Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, both for the holiday and the meals your families made. Now, getting to this chapter's start notes? Last chapter revealed a lot more about the Hidden Lands, and this chapter will continue that trend by showing more about Mu and Atlantis, as we've only seen a few of the animals that cover the skies and waters their lands reside in.
One of the best things I like about using the ExE world characters? Because there's so little we know about them, it really makes the characters we do know about quite flexible in their use. One big reason I have Chichigami look more Human than the others is because how she speaks with Issei in canon, and the what kind of deity she is, makes me wonder if there's an ExE version of Humanity?
Anyways, pushing that theory of mine aside from now, I'd like to give you all a small update on the re-uploads of the first version's non-revised and revised forms. It turns out I goofed slightly when it came to possible spoilers in the earliest arcs, and I'll be able to show more of each once this arc is over. I'd do it now, but there's still one major spoiler to the end of this arc in them, so you'll need to wait a little longer before they reappear.
That's all for today, so let's get this chapter started!
[Chapter 18 - The Missing Memory]
Within the area of Lemuria's borders that divided its land from Mu's, the sight of Alicia was seen as she followed Cain and Awan to the home of Melvazoa's race. Throughout their long trek, Alicia's curiosity made her look at everything.
Alicia's attention was soon caught by the sounds of quiet hissing, making her pause as she stopped to look in the direction she heard it from.
"What's up Alicia?" Cain asked.
"Nothing, just them." She answered.
His and Awan's eyes soon focused on an area belonging to the Lamia, who were currently sunbathing for heat their cold-blooded bodies couldn't provide on their own. Their hissing was the result of the occasional movement as they adjusted their tails for more warmth.
"So, the Lamia caught your eye." Awan remarked.
"In a sense, though it's more like I'm surprised to be seeing them here in general. I thought they lived in Europe." Alicia admitted.
"Ah, it makes sense you'd say that with how new you are to how things in the Hidden Lands work." Cain replied, crossing his arms.
Alicia looked at him with, blinking in confusion.
"Allow me to explain. The things in Lemuria don't follow the normal method for how we created legends and myths after the Human race began, not unlike how Melvazoa and Resetoras don't appear in any mythology or legend." Awan revealed.
"If something's in Lemuria? Then Humanity either doesn't know about it at all, it's considered to be extinct, or believes they aren't specific to a single mythology. Dragons are a good example of this due to how they have that whole Western and Eastern thing." Cain added.
With that, Alicia's curiosity had been tickled.
"So, how would that apply to the Lamia and other races living here?" She asked.
"In a way that's a lot simpler than you'd expect it to be. Races like the Lamia, the Harpies, and anything similar to them were created by Keitekai, just like the Fiume were." Cain revealed.
"Likewise, races like the Elves, the Dwarves, and such are all creations of Chichigami's, giving them more reason to live here." Awan mentioned.
"What about the Dragons? They're clearly allied to the Christian Pantheon, or at least considered, due to Ophis' friendship with Elohim and/or Ddraig and Albion's choice to fight alongside them in the Dissension War." Alicia inquired.
"They're the exception, as they only live here because it's the only place on Earth where they can grow Dragon Apples due to the level of oxygen, and this mountain range was already their home before Pangaea was split into today's continents." Cain explained.
Alicia nodded her head, realizing that was a fair argument.
Either way, she was more interested about what Cain and Awan had just told her about Keitekai and Chichigami, feeling like there was more to the story. However, she was currently without a way to prove her thoughts as anything beyond a theory that could easily be her looking too deeply into things.
"Out of curiosity, since it's high in the sky, how will I know when we've made it into Mu?" She inquired.
"Like all of the continents that make up the Hidden Lands, it defies normal conventions. A big reason it's called the sky continent is because some of its land is quite irregular, growing from the ground and then hanging. There's also floating islands both surrounding it and within it, due to the clouds supporting their own ecosystem." Awan revealed.
Alicia's eyes widened once she heard that.
"How's that possible! Half of that should defy the laws of physics!" She questioned.
"Truth be told? Lemuria, Atlantis, and Mu have always been different, since they comprised the land that was Pangaea's center area. However, when Trihexa first entered our world... that's exactly where he landed." Awan replied.
She stopped and looked towards one direction, causing Alicia to look at an area where three different rock structures spiraled around each other like a triple helix. Some of it branched off to link to Lemuria, implying the other two were linked to Atlantis and Mu.
"You mean-" She realized.
"I do. Where the other continents formed due to land splitting off and cracking, their separation was instead a collision, merging the three broken lands into their present-day shape and creating the Hidden Lands. Likewise, this was also where the Dissension War came to an end. The energy that killed Trihexa then made all three continents receive an evolution of sorts, best shown with how Atlantis and Mu became continents with a basis in a sky and ocean environment." Awan confirmed.
Hearing that, Alicia finally understood why the Hidden Lands were only accessible to the supernatural world.
If Trihexa truly did influence the three continents' current forms, even if it was indirectly through the monster's actions, they were too unnatural for the second wave of Humanity to understand as they were now.
'At the very least, that explains why I felt there was more to this story. I was worried that everyone was hiding some kind of secret.' She realized, letting out a quiet sigh.
Cain and Awan suddenly stopped, leaving Alicia confused.
"Why did you both-" She asked.
"We have to take a break so you can start acclimating to the oxygen levels at our current altitude. Because you aren't used to it like we are, climbing up too quickly might end with you getting altitude sickness." Cain answered, emphasizing his empty hands.
Alicia paled at that, realizing what that meant. His hand gestures were also likely a way of saying neither of them had a way, magical or technological, to treat that on hand.
"Right, let's take a break." Alicia agreed.
Meanwhile, back at Adam's chosen training grounds, the next duel was already underway. This time it was Gasper facing off against Yumi, who was holding a bow made from crystalline deer antlers.
As Yumi pulled back on the string, an arrow made of moonlight generated itself and focused on the shaking Dhampir.
"Out of curiosity, what Sacred Gear is that? I'm pretty sure it didn't exist during the Dissension War." Keitekai asked.
"It didn't. That's the Ceryneian Archer, a Sacred Gear that was created from a pair of the Ceryneian Hind's horns that it lost during the mid to late years of the 18th Century." Fubuki answered.
Focusing her aim, Yumi released the arrow, which disappeared from all but her view, then exploded only two feet away from where Gasper stood, making him scream.
"As for its main ability? It generates arrows of moonlight that can home onto a target, which are almost entirely invisible when exposed to any sunlight." She continued.
"No doubt about that. For a brief moment, I wasn't able to see it." Keitekai remarked.
Yumi pulled on the string more, forming more arrows as Gasper simply ran away from each one, leaving Keitekai to sweat drop at the sight.
"Are you sure that kid is the currently Aeon Balor wielder?" She asked.
"He is, but for why he acts like that despite possessing one of the Longinus..." Adam replied, briefly glancing at Millarca.
She nodded her head in response.
"Even though he's a son of the Tepes Faction, most of his family, except for one of his older sisters... treat him as a pariah. From what I've been told, Gasper awakened Balor when one of his brother's bullied him too far." He explained.
Adam lowered his head slightly, catching Keitekai's attention.
"Balor chose to retaliate... by devouring said brother's entire right arm, and then cursing his body to reject any form of prosthetic used to replace it." Adam revealed.
Keitekai gasped, suddenly understanding Gasper's personality and apparent fear of combat with just those words.
How the Dhampirs had reacted was the result of actions during the battle against Trihexa, when the God known as Balor used his powers in a way that slaughtered a majority of the Vampires for some unknown attack against the monster. It had failed, and the Dhampirs would forever remember Balor how he had nearly brought them to extinction.
"Oh man, he's not just shy and scared... he's traumatized." She remarked.
"Exactly why we got him out of there. Hopefully, things with his family will repair themselves one day, but right now? He's dealing with having lived in an environment that's letting the mere fact that he's the host of Balor be their excuse to loathe him." Adam confirmed.
Yumi fired another three arrows at him, but this time? He wasn't able to get away, causing him to scream, making his eyes shrink for a moment.
His pupils quickly turned yellow in color before taking a hexagon shape, with each corner having a vertical black line stretch out of it as the rest of his eyes turned blood red. Before Yumi realized it, she felt an instinct telling her to run the hell away!
She quickly did just that, right as the arrows suddenly stopped in time, then flickered out of existence before being shot outward and unleashing a wild surge across the area. Manipulated by time and space, the Aeon Balor had caused the projectiles to release the same amount of force as dynamite!
"Holy... freaking... crap!" Asia gasped, shaking at the sight.
"I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Gasper apologized.
Chichigami's eye twitched at the damage done, while Keitekai let out a nervous laugh at how uncontrolled, yet compatible the young Dhampir was with the Aeon Balor's powers.
"So, I assume that removes any lingering doubts about him being a good wielder?" Adam inquired.
"Yeah, though now I've gone from unimpressed to worried and horrified..." She quietly answered.
Asia and Hiyori began using their powers to repair the damage, while Keitekai summoned a bottle of wine from a magic circle and began drinking it.
Mitsuya stood before an area of land that began dipping into the waters of Atlantis.
"So, do we get some kind of suits or..." He inquired, wondering how they'd enter it.
"Stand still and allow me." Azura replied.
He did just that as she traced her hands in the shape of a unique rune, which briefly glowed before fading into invisibility.
"That was a rune that allows you to breathe the water within Atlantis' borders. Now you can just walk in." Seth explained.
Mitsuya's eyes widened at that.
"Wow, I honestly expected something more complex than that." Mitsuya admitted.
"Most people do." Azura replied.
Both her and Seth dived into the water, with Mitsuya quickly following, noticing the rune was also keeping his clothes dry. Unfortunately, that thought quickly faded as he saw a Megalodon swimming towards the three of them.
"Uh, guys!?" He warned.
Neither Azura and Seth were worried, and their lack of fear was quickly shown to be rewarded as someone swam before them and used something like echolocation towards it. The Megalodon stopped in place for a moment, then looked at the former duo, blushing embarrassment before it swam away.
"Huh?" Mitsuya blinked, understandably confused by what he saw.
"My apologies about that. He didn't see Azura or Seth with you, and assumed you were a threat."
Looking to his side, the person who stopped the Megalodon was revealed, revealing who they were.
She had the upper half of a Human, but the lower half of what looked to be a shark's tail with a fish fin, positioned like that of a dolphin or a whale. Her ears also looked like a fish's fins, positioned like the droopy ears of certain Dog breeds.
"Whoa, an actual Mermaid..." Mitsuya said in awe, seeing they were as beautiful as most legends claimed them to be.
She giggled before swimming towards Azura.
"I'm guessing he must be new to the Hidden Lands." The Mermaid assumed.
"He is. We're taking him to the Spirits, as he is Resetoras' host." She answered.
The Mermaid showed surprise.
"Really? If that's the case, then let me offer a way for you three to get there faster." She replied.
She used echolocation again, which is when the sight of a pod of unique whales swam near them.
Said whales had a unique light blue coloration with a slightly green tint, and flippers that resembled the fins of a Betta Fish and a Lionfish, with a head shape resembling that of an Orca's.
"What kind of whales are those?" Mitsuya asked.
"Those are Cerulean Song Whales, a type of whale that most scientists known as the 52 Blue." Azura answered.
His eyes widened at that.
"Wait, are you saying the 52 Blue is a Whale that escaped from the Hidden Lands!?" He questioned.
"It's pretty rare, but there are times a creature from Atlantis might manage to get into get into the complete ocean. We tend to ignore them because the ocean is incredibly hard to explore." Seth answered.
"And since they likely won't survive, certain species can be used to help keep Humanity away from the supernatural, I'm betting?" Mitsuya realized.
Azura and Seth both snickered as their answer. Mitsuya chose to take it as their way of saying yes.
"Now, get on kid!" Azura shouted, already on the back of a whale.
"Man, your wife has way too much energy." Mitsuya remarked.
"Eh... it's not just her." Seth admitted.
Mitsuya turned and saw he too was already doing the same as Azura, making him chuckle before he did the same, which signaled the pod to start swimming as the Mermaid began waving goodbye to the trio. The pod revealed its speed as they began swimming near each other, which made them move like they were a spear flying through the air.
It took them only five minutes for the pod to see the signs of a giant creature resembling Resetoras' true form.
"Resetoras, was that-" Mitsuya gasped.
("Yep, you just saw a Spirit.") He confirmed.
Before long, the group found themselves in a city made from glowing substances that seemed like rounded crystals, but weren't anything close to the gem-like substances.
("This is the underwater City of Tophia, my home.") Resetoras revealed.
Once they were close enough to swim into the city with little time? The pod of whales stopped, allowing their passengers to get off before they swam away to find themselves some lunch. As they floated in place, Mitsuya heard Resetoras breathing heavily.
"You alright?" He asked.
("Oh, I'm fine. Just a little nervous about meeting my sister after more than 2000 years. She was really young when I last saw her, and now...") He replied.
"She's all grown up." Mitsuya realized.
All of them went into the city, quickly grabbing the attention of the Spirits who were in their Human forms, making Resetoras' consciousness sweat. They continued walking until they found a shrine-like castle.
("I can feel the flow of my sister's ether inside this place. We're definitely where we need to be.") Resetoras stated.
"It still shocks me how I'm the calm one right now." Mitsuya remarked.
("H-hey! Shut up Mitsuya!") Resetoras exclaimed in embarrassment.
Seth and Azura immediately had their cheeks puff, trying to avoid laughing at the Spirit God, but they failed and began holding their stomachs.
("Damn it, why did it have to be the two of you who brought us here!?") He complained.
Mitsuya felt a sweat drop form on his cheek, choosing to walk ahead as he entered the shrine area, quickly getting the attention of some guards.
("Stand down, he's here on behalf of myself.") Resetoras stated.
Recognizing his voice, the guards felt their eyes widen before two of them ran inside.
"Lady Seraselbes! Please, come quickly!" One guard shouted.
Mitsuya gave an awkward, yet expecting chuckle as he continued on, with a still laughing Seth and Azura following close behind.
While the hilarity between Seraselbes and Resetoras was happening, Alicia's group was now high enough that a very faded, nearly invisible layer of fog could be seen covering almost every inch of the land around them.
"Wow, I've never seen a natural fog that's this thing all my life. Is it due to the higher oxygen?" Alicia remarked.
"Eh... might wanna remember that question for Adam, because I don't know a thing about science." Cain replied.
Awan nodded in agreement, too embarrassed to say the same.
"Uh... OK?" Alicia replied, feeling confused by how they answered her.
They continued walking towards Mu's main city, right as a few blurs flew past them, knocking Alicia's hat off her head.
"My hat!" She screamed.
The blurs all stopped, with one flying back to grab the hat with their mouth.
Alicia stared as she learned the blur was none other than a young Harpy girl.
"Sorry about that, here." Was her muffled reply.
She rose her head up, causing Alicia's hat to land back on her head, though Alicia barely noticed as she stared at the harpy.
They had much more human appearances when compared to the Lamia and Mermaids, halving normal legs until their kneecaps transitioned to humanoid bird talons, and their arms were mostly their wings besides having three digits meant to resemble fingers.
"Ah, if it isn't the Raptor Rascals, trying to see which of you can fly fastest again?" Awan asked, crossing her arms as she smirked at them.
The Harpies all laughed in embarrassment.
While they flapped in place, the sight of what looked like Humans, only more around a young child's size with torso-sized butterfly wings on their backs, which caught Alicia's attention.
"Hey, are those Fairies?" She asked.
"Yep. Like the Harpies, they're a lot more comfortable in Mu's environment." Cain confirmed.
One of the Fairies flew up to the Harpy who caught Alicia's hat, then gave her a stern glare.
"Uh... emergency retreat!" She exclaimed.
The Harpies all flew off, causing Cain to laugh at the sight and Awan to playfully role her eyes as the one Fairy fumed at the fleeing Harpy.
"I take it this is a regular occurrence?" Alicia assumed.
"One could say that since we're up high, everyone here is sort of... high most of the time." Awan joked.
Alicia and the Fairies just stared at her blankly.
"Oh, come on! That was funny!" She complained.
Those same blank stares continued, making Awan grumble before muttering how everyone was being buzzkills, which made Alicia sweat a little.
'The hell?' Alicia questioned.
('Cain and Awan have always been fairly easy to annoy or anger, guess 2000 years hasn't done anything to curb that.') Melvazoa replied.
'Of course they are...' She sighed.
Melvazoa channels some of his lightning through the Unknown Dictator, zapping both of their butts and making them jump.
("Pick up your asses and let's get back on the road! My brother isn't going to be free all day!") He shouted angrily.
The Fairies gasped while the Harpies suddenly stopped, having heard his voice due to their enhanced hearing, with Melvazoa going silent as he realized what he just did.
"It's really you... Lord Melvazoa!" They all shouted.
("And nobody tells my brother! I'm trying to surprise him!") Melvazoa shouted.
All of them felt the recoil of his voice, and then slowly nodded their heads in agreement.
"Wow, they are terrified of you." Alicia remarked.
("Well, I am a God of Malevolence.") He replied.
She froze at that, then took a deep breath before looking at her Longinus, with Melvazoa saying nothing as he let out an almost silent chuckle.
"That explains why you claimed to be formerly evil..." She realized.
He chuckled again, this time loud enough to be heard, but still quiet.
"Hold on, while we can't say that it's you coming, what about letting Lord Regalzerva know that someone from afar has come to challenge him?" A fairy asked.
("We did have a tendency to greet each other by a momentary clash, so... yeah, that can work.") Melvazoa replied, allowing it.
Alicia paled at that, not noticing the Fairies and Harpies flying away.
("Relax, just throw some lightning, metal, or whatever at him. That will stop him long before he tries attacking you.") Melvazoa reassured her.
"That's not helping me feel any better!" Alicia replied, holding her head in a panic.
Awan and Cain said nothing, simply feeling a sweat drop form as they watched her.
The scene switched back to the training area, where aside from the adults, Valiana, and Issei? Everyone else from the Seven Stars Gym was seen lying on the ground, looking exhausted from the intense training they had all undergone.
Chichigami's attention moved to those with Longinus, looking somewhat impressed (despite how Gasper's powers still made her nervous) at what they had achieved.
"I don't think I've ever seen a generation of Longinus wielders with resonance this high." She remarked.
Hearing that, Valiana and Issei looked at the Goddess with interest.
"What do you mean by... resonance, is what you said?" Issei asked.
"A few other ways you could word it would be compatibility, talent, and unity. You are aware of how some Sacred Gears have multiples, right? Well... every Sacred Gear, which includes the Longinus, emits a wavelength that reacts to the aura of their hosts and influences it." Chichigami explained.
"As in two people can have the same Sacred Gear, but someone with a stronger resonance would be... what exactly?" Valiana asked, trying to understand it.
Chichigami crossed her arms, thinking of how to word it.
"Let's see... I don't think saying stronger is the better word, but like how someone with a talent for running would be fast, and therefore would excel in something using their legs? Having a strong resonance means that you have a better synchronization to your Sacred Gear, which is why a former wielder could stand above many of the successors who follow them." She explained.
Issei felt confused, but then heard Valiana let out a gasp as she remembered something, which got his attention.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Remember what Yuuma told us when she joined the gym, after Kiba began training with us?" She asked.
"That she and Raynare had fought someone who used the same kind of Sacred Gears he-" Issei answered.
Issei gasped, realizing what she was talking about.
"Of course! She mentioned Kiba had used it better than the guy they were facing, despite how much younger and inexperienced with a sword he was!" He remembered.
Chichigami nodded.
"Exactly! Resonance doesn't rely on skill, as best showed with Gasper, who has an incredibly resonance with the Aeon Balor, yet still can't control it very well. Just like how a person can be fast without proper training their legs or running ability." She confirmed.
She placed a hand on their shoulders.
"That being said, you two have the strongest resonance among the Longinus wielders, and I say that when including all 22." Chichigami revealed.
Both of them gasped upon hearing that.
"Although, that leaves me with another question." She wondered, smirking slightly.
'Looks like the time has come.' Adam thought, realizing what Chichigami was doing.
The two looked at her, wondering what she meant.
"Do the two of you have a resonance even greater than that of Belzard and Elsha's?" Chichigami asked.
"Who?" Both asked.
"Oh, that's right. Adam never told you." She recalled.
She giggled slightly, which confused the two of them.
"Belzard and Elsha are one of your many predecessors, being the 50th wielders of the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing respectively." Chichigami answered.
Issei gasped as he heard that, while Valiana noticed something odd in her choice of words.
"Hold on, did you just say are our predecessors? Not were?" Valiana questioned suspiciously.
"Of course. After all, the two of them are still alive." She confirmed.
That caused her eyes to widen in disbelief, making Issei's gasp evolve into an outright scream, which also held disbelief in it.
"No way, that's impossible! Only those who wield Incinerate Anthem should have their predecessor and current user alive simultaneously! Not only that, but it's impossible for one person to wield two Longinus at the same time, so neither could have also had it to somehow subvert that!" Issei shouted.
"You're right, that should be impossible. Despite that? They both managed to remove their Sacred Gears, and without dying." Chichigami replied, her eyes currently closed.
"What!?" He replied, gasping as he did.
Chichigami opened her eyes, giggling a little.
"Belzard was born a powerful warrior that was descended from the brother of Vasco Strada's ancestor, having similar yet lesser strength that defied normal conventions, while Elsha was born as an incredible magician with heritage descended from William Robert Woodman." She continued.
Asia gasped upon hearing that, since she and the other Longinus users of Heaven had been trained by the man himself. To think anyone had strength on a similar level to him was nothing short of amazing.
Georg was calm with his reaction, but was quite aware of the other notable magicians compared to that of his ancestors. One of them was William Woodman, and that meant Valiana's predecessor had incredible magic power.
"From what I can tell? Using Belzard's strength and resilience in combination with a custom spell of hers, Elsha managed to use it and her unconventional wisdom to not only remove their Longinus, but repair all the damage to their souls and survive!" Chichigami revealed.
All of the Seven Stars Gyms athletes' eyes went wide.
"Say what!?" They all exclaimed in disbelief, unable to believe what they had just heard.
"Hard to believe, but it's true. Admittedly, my studies do imply that luck was a factor, as they had a mere 25% chance of survival." Adam confirmed.
"And they still did it!?" Asia asked.
In response to that, Eve put a hand on Asia's shoulder.
"You have to remember this. Not everyone who's born with a Sacred Gear is happy over that fact, especially if it causes them problems, makes people shun them, or leaves them in such pain or illness that you might as well call it a curse." She explained.
"Oh, well... I guess that's a good point." Asia realized.
"They did know about the Sephiroth Graal, and seriously considered having themselves revived after removing their Sacred Gears, but its user couldn't be found at the time." Adam mentioned.
He let out a sigh, crossing his arms together.
"To be fair, both had a good reason for wanting to escape the weight of being Longinus wielders." He added.
"What was it?" Issei asked.
"Well, that's something you'll have to ask them... which is related to what I want you and Valiana to do while everyone recovers." Adam answered, smiling as he did.
Both of the Heavenly Dragons' hosts look confused by that.
"Something that each Longinus can do is allow its user to speak with the creature sealed within. Elsha used this after she and Belzard escaped their bonds to theirs, allowing them to leave a secondary place where you can insert your consciousness and meet with a fragment of their souls they left for their successors to possibly talk to them, but it can only work if your resonance exceeds theirs, as they did it under one of her predictions." Chichigami explained.
"She could see the future?" Valiana asked.
"No, it's more like... actually, if I'm being honest? You should ask Elsha herself if you can manage to her, since I'm not really sure how she got that prediction." Chichigami admitted.
Issei scratched his head as the two of them listened, then eventually shrugged.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and speak with our strongest predecessors." He remarked, seeing the benefits.
"Glad to hear it. However, you won't be doing it here." Adam replied.
He looked at Tannin, who looked back.
"Tannin, I want you to take Issei to the peak of the Dragon Mountains." Adam requested.
"Understood." He replied with a nod.
Adam then looked at Chichigami.
"And Chichigami, I want you to take Valiana to your meditation cave." He requested.
"Interesting spot when compared to the Dragon mountains, but OK." She shrugged.
Valiana suddenly felt a strange itch on her head.
'Albion hasn't said anything for a while now... It's making me nervous.' Valiana thought.
She had little time to think as Chichigami tapped her shoulder.
"Come on, let's go." She stated.
"Oh, right." Valiana replied, nodding her head.
Tannin suddenly grabbed Issei by his shirt collar and flew off, leaving Valiana and Chichigami to blankly stare at his screaming form before Chichigami began leading Valiana to her set location.
Mitsuya, Seth, and Azura found themselves in a large room within the shrine castle's walls.
Looking around, Mitsuya noticed a bunch of guards were lined up in two rows, and another by the stairs. That one guard soon raised their hand into the air.
"Introducing the leader of the Spirits, and the protector of Atlantis and its people, Lady Seraselbes!" The guard announced, motioning to the top of the stairs.
At that moment, Mitsuya saw someone walk down them.
She was currently in her Human form, showcasing her crystal-like skin that was so light pink that it was almost white, with light pink hair that reached to her hips, and fuchsia eyes. Her attire consisted of a crystalline dress, showing a curvy figure with a sizable bust.
"Welcome to the Shrine Castle of Tophia, although, I must ask what brings you here?" Seraselbes greeted, looking at the three.
"My name is Mitsuya Kanzaki, and we come because... I was asked by someone to bring you here." Mitsuya replied, bowing to her.
At that moment, a strong glow formed at the center of his chest, making Seraselbes' eyes widen.
That glow caused her to see a familiar Spirit in his human form, one that looked similar to her if she were male and her crystalline body was colored blue instead of pink. Once she saw that, Seraselbes felt tears form in her eyes before jumping towards Mitsuya's form.
"Eh!?" He exclaimed.
"Big brother!" She shouted.
Mitsuya felt her crash into him, making everyone close their eyes. Shortly after doing that, they reopened their eyes to see Seraselbes nuzzling into Mitsuya's chest.
("H-hey sis, it's good to see you.") He awkwardly greeted.
Resetoras coughed a little before continuing, looking away from his sister as he briefly recalled the image of her with the body of a 5 or 6-year old.
("I see you've... really blossomed in the last two millennia.") He mentioned, coughing again.
"Blossomed? Are you really trying to sound perverted with me?" Seraselbes teased with a cat smirk.
Resetoras began spouting gibberish in response.
("What the hell sis!?") He screamed, both in shock and embarrassment.
Mitsuya gave a quiet chuckle at how easily his partner's calm side fell apart.
Issei continued screaming as Tannin flew across the skies towards the tip of the Dragon Mountains, with Hikari sitting top of Tannin's head, spinning in circles on her butt.
"Wee." She said, raising her hands up.
"Glad to see you can easily entertain yourself." Tannin chuckled, finding her antics amusing.
After another five minutes of flying, they finally got close enough to the mountain to see it.
One odd sight was a Dragon resembling a smaller Tannin, only looking more quadrupedal and having some green markings on his skin, close to the mountain's peak.
"Bova!" Tannin roared.
The Dragon's eyes widen as he heard Tannin's roar, getting up the Dragon King sped over and then landed on the mountain.
"Oh, uh... hey there dad." Bova replied, sweating slightly.
"Wait, dad!? This is your son?" Issei shouted in surprise.
"Unfortunately, yes. He's the youngest out of my three sons, and the strongest, but as you can see right now? He's quite the delinquent, especially when I'm not here." Tannin answered.
Bova tried to sneak away during this, only for him to be caught by Tannin's tail.
"Don't even think about it." He warned.
"Bad doggy." Hikari replied.
She jumped of Tannin and then landed on Bova's head, then lightly tapping her foot against his head, to everyone's confusion.
"Uh... Hikari?" Issei asked.
"I'm defeating him." She replied.
Issei let out an awkward laugh, both at her current action and how easily she cut him off.
"Well, at least you know what he's doing, unlike Hikari." Issei remarked, looking at him.
"True." Tannin agreed, doing the same.
Once they returned their focus to their son/familiar, both had their eyes widen as Bova was suddenly wearing shades.
"Don't ask, even I don't know where she got them." He replied.
"Yeah... I'm gonna do that and start trying to contact Belzard now." Issei agreed.
He soon sat himself in the nest Hikari's egg once laid in and closed his eyes, which was when Bova finally decided to ask a question he hadn't gotten to before now.
"Who is this kid?" He inquired.
"That is Issei Hyoudou, the current wielder of your grandfather's power." Tannin answered.
Bova's eyes widened at that.
Meanwhile, Issei felt himself gasp as he opened his eyes, finding himself in a black realm.
"Ddraig, did I do it?" He asked.
("Not yet. While you are on the right track, actually finding Belzard is another matter, so just follow the light.") Ddraig replied.
Issei saw a door of light form and walked through it.
After he did, his eyes widened as he saw a few rows of seats where nearly a hundred people sat, all of which were either boys or men. There was one spot in the middle that was empty, likely representing where Belzard should have been among them.
"Ddraig, all of these people. Are they-" Issei asked.
("My former wielders, excluding Belzard? They are.") He confirmed.
Issei didn't say anything as he looked at them, especially due to the ages of certain wielders leaving some scary implications to how they met their ends. Eventually, he found something on the ground.
"Hmm?" He blinked, kneeling towards it.
Brushing it away, he saw a chant of sorts.
"I who shall awaken... I am the Heavenly Dragon who inherited the principles of Domination..." He quietly repeated.
("Do not finish that. It's the chant to activate my Juggernaut Drive, and-") Ddraig warned before suddenly stopping.
Issei raised an eye at that.
("Hold on, the chant shouldn't be there. What's going on?") Ddraig questioned.
"About time someone proved themselves!" A gruff voice chuckled, smirking as it spoke.
Ddraig gasped as Issei turned around.
Standing before him was a man with teal-green hair and some stubble, with pink-red eyes. He wore what looked to be a modern day outfit for military soldiers not on the field or wearing armor, seeming out of place for someone that Issei assumed had to live around the early 1000's, and a red cape that gave a royal/king feel to it.
"You're... Belzard!" Issei realized.
Belzard's smirk became toothy, which was his way of confirming this.
With Alicia's group, the trio had finally made it to the direct area of Mu, and the Unknown Dictator's wielder soon found her eyes widening at what she saw.
There were growths in the land and rock formations that stretched up and spread like wings, fitting the Hidden Land's many physic defying traits, and letting Mu truly be the sky continent of the three without actually being airborne and/or floating.
Various rocks were floating around, emitting magnetic fields and forces without disrupting any form of electronics.
She also saw some of the thin yet visible clouds housing what looked to be what would look like sea life if they lived in the sky, and didn't have any life specifically adapted to the ocean, instead being more avian or a genus exclusive to Mu's unique landscape. Either way, they were amazing.
"Amazing... and this is just Mu and general, right?" She stated.
("Of course it is. If the city of Granbu had been built without any technology, we Lluinae would be crazy.") Melvazoa answered.
"Now that I think about it, you never actually said what your race was called." Alicia realized.
("Wait, I never mentioned it before now? Huh... well, if anything, that just proves even a Machine God isn't perfect.") He replied, chuckling at the end.
"Speaking of Granbu..." Cain interjected.
Alicia saw him pointing in one direction, making her see a floating city of a unique metal that partially glowed in places.
"Both of you pinch me, and I mean actually pinch me." She begged.
Cain and Awan did, making her wince, but proving she was conscious.
"This technological utopia is actually real! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff is here! No, even better... there's a whole sentient race of machines that I'm about to see! Not only that, but I wonder what their technology is power by? Wind, solar, maybe geothermal? For all I know, those clouds might allow hydroelectric power!" Alicia screamed in excitement.
She quickly began talking about what she wanted to do and what she expected so much, causing Melvazoa to notice his partner was now oblivious to everything around her.
('Well, this is why I enjoy having Alicia as a host.') He chuckled.
Cain and Awan tried to get her attention and failed, and while they did?
*"BOOM!"*
Alicia jumped slightly, causing all three of them to see three objects fly high above them, one of which was incredibly compared to the other two that were working together.
The two smaller objects were Lluinae that resembled mostly black Mecha, though one had red details with a spike on his right shoulder, and the other had blue details with a spike on his left shoulder.
For the bigger one, he heavily resembled Melvazoa's true form, but looked much older and more technologically advanced.
"Wait a minute... Melvazoa, is that your brother up there!?" Alicia realized.
("That's him alright, and it looks like he's having his daily spar with his two underlings, Zuwann and Zaexi.") Melvazoa confirmed.
Zuwann and Zaexi placed the hands on their spiked arms together, which caused a small sphere of power to shake between them.
"Pulsar Cannon!"
An unstable burst of lightning fired at Regalzerva, who immediately charged up concentrated electricity within his weapons.
"Particle Devastator!"
He fired his weapons before rushing forward, moving as if were a holographic card shifting between images as he merged with the blasts in question, then slammed into his underlings' attacks. He continued until he charged into Zuwann and Zaexi, making both of them scream as they crashed near the group.
"Ugh..." They both groaned.
"Once again, you two still can't even get anywhere close to beating me while I'm only using 50% of my power!" Regalzerva mocked, letting out a booming laugh.
'He is definitely your brother...' Alicia sighed.
Regalzerva soon noticed the group, lowering closer to the ground.
"Ah, so you must be the girl those Fairies and Harpy rascals told me about." He realized.
"Uh... yeah, that's me." Alicia nervously confirmed.
"Well then..." Regalzerva replied, his eyes giving off the aura of a smirk.
He took to the skies, already readying an attack to use against her.
"Let's see how justified that confidence is!" He announced, focusing his eyes on Alicia.
"And... that's our cue to move." Awan decided.
Alicia's eyes widened as they just walked away.
('Yell at them later! Attack now!') Melvazoa shouted at the top of his lungs.
'Oh yeah, right!' She replied, remembering his earlier warning.
Regalzerva's attack finished charging.
"Particle Deve-"
"Particle Shift!"
Lightning shot out of Alicia's gloves, moving faster than Regalzerva could react a she felt the familiar surge of electricity strike him.
"Hold on, this is..." He realized.
Suddenly, Regalzerva laughed as he flew to the ground, assuming his human form.
"Only you'd do something that crazy with your host, little brother." Regalzerva smirked.
("You do not get to be condescending with that!") Melvazoa shouted.
Alicia felt an aura from her Longinus as it pushed against Regalzerva's, which seemed like some form of... playful intensity, was the best way she could describe it?
"Uh..." She replied, looking at Cain and Awan.
"Yeah, probably a good time to tell you that all of the Lluinae used to be evil, so they have this force of sorts around them. Regalzerva himself is even a God of Fierceness." Cain explained.
"Just to further emphasize that? Resetoras is a God of Benevolence, and his sister Seraselbes is a Goddess of Empathy, which are more aligned with good than Melvazoa or Regalzerva's associations." Awan added.
Hearing that made Alicia pale, suddenly afraid what kind of training she might had to endure.
Somewhere in Osaka, the usual sight of people walking down the street could be seen, though very few noticed the one thing that didn't belong. That sight being none other than Enseelyia hiding in nothing more than a business outfit, glasses and a brown briefcase.
Once she had walked far enough, Enseelyia moved to a private location and put the briefcase down, adjusting the glasses she was wearing before fully taking them off.
"Finally, these glasses were annoying me." She sighed.
Upon taking them off, her appearance began reverting to its original form, letting the light of the sun reveal its beauty. She had white hair that was long, and messy in a cute way, and implied she was an albino when compared to her pink eyes and porcelain skin. Said eyes were also quite sleepy looking, being half-closed, but lacking dark circles.
Her attire was surprisingly simple for one of the AMF leaders, being nothing but a loose white T-shirt, blue headphones of the noise cancelling variety, and baggy pink khakis that partially revealed a little of her yellow panties.
"Now, let's see how I did." She quietly said to herself, opening the briefcase.
Looking at the briefcase's continents, she nodded her head before smiling.
"Success." Enseelyia stated, praising herself.
She formed a magic circle and placed it by her ear, getting into contact with Creuserey, who quickly picked up.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"I've gotten everything we needed, and without anyone noticing what we were up to." Enseelyia answered.
"Took you long enough. Six years to finish all our preparations was way too much time." Creuserey remarked.
"Says the man who forgets how Zariska and Gavauren failed for rushing?" She retorted.
Creuserey went silent at that, letting out an annoyed groan as how that was technically true, and making Enseelyia smile at her small victory.
"Just bring them to me at the rendezvous so I can meet with Kaiser Vortex and officially begin our plans?" He demanded with annoyance.
She nodded and made a slight noise, changing her magic circle into a transport circle.
Valiana and Chichigami stood within a small cave, showcasing a small ring of crystal clean water around a circular platform, somewhat surprising the Lucifer Heiress.
"I didn't think Adam was this literal about the cave's name." Valiana admitted.
"Most people don't, which is why it's basically my property at this point." Chichigami replied.
Valiana had no idea what to say to that.
"No need to really say anything in response to that. I'm quite aware that myself and the other Ancient God are all a bit... quirky?" She shrugged.
She pushed the Devil Princess further into the cave, nearly causing her to trip.
"Anyways, I'll be watching to see how your progress goes." Chichigami smiled.
'Quirky is right.' Valiana thought.
Sighing for a moment, she walked into the center of the circular platform and sat down. Once she closed her eyes, it wasn't long to see the same blackness Issei had, though she didn't seem to be as surprised when she saw it.
"You here Albion?" She asked.
("I am. Just follow the light, and we'll see if lady luck makes a visit or not.") Albion replied.
She nodded and got on her feet, walking through the light that quickly made its appearance.
Once she did, Valiana saw her own set of predecessors. Where Issei's were all male, hers were all female, being comprised of both girls and women. Most of them were fairly regular, except for a young girl she noticed at the very end of the right side, making her eyes widen as she saw it was a little girl who was no older than 6, maybe 7 years old?
"Albion, is this the possessor Zariska stole you from?" Valiana asked.
("It is... she awakened me fairly early, and I had a good feeling she'd be one of my better wielders. Unfortunately, this caught Zariska's attention, and had her life snuffed out shortly before her 7th birthday.") Albion revealed.
Hearing that, Valiana lowered her head, giving her predecessor a moment of respect. She had always known their end was tragic, but hearing this only made Zariska's actions in smuggling Sacred Gears look even more horrible and cruel than it already was.
"So, in a way... the fact I became your next host shortly before I had my 7th birthday becomes even more poetic, because I'm carrying her legacy in a sense." She realized.
Albion let out a slight sound as she nodded her head.
Right as she did that, Valiana noticed something on the floor, brushing it away to reveal her version of the Juggernaut Drive chant.
"Hey Albion, what's this? It says... I who shall awaken. I am the Heavenly Dragon who inherited the principles of Supremacy." She asked, raising an eye at the words.
("That's the chant for the Juggernaut Drive, so I'd stop reading it out loud.") Albion immediately warned.
Valiana quickly inched away from it.
("But it shouldn't be here. It makes no sense, so what is... wait, could it be?") She wondered, quickly realizing what was going on.
"You always were a sharp one, Albion." A female voice remarked.
Valiana turned around, causing her to spot a woman with long blonde hair and light teal eyes, with a voluptuous figure that wore a purple dress that was fitting of what one would see royal mages were in modern fictional works. Hers was particularly revealing, as her entire cleavage was uncovered.
"I must say, to think that it would be the 100th possessor who would have a resonance that exceeds my own. Perhaps any wielders in the multiples of 50 are special?" She remarked with interest.
("Elsha, it's good to see you again.") Albion greeted.
"Likewise." Elsha replied, holding up her hand in response.
Valiana stared at her, unsure of what to say or do, which left Elsha to start the conversation by leaning towards her.
"I do admit that having the daughter of Lucifer be one of my successors is quite the surprise. Although, considering who Ddraig's 100th possessor is, then it shows our gamble worked out." She remarked.
("Chichigami mentioned something about that, and I know you never told me either. Did you truly see the future, or at the very least, a possible future that resulted from you removing the Divine Dividing when you did?") Albion asked.
"Oh no, nothing like that. The magic that I used was fortune telling. When Belzard and I were questioning what we should do, I decided to cast a fortune, and let it help us make a choice. The fortune I got said this, and only now do I fully understand its meaning." Elsha answered.
She closed her eyes, making Valiana pay attention.
"The future will be guided by those who exceed you. A grand legend of tomorrow, born of children that come from the one who became two." She revealed.
Neither Valiana or Elsha understood what that fortune meant, and once Elsha opened her eyes, she giggled.
"Isn't Eve based on Lilith?" Elsha inquired.
Hearing that, the Devil Princess let out a gasp.
"One who became two... that's my mom and Eve because of how similar they are without being twins, meaning the children that came from them are me and Issei!" She exclaimed.
("OK, that fortune is scary... in the sense of how accurate it was.") Albion replied.
"True, but I doubt it was guaranteed to have a result like this. After all, that fortunate could have easily been talking about you and Ddraig, considering how your mother gave you and Ddraig life." Elsha mentioned.
("Fair argument.") Albion admitted.
Hearing that, Valiana let out a slight laugh, finally feeling like some of the tension had broken. Elsha joined her, while Albion just rolled her eyes at former and current host.
"Say, out of curiosity... why did you and Belzard give up your powers? It seems weird that you'd do it together." Valiana inquired.
"Nothing is weird when you do it for love." Elsha answered.
Once she heard Elsha's reply, her face went red, making Elsha giggle.
"Based on that reaction, it seems you have a similar story, don't you?" She assumed, putting her face closer to Valiana's.
"I... well, not exactly... I mean..." Valiana mumbled, feeling her blush grow.
"Strange, it doesn't seem like your lying to me, but yet it doesn't feel like you're telling the truth. Almost as if something's contradicting your words without your knowledge." Elsha noticed with a concerned tone.
"Huh?" Valiana replied, blinking in confusion.
Elsha put one of her hands on Valiana's forehead, and another on her chin, then closed her eyes as if she was trying to detect something.
"Albion, I need your help. Fluctuate your aura and help it synchronize to hers." She requested.
("I might not know what you're doing, but it seems like you've noticed something neither me or Valiana do, so I'll trust in what you're doing.") Albion replied.
Valiana felt herself starting to sweat as Elsha and Albion's actions felt like they were hitting her with pressure from both in front and behind her. It was almost like she became a sandwich.
Finally, after another minute or two, Elsha noticed something.
"There's a gap in your memories from when you were 5." She stated.
"Hmm? Oh, you must be talking about my 5th birthday party when I was publicly introduced to my people. It makes sense I don't remember that. Because of what it was, I woke up without remembering it, figuring it was because there wasn't much to expect." Valiana replied, unaware of her last word.
Albion's eyes briefly widened as she used the word expect, well aware of its connection to her partner.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid that's impossible. Even if you yourself can't recall it, a memory should still exist where it was made, so a gap in your memories means it was somehow erased... or some outside force has sealed it away, preventing you from recalling it." Elsha replied, shaking her head.
Valiana felt confused, letting out a worried chuckle.
"That's crazy, I can easily think about my 5th birthday-" She replied, trying to calm herself down.
Suddenly, she put her left hand on her head, feeling a sharp pain. That was proof enough for Elsha.
"Just like I thought. There's some kind of trauma holding the memory back, and even worse? I don't think you even know what that trauma is." She realized.
"What... are you talking about?" Valiana questioned.
("Expectations.") Albion said without any warning.
Valiana suddenly froze as she heard that, as if someone had encased her in ice without her knowledge.
("For the longest time, I've wondered how you could develop to only follow what you expect, and then somehow grow to stop expecting anything. None of it made any sense... if I looked at it as part of your natural development.") Albion replied.
"In other words, this whole expectation thing Albion's referring to? I believe this trauma is the true source behind it." Elsha added.
Valiana didn't say anything at first.
"Just to emphasize how much this trauma is holding you back? The power I can feel from your resonance... it's probably the strongest I've ever seen. Strong enough that you should have only needed a few months to unlock your Balance Breaker, which you clearly haven't unlocked as of yet." She continued.
And with that reveal, Valiana let out a horrified gasp.
If what Elsha was saying was true, then she already met the qualifications to access her Balance Breaker, yet she herself was why she couldn't use it. Despite how much it would have helped in the battles she encountered against the enemies created during the Innovate Incident. With that revelation in mind, her body started shaking.
"But... if that's true, how would I know what's wrong?" She asked.
"You need to live that day again. Not try to recall the memory, but experience everything within it as if you were just making it." Elsha answered.
"And how can I do that with a memory I've forgotten?" Valiana questioned.
("No, you still remember it. You just keep avoiding it. As such, I apologize for what I'm about to do.") Albion replied.
Valiana felt confused, only to feel the entire area shake.
("Since you're inserting your consciousness inside the Divine Dividing right now, I can force the memory to the surface through the emotions that influence it.") Albion stated, with slight guilt in her voice.
With those words, Valiana's eyes widened as the emotions of that memory overwhelmed her mind.
Opening her eyes, Valiana noticed she was in a grand ball room, surrounded by many Devils of all ages, and while she couldn't move of her own volition? It was clear she was in her 5-year old body at the moment.
Her parents were at the side, talking to someone they knew, but couldn't see due to where he or she had chosen to stand.
"Greetings Princess." A Devil greeted.
Valiana just sat in place, lightly lowering her head to give him a slight bow. After that Devil left, another one quickly followed.
This pattern kept going on for a while, until it became too much.
"Excuse me, I... need some fresh air." Valiana requested, standing up.
Valiana began walking towards the glass doors that were near a flower garden, unaware that someone noticed her leaving. As she walked into the garden, she looked up at the moon, and then... started to cry.
"This is supposed to be my birthday, so why does it feel like I'm just some trophy to be viewed!?" She demanded, with tears flowing down her eyes.
[AIR: Kaisouroku]
"So, even you felt that way?" Someone asked.
She gasped at the voice, making her turn around to see a boy around her age, one with crimson-red hair and emerald green eyes. However, what she really noticed was the warm smile on his face that seemed to lessen her sadness... at least a little bit.
"W-Why are you...?" She asked.
The boy pulled out a tissue, and held it out to her, surprising her somewhat.
"I noticed you leaving, and I just had this feeling you were sad." He replied.
Valiana sniffled as she accepted the tissue.
"Hundreds of people were in that room, and it was only you noticed that?" Valiana questioned.
"Well, I'm the oldest of eight siblings, so I kind of have an eye for it." He bashfully admitted.
That caught Valiana's interest.
"Could you tell me more? I'm an only child, so I don't know what having siblings is like." Valiana requested.
That surprised the boy.
"Sure, feel free to ask me anything." He replied, smiling.
As he began to talk, they soon sat together and began sharing their own stories with one another, occasionally laughing as they did. It didn't take very long before Valiana had stopped crying and now had a warm and happy smile on her face.
"Princess Valiana? Princess Valiana!?" A guard called.
She gasped at the sound, realizing what time it was.
"Oh no, I've been out here too long. I should get back inside before my parents get worried." Valiana realized.
"Don't worry, I understand." The boy replied.
"Thank you for the talking with me, I feel a lot better now." She replied.
She got up and began heading back, but stopped after walking for a bit.
"May I know your name?" She asked.
"Sure thing. My name is Issei Hyoudou." He answered, revealing himself as someone she shouldn't have met yet.
"Issei... that's a nice name. I hope we see each other again, and soon." Valiana smiled.
He waved goodbye as she left, deciding to stay in the beauty of the garden for a little longer.
[Insert Song End]
Unfortunately, in doing so? He was unaware of what happened next.
As Valiana tried to go back inside, a mysterious Devil wearing a skull-like mask suddenly appeared, scaring her as they held their palm out and placed it on her forehead. The moment they did, Valiana felt an excruciating pain surge through her mind and knock her out.
Inside a hospital room, a sleeping Valiana could be seen. Luckily, she was mostly unharmed, and only had a moist towelette on her forehead.
As she slept, her parents could be seen speaking to Nebiros, whose face (other than his mouth) was covered by shadows. As Valiana had never seen any of the Heads from the Six Houses of Lucifer besides Lucifuge, this part of her memories had no proper image of his face.
"Is she alright?" Lucifer asked.
"Don't worry, from what my examination showed? The damage was minimal." Nebiros reassured them, smiling to emphasize this.
Lucifer and Lilith sighed in relief, glad to hear such new.
"However, I recommend you tell your daughter that she just fell asleep right after you brought her home from the party. The one thing I can guarantee is that she'll have lost all the memories of the past 24 hours. I'm pretty sure that Devil was trying to break her mind and make her a puppet for the Anti-Maou Faction, and this was the end result." Nebiros suggested.
The King and Queen of Devils gasped as they heard that, shocked at the unexpected revelation.
Lilith watched her daughter's unconscious form as she sat by the bed of the latter's room. Despite knowing she was OK, there was still the guilt of what happened weighing on her mind as she watched her.
"To think someone from the Anti-Maou Faction had gotten in... much less for them to do this." Lilith said to herself.
"M-Mom... is that you?" Valiana quietly asked.
She gasped as she saw her daughter wake up.
"Valiana..." She smiled, looking relieved at her finally waking up.
Valiana soon got up, rubbing her head.
"How did I get back in my room? I thought we were supposed to introduce myself to the public for my birthday?" She questioned.
"Looks like that party wore you out. We already had it, and you fell asleep the moment we came home." Lilith lied, just as Nebiros suggested.
Her daughter blinked at that.
"Oh, really? It was that boring?" She asked.
Lilith didn't say anything in response to that.
"Well, you did say it would be boring, so I should have expected that." Valiana replied, causing a strange echo.
Her mother did hear that, but her present day self, who watching through her eyes? She heard it all too clearly.
And that one word shook her very core.
Chichigami yawned as she continued looking at Valiana's immobile form.
"She's really taking her time, which can only mean that she must have met Elsha. Still, I wonder what they're doing for her to take this long?" She questioned.
Her thoughts were broken as Valiana suddenly screamed out of nowhere, falling onto her back.
Not expecting this to happen, Chichigami herself stumbled back and fell on her butt in surprise.
"Whoa! What the hell!?" She questioned.
As she got up, Chichigami suddenly noticed tears cascading down Valiana's face, making anything else she was about to say or would have said fall flat. Before she could even question it with her thoughts... Valiana got on her feet and ran out of the cave, surprising the Goddess.
"Huh? Valiana, get back here!" Chichigami ordered.
"Sorry, no can do! There's something more important I need to take care of!" She shouted, running to the Dragon Mountains.
Upon hearing those words, Chichigami was surprised, but then smiled slightly.
"I have no idea what you're thinking, but... there's no way you'd say that to a deity, not without something motivating you to accomplish a single goal." She realized, closing her eyes.
As Valiana continued running, a few of Lemuria's more dangerous creatures head her way, only for them to be knocked aside from her sending a strong punch or kick to knock them aside. This eventually got to a point that no other animal dared to get in her way.
'Issei... all this time, you knew, didn't you? Despite that, you didn't say anything.' Valiana thought, finally understanding his reaction when they first met.
She ran through a bunch of plants, not letting them slow her down even a little.
'Forgive me Issei. Not only did I forget that day, but all this time, a single memory was keeping me from being able to give you an answer to your confession. Not anymore, because now exactly what my feelings for you are!' She promised herself.
Valiana had spent more than a decade wearing chains she didn't know she had, but no more. Today... she would finally break them!
Yeah, you heard that right! Issei and Valiana first met each other long before the latter moved to Kuoh City, and in case it wasn't emphasized enough? Issei has recognized and remember her the entire time since then! This was the real reason Valiana felt something strange when the two of them reunited during the events of Chapter 1, as she subconsciously recognized him, despite forgetting about their first meeting.
Unfortunately, as Valiana herself finally remembers? A single Devil from the Anti-Maou Faction tried to kidnap her, and while it failed, the way they tried to capture her erased an entire day's worth of memories... including her meeting with Issei. By extension, due to what she was able to remember, that event led her to being unaware of how she really felt, and she judged her inability to remember on how it flew by... because it was what she had been expecting.
Yeah, that's right. All of the problems with her always expectant mindset as a child, and her never expectant mindset now, were all caused because she lost her memories of a single day, which was probably one of the most important in her life. While the fix could have been simple? Neither of our heroes' parents knew the other even met each other, leaving them unaware of this solution, and forcing Elsha and Albion to act.
Having this one memory preventing her from achieving Balance Breaker is no joke either, as if she had remembered Issei from the start? She would have been able to unlock it only a few months after her 7th birthday. Now, she can finally unleash her Longinus' true power, and the only wall in the way of using it and becoming a couple with Issei is she still needs to get to the Dragon Mountains and finally admit she loves him.
One last thing that I should mention, since it was brought up when Alicia began talking to herself, is that she didn't forget certain forms of energy we use in real life. In this story, due to the nature of Earth and the presence of the supernatural influencing things? Such forms pollution creating energy either never existed or were prevented from existing. This includes radiation, so all forms of nuclear technology were never created, and this changed how WW2 ended.
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^