What the Gods Decide: Judgment upon Divinity and Creation

By: Ryu Niiyama


Tsunami was beyond hearing, beyond reason. She had lost everything. She'd given Youmei her love and she watched her be turned into a monster against her will. Their daughter had been ripped away, raised by the very man that plotted her demise. And Ling had been ashamed of her heritage, so much so that she'd descended into draconic madness. Now she too was dead, murdered before Tsunami's very eyes, and Izanagi had denied her the ability to find their souls by binding her to the wheel. Tsunami had coveted two titles, most dear to her in all of Creation and beyond: Wife and Mother. How she had wanted to raise Youmei to godhood and give her beloved mate her heart everlasting. How she'd dreamed of raising her hatchling with her beloved mate. Now, all of her dreams were dust. She couldn't bear it, even if they stopped her brother, Heaven would not return her family to her and the Emperor would leave her on the wheel for eternity. No, better to destroy herself now…to drown Creation in the waters of Chaos. Perhaps what arose from her demise would be fairer, kinder and more beautiful to the souls that she loved. Perhaps there would be nothing left at all.

She no longer cared.

The Judge could see the decision to die in Tsunami's eyes and it brought terror to the mute weapon's soul. The Water Dragon was exquisite in her fury, the boundless ocean of her power surging and cresting. Soon her power would be greater than what Creation could sustain, a great serpent to devour the turtle that was Creation's guise. It seemed almost unfair, that this supreme beauty was now the antithesis of Creation rather than its Shepard, yet the Judge could not stand by while the Water Dragon directed her rage inward. Summoning the key that would tip the scales, the Judge leapt mightily towards the rampaging Cardinal Elder Goddess. The key could undo the Judge's shackles or it could undo the Water Dragon's…the Judge didn't understand why a key forged from its enslaved soul could do this, but it knew instinctively that this was the case. If the Judge freed itself it would regain its soul as its own possession, to be reborn with memories returned, the ability even remember and recognize something as simple as its biological sex would be returned to it. However if the key was used to free the Water Dragon then perhaps she could be calmed and Creation saved.

There was no decision to be made, the Judge would remain a husk and fade when its job was done. But at least it would have done its job…that was worth its lowly soul, surely. The key floated away from its wielder at its command and with an almost delicate softness merged with the great chains that bound Suilong Tsunami to the Great Wheel. The chains swelled with power and then shattered, flickering into the air and forming an aurora before the very air reverberated around them and the nascent power slammed into the judge, tossing it about like a rag doll.

Both Elder Goddess and Weapon fell to the half submerged ground with a wet splash and a sickly smack. The Judge rose weakly to its feet and spread its arms in defiance, the Water Dragon's massive serpentine form reverted to water, forming a massive wave that dragged the Judge under and it struggled to find the surface. A hand shot into the churning water, gripping the Judge by the neck and raising it from the divine depths. The Water Dragon had returned to her customary form, but the madness and despair still churned within her deep, dark gaze. She growled, the sound as ominous as thunder before she surged forward, reverting to dragon form mid movement. The Judge jerked weakly as it felt the reduced but still wickedly deadly maw of the Elder Goddess clamp down over its torso, and it weakly moved its arms to stroke the wild Goddess', face and muzzle as best it could. The Judge didn't feel the bands upon its wrists unlock and fall into the waters below, didn't hear the gasp of the Water Dragon as she pulled away, even as blood dripped from her maw.

The Judge fell numbly to its knees not realizing that it was being cradled in the massive palm of the Elder Goddess.

The Judge didn't feel the mask unlock and slide into the cool waters below.

The Judge didn't know that when the last of the bonds faded and a soul became mortal once again, there was a small smile upon…her face.

"Youmei? YOUMEI!"


Surely, she had gone mad.

She'd seen her beloved murdered before her and her mind has shattered. Lian, Heavenly Lily and Empress of the Jade Empire scrambled backwards as the figure, pulsing with warmth moved towards her. Golden, reptilian eyes shuttered, wounded by her reaction but the apparition would not halt her slow approach. Ling lay lifeless and forgotten, clad in her trademark azure silk, her heart ripped from her breast. Yet Ling strode towards her, clad in white and gold and hints of azure, the peacock feather at her waist replaced with a burning plume that she didn't recognize, the Dragon Amulet lay tied to her opposite hip, the artifact vibrating with indolent power. Scales kissed her skin along her temples, cheek and neck and in the cut of top she could see the draconic skin markings cupping the sweet swell of breasts. Long, partially bound hair, no longer the color of a silken raven's wing seemed oddly translucent like water, and yet it burned with a white hot inferno within, shimmering and exquisite. Her hands were capped with deadly talons, even as more of the delicate scales coated her flesh. The sight of her hands made the apparition pause and she stopped and stared at the trembling claw tipped hands in horror.

"What? What is happening to me? Lian?"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The Silk Fox's eyes widened as she watched the divine being be tackled into the rising waters, their impact causing the water to evaporate instantly. Lian leaned forward trying to see through the steamy fog only to gasp as she saw her Spirit Monk grappling with the divine being. This could not be, she watched her beloved meet her end upon the cruel hands of a Goddess that she didn't recognize. Yet here she was, as beautiful and resplendent as she had been when they claimed victory over Sun Li. If she was going mad, then at least seeing her beloved Virtuous Dragon would ease her soul into oblivion. Yet she had to be sure, had to know that her love had returned for her and she called out softly, praying that her devotion would be answered.

"Ling?"

Both heads turned at her words and she balked at the pain that appeared within golden eyes. The divine warrior looked as if her heart was breaking, but Ling's gaze was the one that broke Lian's heart. Once her Virtuous Dragon had sworn that no matter the titles and station between them, she would love Lian. The Spirit Monk's self-doubt made her break that promise and she abandoned Lian, the Mourning Lily to three years of endless darkness. Lian had reclaimed her, and she had sworn her devotion anew, but the while she could see the love in Ling's soft brown eyes, she could see the demure hesitancy of subservience.

"My Lady!"

"Lian!"

The Empress of the Jade and shadow warrior staggered backwards, falling into the seat of her throne as she realized the truth. Red eyes boiling with rage, terror at a death inflicted by the man she'd deemed Father, hope so fleeting yet enduring all the same, passion and possession the like that Lian had dreamed of for years soured with the belief that she could visit abuse and horror upon the woman that completed her soul. Yet she had proven herself, she had passed Ling's test and reminded her Spirit Monk that she loved her beyond love itself, beyond life itself. They had found each other, bound by their very souls, and Lian vowed in her heart to love Ling properly for the rest of her mortal days. Ling's will had been reforged then, and she'd returned to where she would most be needed.

But, she fell…didn't she?

That was her broken body that drove the Water Dragon to madness was it not?

A roar that sounded interlaced with a human sob, filled the throne and the divine dragon shook off her shock and struck the Spirit Monk in the face with enough force to drive her to her knees. Tears spilled down her face in torrents, nearly blinding her as she surged towards the staggered human. The two began to fight in earnest, dodging and flipping, blocking and striking, kicks and grabs and palm thrusts and punches echoing within the chamber like thunder. The Golden Dragon moved with heartache and rage, her eyes glowing white in her fury and Lian squinted as she realized that the divine being's fighting style looked familiar, intimately so…including the feeling that there was a flaw somewhere in there that she couldn't quite identify.

The Spirit Monk surged forward, her hands breaking the Golden Dragon's guard and moving towards her unprotected torso. Lian's mind flashed back to the terrible day that she watched Sun Li the betrayer, murder his trusting pupil, the day she saw the brilliant light fade from her Virtuous Dragon's bewitching eyes. Lian rushed forward, the scales falling from her eyes as she realized that the Golden Dragon was her Virtuous Dragon ascended, her divinity fully realized.

She could not watch Ling die again, she would not and she moved faster than she ever had in her life, hoping to take the blow meant for her beloved. Yet divinity could not be so easily subverted as the Virtuous Dragon turned abruptly, catching the palm strike that would stop her heart and turning so that her shoulder was pressed in line with her attacker. She dropped her arm and center of gravity, the momentum of the Spirit Monk driving her forward and the Virtuous Dragon answered with a knee to the solar plexus that staggered the Spirit Monk and she let loose a spinning back kick that connected right as Lian reached the two of them.

Lian had the skill to half block the attack, but she had been struck dead on by a Goddess with the intent to kill. The blow tossed both the Empress of the Jade and the Spirit Monk back, and the woman that bore Ling's face moved to her side instantly, trying to staunch the bleeding. Lian coughed up blood as she struggled to pull air into her burning lungs and she felt like she was both on fire and drowning at the same time. "My Lady, hold on!" The Spirit Monk looked shattered as she held the Empress of the Jade close, trying to offer what comfort that she could. Lian reached out a trembling hand and cupped the cheek of the visage of the woman she loved and she gasped as the face swam until it looked like her own.

"Shaorin?"

The kagemusha nodded mutely, bearing Lian's face, heartbreak and rage clouding her eyes. "I will protect you from this monster, My Lady. I swear it!" Lian's injury wasn't fatal but it was excruciatingly painful as she felt her shadow lay her as comfortably as she could. The Empress of the Jade looked over her protector's shoulder and she could see Ling had sunk to her knees, pressing her draconian hands against her face. The Empress' hazel eyes widened as she realized the danger of what was happening, Ling might have ascended but she was still not accustomed to her power, power that had once shattered her psyche in divine madness. Her rage had been self inflicted before, but now in the totality of her power, if she lost control she could destroy everything around her. Yet Shaorin didn't share her concern for the godling before them, the kagemusha rose and drew her sword, rushing the kneeling Virtuous Dragon.

"You MONSTER! I'll never let you hurt her again!"


The Emperor of Heaven watched the Inferno Tiger, seeing no malice or deception within his stance, yet she felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end as she looked upon her greatest terror. Yet she would face down this fear and any other to protect her bride and her Realm.

"What do you intend to propose, Emperor of Heaven, Regent of Creation?"

Izanagi grit her teeth as the unbearable heat of Byakko Yamanosuke's calm, measured soft tones scorched her bones, but she would not falter, she could not. She opened her fan and covered her mouth to hide her discomfort, although the Lord of Order looked indifferent. "The child. You have come to wipe her from existence, to destroy her soul, because she has awakened and because of her parentage. I come to offer you another life in exchange. Mine."

The Inferno Lord tilted his head, but otherwise his face remained impassive, a bastion of emotionless logic. "Why should I accept your life? Will your soul restore balance?"

Izanagi snapped her fan closed in irritation, glaring at the brother to the Water Dragon. She fought for calm and it struggled from her grasp as she thought of her beloved Izanami turned away.

"I am the Apex of Creation! Even the daughter of the Water Dragon's soul pales against mine! You will acquiesce! My fate is to be impaled by your blade! I have seen it! It was my first thought, my first fear! I will not run from my fate any longer, end me and free Tsunami from her burden! Leave Creation in peace!"

The Tiger opened his mouth to speak, only to leap back elegantly and land soundlessly several meters away. In the place where he stood, the Champion of Heaven knelt with her spear impaling the marble beneath her feet. She looked up and glared at the ever calm Lord of Order. "I've come to oppose this dark bargain! You will not have her, not while I still draw breath!"

"Izanami-"

The Empress of Heaven ignored the shocked gasp of her wife and let loose a war cry, before she launched herself into the sky, the Yari of Heaven brandished within her grasp.


The Water Dragon knew this scent. All water was a part of her element and blood was no different. The sweet, copper tang carried her away to when she first smelled its scent. A newborn child, destined to become the greatest of her acolytes, destined to become the keeper of Tsunami's heart. A beautiful human soul that was proof that even she could undo lonely fate that the Eternal Phoenix had set in motion for her. She pulled back her grip that should have ended the former Judge's life and Tsunami let loose her mastery of the Great Wheel, instantly healing the grievous wounds. She looked into the face of the woman she loved and reached out a delicate, taloned hand to stroke her dark, unbound hair in reverence. Tsunami surged forward and kissed her beloved, pouring all of her yearning into the meeting of their lips. The woman in her arms balked at first but she responded quickly, clutching the silken hitoe of the Water Dragon as she passed her arms around her back.

Tsunami broke the kiss, knowing her mortal needed to breathe, as she flicked her serpentine tongue out to lave playfully at her beloved's lips. Jian Youmei giggled at the sensation and for a moment, Tsunami forgot all else, as the urge to hold her beloved close and claim her love and passion once again surged within her thoughts like a maelstrom. She crooned softly as she felt Youmei stroke her cheek and she smiled brilliantly at the woman she adored. Youmei's features grew stern and apprehensive and the Water Dragon tightened her embrace in concern.

"Youmei, how? I felt you fall and then…"

"The Emperor claimed me. The role of Judge muted my soul."

Tsunami let out a vicious snarl, showing the truth of her nature as both wild beast and gentle beauty and she huffed, blowing steam from her nostrils. "That impertinent whelp! I could have destroyed your soul!" Youmei smiled at the outrage of her sovereign, briefly reminded of the sweet, eternal maiden that she'd loved in some fashion since her birth.

"And I would've met my destruction with joy and honor. Proud to be free once again." Tsunami struggled against her beloved's words, madness still trying to encroach upon her thoughts and she rose quickly, easily bearing her beloved's weight. She rushed towards the fallen Spirit Monk and set Youmei to her feet before kneeling before her. The former Judge recoiled slightly in fear as Tsunami's gentle touch revealed the cold, lifeless visage of the fallen one that had sparked the Water Dragon's descent into madness.

"…Ling…"

The former Judge blinked in confusion at the tenderness within the Water Dragon's soft tones as that face only conjured rage and fear within her. She frowned as she watched tears drip from her Exalted Goddess' eyes and splash against lifeless skin. Yet it was the way that her beloved mistress held the corpse that stirred a deeper, older memory, buried under the horror of death and abuse and the Emperor's will. She remembered a child, one she had been so proud to bear, one that she had held so tenderly, grateful for the tie to the Goddess that she loved as a woman, even though her Lady had hidden from her for so long.

She was at least grateful that before the Emperor of the Jade sought to usurp Heaven she had forced her Lady to reveal the truth to her and obliterate the loathsome mask that stood between them. Under the gaze of the moonlight as they lay together after finally loving one another without the false guise between, them they spoke with joyous anticipation of the life that grew inside of Youmei's womb. As she lay with the warmth of the Water Dragon's breasts pressed against her back and the feel of her womanhood pressed against her buttocks, their fingers were intertwined over the swell of her belly, they spoke of naming their little one. Despite the illusion that Tsunami had worn, she had sired her hatchling divinely and as her female divinity merged with Youmei's female ova, the child they created could have only been a daughter. She had cried tears of joy as they agreed upon a name, and Tsunami had gently coaxed her onto her back and loved her gently with the devotion and reverence fit for a Goddess.

"Ling." She whispered the word full of all the potential and pride that a parent could bestow upon a new life, for one moment transported back to the happiest time of her life. She remembered when the Goddess she loved was hers to love and she carried their daughter. Those beautiful memories began to crowd out the darker, more recent ones, although her mind still clung to them, screaming at the dichotomy. She moved to reach out to touch her beloved's shoulder, to join her in mourning as a family, finally together after all of this time.

"NOOOOOO! What have they done! What have they done!"

Youmei jerked her hand back and turned and took a protective stance in front of the Elder Goddess, momentarily falling back into the old habits of her vow as a member of the Order of Water and a Spirit Monk. Yet the newfound threat ignored her entirely as Kang the Mad barreled towards the Goddess and former Spirit Monk, skidding to a stop and yanking the corpse from Tsunami's bewildered grasp. "My beautiful creation! It took years to create you! So much damage so much damage...where is the power source?! Those brutes!"

The implications of Kang's fevered tirade slammed into the Water Dragon and she surged upwards and back to her feet with a whimper, almost backing into Youmei behind her. Her mind calmed as she felt her mate's hands at her shoulders and she frowned at the oblivious insane Lesser God before her, crossing her arms in disapproving poise. Kang paused in his fretting and he looked up with at least the good sense to blush as he took in the sight of the Goddess and the woman beside her. He waved his hand in jerky, agitated motions as a nervous chuckle bubbled from his throat. For a moment he squinted at the former Judge's face and she shrank under his gaze, partially hiding her face behind the Water Dragon's shoulder. Torn between elation at the implication that their hatchling was alive, and the confusion as her mind still knitted itself back together, Tsunami growled, furious that the awkward looking Mad God would dare make her mate ashamed of her appearance. Kang squeaked at the ominous sound, well aware of the nature of the Goddess before him and he hastened to respond even as his curiosity tugged at him.

"This, maaaay technically be my fault. Maybe. Slightly. Partially. Wait…don't I know you?"

The Water Dragon couldn't hold back an exasperated sigh. "Lao Kang, focus and explain. NOW." Kang looked mildly perturbed that he'd been interrupted but he continued on easily enough.

"Oh! Yes, yes! My work fooled even you, the Shepard of Death did it not? …but perhaps not the form itself, so much as the power source. Not long after the Spirit Monk left the Empire, latent energy began to coalesce within Heaven and Earth. I merely…harnessed it."

The Water Dragon snarled and gripped the Mad God's robes, holding him aloft with the same ease a child would pick up a doll. "You've been stealing my daughter's soul?! To create this mockery?!" Kang squeaked and sputtered, his legs kicking uselessly as he was dangled in mid air. "No, no! Not stolen…harnessed! It was everywhere! It powers all of my new golems! I didn't know! I didn't! Wait…daughter?" Tsunami leaned forward with a growl, her poise as fleeting as a summer rain as she looked ready to murder Kang for his foolishness. It was only the gentle touch of her beloved that held her back as she merely snarled and tossed him away to sprawl ungainly upon the soaked ground. Yet Kang seemed almost unaware, his mind shattered by the touch of Order and made more brilliant and more brittle than any mortal mind had a right to be as he focused upon the revealed linage of the Spirit Monk. "Daughter…niece?…then that is why the Master has come. Too much power…disrupts order." The Mad God trailed off into a mumble, ranting and theorizing under his breath and they realized they would gain no more useful information from him.

Tsunami stalked towards him, ready to tear him limb from limb when she felt strong arms loop around her waist, holding her still. "Leave him, Mistress. The child is still alive. She will need you. She has to learn how to harness her strength." The touch of her beloved so seduced her senses that she didn't notice the isolated phrasing that her beloved used instead she thought of their hatchling, still in the sights of Order. Tsunami nodded and grasped Youmei's hand, moving to lead her out, only to pause and turn around as her lover's hand slipped from her grasp.

"Youmei?"

"You are free, Mistress. The child will need you. Go to her."

Tsunami frowned and she moved towards her reticent beloved and took her into her arms. "Youmei, what are you saying? We are both free…this is our hatchling. This is Ling! We shall go together and protect our den! I am not your Mistress!" Youmei shook her head and struggled to pull away, yet Tsunami would no longer allow her body to be pliant enough for her hold to be broken. The former Judge struggled further; pounding her fists uselessly above the swell of Tsunami's breasts and the Water Dragon captured one in her hand, containing her struggles with ease. These were not the actions of a warrior of Jian Youmei's caliber, but rather the motions of a woman with a broken heart. The Water Dragon let out a soothing purr even as she gently brushed her nose against her mate's tear stained cheek, kissing the soft flesh gently before ducking her head to force her mate to meet her eyes. "Youmei? What is wrong? Why are you behaving this way? There is no reason for these tears. We shall protect her; this Dragon swears it to you."

"Nooo…" The word was drawn out agonizingly in a wet sob and Tsunami had to clamp down the urge to revert to her Dragon form and coil around her mate to soothe her. Yet her touch didn't seem to calm her beloved; still she would not release her for fear that she would hurt herself. "She cannot see me this way Mistress. She will not understand." Tsunami drew back, stung, and she forced herself to think of the implications of her mate's words. She only saw her beloved returned to her, her soul brilliant once more, but what would Ling see? She would not remember her mother and perhaps she would not be able to reconcile the two. "You will always be beautiful to me. Know this… I change you not because I require it, but because I seek to put your heart at ease." Tsunami spoke in the language before Creation and every drop of water within the former Judge's body began to ripple and respond to the power of Water's Source and Chaos' Flow.

Flesh that had been corrupted was once again pristine as the years melted away and she looked once again like the woman that had defied the Emperor and had been brought low by Death's Hand. She was not the youthful maiden that had carried the daughter of the Water Dragon, but instead a possibility realized, the woman she could have been, her beauty frozen at the time that she died. Tsunami reached out a hand and called forth the mask of the Judge that had lain discarded within the shallows at their feet and her eyes glowed as she injected her power. The featureless mask changed into a familiar war mask, now adorned in the colors of the Order of Water once again.

Tsunami moved a hand up to the back of Youmei's neck and tugged her into a kiss, her power flowing between them as surely as her passion. When they parted, Jian Youmei, High Miko of the Order of Water and the finest of Dirge's Warriors was once again adorned with her battle robes. They had been returned to the colors of azure, black and gold: the colors of the Water Dragon, and the colors of Scholar Ling the Virtuous Dragon; their daughter unwittingly paying homage to them both. Upon her hands lay battle gauntlets forged from one of the Water Dragon's claws, their shape designed to mimic the talon tipped hands of the Water Dragon's maiden form.

Youmei took the battle mask from her beloved and donned it, for the first time in over twenty five years feeling at peace within her battle garb and within her own skin. She nodded to her Goddess, her gold and sapphire headdress chiming and tinkling softly as she nodded her consent. Tsunami fitted an arm around her waist and within moments the true form of the Water Dragon rose and took to the sky, searching for the Last Spirit Monk.


She was a monster.

All that she loves she destroys. Two Rivers, Dawn Star, Lian…perhaps even Master Li's madness was her fault. She keeps hurting them when all she wanted to do was help. Lian was right to choose that other over her… how joy suffused her Heavenly Lilly's face when she saw the other, how Lian had been terrified upon seeing her. Now Lian would leave her…and she would have nothing but the darkness.

She tried to sink below the waves but she could feel a tug at her soul, demanding that she answer. She squinted within the darkness and she could see a golden serpent burning with brilliant light within an ocean filled with water lilies of all types. For a moment she paused, confused as she looked upon the coiled form of the dragon, until she realized that the Dragon was wrapped around something. Within the golden dragon's embrace Sun Lian held the dragon close her nude form glowing with ethereal light. Her eyes were closed as her hand stroked against the dragon's maw, her forehead pressed serenely against the dragon's snout. A red thread looped and laced around them, tying them together in an endless embrace. She gasped when the dragon's eyes opened, boring into her own and she realized she was looking upon her soulself.

"Monster or no, the Heavenly Lily has made her choice. She has found the one worthy to safeguard her heart, the one to be the source of her peace, joy and pleasure. Will you abandon her? Will you allow another to take your place? Dragons covet endlessly, with eternal devotion; will you let someone else take the mate that has chosen you?"

Before the Virtuous Dragon could respond, the Heavenly Lily, the aspect of her soul that she had given to Ling to safeguard also opened her eyes and spoke.

"…Trust in me and my love for you now my Dragon. Come home Ling. Return to where you belong; by my side, in my arms. Come home Ling and deny me my bride no longer."

"You MONSTER! I'll never let you hurt her again!"

Time surged back into its normal flow and with a snarl the Virtuous Dragon knocked the blade that had been hurtling towards her neck away with ease, snapping the weapon in two. Recovering quickly, the kagemusha drew two short swords and resumed her attack. With the same effort that it took to breathe, the Virtuous Dragon summoned Tien's Justice and the holy staff pulsed with her power as she faced off against her challenger. Shaorin fought with great skill and determination but in the end she was merely a mortal facing down a godling suffused with draconic rage.

Tien's Justice slammed into her guard, shattering her wrists like glass but she refused to cry out, even as another blow to her knee shattered the joint and dropped her to the ground. She rocked on back on her destroyed leg, her eyes defiant and blue as the spring sky and she faced down the godling that she loathed, righteous hatred burning bright in her disappointed gaze. This creature would only hurt her Empress, but perhaps her death would break the evil spell that the Dragon had woven upon her heart. The holy staff of the Virtuous Dragon cracked against her temple, depositing her onto the water damaged opulent rugs of the palace and somewhere in the distance she heard a scream. She didn't respond as she was turned onto her back and straddled by the inhuman Spirit Monk and she realized vaguely that she couldn't see out of the eye on the side that she'd been struck. She was sliding into shock but all she could feel was smug vindication and concern for her beloved Empress.

The Virtuous Dragon could feel the love that the challenger had for her mate and it spiked her rage further. Sun Lian's smiles were hers to protect, not this filth, not this outsider's. She snarled as she raised a hand, ready to smash it through the offending woman beneath her yet she could not move as her hand was gripped in an unyielding grip. She yelped as she was tossed off of the challenger but she surged forward; mad with rage she found the world spinning upside down as she was tripped by a leg sweep and a delicate but immovable hand slammed into her sternum, pressing her onto her back and against the ground.

"Enough, child. You have defended your claim to be her champion, but your actions only hurt and frighten your mate now."


Lian could only scream as she watched the woman she loved brutalize the sister of her heart. She knew that Ling had been lost in some sort of draconic insanity once again but this time instead of challenging Lian, her Virtuous Dragon had deemed Sharoin an enemy that must be eradicated. She had to stop this; she had to stop Ling from doing something that she would regret forever. Her Spirit Monk has been witty and irreverent if not annoyingly knowledgeable in conversation, but in her every day actions and in battle Lian understood why her beloved rarely went by her named title of Virtuous Dragon. Virtuous Butterfly would have been more apt, for Scholar Ling detested hurting others. She was a consummate warrior and her skill had few equals but to take a life, weighed upon her heavily. Perhaps it was an inherited trait as the daughter of the Shepard or perhaps her love for the equally gentle Dawn Star made her thus but she never took a life without a solemn heart. Even her Master Li, who had killed her in cold blood, she had nearly submitted to him if only to save his life. It was only the understanding that Sun Li would make the Empire flood with the blood of its people that allowed her to break his power.

This Vengeful Dragon, mad with rage, drowned out the gentle woman that Lian had fallen in love with and the Heavenly Lily felt her heart leap into her throat for poor Shaorin whose only crime was her loyalty. Lian struggled upwards as a hand grasped her shoulder briefly, injecting her with divinity and healing her wounds. Before she could move further, armored hands carefully gripped her shoulders, holding her in place. "Peace, Empress. Let my Lady tend to the Spirit Monk. She will quiet the storm." Silk Fox jerked away from the hold, turning away from the sight of the Water Dragon confronting her daughter and she gasped and dropped into Heavenly Wave stance as she took in the appearance of the one that attempted to calm her.

"You! How dare you!"

The masked woman shook her head, tsking at Lian as if she was not a particularly bright child. "You can confront me if you wish Empress, or you can ease your kagemusha in her final moments. Your choice." Reminded of fallen Shaorin, Lian moved away from the woman warily before she sprinted towards her shadow. The Empress of the Jade skid to a stop on her knees at Sharoin's side and she reached out and carefully laid her hand over one of he shattered ones of her beloved bodyguard, terrified of causing her more pain.

"My…Lady?"

"shh, I am here Shaorin. I am here."

She paused as she realized that she could see her retainer's true face for the first time and her heart broke at the sight of such beauty ruined. Shaorin's soul was guttering its last and thus could no longer power the enchantment that made her flesh malleable. Lian wept at the sight of the left eye partially split in twain from the force of the blow that shattered the bones of her eye socket. Blood welled in the socket staining white to red, while the sightless pupil was blown out large enough to consume all but the smallest ring of blue. She stroked the uninjured side of Shaorin's face, whispering apologies and endearments as her voice hitched with sobs. The kagemusha smiled crookedly on the right side of her face and shook her head minutely as best she could, her remaining eye focused intently upon her Empress' beautiful visage, which finally, finally saw her for who she was.

"Iss ok…My…life…to sserve…"

And then Shaorin, the Shadow Fox of the Jade went still, her life passing from her body on a final breathy exhale, her sightless eye still focused upon Lian's face. Lian buried her face into her robes and wept bitterly for the sister of her heart, slain by the woman she loved.


"Halt your rage child, there are no enemies here."

The Golden Dragon snarled and whipped her serpentine form about, looking for the intruder. "Who are you to challenge me?!" No sooner than the words faded an impossibly massive azure dragon filled the space around them, her size easily dwarfing that of the hatchling before her.

"I… am your sire Child, your divine mother."

The Spirit Monk bristled at the familial term. She'd gone her whole life never knowing the word Mother, Dawn Star, Master Li and Two Rivers had been all the family she'd every needed. And now they were gone. Even Dawn Star no longer needed her. Within her mindscape, Scholar Ling the Virtuous Dragon dropped to her knees and she raised her hands, covered in scales in front of her face. She stared at her hands and all she could see was that terrible power. That useless terrible power. Where was that power when she needed it? When she had to protect her friends? Azure hands, partially translucent like water reached out and grasped hers, as the customary form of the Water Dragon knelt in front of her. She looked into the face of the deity that had guided her on her journey, the constant voice and presence that had been with her even in the Land of the Dead. Yet she balked against the Water Dragon's words and she jerked back, breaking their connection.

"No! I am …I am a human!"

The Water Dragon's eyes were mournful as she looked upon her daughter mired in confusion. "In part yes…but look at you, wreathed in scale and fire. Though not my natural element I have some control over it due to my brother. You are my hatchling child, sired in love." Ling shook her head in vehement denial, ignoring the changes to her form that were obviously divine and draconic in nature, determined to exert her humanity. She snarled like a dragon and half lunged forward, gripping the Water Dragon's shoulders.

"You waited until now to tell me this? Twenty four years, and I'm supposed to what? Let you into my life with open arms?! You used me just like Master Li did!"

The Water Dragon's eyes glowed and her power tossed the dragonling onto her back with the ease that it took to blow paper in the wind. High above her soulself she watched the Water Dragon's divine form glow, her eyes sparking with a denied mother's frustration.

"I am nothing like that usurper! I used everything that I had to find you! To protect you in the best way that I could! Lest you forget there was no time!"

Ling's mind flashed upon the mutilated form of the Water Dragon, the Elder Deity torn apart and her very blood used for decades to sustain the Jade empire. Yet she couldn't let her anger go, lest there be only herself to blame.

Yet the Water Dragon allowed her no quarter. "What of you child? Is murder and rampaging violence your legacy? Are these the traits you learned from the man that you called Father in your heart?"

Ling surged to her feet and the Water Dragon was there once again, her face stern and disapproving. She began to slowly circuit Ling like a predator, each pass ripe with doom and retribution should she answer poorly. The newborn god shook her head, clenching her fists in righteous fury. "I only wanted to protect!" Somewhere behind her the Water Dragon scoffed. Images of Shaorin's brutal defeat flared before her and Ling whimpered at the sight of mindless rage upon her reflection's face.

"You are the last of the Spirit Monks, you bore the power of divinity even before your awakening, is this brutalization protection?! Protection from what?"

Ling gasped as Lian's despair overcame her and her mind was treated to memories of her beloved. Years training with and learning from the young woman that protected her, years of misadventures as the kagemusha tried in vain to curb her Princess' more rambunctious and adventurous nature. She watched Lian say goodbye as she put her throne up on offer in her bid to find Ling once again, trusting her kagemusha to see the Jade safe. She could feel the flare of the kagemusha…Shaorin's soul; her love for her Empress had been long nurtured and repressed, she served more diligently to prove her devotion, pushing herself to train harder if only to be of some use to the woman that she adored and who would never see her face. She felt the kagemusha's judgment of her, vindicated with her death and Ling roared at the plaintive truth of it. In trying to hold Lian close she'd only destroyed those that she'd loved.

"You have taken to being a beast, child but you have forgotten how to be a woman. Is this creature of rage, the mate that you wish to present? How long will your delicate Heavenly Lily remain safe from such a beast's wrath? You lose yourself, and shame the blood in your veins."

The Spirit Monk, shook her head in denial, clutching taloned hands against her robes, the Water Dragon's condemnation causing her divine soulself to writhe in agony. "No! I'm not…not a monster…." She thought of the friends she made on her journey to stop Master Li and the relationships she'd deepened. Dawn Star's gentle love solidified to that of an unwavering companion, pure and honest. Sky had redeemed himself in service for a noble cause, his grief no longer a vicious chain. Hou had remembered what it was to stand on his own, and he remembered why he allowed his wife to henpeck him so despite his token complaints. Kang had found purpose if not sanity within their journey. Sagacious Zu had found peace within their quest and with his death he'd atoned for his past atrocities. Zin Bu the Magic Abacus had found profit and companionship that he enjoyed despite his pretense. Wild Flower had found a big sister and the duality demon she bore found a return to Heaven. The Black Whirlwind had found strong drink and boisterous fights, not much different from his norm, but be trusted the Spirit Monk with his life. Even Death's Hand had gained freedom from his foul imprisonment and she felt his gratitude even now.

The Heavenly Lily had found new compassion, understanding for the individual lives of her Empire; every city and hold rang with the auspicious truth of her benevolence. Silk Fox had found a warrior that she could admire and emulate, one that she could in turn teach and guide as they grew together. Lian had found the woman that her soul had yearned for, unafraid of her titles and honorable and passionate both. She could love this woman until the end of her days, unafraid that her love would be deemed too great or suffocating, joyful that her desire would burn like a flame and never destroy the one she adored. She had found one that she could trust her Empire to; a woman of wisdom and kindness and Lian's soul sang with completion at the thought of her. Her misery at her loss, drowned her in grief and determination in equal measure, her divine manifest to love and protect the one that held her heart flowing through her veins as surely as her life's blood. What would she say to this dragon that destroyed with no thought of the pain left in her wake?

"…no…"

"No? Then choose, what path will you take?"

Ling reached out a hand and an apparition of Sun Lian appeared dressed in her Imperial Regalia, but her smile as warm and as open as the noon day sun. The Spirit Monk looked at her lover, confused by her appearance somehow knowing she'd tapped into the part of Lian's soul that she'd given to her beloved for safe keeping. She started to close their distance, yet she pulled up short at the tearful determination in Lian's eyes. "You died Ling. I watched that bastard kill you…and there was nothing I could do about it. Helplessness is not a feeling exclusive to us mortals. Imagine how she must feel…able to see but unable to act. The world is no longer suited for her rule. If the Water Dragon had intervened directly she would have upended everything. Still, she broke Heaven's Laws for you. She shouldn't have brought you back, but she did…it goes against every aspect of the Way but she did it for you. You are loved Ling, so much that even one of the most Exalted gods of Heaven couldn't bear to lose you. So much that the Empress of the Jade Empire gave up her throne to find you. Don't shut us out Ling, don't turn your back on those that love you."

Somewhere behind her the Water Dragon snorted delicately, amused that even now the Heavenly Lily's determination reached the confused Spirit Monk. Ling ignored her for a moment, instead focusing on Lian's words. Slowly she moved towards that outstretched hand. When their fingers brushed she transformed into Scholar Ling of Two Rivers her soul-self whole once again. The apparition vanished and Ling looked down to see her hands returned to normal and the Water Dragon standing before her. The Goddess…her mother smiled and opened her arms and for the first time in her life Ling felt the need to know her mother's embrace.

She let out a cry and threw herself into the Water Dragon's arms and she sighed at the embrace as warm and comforting as she and Dawn Star used to imagine a Mother's Love would be. She felt delicate hands stroke her hair and soothing purr issue from her divine Mother's throat and she felt free, free of the guilt and pain, free of the expectation, free of the self-hatred. Scholar Ling, the Virtuous Dragon had come home.

"Now little one, you are truly a dragon."


The Yari of Heaven thrust and slashed yet it glanced off of the Inferno Tiger's divinity like rain against glass. The Elder God looked almost bored although there was a flicker of respect in his staid gaze even as he dodged or allowed the greatest weapon in Heaven to flicker against him harmlessly. He wondered briefly at the passion that drove the Empress of Heaven, the need to protect, to safeguard the woman she loved. Yet Izanagi courted her own fate and Byakko Yamanosuke had wasted enough time. The child's power was spiking, gorging upon itself; he had to destroy the source before it was too late.

Lazily, he caught the three pronged spear head in one hand and held it immobile with ease, before he kicked out, hurling the Champion of Heaven to the ground. The Volcano Tiger tossed the divine weapon to the ground as if it was nothing more than a toy, his gaze raking over the Holy Pair as if they were insects. Izanami no Mikoto rose and drew her bow, celestial arrows forming at the speed of thought. She loosed one before her bow arm was knocked askew, her Emperor stepping in front of her.

"Izanami you can't kill him. He is Order. If he dies, the sun will snuff out and the earth will leave its orbit. The laws that keep our existence intact will be shattered. Only Chaos will rule and nothing can survive with just one or the other."

The beautiful Champion pushed her wife away and behind her, ignoring her protests and tossing away her bow. The Inferno Tiger looked upon their confrontation with disinterest, his neutral mien unchanged. "I will not allow you to lay down your life for this. Have you not done enough?" Izanami strode forward, shrugging off her wife's attempts to pull at her robes and stop her as she pointed her blade at the Lord of Order, the divine steel humming with her power.

"I am your EMPEROR! You will NOT defy me! Yield!"

The shot went wide as the command slammed into the Empress of Heaven. The Lord of Order noted dispassionately that one of the dragon heads that fed water to the Empire had been destroyed and was now raining debris upon the city below. He allowed himself to float softly to the below, his feet taking purchase above the water that still fell in torrents all around him. His ears twitched as he tried to listen for the soul of his quarry, the rain was beginning to lessen so he suspected that Tsunami was free, but the Realms had been intermingled, without his hand to untie them, they would not easily separate. Izanami was driven to the ground but she struggled to rise again, gripping her sword like a cane as she hoisted herself to her feet. Izanagi blasted her with her divine will again and the Champion of Heaven grit her teeth but continued to struggle to rise, grimacing in pain. The Lord of Order's crimson eyes swiveled back towards the Holy Pair at this. Did the Will of Heaven not realize what she was setting in motion? Byakko Yamanosuke held out a hand and summoned his blade as he began to walk towards the Empress and Emperor. Izanagi tackled her wife to the ground pressing her hands against her shoulders.

"I command it! You will YIELD, None may defy me and live, DAMN YOU!"

Izanami gasped and tears sprang to her eyes and she reached up and grasped one of the hands at her shoulder. She gave her Emperor a watery smile and opened her mouth to speak, only to gasp in pain as she jerked suddenly. Golden blood began to fill the water around them and confused, Izanagi moved her hold of her bride into an embrace. She was momentarily distracted by the reflection of the Inferno Tiger above her his sword in his outstretched hand thrusting the blade though Izanagi's back, the fate she had first seen come to pass. Yet she felt no pain. She was drawn back from her confusion by the sound of her wife's gasping voice and the feel of one her strong arms tugging Izanagi close.

"Are you unharmed My Lord?"

"What…Izanami?"

"Good. I…love…you…"

"…Nami?..."

No sooner than the Emperor's confused whimper escaped her throat, then the Inferno Tiger withdrew his sword and Izanami jerked, coughing up golden blood. Her eyes were serene and loving even as fissures began to surge and snake and spread all over her divine form like a mirror that had a fist smashed into it. Her essence held for a second and Izanagi gasped in realization and at the precise moment that her inhalation stopped, the Empress of Heaven shattered into a billion pieces. With confused, jerky movements, Izanagi tried to gather her close, before her divinity dispersed into the air as if it had never been. Izanami no Mikoto, beloved Champion and Empress of Heaven was gone.

Izanagi screamed and all of Creation shuddered at her grief. Enraged, she grasped the Yari her fallen champion had wielded and whirled around, driving the divine weapon towards the inferno tiger's heart. "You monster! It was supposed to have been ME! All of this was so that I would be the one to die! Murderer! RETURN HER TO ME!"

The Inferno Tiger was unmoved as he caught the spear in a negligent grasp, the blade sharp enough to create the world as dull as a butter knife to him and this time he shattered it, the spear vanishing in the same manner as the Champion. With barely an effort, he raised his hand and shot Izanagi with his power point blank, blasting the Emperor several meters away. Izanagi struggled to her feet, spitting out golden blood and the Inferno Tiger waved his hand, removing time from the space. Izanagi could stop or manipulate time, but she was trapped in its nonexistence, a state beyond her ken. Yet the inferno Tiger's voice echoed within her soul; his voice as neutral and unmoved as the rest of his disposition.

"I did not kill her Will of Heaven. I merely eased her suffering. She was under your rule, and defied your will. She was the unmoving object against your unstoppable, indomitable will. The only thing she could do was cease to exist."

Izanagi cried out with a sound of pure desolation as heartache, rage and horror lacerated her heart.

"Why?! Why didn't you just kill me?! Why did you let her…"

"The actions of Creation are meaningless to me, so long as Balance is preserved. Your parlay has won you nothing but heartache. You believed that your life has weight that it does not. You do not comprehend the difference between our power. You are the apex of Creation, but even you are beneath my feet. Your worthless life would not have spurred nor halted my judgment. All you have done is completed the cycle of your fear. Your Champion was formed because you feared my blade, and now that fear has come to pass. The Champion is no longer required. Reflect upon what your arrogance has cost you. Judgment will continue." With his final decree, the Lord of Order vanished.

Time resumed its flow and the Emperor dropped to her knees, sobbing pitifully at the sacrifice made in vain. Her mind flashed upon Izanami's beautiful divinity destroyed by Izanagi's determination, and the acceptance and love in her eyes in her final moments.

"IZANAMI!"


Lian glanced warily at the companion of the Water Dragon. She didn't trust the older woman but for now the masked warrior had been content to merely watch over the Water Dragon as she entered Ling's soul. She would leave her be until Ling was returned to her side. The Empress of the Jade looked down upon her fallen sister and shook her head sadly, there had been enough death here today. A light flashed and a light gasp from the masked warrior was the only indication that she was impacted by the sight. Lian looked over and she saw her beloved cocooned in the warm embrace of her divine mother. Despite her grief, Lian smiled at the sight, happy that finally Ling would know the parent she'd thought lost to her. She had never seen such serenity upon her beloved's face before, although she noted that Ling was still ascended. Perhaps she'd come to terms with her divinity? Goddess or no, Lian didn't care, once they laid the dead to rest she would have Ling as her wife, finally.

The Water Dragon led her daughter back towards the other women and Lian flinched as she watched the serenity bleed from her beloved's face as her golden eyes alighted upon the masked warrior. Shocked disbelief morphed into anger and Ling tried to lunge forward, only to be restrained by the Water Dragon. Silk Fox did not move, ready to see how this would play out, curious as to why the Water Dragon would bring that woman with her in the first place. Her observant hazel eyes raked over the newcomer's battle robes, noting the change in colors, but the style was the same even the design upon her mask was the unchanged save the colors. Ling didn't have such patience as she struggled against her mother's hold.

"You! What are you doing here?! I defeated you!"

The masked woman tilted her head in acknowledgement, clasping her hands behind her back as she stood her ground. "That you did, and I stand here alive once again and ready to defend my oath." Ling struggled mightily within the Water Dragon's hold, but she couldn't slip free. Snarling in frustration, she half turned towards the Goddess that held her at bay. "What?! What are you doing? She- That's Grand Inquisitor Jia!"

Lian's eyebrows quirked upwards as she saw the former enemy of the Spirit Monk flinch slightly at her title and she blinked in shock. Surely a woman as evil as this felt no remorse did she? Ling had barely been able to speak of the mission that ended with the death of Zu and the Grand Inquisitor, her soul shaken by the harrowing battle and death of their redeemed friend. Still, the former dark Mistress of the Lotus Assassins took a step forward, defiant to the last. The Water Dragon moved in front of her daughter, gripping her shoulders tightly. Her words were calm but there was such pain salting her features.

"No, not anymore, not in truth."

Ling shook her head, beyond hearing, glaring at the silent, masked woman over the Water Dragon's shoulder. "That…murderer!" The masked woman flinched visibly then and she seemed to shrink a bit in posture. The Water Dragon snarled as if she could feel the hesitancy poisoning her companion and she shook her daughter slightly to force their eyes to meet.

"You just murdered the young woman behind you. And you weren't in thrall and brainwashed." Ling slumped away from her mother's accusation, stung and suitably reprimanded, but she tried for a moment to hold on to her righteous anger.

"I –"

"My Lady, perhaps I should go and search for survivors…" Lian's brow furrowed in confusion at the decimation of the proud voice into this quiet, hesitant lament that barely filled the space between them. The Water Dragon turned, obviously wanting to offer comfort to both women but frustrated by their stubbornness. Lian's eyes narrowed as the truth began to dawn upon her. She remembered the Water Dragon's expression as she told the sad fate of the woman she loved and Grand Inquisitor Jia's history would have lined up with what the Water Dragon revealed. 'For my Youmei, they tortured her, brainwashed her…shattered her until all she knew and loved was the Lotus. It was the Spirit Monk that brought her peace.'

"No! If she can accept me then she can accept you! Tell her the truth!"

"My Lady…"

"Tell her!"

The masked warrior sighed softly and reached up to carefully remove her mask. Lian gasped as the woman's face was revealed. This was Ling in twenty years time; beautiful and stern, soft yet strong. The corruption of the Lotus had been cleansed from her features, leaving a warrior of incomparable beauty and strength.

"My name is...Jian Youmei…"

"…Jian Youmei."

The Elder Spirit Monk turned with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as the Heavenly Lily spoke her name at the same time and Lian was staggered by the obvious resemblance between the Ling and her…mother. Youmei had not raised her daughter, but she still passed on her mannerisms. Ling for her part looked confused, and Lian beckoned her close even as she still held Shaorin's still form. Ling faltered as she looked upon the horror she'd wrought upon Lian's bodyguard and she reached her hands out instinctively to cover the dead woman's heart. Humans and Goddess alike watched as time seemed to revert upon the fallen warrior as her wounds healed her chest began to rise. Ling fell back writhing in pain as she reverted back to her human form and with surprising speed, Youmei pushed her daughter to her knees, pressing her hand against her diaphragm.

"Breathe against my hand, young one. That's it…breathe."

Lian's eyes flickered to the Water Dragon, who'd drifted closer stand behind her family, and she looked like a maiden absolutely besotted with her beloved. It was that look of devotion and caring that solidified the Empress of the Jade's trust. Any woman that could make the Shepard look like that had to have a beautiful soul. If Sagacious Zu could find redemption then so could Jian Youmei. The Heavenly Lily smiled serenely at the woman she loved and the parents that she hoped to claim as her own and called out to her beloved as Ling's breathing began to slow.

"Ling, this woman, Jian Youmei is…your mother."

The Spirit Monk's breathing slowed to a shuddering crawl as she turned and looked to the woman whose face was so similar to her own, even in her ascended state. Golden eyes met warm, burnished hazelnut and instead of the resolute cruelty of Grand Inquisitor Jia, she saw the resolute honor of High Miko Jian. Youmei nodded shortly, almost shyly, her stern demeanor now soft and gentle in her acknowledgement and Ling looked to the Water Dragon, whose face held a jubilant grin. The Elder Deity looked almost smug with pride as the identity of her chosen mate was acknowledged. Dragons were proud creatures even if they weren't boastful and the First of the Dragons had pride to spare in this small moment of family.

The sounds of Shaorin stirring within Lian's embrace broke the fragile moment of belonging and High Miko Jian replaced her mask quietly and stood, patting Ling softly on the shoulder as she rose. When she spoke, Lian understood why she had effectively commanded the Lotus Assassins for over two decades. "We are running out of time. Empress, please take your kagemusha someplace safe. The Tiger seeks the Spirit Monk. We cannot run from this fate, the Lord of Order is close." With no further preamble, the masked warrior turned and strode to the nearby armory, pilfering weapons as if she'd known where they'd be. Lian blanched as she realized that as a member of the Lotus both the Order and the Assassins, she could have been the one to have maintained the Armory before Sun Hai went mad. Lian helped her revived kagemusha to her feet and she was grateful for Shaorin's training for aside for asking for a sword, the Shadow Fox remained quiet, content to watch over her Empress. Lian didn't want to leave, but she knew that once again Ling was facing down power that would not bend to an ordinary mortal's will. Lian reached out to her beloved and Shaorin moved away to give them some semblance of privacy.

Ling looked down at their joined hands, her face contrite and Lian grasped the younger woman's chin tilting her head upwards so that their eyes met. She noted that even in a more "human" form, Ling's eyes remained a bright, burning gold and for a moment Lian mourned the loss of the warm hazelnut of her dreams. Still, when she looked into those eyes she saw Ling's incredible brilliance, her sense of justice and kind yet passionate spirit. "Am I so hideous now that you have to stare?" Lian frowned at the bitterness that she could hear lacing the Spirit Monk's tones. Ling had never been a woman of vanity, but she had had the entirety of her being rewritten into divinity and her heart had been cast into doubt.

The Heavenly Lily sighed, somewhat frustrated and annoyed, Ling was beautiful no matter what form she wore, although without the threat of madness, the Empress had to admit that seeing her Virtuous Dragon fully realized was terribly arousing. Lian swallowed down her frustration, petulant annoyance pricking her briefly as she longed to lay her beloved upon silk and satin and show her devotion. It seemed that the end of the world was eternally determined to keep her from bedding this exquisite woman. Yet she couldn't have Ling thinking that Lian was only deterred by the fact that Creation could be ended at any moment…and the fact Ling's parents, one of whom was a literal Goddess, were in the same room. The human let out a rather convincing growl as she reached out a hand to grasp the back of the Spirit Monk's neck and tugging her into a kiss that left no doubt of her intentions. She ignored the soft chuckle from the Water Dragon, although she wondered if being mated to her daughter meant that the Elder Deity would tease her now; Ling's wit was too dry to not have been inherited. Still as she felt her Spirit Monk's svelte arms loop around her waist and the sweet press of their curves in a perfect fit, she knew she would endure any teasing that the Water Dragon would hand out. The Heavenly Lily parted from her beloved reluctantly and she stepped away enough to take Ling's hand.

"Promise me you will return…"

"Lian…"

"I told you, Stay or leave, but we shall never be parted again."

Ling nodded, understanding the promise that Lian was making and she knew that she had to come out of this alive, no matter the cost. She stroked her Silk Fox's cheek gently, before moving away, holding her gaze until they were no longer touching. She moved towards the Water Dragon and High Miko Jian and she paused as she realized that her…mothers were having a moment of their own. The Spirit Monk blinked briefly

"You should go with the other mortals, Youmei. Your life is nothing but an insignificant number to my brother."

The still masked warrior shook her head and brought the Water Dragon's head down close so that she could press their foreheads together. "Where you go, I shall follow My Lady, my love. Even if it is to my death. I failed you once…I shall not make that mistake again. This blade shall slay your enemies." Ling realized that Jian Youmei still followed the Way of the Closed Fist although she was beginning to see that the Way itself, one of constant renewal and strength was not an Evil path, just one that could be easily abused by evil people. High Miko Jian was a devout member of the Order of the Lotus first and foremost and they were warriors, the spearhead that safeguarded the Empire. If this woman truly was a former citizen of Dirge then she was a Spirit Monk, and thus a warrior with no fear of Death, for she exalted its Shepard and she fought for what she believed in. The Spirit Monks had died in battle, their peace created with their fists as much as their philosophy and Jian Youmei was truly the last of their ranks. Ling bore the title, but this woman that dared love a Dragon and challenge he might of the Emperor embodied it. The Water Dragon nodded and stepped away, beckoning for Ling to join them.

"Come. Let us end this."


The Lord of Order could feel his sister call to him and he returned to the mortal plane in the space of a thought. Izanagi lay weeping under the still falling rain, her will so disrupted that she was actually soaked to the bone. The Inferno Tiger moved away from the pitifully weeping Emperor of Heaven, her meaningless life already forgotten. He watched his sister and the imbalances appear before him. Genbu no Kuu rushed forward first and bowed to the small family before turning to Byakko Yamanosuke and bowing to him as well. Her greeting complete, she moved to her place at the North. She smiled and glowed briefly, transforming into her true state, conjoined twins Genbu no Kuu represented the Void while Genbu no Zentai represented Creation. Byakko Yamanosuke, the Inferno Tiger of the White Flame moved to his place at the West and he waited, tilting his head at Tsunami when she didn't move. His gaze was unwavering and finally his sister bristled at the silent condemnation and she nodded gruffly in response.

Suilong Tsunami the Water Dragon, Lady of Chaos and Change of the Azure Ocean moved to her place at the East, her family clutched within her grasp. The Inferno Tiger frowned but he would say nothing for now. Instead, he took three steps forward, the power of his Nature making lava and flame spring from each boot fall. Above him, sitting upon the plane of the universe itself, his true form The White Tiger stood solemn and steadfast.

"Greetings sister, you know why we have come as the Cardinal Gods to balance that which has been undone." The Water Dragon nodded and released her hold upon Ling and Youmei. Sighing softly, the Water Dragon took to her true title as the Azure Dragon, her true name of Seiryu Tsunami becoming manifest as she became the Firstborn of Existence once more. She too rose to rest upon her place upon the universe, her serpentine form undulated and writhed, her eyes chaotic with endless wisdom and passion. Beneath the universe at the Divine North, opposite of what humans believed, the Black Warrior, comprised of the Turtle upon which the tree of Creation grew from her shell while her tail formed the Void, a massive Black Cobra that coiled around her sister, keeping her warm.

"I hear your call for Judgment Brother and I meet your challenge. Name your demand."

"You have mothered life into Creation, life that Creation cannot sustain. My terms are simple, the life of the infant for Creation's continued existence. What say you?"

Tsunami struggled not to lash out at her brother for his blunt demand, but that was merely his Nature. Byakko Yamanosuke was an honest God, with no need to lie or dissemble. Because he could not temper his power he rarely spoke, not wanting to damage Genbu's deceptively fragile form. His first attempt to converse with a mortal had driven Lao Kang mad yet sharpened his mind to a brilliance so great that he ascended to godhood. Yet the instinct to protect that which was hers flared like a tempest and she had to swallow down her first response. Instead she raised a hand pointing at her brother in accusation.

"My daughter has existed for twenty four years, and never once have you intervened. Her power can be contained, she can be taught. She presents no danger to the Balance!"

The Inferno Tiger shook his head, his flaming locks swishing softly with the movement.

"There is a power in the dragonling. A power that Heaven fears, and rightly so. Water is life itself…without it the world is a dead husk…water is death itself, beneath the raging flood all are washed away. Yet there is fire as well. Such power cannot be allowed to remain unchecked."

"Wait!"

The Tiger arched an eyebrow as the daughter of his sister moved towards the center and bowed until her forehead brushed the destroyed cobble of the palace flooring. His eyes narrowed as he saw a small, golden dragon rise from the center of the universe, insignificant now, but he could feel the potential that Tsunami ignored.

"Please, Exalted One. I have no desire to be a God! If my power is what you fear then take it!"

"Ling!"

"No, let the infant speak, Sister. Do you believe it that simple child? Do you think that you can ken that which I seek to prevent? You do not know what you are. Even still, having tasted the barest sliver of your birthright do you still think that you may abandon it? You, who have been raised in this human world, with these human thoughts. Humanity covets power, do you mean to say that you are above humanity?"

"No, Exalted One, I am but a woman. I have lived as thus until recently and I only wish to die as one, by the side of the woman that I love. That is what I covet, love…that is the only power that I need."

Yamanosuke smiled and Tsunami twitched. For her logical, nearly emotionless brother, this was the equivalent of a belly laugh. Yet his words made her scales shift in discomfort. He stated that Ling didn't know what she was, but Tsunami had told her Daughter the truth and she knew that he knew that, for he had no qualms at reading her mind, considering them one entity more than opposing ones… even if Tsunami didn't share his belief.

"A fair answer, but ultimately an inadequate one. Nothing that you've said will right the balance, for you don't understand what is out of balance. Come child face your death with honor, know that the longer we remain here the more this world will suffer. The mortal world is not meant to hold our true Natures for long." The Inferno Tiger summoned his great blade and moved forward, swift as rolling lava towards the Last Spirit Monk.

"Promise me you will return…"

"Lian…"

"I told you, Stay or leave, but we shall never be parted again."

Ling tried to close her eyes, to accept the fate that would save everyone else, yet she could not. After all she had lost, all she endured she could not die simply for having been born; simply for being proof of the love that her mothers shared. Yet, more importantly she'd promised Lian and she wouldn't keep hurting the woman she loved. The Last Spirit Monk let loose a roar but it was Flame rather than Water that answered her call and as she held out her hand to shield herself from the Inferno Tiger's blow and wings of pure fire that burned with the brilliance of an aurora sprouted from her back and acted as a shield. She paused as she realized that the Tiger had not struck her down and she looked up and gasped the sight that greeted her; The Inferno Tiger, a being beyond time, was frozen with his sword shattering against the wing of celestial flame. Behind her, the Water Dragon was frozen mid leap, her dual swords locked in her grip and her face contorted in bestial rage. Yet somehow Ling knew that frozen wasn't the correct term as she could see everything before her even time itself was as tangible as the rain.

"Ling? What is happening, young one?" The Spirit Monk gasped as she realized that the only person that could move was High Miko Jian. The storms of Tempest Style were still surging around her hands and feet but her softening stance suggested that she was confused. The Spirit Monk squinted briefly, wishing that she could see beyond that damnable mask.

Ling shook her head in confusion. "I…I don't know! I just didn't…want to die…again." The Spirit Monk winced as a sharp pain struck her temple and she reached up and brushed her fingers over the blood that was beginning to trickle from her nose. Whatever she was doing there was a limit to her endurance, so she needed to act quickly. Summoning Tien's Justice, the dragonling swung with all her might, slamming the holy staff into the Inferno Tiger's jaw. Movement resumed immediately as the Inferno Tiger was batted away like a rag doll to crash into the ground near the empty place at the South. Tsunami gracefully aborted her lunge mid motion, moving swiftly to her hatchling's side. The Inferno Tiger rose smoothly, lava blood dripping from his mouth and nose and Ling turned back to the Water Dragon only to pause as she saw water dripping from an echo of wounds. Her journey to free the Water Dragon years ago gave her the knowledge that she was seeing her divine mother's blood but she was confused as to why the Water Dragon would be injured as well.

The Water Dragon for her part looked confused and terrified, emotions that Ling had never seen upon her face. "How…how were you able to do that? I am the Azure Dragon now, in my true form nothing can injure my brother and I save each other. No power is greater than ours…"

Behind them they heard Izanagi no Mikoto let out a hysterical peal of laughter.

"No power Tsunami?! None at all may oppose you?!"

Ignoring the mad jeers of the defeated Emperor of Heaven, Youmei moved forward and pulled a kerchief from her robes and used it to staunch the blood flow of her Goddess. Confused but unwilling to abandon a tactical advantage, Lian rushed forward, taking a stance in Stone Immortal style in front of her parents. The Inferno Tiger beckoned to the Black Warrior, while summoning a new blade. The personification of the Void and Creation moved towards her seneschal, unafraid of her end. She moved towards him until his blade lay pressed against her twin throats.

"You have made your choice infant, and Creation is now forfeit!"

"No!"

Scholar Ling shot into the sky, her burning wings carrying her divine form aloft and she concentrated her power. The flaming wings wrapped around her like a cocoon and then the demi goddess exploded in a hypernova of power, divine energy ripping through eternity like a shockwave. The last thing that she heard before she drowned in oblivion was the voice of the Inferno Tiger.

"Judgment has been passed."


I'm mildly annoyed that between going over my notes and voice memos this chapter would not leave me alone and I've stayed up all hours writing like a woman possessed. Ok, so the original version of this chapter was nearly twice this length, so there will be an epilogue. Yes, I'd intended from the start to make Grand Inquisitor Jia and Jian Youmei the same person (hence the near identical family names. I assume Jia is the Grand Inquisitor's family name in part for her station, and the fact that everyone would be too terrified to refer to her by her given name.). I personally feel it is more organic to flesh out existing characters rather than shoe horn a bunch of original characters. The Emperor and Empress of Heaven are mentioned in the game, even if I used the Japanese myth as a base for them. Even Byakko is merely the counterpart to Seiryu.