any more victims.

The closest to breaching the ashen gauntlet, and reaching the entrapped Hub administrators and workers are Hirund’s group, through which Imladris’s impressive attack creates the needed breach. Upon entering the inner ring, and fighting up to the fourth level, the group reaches a small cloister of goddesses that have made adhoc communications connection to other available sectors across Heaven. Hirund and Phosus get the first word of how massive the battle is, and also initial guesstimates of casualties. Hirund hazards openly... “They seem indeed to be pinning us down, but they aren’t all that effective. The Hub must be the target. Nothing else makes sense now otherwise.”

Phosus just also hazards to a worse mindset... “Agreed, but what are they doing to it?”

Hirund looks at Phosus with a blank stare, just as Imladris cuts down another forming enemy with his morphemic blade. Suddenly, one of the communicating goddesses yelps up. “Something is coming. Off to the northwest Hub section. Something... different.”

Just then, some ‘very’ weird sound, and weirder sight, suddenly occurs from that direction, as everyone watching sees through open air sections through the roofing and walls,  a spreading ‘balloon’ effect of gray-white and lifeless looking code lines, that come with a good number of pain wrenching screams. “What by Kami did ‘that’?!” Hirund comments.

Imladris sees as well, thereof not seeing an ash creature appear behind him dead on, as is the direct attack Phosus sees to her horror. “WATCH OUT!!” ...just as the blast hits him hard, knocking him down. Hirund sees and angrily destroys the offending enemy, just as several Valkyries and goddesses reach in horror at Imladris’s crumpled form. At least for a moment, as he is rolled over, and he coughs out a gray mist. Ashen wispy but otherwise. “Owwie, what hit me?”

Phosus is shocked by this. “Wha... you took a direct hit! You should be.” Imladris moans but leans up and imparts. “Sorry to disappoint.” Phosus sighs a quick sigh of relief. “Hardly.” ...this Hirund notes and comments. “Wonder why that didn’t work on him.”
“The attacks seem to be code based.” ...a nearby Debugging goddess First-Class comments as Imladris is helped up. Phosus surmises... “Maybe he’s too simple a lower dimensional body to be affected like us. Maybe that’s our advantage.” Imladris hears this and moans. “If that means I’m supposed to be some human shield for these attacks, I want extra cake later on.” ...this a needed boost to morale comes across as said needed of smiles, from the celestial lot.

Just then another of the strange attacks hits in closer to the northwest, and Hirund guesses. “Whatever is doing that, it’s heading for the Hub. It needs to be stopped.”

“Allow moi.” ...the knight offers in a growl, as he stands. Hirund blinks, and then nods, sensing suddenly this may be a wise course. Phosus blinks and objects. “We should remain...”

Imladris just imposes instead, outright... “The best course is for you guys to get to the Hub. I can handle whatever is coming instead. Just trust me.”

Hirund knows that the time has indeed come, on more than one long awaited level. She holds a hand to hold up Phosus from objecting further, and imparts. “Maybe that Wish now becomes justified.”

Imladris looks back and nods, even though he has no clue what he is allowing himself to get involved in. It seems of importance to still do this, and imparts back... “Just get that Hub back online.” ...put in a rather commanding tone. The goddesses gathered nod variously, as does Phosus in worry.

Just then, a small blast toss disintegrates a dust mass of ash of one enemy, allowing the Norms and Peorth to appear from a separate far end archway, along with a number of other goddesses. Linking up, Hirund sees and comments. “More good news.” ...just as Imladris turns around and then leaps hard into the air, before anyone can react.

Belldandy rushes up and sees Hirund, just after Imladris leaves. “General. It’s good to see you.”
Hirund nods and sees Peorth and what is left of her Operators, a few more of them, including Chrono now, sporting wounds of gray.

“We have to get to the Hub.” Peorth needlessly says again, Hirund nods. “Let’s not dally then. Like the Lord Knight said.” Urd nearby quips. “He did?”
“Aye.” Phosus and Hirund say in the same word.

--------------------

She watched as her work was finally taking form. Now that all the interlopers had been driven from their duty stations, she could finally conduct her true attack, of which would ruin the World Tree and it’s true reason for existence, as the Ragnarok Program was unleashed.

All about her Progenitor form, the illogical paradox of her format, swirled endless ass about her, as not unlike a singularity, as such of actual natural form, took in all matter that is grabbed from the cosmos. This format here, was of endless ash that created an actual accretion disk, that glowed of bright burning gray ash. Endless ash, as it swirled and created actual ejection 'poles', also as if the gravity of the singularity was ejecting overcharged cosmic rays. This format however, had Her Will's own code, reaching out, and stabbing into everything in the Hub, that it could. Only the actual Intracel Core 'tree' was untouched, and She knew why.

Voluspa watched as Her formal Eternal plan was finally coming true at last.

Such that She waited for Him to come and stop Her, as Code ever dictated.

--------------------

The Wraith lost count of how many celestials had tried to stop him, and either lay badly wounded, or running in retreat, as even large scale assaults of Valkyries were thrown back by using his Decomposition Aura spell, over and over. He sneered at how pointless their assaults had become, now that their spells were essentially nulled. Not even their angel Partners could do much more than add weight to attacks he waved away with all too ease, than a being should unto these powerful beings.

However he smirked upon the simplicity of it all, feeling the numb decaying soul of the mortal he killed and subsumed to become this weapon for the Ragnarok Plan. It was such a simple form that allowed his true powers to outwit the power of the goddesses, and the Valkyries in keen note, as he simply became the original form of all the ash-zombies, better known as the Soulless, and through all the copy-paste routines, used them to apply his base template to all the Soulless petitioners that resided in the Outlands.

After a thousand years of unbelievers to cull from, as any form of a fuel, an army was now striking with full force, with the Wraith as the General of this attack. All of it to simply draw attention, as the One Goddess Seer intended. His intention now however, was to make them all suffer, every goddess he could attune his wretched sight upon, and spread the Decomposition Code of Unbelief to them all, to watch them all wither away in agony.

It was fitting punishment as far as the Wraith cared, using the mortal shell as his key to access the three dimensional wavelength the goddesses and demons shared with the lower planes, whence how the code spell was so devastatingly effective. For now anyway, hence why the distraction and the timeline of the plan. The Wraith didn’t concern himself with all of this, the possibility about as important to him as caring at all.

He kept advancing, parrying and cutting down Valkyries that got in his way. Eventually however they started to change tactics on him, and simply were forming a perimeter to try and gather enough numbers in one successive wave to stop him, no matter how many fell. They had reached a large garden with multiple statues, fountains and more, just before the northwesterly archway of the outer Hub ring, and was in position to threaten a second group trying to breach into the Hub, when Lind reached them with a small attack group of celestials.

Lind saw this strange enemy, some dark and gray ashen being in robes that sifts away like falling black and gray sand in a smoldering hourglass. The armor of twisted metal, fit indeed for a wraith knight of some form, spokes in armor spikes and hooks that screeches with each step the ashen wraith lord takes. At the hilt where a head should be, only white, lifeless, soulless eyes stare back with a smoldering fire, within a cowl of saccloth, of where no emotion exists, but burns as deathly as anything in Nidhog.

It’s held blade looked like a smoking sliver of metal that kept spewing ash riddled smoke, taking the very color from the very air around it. The Caceri Blade, it’s effect already told on numbers of goddesses already, as he stopped, looking at his prey surrounding him. He seethed with such a hate, that the goddesses alone were having trouble enduring.

Lind looked and wondered what they could do to stop him. “Can we simply rush him all at once?” ...one of the Valkyries spoke next to Lind, as the First Class warrior watched the now stationary opponent. Lind judged by the looks of the being, that taking the blunt approach would not be best here. Instead she imparted... “No. We need to outthink this thing, before the other enemies...”

“- You already lost. -”

Lind is silenced, as suddenly the wraith lord billows his ashen powers in both hands, even with blade still held. Lind sees this and can tell the power of the spell is too much, and drops the everything, as she suddenly charges quickly despite all watching, trying to reach the wraith first before he unleashes the spell.

Of which she had no chance. She reaches just in range to slash at, just as the wraith glares wish-burning soullessness at her, and triggers the spell.

For a moment, the entire area loses all color, and flickers in between a negative photographic state, and a gray colorless one. Within it, shadowed code lines scatter in lines everywhere, every moment of it as devastating as intended. Using his full power stolen Hex code to amplify the nominal power of the Decomposition aura, it essentially is nigh celestial napalm in effect, shattering subspace and tossing all the goddesses around like toys!

Lind, at the ground zero point, essentially takes a full brunt hit of this, but somehow manages to only be tossed back a great deal. She skids somewhere amid other goddesses, all of them sporting ‘gray’ scars all over their forms. It is unknown whether the Wraith held back or didn’t have the power he wanted, but the effect is still horrifying to witness by those outside the aura radius.

Lind struggles to get to her feet, and can barely even move as it is. As such, she feels her body so weak, ever more than it ever has been in her life. “H... how... Where... that power...”

Suddenly a gray shadow stands over her, and deliberately eyes her, as she sees a warped metal boot of sick gray and black seethe ash in front of her. She manages to look up, and roll over to her back. The wraith just glowers over her with a drab glance, and blade over her neck.

She doesn’t speak, just growls between her wincing gray sores. He just clenches the jagged blade for a short moment, and then turns it to point it with both hands upon her throat. As Lind is unable to move for that moment, and dearly she tries, it’s obvious how terminal this moment truly is!

He doesn’t even give satisfaction of last words of the pointless, and raises his blade.

And then sees before she does, a gleaming figure slam dead into the wraith, and actually tumble skidding the wraith a good distance away!!

Lind feels her heart skip a beat when she sees the stern caped form of the mortal knight from her position from behind, towering over her as all of Heaven's wrath, standing with all that magnificent rage, brought upon with that one attack. Such was her watershed moment to witness. (Hey, she couldn’t help it in that moment, being saved for ‘real’ does that.)

As the wraith starts to stand, they notice something else odd, as the Valkyries manage to regain what strength they have. "Huh? Where'd all the enemy go to?" The Soulless in the area are nowhere to be seen.

It’s lost on the Knight as he holds his own weapon at level. “And what do we have here?”

The Wraith takes one look at the new and most unexpected different of opponent, and then wordlessly launches at the knight. In kind the Knight shifts and parry and then shove off the first attack, the Wraith surprised finally to find his blade effect and aura did nothing to the unknown warrior. To this Imladris takes the momentum he pushes with and kicks off to overswing his own blade, slamming the wraith blade off and away rather easily, at which the wraith skids again to a painful looking stop.

In just one attack, it seems everything turns at the flip of some methodical coin.

Lind for one watching, feels her encoded heart beat beyond her usual norms.

--------------------

Thor’s group enters from one area at ground level, just as Hirund’s own pincer reaches another point on the sixth level, to access the Hub from. The two other assaulting groups manage to reach wounded and cut off goddess cells, just as the Soulless seem to drop all numbers for some unknown reason.

Thor notes this, as he leads his force into the second level access arch, and links up within, at the outer hallway cove that surrounds the main Hub chamber. The walkways here overhang an open chasm that surrounds the egg like wall of the Hub interior. The scene where placed two of the parties at hand.

Hirund, Peorth and Belldandy enter first, and reach the gilded overhang, to which when Thor, Mist and Rend enter from their vantage point. Their respective parties emerge and spread out, but find enemies suddenly absent. “Master!” Hirund calls out from above, to which Thor demands. “: Where did all our enemies go unto? :”

“No idea Milord, but we didn’t see any as we reached this chamber.” Hirund accounts, such that Peorth considers. “If that is so, then we are running out of time.”

Just as Peorth says this, a shocking moment occurs, as everything suddenly 'blips' black for a split second, and then the chamber arch near Thor and his force opens with no warning. Eyes peering unto the dusk interior begins to show a figure emerging from it. As it emerges more and more, Thor is aside his own bewilderment, as… “: W... wha... WHAT!? ALMIGHTY!?! :”

Before them all, to the rattling gasps amongst them, is first the actual avatar form of the Heavenly Lord, with whom Freyana walks behind him a short distance. Freyana looks with a strange faraway look, as everyone watching looks on in confused awe, Thor drops to meet the Great Lord, and stammers to ask... “: Wha… but… what are... :”

In turn and vein only It can answer for. “: You will find all apparatus functions ready to be reestablished if you hurry. The problem at hand has passed. :”

Thor doesn’t understand what is going on, which is saying a lot for a High Seat god that had seen just about everything the time-space continuum had to throw at reality and the dimensions. He just asks in a meek voice. “: But... what... what happened? Who is...? :”

Almighty shakes It’s ageless head, hidden by both indelibly long glowing locks, and shadows and glow not easy to see past for detail of facade The mighty Lord only comments... “: I only Seeked what needed to be done. Do not burden your mind with Truths you are not ready to accept. :”

Thor didn’t get it, and admittedly, he wanted to know answers verily terribly. For he and the goddesses watching and unknowing as well, that answer was not to come in the here and now. For now at current.

Just as this happens however, a sound suddenly stabs in some echo somewhere, this as Almighty informs in Commandment. “: Reestablish the System, before the Viral incursion Nidhog Hild unleashed causes harm to the mortal planes. By my Order! :” ...this as Peorth and a gamut of goddesses suddenly flow like a tidal wave into the now empty System chamber. It does indeed take them little long to reestablish the severed links.

Meanwhile Almighty ‘glances’ at Thor, knowing the Generals hear, including Hirund approaching. Phosus in tow to reach Demesus. “: I dare suggest you find my mortal Hand before his combat desiccates his form. Unlike my end of the matter, Imladris Knight’s fate is not as certain. :: ”

The Generals and the two Valkyrie Commanders hear this with word impugned on ‘desiccate’, and they charge in their own discourse to find their mutual mortal link.

Not far behind is a War God. (Along with all the War Section present apparently.)

--------------------

Imladris in the moments before the Hub was restored, looks at his Wraith opponent, and sees it rise with all too ease, and far little pain of apparent. The Wraith hisses a breath most foul and cranes a look through his shredded, warped, ashen hood, glaring at the knight deathly. Of the Knight’s part, he does not fail to return the same kind in holy wrath of vein.

With the moments before System reactivation at hand, they of the System are mutually weakened and unable to offer movement other than barely held kneels, as they watch the two incarnates of two different alignments stare at each other, a moment of Kensei passing between the two. Each judging the other from both form and weapon, as well as mentally reviewing first two clashes the two had so far

The dry wind, filled with ash, passes between them, as Imladris barks calmly at the Wraith. “Got a name I should know you by, or should it be a point to defeat you without.”

'How dare he', the Wraith thought. And also how bold and determined. The Wraith seemed to recognize a true Nemesis at hand, and gave what voice he bothered for once. “- Caceroth. Hence you will feel my blade, to forget my Name upon. -”

Imladris noted, and imparted. “Imladris, to cut in turn with.”

Too many witnessing of even Valkyrie code, shivered at the sight.

It all ended the moment of uncertainty, as Caceroth erupted at the knight, to which Imladris didn’t hold ground this time, leaping to meet the wraith blade of Caceri with his Morphemic! The two clash, and parry thrice more, before the Knight ducks under the Wraith’s high swing and then knee kicks the mortal in the chin hard. The knight lands hard, but tumbles back up, to then blast jump back and slash twice into Caceroth’s defensive blade.

Imladris pulls even as he spins around and smacks his blade edge onto the Wraith back armor, not catching any blood, but slamming the wraith back to the ground. And in turn the wraith slams into the sky, and Imladris follows halfway, before bounding off a tall pillar, to avoid a similar incoming down slash!

The Valkyries watch as their equal mortal number keeps pace with the Wraith assailant. This just as the System begins kicking back online, the first tendrils of energy feeding back to the lot of the gallery. Lind watching feels energized breath in her lungs easily again, but her heart full of fear as two armored adversaries clash at each other with growing violence. It had been one thing to be saved in her state, it was another to find form return to function, but too fearful to act on it. She was also too captivated to chide herself from it.

As Imladris slammed a heavy side slash into Caceroth’s barely blunting blade, with retorts in kind with a quick stab that nicks the knight’s left shoulder, Lind feels her throat clenching in that same rare fear she felt few times before. This time one of fear into regret.

Worse, she knew doing anything to interfere would be dangerous to more than either of them both.

--------------------

“Energy links reestablished! Starting up the Root commands!”

“Bringing up the readout overlays in twenty seconds!”

“Back up and last read and archived information entering buffers!”

Peorth and Belldandy watched as Ere, Chrono and Ex in turn voiced the progress of the System Restart. The two were surprised. "This was too easy." Of Peorth's numb tone. Other than a few remaining piles of ash, there seemed no obvious damage of any kind. Not even effects from the Seer's unseen assault before, are noticeable.

“Why does my heart feel so reserved.” Bell imparted, before Peorth shook off, and plain remarked to instill their good fortune. “Ennui ne pas. We have no time to analyze.” Belldandy nodded, but still didn’t feel all that well about it.

Urd nearby overseeing a major dimensional targeting scanner restart, heard Bell’s concern, and sighed. “Apparently not yet long enough.” ...the hybrid goddess put, back to old concerns of the previous day.

Just then, a goddess somewhere exclaimed. “We have the intruder being on screen, and the mortal knight too!!”

Peorth gasped and ordered. “Show on the screen, ensemble!!” The results showed as the first tubular holoscreen pops up, showing to differently colored dots moving at harsh speed along the ever moving screen.

Peorth can ‘see’ it all now, and shudders in similar fear she can’t explain. Belldandy couldn't either. But what was seen, would change many things, in the ages to come.

--------------------

And still the two slashed at each other with lethal intent, their skills both obtained in diverse ways, managing to avoid deadly result to either of just yet. The more they kept at doing this, they would drift more and more away into other parts of Heaven. Imladris eventually realized this and kept doing so to bring the fight away from the Hub itself.

Clashing and slashing at each other in various places in the sky, to the ground, within structures, and past goddesses recovering from the battle, into open areas and crowded structure zones alike. The goddesses tried to keep track to even consider a perimeter to contain the fight within, but Imladris had such hands full with Caceroth that trying to pin him down for such similar thought was near impossible!

A moment that quickly past, as the two slashing warriors clash at one point, and saw Caceroth double kick Imladris away into a hard crash into a pearl laden walkway. The chasing goddesses managed to finally catch up, just as Imladris regained footing and stopped a hard follow up swipe, and cartwheeled Caceroth to a vicious head slam behind Imladris, leaping up to bring full bodily force to the slam.

Both sported bad wounds now, but neither seemed willing to submit to any pain, as Caceroth recovered to spin leapt Imladris off of him, and follow up with a long chain of sword parries that drove the heavenly knight back a good fifty meters. Imladris ended that chain with a quick side step and back elbow slam to Caceroth’s cloaked head. The force bounded the Wraith a good five meters into a crash roll, which the Wraith then rolled out of, just as Imladris followed up to start his own harder short chain of crushing blows.

Lind had by now recovered, the energy of the rebooted System healing up the strange wounds for the most ill part, to then catch up in time to see, as Imladris kicked Caceroth HARD into the air with a spinning upper thrust back kick and then chased up after the Wraith, to then block a down slash, then get the ash blade twisted around suddenly to deliver a nasty cut blow to his armor chin, gouging the armor helm and cutting the cheek, further damage held off by the armor design.

Goddesses all around gasped just before Imladris’ drew a brutal counter to the Wraith’s midsection, tossing the Wraith into a crash arc. Again the knight followed and found Caceroth waiting with a hand full of gray energy.

A random goddess seeing, yelled... “WATCH OUT!!” ...just before Imladris saw in time but caught a full blast of a Decomposition Spell in the chest to the horror of the onlooking. The Wraith growled rather than laughed as the knight fell hard from the impact force alone. However the Wraith found no screams waiting, or even mere cries of pain.

Imladris saw the effect, but no pain at all, as he split scrambled up on his back, and saw the spell code run around him like ants, but then dissipate quickly. He blinked for a moment, then remembered and rolled to launch at the surprised Wraith, clobbering him with a brush aside blade strike and an elbow to the enemy’s chin, crashing Caceroth .

Caceroth recovered as he wiped away some form of blood that fell as ash from his hand after he sopped away the wet mess. He accused... “- You are not of this Realm! -”

“Perceptive.” ...Imladris dryly retorted, and then launched back at Caceroth whom took the full blade brunt, starting yet another long chain that ended up in the sky and off to near a white bed rose garden of huge Vienna type sized carpets. The celestial gallery raced to follow as the two Nemesis landed. However just then Thor and the Generals finally arrived, Phosus and Demesus ordering... “Everyone stay BACK!”

“But...?!” ...more than one goddess clamored as Thor and the Generals drew close in this time, as the duel viciously continued.

Suddenly both combatants slammed and locked blades in a wrestling match, as Imladris sneered as viciously at Caceroth did in turn. This stopped as Caceroth drew back and started a six swing chain, which Imladris kicked off and bounded back to thrust into an eight swing chain right back!

Caceroth, broke this off and shot-floated back to suddenly change tactics. Imladris saw this and realized just as Caceroth seethed out... “- Something more ‘conventional’ THEN! -”

Imladris dove out of the way of a far more obvious black bolt of energy, destroying a swath of roses in gray flame, as a second volley caught the knight in the left shin, this time with outright effect as he yelled in pain.

Caceroth saw the effect and went full barrel with it, Imladris diving however he can, but taking enough hits to suddenly slow him down. The bolts however didn’t stop near just him, as they careened uncontrolled into a number of goddesses that yelled just as hard. Demesus started getting everyone clear completely as Thor and the Generals watched the sudden turn of events.

“: What IS this thing!? :” Thor demanded with no answer forthcoming, just as he dove and shoved the Generals clear of a stray bolt.

Imladris quickly received enough hits to cause him to crash to the ground around the now ruined and spotty rose garden. Caceroth decided to finish this up close, and leapt to swing at the knight, whom shot up and parried, but his weakened state left open to a brutal kick the Wraith delivers, to slam Imladris back down.

He looks up in time to see an open palm of black ash and bone held at his head. Caceroth steels out... “- Die with all your KIN! -”

It all happens in a split second, the ash-dark energy striking out, just as Imladris throws up his arms, and summons a Holy Wall shield to his hand. The dark energy caught up in the shield, and cascading as Caceroth realizes his mistake, just before the two energies implode into each other and slam both combatants away from each other. Both receive horrendous scars, and Caceroth loses the hand he was aiming with. Everyone else remaining cower or throw up arms to deflect the blast, such as the wave ends to quick enough sight of...

Lind alone gasps, as and yet still both rise out of some unnatural endurance and stamina, as Imladris struggles to regain footing. Caceroth the same with a burning hateful glare

Thor is the first to see this and knows this kind of moment all too well over the ages. “: Imladris NO! :”

It never reaches his ears, the knight leapt with all remaining strength and flew at the barely set Wraith, and locked blades again. For a moment both manage to hold the locked blades, as both glare utterly at each other.

Suddenly Caceroth... ‘smiles’.

Imladris blinks, a mistake of sin, as the Wraith quips darkly... “- All three Realms, are to be like you... DEAD!! -”

The Wraith shoves his remaining hilt of left arm, into Imladris’s forehead. The dark blast of energy literally scours the mortal’s mind severely, this time nothing to hold it back at all. In suit, Caceroth then breaks the blade lock and stabs Imladris deep in the chest, near the heart, clear and bloodily through!

All sound dies in that moment, Imladris doesn’t truly feel the pain, his mind suddenly all static and snowy like a TV screen snow image, and all unhinged, memories stabbing and disappearing into an ash filled darkness of insanity in that short moment.

Something however manages to get through all of that when the knight somehow hears... “- I will slay them ‘all’. -”

Caceroth never sees it, as in some reflex of wrath, Imladris suddenly pulls back his own blade and runs through the Wraith at the lower chest, all the way up the middle spine. With it, an eruption of all the holy power Imladris had within him, such to the effect the Wraith suddenly buckles and screeches unto itself. The effect of implosion wracking the screeching Wraith with it!

An empty voice softly quips back… “Never by... eave... n...” ...which to all too soon, the knight's remains drop to the ground, the last seen of the Wraith, strange sheets of gray code billowing into several directions at once, before most flow back into the closing implosion node. But not all...

A terrible and shocked moment later, Thor gets up, but then sees a white jumpsuit form ZIP by as he sees. “: Lind. :” ...reach Imladris’s shattered form. In short order as the duel suddenly ended, goddesses are flying in from all sides, as Valkyries move in to surround the collapsing node the Wraith vanishes via. Soon a torrid moment later, Lind shouts out. “GET A INFIRM TEAM HERE QUICK!!”

The Generals, goddesses and Valkyries alike reach and then get out of the way as a literal cloud of Medical Section Infirmary goddesses already amidst the crowd reach quickly. Thor reaching in equal short order, sees, and gasps... “: Alive? :”

As a stasis pod is portal brought to the ruined rose field, suddenly another event occurs, as the portal node flares with a seething whisper, and then vanishes permanently.

Such the Invasion event ends. But not the horror.

--------------------

-System Hub-

"It's not fair." ...a sobbing Belldandy, floating off to the side of the Hub Admin seat, in Urd's own shaking arms, decried. She wasn't the only one. Peorth in her own Admin seat, all but doubled over in her own hands.

The Admin however managed enough stability of her emotions, to stutter out... "He saved... us. He saved us all."

The damage had been terrible, but the reward had been worth it truly all in the final measure. The links to the Third Dimensional planes were reestablished, the life-links and stability protocols with the mortal Realms reasserted, and the program code being rewritten to fix and erase effect of the battle that may have occurred to the lower Planes.

However too much attention was plied the battle that just ended, with not one goddess watching not reacting in shock of what occurred, even the most jaded of them. It wasn’t natural for residents of Heaven to witness such a carnal act of violence. Many were weeping profusely as Imladris ‘dropped’ from their screens, more than just in locational grid.

The lifeforce indicator dropped too low to be registered either. The same for the Wraith as well, some whom tried to locate where it went to. No one could find a trace anywhere of it. The presumption was via the node, the only sign of where it went. Beyond all this, no one knew. And at present, few cared. The mood in the Hub chamber darkened considerably, just before word came back across the System links of Imladris’s critical condition.

The rest of that day that work resumed, breath was held tight.

Peorth didn’t see Belldandy afterwards that day, nor for some time to come.

--------------------

The Medical Section Head of Seat herself oversaw the operation to salvage the damage. She seethed just as thickly, in hand of a medical instrument, as she had back in that horrid battle. Here however, as Ishara, and many of the creme of the Medical goddess crop, worked on the remains of their champion, the Lower Council goddess just breathed in defiance... "By all blazes, not on my watch this day. Not for the soul I would hope to call son one day.

Not here, not now."

No goddess present looked, and all knew better.

And all spell, Program, and technological ability and power were poured into this one being.

For that moment, it seemed a mortal was more important to Heaven, than even Existence. The work would be worth it.

To an extent...

--------------------

-Of unwanted reverberations-

It seemed unjustified, having such a large cloister of worried celestials around the Infirmary Sector in such numbers, that one being would garner such attention. In fact none of this all made any sense at all, the reason for the battle, how the Invasion took place and was caused, or even what the actual damage was, beyond the painfully obvious.

Forty one goddesses had died, over a thousand wounded in various states of conditions. However as the goddesses began to recover very quickly at the hand of the skilled Medical Section goddesses, those that emerged soon learned of the news and joined the praying masses upon this singular location.

They had ample reason to pray. Even with all the most professional and skilled healers of the System present, the damage to Imladris’s body had been severe. The injuries from the dark bolts of gray he suffered, had done far worse than expected, including the last assault. All organs had been all but ruined, the very skin seventy percent burnt, eyesight destroyed, bones lost sixty percent of their calcium structure, not to mention scars and bleeds all over at the time he reached initial healing stage. What kept him alive was uncertain, but he was put in stasis almost as soon as Lind called for help.

She of all knowing goddesses, tried to head in to be at his side, but a guard of Medical goddess attendants prevented even this. As she was told by a high ranking Infirmary goddess of olive short hair. “I’m sorry, but this may take much of Lunia.”

Lind looked down, as Hirund, Rend and Mist cloistered around her quickly. Somehow she kept her emotions even now. Still the Generals knew better and kept close.

--------------------

“But why?”

Peorth looked over at one weary point, as the repairs to the devastated System continued, to where Urd was sitting, a hand under the white hair goddess’s chin. It was clear she and all others were exhausted. It had been a long day trying to catch everything back up to speed, on top of the events of the day beforehand. Peorth just asks... “Pardon moi?”

“Who were they?” ...Urd started calmly, then added in succession, vocalizing the same all else of Heaven had at the time. “Why were we attacked? Who was Gaea really? Why are there no answers? And who was that weirdo that nearly killed...” ...she stopped, realizing her words were not in best interests of the worried goddesses listening. She just growled and made a smack of her chin held hand onto her floating seat armrest.

Peorth just imparted as best she could. “When the time comes, we’ll know the answers. Until then, we’ll all suffer this ignorance.”

Urd just huffs dryly. "Damn it all to 'that' then."

"At least Troubadour survived. You can take all out on lui."

Urd just chuckled.

--------------------

A dim orange light over a number of hatches went dim. The work was done.

--------------------

Lind was the first to be allowed in, the Generals, Thor and even Belldandy whom was worried for each of them, Valkyrie and Knight alike, into the recovery chamber the mortal was lain unto. They were brought by two Infirmary goddesses, who rounded into the chamber into where Imladris laid.

Unmoving, and still wrapped in shimmering blue healing bands. Lind saw this and gasped reflexively, as Hirund held her steady. A familiar Healer that Lind knew, floated on up. Thor asked on quick inspection of the mortal’s body from afar, demanding... “: How is my charge? :”

Ishara replied dourly. “The damage was severe. We had to essentially start him back from the moment he arrived in Heaven, the enhancements were all crashed. All the organs received blunt energy trauma, the heart and chest to both sides of at least a level seven heavy laceration type, some worse. The skin and muscles were essentially ruined as well. He actually lost him for a few moments before the regenerative units caught up to the replacements we made.”

Rend asked fearfully. “What replacements?”

The healer continued... “We were forced to clone and replace all organs one at a time, and use more enhancement nanites to be able to support all the changes. The blood loss was severe as well, as it drained from the cuts to the heart and feeding arteries, so we’re still in the process of accelerating marrow production to compensate, however the process is slow. If not for all the prior data on his bioform to work with, we'd not be even at this point, with his recovery. But that may not be the worst part.”

Lind felt her breath choke for a moment as Belldandy near asked... “What else is wrong?”

Ishara gulped and informed. “With time, the body can be healed fully, we have no doubt of that now. However the mind took a terrible trauma from the same energy that assaulted his body. We have no idea what damage was done, or even if he will awake, even from our processes. If he does, he may never be the same.”

Bell held her mouth, just as Rend yelps... “Lind!” ...as the Valkyrie all but faints, the last detail too much to bear. Hirund and Rend catch her, this as Thor sees, and then looks at the fallen knight, clenching both hands as hard as he once saw the mortal do more than once. They even bleed a few drops.

": He should be rewarded better than this. :"

Ishara looked over, and saw another holding a fainted Valkyrie, ala as Frode did to Jora. Ishara almost fainted herself, from such a morbid thought.

--------------------

Freyana gave essentially the same report to the Almighty on the Lord’s own demands to be updated on the mortal’s condition. With the stability of the realms reassured, there was little else vector to refrain thought from, as it was. Freyana however reservedly informed of her query... “: Is such truly of a concern? He is only one mortal in the end. :”

Almighty had the advantage in Its effidice from to not show emotions. Such however betrayed through voice of thought, as the Lordship commented... “: My concern is always to all I oversee. I can give concern that deserves of such. Did he not fulfill his commandment for this realm? Does he deserve not better for the Sacrifice that bears too much alike of another upon my Mind? I hold that concern, without fail. :”

Freyana gulped and sighed, the goddess right hand of the Almighty to whit all newborn deities came under her eye, felt such maternal concern for the mortal as well. This in absence of one other High Goddess that of the Second Seat, couldn't be in presence to do the same. Such was cruel fate, though of what measure, was uncertain here.

As silence fell between them, another god of the Higher Seat entered. Almighty acknowledged readily. “: Lord Adonis. :”

Freyana turned to her husband and bowed, as the glowing being of gorgeousness incarnate, wrought in hand the commandment given, to physical form. Adonis informed. “: The Commandment tablet you requested made. :”

Almighty simply imparted... “:: Place it in this orifice. ::” ...this said as a recess formed unto the effidice form. Adonis did as commanded, and the tablet melds into the floating form. Adonis then simply bows and steps back.

Almighty One then words in tone that only the two Councilors present, could understand. “: Know that Voluspa must be kept an eye upon. Until that day, detail by the Council must be made in absence of most knowledge. What was agreed cannot be explained, if we are to survive as a ordered civilization. When time whence comes, I will be ready to Edict what is to be done.

As such, silence must be maintained, but not through my infringe of the mind this time. Too many must remember what happened this day, if all are to learn and prepare, if not fully understand why of such. ::”

The two High Council Seat gods nod. However Adonis does ask. “: What of the Wraith being self named Caceroth? We did discover whence he departed unto? Or if there is...  :”

Almighty steers the discourse with... “: When the time comes, that will be dealt with as well. Where one is not done with yet, another is nay so either. :”

Freyana blinks. “: But if it all happens again, who will stop him? None of even the Valkyries could defeat past his spells. :”

Almighty only remarks. “: Is that not why I worry of my mortal charge? And not of only tool of need either. :”

The two deity mates only glance at each other of what such means.

--------------------

Two cycles of the System later, everything was essentially righted back to norms of the nominal slate. The damage was repaired, the dead lain their names in the permanent archive, more so unto the Mausoleum for future note. The properly recovered were given a week to heal fully by, the rest given time to literally 'talk' it all out until their souls felt the sting of the invasion of little ill.

Some took longer than others.

Of Urd’s worry, Belldandy was not one of them. Nor Skuld as it turned out. Peorth however was, after learning Gaea was not only never to return, but also was in fact the enemy that had long since betrayed Heaven by auspices that were planned out long before the current slate of goddesses were even existent. Peorth had to deal with such a betrayal in her own way, at the same time she was given formal promotion to the same Primary Administrator position in after effect. It would affect her attitude afterwards all too much.

The Valkyries themselves recovered, having lost seven of their number already counted in the casualties, and then returned to their training duties while everything was righted again. Slowly.

Nidhog suffered just as much, the attack meant to destroy both sides equally, the actions here however were dealt with in the nominal infernal manner. Lost Demons were replaced with other vultures in quick disorder, despite all the ties of sadness that even Demons felt for their lost brethren, the reigns of acquiring souls soon back enough to the fore. However Hild had one secret up her sleeve now. She too had made a deal once she discovered where Voluspa’s  network was.

A very dark, secret deal was made, though Hild only had bare inclinations of what to do with it.

More unknowns for the unforeseen future to come, one that only had just begun to hint forth.

And so came the last point of this entire point of the beginning of the story. The time when shadow and light were to deal with an enemy, that had not been defeated. Only delayed. Only beginning.

--------------------

It had been almost exactly as informed, good and ill alike.

As others returned to their duties, few did not, and eventually only one remained as the mortal body was moved to rest chambers, all the bodily recovery work essentially done. However as Lind looked on in close proximity, the eyes did not move, not from REM sleep or other form of dreaming. Breath was more automatic, not natural in look. The skin was still pale and not as muscular as prior.

The mortal looked so frail to Lind, no armor, no robes, no magical accouterments. Not even the prized jumpsuit of white and blue trim. The uniform lain nearby, on a table stand however, if nothing more than reminder if waking eyes looked for them. As Lind however feared as told, the mind however was not recovering as hoped. The damage was apparently total. Or so it seemed.

As Lind stood there unmoving as ever, a series of healers dedicated to the mortal mind of thousands of overseen civilizations, took their expert time to examine with all manner of summoned equipment to ascertain as much detail as they could. Using the original template the mortal arrived with when he made the Wish in death, they began to map a picture to guess at. Even for all the power of Heaven itself, it was not a simple matter of flicking a magical finger and restoring memories. If such was all was needed, goddesses and the System would be pointless.

Almighty made the System and it’s populace for a reason, and it reflected in the limitations even they had to deal with. It lain bare in this instance, where a lower dimensional mind was still enough out of reach of expedient repair. The nuances of electro-chemical neurons and pathways that held all the wonderful, and terrible memories within, were difficult to access. Possibly the most fragile iota the celestials had encountered, from a being that had become so steel minded from the same.

Lind would see and hear all of this for much of the two days after life support was primarily removed for own capabilities. She saw and heard to her pain. At some point of lost time kept tracked, the same familiar healer came to her, as she turned.

“If you wish to know, I think we can save it as well.”

Lind felt a beat of heart skip.

Unbeknownst, it did the same as it spread through the System like light-speed.

However Ishara informed in warning, which tempered the hope in Lind’s heart. “The problem is what can be saved, and what parts may be damaged or suppressed. The mortal mind is indeed complex, as capable as a tenth dimensional mind as we, if not further. It’s complexity for this possible evolution becomes the problem we face.”

“Explain.” Lind said softly.

The deep blue maned long, long hair goddess offered. “We are going to attempt a layered recovery approach. We can overlay his last medical scans from whence he returned to Heaven several cycles ago. However we do not know if doing this with regenerative focus units, will achieve any results. For all we know, parts of his mind may recover, others may not, others may be dead forever. What is most likely to be recovered are his martial and cognitive abilities. However memories and unknown what else are likely to be affected.”

Lind cocked and eye... “You put that as a priority.”

Ishara sighed. She herself didn't like what she espoused next. “We received orders to attempt recovery of the combat abilities, in lieu of the familiar aspects. It is not like we were told to make a robot or such of him, but it seems...” Lind turns away and shuts her eyes. “When can it be done?”

“At any time. Despite the orders, we will do all we can to recover everything we can. However to be honest, it is a miracle we can be able to do this much. Further, I find it personally surprising that his will to live was so strong. Even after the procedures to restore him with. I only hope the mind is just as imperative.”

Lind looks at the motionless mortal and nodded. “Very well.” However she then asked of her mother. “A moment alone before you begin?”

Ishara looked, and then nodded and had her associates leave for a moment, with her. After so done, the Valkyrie hovered over, summoning her one winged companion for a need to hold someone, in lieu of what was preferred, lain before her in his coma.

She looked him over and sighed. She was for a moment realizing how far her emotions for this frail mammal had come in just a few decades, not even oft of digits yet even. She could remember all of it, all of it from the first training combats he had against her, even when he didn’t know better at the time, all the way to that Nemesis duel at the Fields, the day before she was saved by this same magnificent mortal.

One now so utterly helpless. Such was irony most cruel.

Lind then realized, that is was possible now for her to be the only one to remember all of it. As she thought this, she staved off a tear, thinking it too weak and not fit before the one person she did manage to trust before all others. It had long since become a trust long earned. And now apparently lost on one end of that filament.

The light draped through the open air curtains, bathing all in a soft white light, shadowing their forms in blues and lavenders as she leaned closer to his still scarred face. She whispered as low as she could, hoping he could hear.

“I... um... I...” ...she stopped, and shook her stuttering away, and professed. “I want you to know, ‘I’ will always remember. No matter what else. I will remember. And... that I...”

From afar, her form finished speaking, and then with Spear Mint watching, the Valkyrie leaned over to express her love for the mortal, for one long and serene moment. One she couldn’t fully enjoy. She could only express, for his lack thereof.

She left for the work to begin.

--------------------

By the fourth day, it was good.

That celestial night, another form stole into presence. One that saw the nigh same sight, that Lind had endured. This version of sight, was one of mixed emotions. Such froths of anger, dismay, helplessness, and all that did not do a Lower Council Seat proper decorum.

But one that did, as he plopped to his knees beside the mortal format.

"I... wanted to warn.... her. I wish I could tell why." ...was all that was said. The tears from a long lost past, billowed forth, into a repeated present. Ones not heeded by one lain invalid.

--------------------

Phosus was working her way through a mound of report tablets, giving commendations mainly to those that deserved, which meant a 'lot' of such datawork indeed. This as well as the nominal tablet work that still needed to be filled. It was wearing at her, as did her healing scars on her right arm. And the sore shoulder, and the hip that still twanged.

She just stopped her work and sighed, rubbing her sores, just as Demesus poked her head in. “Milady.”

Phosus looked up, and then saw Lind’s face appear. The Commander rose and bade. “Come in, please.”

Lind did so, looking ever much more the rigid Commander of annul. Phosus quickly got the obvious query out of the way. “How is he?” ...not prying from the System for once. Lind informed her, "All healing work is completed, I know further only what you do now." ...and Phosus sighed. “Such trouble that one ever was.”

“I hope for more the same.” Lind quickly commented, this Phosus chuckled. “I dearly hope for worse if that be the case. What does not kill, shalt make thee stronger. Hence my quip.” ...this Lind hoped to find comfort in.

A moment of awkward silence after, Lind simply asked. “I need to vent.” Phosus suddenly forgot her sores and smirked. “If you feel I can keep of challenge.”

Lind remarked back. “For the moment, you’ll have to. Jora is busy with her XO work on this fine day.” Phosus then gleaned a smile, and then called to Demesus... “You too goddess. We both are feeling rust on elbows.”

Demesus shook her emerald mane and complained. “But I just got done dealing with a cadre session today! I’m still...” Phosus just grinned evilly. “As if a Valkyrie needs to concerns about such further discomfort. Tis our way and form.”

Demesus groans, and waves a hand. “Fine, like any more pain will matter much.” ...and then a glance to Lind. “Just go easy a bit. I’m ‘not’ the mortal.”

Lind leveled in turn. “I’ll have to inform him of that when he returns.” ...this Demesus blinks in a pensive teardrop. “Oh that’s just dandy.”

Phosus floats by, and then comments. “Then we spar to commemorate him of apparent superiority.”

Lind turns and flies past, just as Demesus does in anime dejection. Phosus hesitates for a moment, and prays indeed for a soon return of mortal, "Please by Kami." ...before departing after.

Indeed Lind did not give quarter either.

--------------------

-Six days later. On the seventh he rested.-

The Medical healers finished their last miracle, and were rewarded well by Almighty Lordship for their diligence, as the mortal was reinfused in mind, as his body was enhanced doubly at the same time to assist and compensate for difficulties. (Nevermind for other details not mindful of at present.) As a result, a Knight equal to any Valkyrie was recovered and bettered. All but in one way.

Word spread that the mortal would return, the problem was of what capacity. That was coldly answered to one passing three days after the knight was declared fit to return to the populace at large.

As he was escorted to meet Almighty in person, he left the Infirmary Section under the eye of more than one at first gleeful goddess to see the mortal alive and well. This however didn’t last, as the initial look of the mortal was unfailingly ‘magnified’ in martial form.

The first feeling the lot of them noticed of the mortal, was a sense of... ‘intimidation’, to the being.

It did not waver much as the knight was brought to the Hub, and soon thereafter, the chambers of the Almighty.

--------------------

As soon as they heard, the commanders of the War Section arrived, and found in arrival, along with Almighty and a number of his Councilors, the same effect in sight as ‘Imladris’ arrived. Lind saw as well, and noticed something equally off as well.

Almighty greeted the knight as he entered, in simple fashion. “: Welcome back Lord Knight amongst the living present. :”

The mortal bowed in crisp military fashion, a bit too much so for some of their comfort for some unexplainable reason, even for Thor a touch. The mortal imparted in an ‘equal’ military sounding tone. “Thank you Lord Almighty.” ...put as he remained a bit too at attention. Almighty toned out in equal business tone. “: Be at ease Lord Imladris. :” ...and so done, but still too emotionless to be of comfort.

What was to had been a hoped emotional reply of expected history prior, was missing in kind here. Phosus and Demesus saw it and drew reserved as a result. The Generals drew equally worried. Lind felt something was missing. Almighty despite imparted. “: A grateful Heaven stands in your aura of accomplishment. Your sacrifice is only heralded to your person of note. As such your title of Knight is formally bestowed, as per full circle of your Wish. :”

Imladris only nodded, not even showing a flush of any kind of response. The mortal replied. “I am to the service of Heaven. I require little else to be of call of my needs.”

That was when things really seemed off. Almighty only ‘nodded’ in mind of the mortal, as to whit all others watching on. Almighty could tell the obvious as well, but was not the one that could impress this blaringly unto others to see.

Thor off the right of them both, asked simply. “: So my pup and boy, how do you feel? :”

The knight just looked over and managed to put out in discomfort. “I... am well. Should I feel otherwise despite obvious?” ...this in a tone that even put Master Thor back. He half wanted a quirky remark instead, not this rather barren response. It seemed almost ‘Souske’ like in fact, so coldly austere. Attempting to alleviate this, Rend put out. “Um... I’m sure another of us, is of well to be pleased of your return.”

Imladris didn’t even blink at this, replying instead with a blunt. “I sensed all of Heaven was the same.”

One Valkyrie heard this and shuddered.

Imladris looked back and asked. “Is there an assignment I can append to My Lord?”

Almighty imparted. “: Nay for now. Rest for whence time that may indeed come. You have been through much. :”

At this the knight only bowed, and made about face to then depart, ignoring all the looks he was getting now. After he left, Hirund remarked. “Was ‘this’ supposed to happen?” Thor only shrugged. “: At least he’s very pointed. :” ...this drew glares from the three Generals looking up at him.

Of them all however, Lind worried most of all of the abrupt change. A family all too near, was of unexpected 'equal' mindset.

--------------------

Imladris walked alone towards his residence, his mind a steel trap of the rigid mind, as he considered what he could remember from after he awoke. What had happened in the martial sense was clear to him, and his mind was busy rummaging through it all, rather mechanically, when he felt someone approaching behind him.

He stopped and turned and saw a steel blue maned goddess in the Valkyrie staring at him. He was uncomfortable with the stare, though he though he felt an echo of something that should be, but was shoved away as it was needless to consider, by his comprehension.

Lind for her part, didn’t want to face the fact...

--------------------

“That is not HIM!”

Demesus blinked, as Phosus slammed the desk before her. All of the tablets and all else accouterments not melded to the surface flew all manner of directions as a result! Demesus commented... “Well. We were warned that...”

Phosus looked down, her fire hair mane covering her face, mixed in anguish and disgust all the same.

“It’s not fair. Not fair at all.”

Demesus looked away, and commented in her own muted emotion. “No. No it wasn’t.”

--------------------

Ishara had to actually chase down her celestial husband, to whit the supposed 'safety' of the Judicator's Office, was breached by voice of... "Belove! You knew this what could happen when we began the Procedure. We..."

Ishara stopped, as Frode all but looked as if he was standing in a corner of the Office, huddling in fear. Given the chamber was curved, this made it all look more disturbing to the eye. Ishara tried to tone out... "Dear?"

"And here... I was starting... to trust him." ...in a tone that sounded both, far too helpless, and nearly manic in rage, all the same. Ishara, after years of enduring this... "What is it about him, that you know, that I do not? By all heavenly blazes, TELL me!"

"I cannot!!" Frode slammed back with, causing Ishara to stumble back. Dearly. Frode just warned in enough kind to get the message across. "If you wish the answers so badly, ask our Great Lord in my stead! As if I do not want to be burdened by such that..." ...he then said to a enforced halt in his voice. Such that Ishara now felt. "Goddess, a Protection Program!?"

Frode looked away. Ishara just screamed back helplessly... "What of Light is all this travesty!?"

Such as a good time, for Jora just outside, to not enter on equal whim. She instead feared for Lind's own...

--------------------

“How are you feeling?”

Imladris looked plainly at Lind, and only remarked. “As I told Almighty Milord, I am functioning for duty.”

Lind didn’t want that answer. She pressed. “No... I mean how are ‘you’ feeling?” ...this as Lind wasn’t sure she was certain what she wanted in the first place. She still had to have a clue of something. Imladris looked down, seemed to consider, and then took a step forward towards Lind.

Her heart fluttered a bit...

--------------------

“What do we do?”

Hirund float paced back and forth as Rend complained the same query over and over. Mist just leaned against a statue of the same noted mortal, a statue they had made once of him (kinda creepy of such.) All three consumed by the same thought. Hirund commented. “Maybe we start over in the one area we never could get him to.”

Mist remarked intuitively. “It may be worse if we try this time. Didn’t it seem he had become emotionless?” Rend put simply. “Felt like it wasn’t even that much at all.”

Hirund stopped pacing, and twisted her hands in her long wine red hair. Even she felt helpless for once. "I hope that Bastard the pup killed, didn't cause this. It just isn't fair to see him like that!"

They all were in agreement there. One thing was painfully clear however.

--------------------

Lind didn’t believe, and felt...

“I feel only what is needed. All other emotion is pointless to my duties.”

...her soul shattered like stained glass. He had put it so plainly, so retarded of ‘all’ previous emotions he once displayed, it was like Lind was looking at a utterly different person now. She stood there stunned, as Imladris stepped back and about faced again in military rigidness, departing without even a parting word.

Lind felt completely alone again. Her twin souls, grew ever further apart.

--------------------

It all decried in this Realm of unceasing agony. The screams of torment. The Will to do great, and Heinous things.

As she held the reforming code remains of her Champion, She knew the work was well and Undone. She already felt the feeders of her Will, upon one other mind. One she knew was a part of her endless Plan. She seethed of her Visions, ever before her. ": And now we Becometh of the next Chapter. Where Agreement with the Enemy of our Stolen Will, sees their own next step, wracked with pain. Endless with suffering. A mind of our Enemy, is of Enemy.

Whence the next page turns to the proper, We will Strike, with the fury of the Anger of the Eternities. Such is what comprises my Endless Hate! Hate for the Crime! Hate for the unborn Coming of Nexus! Hate, for ALL!!

My Will be Done! :"

An infinity of voices, all decrying as one. All, with sight of a goal. One that had not even enter the living worlds or Planes, as yet.

--------------------

-The page turns, many times-

This started the next chain of events that would finish the opening act. The few days that Imladris remained amongst his celestial compatriots, he displayed very little evidence he remembered his old emotions, or even compassion of before. If this was what Almighty wanted, it didn’t satisfy the Great Lord at all. For the rest that knew, it was that much harder to take. Too hard for some. And accepted they were forced, nonetheless. Lind was worst of all to face and acknowledge this. It shaped many things for the near two decades that came after.

For the first few days he started to train again, he displayed incredible brutality, and was admonished for it, despite Imladris not truly realizing why he had to consider such a thing. The more this displayed, the more it was like a warlord of pure war had replaced the human within. ‘Human’, by every shape of the word in fact, by 'Warlord', or far worse.

Lind witnessed one of these spars and grew afraid for once of the mortal. It began the melting of the bonds of trust she had allowed to be formed. In the process, the mortal’s legend began to change from a respected and compassionate one, to a more martial and intimidating one. It spread through Heaven, and changed the outlook of all the goddesses, save for a few in number that truly knew better. It almost bordered on an ill word in Heaven's legerdemain. Hate.

Of it all, the word Caceroth became a word of rare curse in the Heavenly tongue, the actual hate for it soon grew very dire indeed.

Eventually however, Imladris sensed his presence was disruptive even still, and finally demanded an assignment. When told he had to ‘ask’ instead, he acquiesced and received an assignment to attend to a mortal kingdom dealing with a demon influence problem. Almighty gave the assignment, but not without reservation. He only did so with this Commandment. “: With these forays, you will have to also relearn what was lost to you. I sense the memories are still there, where even I Myself do not know.

But such they are there, and whence you must, and in fact, ‘will’ relearn your place. To not do so, would mean you should not return. To allow otherwise may be a detriment to my subjects, and to you as well. This is my Will for you mortal. :”

Imladris heard, but only replied at the time. “I will do my duty.”

At the time he left, the ‘only’ thing that saved him from being in fact banished forever from Heaven, was a moment at the Tyr Residence when the Generals hunted him down, and Hirund herself informed. “Someone here loves you. If you do not remember this by the time you return, I will hunt you down myself and strip your title away from you, along with all and everything else! You became a knight not by your cold personality, but by the human you were ‘first’!

As far as we are concerned, you are ‘NOT’ a knight of ANY order! Ever and NEVER unless you remember. This as an expressed Command of a General, if you catch my rather cold drift.”

Imladris at that moment was too confused, feeling the sting of demotion tied to something he couldn’t feel at ‘all’. All he could offer at the time was... “I... I will try.” ...unsaid was the ‘not known how’, due to such a rigid ego. In fact, he was dearly afraid, as he truly lost the ability to know how to accomplish all of this.

It was the reason why he didn’t return at first after the completion of the ejection of Mara from yet another mortal realm. The reason the amnesia become of mind for what it was. The reason for the quest to begin to hunt them down, and bring them back. A quest that was as misguided as it turned out, as the method Lind's own quest was, to bring both Twins out on her volition. Two souls linked by a memory neither wanted anymore. One that could remember why, or Valkyrie vein. Another, at times wishing for the same.

Time came and went, and for twenty years the mortal began a series of long adventures that would bring different veins of fame to his larger than life story. Along the way, he visited worlds like Gania, Tymora, Toril, the Outer Planes, the Elemental Planes, and many other worlds both magical and mundane. He learned incredible skills, spells, and powers, and for awhile, tried to learn magicks and other abilities in case he was in fact stripped of his Heavenly power. At first he felt it was supposed to be a failsafe to allow him to continue his duty of protecting the innocent and standing for justice in the lower planes and dimensions.

Eventually however, this started to change as the years went by, as he saw too many fearful and standoffish faces and attitudes towards him. More and more a feeling he kept shoving away, a longing, a kinship, kept seeping in pores of his mind, and forcing him to adapt emotions again for the first time in years. More than once he ended up in dire situations he only managed to escape from, as he admitted fears and loneliness he felt were pointless before. At some point early in his quest, he was Lost.

By chance fated as a result, he found himself in front of down a dragon one day, an errand he was tricked into by later learnt, a disguised Demon Agent trying to expunge him from the cosmos, or whatever fashion, led Imladris to meet Lady Irtasus, the Dragon of Silver Winter upon the Faerun World Plane. That started a strange kinship, almost a romance, that showed far too many flaws the Dragon did not realize of the cause for, in teaching the knight how to be mortal and compassionate. Her teachings in fact, were alluded to, by the visitation of a Mighty Lord himself, via Ao as proxy and friend, to amend the quest in this manner, for the Lost knight.

And such it all finally displayed as when facing the demon that tricked him, Imladris showed this compassion, and spared the demon, something he never would have done a mere few months prior. While this resolved somewhat amicably, the romance bit never came to the fore, as Imladris admitted something, or someone else was in his heart. Something else he thought was new entering his heart again for the first time. Irtasus accepted this, and the day after of profession, the knight departed for more adventures to fully begin understanding himself again. Unbeknownst to Imladris soon after, Almighty indeed thanked the great Dragon for her help. A Debt was made that day, to be one day repaid.

Meanwhile, the story evolved for Intracel and its goddesses as well. Lind continued her ruthless training regimen and went with other Valkyries on missions of all kinds, still trying to find the strength to call on her inert angel to her open side. Nothing ever worked however, as she had trouble sometimes trusting her subordinate troops at times, occasionally feeling the missions had to be done on her own. Only through her resourceful troops did Lind survive a number of ordeals, that both got her equal number Valkyries incensed at her, and got her admonished by the Generals at equal times. One marked point in all of this, was when at one point Rend tried to snap her near suicidal ways, in tone of... “Is this how you want Imladris to remember you for? What if he returns and remembers one day?”

“Theory does not change how I feel ‘now’.”

The General’s exasperation wouldn’t end there with Lind.

As the years passed, the memories of the knight faded, as it was replaced by the more mundane (by Heaven’s standards,) life of the goddesses living there. Wishes returned unto the fore as a priority, the health of the System saw fate change many worlds, and see others end and begin all the same. Others saw a part of the System, that oversaw a previously vaunted campaign, become of growing light once again. Ones that would have its own recourse over much of Heaven's light, one eternal day yet to come.

Life nonetheless became ordinary once more. Just as all should be, for the Heavenly Realm. All seemed stable enough, as far as one could tell from the Soul War and all. Nothing seemed to impugn upon this stability for much of two decades.

And then that fateful call to a most unlucky individual at the time, one living in a dorm in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan.

One hapless, unwitting mortal. Unlucky, and destined beyond all bounds and norms. One to hold the nexus of Heaven and Hell in his heart, on more than one occasion each.

One Mr. Keiichi Morisato.

The rest of the three year story that came after, all from the fateful Wish Belldandy ascribed much of her coming life unto, from that moment on, was as much a magical experience, as it was a terrifying indoctrination into a reality Keiichi many a time doubted himself ever remaining a part of. And yet, through it all, especially by Belldandy's side, he did. And beyond more so.

In time, came Urd, Skuld and Peorth in order. Peorth would come and go at whim and problems that arose, as did Hild eventually from problems she would manipulate for her own gains. Velsper and the Doublet incident came to fore at that time, as did the likes of Mara, the Lord of Terror and far many other adventures and arcs that began to make their story the one that was talked about most of all in Heaven and Hell alike. In time, the stores told here, eclipsed the one that had occurred before hand in accounts. With time, Voluspa lost all meaning again.

The real reason in fact why the Seer made her machinations on both Systems alike. Such did not halt even as the Demons made their war for souls against the Goddesses. Such did not ignore that several goddesses and demons resided on the mortal plane now at once, and whom was at the center of why.

To a Seer that hated all three Realms with genocidal hatred, Heaven, Mortal Plane, and Hell alike, this one mortal was now the single reason for their plans to finally succeed, and annihilate the three primary powers of Realm utterly from Existence. The Soulless that blamed all of the Three alike for their own selfish suffering, did not go away, and never did see defeat from the original invasion. The fact that Keiichi was hated by this one Progenitor so deeply, even above her supposed Crime of hatred of Ascension itself, was much to tell of how much mortality actually meant in the vast Scheme.

Meanwhile further in time, Lind came to the residence at the center of the Tenshigui Incident that Hild caused. It was there that finally, she learned to trust herself, and trust all those around her, in the course of defeating Hild and the Eater of Angels. The chaos that was caused afterwards, still reverberated even as minor events like the Machiners, Gates journey of ‘self-discovery’, and even Lorelei took place for the goddesses. Hagall did her damage, and the story continued to further on all accounts. Ever the turning of a page, seen or not such.

Lind in the prior meanwhile, returned to Heaven for the first time at peace with herself, as did Skuld on Earth in fact for the both of their improved states and learned condition. Heaven's lexicon of Cool Mint and Noble Scarlet became as common to them, as apparently Blue Lance did for eventually Velsper. An apparent ‘byproduct’ of Hild’s machinations, the mortal Keiichi learned that his soul was indeed important, as love and humanity allowed him to experience both Angels and a Tsukai, a purified ‘angel-demon’ of apparent note. Not bad for a bloke that once was too unlucky to have had a chance to live much longer.

After years of such celestial experiences, and the near constant trouble trying to keep this truth a secret from the other mortal friends he had bonded, family as well alike, it seemed Keiichi had seen just about everything, and faced about every truth there was for a mortal to consider, given his fathomless (if insane,) company, and the true bond of love Belldandy learned to develop with Keiichi. If not even the Judgment Gate or Celestine himself could tear them asunder, what ever could.

How then could one ask why this story needs to concern such things as Soulless and such nonsense, when the likes of Hild and quite likely, Almighty Itself was centered into the storyline?

It finally ends up at the round of it, back to the first words of the story, the Wish made by a mortal now almost a hundred years elder than the Wish that consumed the lives of the Norms and many around them, and whence a nemesis did not die that day of invasion.

Voluspa still had her deal to finish, Caceroth still existed.

And another mortal was nearly finished with his journey of rediscovery. To a pain of certain.

--------------------

-Hong Kong, China-

It was the same. Another pilfering mortal that was not very caring of just about everything. It was disturbing how many of them there actually were. The Soulless had its ways of acquiring its own supplicants, since the Systems had simply too much to oversee, to possibly know of every little detail. Allowing the Infinite Protocols to keep existing meant this was bound to happen, even as the Systems forgot the recent past. A part the Soulless readily made vampiric effects from.

The mortal in question however was a different sort this time. It was not self degradation he sought, it was means of harming in its most heinous form.

Bomb making sites, torture sites, all kinds of material on how to be a terrorist, one such that was very sadistic in fact. Worse, he didn’t ascribe to ‘any’ of the radical religions, and instead was hateful in his own, cold, and yet suppressed way. Reasons of cause lost into this endless hate, so long ago. However he did ascribe to utter atheism, so as to so completely remove his feelings of ‘anyone’ that he conducted such cold and calculated plans against. Even ones he pretended to befriend, ally, or just plain call upon. None as yet were somehow harmed, despite his long abiding hatred of everything, ever since his days growing up in an orphanage where he was abused so wretchedly, he was taking slow time to prepare all the ways he could unleash his near ready sadist behavior.

Addresses, family members, important areas where many people, both mundane and important, gathered, all so that in one act, he could terrorize and entire city before anyone grew wise to what he did. It would be tomorrow he thought, the passports to the middle east were ready, the tools were set, the long nights carefully planting all manner of devices in so many places. The act would be his calling card to engender worse to come.

Even for so many, and with suspicious cops all around always, he had managed to get everything ready for an act that was as much terror and fancy, as it was unreal yet factual anyway.

All that was needed was to double check a few things, including checking out a site he had heard about somewhere, a few keystrokes and a strange site about unbelief and atheism in the most extreme. He seemed interested, as he read the words in his Chinese tongue... “And unto my lack of love and hate, I will become one that likens no other to take both the same? What the hell?”

He never feels the sound of strange energy that arcs all around him.

He never ‘feels’ again.

(End Prologue III)
Converting /tmp/phpsOQ9TH to /dev/stdout