[Eblana POV]

While dozing off after another day of wracking my brain on a way to get through that corridor undetected I was suddenly greeted by a chilling feeling.  It woke me up instantly and I summoned my Soul Weapon while tiny purple embers started to rise around me.

 

“What was that?”

 

I stood, alert, for several minutes before I got accustomed to the feeling. Another few minutes passed, and I relaxed slightly, letting my Soul Weapon fade but keeping the embers around me.  After yet another few minutes, I let the burn out before sitting again. When I was about to start dozing again, two Spirits appeared in front of me.  As usual, the nearest skull started floating and a raspy voice came from it.

 

“Our Goddess…has summoned……you.  Do not keep…her waiting.”

 

The skull then fell to the floor, shattering as the spirits departed.

 

“They’re here.”

 

I got up again and made my way outside. Seeing as night had fallen, it would make things easier for me to get to where I was going.  I made my way up to the top of a nearby building and made my wings appear.

 

“Hmm.  The old mongrel’s shady little eyes aren’t watching me tonight…!!”

 

I flapped my wings and took to the sky, flying as fast as I could to the place we were supposed to meet.  I spanned the distance that would have taken a few days walk in minutes. With the moons high in the sky, I found the abandoned temple and landed quietly. Thankfully I got there before anyone else. Hiding my wings again, I looked around the small temple grounds. Next to a dead tree were four figures, three were clearly asleep while one was pretending.  Perched in the branches above them were two of the biggest ravens I’ve ever seen, staring at me with a mix of interest and skepticism.  I took a sort closer to the tree and their gaze sharpened.  I backed away and they went back to just staring.

 

“I would just stand there if I were you.” (???)

 

The blue-haired one, who I now realized was a fallen angel got up, an air of caution surrounding her and a spear shaped stave in her hand. In her other was another stave, the end of which was circular in shape and with a strange aura surrounding it.

 

“I am Eblana, the one who was to meet you here.” (Eblana)

 

“I figured as much.  I’m just telling you to stand there because getting any closer will make those two attack you.” (???)

 

“Are they your familiars?” (Eblana)

 

“Not mine, hers.” (???)

 

I looked at where she motioned with her stave at the kitsune girl laying down.  Now that I was getting a better look at her in person, I had to admit she was gorgeous. Long white hair ending in almost glowing blue highlights, same as the ears atop her head. At her back were three extremely fluffy tails, as white as snow and tipped in blue like her hair and ears.  In the center of her chest was a glowing blue light, brighter than one should have been at her age and tinged with a faint gold.  At the corners of her eyes were small groups of black scales that I would have confused for makeup if I didn’t already know her heritage.  As if sensing she was being stared at, her eyes slowly opened, causing my breath to get caught in my throat. Her eyes were some of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. Glowing the same blue as one sun sitting in a sea of black darker than a moonless night, with slit, dragon-like pupils swimming in the center.  They nearly awakened my inherent desire to collect precious things.

 

“…Eblana, I presume?” (Okami)

 

I could only manage a small nod.  Her looks were one thing, but being looked at with those eyes in person left me feeling a distinct chill in my soul. Like I was being judged for every wrong I’ve ever committed.

 

“Hmm.  Are you always this pale? You seem unwell.” (Okami)

 

“I-I’m sorry…it’s just, seeing you through the eyes of an undead leaves things…clouded. I was stunned by your appearance now that I can get a perfectly clear sight of you.  And I was unprepared for whatever this feeling in my soul is.” (Eblana)

 

“Hmph. I’ll take the compliment, but things like that aren’t important right now.  If you’re here already, that means something is up, or you were already near here before we got here.” (Okami)

 

“Right.  We need to move to a more secure location. It seems I was making too light of the old mongrel’s paranoia.” (Eblana)

 

“Pram, Freya, get up. Huginn, Muninn, get ready.” (Okami)

 

The still sleeping snow leopard girl sat up groggily, but soon was fully awake and got up with the wolf girls following shortly after.

 

“Whats the situation?” (Pram)

 

“We’re getting ready to move. Apparently we’re going to have a harder time here than we thought.” (Okami)

 

The two birds in the branches flapped their wings and took to the sky, only their shadowy silhouettes backed by the moons to be seen.

 

“If you have any idea on a good place to hide and talk, we’re all ears.” (Okami)

 

“That’s the reason I chose this place as our meetup spot.  We jus-” (Eblana)

 

“Caw!”

 

“Tch.” (Okami)

 

Several figures appeared in the small grounds of the temple, covered head to toe in dark clothes that hid them in the darkness and silenced their movements.

 

“This feels oddly familiar.” (Pram)

 

“So, I’m not the only one who thought that.  It was Vanir, right?  The day we met Freya.” (Okami)

 

“Exactly.” (Okami)

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight.” (???)

 

“Mostima, want to make the opening move, or should we let our dragon friend there prove herself?” (Okami)

 

“Well, Miss Eblana, going to prove yourself, or do we need to do the work?” (Mostima)

 

“Your theatrics are quite annoying, but if I can gain your full trust with this, then fine. Not like these mindless ants can put up much of a fight anyway.” (Eblana)

 

Turning to face the king’s little shadows, I felt myself smile.

 

“I’ve been quite tired of your peeping anyway, so taking out my frustration is also nice.” (Eblana)

 

I stomped my foot on the ground and beneath the feet of all the shadows that appeared here skeletal hands burst up from the ground and grabbed them.

 

“And it’s quite fitting for the Goddess of Death to take a nap in a graveyard.” (Eblana)

 

The hands started to drag the shadows into the ground until all that was left of them above were their heads.  Some tried to escape, but it was futile as the ones that left the clearing were dealt with by the two ravens.  I stepped closer to them, my smile growing wider.

 

“It seems people have come to stop fearing my title as well. Just because I’ve been preoccupied with other things doesn’t mean Odeen’s Death Dragon is a myth.”

 

After taking another step, something I didn’t expect occurred. Echoing throughout the clearing the sound of a pipe organ sounded. Though I was confused as to why, I didn’t let it stop me. I stopped walking when I was in the middle of the trapped shadows.  I turned to face the one I wished to serve and held up my arms, as if to present her my catch of the day all the while summoning purple flames around me above the heads trapped in the ground.

 

“I offer you this, Oh Goddess of Death, in hopes that you accept me into your service.  I hereby renounce my contract with Baldr Odeen and offer to you his shadows as well as my own soul. Should you judge me inferior, do with it as you please, all I ask is you resurrect my sister and cleanse me of my biggest regret in return.” (Eblana)

 

The flames around me descended into the heads, and they began letting out silent screams. It only lasted a few seconds until all of them were dead and the hands I raised pulled them under soon after.  Looking at the Goddess standing in front of me, her eyes seemed to be boring directly into me. She then raised one of the two swords in her hands and the music in the air started to become ominous as it reached a peak.  Around me shining orbs rose from the ground. At the same time, I felt a searing pain in my chest and I fell to my knees.

 

“Be careful when offering your soul like that.  In the presence of someone like me, you may end up regretting it.” (Okami)

 

In front of me a small orb floated. The kitsune walked up, moving through the other orbs while periodically cutting one.  She stopped in front of me, my vision starting to turn slightly hazy.

 

“Hmm.  You can be redeemed.  Similar to how Freya’s was when we met, your soul is mostly black, but not so far gone as to need my intervention.  As for your request, I believe regrets should be resolved by the one who holds them, not others.” (Okami)

 

She stepped forward, pushing my soul back into my body and moving my face up to look into her eyes.

 

“Considering your actions just now, as well as your actions in the past that we’ve known you, and the state of your soul as it is now, I believe we can trust you. I’ll accept you and absolve you.  Know that you cannot ever renounce this covenant upon accepting it.” (Okami)

 

I then felt a strange energy flow into me. It filled every part of my body with searing heat and pain, so much that I wanted nothing more that to scream.  When I felt it envelop my soul, the world flashed before my eyes. For a split second which felt like hours the world became a monochrome version of itself, the only thing with any color being the being standing before me. The glowing blue eyes that saw into my soul, searing their power into my body, making me something more than I was just moments ago.  I felt my soul grow hotter and hotter until I thought it would outshine my core.  Then, as suddenly as it happened, the fire invading my body cooled. Only then did I start breathing again.

 

“Rise, Eblana, my Valkyrie.” (Okami)

 

She held her hand out to me, and it was as if she had a radiance that lit the night.  The music behind all of this became less ominous and more holy.

 

I reached up and took her hand.

 

“Welcome to the family, Eblana.” (Keeno)

 

Chaos Realm:

Alex: All these events right now aside, this city is a logistical nightmare.

Luna: Explain.

Alex: It’s too big, meaning that nothing can be reliably transported, especially with the technological level of this world.  Not to mention medical problems associated with such a big city.  You’d need officials to run several districts that would never be able to reliably reach the kind or someone else of high importance and it would lead to corruption, among other things.  And don’t even get me started on the train Payto said was being developed.

Luna: Oh?  Keep going.

Alex: They need much more than just metal to build it and the tracks, it would need to be run CONSTANTLY if it is to be of any use. Depending on if it is run above or below ground, they need to tunnel under the ground, which with earth magic is easier, but still difficult, would displace hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of people, even worse above ground.  The manpower to maintain a train in constant use, bordering on overuse, would mean no people working on or with the train will get any rest, even if they work in shifts…just ugh.  It messes with my pride as a craftsperson.

Luna: Maybe they just got the idea for it and wanted to build it before figuring out any logistics for it?

Alex: Then they are idiots.  Honestly, I don’t get how that king even runs his country if his capital city is this much of a mess.

Luna: Well, I’m going to choose not to think about it because, I don’t think things are going to get so far that you’re going to need to worry about it.

Alex: Probably, but I’m allowed to complain.

Luna: Fufufufu. Then feel free.