My Lord... There is a visitor...
Alipheese awoke. The bed she laid in was huge, even larger than she was. It was also indescribably comfortable, so much that she almost struggled to leave it. The Dark Goddess put her necklace on and placed a crown upon her head. It was made long ago to mimic the ones humans wore. Alipheese never really wore clothes, a trait shared by most of her children.
The Dark Goddess slithered out of her room. As always, monsters kneeled upon seeing her, as was customary of her children. She started to make her way to the throne room. Another day of ruling awaited.
"Mother," Saja said. Alipheese simply nodded in response, signalling for her to join her. Saja did so. Alipheese sat upon her grand throne with Saja by her side. The Goddess sighed as one of her subordinates entered. Her fatigue was lessened when she noticed her servant looked close to collapsing. Her face was red and sweating, as though they had just been running.
"Speak," Alipheese ordered. The servant stopped kneeling and began to report.
"My lord. We have unconfirmed reports of earthquakes appearing on Sentora. Remina has also reported seismic activity, along with Vrimor. We're not sure as to the cause of the earthquakes, but many of your children are in danger because of them. What's worse is, they only seem to be getting stronger." The servant reported.
"Earthquakes...?" Saja said. "And we have no idea what could be causing them?" She asked.
"There... There is one theory, my lord." The servant said. "Some have said the Spirit of Earth, Gnome, was killed somehow. It would explain why these earthquakes are happening everywhere."
The Spirit of Earth is dead? Who could've...
Ilias...
"Do we have anyone going to confirm this?" Alipheese asked.
The servant nodded. "A group of harpies are checking it out now."
"I see." She said. "You may go."
The servant bowed and left. Saja turned to her mother.
"Mother, what do you think?"
"...It makes sense. If the Spirit was killed, this is exactly what we would expect to happen. But then, why?" Alipheese wondered. "If we assume Ilias did it, which is quite likely, why would she do it?"
"I'm not sure, Mother. What do we do now?"
"...With the Spirit of Earth's death, the world will soon be doomed. We have at most... two weeks before it's completely unlivable. This means humanity will become endangered, and eventually, extinct." Alipheese explained. "Call Tamamo No Mae here, and your other sisters. We must devise a plan of action."
Saja nodded. She began to speak telepathically with her sisters.
Ilias... Why doom the world like this? I knew you were mad, but this… I never expected this.
What could you possibly get from it? You were winning!
It doesn't make any sense...
As Alipheese continued to think, a spell occurred. In front of the throne, a ray of light appeared. From this, someone emerged. Her nine tails were glowing, her fur golden. Tamamo No Mae walked out and kneeled in front of her lord. Saja greeted her. Tamamo did the same and revealed her fan.
"Good evening, Mother," Tammao said. "For what reason have I been called, may I ask?"
Alipheese stood up on her throne. "Ah, Tamamo... It has been a while since I last saw you. Anyway, you are here for a good reason." She said. "Recently, earthquakes have been reported all over our territory. Our current theory is that the Spirit of Earth, Gnome, was killed somehow." She explained.
"Ilias..." Tamamo said. Alipheese nodded.
"Indeed. The consequences of her death have supposedly been seen in Remina too. For now, the castle has been unaffected, but I don't expect that to hold for long. When your sisters arrive, tell them what I told you. Once you are all ready, meet me in the war room." Alipheese commanded. Saja and Tamamo both nodded. One by one their sisters arrived and they told them the news.
Once they were done, they entered the room. Each took a sit around the table, with Alipheese at the head of it.
"Now then, does anyone have any ideas on what we should do?" She asked.
Each member of the assembly turned to look at one person. Tamamo No Mae felt the gazes of her sisters and her mother. This was normal for her. She was always the one to think of something at a time like this. And this time was no different.
"I will go to Remina. Protecting Hellgondo is vital. Lord Alipheese, I believe you should stay here. Hiruko and Kanade, you two go to Noah. We must evacuate all of our citizens to Hellgondo. Kanade will evacuate our underwater monsters and spread the news to the others that live in the other oceans. Hiruko, you will evacuate those living on the ground. This includes Yamatai." Tamamo said. Before anyone could ask the question she knew was coming, she answered it.
"I cannot do it myself as I'll be too busy in Remina. I and Alipheese are the only ones who can lessen the destruction. This means I cannot leave Remina for any reason. Now, Saja. You will Evacuate Vrimor, along with any other nearby villages." Tamamo explained.
"Finally, Minagi. You will evacuate the ones furthest from us. Your daughters would be useful here. Not many live so far south, but they are far apart from each other. Split up and teleport them here." Tamamo said. The others didn't appreciate being ordered, especially by someone on the same level as them, but seeing as this was an emergency, they did as she said.
"Very well. That seems like a sound strategy to me." Alipheese said. "Go now, my children. Save as many of our own as possible. Tamamo, stay." She said. The four other ancestors bowed and teleported away. Tamamo looked up at her mother.
"Yes, my lord?" Tamamo said.
"How long can we hold Hellgondo?" She asked. Tamamo took a moment to ponder the question.
"With our power combined... And without Angel Interference, we could hold it for a week... Maybe two." Tamamo said. Alipheese sighed.
"I see..." She said. She looked worried. Tamamo walked over to her mother.
"Ilias has made a... Confusing move." Tamamo said. "I knew she was ruthless... But to condemn even her own followers to death... There must be something we're missing." She said. Alipheese nodded.
"Well, we can figure that out later. For now, we must do what we can."
"Alright, now if we just… There we go." Tamamo said. Promestein sighed.
"Now then, what's next?" She asked. Tamamo looked at the body they were working on. The large cut wound across her neck had been patched, along with the cut along her arm.
"Just her heart now," Tamamo said. There was a large hole in the small Spirit's body, exactly where you'd expect her heart to be. Promestein took the clothes off and looked inside. She used holy magic as a light source. Strangely, the spirit still had completely normal organs. Her skin was a strange type of solid mud, and her blood was thick and brown, much like mud, but her insides were… normal.
"Her left atrium is completely destroyed," Promestein said as she got a closer look. "It was a clean cut. There's no exit wound either, so that should be fine."
Promestein took her hand out of Gnome's chest. Her gloved hands were covered in Gnome's strange blood. Gnome's corpse was currently lying on a table. Tamamo and Promestein were inside the castle of Sabasa. It was evacuated now, thanks to the earthquakes which threatened to take the whole place down.
Luka and the King were far away. They were escorting the civilians of the city to villages further down south. The earthquakes were also growing worse and worse with time. It had only been three hours since Gnome's death, but Safina was already feeling the weight of it.
And I'm sure the rest of the world is feeling it too. Why… Why would Ilias do this..?
If the world does get destroyed, then… I'll watch Luka die… won't I? If I die, I'll just wake up back in Yamatai… But Luka, he's here for real...
We better hurry up.
"Alright. We can either use dark magic or holy magic to heal it." Promestein said. "I haven't used my magic in a long time now. Not to such a high degree, at least."
"Then I'll do it," Tammao said. She placed a hand over the hole in Gnome's chest. She silently started the spell, and after a few seconds, it started healing. Once it was done, Promestein injected the corpse with a drug. It was one she made herself long ago. All Tamamo needed to know is that it would help stabilise her revival.
"Now, her body has been returned to a decent enough condition," Promestein said. "From here, we should be able to begin the revival process. Again, we can use either light or dark to do this. But seeing as light is more to do with the soul while dark is more to do with the body, I think your magic would be more optimal here."
"I agree," Tamamo said. "I never much liked necromancy… But that doesn't matter right now. Let us begin."
Promestein nodded. She cleaned and wiped Gnome's corpse down one more time. Tamamo took a deep breath and began the spell.
"From depths unknown, where shadows creep, I summon the essence of eternal sleep. With words of power, I break death's hold, And resurrect this body, no longer cold." Tamamo chanted. She repeated it once, then twice, then thrice. Dark power emanated from the girl and flew towards the spirit. It wrapped around her as she spoke the words, until eventually rushing inside the corpse.
Tamamo let out a sigh of relief as the spell was over. She walked over to the corpse. Promestein did the same. Tamamo looked into her still vacant eyes. The only difference now being that the eyes were opened on their own. Her fingers moved, and her chest rose and fell. The body was alive.
Success… Thank Alipheese.
The corpse, or rather, the soulless body began to breathe faster and faster as time went on. Promestein, worried by this, put her ear to its chest. After a few seconds, she spoke.
"Her heart rate is high, too high. Her body seems to have gone into shock. This is likely from the resurrection." Promestein said.
"Well, I never claimed to be a necromancer!" Tamamo said. Promestein paced around the room as she thought of something to do.
She'll die from shock if we don't think of something… What can we do?
"I've got it," Promestein said. "We'll defibrillate her! We don't have the tools for it… But we can make do. I should be able to…"
Promestein rubbed her hands together while using a holy spell. This, quite literally, summoned lightning from her fingertips, or rather, electricity. She walked over to Gnome's chest.
"Clear." She said calmly. She pressed her palms against Gnome. The body shook as the electricity travelled around it. After a few seconds, Promestein took her hands off. She listened to her heart once again.
"83 beats a minute… That's fine." Promestein said. Tamamo was surprised by the ingenuity of the young scientist. "I'll put her clothes back on then..."
"Do you think this will be enough to stop the earthquakes?" Tamamo asked. Promestein took Gnome off of the table and let her stand up on her own, something she struggled to do.
"...No. The spirits are odd creatures. They are personifications of each element. Water, fire, earth and wind. When one dies, the element they represent goes out of control, as we can see for ourselves. Needless to say, this requires immense power. What we have made is only a vessel for the power."
"Thankfully, since we have the real body of Gnome as the base, it should be far more efficient than the ones I made in your world. Still, it is far from enough." Promestein explained.
"So, what do we do?" Tamamo asked. Promestein sighed. "I guess we cou-" But before she could finish her sentence, the ground began to shake once more.
Damn it, another one! And it's strong too!
Tamamo dropped to the floor and held onto the ground. Promestein did the same. The ground continued to shake and shake but never lessened. In fact, it only got stronger. The roof of the room began to cave in, and Tamamo grabbed both Promestein and Gnome in her tails. She ran out of the room, escaping the castle as it started to collapse. She lept from a high window and landed with her tails.
It could only last for so long… What now?
Tamamo got a fair distance from the castle. Once she was far enough away, she let both of her passengers out of her tails. Tamamo was surprised when she felt a certain someone approach.
"Tamamo!? Are you okay?" Luka asked. He ran towards the kitsune, making sure she was uninjured. She had a scratch or two but was mostly fine. He also checked in with Promestein.
"What happened?" He asked. Tamamo wiped the sweat from her brow.
"That was the fourth quake… It's only been three hours…" Tamamo said. "Thankfully the castle was well made, so it survived the first few... But it could only last for so long..."
"I see… I came back to see what was going on. Almost all of Sabasa's citizens are now down south. After they've gathered everyone there, we'll move east." Luka said.
"A good idea," Promestein said. "Sand only amplifies the earthquakes. A flat, open area would be optimal."
Luka nodded before looking at the newest member of the group.
…It… It can't be…
"G-Gnome!?" Luka asked. Before he could get any more excited, Tamamo shook her head.
"No. It's only her corpse. She is now little more than a husk." She explained. Luka's smile immediately withered.
"Oh…" He said.
"Gnomey…" Sylph said. In recent hours, she had been doing nothing but crying. Thankfully, the other spirits were there to comfort her.
"She's in a better place now, Sylph." Salamander said. "We can mourn her later. For now, we have to save the world." She explained. Sylph nodded.
"So why are earthquakes still happening?" Luka asked.
"Apparently, she isn't good enough," Tamamo said. Salamander, who was listening in on the conversation, materialised in front of them.
"Of course she's not good enough. Gnome controlled the crust of the whole planet, you know? This… This empty husk could never do what she did." Salamander said. She sighed and calmed down. Shedding tears over the loss of her friend, no, her family wouldn't help anyone.
"To replace her… We'll need an equal amount of power." She explained. "Since it's still her body, that should be fine, but right now she only has her innate power. She isn't connected to the element at all. For that, we would need someone with a natural connection to the earth. Someone so strong with it that…" Salamander suddenly stopped speaking as she realised something.
Tamamo listened closely. She knew what she was going to say.
Damn it…
"When Alipheese created us, she gave some of us a connection to an element of the world. For example, Kanade was made to have a natural connection to the water, just like Undine. The same can be said for me." Tamamo explained. "That means…"
"What? What are you talking about?" Luka asked. Promestein answered for him.
"For this… Fake Gnome to control the earth once again, we will need an equal amount of power. I could think of no one better than Tamamo No Mae herself to do it." Promstein said. Tamamo nodded.
"Indeed." She said. "Still, even my power may not be enough… But, it will at least lessen the effects of Gnome's death."
"Tamamo? You mean… You're going to sacrifice yourself!?" Luka asked worriedly.
"What? No, idiot. I'm not going to die from this." Tamamo sighed. "I'm just going to give my power to Gnome."
"..Oh.." Luka awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "But, are you sure?" He asked. "It's not like you can just undo this, you know?"
"I'm aware… But, we have to stop it before it's too late."
If I don't hurry… Everyone here will die…
...Then I have no choice...
Lord Alipheese, progenitor of all monsters, grant me your strength one last time…
Tamamo walked in front of the Spirit of Earth's corpse. The… thing looked up at her, confused.
Good thing it's night… I'll be channelling all my power at once.
"I ask thee, eternal time... My body, shackled by the powers of creation, I beseech thee. Return my true body to me!" Tamamo said. Her body returned to its full glory. Promestein was slightly scared upon the sight but remained calm, even as her instincts told her to flee.
"Tamamo… Thank you." Luka said. Tamamo No Mae nodded.
…Now, It's time.
"Lord of Darkness, lend me your power once more." Tamamo started. Her tails expanded outwards, fully stretched to their maximum size. The moon shone on her, like a ray of light. "In this sacred moment, under moonlit skies, I surrender my magic, my strength, and my ties." She finished.
Dark tendrils of magic shot out of Tamamo No Mae. Her body was aglow with a golden hue. More and more power seeped out of the ancestor, heading towards the vessel before her. It accumulated in her, increasing her power in exchange.
More… More!
Tamamo No Mae sent more power. Then more. Then everything. She noticed that her time was almost up. The words of dispel would not hold for much longer.
Just a little bit… more…
Tamamo sent her last remnants of strength out before collapsing. Luka grabbed her, stopping her from hitting the ground. Her body returned to that of her sealed form. Luka also noticed something else. Tamamo's nine tails were now made three.
…Thank you, Tamamo.
Luka held Tamamo close. Even by just holding her, he could feel the difference. Her body was now weak. Her power gone.
"I'm impressed." Salamander said. "She really has changed. I could never see the Tamamo I know making such a sacrifice."
Promestein walked over to Gnome. The spirit looked mostly unchanged, but even an angel could tell the difference. She was now strong. Immensely strong, in fact.
Strong enough to stop the earthquakes, I hope.
"Alright, what now?" Luka asked. Tamamo's eyes flicked open.
"For now, the earthquakes will continue." She explained. "We'll have to bring her somewhere with a better connection to the earth."
"Where? Her cave?" The Hero asked.
"No... It was destroyed…" Tamamo began to think for a second. She was immensely tired, and could scarcely move. "Safaru… We should go there." She said. "You do remember where it is, don't you?"
"I think so," Luka said. "We'll go there now, then."
"Safaru? Never heard of it." Salamander said.
"It was an ancient civilisation that worshipped Gnome, apparently," Luka explained. "Although, I guess they don't exist yet."
"Is it far?"
"Not really. It shouldn't take too long." He said. Luka picked Tamamo up, putting her on his back and holding her legs with his arms. Tamamo took the chance to rest.
"Lead the way," Promestein said. Luka nodded. The Fake Spirit also followed.
"What should we call her anyway?" Luka asked.
"How about… Gnomaren?" Tamamo suggested. "The same name as the artificial spirit."
"Yeah, I guess that works." He said. Luka looked up. The spot they were in was similar to what he remembered Safaru looking like. Not because of the sand, since that was unreliable, but because of its position relative to the surrounding mountains.
"Then let us begin," Promestein said. She guided Gnomaren to the centre of the area. For her part, Gnomaren followed perfectly. It reminded Luka of a robot. A slave. She had no soul, no mind. She was nothing but a husk. And it was all his fault. He was too slow to save her.
Damn you Ilias… and you... Mother… Both of you…
Gnomaren dropped to one knee. She placed her palm on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her breathing calm. Just like the body she inhabited, she never spoke. Even if she did, she would likely have little to say.
Promestein stepped back from the spirit. Gnomaren's body turned stiff and still. Sylph, Undine and Salamander all materialised to watch.
"We can help her attune to the element," Undine said. The spirits made their way over to their old friend. Or at least, the body of their old friend. They each placed a hand on her as she started to form a connection.
"Now, in theory, she should be able to make the connection and then serve as the newest vessel for the earth's power. This means she could also recontract with you." Promestein explained to Luka. Tamamo got off Luka's back.
"Indeed. But still, do you think this will be enough?" She asked.
"It's the Spirit of Earth's zombie corpse with Tamamo No Mae's power. How am I supposed to know?" She responded.
"Fair enough. But if it doesn't, what then?" Tamamo asked.
"Then… Then there is nothing to be done. The world will collapse over the next week or two. Sentora and the other continents will be a pile of shattered rocks and corpses." She said. Luka grimaced at the thought.
Then let's hope this works… For everyone's sake.
Gnomaren suddenly stood up. Her body was no longer stiff. Salamander saw this, and walked over to the others.
"She has done it. She can now serve as the new Spirit of Earth." Salamander explained with a sad smile. But before anyone could respond, another earthquake hit, only this time, far, far stronger than before.
"W-What the!?" Tamamo said. "How!? I thought we did it!?"
Salamander fell onto her side, but got up and began to float. "Shit! Maybe it didn't work? But… I felt it! She made the connection!" Salamander shouted in confusion. Promestein picked up her fallen glasses from the sand.
"Even though the Spirit of Earth is back, the consequences of her death are still occurring… The good news is, no more damage will happen from now on, the bad news… This earthquake might destroy part of Sentora." Promestein explained.
"Part of Sentora!?" Luka said. "But! How!?" He asked. He attempted to stabilise himself, but the tremors were only increasing.
"What we're experiencing right now is just the foreshocks!" Promestein said. "They're smaller tremors which occur before the actual earthquake, and these are already at a magnitude of 9!" She said.
"We have to get off the ground!" Tamamo said. Promestein nodded.
"Hang on!" She said. She turned into her true form, which was that of an angel. Her wings and halo appeared. She grabbed Luka and Tamamo and attempted to fly upwards. It was difficult, but holy magic assisted her with the flight.
"What about Gnomaren!?" Luka asked. Promestein realised she had nearly forgotten the spirit.
"I can't carry her too!" She said.
"Then put us down! I have an idea!" He said. Promestein did so. Luka walked over to the spirit. "Contract with me!" Luka said.
Gnomaren made no reaction. After a few seconds, she stuck out her hand. Luka took it, restoring his contract with the earth. Tamamo realised what he was doing.
"That could actually work…" She said. She walked over to Luka. "If you and Gnomaren attempt to stop the earthquake together… And with my help too, then maybe we can stop it!" She said.
Luka nodded. He and Tamamo both placed their hands on the ground, and Gnomaren mimicked them.
It's so strong!
Luka channelled the power of the earth through him as he attempted to stop the tremors. Tamamo looked over at the hero.
"Relax, Luka." She said. "You need more confidence. Remember? You are as strong… No, you are stronger and tougher than a mountain! This earthquake has nothing on you!" She said.
Right… I'm the Hero Luka… I slew a god… I can do this! For Gnome!
Luka, along with Tamamo and Gnomaren, stabilised the ground. Together, they slowed the plates, lessening the earthquake. However, even with all of their power combined, it still proved too much for them. The tremors increased more and more. Luka began to sweat as he put all his power into stopping them.
Eventually, they had to abandon the area. They could not stop it, but they did lessen its power. They ran from where the earthquake had begun. Once they were far enough, Promestein decided to see what was happening from above.
"It's fine, Luka," Tamamo said. "Once the earthquakes stop, we can go in again. I've been thinking about it, and that earthquake might've been the element rejecting its new host. But, it's already finished. Gnomaren is the new Spirit of Earth." Tamamo explained.
"So, when it's over, we can go back and leave her there." She explained.
"What's stopping Ilias from just killing her again?" Luka asked. Tamamo sighed.
"Absolutely nothing… But, I don't think she will. There's something more at play here. Why would she only kill a single spirit? Why did she allow us to fix it? What could she possibly gain from this?" Tamamo asked. Luka shrugged.
"She's insane I guess," Luka said. Tamamo shook her head.
"She might be insane, but this is too far, even for her. No… She has a reason, I'm sure of it." She said. "I just have to figure out what."
As Tamamo and Luka spoke, Promestein returned.
"... It's bad." She said. "The mountains north of Safina have been completely split in half. Thankfully, they took the brunt of the damage. It hasn't ended yet. I suggest we go out again and see the full scale of them in the morning."
The entire mountain range, completely split in half..? At this rate, the northwest of Sentora will be split off...
"Very well," Tammao said. "I guess we'll be camping beneath the stars then."
"Indeed," Promestein said.
"Luka, did you notice it?" Tamamo asked. Promestein sat down on the sand as they started to talk.
"Notice what?" Luka asked.
"Along the way here, we haven't seen anyone, have we?" She said. "You'd expect everyone in the north would be fleeing south, no?"
"I guess… But, they could all be dead." He said.
"Unusually pessimistic today, Luka... Anyway, I don't think that's what happened. Otherwise, we would've found some bodies. So how can entire villages of people just disappear?" She asked. Luka shrugged.
"I don't know. But we should sleep for the night." Luka said. "How are you feeling, by the way?" He asked as he started to set up the camp.
"I'm alright… I'm missing a few of my tails but… Still alive." She said.
Once the camp was finished, Luka sat beside Tamamo. Gnomaren was sitting near Promestein, and Sylph was beside her.
"So, how come your projection hasn't broken?" Luka asked. He handed the now three-tail kitsune a bowl of freshly made soup as he did.
"Since it was not just my power that went into the spell, it has been maintained. The power to start the spell and maintain it are different. As long as Alice and the others keep feeding me power, I should be fine." She said. Luka nodded.
"I see." He said. He looked at Tamamo. She had given up all of her power to save the world. If Luka wasn't so slow, If he wasn't so weak, He could've prevented that and saved many lives.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Tamamo did not hear him. On the other side of the camp, Sylph spoke to Gnomaren.
"Gnomey..?" She asked. Gnomaren tilted her head in confusion as she said the name. "I knew it… You're not Gnomey…" Sylph looked at the body that used to belong to her best friend. Her eyes were no longer a vibrant green, but instead a hollow, vacant grey. Her brown skin was now paler, looking like that of a corpse's. Her clothes we're the same, but other than that, she was nothing like the real Gnome.
Undine appeared beside Sylph. "It's okay." She said. "We all miss her. And remember, she's still alive in the other world. Maybe we could visit her one day."
Sylph nodded. After a few seconds, she began to cry. Undine saw this and did something unusual, something she had never imagined herself doing. She embraced the Spirit of Wind. Suddenly she noticed she was also crying.
Gnome… I hope- No, I know you're resting in peace…
Salamander materialised. She frowned at the sight. Without a word, she joined the others in the hug. Gnomaren watched as the spirits hugged each other. She did nothing but stare.
"Gnomey isn't coming back, is she?" Sylph asked quietly. Undine took a moment to answer.
"...No" She said. "But it is up to us to live on in her memory."
"She's right." Salamander agreed. "Gnome wouldn't want us to stop now. We'll follow Luka wherever he goes... And then eventually... We'll pay Ilias back in full." She said. Undine nodded.
Luka watched from afar. His expression was sullen, his heart full of guilt.
Gnome… I'm so sorry…