Silence flowed about the two, immaterial, deep, and fragile. An inhalation, a conceit that was mainly vestigial in this place, broke the silence before Raven stood, her words trickling forth.

"I stand, as always, against evil and injustice. I have trained since birth to decry the darkness within myself, tainted as it was by my progenitor's wholly evil soul. These last several centuries of growth and enlightenment have proven to me one thing that had otherwise remained a mystery...

"I am the get of an evil, extra-planar entity, this is true. Yet, equally, I am the daughter of a human woman. There exists within me not a battle for dominance between two opposing natures, but rather a clamoring for choice. Having fallen, briefly or otherwise, to the darkness within myself more than once, I am not remiss in saying that my ability to return to a state of equilibrium indicates the temporal nature of Man, gifted with full faculty of reason and granted that most precious endowment by Creation of free will. The very fact of an offered choice to every half-blooded human creature shows possession by that person of a fully human soul, with all its frailties and strengths. The body and mind may be more or less evenly divided by parentage, but the soul remains human.

"In light of this, it becomes exceedingly clear why all Nephilim are wholly evil; they have chosen this path, and twisted their formerly human souls to fit the mold of a demonic entity. Simultaneously, those that fail to agree with that choice inevitably perish as they attempt to forsake their heritage. Demonic energy flows through a demi-demon as air flows through the lungs. Preventing passage of either is a precursor to termination. By choosing to deny that part of themselves, they block the flow of energy until is consumes them.

"But to answer your question plainly, Skuld of the Norns, I answer this: I am half-demon, and ever shall be. I am a defender of the light, and ever have been. I am a creature of choice, and exercise the privilege that intuitively follows from that gift of a human soul. I refuse to make a choice between becoming evil Nephilim or perishing by blocking my abilities with the full faculties granted to demi-demons upon reaching their maturity.

"Instead, I choose to continue acting as compelled by my ethics and morals. I choose to continue acting as an agent against tyranny. I choose to use my newly unbound faculties to their fullest in my ongoing quest to battle against injustice. I choose to reserve my own best judgment on the application of my abilities, regardless of their origin.

"I choose, in short, to continue being Raven, Teen Titan of Jump City, to continue as Rachel Roth, Friend to the Chronicler known as Jon. I renounce my birthright as Daughter of Trigun the Terrible, and abdicate the throne reserved for the Princess of Hell. Likewise, I renounce the title of High Priestess to the Cult of Azar, a philosophy whose pacifistic precepts I rarely followed and whose congregation has been decimated by evil. I take on the mantle of the Adjudicator, and it is through the efforts of myself and my friends that such evil be removed from the world."

Skuld was pensive for several minutes, which stretched into an undecipherable silence as she pondered the response. Finally, she placed a hand on the other woman's bicep and squeezed it softly in a show of support. "Kneel then, Raven, and receive Divine Judgment."

Raven took to a knee, unclasping her wings from about her torso and extending them outward and down in a posture of submission. As an afterthought, she formed fists and placed the back of her right hand against the gem in her forehead and the back of the left against the exposed gem just above the swell of her breasts, copying the position she had witnessed Jon take when she reviewed the surveillance tapes of the meeting between him and Wonder Woman.

Raven would swear later that she felt a sense of satisfaction and approval filtering from the very air itself, a poignant reminder that her essence was, for the moment, completely subsumed in Jon's.

Skuld began to speak in a tri-toned voice, simultaneously rising into the air as invisible energies caused loose strands of hair to dance about her head. "It is the Judgment of the Norns that Jon, known as the Chronicler, an unwitting perpetrator of foul deeds against the very body of Divinity, has most successfully completed his Geis to our full and utmost satisfaction. Completed through the guidance of the prophesied entity known as Raven to ecclesiastical conclusions thus preventing the passing of undesired Fate onto the Souls of all Mankind, this Geis is fulfilled and exceeded. So say We, so shall it Be."

A soundless, colourless wave of purity pulsed once through Raven's current existence, and she knew instinctively that outside the temple grounds, Jon's soul now had a chance to recover.

"Further, Raven, your choices have pleased us. As you place your lot with those of Mankind, allow us now to welcome you to our Stewardship. Arise to the title of Valkyrie, a symbol of your chosen path."

Raven rose and was hugged by the once-more grounded Goddess. "Your journey is still difficult and incomplete," Skuld stated as she began to fade away, "but you have shown much courage and fortitude today. I hope that one day we shall meet in person, and not as Avatars. In fact," she winked a ghostly eye, "I foresee it!"

Then she was gone, leaving Raven with only the memory of a warm embrace.

She turned to look at a door that had somehow remained overlooked throughout the entirety of her... well, "experience" seemed as good a word as any to describe what had happened since she entered the temple. It was a wooden, Western-style door in contrast to the sliding shoji prevalent throughout the rest of the building. Engraved, or rather carved, rudely upon its surface were the words, "The Chronicler."

Raven turned the knob, opened the door, and entered the darkness beyond.

Behind her, the door, temple, and universe vanished without a trace.