So I looked into the Stone, and beheld the six-fold Star: the whole Aethyr is as tawny clouds, like the flame of a furnace. And there is a mighty host of Angels, blue and golden, that throng it, and they cry: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, that art not shaken in the earthquakes, and in the thunders! The end of things is come upon us; the day of be-with-us is at hand! For he hath created the universe, and overthrown it, that he might take his pleasure thereupon.

And now, in the midst of the Aethyr, I beheld that god.

He hath a thousand arms, and in each hand is a weapon of terrible strength. His face is more terrible than the storm, and from his eyes flash lightnings of intolerable brilliance. From his mouth run seas of blood. Upon his head is a crown of every deadly thing. Upon his forehead is the upright tau, and on either side of it are the signs of blasphemy. And about him clingeth a young girl, like unto the king's daughter that appeareth in the ninth Aethyr. But she is become rosy by reason of his force, and her purity hath tinged his black with blue.

-The Cry of the 4th Aethyr, Which is Called PAZ

Aleister Crowely

Vortex World,

Minatogawa Stateside Town, Assembly of Nihilo, Urd's Well

Kagatsuchi 5/8 Waning

"So what do you think of our street urchins?" Urd asked, leaning against the threshold of the room as Marller approached her.

"I think we're going to need to burn those sheets once they're out of here." Marller grumbled, looking over her shoulder towards where the demon had dumped to the two kids. "The boy still ain't take a bath and is covered in grime. They both stink like alcohol."

Urd sent her a look. "You smell like alcohol." She accused.

"Oh I'm sorry." Marller growled, "Did you miss the part where I had to take the boy's shot so he wouldn't risk insulting your cousin, a literal god of chaos?" She asked.

Urd raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. "Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

"Your cousin makes shots like your mother makes peace." Marller retorted, and danced away from the Norn when a savage bolt of white-violet plasma narrowly missed her head. The demon watched it sail past, and winced when it struck and dissipated a small distance away from the bed, leaving a black and smoking charred spot in the wood. "Don't destroy the bar." She said, turning back to Urd accusingly. "And don't wake the kids. We need to discuss what the boy told us."

"Don't antagonize me." Urd retorted. "I'm buzzed and you know better than to bring up either side of my family right now."

"And you know damn well I do what I please." Marller replied, and bore her teeth in a snarl, where long fangs shown past her lips. A deep and ominous growl rose from her chest, and Urd leveled a glare at her, refusing to look away.

It was Marller who dropped her gaze first. Marller always looked away first. "…So what do you think of them?" She asked, and moved to lean against the adjoining wall next to Urd, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not sure." Urd answered honestly. "What the boy, Tenchi said…it disturbs me." The woman pursed her lips. "Sparna…he took one of mine." She murmured. "I'll need to keep a close eye out for him and his ilk. It's worrisome that he's made a contract with another human."

"Could just want her for power." Marller said.

"Could be he wants to use her as an avenue to play in the game of Reason." Urd countered. Beside her, Marller nodded wordlessly, her eyes tracking the rise and fall of Tenchi's chest from where he rested against Ryoko. "Could be that there are some parties playing chess in a game where most of the competition only know the rules for checkers."

"Like those two?" Marller jutted her chin out to the two unconscious beings.

"Exactly like them." Urd narrowed her eyes. "Tenchi described some…powerful beings in his recollection prior to Conception."

"Lucifer."

Urd nodded. "And if Ryoko was speaking so much as a word of truth…"

Marller nodded. "Question is…what's She want a kid like Ryoko for?" Marller asked aloud. "Girl has power, sure. Unregistered goddess, alright, I can maybe bite that without too much thought, but…" The woman looked over at the silver-haired Norn. "Urd, I ain't sensing a huge amount of power from her. She's holding less spiritual energy in her body than your brat of a baby sister prior to her magic awakening. I don't even think she has a tenth-dimensional body; I can just sense a fourth and maybe the wisps of a fifth, but the girl in her essence is a third-dimensional being."

Urd nodded. "What's she done that's caught…Her attention?" the woman murmured. "Is it her past? Her origins? Her kinship?"

Marller grunted. "The boy said she was some kind of space pirate." She said. "One who destroyed…Nidhogg, how many planets?"

"Roughly thirty, if memory serves."

Marller scoffed. "A paltry amount; can't even call her a god of destruction on that level. I bet your brat of a sister has destroyed more just cleaning out the bugs in Yggdrasil."

Urd nodded. "Agreed. Not a big time number for a goddess or a demon…" She murmured. "But what I find more worring is this…Kagato character. He sounds like an average mortal. And yet…he found a way to control a goddess, unregistered or not, strong or weak." The Norn bit her lip. "That is what I find concerning."

The demon beside her shrugged. "Could be a mutt." She said, then winced in reflex, sending a glance at Urd.

Urd waved her off. "Even if she is only half a goddess…she said she was 'bio-engineered'. An artificial being." The woman scowled. "Yet if that were the case…where did this 'Kagato' character get the DNA sequence necessary to replicate a deity? And what about the other half of the molecular structure?" Urd looked at the blond with a solemn gaze. "We dwell on the tenth dimension. Even when we descend to the third dimension-like you, my sisters, and I—the body we create don't have usable DNA. They're masks; cardboard cutouts designed to emulate a mortal body. The molecular structure is unusable, and even if say, someone did get a lock of your hair or mine, it's specifically designed to deteriorate as soon as it leaves the main body. It decays; it's unusable, and it can't be combined or fused or…used with anything residing on the third dimension."

"Not unless we will it." Marller murmured, her gaze distant and thoughtful. "Your sister and her new husband are prime examples of that."

"Belldandy and Keiichi are the exception, not the norm." Urd reminded her. "The only reason they can even be together is because they crossed The Gate without any doubt in the hearts; that changed them both to enable them to co-exist together-including the opportunity to have children, if they wanted to."

"That's what I'm getting at." Marller said. "Your sister could have a kid with Short Stack if she wanted to…she could allow a piece of her own DNA to intermingle with a mortal's and create a new life." The woman looked at Urd. "…Couldn't it be something similar here?"

Urd frowned. "I don't know." She said. "Ansuz would know-she's responsible for that damnable Gate and has the rosters of every successful and unsuccessful Gate Crossing-but with us stuck down here in the Vortex World, most lines of communication with Asgard are cut off." She scowled. "I'll be honest with you Marller, if what Tenchi was describing was true…it doesn't line up with a successful Gate Passing." She shook her head. "What kind of person-especially one who passed the Gatewalk…would use their own kin in such a way?"

"A demon?" Marller joked, yet her eyes were empty of humor. "Honestly…I'd even say that's something too cruel for us. Even we have morals. This reeks of mortal atrocities." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I need to rehydrate after those damn shots of Loki's; the hangover that's going to hit me will knock me out a whole cycle at this rate."

"I still have my potions." Urd said.

"Save them." Marller replied. "Unless you suddenly have a reliable source for ingredients-which you don't-then save your reserves. This place is too unpredictable and you never know when we may need them for something important.

It was Urd's turn to sigh, and she moved away from the threshold, coming to stand beside the demon. She wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulder's and drew her close. "I know." She murmured. "These kids are unsettling though. Especially Ryoko."

Marller hummed in agreement before leaning into the taller woman, closing her eyes as she relaxed into the Norn's grip. "They're comfortable around each other, aren't they?" Urd murmured. "How rare; two supposed 'demons' such as them-even if they're 'newborn' like the Hitoshura…you don't normally see that level of comfort around another being."

"The two must have a strong history together." Marller angled her head to look back at the Norn with a knowing look. "You know just as well as I how aggressive demons are-new or old, weak or strong; they're liable to attack anything which intrudes their physical boundaries even when asleep. Its why we rarely take fieldwork together; we can't unless we're bonded or kin for fear of reprisal."

"I know." Urd muttered. "I've seen the aftermath of attacks between two demons acting on their unconscious." She sighed, leaning into the demon and feeling the inhuman heat radiating off the blond's body. Like the sun. She thought, and recognized the alcohol talking. Could fall asleep in it; a snake in the sun, cozy and warm. She shook off the thought. "It's like a contained version of Kagatsuchi's Frenzy."

The demon gazed back at Tenchi and Ryoko. "Yet these two are curled up around each other like a pair of kittens."

"Kittens." Urd smiled. "A good way of describing them." She murmured. "A pair of littermates. A bonded pair." The goddess smirked as she looked at Marller. "A pair of siblings…or something more."

The demon grunted. "Bet you fifty one of them freaks out on awakening."

Urd snorted, leaning over and kissing Marller on the cheek. "Nice try, but no dice." She said. "The boy is too much like Keiichi prior to the Gatewalk."

"Spineless?" Marller raised an eyebrow.

Urd snorted, then elbowed the demon gently. "No." She emphasized. "Keiichi Morisato is a lot of things-a dunce, gullible, a grease monkey…even a bit of a gorilla, but he is not spineless." She smirked. "Or did you forget just where he went at That One's behest prior to his own Gatewalk?"

Marller rolled her eyes. "Then how…"

"Young." Urd supplied. "In over his head, like when Keiichi first called Belldandy. Ignorant of what's actually going on-not out of choice but because someone like him shouldn't have gotten so…involved." The smirk on her face began to fade. "And that also makes him dangerous—which is what Skuld always hated about Keiichi more than anything-dangerous for his lack of knowledge, dangerous for his liability, dangerous for the unknown he presented to Belldandy and the rest of us…"

"He's ingested magatama though." Marller noted.

"He has." Urd nodded, and pursed her lips. "An artificial demon with an artificial goddess…a demi-fiend and a godslayer, whatever that means…" She sighed. "I'm amazed they both have retained some semblance of morality given what Tenchi's told me of their experience. Even one magatama is filled with enough power for a mortal to become insane."

"And the boy's already ingested three." Marller noted.

Urd nodded, her lips pursed. "Ryoko helps, I think." She said. "The two seem to be co-dependent on each other. The girl seems to serve as the boy's shield and mentor. The boy seems to act as leader and moral compass."

"Or so you think." Marller said, raising an eyebrow.

Urd shrugged. "That's what my instincts tell me." She smirked. "And you know how good those are."

The demon scoffed and shook her head. "Ryoko reminds me too much of a goddess I know." She said, and smirked as Urd shot her a look. "Strong-willed, who likes to bathe in light and forgets the long shadow she casts, and with too many secrets to hide."

"Secrets I'd wish she'd reveal a little of." Urd murmured. "If only to have an idea of what That Woman wants with her." She scowled.

"You could always peek while she's out." She said. "You hold dominion over the Past; the girl would never know."

Urd rested her chin lightly on the blond's head, then reached out and flicked the demon's nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I would know." She retorted. "And like I keep reminding you…I'm a goddess, Marller. I have standards to uphold and I'm not about to do anything to jeopardize my pride as a Norn or a goddess."

Marller jerked away with a snarl, rubbing her nose as she growled at the Norn. "Ass."

"Bitch." Urd retorted, then smiled. "Come on. Loki's passed out and the kids are asleep. Let the kids rest. I need a shower of my own after that fight…" Her eyes lingered on the demon, and a sultry smile slid across her face. "…And I might be open to some company, if you behave yourself."

"Don't ask for what you know I can't keep." Marller rumbled, and the smile grew larger on Urd's face as she slipped out of the room, a smirk on Marller's face as the demon trailed after her.

Vortex World,

Okinawa Prefecture, Shintoshi Hill Apartment Complex

Kagatsuchi Half-Waning

"So…you both are really…aliens?" Keiichi looked between Kiyone and Yosho in a mixture of awe, skepticism, and disbelief. "You look…pretty human for aliens, if you don't mind me saying." He paused as he looked at Kiyone, who sat across from him, her blaster on the table as she inspected it and the dog-bird spirit attached to it curled up in her lap, watching her with canine adoration. "Well…aside from the hair—is that really natural?"

The two had retreated with the others back into one of the lower residential apartments with the others. Full Kagatsuchi had left all of them locked up inside the Amala Terminal, yet between two gods and three humans, none of them could activate the terminal which would allow Yosho and Kiyone further travel. There had been a moment where it had activated, yet the device had short-circuted before the Amala Drum had even begun to glow.

"Someone is interfering with the Amala Drum's network." Thor had grumbled.

"I wish Skuld were here. She could find a work around." Belldandy had murmured.

"Are you sure she isn't the meddler?" Keiichi had asked, and Belldandy spoke nothing more on the subject.

They'd become stranded.

Now, with Kagatsuchi's descent, the group had retreated into an empty apartment, taking respite as they planned out their next action, Thor's presence a silent guarantee that no Mantra demon would assault the mortals or goddess.

"I either had to bleach it blond or dye it black throughout most of my time here on Earth." Kiyone said, her gaze primarily focused on the weapon before her as she conducted a routine examination of the weapon after Belldandy's repair. The wear aside, it was almost as if the weapon was brand new. "My hair is pretty common back where I'm from, but I learned real fast that people tend to give you the stink eye here if your hair color isn't 'natural'."

"You stopped dying it though."

Kiyone nodded. "I stopped when I was in Roannipur." She said, running her fingers over familiar scratches and wear marks on the weapon as she recalled the island. "Place was filled with enough freaks that I was considered boring and average by comparison. When I moved to Japan, I wasn't a cop, so the same expectations weren't leveraged on me and by that time, I stopped caring." Double checking the safety was on, the woman holstered the weapon in an inner pocket within her jacket before looking down at the tiny spirit in her lap. She offered it a hand and was rewarded when it pressed into her palm with a soft coo. The woman smiled in open affection at the small creature, the expression warm an earnest. "Saved me a ton on bleaches and dyes-that shit was destroying my scalp."

Keiichi leaned over the table in fascination. "So then…if you don't mind me asking, where are you guys…from?" He asked, "Are you like…from the same planet?"

"No." Yosho came to sit beside Kiyone, Ol' Koneko on one shoulder and a tray with drinks in hand which he passed out to those gathered. He looked at Keiichi. "Belldandy-sama is right behind me, she and Thor-sama are speaking of our best path forward." Setting the tray to one side, he continued. "I was born on Jurai, however my mother is a native of Earth, so I'm…I suppose half-Terrain?" He looked at Kiyone. "And Makibi-san is from…"

"A tiny no-name planet on the edges of Jurain territory." Kiyone supplied, looking up with a soft half-frown.

"Does everyone in Jurain territory look like you?" Keiichi asked.

Kiyone released a sharp bark of laughter. "Hardly." She said.

"Convergent evolution across not just planets, but entire galaxies is a thing, however." Yosho followed up, "At least…that's how the scientists at the Academy explain it."

Kiyone snorted. "Speak for yourself. At least we all aren't arthropods." The woman looked at Keiichi with an amused smile. "There was a theory amongst some of the big wigs at the Science Academy-you know, a place for all the nerds of the known universe to come together and mesh gray matter-that at some point every known race had a time in its evolutionary history where they tried to evolve into a crab before reaching the point they're at today."

Keiichi was quiet for a moment. "I…don't like that."

"Neither did anyone else." Kiyone replied. "I think they locked up the head scientist who kept banking on that theory. Supposedly she vanished five thousand years ago, and no one's seen her since." The woman paused, and as an afterthought added, "She really liked crabs."

Belldandy joined them, sitting beside Keiichi as she took a small sip of the tea she had prepared. "Thank you for passing out the tea." She nodded to Yosho, who returned the nod in turn.

Keiichi smiled brightly at the woman. "We were just talking about people evolving from crabs."

"Oh, you mean carcinization?" Belldandy asked in interest. "Yes, I know of it."

The three mortals at the table fell silent, staring at Belldandy as if she'd grown another head.

"…You do?" Yosho finally asked.

Belldandy nodded. "Not your races specifically," She said, "We had to sign an agreement with Niflheim to prevent that." She muttered under her breath. "But carcinization in general? Yes." Thor emerged from the other room with a spare chair, and set it on the table end nearest Belldandy. "For the longest time, none of us knew why but…every piece of life created, every race born into being…would eventually…become. A. Crab." She grimaced at the memory. "I had never seen Father drink so heavily either prior to or since." She grumbled. "He was convinced it was a leftover present from the Demiurge."

"Oh! I remember this!" Thor said excitedly. "Odin had thought the Daimakaicho had created a sleeper virus which was passed from Nidhogg to Yggdrasil! We almost went back to war with Niflheim thrice because of the Crab People!"

"Crab…people." Kiyone paled.

Keiichi looked at the two gods in a mixture of horror and fascination. "…Was it?"

Thor laughed. "No. Oh no no no no no!" He said.

"Than what was it?"

Thor and Belldandy shared a look, then looked back to the table humans. "Bugs." They said together.

"Bugs." Kiyone and Yosho said in disbelief.

"Bugs." Keiichi considered. "You mean like…those rabbit-insects that Skuld squashes?"

Belldandy nodded. "There was a specific type of infestation from one type of Bug in Yggdrasil," She began, "that led to everything evolving into a crab if left unattended. It was precisely because of that incident that Skuld's position as a system debugger was created."

Keiichi stared in bafflement. "So you're telling me," He began, "That Skuld-your dear little sister-the ruiner of everything Morisato and who destroys our house on the daily with Urd-is the sole person preventing us from evolving into crab people?"

"Be nice." The woman patted him gently on his hand, then smiled cheekily. "And well…yes!"

The color drained from Keiichi's face, and the man turned to the table, set his elbows on its surface, and cradled his head in his hands. "Oh my goddess." He looked haunted.

"I…am just going to suppress this information until I can't remember it anymore." Kiyone said, whispering under her breath, "That mad scientist was fucking right?"

"She's got the right idea." Keiichi stared into his tea. The look had not faded.

Yosho regarded her with a perturbed expression. "Is that healthy?"

Kiyone raised a hand, her eyes shut as if in concentration. A moment of silence passed, and then the hand dropped as Kiyone opened her eyes and looked at him. "Is what healthy?"

Yosho stared, a look of barely contained horror on his face, then sighed, massaging his temples before he looked back to Belldandy. "My understanding is that my race-Juraians, not Terrians specifically-were of Tsunami's creation; She created the Royal Trees of Jurai first, however upon realizing that they were stationary and lacked specific means to care for themselves, transformed half of the population into the first Jurain tribes, where they bonded with and cared for the trees themselves." He looked over at Belldandy. "I know you and Thor-sama are kin, but as a deity, do you know of other gods and goddesses?"

Belldandy nodded. "I do." She said. "Many of the deities whom I work with are known by many names on Midgard based off the race they are working with at any given time."

"Than is it possible you know of Tsunami?" Yosho asked, "Or say…Izanagi and Izanami?"

The Norn hummed lightly. "I know of Izagani and Izanami, though I do not know them." She said, making no mention of Tsunami. "I am more familiar with Amatarasu, if I must speak of Nippon's children specifically-she is a wonderful goddess whose smile is the sun. Very reserved; many of my own kin view her as standoffish as a result. She is a close friend of my mother, Ansuz." The woman smiled fondly in memory. "It was her stories and her treats which left me with a love for Nippon." She murmured, and smiled affectionately at Keiichi. "Urd and I would sometimes listen to the stories she told us as children, and were left in awe by the similarities—and the differences—between her children and our own."

"I know Susano'o." Thor said, and smiled. "We've sparred many times and shared a drink thrice as much. A very talented swordsman, I must say, though I cannot say I like his thin blades; even charmed with his own power, they look like they would snap under a single strike of Mjolnir."

"Wow." Keiichi looked at the two in surprise. "I know you were gods and all, and I know I've seen all manner of demons, gods, and spirits with you Bell, but I'll be honest…it never occurred to me that you might actually know the local gods."

"That's…intentional." Belldandy looked down at her tea, an uncomfortable frown on her face.

"Ah." Keiichi fell silent. "Is it similar to…" He trailed off.

"What had befallen you prior to the Gatewalk?" Belldandy asked, and Keiichi nodded. The Norn sighed. "Yes."

Kiyone and Yosho shared a look.

"There doesn't seem to be that same block now." Keiichi noted. "Unless…does it only affect those mortals who are in an active wish or contract with a god or demon?"

Belldandy pursed her lips, then shook her head. "No," She said, "It does not. I believe we have the Vortex World to thank for that." She sighed, taking a sip of her tea. "Those laws which both mortal and immortal were required to follow now no longer apply…such is the consequence of Conception."

Yosho pursed his lips. "When I met Freya…she said that it was likely Tsunami was within the Vortex World as well." He said.

"Who is Tsunami?" Keiichi asked. "I know what it means to me, but I've never heard of a god called by that name."

"A coincidence, I assure you." Yosho replied. "Tsunami is the goddess of Jurai-an entire planet and race of people which controls the greater Imperial Jurai Galaxy-of which Terra, or Earth-is part of. It is from her that Jurai was able to prosper so much-both as a nation and as a people, and she watches over her children by granting them treeships with which to extend her influence across the galaxy with."

Belldandy and Thor shared a look, but remained silent.

"Damn." Keiichi's eyebrows shot up in amazement, and he looked over to Kiyone. "So you know her too than?"

Kiyone shook her head. "My people deliberately turned down the Magistrate of Tsunami." She said. "They refuse to work with her or her people."

"Why is that?" Yosho looked at her, a matching look of curiosity on his own face as he peered at the woman. "Apologies-if you're willing to share, that is; religion at any time of day is a sensitive topic, I know, and we're having tea with two literal gods right now. Please don't feel pressured to speak if you wish not to."

"You're good." Kiyone smiled slimly. "I…guess I can share." She said. "Most of this stuff is public knowledge and its not like we're talking about me." Her thumb ran over the black nails on one hand in consideration. "I guess first of all I might as well speak about my home world." She leaned foreword to look past Yosho at Belldandy and Thor. "You guys have heard of Jurai though, right?"

"We have." There was a level of gravity in Thor's voice which had not been present before, and beside him Belldandy nodded silently. "We are…quite aware of it."

Beside Kiyone, Yosho looked between the two deities with a pursed brow, but was prevented from speaking as Kiyone continued. "My planet is called Caosg." She said, and glanced at Keiichi. "Similar to you…in my native tongue it simply means 'Earth'."

Yosho leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "I will be honest with you, Makibi-san, I have not heard of this planet before."

Kiyone shrugged carelessly. "Universe is a big place." She said. "I'd never heard of 'Earth' until I literally crashed into it…but that's another story."

Belldandy pursed her lips. "I feel as though I know the name, though." She murmured. "I feel it at the tip of my tongue." She leaned over, blue eyes bright with curiosity. "Please, if you wouldn't mind…could you speak more of your people? Something about your land has a…placemark in my memory banks, and I cannot yet discern why."

"Well…" Kiyone looked down, stroking Chamrosh gently from where it still sat nestled in her lap. Next to her, Pascal rose from where he laid, nudging her arm in gentle jealousy. The woman moved one hand to scratch the massive hound's ear as her other hand carefully pet Chamrosh. "So…we have a strange religious history that I'm actually kind of curious to hear your opinion on." She admitted. "But first…Belldandy, Thor, are either of you familiar with something called the Thirty Aethyr?"

A look of genuine surprise passed over Belldandy's face. "The Thirty Airies or Aethyrs. Yes, I know of it." She leaned forward. "What do you know of it?" She asked.

"Well…I guess…supposedly…if you there's any truth to what the religious scholars back on Caosg say…We're descendants from the fourth Aethyr, Pehahzod."

"The fourth…" Belldandy stared at the woman in shock, and next to her Thor's jaw dropped in astonishment.

"Ah." The woman leaned back, feeling a familiar knot of tension form in her chest. "You…do know it. Fuck." The ex-cop grimaced. "…Guess there is some truth to what the old religious kooks rave about." She grumbled.

Keiichi and Yosho shared a look. "Uh…a little help here?" Keiichi asked. "What's an Aethyr?"

"A plane of existence which maps out the ten dimensions and home to the Niphilm." Belldandy murmured, and her eyes never left Kiyone. The woman cringed under the Norn's gaze, wishing fervently that she had kept her mouth shut. "They move from the thirtieth Aethyr, located at the outskirts of the universe, and expand inwards towards its center with the first Aethyr." She looked at Keiichi. "The third through the first Aethyr are comprised of those angels which are compatible as magical vessels for deities." She revealed. "Its where Holy Bell dwelt prior to being passed to me, still formless and of the Void."

"They're the planes which angels reside on." Thor nodded his head in agreement. "But…hundreds of thousands of years ago…something happened to the angels of PAZ, or as Kiyone said, Pehahzod."

"What was it?" Yosho asked, looking between the two gods.

Belldandy and Thor looked at each other, then back at Kiyone. "What was it?" Thor parroted.

Kiyone blinked. "You mean…you two don't know?"

Both deities shook their heads. "What we know," Belldandy said, "Was that one moment the fourth Aethyr was filled with angels, ruled over by the thousand-armed god and his beloved who ensured the stability and continued existence of that Airiy. The next it was…empty, and no one could find out why."

"That's not completely true." Thor muttered. "The investigation turned up a magical signature. One associated with…"

"A Chousin, yes." Belldandy pursed her lips, a disturbed look crossing her face as she glanced from Kiyone to Yosho and then to Thor. "But it was not…"

"No." Thor eyed Yosho, then shook his head. "It was one of the other two. Tokimi."

"Coronzom!" Kiyone lurched to her feet, spilling Chamrosh from her lap and knocking the chair backwards. With an indignified squack, Chamrosh took to the air, hovering near the officer's head with a trill. "Don't—" She froze, and felt her heart leap into her throat as Belldandy and Thor looked at the prior officer with a start. "Not-" The woman shook her head, feeling her pulse thrumming in her ears. "Sorry-no—Her name is a curse." She sputtered, stopped herself, then took a deep, cleansing breath. Gritting her teeth, the woman turned and righted the chair, sinking back into it with a slow and uneasy gaze. "Not-She is Coronzom—The Enemy." Chamrosh landed on the table once more, and without pause climbed back onto the woman's lap. It cooed at her, as if hoping to sooth her.

Kiyone pet it gingerly.

"You know her." Belldandy breathed. "You—please, explain." The Norn requested. "You…what does…Coronzom have to do with your people?" She leaned over, eyes bright with an internal glow as wings sprouted from her back and another face-like Belldandy's but different-stranger, more ethereal, appeared over her shoulder, and together both goddess and angel spoke as one in Belldandy's voice, "What happened to the Fourth Aethyr Niphilm?" Their eyes gleamed with a terrible, unearthly light.

Kiyone felt the hair on the nape of her neck rise in alarm, the blood in her veins turning to ice as she leaned back, gripping Pascal tightly as she looked at the duo-goddess and angel both-with anxious teal eyes. Beneath her, sensing her unease, Pascal began to growl as he climbed to his feet.

"Bell." Keiichi rested a hand on the Norn's shoulder, and both Norn and angel turned to observe him, their eyes bright, fierce, and in that moment so terrifyingly intense that even Yosho, who sat across from her, leaned away from the Norn. Yet Keiichi was unphased by the strange atmosphere of his wife, of the angel on her shoulder, and looked at them both in equal concern as he came under the full scrutiny of the Norn. "Bell, what is it? What happened?"

"Easy Verthandi." Thor placed a hand on the Norn's shoulder, pushing her gently back into her seat in a rare display of restraint. "Give Kiyone space. Let her speak at her own pace."

Belldandy glanced at him as though roused from a dream, yet the angel above her remained focused on Kiyone.

And Kiyone heard her speak. "What is your True Name?"

The ex-officer felt her heart skip a beat. I shouldn't have heard that. I—please tell me I didn't hear that. The words had been mouthed, yet though she'd heard no voice, heard no song, the words rose in her mind as easily as if her ears had caught it instead. It was, wasn't it. That was…Stiffly, she straightened, staring at the entity in disbelief. "That was…that was Loagaeth." She breathed, and caught the being's nod. "But…no one outside of Caosg speaks Loagaeth-its a dying language!"

Yosho straightened in his chair, looking at the ex-cop in concern. "Makibi-san?" He asked. "What are you…no one's spoken."

Kiyone didn't hear him, and before him, the angel spoke again. "Speak your True Name." It was an order, a command, and without any thought to resist, Kiyone found a name pulled from her lips.

"Mad Fa'a'ip Las Zizop." She said.

Belldandy and Thor looked at her abruptly, and even Keiichi paused to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Pure Song." Belldandy translated. "Pure Song of the Rich Vessel."

Kiyone stared between the gods and the angel with incomprehension, her panic mounting when their interest in her rose. Shit. A lump rose in her throat, and she could feel her heart beginning to hammer through her chest and up into her neck, thrumming like a chord which had been plucked too quickly. Oh no. She thought to herself, finding herself the center of attention between mortal, god, and angel alike. Oh, this is bad.

Yosho cleared his throat and stood. "Excuse me." He said, and Kiyone breathed a sigh of relief when all the ethereal eyes present turned their focus on him. "But if you all would, kindly explain to me what the fuck is going on?" He requested. "I do not appreciate the duress your attention is bringing to my partner." He leaned forward, obscuring Kiyone with his own body as he stared at the host of divine entities with a scowl.

Kiyone looked at him with a start, then sighed, almost sagging against Pascal with relief. On her lap, Chamrosh hopped up onto the table, racing to its center and screeching at the two Aesir fearlessly. It was enough to make Belldandy pause, regarding the fierce tiny spirit in silent appraisal.

The Norn leaned back, entwining a hand the ethereal entity that arose from behind her. "Forgive us." The goddess murmured. "We grew…excited. The disappearance of the Fourth Aethyr has been a subject of much debate for…many, many years. Your revelation has left us…

"Stunned." Thor supplied, and reached a hand out towards the small Chamrosh. It nipped at him, its raptor's beak clicking down near his finger as he jerked the digit back. The man smiled in approval. "Good, fierce little spirit." He commended it. "Let nothing stand in your way."

Chamrosh growled shrilly.

"Wait, Bell, hold on a second." Keiichi interjected. "Are you saying Makibi-san is-is some kine of…angel? Like-like Holy Bell?"

The Norn pursed her lips. "I cannot make that statement." She said. "Not without further information at least, however…" She glanced back at Kiyone. "You heard a language that is unique only to angels. Even I cannot perceive it; Holy Bell, my angel," She looked up at the being hovering over her shoulder, "serves as translator for me. All I know of it and the Thirty Aethyrs comes more from her own innate knowledge on the subject, and less of my own personal experience with it." The woman bit her lip. "I do not know if you are an angel, Kiyone-chan…but you are descended from them."

Kiyone stared, too astonished to speak.

Belldandy took a long breath. "And I must also apologize. I see that Holy Bell and I have disturbed both you and you're allies with this conversation. It was not my intent to instigate you or anyone else." Kiyone eyed her shrewdly. "Please though, and I ask this at your behest; will you speak of this 'Coronzom' and what she did to the Niphilim of the Fourth Aethyr? I wish to understand, and in doing so, offer aide to you and your people."

Kiyone grunted. "Little late for that if we're stuck in a Vortex World." She grumbled, the sighed and whistled. Both Pascal and Chamrosh's ears perked up, and the two faced her. "Chamrosh, heel." She tapped a finger on the table, and with a final growl towards Thor, the small spirit turned and trotted back towards Kiyone, sitting beside her finger as it looked up at her obediently.

"Well, you certainly have mastery over lesser spirits like the Niphilim." Thor observed. "The spirit is barely a newborn and listens to you as if you were its mother."

"She named it." Belldandy revealed. "So it makes sense she holds mastery over it."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You sure that isn't the COMP?" She said flatly. "I was told recruited demons only listen to whoever is wearing it."

Thor and Belldandy shared a look. "Actually…" Belldandy began, "May I examine your COMP while you speak?"

"What, think you'll find more of the Fourth Aethyr in there?" Kiyone asked, her unease leaking through her sarcasm, yet none the less removed the COMP, unhooking it from where it wrapped around her ear and unwinding the wires which wrapped around her left arm before hooking into the computer terminal gauntlet. With some unease-and feeling both naked and vulnerable without them, Kiyone offered it to Belldandy, who took the device with a graceful smile.

Both Pascal and Chamrosh watched, but remained glued to the ex-cop's side despite the COMPs removal.

I love dogs. Kiyone thought. In all their forms and all their variants and all their mythological representations. Thank you both. She drew Pascal a little closer to her, where the behemoth licked his nose as he looked up at her but otherwise did little to part from her closeness. "Good boys." She murmured.

The woman took a deep breath. "Alright…" Kiyone muttered, "Fine, alright…I'll tell you what I know." Under her breath she grumbled, "Had I known me opening my mouth was going to open up this can of worms, I wouldn't have fucking said anything." The knot of tension in her chest tightened.

Yosho looked at her in concern, and she tried and failed to smile at him. "'Preciate the step up, Big Guy, I'm good." She said. With a frown, the man slowly moved to sit, and Kiyone leaned forward with a sigh, wrapping her arms around Chamrosh. The little creature squeaked, then snuggled into the crook of her elbow, it's tail beating against her gaily as she scratched behind its forehead with one gentle finger. "So…If I'm going to tell the whole story, then I need you to also know a couple of things." She held up a finger. "First, I'm not a religious scholar-I'm an ex-cop, and one who never really paid much heed to those guys and wanted off my planet as fast as possible to get away from them." She shrugged. "But, I guess growing up in a society like Caosg…some things stick with you no matter how far you run from them." She held up two fingers. "Two, a lot of what I have to say is based off religious scripture, myth, and legend; I have nothing to vouch for the truth in any of this any more than I can prove the existence of something like Tsunami. We clear on all that?"

She waited for everyone present to nod before continuing. "Alright…fuck me, alright. Never thought I'd ever be telling this story to a Jurain." She shot Yosho a look. "…let alone an alien and a bunch of literal gods." She sighed, for a moment burying her face in her arms with a verbal moan. Chamrosh squeaked his concern, then pressed his body against her cheek. The woman raised her head head again with an irritated growl. "This is what happens when I open my mouth. Nothing good ever comes out."

And so she began.

"So…religious scripture states that Caosg was once inhabited by another people before…us. The Cordziz is what my people called them, but I guess they just called themselves 'Mankind'."

"What did you call yourself?" Keiichi asked.

"The Espir." Kiyone replied.

"The Fourth Holy Flame." Belldandy translated.

Kiyone cringed, looking at the Norn with a tight grimace. "Could you…not?"

Belldandy blinked, but nodded and leaned back, falling silent with a soft apology.

Regathering herself, Kiyone continued. "Anyways…the Cordziz were said to be a vicious, cruel, and warlike people. They worshiped death, splurged in excess, and sought war against first themselves, and when no one was left to conquer, the rest of the galaxy. Coronzom, The Enemy," Kiyone glanced at Belldandy, "Saw them as her favored people. They emulated what she stood for as what was only known as the Second Sister: Strife, Instinct, Conquest, Misfortune, and Death."

"The other sisters?" Thor asked, and leaned forward in interest. "Do you know them?"

Kiyone nodded warily. "I know of them. They were reportedly never involved with the Second Sister; the legends say she was too abhorrent even for them, of which she had two others: The First Sister, which the Monks called the Enlightened One, whose forehead burned with the Fires of Divine Knowledge and the essence of the Philosopher's Stone, the one who was both closest to and farthest from the Void, and ruled over cold Logic and Rebirth. The Third Sister, the Maiden, awash with the tides of Life, Desire, Emotion, Abundance, and Birth."

Thor leaned back in his chair with a contemplative grunt, then leaned over to Belldandy. "That's more than we know of them." He murmured.

Belldandy shushed him.

Eying them, Kiyone continued. "The Cordziz ravaged their own planet by Coronzom's decree, and with every death were gifted with her knowledge, power, and intellect. By her guidance, they traversed other worlds, bringing with them gifts of war, desolation, and death. They could not be stopped; no one was strong enough to challenge them. Coronzom required sacrifice, and to every planet they touched came offerings in abundance.

"Yet Coronzom had one great weakness, and that was her lack of restraint, lack of comprehension; she didn't understand the Principle of Cause and Effect; only the result. Her people killed off-world and it was good. Her people killed each other and it was good. Her people killed themselves, and it was good. It was good, until there were no more deaths, for there was no one left to sacrifice. Coronzom returned to Caosg then, and stood amongst the corpses of her favored people-all of whom had died in her name; confused and ignorant of their own undoing."

"An ultimate destruction program." Thor muttered, his face dour.

"I've heard of this." Yosho murmured. "A Demon race who ravaged the universe in Jurai's infancy; we had not even explored beyond the borders of our own continents yet when they were in the height of their power. Our own history books state it was only by Tsunami's grace that our people escaped their notice."

Kiyone nodded. "Dismayed, Coronzom looked at the empty vessels of her people and decided to fill them with new souls. So she scoured the universe for beings which matched her representations. She searched the established galaxies, and found nothing; the races were too weak, simple, and unknowable. She searched the underworlds, and found them blocked to her; though she was a harbinger of death, she was no god of the dead, and those who guarded the gates tore her physical body to shred thrice before she retreated." The woman scratched behind one of Pascal's ears, and the hound looked up at her with a canine's smile. "She tried to search the heavens, and found her path barred by an enclave of deities with a million different faces and thrice as many different forms, who saw her for The Enemy she was and chased her from their ranks." The woman paused and gazed at both Belldandy and Thor, and found the two cousins unnervingly quiet. The prior cop waited a moment to see if they would speak, however they regarded her in expectant silence. This isn't a game of patience I'll win. Kiyone realized, and scowling, continued. "…Yet in her flight, she stumbled upon the Aethyrs, to each one a layer of the universe its own, held in the dominion a different being.

"Coronzon gazed upon the First Aethyr, and found its people too close to the void, too secular, too divine for her purpose, and so she was forced to move on. She entered the Second Aethyr, and found them too polarized in opposition of themselves; their own duality which so brought them together as a choir was in irony the very thing which drove her away. The third Aethyr had no form which Coronzom could grasp, and though she tried everything-turning them to stone, turning herself to spirit, turning their world inside-out to force them to descend, she could not grasp them, for they were the ones closes to the Divine outside the First Ayethr, and would not be touched without the proper commands. Yet those were held by the Kings of Calz, who had first chased her from the heavens and composed of a tongue so strange and inconceivable that Coronzom could neither hear nor speak it."

"Lo-loa-" Keiichi tried to speak.

"Loagaeth, yes." Kiyone nodded.

"Then she came upon Pehahzod, of the Fourth." Kiyone paused, a scowl on her face. She took a long sip of her tea, a hand moving to rest on Pascal and taking strength in the rough, wiry coat he sported. I hate this. She thought. I never liked religion. Especially Caosg's. Half the population is some kind of priest or monk trying to 'return to PAZ' or seek the so-called enlightenment which was stolen from them, despite the fact that there's a whole damn universe which would turn their outlooks on their heads if they ever bothered to get off the Deathball. She glanced at the two gods across from her, hiding her expression from behind the ceramic mug Yosho had given her. Except now my own beliefs are being called into question and Dad would do a fucking backflip if he ever learned I was here before them citing Pehahzod scripture.

Setting down her mug, a knot in her chest, the woman continued. "Coronzom, the Enemy, came to Pehzhzod of the Fourth Aethyr, and beheld a thousand armed god, his crown ablaze with glory, bearing a weapon of cruel viciousness in each hand. She saw the maiden wrapped around him in passion, in violence—his lover, his murderer—who strangled him with such brilliant malice that his own blood spilled from his lips. Divine anguish alchemized into divine ecstasy; these were the ones who ruled this domain, and the beings within it.

"And Coronzom thought to herself, 'At last, I have found my people once more.'"

Kiyone took a long drink of her tea, ignoring the, intense gaze of Keiichi, Yosho's disbelieving, uncomfortable look, and the quiet, contemplative stares of Belldandy and Thor. I wish this was tequila. She thought, and wondered if there were any bars at the end of the world; the proprietor would be rich; who wouldn't want to waste away their last bit of life and fortune at the end of the world with a bottle in hand with best friends Jack and Daniels nearby? Alan Jackson said it best, 'It's five o'clock somewhere.'

"She murdered the thousand-armed god and his concubine then, and took with it authority of the Fourth Aethyr, for all Thirty must be managed by a celestial divinity, and with their death the responsibility fell automatically to her. She commanded the beings there to descend to Caosg, in all its emptiness and desolation, and to take possession of the corpses-both of the Cordziz and their victims—and return them to their prior brilliance. Those beings who called themselves the 'Divine Flame', were obliged to obey Pehahzod's new lord and descended at The Enemy's order, squeezing themselves into the small bodies of Man and in the process, extinguishing the Illumination of Enlightenment, forever imprisoning themselves inside a vassal incapable of housing their brilliance.

"The Dead rise and smell the incense." Yosho murmured, and Kiyone looked at him in question. Yet his attention was invested in his mug, and the man did not look up as her gaze washed over him.

Frowning, Kiyone continued. "…Coronzom was happy. She had her favored people back, and to her mind, the death, sacrifice, and destruction would begin anew."

"It didn't though." Keiichi guessed.

Kiyone grunted. "It didn't." She agreed. "Where the Cordziz once attacked their brothers and their neighbors, this new people aided each other. The man who cut down his wife was bandaged by her. The brother slain by his kin was cleansed in their bath. The neighbor whose head was smashed in sacrifice brought food to the empty cabinets of those who'd held the hammer. Coronzom had found the Fourth Aethyr and been enamored by the violence and chaos she had witnessed, but she did not hold the Light of Enlightenment imbedded in the residents of that plane. Theirs was a race who thrived in chaos and violence, true, for such was the natural order of their world…but only insomuch that it was their key to enlightenment, for in seeing the violence and madness around them, they were moved to care and aide their fellows; it was the Lesson of the Fourth Aethyr to find compassion in violence and the insanity behind it: That Chaos was peace, and it was such a peace they held amongst their own kin and which followed them into the new bodies which housed them.

"Coronzom hated it. She ordered them to attack each other. The new people would not. She instructed them to murder one another. The souls inside the vassals refused. They were no longer of Pehahzod and could no longer be ordered by the Celestial Divinity which oversaw it, and refused to obey the Thief of Always. So She stole her gifts from the people, robbing the earth of its life, sending locusts to consume their foods, and sending Time and Age to their ships, destroying their defenses, their commerce, and their economy. It was from this assault which She gained Her title as Coronzom, reveling in Her own destruction against Her people, against the Fourth Aethyr, against those spirits coerced into residing on Caosg and suffering for the crime of existing." Kiyone played with her cup, now empty, and in its depths her mind's eye generated the image of Coronzom, recalling the stories her father, a monk himself, used to tell her and which she now told those around her, with all the ease of one who had suffered first hand from it. A shadowy figured dressed in white, her eyes a foul and poisonous violet which watched the world with sinister intent. How often had she heard this same story? How often had she gazed upon the murals, the stained glass, the carvings depicting Pehahzod, of their past selves-creatures of such an alien design-not just as a race but as individuals-that they appeared more akin to the monsters and demons which Kiyone now walked amongst than an actual people?

"And we the Espir descended in divine white flame, and by smoke we came to dwell within the Cordziz, our Light of Divine Flame extinguished within the Host of Man." Her father's voice, now distant and half-forgotten with time, murmured in her ear."And we awoke in the prison of flesh, The Enemy leering down at us from Calz as Pehahzod closed above Her.

"I know this." Yosho murmured. "The people were divided in a world-wide civil war. They destroyed themselves and the planet with nuclear devices, yet when members of the Intergalactic Peace Society-" He looked at Keiichi, "Think of the Peace Corps-arrived to aide survivors, the ICP fled. The reports were strange; men and woman who had clearly suffered mortal injuries walking around as if unable to feel pain. They tended to the wounds of themselves and others, and the IPS found themselves welcomed and offered food, drink, and board—as if the ICP were the survivors and not the other way around. A woman, Hua, greeted them, leading a group with eyes that burned with literal fire and smoke which poured from every orifice. They said Hua spoke in song-not the Intergalactic Common which everyone was required to learn by Galactic Regulations, but not the native tongue of the Dem-the Cordziz as well. They said when Hua and her conglomerate sang, the IPS delegate were bombarded with hallucinations."

Belldandy leaned back with a slow nod. "Angels speak in song." She revealed. "The vibrations created pass visions of their intent to the recipient. I do not know this name, mind you, however it is possible this 'Hua' was the acting Seraphim of PAZ, and was seeking to understand what had happened to their host and to commune with this IPS delegate. If there was a forced descent as Kiyone-chan claims, then they would not have acquired the languages necessary to speak with the surrounding people. While such a thing is easy-it is obtained in less than a microsecond-without knowing what is necessary prior to descent, the necessary skills can be locked away."

"So…it's not just a story than?" Keiichi asked. "There's actual reported evidence of this happening?"

Yosho pursed his lips, then nodded. "Prior to the civil war that afflicted the planet, soldiers had been sent from nearby planets to attack Caosg as part of an ongoing war in that quadrant of the galaxy. The Demon-sorry-Cordziz's space fleet were too advanced to fight toe-to-toe, but had been spread thin and far in their attempt to conquer their neighbors. A subterfuge mission had been crafted between no less than ten planets to send a Vanguard down to the surface-Operation Hydra-in an attempt to cut off the planet's support to the fleet and destroy their C4 network." He rubbed his chin in consideration. "The Vanguard never returned. Hua surrendered the planet, and when envoys from all ten worlds descended to Caosg to negotiate a peace treaty and war reparations, they documented members of their own race amongst Hua's entourage. The members were possessed by the same strange essence which possessed Hua—who was later identified as a low-ranking soldier named 'Kausar Mai'—and who had clearly suffered lethal injuries." He hesitated, than glanced at Kiyone. "Several of them had physically lost arms and legs, and one was reportedly missing their head, but still wore one planet's military uniform. What had been lost was replaced with ethereal limbs made of smoke and fire-the Headless one was reported with a crown of smokeless fire surrounding a single, massive eye sprouting from the base of his neck. Is all of that…true?"

Kiyone shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe." She said, and looked down at her hands, staring at the black nails which reflected the light of the room they were in back to them. "You need to realize, there's a huge time gap between then and now. All this happened ten thousand years ago." I survived a fall into a mad scientist's weapon core, which was being fueled by the stupidly named ultra-energy matter that her artificial creation had stolen for a weapon that could destroy literal galaxies. "There are reports of Caosg natives surviving some pretty traumatic injuries-things that for anyone else would be a life-ender." I survived the massive explosion that accompanied that same fall—as if I was the source of the explosion; what was it…ultra-energy matter reacting at the atomic level to a source of equal or greater power? "During my time in the GXP, there was even a kind of running joke about us—that we were immortals, like phoenixes, and that you could always guarantee at least one survivor in an encounter with the Pirate Guild so long as we were on hand." I survived the vastness of space on the wreckage of that ship until I found that damaged escape pod. I survived the crash to Earth. "As a result, even when I was a cadet, I often got paired with some seasoned group of officers who were investigating a high-threat case." I survived…Roanipur, which was perhaps the most traumatic of all of those near-death experiences. "I was their fallback plan." I even survived the end of the world. "'The Immortal Phoenix strikes again', was what they said; really, they just sent me back early when things started to look dicey." Each time, the worst I came away with were holes in my memory and some burns to show my trials. The woman swallowed a lump in her throat, covering her eyes with one arm to hide the stress building across her face. "Pii'na Ananael has a sick sense of humor." Her chest felt tight. And she felt so…fucking…tired.

"Who?" Thor asked.

"The Trinity of Secret Wisdom." Belldandy translated, and looked at Kiyone expectantly.

Yet this time Kiyone shook her head. "No. I can't talk about that one. For Her and only Her, my people-including me-are sworn to silence. No one-divine or otherwise-will make me say otherwise." Her arm dropped, and she glanced at Yosho, "How do you know so much about Caosg, anyways?"

"I did my thesis on it while I was at the Academy." Yosho said, and Kiyone frowned, a black pit of emotion settling in her stomach as she heard the pride in his voice. "The entire incident led to Caosg being labeled as the 'Zombie Planet' and sanctioned off from the rest of the Intergalactic Union. No one wanted any part in whatever had occurred on it, nor risk any chance of it spreading. They even prevented the nearby Science Academy from examining it and threatened them with sanctions, warrants, and criminal charges if so much as a hint of plot was found to descend Top Side."

"Zombie Planet?" Kiyone sent the man an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Is that what you call my homeworld?"

Yosho stiffened, then cringed in reflex. "That's not what I-"

The silenced him with a raise of her hand.

"Fucking 'Zombie Planet'…what a wonderful name." The ex-cop sighed. "Guess that explains why we were never big in the tourist industry." The woman's eyes were dark and smoldering, and she glowered at Yosho with a scathing look. Yosho had the decency to look embarrassed. "And why the only reason any of us were allowed to leave the planet was under the Galaxy Police Initiative."

"The what?" Keiichi asked.

"Galaxy Police Initiative." Kiyone said, and her voice was bitter. "How I got off that deathworld. You sign up as a cadet and agree to serve an intergalactic decade as GXP with the option of re-enlisting. You do well and promote? They keep you on and you have more opportunities to visit different sectors and tour more of the galaxy." She shrugged, feeling self-conscious. "I wanted as far away from Caosg as possible, so I lept at the opportunity as soon as it was available."

Keiichi frowned, "You don't like Caosg?"

"No more than the Galaxy Police." Kiyone spat. "Caosg is a poor and dying planet." She revealed. "The Cordziz already wiped the planet of its resources prior to the ruination of Pehahzod; the damage is irrepairable." She explained. "The mines are dry, the soil's dead, and the seas are polluted—and that's not taking into consideration the long half-life of the nuclear weaponry that were used against not just their own people, but from the invading planets during the Greater War as well." The woman sighed with a dour expression on her face. "War reparations which Hua agreed to-unaware of what she was signing-bleed the banks even now, though close to ten thousand years have passed, and Caosg refuses charity from the Ministry of Tsunami. She is seen as kin to Coronzom, and therefore accessories to Caosg's suffering." Kiyone missed Belldandy and Thor's wince, missed the sharp look from Yosho, feeling her own anger-stifled, suppressed, and so often ignored-leaking through the fissures of the box she'd always stuffed it in. "Perhaps due to this label as a 'Zombie Planet', and absolutely because of our…reputation," here she sent a cold look to Yosho, who flinched. "The Intergalactic Union refuses to issue passports or visas without a program already in place that tracks our movement."

She paused, then said quietly, "They're still afraid of the Cordziz. They're afraid of what became of them, and a repeat of such an incident occurring on another planet."

Below her, Pascal pressed his weight against Kiyone's chair, resting his head in her lap as he nipped gently at her hand. Kiyone looked at him with a small smile, taking strength in the behemoth hound's presence. "The only reliable export we have is manual labor. Third party agencies and commercial companies will pay a low price and a free ticket to send a ship down with a lot of empty space and twice as much paperwork. The right smugglers, the right pay offs, and the greater border patrol keeping tabs on who flies in and out miss a transport ship or two. Some come advertising education and scholarships at prestigious academies. Others offer reliable jobs and work visas. More offer opportunities that are less legitimate." Kiyone shrugged. "The ones who go never return, and the folks keeping tabs on us with the yearly census are none the wiser." She grit her teeth, then sighed and pushed her chair back, bringing Pascal to rise with her. "At least the Galaxy Police are honest with their indentured servitude. I'm taking a break."

With a grunt, the woman turned and headed towards the door, ignoring Keiichi's surprised exclamation as Chamrosh lept to her shoulder and Pascal followed her out. She opened the door and strode out in anger, and as the door began to close behind her, heard Belldandy's gentle but firm voice.

"Keiichi-chan, my love, Yosho-san. Sit."

She heard two grunts, and then nothing more as the door slammed shut behind her.

Comments of a Madwoman:….Some of you may think this is all planned. You would be wrong. Find your peace in the Chaos around you, Kiyone Makibi, and may the Heavens tremble in their spaces, for who can truly say they know you?

"Yet be thou wake and ware, for the great Angel Hua is about thee, and overshadoweth thee, and at any moment he may come upon thee unawares. The voice of PAZ is ended."

—'The Vision and the Voice', Aleister Crowley

Cathedral of Shadows:

The Thirty Aethyrs: Planes of the Universe where the angels who contacted John Dee and his scryer, Edward Kelley dwelt. Dee and Kelley spent a small lifetime making regular contact with the entities, and through his word were able to map out a magical system and an angelic language which allowed regular communication with the beings. In modern times, there are two practices: Traditional-by which Dee and Kelley practiced, and Golden Dawn or Neo-Enochian, as practiced by the Order of the Golden Dawn. Both practices work in establishing communication with angels.