Celestia is the battlefield in which only the goddesses are allowed to enter. Four goddesses hailing from their own respective nations in Gamindustri entered this exclusive realm to settle a matter once and for all. Time, energy, and hunger had no place in Celestia, so the goddesses devoted themselves entirely to fighting each other. The right to bear the title of 'True Goddess' was the reward for the victor. An honor that came with the benefits of becoming the one goddess among the four that every Gamindustri citizen will acknowledge as the superior. At least, that was what all the goddesses believed they were fighting each other for. Yet one goddess of the four started to think differently compared to the other three. That one goddess began to have doubts with each clash until a realization started to settle into their head.
I don't see a point to this anymore.
That was the single thought of Neptune, but she was known to the other goddesses as Purple Heart of Planeptune. The four had just finished another intense battle that had once again ended in a stalemate. Neptune had focused her efforts on dueling Lowee's White Heart, but Lastation's Black Heart interrupted her. Leanbox's Green Heart broke up Neptune's sudden fight with Black Heart before White Heart returned to attack Green Heart. Neptune steadied her breathing from the exertion of energy as Celestia worked its passive magic of revitalizing her body. A gnawing sense of frustration grew in Neptune's mind as another useless battle reached its worthless conclusion. Another cycle of battle with no results, and it was back to square one for all of the goddesses. An impasse where none of them can take each other out without someone else trying to press for an advantage.
"You're all a bunch of stubborn fools!" Black Heart shouted and glared at everyone. "Just give up already. This has gone on long enough!"
"So you can take the title of True Goddess?" White Heart scoffed at Black Heart. "Hah! You're all hot blood and no brains. Actually, no brains apply to Thunder Tits over there more than you!"
"As uncouth as ever, White Heart." Green Heart smirked as she took to using a haughty tone. "Once again insulting my qualities that you clearly...lack."
"That's enough out of your mouth!" White Heart gripped the axe tightly as her wings ignited brightly. "I'll shut it up for ya!"
White Heart soared at Green Heart with a clearly telegraphed swing of her axe. Green Heart easily dodged the attack and countered with her own blow that struck White Heart. The goddess of Lowee did not flinch or visually show pain at the hit. Neptune, who had kept her distance, noticed Black Heart took the opportunity to jump into the fray between Leanbox and Lowee. This should have been Neptune's cue to jump in as well, but she stayed her hand and kept her distance. There was no drive in Neptune to fly forward and fight, so she kept her distance and observed. Black Heart laughed happily at being able to strike two targets without repercussion because Neptune chose not to interfere. A pause in battle again, but it seemed like the three were all talking to each other now.
What's going on? Neptune raised a brow as she cautiously took steps closer to hear their conversation. This is new.
"So who's it going to be then?" White Heart asked the other two.
"Who else but her?" Green Heart spoke with a nod of her head. "She would be the most difficult to take out later."
"Then it's settled." Black Heart agreed with a grin. "I'm all for this."
"What are you all talking about?"
A simple enough question to ask, but the answer Neptune received was all three goddesses turning to her at the same time. There had been a conversation that Neptune did not overhear clearly enough between the three other Hearts. That confused Neptune because the only ones in Celestia should have been the four of them. However, Neptune would likely not get an answer out of the three with the look in their eyes. For the first time in a long while, trepidation seeped into Neptune at the odds stacked against her. All three goddesses came to a consensus that to break the stalemate, one person had to go. The unfortunate target of this plan was none other than Neptune herself. Neptune trusted in her abilities as a fighter, but to go up against multiple strong opponents that were her equals was a fight she could not win.
"So that's how you all want to play this?" Neptune gripped her sword tightly. "I'm not too sure whether I should be flattered or insulted."
"You can figure that out when we beat your ass out of here!"
White Heart's shout signaled the start of Neptune's new challenge. The Lowee goddess shot up into the sky and then dove straight down at Neptune. A simple enough dodge if it were not for the fact that the moment Neptune dodged, Black Heart charged with a swing of her sword. Neptune blocked the attack and followed with a counter hit of her own, forcing Black Heart to back away. Battle intuition kicked in as Neptune remembered White Heart and blocked the attack from the Lowee goddess. The strength of the hit from White Heart was immeasurably different from Black Heart. Though Neptune deflected the attack, White Heart's sheer force sent her flying back and rolling on the floor. Dizzied by the attack, Neptune instinctively moved her head left to avoid Green Heart's spear that drove itself into the ground.
"Purple Heart, you're not making this easy for us." Green Heart said as she pulled out her spear and leaped back to avoid Neptune's blade going for her legs.
"What, I'm supposed to just let you guys hit me?" Neptune rolled her eyes as she stood back up and felt a blow hit her left arm. "Ow!"
"That's exactly what you're supposed to do." Black Heart laughed triumphantly at landing a hit on Neptune. "Now have another!"
Neptune grunted as Black Heart managed to strike another blow at her. White Heart always had it out for Green Heart due to their physical differences, but Neptune had Black Heart's competitive nature with her. However, that mattered little to Neptune at this moment as she had to focus on surviving three goddesses. Neptune purposely wound up her swing with a blade before revealing her feint as she kicked Black Heart in the side of her gut. Black Heart had been expecting to block a high swing only to receive a low hit from Neptune. Continuing on the momentum, Neptune grabbed Black Heart to use as a human shield. Green Heart immediately stopped her charge at driving her spear into Neptune when she was not looking. If circumstances were different, Green Heart would have likely continued her attack rather than restrain herself.
"Cowardly move, Purple Heart!" Green Heart glared at Neptune, unsure of what action to take now.
"I don't want to hear that from the three of you teaming up on me!" Neptune retorted at the hypocrisy of the insult.
Black Heart tried to squirm out of Neptune's grip, but Neptune released the Lastation goddess by shoving her onto Green Heart. The Leanbox goddess dropped her weapon to avoid stabbing Black Heart still, which signaled another opportunity. Seizing the advantage, Neptune let loose a powerful strike that sent both Lastation and Leanbox flying away. A blur of white just entered the corners of Neptune's vision, and she stumbled back as her sword flew up into the air. White Heart continued her chain of attacks and delivered three fast attacks that started to damage Neptune's suit. They were quick hits, so while it was not as painful as the strike that sent her flying previously, the pain still seared from the cuts. White Heart raised her axe high to strike a fatal blow to Neptune's head, but Neptune pushed herself forward and tackled White Heart. As they both hit the ground and White Heart lost grip of her weapon, Neptune towered over White Heart and immediately punched her face.
"Guh! You piece of sh-"
Neptune didn't let White Heart finish as she hoisted up the short girl and tossed her at the incoming Black Heart. The Lastation goddess dodged the incoming White Heart and struck Neptune hard. Neptune kept her foot and slid backwards and stopped just short of the platform's edge. Neptune summoned her sword back into her hands as the three goddesses grouped together once more. That had been a few minutes of battle at best, and Neptune barely survived the encounter while sustaining injuries. Neptune had used some tricks and desperation moves, but they would only get her so far before the goddesses started adapting to Neptune's tactics. As the goddess trio readied to charge at Neptune all at once, Neptune finally came to the conclusion that had been plaguing her mind. Green Heart had been right in that she was not making this easy for them, but Neptune would go out on her own terms and not because she was swarmed in an unfair fight.
"You know what? Fine." Neptune's sword disappeared, which gave the goddesses pause from their charge. "All this fighting for the title of True Goddess? To hell with it! I'm going home. Later."
Neptune threw out a peace sign at her former enemies before letting herself fall over the edge. The supposed reward that came with the title of True Goddess was not worth all the hassle anymore. Thoughts of wanting to be number one in Gamindustri no longer mattered to Neptune. As she entered free fall through the clouded skies, Neptune's mind drifted to her home, Planeptune. When she reached her nation, she would need to find out how much time had passed since she departed for Celestia. There was no telling how many days, months, or years passed in the heavenly fields of Celestia. For all Neptune knew, the people she last saw at the Basilicom may no longer be alive. Guilt stabbed Neptune's heart, thinking those who waited patiently for her return would not live to see it.
I'll just need to reintroduce myself to the next generation as I've always done before. Neptune told herself as the lights of Celestia faded away and gave way to Gamindustri's dark skies. It's nighttime now. Nice change of pace from Celestia.
Celestia had always been eternally bright, so it certainly put less stress on Neptune's eyes. The nations of Gamindustri below were like shining beacons in the darkness. Neptune felt happy being back, but her mind thought back to the other Hearts. Mysterious forces were at play that intended on taking on Neptune back on Celestia. They were certainly powerful enough to manipulate the other goddesses into attacking only Neptune. Though Neptune had clearly stated her intention of bowing out from the fight, Neptune did not hear their response. Before they departed for Celestia, the goddesses all agreed to a ceasefire of hostilities in Gamindustri. They made an oath that their fight above in Celestia meant no more lives had to be thrown away in their 'Console War.'
I just hope that when they return, the people of Gamindustri are not dragged back into war because I left. Neptune flew towards the direction of Planeptune. I need to find whoever managed to break through the fields of Celestia to involve themselves among goddesses. They have a motive against me, and I need to show that to the Hearts or risk the start of another war.
Neptune had only been in Gamindustri for a few minutes, and she had a new goal in mind and an enemy to track down. The lives of Planeptune citizens counted on her success. It would prove difficult beginning an investigation since Neptune had nothing more than a hunch. Hopefully, once she fully integrated herself back in Planeptune, Neptune could figure out where to go from there. Neptune's train of thought was interrupted as something internally shifted and changed. The Hard Drive Divinity form involuntarily turned off on Neptune as her processor units vanished along with her wings that enabled her to fly. Neptune had no idea why that happened or why she could not transform back immediately. In conclusion, Neptune in her human form could not fly.
There was only one thing that Neptune could do at this very moment.
"Oh crap, why meeeeeeeeee!?"
Another workday survived. Don't think about work again until you clock back in.
That is what Rei Ryghts told herself as she walked through the forest with her adopted daughter Peashy. Tonight was another one of Peashy's urges to enjoy the open air outside the city walls. The guards at her usual exit out of their town simply told Rei they would be waiting for her return. She still remembered months ago how her neighbors and concerned strangers gave her flak for going along with Peashy's request. Rei would not concede to the other people's demands because they did not know Peashy's parents like Rei did. Denying Peashy these nightly strolls would be an insult to them, and Rei could imagine their ghostly figures haunting her if she did that. It was also good for Rei's own mental health too for all the hours she spends in the office. Rei just had to keep a healthy level of caution for any wandering monsters in the area.
"Mommy, it's a shooting star!"
Peashy's loud declaration grabbed Rei's attention as she looked up in the sky. True to Peashy's word, something bright was falling at incredible speed. Rei doubted that it was an actual star from space, but something was looking to make a hard landing on Planeptune lands. If Rei had confidence in calculations along with knowledge of the area, the flying object was likely heading for the nearby lake. Rei could only hope that there were no nearby monsters in that area stopping for a drink or swim. Peashy started running towards the falling 'star'. Rei quickly chased after the little bumblebee that was her daughter. Peashy likely wanted to take the 'star' home and show it to her friends at school.
"Let's bring the star home! I want the star as a night light!" Peashy confirmed Rei's assumption correct. "You think it will be hot, Mom?"
"If it falls into the lake, it'll cool down. Hopefully it doesn't sink to the bottom!" Rei humored Peashy since she still wasn't sure what the falling object was. "But don't get too far ahead of me, Peashy. It's still dangerous out here."
The two continued running as Rei managed to take the lead. Tonight was supposed to be a relaxing walk, but here Rei was breaking a sweat in her suit. It was times like these that Rei really needed to do more cardio exercises on the weekends. She was going to have to take a shower now tonight once they both returned home. The flying object made landing, but there was no loud crashing noise. That meant whatever it was had to be sentient to a degree. It had to be in the lake now since they were still some distance away. The question now was whether it would prove to be violent like monsters or peaceful.
It couldn't be a human, right? I mean...how does a person randomly fall from the sky like that? Rei wondered before her mind quickly switched gears at the sounds of unsettling noises. Wait, those are monster sounds!
As Rei and Peashy were approaching the area of the lake, Rei's ears picked up the sounds of creatures. Instincts took over as she turned to Peashy and crouched low. Peashy realized the serious look on Rei's face as she came to a stop in front of Rei. Another reason why Rei allowed these nightly strolls was because Peashy knew when to be serious concerning the presence of monsters. Rei knew the logical option right now would be to turn around and return back home. However, Rei was a bad parent in this instance as she wanted to know more about the falling light that landed in Planeptune territory. Rei kept herself hidden in the foliage as best as possible to avoid detection, with Peashy quietly following behind. The sounds of monsters howling and screeching soon followed.
Sounds like the monsters are heading to a fight now. We should be fine to go a little faster. Rei presumed another person was also wandering around at night and was now drawing attention to themselves. I can hear the sounds of an energy blade being used. Whoever they are must be a pretty skilled adventurer.
Rei managed to find a good view of the open area that was the lake. The ground was littered with dead bodies of creatures, their bodies sliced through cleanly. Rei could see a human figure in the distance but could not identify who they were. The only thing of note was their sword, which glowed a menacing purple. There was also another figure lying on the ground by their side. The sword user deactivated their weapon and proceeded to carry away the human body on the ground. Rei did not want to put Peashy in danger by calling out to the stranger. That was a risk Rei would not take since she did not know the person's intention.
Maybe they were just defending their friend who got knocked out during the fighting? Rei wanted to believe that was the case before quickly being proven wrong. Or maybe not.
The mysterious sword fight disappeared behind some trees and foliage before running out and heading in another direction. Rei did not want to believe the worst situation possible, that a murder just happened. One theory in Rei's head was that two people agreed to meet at night, their discussion took a turn for the worse, and one person ended up dead because of it. Now the killer hid the body away and was on the run to escape Planeptune. Rei felt an obligation to find the dead body and see if she could bring it home to any family or loved ones. There was no way Rei would be able to sleep at night if the dead body ended up being found and eaten by more wandering monsters. Rei took a deep breath to steady her nerves before walking out into the open. Peashy hugged Rei's leg as they passed by the dead monster corpses.
"Um...Mom? Can we go home now?" Peashy asked while keeping her voice low. "I don't think I want the star anymore."
"Yes, we will go home. I just need to check something before we do." Rei patted Peashy's head. "Mommy just needs to do this one thing, and we'll head home right away."
"O-okay..."
Neptune opened her eyes to find herself floating in darkness. The only reason she can even see around her is because of the bright sphere she was currently residing in. Neptune came to the conclusion that she must be dreaming and must be out cold in reality. She remembered diving into the cold water of a lake to cushion her fall. It still hurt, but it certainly beat smashing into the ground or trees. Neptune swam up for air and made her way to land as the unfamiliar feeling of being tired coursed through her body. By the time Neptune reached solid ground, the urge to fall asleep took over. Falling asleep in the middle of the night with wet clothes was certainly a bad idea, but there was nothing Neptune could do about it now.
I shouldn't even be aware that this is a dream in the first place. So why the heck am I not waking up? A darker theory quickly formed in Neptune's head that gave way to panic. Or maybe I'm sleeping permanently? I can't believe I died after leaving Celestia! In the end, the other girls got what they wanted. Is this my eternal resting place!? If it is, this sucks!
"It is not, Neptune."
A voice responded to her thoughts, which immediately caused Neptune to look around. The person talking was definitely a girl, but it sounded more like a child. Neptune's initial theories were quickly wiped away with the mysterious individual capable of reading her thoughts. It made Neptune wonder if this was the individual who was responsible for the other Hearts uniting to put down Neptune. However, that basis held no merit to stand on now that Neptune thought about it some more. If that speaker were responsible for manipulating the other goddesses into attacking Neptune, there had to be something to be gained from the stranger speaking to her now. Another more instinctual part of Neptune also wanted to trust this voice, despite only just now meeting them. It felt oddly familiar and comforting, but Neptune could not quite place a reason for that feeling.
"That's good to know." Neptune responded back instead of thinking her words. "You got a name, mystery gal? You already know mine, but I don't know yours."
"Oh, my apologies." The stranger's apology sounded genuine enough. "I am Histoire, a tome that records the history of the goddesses."
"Now that we've got introductions all squared away..." Neptune crossed her arms. "You want to tell me why we're here? Or that you can read my mind?"
"I needed to establish a connection with you." Histoire answered before sounding pensive. "Do you know how long you and the goddesses have been away?"
"That's what I was hoping to find out once I made it back to Planeptune." Neptune answered, as she had a bad feeling she was not going to like Histoire's answer.
"It has been nearly a century since you all disappeared."
Anyone who might have known me personally is long gone by now. Neptune grimaced at the Histoire's reveal of the years that passed. I and the other goddesses are probably the stuff of stories nowadays.
"In the time you have been gone, three wars have raged in the name of the goddesses." Histoire continued her explanation of history. "The latest ceasefire was created for each nation to deal with the increasing monster threat over the last three decades."
"Wait, did you just say monsters?" Neptune perked up at the last bit of info. "But there was nothing like that before we left. Where did they all come from?"
"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that." Histoire sounded disappointed in herself. "I wish I knew, but I am...sealed away. My powers can only reach so far. I only became aware of you when you descended from Celestia."
That confirmed that Histoire had no involvement with what happened in Celestia. Histoire gave a shortened version of history, but the info was still unsettling all the same. Their nations decided to break the truce the goddesses made to prevent loss of life. That only showed Neptune how right she was to return back to Gamindustri. The Hearts spent so much time fighting in Celestia that they neglected their believers. Those same people that gave shares needed for Neptune as a Console Patron Unit, or CPU for short, to operate and fight have died in more pointless wars. All their deaths were on Neptune's head as well as the other goddesses. Neptune clenched her fists to release her anger at herself and the other CPUs.
"What you said just now helped clear up my suspicion about you, Histoire." Neptune spoke her true feelings about Histoire. "The reason why I'm back down here is because somebody turned all the other goddesses against me, and I decided to make my escape from the fight."
"If that's the reason for your departure from Celestia, then I'm afraid other forces beyond me may be at play that I am unaware of...or maybe not..."
"If you're going to say something like that, it would be great if you could just tell me what you're thinking." Neptune huffed in frustration at Histoire's last words.
"Sorry...it's just..." Histoire's words became more distant and harder to hear. "I'm...out of..."
Neptune never heard Histoire's last words. The next time Neptune blinked, she found herself under the cautious gaze of a woman and a child. They were hovering over her, but quickly backed up a considerable distance as Neptune got up into a sitting position. Neptune looked herself over and found that her clothes and hair were no longer dripping wet. The temperature in the air was cool, so there was no way Neptune's clothes dried naturally. Neptune grunted as she stood up and turned to look at the mother and daughter. They were concerned enough citizens of Planeptune, but with a healthy amount of caution. One way to prove Neptune could be trusted was revealing herself in her HDD form.
Nope. Still can't transform for some reason. Is it on a cooldown or what? Neptune tried focusing her energy to switch Hard Drive Divinity form on to no avail. Well, I guess I have to do this meet and greet the old-fashioned way then.
"It's a bit late in the night to be in a forest, don't you think?" Neptune started off to show how casual and nonthreatening she was.
"I-I could say the same about you." The woman stuttered initially. "Is...your friend coming back?"
"Friend?" Neptune raised an eyebrow at the woman and noticed the woman dodged introducing herself. "I'm someone who hasn't been back to Gamindustri in a long time. I don't have any friends."
None that are alive anyways. Neptune kept that comment to herself since she wanted to gather more information. Someone else found me and dragged me away from the lake area. Why?
"I was falling from the sky and dropped into a lake. After I swam back to land, I passed out." Neptune explained what she remembered and omitted the dream talk with Histoire.
"From what I saw, some stranger showed up and killed monsters around you." The woman told her perspective on what happened while Neptune was talking to Histoire. "They carried you behind these trees and thick grass before running away."
A random stranger protected Neptune while she had her small talk in her mind. Neptune found it odd that the person did not stick around to see if she would wake up. The woman also mentioned monsters, so Neptune needed to confirm Histoire's information to be true. Neptune looked around and spotted the lake area through the grass. Sure enough, there were corpses littering the open field around the large pool of water. The lone individual certainly had a degree of skill if they were outnumbered and came out victorious. Neptune wished she could have spoken to this mysterious protector. However, if they did not want to stick around, then that was their choice.
"So you were the shooting star, Miss?" The little girl spoke up, who looked disappointed. "Why were you falling out of the sky? Did you jump out of a plane without a parachute?"
"Peashy, it's rude to ask questions like that." The mother gently chided her daughter 'Peashy'.
"Name's Neptune, Peashy. No need for Miss." Neptune used this opportunity to introduce herself since she finally had a name for someone. "And I can tell you that I did not jump out of a plane."
"Eh? Then where did you jump from?" Peashy tilted her head at Neptune. "The clouds?"
"Ever heard of Celestia?" Neptune decided to ask a question instead of answering.
"Nope! Never heard of it." Peashy shook her head before looking at her mother. "Mom, what's a Celestia?"
"I'm not too sure myself." The woman answered sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "I don't mind chatting some more with you, but do you have a place to stay or go back to? We can keep talking along the way."
"I need to head to the capital city itself." Neptune had to choose her next words carefully. "So, uh, is there a Basilicom in the city still? That's kind of where I need to go."
"Yeah, there's a Basilicom." Peashy's mother nodded her head before realizing something. "I'm Rei Ryghts, by the way. Come on, we should get going."
"Lead the way, Rei."
This Neptune girl had lots of questions to ask. A person her age should be more well-informed about current events. Rei theorized that perhaps Neptune lived a hermit lifestyle. However, even an assumption like that did not help against Neptune's lack of knowledge about monsters existence as a whole in Gamindustri. This 'Celestia' place that Neptune mentioned briefly must have been cut off from the main Gamindustri lands. A place without monsters truly sounded like paradise and an impossibility. For as long as Rei has known, monsters were always a threat to the average citizen. Rei would like to visit this Celestia and see what life without monsters was truly like.
"I'm surprised your husband lets you roam around at night with your daughter." Neptune commented after Rei finished dumping summarized info on Gamindustri life. "Unless you're the boss of the relationship?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have a husband or anyone interested in me that way." Rei chuckled nervously as she felt her cheeks burn at the thought of some guy being interested enough to date someone like herself. "I adopted Peashy after she lost her mother and father."
Rei lowered her voice so that Peashy, who was happily skipping ahead, could not hear that. It was a sensitive topic for both Peashy and herself that they did not want to bring up a lot. Only sadness and regret came out of talking about their deaths, as both were still grieving in their own ways. Due to the deaths of Rei's closest friends, Rei took the initiative and learned how to fight with her hands. Admittedly, Rei may not be the best fighter, but if she had to throw down against some beast, she was certain she would come out on top. It is why Rei trained herself to wear heavy gauntlets on her arms every day. They helped improve her strength as well as protect her hands if she needed to punch something with strong defense. The blacksmith she commissioned to modify her weapons made sure of that.
"Whoops, sensitive subject. My bad." Neptune had the decency to look ashamed. "It was the monsters, wasn't it?"
"Every couple of weeks a huge monster wave hits the smaller towns and settlements." Rei nodded her head to answer Neptune's question while explaining how it happened. "One herd hit too hard, and my friends were the unfortunate statistics. Regular people are afraid to go anywhere beyond the walls."
"You're one of the exceptions then." Neptune said as she glanced over to Peashy, who tried catching a glowing bug that passed by her. "You must be pretty confident in yourself as a fighter."
"I'll stake my life on it if I have to save her life." Rei answered resolutely. "Peashy loves going out on walks outside the city walls at night with her parents. I'll continue to do this in honor of my friends and because Peashy still wants to."
"Strong girl." Neptune nodded her approval at Peashy. "If only the monster threat could be ended."
"We would need nothing short of our goddess returning from wherever they went." Rei thought back to the statues of Purple Heart in the city plaza. "History is kind of blurry on the reason why the goddesses left. It kind of got lost during the wars, but maybe they went to fight some greater threat."
"...Maybe, maybe not."
Neptune's tone in her answer sounded conflicted, but Rei did not want to press for an answer. The two were still strangers after all and may not ever meet again after this. A period of silence filled in the gap between their walking to finally reaching the destination of Rei's hometown. The night guards stationed at the gate waved at Rei and Peashy as they approached. Tonight had certainly been an adventure, but Rei would be happy all the same to fall asleep in bed too. As the gates began to open, Peashy suddenly rushed over to Neptune, who was talking to one gate guard. Neptune flinched out of surprise when Peashy suddenly hugged her leg and looked down to see what was attached to her. Rei sighed before walking over to Neptune and Peashy as she heard what Peashy asked next.
"Miss Nep, are you sure you didn't take the star from the lake?" Peashy asked.
"Hey, didn't I tell you to stop with the Miss part?" Neptune feigned annoyance with a chuckle. "No, I didn't take the star from the lake. But you know what? I think I can make something just for you."
"A present!? Yay! It's not even my birthday!" Peashy immediately let go as she jumped up and down excitedly for her gift.
Rei sighed and shook her head at her daughter. She watched as Neptune crouched down to Peashy's level and held out both her hands. In Neptune's hand, particles started to gather around her hand. That was magic at work, which was an advanced form of skill that belonged either in the military or among members of the Gamindustri Guild. It seemed there were still more mysteries surrounding Neptune that Rei could not solve in their short time together. The particles formed into a crystalline material that shaped itself like a pentagon star. Curiously, there was a power button symbol inside the crystal that hummed with light inside. Peashy happily took the star in her hands and spun around holding the small crystal.
"This is so cool! I'm going to bring this to school to show my friends." Peashy said before bowing her head. "Thank you, Nep!"
"You're welcome, Peashy." Neptune chuckled as she stood back up. "And thank you for not calling me Miss again too."
"You didn't have to do that." Rei said before realizing she probably pronounced the name wrong. "But thank you for indulging Peashy."
"Least I can do for letting me tag along." Neptune waved off the thanks before looking at the guard. "So if I keep heading down this road, I'll end up at one of the gates into Planeptune, right?"
"Yeah, just stick to the road." The guard answered Neptune. "It's mostly safe, but if you see monsters, you're better off hiding until they pass."
"I'll keep that in mind to avoid being monster chow." Neptune turned to Rei with a smile. "Well, this is where we split off. Thanks for everything, Rei."
"Just promise me you will not dive into any more lakes."
"I promise not to dive into lakes you can see."
That was as good an answer as Rei was going to get from the girl.
Planeptune grew and changed in appearance, but Neptune still called it the home where she belonged. Neptune had to wait to be permitted entrance into the city since she could not transform to provide proof of being Planeptune's CPU. It was easier to leave the city than it was to enter, and the reason amounted to the refugees who were left homeless in the outer towns. The news channel on the television reported several areas in the city struggling to maintain cleanliness due to the amount of people unable to afford housing. Planeptune was big, but not enough to account for all the citizens forced to flee from monster-infested areas that were once their homes. There were resources to build new homes, but the problem was diverting manpower without sacrificing the defenses of towns still standing. Neptune knew Planeptune needed her to help them, but with HDD form currently disabled, she did not have a whole lot of options right now. A glance at the waiting board and she saw her name pop up along with her assigned counter.
This would be so much easier if I could just show everyone I'm the CPU of Planeptune! Neptune internally whined as she sat down in front of an employee. I didn't think leaving Celestia would make things this difficult. Maybe I should have let the other goddesses knock me out of Celestia.
"Miss Neptune?" The staff spoke as she held Neptune's form she filled out. "Did you hear me?"
"Sorry, I was waiting so long I'm practically on autopilot." Neptune threw out an excuse for not paying attention. "Can you run it by me again?"
"You wrote down that your purpose here is to visit the Basilicom and meet the Oracle." The employee pointed her finger at the paper. "Are you a representative from another nation? Your clothes obviously look Planeptune in origin, but it's hard to tell who is from where these days by just looking."
"Definitely not a rep from another nation." Neptune shook her head at the staff's question. "I used to work for Planeptune a long time ago. Now I'm back, and I wanted to see who's in power."
"Good luck trying to meet her." The employee chuckled and shook her head. "Well, your reason is certainly different than the majority of other people here."
"And a lot shorter, I bet. Maybe even one word on their reason: Monsters." Neptune threw a small joke to test the waters with the employee.
"You'd be right." The lady stamped the paper and handed over an identification card to Neptune. "Enjoy your stay, Miss Neptune."
Neptune quickly made her way past security and onto the streets of her city. It was hard not to notice the people sitting on the sidewalks or the people setting up makeshift beddings in alleyways. The misery on their faces said more than words could ever say. Neptune wanted to cheer them up and tell the people that things were going to change for the better. Yet Neptune knew it would only attract anger and trouble for her as just a normal person. Planeptune needed to recognize her as their goddess first before people could believe in her words. A nearby map directory was stationed outside for tourists, so Neptune approached it to figure out where to go. Neptune could see the Basilicom which was at the center of the city, but there was not a straight path to it.
"New to the city, huh?"
A voice spoke up on Neptune's right, and she turned her head to see a girl with a coat several sizes too large. The girl's green eyes focused on the map as she looked for her destination and tapped it. Neptune could say for certain the girl was an adventurer or mercenary. The brown-haired girl held up her phone to the map before it made a single ring noise. Neptune saw the girl holster one of her nine cellphones on her belt strap. The girl must have a thing for antique phones or at least the look of them. Neptune last remembered those physical models being replaced by more slim variants. The adventurer finally looked at Neptune and gave a polite smile.
"Name's IF." The girl introduced herself and held out her hand. "Welcome to Planeptune."
"I'm Neptune. Or call me Nep for short." Neptune shook IF's hand as she recalled Peashy calling her that. "I'm not new to Planeptune, though. I just haven't been around in a long time."
"Oh, is that so?" IF pulled back her hand and crossed her arms. "Then welcome back to the city. You had this feeling about you like you're exploring unknown territory when adventurers go on scouting missions."
"Planeptune still feels like home to me. Just need to get back into the swing of things." Neptune answered as she turned her attention back to the map. "Like riding a bike."
"Wow, that's such an old saying." IF laughed, but not in any sort of mocking way. "Anyways, you have fun now. I'm heading to the Basilicom."
"Looks like we're heading the same way then." Neptune found the coincidence very lucky since she would be getting a guide to help Neptune get there faster. "Hope you don't mind me tagging along with you until we get there, IF?"
"Sure, I could use the company." IF nodded her head before turning around and began walking. "We'll need to hurry, though. Normal hours are almost over, but we can probably make it there with two hours to spare if we power walk or start jogging now."
Neptune only just met this IF girl, but there was something about the girl that felt right. It was hard to describe the feeling, but she felt like she met someone she could eventually call a friend. Rei and Peashy were more like subjects that Neptune wanted to protect. Neptune caught up to IF and walked by the girl's side, who kept her eyes forward. A point of interest on IF's coat shoulder caught Neptune's eyes. It was a symbol of the Guild, but heavily modified. That solved Neptune's previous assumptions that she was a registered adventurer instead of a mercenary. Neptune realized she had stared too long as IF was looking at her before following where Neptune was staring.
"You interested in joining the Gamindustri Guild, Nep?" IF sported a grin on her face, and Neptune felt like she was looking at one of the preachers finding a nonbeliever who was on the verge of accepting faith in the goddesses. "Lots of benefits, plenty of danger and fun to be had, and paid time off plans. Once you get settled into a team, all that can be yours."
"Referral bonuses too, right?" Neptune picked up that IF's intention was not necessarily out of love for her place of employment.
"That may also play a factor." IF did not deny Neptune's accusation. "Gamindustri Guild always wants to find the next best talents. You look young, so I'm sure some instructors can pull the potential out of you."
"Wasn't it called the Guild before?" Neptune asked once she realized 'Gamindustri' was added into it. "What made them change it?"
"You don't read up on history, do you?" IF looked genuinely perplexed at Neptune's question. "When you said you've been away for a long time, I didn't know you were that out of the loop. Just how old are-? You know what? I'm not even going to ask that."
"I guess you can say that I've been training somewhere really high up." Neptune knew it was not so much training as it was fighting to kill in Celestia. "Don't let my looks fool you! I am a woman of finesse and maturity!"
"Don't forget to add big ego there too." IF sighed and shook her head with an amused grin. "You don't lack for self-confidence. I would give you a history lecture on it, but it's kind of taboo to discuss it with the unaffiliated. However... if you were to become a member of the Gamindustri Guild under my recommendation, I can-"
"You're just trying to get me to join up!"
"Guilty as charged."
An alarm clock rang inside an office space before a hand smacked the top of it. The hand belonged to a petite girl who had been resting in a recliner. After pulling her hand away from the alarm device, she clapped her hands twice as the lights in the room turned on. The girl wore a dress in colors of white, black, and red and just placed a blue beret on her head. Cut into the cross necklace on her collar was the name 'Plutia'. A messenger bag placed on a chair behind a computer desk began to vibrate. Plutia yawned as she stood up and stretched her arms before making her way to the bag. She pulled out a tablet inside along with an earpiece as the screen brightened up.
"Good evening, Oracle Plutia." A robotic female voice spoke from the tablet. "Tonight's schedule has been updated, and your tasks for the staff have been forwarded."
"Good morning, Caelus." Plutia greeted the voice back with a smile.
"Oracle Plutia, it is ten pm." Caelus explained that before the tablet launched, multiple windows opened on the screen and organized them neatly. "General Iris will be arriving within the hour for her scheduled visit."
"Thank you, Caelus. It's always nice when Sis comes and visits me in the morning." Plutia completely ignored Caelus correcting her as she attached the messenger bag onto her waist. "Is there anything else?"
"The team currently stationed to monitor the Share levels has reported an anomaly." Caelus continued as Plutia exited her office. "Activating data feed now."
The several windows were pushed offscreen and replaced with a graph. On it were a series of numbers constantly fading in and out as well as notes from other Basilicom members. From what Plutia was able to interpret from the coding, the Share energy levels were fluctuating rapidly. It was as if there was another signal source in the area that was trying to reconnect with the Shares. Plutia had intended to reach the main hall area but decided to take a detour. She waved at the staff members who were discussing either work issues or their upcoming lunch break. Plutia entered the Basilicom's Share Data Observatory room. The employees all turned their heads to see who had entered, and Plutia waved at them all.
"Miss Plutia, we were not expecting you to come visit right away after your scheduled sleeping session." One of the employees fixing a circuit spoke. "After we reported the situation to Caelus, we tried to see if there were any internal errors with our hardware systems."
"Nothing out of the ordinary there." Another Basilicom member spoke up as they approached Plutia and bowed their head. "Sorry to have wasted your time!"
"Don't worry about it." Plutia waved off the apology with an easygoing smile. "I just wanted to hear some theories before I head to the Share Core area next."
"Either it's the same situation with Iris that led us to Caelus or..." The staff member fixing the circuit board stopped and sighed. "...Forget it; the idea sounded stupid in my head."
"Just spit it out, man." The employee in front of Plutia shook their head. "Fine, I'll say it myself. We think there's a possibility that Lady Purple Heart is somewhere close in Planeptune."
That was indeed a wild suggestion, but Planeptune has had its own share of tall tales in the past. Oracles from the past have given up the idea of meeting their goddess during their time in the position. The belief that Purple Heart would return started around twenty years ago from Oracle Kay. However, Kay's time as Oracle was not a peaceful one, and in the end, the woman's life tragically ended. Kay had been investigating a matter but had been found dead weeks later in her own residence. Plutia would later on pick up where Kay left off, which started an adventure for Iris and herself. The reward from completing the investigation gave them a Planeptune CPU descendant known as Caelus. To be more precise, a shell artificial intelligence, or "AI", of Caelus before her passing.
"Hm...That does sound a little crazy..." Plutia said before giggling. "It's about as crazy as what happened with Iris."
"See? Oracle Plutia didn't see anything wrong with the idea." The employee told their friend. "We're going to keep trying to get a hard lock on the unknown signal. It will not take long, I promise."
"Do your best, everyone!" Plutia mustered up as much energy as she could to shout that. "Keep me updated through Caelus."
After a resounding series of affirmative noises and nods, Plutia exited the Share Data Observatory. Plutia headed to the next area, which required an elevator ride down into the underground levels of the Basilicom. The Share Core facility was where Basilicom could see the physical manifestation of Planeptune's Shares. The way Shares were perceived changed with the times, as it had a different way of being managed in the past. It was a place of high importance, so only the highest authorities, like Plutia herself, were allowed access. When the elevator doors opened, Plutia was greeted by guards armed with firearms who saluted her as she passed. Several other staff members who were moving with constant purpose glanced Plutia's way before pressing on. Unlike the normal tasks handled by above, the assignments given to the staff at this level were much more intense and focused.
"Miss Plutia." One of the soldiers spoke to her as she reached a closed doorway. "Right this way."
The soldier pressed a series of numbers on a keypad before a bright light washed over Plutia's body. A series of noises followed before the doorway opened, leading her into a large room. There was no visible floor below, but Plutia walked on ahead regardless. As she stepped into the room, a series of vibrant lights and shapes started to appear and flow around the room. This place always made Plutia feel comfortable and safe, but it could be better. If history is to be believed, this room took another, more beautiful form in the past, back when the goddesses were around. Plutia walked into the center as the tablet glowed brightly. A floating sphere of purple light flew out and floated next to the manifestation of Planeptune's Shares.
"Oracle Plutia, it is good to be back here." Caelus' voice spoke from the orb. "For what purpose are we here?"
"If the Share Data Observation team is right, then Lady Purple Heart has been gone for so long that there is a disconnect between Lady Purple Heart's powers and Planeptune's Shares." Plutia explained as she looked down at her tablet. "We just have to give her a taste of home."
"Give her a taste of home?" Caelus sounded perplexed at Plutia's phrasing. "I am afraid I do not understand."
Plutia did not answer as she was opening a new window in her tablet. After inputting a series of codes, a loading bar appeared on the mobile computer. Plutia looked back up and held her tablet up to the Share. Seconds passed before the tablet started to shake violently. Plutia kept her hands firmly gripped on the portable computer, but the sound of a door opening caused her to turn her head. A tall figure of a woman dressed in formal Planeptune military stepped in. To anyone else, the woman was an imposing figure that demanded respect. For Plutia, it was her big sister Iris who showed up to visit her.
"Iris! You made it here quick!" Plutia smiled at her sister before turning her attention back to the tablet. "Sorry, I'm in the middle of something important at the moment."
"I figured as much since you and Caelus are here." Iris answered as she stopped by Plutia's side and nodded at the orb. "Caelus."
"General Iris." Caelus greeted back but floated up and down as a makeshift nod. "I am glad to see you are in good health."
"Still stiff as ever, Caelus." Iris showed an amused grin. "Guess you only ever show emotions when one of our lives is at risk, huh?"
"Please do not tease me." Caelus responded back with the tiniest hint of embarrassment. "My coding was...overwhelmed that time."
"Uh-huh, I'm sure."
The tablet finally ceased moving as the loading bar finally filled. A fragment of Share separated itself from the main manifestation and landed gently on top of Plutia's tablet screen. Plutia held the small Share fragment before turning to Iris. A hug was shared between the sisters, as it was not often they got to meet for long. Iris and Plutia had their duties, but the small adventure they shared together that ended up with their new companion Caelus would always keep them close. After pulling away from the embrace, Caelus returned back into the tablet. As if right on cue, a call line from the Share Data Observation team appeared on Plutia's tablet.
"Miss Plutia, we've confirmed the signal." The employee spoke into her earpiece. "It's definitely in the city, and if I'm reading this right...the signal is on a path towards the Basilicom."
"Then it looks like we have history in the making happening tonight. Have your team head up to the main hall, and I'll meet you there." Plutia stored the tablet away before looking at Iris. "Sis? I'm about to say something really funny..."
"I'm all for it then." Iris grinned at her. "Is what I'm about to hear ridiculous?"
"Mhm! We're going to welcome back our goddess!"
Hello there, Nep readers! Welcome to the reimagining of "Nepverse X Rebirth 1 - No to Console War!"
I'm the writer for other stories that have been on hiatus for several years, such as the Halo & Neptunia crossover "Fireteam Leanbox" and the Rebirth 2 AU "ReVive ReBirth ReTry".
I've been away from the Neptunia fandom for quite some time.
Like several years, actually.
Anyways, I've been aiming for permission from writer Abyssal Within to have a go at her abandoned story. That required some tracking, time, and a hell of a lot of patience.
It was a story that I saw with a lot of potential, and it had stopped updating for years.
Especially after what happened in the last known chapter.
So with that said, I've been given some terms in that it's not going to be me copying and pasting the same story word for word but on this account instead.
The story has been left to rot for several years, so I doubt I'll reach the level of popularity and reviews it had. Even so, I want to have my shot at finishing what she started even if there's a high chance I'll fail updating too.
At any rate, I hope you all enjoy the read. I'll see you all in the next chapter, whenever that is. I'm going to try and revive my other stories too and bring them out of hiatus status.
Happy reading!