Maven, a bit surprised at Henna’s energetic declaration that she’d be bestowing her blessing, raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is it really okay for me to receive the blessing of two goddesses? Two polar opposite Goddesses, at that. I’m happy to receive it if it will improve my odds of survival, but only if there won’t be any negative effects. I don't want to grow a second or anything.”

 

Waving her tiny hands back and forth in denial, Henna said, “It’s fine! It’s fine! The blessing won’t hurt you or anything.” Expression shifting to a mature smile, Henna continued, “Fufu… In fact, I bet you it’ll feel… amazing…  The fusion of light and dark, I’m quite excited to see how things turn out.”

 

Maven, a bit disturbed by the carnivorous smirk that Henna was turning her way, took several steps back. Henna took several steps forward. The two performed an odd dance across Kannon’s Divine Realm, Maven trembling like a little rabbit while Henna playfully chased - a cat playing with its prey.

 

Eventually tiring of the little game, Henna blinked out of existence for a moment. Reappearing above Maven, Henna allowed gravity to take it’s course and the two fell to the ground below. Maven ended up pinned beneath Henna, face blushing furiously, with faces so close to each other that the tips of their noses lightly brushed each other.

 

Kannon, having stood the side as a mute participant thus far, finally jumped back in with a panicked,” Wha-wha-wha- WHAT are you doing?!” Clearly embarrassed at the adult scene occurring in front of her, Kannon waved her entire body in protest and moved to separate the two entangled bodies.

 

Henna, not paying any mind to Kannon’s protest, gazed playfully at Maven’s teary eyes. Through watering eyes, Maven noticed that Henna’s eyes were not the solid black that they appeared. The sclera and iris were different shades of grey, so dark in in color that the two appeared pure black from even a small distance. Her pupils, on the other hand, were as dark as a black hole and, similar to a black hole, they seemed to suck in nearby light. They were a bottomless void - swallowing and captivating everything around them. The effect gave her pupil’s the appearance of a sea of twinkling stars, pattern ever-shifting.

 

Those twinkling pupils mesmerized Maven and she limply lay in the goddess’s grip. Henna, laughing at Maven’s complete lack of resistance brought her lips closer and closer to Maven’s own. Holding her breath, whether in fear or anticipation, not even Maven herself knew…

 

Maven closed her eyes in resignation.

 

*Chuuuu* A delicate kiss was placed on her cheek, opposite to the one Kannon had kissed not long ago. Maven opened her eyes wide in surprise, having fully expected Henna to snatch her lips.

 

“Fufu… No need to look so surprised my dear. I’m not such a brute that I would steal a lady’s lips without her consent. Though, if you were ask me to do so with those adorable teary eyes of yours I would be happy to show you the joys of kissing.” Henna laughed as she climbed off the dazed young woman. It felt a bit surreal to see someone with such a young appearance skillfully toy with an adult like Maven.

 

Dazedly bring her hand to her cheek, Maven could still feel those lips on her skin long after they’d left. A slight warmth radiated from that location and spread throughout her entire body. That warmth blossomed into a spark. That spark fell onto the kindling of her soul and its unrealized potential, roaring to life as Maven’s soul was set ablaze.

 

Maven closed her eyes, basking in the comfortable sensation of release that Henna’s blessing set off. Henna and Kannon, both off to the side, looked on with intense interest at the process Maven was undergoing. Heatless flames of pure white and utter darkness raged around Maven’s body. Second by second, the size of the flame surged higher and higher as the two flames fought each other. Each seeking dominance over the other, the white flame desired to consume the black while the black flames sought to smother the white.

 

Maven could feel the two halves of her soul battling it out and, not wanting to allow her power to run amok, exerted her will to calm the the flames. Eventually, after what felt like hours, Maven could feel the two abilities reach an equilibrium. This equilibrium was reflected on the outside wherever the white flame met the black. At each of these interstitial regions, the two powers blended together. No longer blazing with a pure white light and raging with an all-encompassing black, but an odd dusky grey.

 

The two goddesses' mouths hung open in shock. They expected something interesting to happen, but the last thing they expected was this.

 

Maven had given birth to an entirely new element.