Chapter 1: A New Beginning
The sun shines over the room once more. Eyes adjust to the scenery around a young man. He sees a Japanese-style room.
No, this is a Far Eastern room. In the middle of this room is a young man with short, unkempt black hair and light blue eyes, sporting an average physique with a small bit of muscle showing.
He was wearing fairly standard sleepwear that could be found in Sengoku period Japan, but that description would only fit in his original world.
As Ritsuka got up from bed, he saw the date and remembered what day it was.
"It's been 15 years, huh? I can't believe it's been that long since I took that deal. I wonder how everyone's doing back in Chaldea."
"Still… I didn't expect just how different this world and my old one are."
It was 1:00 a.m. in the night. Ritsuka had just read the last message sent by the wandering swordswoman; he had likely mourned for an hour after that casual farewell.
After clearing his eyes, he suddenly felt incredibly tired. It was a near miracle that he hadn't immediately passed out on the floor, like on many other similar occasions during his tenure as the Master of Chaldea.
He had enough strength to walk towards his bed, but his eyelids became heavier by the second. When he eventually reached his bed, all his energy dissipated, and he fell into deep sleep once more.
"Fujimaru Ritsuka."
An unknown voice called out to Ritsuka. A voice that was simultaneously male, yet also female; firm yet also soft-spoken; kind yet also intimidating. Despite all of these contradictions, it sounded perfectly normal.
He looked around the space he was in; it was dark, but there was an unidentifiable light source.
He takes note that the ground beneath him is the same as it is around him; the color black first comes to mind, yet it isn't enough to describe this scenery around him.
If one were to see a starry night sky and had added warm color hues to it,that would have been the closest thing he could describe with his brain.
However, that was not the center of his attention; the thing he focused on was the blue sphere-like entity in the middle, with rings revolving around it.
"Y-You, you're Alaya, aren't you?"
The boy asked with a great deal of concern in his voice.
"I hoped I wouldn't be scouted by you, but even I knew that was a long shot, so what do you want with me?"
"I'm here to propose a contract with you,uka Fujimaru Ritsuka."
"Though you yourself are not particularly strong, your achievements during these past 2 years speak otherwise. The success of the Grand Order and the elimination of five Lostbelts alone would qualify you as a proper heroic spirit in and of itself."
"However, therein lies the problem. Your true ability lies in commanding others rather than being a great hero yourself, and like a certain red bowman that we both know, due to your unique circumstances, no one would be able to summon you; only I would be the only reliable summoner."
"I also know that deep in your heart, you wish to be able to stand side by side with other heroes of legend. Ever since the 4th singularity, you have had frustrations with not only your lack of physical strength but also your magical capabilities."
"Ouch, but Alaya's not wrong there." As the Master of Chaldea listened to what it said, he could only lament his situation.
"So, what is it?"
Though his voice carried a tone of anger, that was not how he truly felt.
In his mind, he was exhausted, not just because he had recently finished a Lostbelt but also because he was meeting what was essentially humanity's immune system.
But he did not deter from that; after all, if he were to freeze up when something unordinary happened to him, he would have been dead multiple times over.
"If you're asking me to be a Counter Guardian then forget it; our mutual friend already told me all about your deal with him and expressed his concern with me."
"No, that is not what I propose; while you being a guardian would be beneficial, it would not let us use you at your full potential."
His eyes stared widely at Alaya in response.
"To use you as you are now would be akin to using a knife rather than a sword against a foe, always ready to use yet not as effective as the sword."
Ritsuka understood where it was coming from, as a mediocre mage hailing from the Age of Man with no unique magecraft to standout amongst the multiple guardians at its disposal and the countless amount of other heroic spirits that it could also use when the world was in jeopardy during cases like the Singularities and Lostbelts.
In the grand scheme of things, he alone was not special.
As he's reflecting on himself and his skills, Alaya speaks once more.
"My offer to you is an unusual one; it was recommended by the Second Magician.
To summarize what he had said, if you accept this offer, you, Ritsuka Fujimaru, will travel to a completely different world where both the Age of Gods and the Age of Man can and have coexisted.
Due to that world's unique circumstances, you will use that world's methods of gaining strength.
The method we will use to send you there is a mixture of the Second and Third Magic, using both of their inherit properties to essentially bypass the limits of traveling to other realities."
As he heard those words, Ritsuka was dumbfounded at the offer he was given, but there was something gnawing at him, and he knew immediately what it was.
"What about the last two Lostbelts, the ones in Britain and South America? I can't just abandon my mission; the whole world is still bleached, and the Alien God just came down to Earth.''
For a moment, there was only silence; the sound of an unsteady beat could be heard somewhere; no, that sound was coming from his chest.
"If that is your concern, then we already have a solution to that dilemma.
If one is required to complete the Lostbelts and another for this Grand Quest, then the solution is simple."
"Just create another Ritsuka Fujimaru." Alaya said it bluntly, almost leaving no room for complaints.
"Huh." Ritsuka said with his eyes widening.
He stood there dumbfounded at what Alaya was implying.
Although it sounds like the memory partition spell both Captain Nemo and Sion use to delegate and finish their jobs faster, that idea didn't click in his head.
The more he thought about it, the more it reminded him of a heroic spirit summoning.
"No, that's not it either; fundamentally, the process of summoning a heroic spirit can only call forth a small portion of a Heroic Spirit's power.
If I'm right, then it's more like a true summoning or... complete soul copying."
"I see that you are confused, Master of Chaldea."
Alaya spoke once more, with it's voice not changing in tone or pitch.
"With the usage of the Third Magic, your soul shall be copied, and the Second shall send your copy to this other reality; once there, it will be integrated with that world's way of reincarnation.
Normally, your soul would lose its memories when reincarnated, but with the power of the Third, we shall modify your soul; through this, we will seal your memory and release small parts of it so as not to overwhelm your mind.
"So what is your decision, Master of Chaldea?
Will you accept my offer, or will you awaken from this dream, forgetting this very conversation?" The Will of Humanity asks its question once more.
If all Alaya said was true...
"I accept; I can't let this opportunity slip by after all." Ritsuka added with a smile,
"As long as a version of me continues with the last two Lostbelts and saves humanity, then I don't see why I shouldn't accept."
As soon as he said that, a woman resembling Irisviel appeared in front of him and performed what he assumed to be The Heaven's feel.
Her hands shined brightly, and he felt something change within himself.
The last thing he saw was an old man opening a portal, and his vision started seeing multiple colors like a kaleidoscope.
And he was gone. The Last Master of Humanity had been sent to another world, leaving all he knew behind.
"You know, you could have told the truth to the boy," the old man said with a bit of a huff in his voice.
"Would it have matted, Kischur? Whether he knows if he is the copy or not doesn't matter."
Alaya said in indifference and continued
"I only agreed to this not because you said that sending him there would be fun and interesting, but due to you, The Second Magician, seeing Pan Human History's version of the spider awakening much sooner than expected."
"As I said, we only have a millennium for this timeline; all the other spiders that I have witnessed need significantly longer time to wake up."
The now-named Kischur said it with a frown on his face.
"Although… "
"I do believe that there are lots of surprises that await him in that new reality."
The Second Magician said it with a smile that was akin to that of a kid in a candy store.
A gentle knock brought me back to reality. The sound came from my door, and a sweet voice was heard.
"Master Ritsuka, your breakfast is ready, and Mistress Akiha is calling for you."
He looks towards the mirror in his room, his hair still a bit disheveled and his face still looking like he wants to sleep.
"A bit of a mess, but at least mom and dad aren't home for a while. Still though, I barely look any different since I came here, maybe a bit taller, but otherwise not many changes; even my name is the same, lucky, I guess."
"Ah, Kohaku, could you tell my sister that I'll be a bit late? I need to freshen up a bit. I was packing up what I needed last night and slept pretty late."
"Of course, Master Ritsuka, although I do recommend that you finish your task quickly, Mistress Akiha seemed agitated last time I saw her."
Ritsuka looks into his wardrobe, and he mostly sees all Far Eastern clothes that look either too fancy or too tight to use in an adventure, but there was one set that he had already prepared.
It was a standard shirt-and-pants combo, reminiscent of his mystic code from when he was in the Camelot singularity.
With his small allowance, he had commissioned a tailor with this design in mind, causing a bit of confusion due to the difference in regular clothing in the Far East.
Although the Chaldea logo was gone, most of it looked the same, with the only real difference being that one of the gloves no longer had the hole to reveal command seals.
After packing up all the remaining stuff into a bag and putting on his new outfit, he then looked in the mirror once more.
"Well, at least I look presentable now. Still, while Alaya did say they were going to alter my soul, I didn't think they changed my circuits too."
"I can feel that they're there, but why can't I use them? All the standard magecraft techniques that Lord El Melloi taught me can't seem to work. Ritsuka thought with a hint of disappointment.
"Getting a Falna should be my answer to unlocking my circuits, but I don't know how magecraft would interact with the Falna.
If it suddenly shows up on my back, there's going to be too many questions, and while that would probably be fine, it's not worth the hassle of explaining it here."
He finishes thinking to himself and opens the door with red-haired and brown-haired maids wearing traditional kimonos waiting in the hall.
"My Lord, are your bags packed?
If so, I shall take them to the front and await you there," the brown-haired maid said as she looked at me.
"Yes, I've packed everything and am ready to leave by noon, Concetta."
Concetta nodded her head and went into my room, carrying my bags, while Kohaku led me to the main room.
A few minutes went by, and Ritsuka went to the room and saw a girl just a year older than him, with her long black hair, dressed in her blue kimono, and a currently agitated face; in other words, his older sister was waiting angrily.
"So, the sleepyhead is finally awake?
You do remember that tomorrow is the day you depart for Orario right?"
My sister said it in a sarcastic way, as usual.
"Still, I suppose I can't be too mad; you are going adventuring in Orario while I manage our small territory," she added with a hint of pity in her eyes.
"You know you don't need to leave, right?
While we are minor nobles living near the border, we haven't been raided due to our father and his warrior's efforts, and our economy, while not thriving, is just enough to get by." She said it with her voice, sounding more in pain by the word.
"Akiha, we've talked about this.
Like you said, we're doing fine for now; if we live with only the bare essentials, we can last maybe another 30 years.
But more refugees keep coming to our land; they need food and shelter, and we don't have enough for all of them plus our own people.
We're already cutting it pretty close, and one of us needs to make a lot of money soon," Ritsuka had said, like it was just a matter of fact.
"Trade has been rough for a few years, and with us being near the western border, there's not much support from the Court; the only reason we are afloat is that right now dad is fighting the monsters and bandits on our border while mom is in her office running most of the territory.
Plus, with you being the eldest, already helping mom with a lot of the logistics, and frankly the luckier between the two of us, I'm better off helping my own way."
"At least you won't be lonely, with Mom, Dad, Hisui, and Kohaku with you, and I'm sure when I'm back, our land will be better than ever."
My sister rebukes me with the same reasoning she had in our last conversation about this.
"Then why not get a Falna before you leave?
You could head towards the Goddess Amaterasu or the Goddess Tsukuyomi.
Dad even offered you to join Lord Kojin's Familia here so that you could get a blessing.
Lord Takemikazuchi's Familia also comes by quite often. You also could have joined up with him."
He knew she meant well; she's always been like this, so he gave her a resigned smile.
"Sis, you know why...
I don't want to feel like I'm betraying my God or Goddess by just getting their blessing and leaving when it's convenient.
And while Lord Takemikazuchi's Familia is nice, I have this gut feeling that it's not for me.
"Plus, how would I explain to everyone that I, an adopted son of a minor noble, may have already acquired skills and magic at an extremely young age?"
Although he was adopted, he didn't really feel like he was abandoned by his birth parents; after all, how could he feel abandoned when they had protected him from bandits raiding their village while he had recently been born?
He didn't even know why he was adopted; by all rights, he should have been orphaned and sent to the shrine that Lord Takemikazuchi and the other gods run for all the orphaned children in the Far East.
"You know you're too kind and honest, right? I'm not saying you're naive; far from it. Even when we were little, you were remarkably mature for your age."
Her words broke him from his thoughts.
She got up from her chair, walked towards me, and hugged him.
"So all I can say is stay safe, Ritsuka, and I'm expecting bi-weekly letters, ok?" She winks at me, trying to act mature.
"Sure, Sis, although I'm pretty sure they won't be too interesting."
After their hug, he said goodbye once more and walked to the front of the house.
There he saw his bag ready to be carried for his journey, but that was not all.
The twin maids, Kohaku and Hisui, walked up to me.
They say their farewells, and Hisui hands me something.
"For you, Master Ristuka," Hisui said to me.
It was a bracelet, nothing too big or heavy, but it was clearly made with a great deal of effort.
Its color was primarily red, but certain beads were black and blue.
"It's a small gift from me and my sister; we made it for you to remember the Far East by; even Mistress Akiha helped with the design and materials." Hisui said in a quiet voice
"Thank you; I'll be sure to cherish it." Ritsuka said it in a happy manner.
"My Lord, Lord Takemikazuchi and his Familia are here; we best not keep them waiting."
"Coming, Concetta"
"Well, gotta go Hisui, Kohaku.
"Next time I'm back, I wanna see some progress from either of you.
That boy in the Nanaya Clan really is dense if he can't notice my sister's and both of you girls' affection for him.
Hisui blushed a storm while Kohaku blushed a bit and smiled.
"Don't worry, Master Ritsuka; with all of us going on the offensive, I'm sure we'll be able to make him notice our feelings."
After Ritsuka chatted with the twins, he went outside, seeing both the Takemikazuchi Familia and Concetta not wearing her regular kimono.
No, instead her outfit consisted of a black and purple top and what he assumed to be long tights-like trousers; in all honesty, she looked more like a butler than his current servant.
"My Lord, what's the matter?" Concetta asked with her head tilted.
"Ah, forgive me, Concetta, I hadn't expected you to fully commit to going adventuring with me in Orario, and your current outfit is quite different from the usual one you normally wear."
"Well, it is to be expected, My Lord; from the moment you saved me, I had pledged that I would follow you anywhere."
"Hey you two, we need to go; we're burning daylight here; we have a long road ahead of us," a calming voice called out to us.
When both the servant and master duo looked in the voice's direction, it was none other than the god that was accompanying us to Orario. He had a smile on his face that showed his patience with us.
Both of them apologized to the god and eventually the pair joined up with the Familia on the long trek to Orario.
The Familia had brought in a carriage for the journey; it's size was quite big for 5 people; the coloring of the wood made it look new; the horses they brought looked healthy; and the insides of the carriage laid his and his servants bags and essentials.
As they got on the carriage, the god spoke to Ritsuka once more.
"You know, it's been a while since we brought someone new from the Far East to Orario; usually it's either us or the Bishamonten's Familia that travels back and forth between countries.
Anyway, while I am slightly disappointed that you didn't join my Familia Ritsuka, I can see the conviction in your eyes to better help our country; for that, I won't pry why you don't want to join, and I've known you and your family for long enough to trust your judgment." Takemikazuchi spoke with confidence in his voice.
"Thank you, Lord Takemikazuchi; I really appreciate that."
He really was, and there were many things that we wanted to say to the helpful god guiding him and his servant to Orario.
If the duo had left for the center of the world by themselves, it would have been disastrous, to say the least.
By all means, he was no slouch; he was trained in combat from an early age, and with his past memories slowly returning to him, he had regained most of his battle instincts and tactics from when he was the Master of Chaldea.
Concetta on the other hand, had no such perk like past memories to draw from; even so, she was also a skilled fighter, but her expertise lies more in espionage or using tricks to blindside the enemy to quickly and effectively eliminate her target.
She was so skilled, in fact, that many of the minor gods in the Far East wanted her not just for her skills but also for her natural, cool beauty.
She denied them; even when they had demanded and threatened the Tohno Clan, she bluntly stated that if her master was joining them, then she would not join them either.
When he heard her say that, to say he was touched was an understatement. While he had saved her from almost sharing the fate of many children that lived within the country, her devotion to him was rather perplexing to him.
"So how long is the trip to Orario?
When Kashima visits the area, he says that it takes around 4-5 months by foot, so I was wondering how long it would take by carriage.
"Ah, well, if we go at this pace, we should arrive in, I'd say... 2-3 weeks.
As long as we don't have any incidents, then yeah, about that long."
"Any notable Familia or people that we need to watch out for when we're there?"
Apparently, Concetta decided that now was a good time to interject.
"Hmm, well, you have the usual like the Loki Familia, the Freya Familia, the Ganesha Familia, and while they aren't as strong anymore, the Astraea Familia is still pretty strong.
You also have the blacksmith Familia's like the Hephaestus and Goibniu Familia's; though being completely biased, I prefer Amatsumara's blades. He can be quite rude to talk to, but he's actually quite kind when you get to know him.
And there's a few gods I do trust, like Hestia and Miach, so you can trust them when you're in a pinch, and of course myself."
"Hmm... thank you for the advice, Lord Takemikazuchi; although I've heard similar accounts from merchants, your insight helps much more."
She bowed her head as a sign of gratitude.
Unknowingly, the words from the usually blunt servant had made the god laugh awkwardly.
"Please raise your head. I'm not so heartless to leave a young lord and his retainer on the streets of Orario, and if you need a recommendation to join a familia you may use my name to bolster your chances."
Ritsuka and Concetta once again thanked the god and traveled with his familia for the coming weeks.
While they did hit some trouble, it didn't really detract them, and they only lost 2 days of travel.
In the end, they had arrived to Orario. Its walls were enormous, to say the least; by their estimations, they were around 120 meters, with the city itself was circular in shape.
To say it was like a fortress was an understatement. The guards posted there looked towards us with a relaxed posture and greeted the Takemikazuchi Familia members and the god himself like they were drinking buddies in a tavern.
"It looks like they know or see Lord Takemikazuchi enough that this is a common occurrence, or they really are drinking buddies."
Shaking his head from his thoughts, they paid for the entry fee to enter the city.
Due to him having to report to the guild, they parted ways with Takemikazuchi.
Before he left, he said that if they couldn't find a Familia to join, he would happily take them into his.
"So I'm finally here, The Center of the World.
I wonder who I'd get my Falna from.
Well, there's Loki's and Freya's Familias to consider; they are the most powerful and most recognizeable in Orario.
On Loki's side, there's Nine Hells, Braver, Elgram, Sword Princess, Amazon. Jormungand, Vanargand, Thousand Elf, and Anomaly
On Freya's side, King, Vana Freya, The Gulliver Brothers, Dainsleif, and Hildrslief
Though I've also heard Ishtar's here too...
Ishtar, huh? I should've expected some familiar gods and goddesses, especially when I first found out Amaterasu was in the capital when I was 6. If I see them."
"…"
"I'll just have to cross that bridge eventually."
As the pair walked the streets of Orario, it was clear to both of them that they should have asked for a map or at least points of reference so they wouldn't be too lost.
Luckily, a nice silver-haired girl came up to them and offered a map to him. They didn't exchange names since she said she was in a rush for her job, but they were thankful nonetheless.
After walking around for 2 hours, Ritsuka noticed it was the height of noon.
"Jeez, We've been wandering around the city, and we haven't seen a god or goddess; at this rate, we might have to camp out or ask Takemikazuchi for help."
His frustrations were laid bare, and although he normally wouldn't complain at a minor setback such as this, he had been in the carriage for the last 2–3 weeks.
So it was understandable to Concetta that he was undoubtedly pent-up.
Ritsuka had patience, but he wasn't a saint.
Even Concetta had grown frustrated, she still held her poker face, but he knew she was just as frustrated as he was.
If he hadn't been with this girl for nine years, he had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to tell.
"Seriously, where are the gods?
He and Concetta went door to door for some of the Familias; they went one by one, but each and every Familia had said that their gods were either going drinking or gambling before the Monster Feria.
The first few times were understandable; many people usually wanted to celebrate early for big festivities, like opening a few cans of beers the night before Christmas.
Not that he participated in them; he's tried alcohol before.
It just wasn't his thing.
As he was thinking to himself, he suddenly heard a yelp near the alleyway.
Turning towards the source, he looked back at Concetta.
With a nod, she already knew and agreed to what they were going to do.
They walked to see what was going on nearby.
It was there that he saw two girls and 3 rough-looking adventurers who were clearly drunk.
Why did he know that?
Well, one of them was shirtless; that was his first hint. Adventures usually hide their backs at all times so that people can't accidentally look at their status.
The other hint he got was that their cheeks were flushed, but this wasn't the kind of flush you could find on a girl after she was confessed to by her crush.
Apparently, it was not just the gods that wanted to party early.
The three men also had smiles that honestly made him a bit uncomfortable.
So he instead focused on the girls.
One of the girls had short, bright pink hair, and while the other girl wore a hood, he could make out her long blond hair. Though he could feel something from this girl, although she was trying to hide it, he could faintly feel the presence of divinity.
He didn't expect to meet a goddess like this, but his luck was never particularly good or bad.
On some days, he felt like he could win the lottery 3 times in a row.
In others… Well, let's just say he ate a lot of Mapo Tofu and leave it at that.
It appeared that they were hitting on the pink-haired girl, as they clearly left the goddess alone.
Is it because they're interested in the girl more, or that even in their drunken state, they subconsciously avoid the divine girl?
"Oi, you three, could you leave my goddess and captain alone."
He had seen enough, and after assessing the situation, he knew exactly who was in the wrong.
"Hmm… hey look boys, we got ourselves a hero.
You ain't foolin 'us, kid,
The pink girl already said that she was looking for a Familia.
Being the gentlemen we are, we decided to escort her to find a loving Familia."
A lie was told, that he clearly picked up on. He did not know which part of the man's statements were lies, but he knew that the one about her searching for a Familia was true.
"Then, as we went our merry way, this "goddess" over here came and told us to leave the girl alone.
Now we didn't like that, so we just slapped her hand away.
Hahahaha, she made the funniest yelp I've ever heard.
Now scram, before we beat you senseless."
His words were clear; it was a threat to his life. The man who kept talking looked to be more sober than his merry men, so either he drank less than them (doubtful) or he's at a higher level than them.
Or maybe he just has better alcohol tolerance; who knows?
If he were to fight, he may need to fight 2 level one adventurers and 1 level 2 adventurer.
Fortunately, he was not alone.
All this talking was merely a distraction.
When we were walking, Concetta already noticed them before I did, and she decided to sneak up behind them.
Thud
Thud
2 thuds were heard, and the 2 level ones were knocked out by Concetta.
She had easily dispatched the two by hitting them over the head with a metal stick.
Shocked to see his friends knocked out, he turned his whole body against Ritsuka.
Unfortunately for him, the moment he looked back, Ritsuka had already performed one of Bajiquan's primary attacks.
A simple thrust from one of his arms hit the drunkard in the abdomen.
Pain was all the man could feel, and it hit him hard and fast.
With that, he was writhing and looked to be almost puking.
Before that could happen, Concetta hit the man with the metal stick in the head.
Like the previous two, he went unconscious as soon as she struck him.
"Thank you, you two, although I would normally reward you for your help.
However, unfortunately, as I have just recently descended to the lower world, I can only repay you with my thanks."
The goddess said her words with a hint of shame.
For some reason, she took off her hood to show her face and hair better.
However, when he saw her face, a wave of recognition flowed towards him.
"Her face is different; her voice isn't the same; she only has similar blond hair, and even then it's in a different shade; her proportions are also slightly different; nevertheless, I know this goddess."
"My name is the Goddess Ereshkigal."
Her voice sounded regal and firm, but Ritsuka could pick up a hint of awkwardness in her tone; it was like a new pop idol had debuted in your local area. Although they could hide it well, if one were to observe them long enough, they could see inconsistencies in their speech and performance.
"I was walking down the market when I saw and overheard them mentioning to her that they knew a kind and popular Familia that accepts people with little to no combat experience.
Though don't blame the girl too much; she was practically strong-armed to follow them."
Ritsuka nodded his head; to him, it mostly confirmed his deductions about what happened.
"M-My name is Emma Flores, and thank you, Goddess Ereshkigal, and I'm sorry I don't know both your name and your companion's name yet, but thank you too."
"My name is Fujimaru Ritsuka, and I'm from the Far East.
The girl with me is my friend Concetta; we're from the Far East, and we are also looking for a Familia to join.
We've been trying to find gods and goddesses to ask them to let us join them, but well, we had no luck."
"Then that's great!"
She was smiling at all of us.
"I still don't have a single Familia member to my name, so how about it?
Do you guys want to join my Familia?"
"Even in a different world, she still holds herself to a high standard, yup she's just like I remember her—maybe a bit more cheerful, but overall, she's still the same."
Ritsuka thought in his head
With that, his answer was obvious.
"Of course"
"Sure"
Ritsuka and Emma both agreed to the offer; after all, one of them wanted to get stronger and help his family with their finances, while the other wanted to find their missing sibling in this city of adventure.
Concetta stayed silent, though the smile that she had on her face voiced her opinions on the matter. She had already expected her Lord to pick a Familia on whim; after all, it was also a whim that he saved her.
"Great, glad to be working with all of you."
The Goddess smiled once more, afterall these mere mortals didn't cower when they met her; they didn't feel agitated when she took off her hood; they even agreed to be part of her Familia.
So the Goddess of Death, the Reincarnated Boy, the Dutiful Servant, and the Girl of Distant Dreams all forged a bond that day.