Fox ears are uncomfortable.
Don't know if Chiaki experiences anything similar, with the device dulling her sensations to avoid mental overload, but in my case, everything is very present.
While I didn't invent wind yet, this world has air, and so I feel every little shift of it on those weird protrusions on the top of my head.
Just saying, the first few times it had the boon of being a novelty and somewhat interesting, but after that passed, it was just annoying to have to mind my every movement so as to not stimulate these things.
I don't even want to think about what would happen if someone touched them, as sensitive as they are.

 

"Boop!" (C)

 

Nglfhgktch!

 

"Ackh! Chiaki! Touching is off-limits!!!" (I)

"Whoah, okay, okay! No reason to be so dramatic! Or tentacly. Nevermind." (C)

 

This girl!

 

"Also, your behavior doesn't fit the Miko stereotype. You're far too cheerful." (I)

"Hm. You might be right. I'll try to adjust it a little. Ahem, we shouldn't dawdle. The knights already arrived at the crossing." (C)

 

She's clearly making fun of me.
Also...

 

"You can still tell?" (I)

"Sure. The system is still active. I'm fully connected to the surveillance eyes. This thing is so handy! Whoops, that was again too much." (C)

 

I don't see us surviving this...
So with our questionable preparation finished, we head back to the entrance hall, where Soraja is hopefully done on her part too.

 

"Heeelloooo! Soraja, here we are!" (C)

"Huh? You... What happened to you, my partner!?!" (So)

"You can still tell that it's Chiaki?" (I)

"Of course I can! She is my kindred soul! I can recognize her lifeforce just as I can see the miasma drifting out of your false form, you fake! So what did you do to her?!" (So)

 

Sometimes I'm unsure if it's really the right decision to have her here for an infinite amount of time.

 

"She did that to herself! Some kind of surrogate body while we have her real body at a safe location." (I)

"It works great! Anyway, we're here so we can help you in making a good first impression!" (C)

"Chiaki, too much." (I)

"Oh, right! We wish to assist you in spreading your faith, oh great Goddess Soraja." (C)

"I'm honestly at a loss." (So)

"Well, better not dwell on it. Let's just do this!" (C)

"You're right. We need to prepare. They stopped shortly before the realm but now seem to have regained their bearing." (So)

"Then make our first impression as positive as possible! Did you already prepare everything?" (C)

"Of course I did! It's not like I was idling around while you... did whatever you did there! The whole realm is ready to receive our visitors." (So)

"That's great! Then nothing can go wrong anymore!" (C)

 

I'm so sure something is about to go horribly wrong, however, that mustn't mean I can just give up before it even started.
Let's hope they won't be too difficult to deal with.

 

             

 

- Olea -

 

"And so I beseech you, my people! Travel to the Plains of Plenty, find the instrument of my will in this world so it may aid The People to prosper! This is my will! And will is absolute!"

 

"Will is absolute!" (O)

 

Will is absolute!

Will is absolute!

The words fade into silence, yet even long after they have passed my tears won't stop flowing, as their echo continues reverberating in our hearts.
I heard the true voice of my great lord and nothing can take this away from me.
Since I was an infant, I tried to my utmost capabilities to live according to his teachings.
Live proudly, hold out a helping hand to raise those below you, and whatever it is you want to do, do it your very best.
This way we all will reach greater heights.

I took these vows to heart.
But still, I'd never thought that such honor may be bestowed onto me.
His true voice that resonates as my own throughout my body.
There's nothing else that could influence me in this way.
There is no doubt about it.
Lord Aureas saw it fit to let me witness his divine prophecy.

The message was crude, but it said to proceed on our path so we may find something that may aid our all people in the end.
With this, our assignment to investigate the strange happenings at the border of the endless plains turned into a holy mission.
I cannot fail it!
I cannot fail my lord!

For this reason, I can't afford to show weakness in front of my knights.
As exhilarated as I might feel right now, I'm still their leader and have to act that way.
For now, I need to get a hold of myself and take in my surroundings.
Lord Aureas didn't address me personally, so it might very well be that the others heard his revelation as well.

Though, when I look around, none of the knights looks as if anything out of the ordinary happened.
The same leisure as usual.
However, then I look at Darril, our cleric.

 

"Did, did anyone else hear this? The words! Directly into my mind!" (D)

 

The cleric seems to be just as out of it as I was a moment ago.
So it's true that not just me was chosen to bear witness.
The others have to know too!

 

"Fellow people! A divine revelation was bestowed onto us! Our mission was hereby sanctified, and we'll complete it to the end! This is our greatest moment! Our finest hour! Know that our great Lord Aureas is watching us! Do not fail him!" (O)

 

Disbelief.
Understandable considering the circumstances.
After all, I'm daring to claim that our lord is speaking through me.
If it wouldn't be true, there could be no greater blasphemy.
Once I'm done, Darril naturally comes to my side.

 

"You heard him too, is that right? How he spoke to us. The words he said." (D)

"I know that we must, at all costs, reach these Plains of Plenty. This is his will, and failure is not an option." (O)

"I honor your fervor, captain. It's true that our great god is looking kindly on this endeavor, but this is no reason to lose our vigilance." (D)

 

He doesn't need to tell me this.
At this point, I only know that we might find something extraordinary at the end of our journey.
The revelation claimed an instrument of our god's will.
But what if this all is nothing but a trickery to throw us into despair?

Like in the foregone times when the great cataclysm ravaged our lands?
It's said during that time the people thought as well that our god bestowed a great boon on them by sending extraordinary beings to their help.
And while this might've been partly true it only served to hide the terrible threat that was hiding among them.
The primal evil, Oroi!
It called forth the black waters, could control the other demons, and was about to consume our very souls, if not for our great lord's interference.
Yes, it's true.
So all my people are only still here because of our lord's great mercy.
Thus, there's no room for doubt!

Suddenly, one of the men, Kalian, raises his arm.

 

"D-does that mean you both had the same vision?" (K)

"It's true, son. We are truly blessed!" (D)

 

Another knight, Zarios, speaks up.

 

"But if this is true, then others could be affected as well. We didn't depart that long ago. Shouldn't we return and reassess the situation before heading out?" (Z)

 

I don't waste any time and bring my sword to his throat.

 

"So that we are on the same side on this. If anyone decides to bail out and abandon our cause, DEFYING THE WILL OF OUR GREAT LORD, I'll not hesitate to strike them down by my own hand!!!" (O)

 

We are on a sacred mission, and this is my responsibility!
I won't allow anyone to take this away from me!
No matter what the men think, they will have to follow my orders.
Being one of the first women to become a knight captain, it's not unexpected that they doubt me, however, now there is no more room for such doubt.
They will either obey or I'll cut them down myself!

Will is absolute!

In order to prepare for departure we load the "gramos".
While it's still a demon that won't cease its wild antics, those four-legged, armored trotters are so heavy that they tend to avoid moving too much with their wide but stumpy legs.
It was one of our greatest achievements when our order was able to not just bring them down but to capture them alive.

The heavy reins make it controllable, and so they can be used to carry our burdens.
A fitting use for a demon that was preying on our kind.
Nevertheless, none of us likes being close to them, but it makes our mission easier and allows us to cross the vast distance between us and our destination.
After all, even from the highest tower, the change was barely discoverable and only recognized because of the many quakes accompanying it.

So we're heading out.
It helps that we can use the river as a means of orientation.
Would we travel the endless plains, there'd be a high likelihood we might lose our way in this unchanging environment.

Nothing will stop us on our way.
It's an impossibility that can't prevail against our determination!
All hurdles will crumble against our will!

And will is absolute!