NMHA Ch. 20 - Flicker


"Sorry about the paparazzi nearly barging in when they felt your magic through the doorway. Seriously, it's nearly been a month and they're still around; it's getting ridiculous."

"It is alright. I have my fair share of unpleasant experiences with that particular brand of individual."

"Right; Phenex heir and Top Tenner."

Lunarunn sighed as she sat back down, rubbing her head tiredly as she let her hand slip, gaze slowly reaching the face of the blonde Devil across from her. His posture was impeccable, especially compared to her limp leaning onto the tabletop, propped up by her arms.

"Indeed. You never quite learn to appreciate privacy seals and the judicious application thereof until you are nearly mobbed in a lavatory."

Wait, what? That caught Luna's interest. She leaned back a bit, eyes widening slightly. "Good lord... I can only imagine how terrible that would be."

"Granted, in that case I had gotten lost on my way to the restroom and found myself in the public one, but I have made it something of a habit to cloak my presence regardless." Ruval chuckled. "My Queen certainly refuses to let me live that down."

"How did you get lost going to the... bathroom, exactly?"

At that question, he glanced away with an uncharacteristic flush. "Ah. Hmm. That, I would rather not discuss."

That only served to pique her interest further. "C'mon, it can't be that bad."

"I stand by what I just said."

A slow, teasing smile had made its way across the brunette's face. "Then I hope you don't mind if I make an ass of you and me, and assume it's because you're utter shit with directions."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that accusation. Also, that pun was utterly ghastly."

"..."

"..."

Luna caught on, eyes widening as she realized just what he meant, and slowly sank her face into her hands, groaning in near-physical agony over the unintentional wordplay.

Seeing as she finally understood and was safely distracted, Ruval went on. "The point of my tangent being, I know what it is like to have to handle the 'media' mob."

"So it would seem," the Worldweaver grumbled, pulling her head from her hands to pout at the Phenex heir. "Anyway, why come visit? I'd have figured you would send me a letter to invite me to the Phenex estate."

"I did, yet you never replied, so I decided to visit and see why that is."

The brunette blinked. "...Wait, you did?"

"Did you never receive it? That is odd; I made sure to include the Phenex seal on the letter to prove that it was from me."

"Hang on. When did you do so, exactly?"

"Roughly a week ago, perhaps closer to a week and a half."

"...Ohhhhhhh." Luna's eyes widened, as her thoughts went to a certain growing pile she kept. "Oh."

"..."

"...In my defense, I really need a secretary. I've been getting absolutely swamped with letters, so I've taken to leaving them in a pile in the corner of my room."

"That..." The blonde sighed. "I cannot say I am surprised considering your origins, though I do wonder why you felt the need to stuff them in a corner, rather than go through it all. Or rather, why do you not have a secretary, anyway?"

Luna's face fell into a deadpan, and pointed to herself. "Commoner. At least, was a commoner."

Recognizing the faux pas as he had just mentioned her origins, Ruval winced. "Ah. Yes, I suppose that would do it. Most would not be able to hire a secretary just to sort mail."

"And you do?"

"I have multiple secretaries, to handle the work that needs getting done but doesn't need my direct attention. As well as to sort out mail."

Luna lifted a hand to her face and rubbed the side of it. "Right. Phenex. Shit, I've seen the opulence and I still can't wrap my head around just how much the top dogs live it up."

"Is it really that much, for you?"

"In my defense, this place is huge for me, and I know that by Devil standards it's a modest locale."

"Even after living here for years?"

"Yeah, even considering that. To be fair though, I could probably live in a fifteen-by-fifteen space; I'm not too picky when it comes to living space."

"Really? I cannot imagine living in such a cramped area, myself."

She pouted, eyes narrowing. "I like the term 'compact'. 'Efficient' works too."

"Where would you put your laboratory, then? I doubt you could put something like that into such a condensed space."

Right, Lunarunn had a lab now too, and one she often frequented to test her magic and Worldweave in. "...Okay, so a fifteen-by-fifteen space, with my lab on the side."

That got a laugh from Ruval, an easy, polite chuckling.

"Quiet, you."

"Please forgive my mirth, it is simply... refreshing, I think is the word, to interact with someone as unique as you." He did, however, stop laughing as per the Worldweaver's request.

"Unique?" That drew a furrowed brow, one side lifted upward. "I'm sure you've met your fair share of commoners."

"Most are too caught up in my fame, my name, or my power to act as more than sycophants. Those that are not, I hardly see at all."

She caught the implication that Ruval had hinted at, and made a wince of her own. "Ah."

"That being said, where would I be if it weren't for them? The Phenex Pillar, strong as it might be, needs its populace to be as successful as it is. It is only right I give the common folk a reason to keep doing so, even if it is to place myself upon a pedestal for their delight."

"Sounds kind of lonely."

"And yet, that is the duty I willingly bear for my family. That, and the mantle of heir." His lips turned upward, even as his eyes slid the opposite direction. "To say nothing of the Peerage I head. Were it not for them I would agree that it is an entirely lonely undertaking."

"..." Lunarunn fell silent, wondering just what sort of world she had found herself in, and not for the first time. Certainly, it wasn't the happy-go-lucky place that canon DxD had been.

Then again, if it was, would she have been able to handle how different the world as a whole would be compared to her old one? She was barely coping as-is.

The Phenex heir took her silence for something else. "My apologies, I did not intend to lead this discussion down a depressing path."

Luna shook her head, and her hands, smiling sheepishly. "No, no, it's cool. I think it's important to be open with this sort of stuff."

"Is that so?" A brow came up.

"Mhm."

Ruval was quiet for a moment, then leaned forward, placing his own elbows on the table to prop his head up. Even now, it was far more refined an action than the brunette's. "Then allow me to ask for your honesty, Luna. What is it that you feel about what happened at the gala? I understand you're upset, I am too considering how Sirzechs omitted necessary information from negotiations with my family, but I want to know the reasons why from the source."

He had to ask that, didn't he? Just when she figuring out how to stop focusing on it so much. On the way she had been completely blindsided, how utterly incomprehensible the world had seemed at that moment, at how she had been betrayed-

"...Not asking me an easy question, are you?" Her voice sounded out of its own volition, flat and blunt.

"You said it yourself; you feel as though it is important to be open with your emotions."

"...Hahhhhh." That's right, the sort of ideal communication she longed for was the type that went both ways.

Ruval waited patiently once more, something Lunarunn could appreciate.

Especially as, when she finally started, it was somewhat rambly. "Y'know, I trusted him. Them both. Sirzechs and Ajuka, I mean. A-as the face of a progressive society and the men behind its inner workings. As someone who has a unique ability, and as someone with a unique political potential, I-I was sure I would be able to- to shelter safely under their influence until I was finally ready to... stand on my own."

"But they are not 'men', as you put it."

Her expression darkened and her eyes turned downward. "Yeah, I know that now. They may look like it. They may sound like it, hell they may even act like it for the most part, but they aren't. They're Devils. And Devils are Devils are Devils, just like the Stray I caught said."

"Uvarys?"

Luna's gaze shot back up at Ruval, the emotion washed away in a flash of surprise. "You know him?"

"He obtained a fair bit of notoriety after killing the Leraje heiress and the Sallos heir she was courting. The Sallos family thankfully had another child to continue the bloodline; the Leraje..." Ruval smiled politely, but it didn't reach his eyes. "...not so much. You earned a lot of goodwill from the Sallos for bringing Uvarys to justice, I have heard."

'Yeah. 'Justice'. If only the hands of a scientist testing experimental techniques on an integral part of your being with no regard for your well-being could be construed as such.'

"I... can't say I've heard anything from them about it."

One side of his polite smile quirked upward, as the brevity behind it did reach his cobalt gaze. "That may well be because their own letters may have joined the rest in your stash of unopened missives."

She let out a short huff and looked away. "I guess that gives me more reason to go through it all, huh?"

"Indeed. But we've strayed off topic."

"...Yeah. Yeah, I suppose we have."

Ruval remained silent, letting Luna have the time she needed to gather herself.

"Trust is something important to me," the brunette started, facing Ruval once more. "That and honesty. If I can't trust someone to be honest with me, then I can't work with them. Yet, I'd been working with Sirzechs and Ajuka for years, interacting with them. Hell, I even considered Ajuka as something of an actual friend."

"So when Ajuka revealed your bloodline to the Underworld, it felt like a stab in the back."

"I... I trusted him." She refused to bring her parents into this. Yet, beyond Kuroka, who had her own basket case of problems if she was a street rat, and Diodora, who Luna was still leery of even if she agreed to join the Khaos Brigade, there was nobody she could share this with.

But Ruval... he was a co-conspirator, wasn't he? Sirzechs had lied to him too, if indirectly. He, at least in some small part, would not only understand, but sympathize. With that knowledge, once the words started flowing they wouldn't stop, and with it the anger as well.

"Him and Sirzechs. I thought I could put my faith in that we were a team, that even if I was below them I could be sure that I'd be looked after, but- but no!" Now the fire took hold, and with it her self-control slipped. "The moment it looked like their plan was going to get dicey I was cut loose for the sake of convenience, and then to top it all off he had someone put a fucking compulsion in my head to make sure I played the part they had in store for me! If they didn't think I could handle it then they could have just been honest; I'd have trusted them! I'd have trusted them on everything!

"But I guess the Devils at the top of the food chain aren't so different from all the ones who'd try to rope me into their circle for the super-babies. Guess I was wrong to think they were. Devils are Devils are Devils, after all." She spat the last words out, like a curse.

The Phenex heir was silent for several seconds, and the cold part of Luna's mind recognized that she may have offended him with the generalizations she made.

Yet, when he spoke, it was with a low, quiet, calming voice. "...You have my condolences."

It only served to stoke the coiling heat within further, and she stood with a sharp scowl. "Kh. Spare me the pity party, Ruval. You only agreed to court me so that you could have your pound of flesh when we finally tear the Satans a new one."

Despite the snap, the blonde nobleman remained unfazed. "The two do not have to be mutually exclusive."

With that, the burn died down, though it took several seconds to do so. And with it left an open maw within her chest. "...Sorry. It's just... it's still a sore subject."

"I cannot blame you. I'm... irritated with the Satans, to say the least. For someone who worked closely with them it must be a far more sensitive subject."

"They hung me out to dry, like a piece of meat, in front of wolves. How could it not be?"

"And that is why you have my condolences. They underestimated the strength of your loyalty, something I have already come to notice. You do not trust easily; but when you do, it is a commitment."

That... was mostly true. But a certain teal-haired Devil came to mind as a counterpoint. If that were the case, wouldn't she still be absolutely at odds with him?

Or was she just giving him the opportunity to prove her right? Or was it that she was praying that he proved her wrong?

It was... hard to tell.

And then there were the Satans, who she'd worked with for years. People - no, Devils - she had preemptively decided were worth trusting, and paid the price for it.

...Maybe her preconceptions and prior knowledge were only meant to be... guidelines?

She didn't really know anymore.

Finally, Luna sighed, returning to the subject at hand. "...Maybe. But that just means we have all the more reason to trust each other in that we want to see Sirzechs get his comeuppance, yeah?"

"Indeed. So let us discuss that."


They ended up talking for a few hours, more than Luna expected. Most of it was about how to turn the tables on the Satans, but there were multiple times that they ended up going on tangents and talking about other things. Even turning the tables ended up becoming a mostly farcical manner, as they quickly burned through the more likely strategies.

Through it all, Luna found herself... enjoying herself. She hadn't any particular preconceptions when it came to Ruval, so she found herself pleasantly surprised with how she liked talking with him.

He was straightforward, eloquent, honest, courteous, and understanding when she struggled to get her own thoughts out. She'd already gotten the feeling of it before, but talking over the course of a few hours had confirmed for Luna that the Phenex heir was a real gentleman, at the very least for a couple levels of his psyche.

But did that mean she trusted him?

("Devils are Devils are Devils.")

Only insofar as he'd work with the brunette to get back at Sirzechs. After that, there was no real reason for Ruval to continue working with her; in fact, it might be advantageous for him to betray her at some point.

In other words, she needed to give him a reason to not do to her what the Satans did.

She'd been burned once, after all. And now that she was working with an actual firebird, she planned on not letting it happen again.

They left on good terms, though the moment Ruval took his leave Luna hurried to her room to start looking through her pile of messages.

She needed as much information about the environment she found herself in, after all. She'd put reading those letters off for far too long.

And after that... it was past time she paid the being who gave her these powers a visit.


(Sol watched behind lidded eyes as the world around him blurred by.

He gazed as the people around, going about their day to day, talking about this and that.

But, they were doing their own thing, he had little to do with it. So he just idly listened, then moved on.

The college student simply went to class, did his work, and returned to his dorm. He worked. He chatted with friends. He played games. Watched videos. Ate. Slept.

It wasn't a bad life, by any means. He had a loving family, he had friends who cared about him and whom he cared about in turn. He had a successful college career and was looking to go into a job market where his skills would be valued for decades to come.

Still, considering how blessed he knew his life had been, there was always something missing.

He just could never place his finger on it.

Or, at the very least, he couldn't truly grasp it.

Despite his own efforts to live, something felt off. Like his life was a jigsaw, but was missing a crucial piece.

So what was it that he had been missing, even all the way to his demise, mere inches away from the oncoming truck that was about to turn his breathing body into a crushed corpse?

What was it that he lacked?

Even as he died, even as his mind decided to be the smartass it was in those final moments, there was a lingering thought in the back of it.

'There has to be something more.')


Lunarunn opened her eyes to a world full of stars.

Shining lights, forevermore in the distance, gleamed above her brilliantly as she rose from the reflective surface that was the ground.

It was beautiful, she realized, but so very desolate.

Empty.

Just waiting to be made whole.

But by what? What was it that was missing here? Whereas before the world had been naught but darkness, and a single figure in the distance, now it was full of shining lights, just waiting to be seen, explored, and understood.

Something was missing.

But what was it?

"There has to be something more."

Her words, they reached out to the world, though for several seconds there was no reply.

But then... "I agree. It is truly a marvelous sight, but a broken one all the same."

That voice. It was... different, but still recognizable. Lunarunn turned around to see her mirror image staring up at the stars again, eyes flickering between colors like the very wings that Luna herself bore.

Only now, she was much more than a mirror image.

The entity that had appeared as Luna's doppelganger within this world before still retained the physical features of the Devil whose original soul she claimed. Yet, now instead of simply reflecting Luna's looks and actions, she had adopted autonomy of her own.

Clad in an exquisite dark purple dress that glimmered like the stars above and a black, three-pointed crown, Ulan stood before Luna, radiating a new sort of energy with prismatic pinions spread wide behind her back. Whereas before she were little more than a mirror image, now she bore the semblance of a queen, and the aura that commanded respect like one. Even with the solemn, almost sad look on her face, the conceptual being's very presence had a formidable weight to it.

Almost instinctively, Luna knew that when she had first met Ulan, she would have been crushed by the pressure. Even now, it was impossible to wholly ignore, even if she found it bearable.

"Ulan," she finally greeted, bowing her head in recognition. "I see your realm has changed since the last I saw it."

"Not quite." The doppelganger looked back down at Luna, and once more she was struck by the raw gravity to her likeness's gaze. "It is more that you are more aware of it all."

"Really? So... you're saying that I've achieved a new dimension of strength, and with it understanding?"

"Other way around." Ulan placed a hand on her hip and smirked faintly. "I would think that as used to my powers as you are becoming, that would be a given."

"You know what I meant, though I'll take your correction as a 'yes'." Luna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but returned the smirk with one of her own.

Then a thought hit.

"...Did you know that your power was going to be inheritable?"

"Hm?" The smirk and hand on the other Luna's hip dropped, replaced with an inquisitive furrow.

"Your power. Worldweave, as I've come to call it. Apparently it's something that can be passed down from parent to child. Your blessing apparently changed my DNA to the point where it's now hereditary."

"Is that so...? I will admit, I was not watching the moment when you discovered this. I had been lost in musings of my own," the conceptual being confessed, before shaking her head. "Though I am rather surprised at this news myself."

'Musings?' the human-turned-Devil wondered. 'What about, exactly?'

"Certainly aren't acting like it's surprising."

"Letting a host of my power walk around in an actual world is an entirely alien concept to me. Never before have I bestowed power like I did with you."

"So you're saying whatever happens with this ability is completely up in the air beyond what powers it grants?"

Ulan nodded, causing Luna to sigh and sit back down, prompting the doppelganger to do the same... albeit with enough grace that the recipient of her power felt brutish in comparison.

That she wasn't normally the kind of person to compare that sort of thing wasn't lost on her either.

"Well, congrats. I now have a Devil bloodline, and one that's practically been driving the Underworld wild trying to get into my pants."

"Yet you seem to be holding up quite well regardless."

"Not for lack of trying, that's for sure." Luna rubbed her head, propping a knee up to rest her arm on. "Were it not for the vitality this body has compared to my old one, I'd have probably fled to the human world and went into hiding already; I'd be so tired of it all."

Ulan tilted her head, an unspoken question being heard loud and clear. The Devil grimaced.

"I've still had idle wonderings whether or not I should, because... it isn't easy. I've got a lot going on, and I'm worried I'll drop the ball hard when I really can't afford to."

"I believe the phrase is: 'that which is worth doing is seldom easy'?" The conceptual entity offered.

Luna shook her head. "True. Doesn't mean it's not exhausting as all get-out, though."

"Your mental state was never brought into question. Though your feelings toward it all makes me wonder."

That prompted a brow to raise. "What do you mean?"

"For someone who is so intent on climbing to the top of Devil society, your motivation for doing so is rather... obscure." Ulan shook her head slowly, brown locks swaying gently as she brought her hands together at her waist. "I do not understand it. Why it is that you are putting up with all of the games the Underworld plays whilst complaining. Why you are so intent on playing by their rules, even when you bemoan what position you have found yourself in. Why you want to save these people, these 'main characters of canon' from their sad fates, despite knowing full well that they will survive and come out stronger for it."

That brought a pregnant pause to their conversation, as Lunarunn mulled over her patron's words.

Finally, she answered. "It's not that hard to understand that I want to make the lives of the people I know better, is it?"

"You act almost as if it's your duty to do so."

"Is it not?" Luna set a hand to the base of her neck, fingers touching yet not the palm. "You chose me, some random guy from a broken world a level above this one, to not only inherit your power, but also be able to remember my old life. And this is all despite knowing the chaos that sort of knowledge could bring, and so completely shake up canon as to render it moot. If you wanted me to not act on that knowledge, you could have easily just wiped it away and had me reincarnate in the truest sense, where by all intents and purposes I'm no different than anyone else save for your power.

"Instead, you take me and shove me into the soulless husk of the girl who sold her's to you, knowing full well that I didn't have the same equipment, and decided to let me deal with the ramifications how I could. Not that I'm not doing okay so far, but that's not the point."

"The point is, you feel obligated to act on what you know, because you know things that could make a difference," Ulan finished, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side.

The human-turned-Devil nodded once. "Exactly."

"You considered just living life how you used to despite all this. You could have done it too." Ulan's eyes reopened. "Back in the hospital, you could have just decided to continue the mundane life that the old Luna had lived. Nobody would have realized. You could have lived in the world of gods and Devils, not even a background character, someone who could and would be completely removed from all of the major events of the world. You didn't know if you would have the power to stand up to the behemoths of this world. Despite years of training, to the point of isolating yourself from nearly the rest of the world, you still have a long way to go, if you get there at all."

"What are you getting at, exactly?"

"I do not quite believe that the reasoning you gave me is the truth. At least, not in full." Her brows drew together, as a slightly irritated expression made its way across her face.. "Though you speak with fervor, and it is clear you believe your own reasoning sound."

"So... what, are you saying that you think there's some reason why I decided to put up with all this shit that even I'm not aware of?"

"Or at least, not recognizing." The conceptual being stepped back, expression returning to its usual thoughtful neutrality. She looked up, turning around with an arm extended, gesturing to the world around them. "However, I will drop the matter for now in favor of actually discussing your reasons for being here."

Luna still had much to say about said topic, particularly since Ulan was dangling the knowledge she supposedly needed in front of her face. But, she'd at least respect wanting to get down to the brass tacks. "I'm looking to understand more. To obtain more ability for the challenges I face ahead of me."

"Once more, visitation comes down to knowledge and power. It always does." The queenly figure shook her head, turning to Luna again and crossing her arms. "But as always, I am willing to listen."

That left the human-turned-Devil feeling guilty for a moment, before wiping it away as she recognized the passive-aggressiveness as a way to get a rise from her. Besides... "You're the one who more or less suggested I can't be here for long the last couple times. But if you want to work something out going forward, then I'd be willing to hear what you have to say."

Luna was fully aware of the irony in offering to deal with a conceptual being that had already collected the original's soul as payment.

"Hah. True enough. Very well, what do you want to know of my gift?"

"...Namely, how do do more stuff without the feedback cooking my brain like I stuck it in a microwave."

"Ahhh, so it is not that you feel lacking in power, but endurance?"

"With more endurance I can use more power for longer periods of time." Lunarunn rubbed the side of her head. "You said it yourself, my power is practically limited only to what I can handle, so it's not so much that I need more strength than it is that I need the ability to grasp more of it, right?"

"And much of it comes from knowing yourself," Ulan finished, then paused. "But, there are ways of... lightening the load, so to speak."

"If you're talking about offloading some of the burden onto you by letting you possess me every now and then, I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Luna smirked. "I'm not so dumb as to let a conceptual being have free reign over my body. I know enough about elder gods to not be that stupid."

That got said conceptual entity chuckling, shaking her head with mild amusement. "That was not my intention, though that thought process will do you well should you decide to bargain with other such beings. Though I do not think you will need any more power than what I have granted you already."

Power through contracts with such creatures was tempting. But Luna already knew better, especially considering just what she might grow to do already.

The look on Luna's face at the thought, and the way she shook her head, caused Ulan to smile.

"Good. Because I strongly doubt you will find anything with as much potential as the ability to pluck at the strings of the world."

"Undoubtedly. I couldn't have asked for anything more, myself." That got her to frown thoughtfully. "But we're getting off topic. What were you thinking when you mentioned lightening the load?"

"My power comes from understanding, both how to affect the world and how the world responds to conditions effected by Worldweave, as you have come to call it." The queenly image of Luna held an arm out to the side, palm-up as a sphere of hoarfrost appeared above it, bitter cold swirling in a contained sphere.

"So, consider the following: I have effected the law upon the world where no heat can exist within this sphere of cutting winds I have created now. Normally, this would be a significant drain to the mental resources of a mortal, as they would need to both create this localized space as well as feed entropy by literally destroying the heat within. Even now, I would imagine you would pass your first or even second physical warnings that you are overexerting yourself should you attempt this in your usual style."

"...Because by creating a space of zero heat, the air within that orb is at absolute zero, isn't it?"

Ulan nodded. "Indeed. The only reason the air itself is still moving is because I have instilled it with attributes of light, including the ability to travel even in the complete absence of energy."

"Admittedly, that's not something I had put much thought into." But even thinking about it briefly highlighted the potential avenues of effects Luna could create. "I take it that's one of those things that has a predetermined mental stamina component?"

"Everything has a cost. Usually, the cost is in line with the effect being created, but for the cause of conceptual transmutation - that is, changing the very nature of an object - it is difficult to pay that price with something other than your mental capacity."

The way the conceptual entity described it... "Thaaaat sounds a lot like the Sephiroth Graal."

"Worldweave is the imposition of the mind on the conditions and concepts of the world." If there was a word Luna would use to describe Ulan at the moment, it was 'smug'. "While the Sephiroth Graal is far more specialized, there is a notable overlap to its basic abilities and the conceptual branch of Worldweave."

That was. So broken. And that just brought up the possibilities.

"Are you saying, that with enough time and effort, I could-" she swallowed. "-I could make myself immune to the holy element?"

If she could... that would be a literal godsend. She still distinctly remembered just how draining and hostile that holy energy from Touji's gunshot had been toward her being.

Like a living poison.

She'd rather steer well clear of having to feel that again.

"For a time." At Luna's frown, Ulan clarified. "Unless you are willing to change yourself to a degree that you are no longer a Devil. Heaven's System, and the holy element in general, is hostile to Devils. Light against dark. Simple as that. Though you may evade its notice for a time, it constantly updates its list of beings to direct its ire against, and as such you must continuously impose the idea that you are not a Devil. Hah, Yahweh did well in making the system so robust..."

Luna swallowed hard, though considering where they were, the name had little effect on her other than the brief wince that had been conditioned into her from the backlash of using such names.

"Back on topic, however. Conceptual editing aside, when you create an effect, you also must consider the cost of such an effect. If you create a localized space where no heat can exist..."

She shifted her arm forward, and with the extra closeness Luna could feel heat of all things radiating from the sphere of absolute cold in Ulan's hand.

"Then you have two options as for how to create that space. What you have been doing all this time is utilizing mental stamina to force an effect on the world. However, if you include an equal and opposite reaction to the action you create the conditions for, then the cost of both reduces to only the mental effort required to envision and control them in the first place."

"That..." was useful. Incredibly so, even. It wouldn't necessarily affect the degree with which Lunarunn could use her powers, but that was something that would develop over time, as her mind grew more adept at handling the immense potential that Worldweave offered her. But she could already see the avenues of improvement she could take with this new idea.

"Utilizing Worldweave, think in dualities going forward."

The conceptual being smiled, the heat emanating from the sphere of absolute cold snapping out of existence as she extended her other hand to create a flickering flame.

"Fire and ice, heat and cold, light and darkness, good and evil, energy and entropy. Your world, both the one you were once part of and the one you are a part of now, exists in an endless stream of spectrums of extremes." Returning her hands to her sides, the sphere of cold and flickering flame Ulan held both snapped out of existence. "Learn how to work along these spectrums, to maintain them despite your own actions, and you will find yourself able to pluck at the strings of the world like a true maestra."

"Does this work for concepts, too, not just physical phenomena?" Darkness was the absence of light, but it also represented more than that. Blindness, evil, succumbing, it had multiple conceptual meanings as well.

"Not yet." Once more the answer surprised Luna. She was expecting a simple yes or no. "Though you have certainly progressed from when we first met... you still have much to understand. Until you are able to truly grasp yourself, you will find yourself unable to easily work with concepts."

Prismatic eyes met the human-turned-Devil's. "I do not have to mention how difficult it would be to work with things such as life and death, or time and space, do I?"

Luna swallowed, already thinking of the ways such attempts could end badly. "N-no, no you don't. But hang on, what's this about grasping myself? I'm pretty sure I know myself pretty well."

"Perhaps." Ulan hummed. "But then again, you yourself just balked at the potential ramifications of playing with such dangerous parts of the world. You still hold doubts inside."

"Maybe that's just because I've seen enough Fullmetal Alchemist to know that playing god with that sort of shit is BAD, as in all capitalized?"

"Perhaps. Souls are a unique entity; no two are truly the same, it only makes sense that their worth is beyond the ken of mortals... and even all but a select few immortals, at that."

"Are you saying you're one of them?" Conceptual entity or no giving her power, Luna was still beyond leery of so much as dipping her toes into that territory.

Said being crossed her arms beneath her bust, tilting her head to the side."I was able to coax yours into a new body, one that did not possess any sort of connection to your old form whose previous soul I claimed as payment for her foolish ritual. You additionally have yet to experience any rejection between body, mind, and soul despite any supposed incompatibilities. I would say the results speak for themselves."

Okay, point taken, but the way Ulan was putting it was... still worrying nonetheless.

As if she was reading Luna's mind, the doppelganger went on, letting her arms fall to the side once more as she started circling Luna. "Of course. I cannot blame you, your caution is well-deserved. And I strongly doubt you will ascend to such a point where you might be able to successfully manipulate a soul any time soon. It still remains to be seen if you can reach that far at all."

"You're talking as if I have the potential to become a god. Like, a big one."

The being's smile was almost teasing. "Anyone can become a god, under perfect conditions. Yours, however, are better than most."

Lunarunn swallowed. Hard. That declaration, had implications to it. "First you say you just want to see what I do with your blessing, and now you're implying you've set me up for divinity? I'm not sure what to make of that, Ulan."

"You want to rise above the rest, do you not? Then ascension is one such way to do so. I am simply laying out options that you may not have considered."

Fuck, she couldn't argue that logic.

So she tried a different route. "I don't exactly want to be a god, y'know? I hear it's pretty lonely at the top."

"Yet you strive for it regardless. Perhaps you are more akin to a Devil in your lust for power than I had initially thought."

That touched a nerve, and Luna grimaced as a result.

Seeing that she'd done so, Ulan continued, her smile dropping. "Your goals are vague, not very well-defined. 'Become strong'. 'Help others'. They are good actions to strive to do, but as motivating factors they are lacking. What you plan to do to achieve those goals are similarly vague. You may have direction, but you dawdle along that path. I will discuss a more direct bond with you in the near future, but for now I want to leave you with something to think about."

As long as Ulan did so in a position where Luna wasn't in any rush... "Yeah. Understood."

She stopped in front of Luna again, reaching out with a single hand to take Luna's chin, and lock gazes.

"Then think this through until we meet again: Why do you fight? Why do you play the good Samaritan? What is it that drives you? Why do you even bother?"

Ulan closed her eyes. "What is your purpose?"

When she opened them again, the world turned white.


Lunarunn found herself back in her room, climbing to a sitting position in her bed and holding a hand to her head. That had been a rather sudden exit, though she couldn't deny the dramatic flair behind it. Perhaps Ulan had a vain streak...

But even so. "Damn it, how do you ask me a question like that and then dip?"

What is her purpose? What kind of cryptic-ass riddle was that?

She turned to get out of bed, but stilled, as a thought struck her.

Why bother? What drives her? What was her purpose?

Maybe it was closer to... why did she choose to bother, what did she believe in, and what did she want to make of herself?

Well...

...

Luna looked up, blinking as she realized she'd gotten lost in her thoughts and that minutes had passed without even recognizing the fact.

'...Damn.'


A/N -

Four months.

It's been over four months since I started this.

It's been a ride, that's for sure.

Got some good reviews, got some not so great ones, and some constructive criticisms throughout these past months.

Speaking of, one came in about Luna's visiting Diodora again, as well as Ruval, as well as her 'commitment' to the Khaos Brigade.

For Diodora... well. You aren't wrong, there. I can agree that without more specifics to timing beforehand it's a little strange why Luna went before she absolutely had no other choice but to do so. I'll chalk that one up to a small failing on my part and keep in mind going forward (and should I decide to add some more detail to that particular scene), and that he deserves a bit more screentime actually interacting with Luna.

On the outside, I can see how the gripe is warranted for the Brigade; it is a pretty big shift to Luna's thought process. My defense; it's before canon, she has the chance to direct where it goes, and she does have her doubts still. To say nothing of the political pressure she finds herself in and chafing at thanks to her bloodline. It's one thing to join, but another to still have reservations about it. I've tried to highlight those a bit more during this chapter, so hopefully that panned out well.

Something else to keep in mind, going forward. I'm glad that the reader who brought all this up has such high expectations for my story, because I have high expectations for myself. It's good that I'm able to evoke those high hopes, but I'm also only one guy who's been putting these chapters out as I finish them, more or less as-is, save for last week (ironically, last week's chapter was also one of the ones I needed to do the fewest revisions for).

Can I live up to those expectations? I certainly hope so, but I'm not going to give up my enjoyment writing to make everything as flawless as possible. So, as always I try to strike a balance between revision and flow.

Anyway, I've been getting the distinct feeling that it's time to push the story forward. We'll be seeing more forward motion in the next chapters to come.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that it came out late as it did; nothing in this chapter was cooperating with me. Uuuuuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh...

Also, school ended last week, and I get started on a 17-hour drive tomorrow, so suffice to say I've got a lot on my plate at the moment.

Tempura Wizard out.