The Temple of Magic, a place that exists connected to any church that pledges its allegiance to [Odyssey]. Created using powerful magic that links the idols made in her name with the magic of [Exploration], making it a hub of travel.
"PRAISE OUR GODDESS AS SHE IS WISE!" And as a new church, their believers are quite... zealot.
All the while on the other hand we have the believers of [Framework], "..." all serious and with a no-nonsense stare and a sign that asks for silence in case you decide to visit their church. Quite the funny scenery, if not for a little thing on the side.
"SAINTESS HAVE YOU COME TO PLEDGE TO US?!?" Most of the zealots swarming around Rossie trying to guide her into the church.
"No, and stay away lest you want me to do something you will regret, again." And her lovely Rossie glaring daggers at them.
That was quite interesting yes.
"A SAINT HAS DESCEND UPON US!" And a new zealot made its voice known.
Only this one came from a new place, you see this place is built like a hub, there are multiple doors to multiple places, and whoever made it made sure that there would be enough space to travel around. So Elizabeth was sure as hell it hadn't been her mother the one that made it.
Each door had its own sign saying where it went, and where that church was located. The only reason they allowed members of the church of [Framework] here was probably because they were husband and wife.
So who was this new interloper?
"You are here again [Infidel] why do you keep coming?" One of the zealots asked, the new interloper took no opinion on this though.
"[Silence]! You are the infidels, how could you worship servants when the true [God] speaks to us every day?!?" Excuse me what? Did this one say [Mother] and [Father] were mere servants?
Smite? No Smite? [Mother] are you sleeping?
"Excuse us [Saintess] we will deal with this...vermin, please go on your divine mission." One of the less... zealots of the bunch said as they tried to form a wall between them and the new interloper.
"...Whatever, let's go Eli-Eli. The cathedral of magic is this way." Rossie said while grabbing her hand and pulling her.
Kyaa, so manly....or not. Hmm...she may need some thinking to get the right reactions.
"WAIT SAINTESS! AT LEAST SHOW YOUR GLORY TO THESE INFIDELS!" The newest interloper said as they started walking away.
"Yeah yeah, we get it. I ain't no saint for you creeps." Her Rossie said without turning her attention back, that was quite interesting, how did they find out that her lovely Rossie was a Saint?
"Not you, you pink-haired harlot! The [Saintess] that your filthy grubby hands are tainting!" The other zealot said, in an instant all the sound in the room disappeared.
The zealot seemed to take pride in silencing everyone, and didn't seem to understand why everyone was running away from him towards the closest door.
"That is more like it, now, as I was saying. Welcome Saintess, do you require assistance dealing with this pink-haired...thing?" It is quite funny, Elizabeth didn't think of herself as an unreasonable being.
So why was it that the being in front of her was making her have such a hard time?
"Eli-Eli?" See, her lovely Rossie seemed to want to ask her something, and here she was. Having to deal with this...thing.
"Yes, bring us a new [Advent] Saintess! BRING HER GLORY UNTO THE WORLD!" And the...thing, in front of her kept squirming.
But what was she doing you ask?
Nothing much, really. Her shadows though, they were going wild, the whole thing was blanketed in shadows that kept ushering bystanders away and her ten shadow dragons were making sure no one was hurt.
The [Thing] that made all of this?
It was alive, in the middle of it, squirming in joy in the middle of a shadow cocoon, the thing was a masochist it seems, and since it started saying something about another [Advent] she had covered that thing's mouth with a thick shadow tendril.
"Okay, explain." Elizabeth said turning her attention to the only zealot that hadn't left and who somehow was keeping her shadows away from himself.
"He is...one of our less enlightened, are you aware of the church that rose in the [Advent]?" Asked the priest that had remained, he looked like a grandpa that gave candies on Sundays, so he was doing his job of looking friendly if nothing else.
"The [Church of Magic] and The [Church of Stability]?" Elizabeth answered with a question, weren't those the two ones that were created in the image of [Father] and [Mother]?
"Yes, there are more than those two though. Some of the [Nine Stars] ended with small followings since some fans thought that if [Framework] and [Odyssey] managed to ascend, maybe other members could. So they started their church before they ascended." The priest said showing her pictures of other holy emblems.
A monster emblem, a gun, a magical circle, a puppet, a compass, all kinds of imaginary really.
"So who did this idiot follow?" Asked Elizabeth as the shadows around started stabilizing.
"None of the remaining apostles. He is...different, he follows [The Church of The World]." She could understand if he was a follower of any of the former companions of [Father] and [Mother].
Hell, she could even understand if this one was a follower of [Echidna], but that?
That she could not forgive, "ELIZABETH NO!" so when a [Holy Barrier] materialized in front of the zealot as she tried to shove 139 shadow stakes into him, she was surprised.
Not because it had been a [Holy Barrier], she was surrounded by all kinds of priests, clerics, nuns, and a few bishops. She expected at least one to try and save him, and was ready to kill that one too.
No, it was because the barrier in question came from behind her, from the hands of Rossaline Singh. She wouldn't lie and say that she had expected that, no, she hadn't expected that at all.
"Rossie?" So the blonde girl turned back and saw her girlfriend with the spell that prevented that [Thing] from dying.
"He is no threat, they have been going around trying to bring followers, they are mostly harmless even if annoying. You don't need to do that Elizabeth...please." Her Rossie said while fighting against her attacks.
"...Fine. But I need more explanations." Elizabeth relented as she released the control over her shadows, most of them returned back to her [Shadow Haven], back to her [Soul].
Not all of course, she still left the [Thing] contained within the shadow cocoon.
"He is among those that were [Tainted] such as you. And got a new attempt at life with the [Advent], and as such, he worships not the [Gods] that made this possible, but the [System]." The bishop explained, " And are mostly harmless, they preach and try to get others like them, and [Odyssey] saw fit that they got access to this hub, so they must be generating [Faith] and their [God] must be real too."
"Of course [Mother] would... " Elizabeth cursed under her breath, yeah, she was not getting a gift for Mother's Day... again.
"I find it curious, you are powerful with your [Shadows], but why is that this one claims you to be a [Saint]?" The bishop asked, she felt a wave of mana try to pierce her defenses, but since it was laced with [Holy] mana it was rebuffed, was it because her [Titles]?
It probably was.
"Ask him, we are just coming to ask something to [Odyssey] and then we leave." Elizabeth said while turning her attention back to Rossie, "Where to?"
Her Rossie turned too and directed her to the gaudiest door she had ever seen before, it was probably made of gold with gems all over the place, different relieves of girls in sailor uniforms adorned the door, and at the top was a girl with stars on her dress with the figure of a man kneeling at her side.
"....*sigh*" Yes, that one was her mother all right.
"Welcome to [The Cathedral of Stardust], we think this was one of the bases [Odyssey] used while living in our world, but we have no evidence, it is the place where most of her [Apostles] received their divine message. If you require help or have any doubts do ask." Said the bishop while guiding both girls into what was honestly one of the biggest and most trippy buildings Elizabeth had ever seen.
The place was huge, it had seatings all over the place and she could almost taste the flavor of magic in the air, gravity seemed to be more of a suggestion than anything as some people were walking on the walls and a few seemed to be sitting on the ceiling. Magic circles floated all over the place and instead of normal windows, they had portals that showed depictions of other places.
Elizabeth seemed to recognize some of those places from descriptions her mother had given her in stories, but wasn't too sure about that, so she asked "Are those portals? Projections?" while pointing to one that had a view of a medieval castle.
"We aren't sure, some think they are indeed projections to worlds [Odyssey] also reigns, while others think they are portals to said worlds. But we haven't been able to pierce them nor use them, so we leave them be." The Bishop answered, that was a dangerous mindset.
If they were mere projections it was fine, but if they were portals...Yeah, those worlds were awful, and if the stories [Mother] told about them were true, then half of them deserved to be destroyed.
"Do you require anything else?" The Bishop asked as they arrived at a statue made of gold and gems, that didn't look like her [Mother] at all, but she could see the golden and blue mana on it.
"Only that you make sure that [Thing] does not bother us when going back," Elizabeth said, she hadn't released her control over the shadow cocoon yet, so the [Thing] was still struggling in the area where they arrived.
"That will be all, thank you, Dominic." Rossie said giving a curtsy to the bishop.
That was interesting, did she know him?
"I will be seeing you at the manor Miss Singh." He said to Rossie and then turned to Elizabeth, "We will be seeing you around in a few months then, [Inheritor]."
And on that note he disappeared, did more people know about her without telling her?
Again?
Wasn't this getting cliché?
What had changed then? Nothing?
"He is the head butler of my house," Rossie started saying when the bishop left, "He joined the church when the opportunity rose to make sure my parents knew what to expect from these new entities...He is also the reason I could get away even though they found out my affinity with [Holy] magic."
So he was a spy planted by Rossie's family? That still didn't explain some things. Like what he knew of her title as an [Inheritor], not that she was still one, or whatever that had happened outside and how he had managed to stay as if nothing.
"And why did you stop me? He claimed to be on the side of [Him]" Elizabeth said, the mere idea of someone serving under [Ethan] made her shudder, they should not be allowed to live.
"He wasn't a follower of Ethan, but of the original entity that Ethan was supposed to follow." Rossie started saying, then after a few seconds she continued with a heavier tone, "The same entity offered me a deal actually."
Elizabeth would love to say that she didn't narrow her eyes, that she didn't shift her stance and sharpen her mana, that she didn't feel betrayed and tightened the control over her [Shadow Haven], over the apartment where Rossie's soulscape was held.
She couldn't say that though.
"Whatever entity or [Entity] that currently is there sent me this when I found you at that clinic." Rossie said while doing a motion with her hand and soon after a new blue screen materialized in front of Elizabeth.
| Hello Rossaline: |
| This is a time-limited offer, Rossaline Singh, what you have in front of you is the remnants of what was once my [Inheritor], the one that would bring a great era upon your world. Now at this point is where the [System] would inform you that the person in front of you is not the one you think it is, but you are among the few that can confirm for yourself if that is true or not. This being the reason I'm even you speaking to you. Let's make a deal Rossaline Singh, the previous one you did with the [Tainted One] means you are willing to collaborate after all. What you have in front is but a husk, the remains of my [Inheritor] trying to make itself whole, while it is at its weakest I need you to collect something from within it. [The System] will grant you the computational power of a whole world so you may achieve success, within the [Soul] of this thing in front of you is the [Egg] of one of my servants. The one that would bring upon the new world, sever its connection to the [Inheritor]. Release [My child] from the [Vestige] of the [Inheritor] and I shall grant you a [Wish], unlike [The Tainted One] I will allow you to word it as you desire. Don't be mistaken, this can circumvent whatever whim [Odyssey] imposed upon the world, for [I] am above those, for [I am The World]. |
"I didn't accept, couldn't accept. Not after what happened to you the first time I tried to accept a deal such as those." Rossie said and when Elizabeth finished reading that blue screen she noticed it crumble.
Elizabeth wasn't sure what was this, but she knew something, she needed answers.
"[Mother] stop playing coy, what is this." Elizabeth started saying while turning her attention back to the statue that symbolized the mother of magical girls, "And get this annoying filter off."
Elizabeth said while her mana blanketed the immediate area around them, shadows started fanning out, and the very few people that still were around started leaving the area.
Elizabeth didn't pay much attention to them, nor why they left with the bishop at the helm.
It wasn't till the room had been emptied and the walls were covered in her shadows that something answered her, the eyes of the statue started shining gold and a silhouette walked out of the statue. A woman made of gold and blue mana.
| Notice: |
| Divine Advent in the area, please remain calm. |
"Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-" The singing voice of a thousand angels seemed to resonate in the place. It sounded sacred, as if you needed to prostrate to the owner of said voice.
Unless you were Rossalina Singh, who didn't hold the [Divine] in good place at her heart, and was using all her mastery over [Soul Magic] to make sure she didn't listen to the instincts engraved into her soul.
Or you were Elizabeth Starbright, who was protected from the of meddling gods thanks to the [Titles] that had been granted to her.
"[Mother] " Elizabeth said, dripping sarcasm out of her words.
"...You do know I can hear what you truly said right? That isn't a nice way to speak to your Mama young girl." [Odyssey] said, admonishing tone in her voice. "Where did I go wrong...I even allowed you to have a girlfriend! Most of the geezers at the [Council] would have thrown a tantrum at that! Even if half of them had a few girlfriends themselves!"
"I greet the goddess of magic." Rossie said on the side while giving a small curtsy.
"See, she at least pretends to have respect for me," [Odyssey] said while pointing at Rossie, "Even if I can hear she isn't using capital letters, she still pretends!"
"Get over it, I am no longer addled nor am I in a good mood, what the hell happened? Who the f#ck is the B#tch that caused so much trouble for me?" Elizabeth demanded and to make it obvious her intentions, "And don't you ever dare to try to shrug it under a joke, I used to not mind it since it was fun and all, but I no longer can afford that. I do not have anyone to depend on anymore."
"Catherine, let's talk." A black-haired man said at the side of [Odyssey], he was average looking, average height, average built, the most normal person in the whole world. And yet, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel...at ease? Why?
"Papa?" She tried saying while looking at the man, and as the words flew out of her mouth she rushed to the man and hugged him, "PAPA!"
Rossie was confused as she knew for a fact that Elizabeth didn't have parents, not anymore, and yet...She also couldn't help but think of the man as [Elizabeth's Father].
"Now that isn't fair, why does he get a hug? He didn't even do a showy entrance!" Grumbled [Odyssey] as her figure dimed and turned into the image of a normal blonde woman, she still looked quite stunning and closer to a world-class model, but it wasn't the same type of ethereal beauty from before. "[There], I mean. There, the censor block is gone, try again Eli-Eli."
"Stupid childish woman that does not think and acts on whims and somehow managed to be a Mother." Elizabeth said in one go, "Oh, it works, long time no see Mama."
"...Excuse me what?" Rossie said on the side, "Every time you said [Mother] you were saying something like that?"
"Sometimes she said less cordial things too." The black-haired man said on the side with a shrug.
"Sometimes she swore at me too yes, can you imagine it?" The older woman said, "I'm here working my ass off making the world work and be a nice place, and my daughter is insulting me! She doesn't even want to let me take a peek when she is lovey-dovey!"
"...That is on you Catherine, I told you to not let Agatha tell Elizabeth that you could peek at what she was doing by using Agatha as a medium." The black-haired man said.
"BUT THEY LOOK SO LOVELY!!!!" Catherine said while fussing over Rossie and poking Elizabeth in the side.
"We are running out of time Catherine, we can do this again at another time." The black-haired man said as his figure started to shine, turning into a tall muscle man who nodded before dissipating.
"Oh, the old lady is getting grumpy because she got found out?" Catherine said while frowning, "Yep, she found out. Okay then Eli-Eli, pay attention!"
Something was going on, the mana seemed to be vibrating all around them.
"First, [The World] or however you wanna refer to her is the [Entity] that rules this world, she was the one that was supposed to be sleeping but sneaked at the back and tried to pull a fast on us. We [The Twelve] had been keeping her at bay and gave no reason to wake up. " Catherine started explaining, "I'm not sure how much you know, but you were born as a very special girl, I transformed my body into one made of mana, and so you were born with huge amounts of mana. But the body couldn't hold it quite well. I made a deal with the Saintsworths so they made something to hold control over the mana, we didn't know you had something stuck in your soul, and so you ended up with a few extra things stuck in."
That was information she already knew, "And the filter?" So Elizabeth asked what interested her the most.
"Put in by the big boss at the top, was there to try and erase your memories of us. Not that it worked since we put the protection against meddling." Catherine said, "So yeah, it was pointless in the end. The filter is gone now by the way."
So it was meaningless meddling?
"And the [Inheritor] stuff?" Elizabeth asked, Catherine was starting to shine too, was the time coming to an end?
"The daughter of Jack and Eleanore was supposed to kickstart the [System], by using shadow mana and creating a web in the world, no human can achieve that. So [The World] sent one of its minions in the way of a [Seed], that [Seed] was supposed to be nurtured and bring a mana cataclysm. The [Inheritor] is the one that holds the [Seed] and nurtures it, and also the only one that can hatch it." And after that Catherine asked while pointing at her chest. "You still have that thing stuck in your soul, do you want me to take it away?"
"Nyx? No, he can stay, is anything else there?" Elizabeth asked worried, was something still there?
"Besides your girlfriend? No, there are remains of other stuff but either the lizard or your girlfriend can deal with it if you don't want to deal with them." Catherine answered, so only Rossie and Nyx were left...Good, surely some remains were harmless.
"That would be about it, if you want to speak again with me do try to get the [Oracle] skill or convince your girlfriend to become my [Saintess], see you around Eli-Eli." And like that, Catherine disintegrated into motes of light that joined back to the statue.
Leaving only Elizabeth alone with Rossie.
"...I'm sorry." "I'm sorry."
Yeah, it was getting cliche.
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you Rossie," Elizabeth started again, this time with no interference.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about all of this before, but I wasn't sure what you would be able to see or listen to. And I'm sorry for not believing you about your parents." Added in the end Rossie, "I didn't think [Odyssey] and [Framework] were truly your parents, some memories just didn't parse quite well and they showed as different people in my mind."
"Probably more mind tampering that Mama hates, it's okay. Just...do mind that if you end up pledging yourself to her, she will peek at us from your point of view." Elizabeth said, she didn't want that to happen but would respect Rossie if she did.
She would feel weirded out about it and would probably curse her mother for looking at her kissing Rossie.
"I will not, I'm sorry to your esteemed Mother, but I don't want to pledge myself to any deity if I can prevent it." Rossie at least was smart enough to not sing a deal with the devil.
And with that out of the way...
They had found out everything she wanted to, right?
She didn't forget anything...
Right?
The Temple of Magic, a place that exists connected to any church that pledges its allegiance to [Odyssey]. Created using powerful magic that links the idols made in her name with the magic of [Exploration], making it a hub of travel.
"PRAISE OUR GODDESS AS SHE IS WISE!" And as a new church, their believers are quite... zealot.
All the while on the other hand we have the believers of [Framework], "..." all serious and with a no-nonsense stare and a sign that asks for silence in case you decide to visit their church. Quite the funny scenery, if not for a little thing on the side.
"SAINTESS HAVE YOU COME TO PLEDGE TO US?!?" Most of the zealots swarming around Rossie trying to guide her into the church.
"No, and stay away lest you want me to do something you will regret, again." And her lovely Rossie glaring daggers at them.
That was quite interesting yes.
"A SAINT HAS DESCEND UPON US!" And a new zealot made its voice known.
Only this one came from a new place, you see this place is built like a hub, there are multiple doors to multiple places, and whoever made it made sure that there would be enough space to travel around. So Elizabeth was sure as hell it hadn't been her mother the one that made it.
Each door had its own sign saying where it went, and where that church was located. The only reason they allowed members of the church of [Framework] here was probably because they were husband and wife.
So who was this new interloper?
"You are here again [Infidel] why do you keep coming?" One of the zealots asked, the new interloper took no opinion on this though.
"[Silence]! You are the infidels, how could you worship servants when the true [God] speaks to us every day?!?" Excuse me what? Did this one say [Mother] and [Father] were mere servants?
Smite? No Smite? [Mother] are you sleeping?
"Excuse us [Saintess] we will deal with this...vermin, please go on your divine mission." One of the less... zealots of the bunch said as they tried to form a wall between them and the new interloper.
"...Whatever, let's go Eli-Eli. The cathedral of magic is this way." Rossie said while grabbing her hand and pulling her.
Kyaa, so manly....or not. Hmm...she may need some thinking to get the right reactions.
"WAIT SAINTESS! AT LEAST SHOW YOUR GLORY TO THESE INFIDELS!" The newest interloper said as they started walking away.
"Yeah yeah, we get it. I ain't no saint for you creeps." Her Rossie said without turning her attention back, that was quite interesting, how did they find out that her lovely Rossie was a Saint?
"Not you, you pink-haired harlot! The [Saintess] that your filthy grubby hands are tainting!" The other zealot said, in an instant all the sound in the room disappeared.
The zealot seemed to take pride in silencing everyone, and didn't seem to understand why everyone was running away from him towards the closest door.
"That is more like it, now, as I was saying. Welcome Saintess, do you require assistance dealing with this pink-haired...thing?" It is quite funny, Elizabeth didn't think of herself as an unreasonable being.
So why was it that the being in front of her was making her have such a hard time?
"Eli-Eli?" See, her lovely Rossie seemed to want to ask her something, and here she was. Having to deal with this...thing.
"Yes, bring us a new [Advent] Saintess! BRING HER GLORY UNTO THE WORLD!" And the...thing, in front of her kept squirming.
But what was she doing you ask?
Nothing much, really. Her shadows though, they were going wild, the whole thing was blanketed in shadows that kept ushering bystanders away and her ten shadow dragons were making sure no one was hurt.
The [Thing] that made all of this?
It was alive, in the middle of it, squirming in joy in the middle of a shadow cocoon, the thing was a masochist it seems, and since it started saying something about another [Advent] she had covered that thing's mouth with a thick shadow tendril.
"Okay, explain." Elizabeth said turning her attention to the only zealot that hadn't left and who somehow was keeping her shadows away from himself.
"He is...one of our less enlightened, are you aware of the church that rose in the [Advent]?" Asked the priest that had remained, he looked like a grandpa that gave candies on Sundays, so he was doing his job of looking friendly if nothing else.
"The [Church of Magic] and The [Church of Stability]?" Elizabeth answered with a question, weren't those the two ones that were created in the image of [Father] and [Mother]?
"Yes, there are more than those two though. Some of the [Nine Stars] ended with small followings since some fans thought that if [Framework] and [Odyssey] managed to ascend, maybe other members could. So they started their church before they ascended." The priest said showing her pictures of other holy emblems.
A monster emblem, a gun, a magical circle, a puppet, a compass, all kinds of imaginary really.
"So who did this idiot follow?" Asked Elizabeth as the shadows around started stabilizing.
"None of the remaining apostles. He is...different, he follows [The Church of The World]." She could understand if he was a follower of any of the former companions of [Father] and [Mother].
Hell, she could even understand if this one was a follower of [Echidna], but that?
That she could not forgive, "ELIZABETH NO!" so when a [Holy Barrier] materialized in front of the zealot as she tried to shove 139 shadow stakes into him, she was surprised.
Not because it had been a [Holy Barrier], she was surrounded by all kinds of priests, clerics, nuns, and a few bishops. She expected at least one to try and save him, and was ready to kill that one too.
No, it was because the barrier in question came from behind her, from the hands of Rossaline Singh. She wouldn't lie and say that she had expected that, no, she hadn't expected that at all.
"Rossie?" So the blonde girl turned back and saw her girlfriend with the spell that prevented that [Thing] from dying.
"He is no threat, they have been going around trying to bring followers, they are mostly harmless even if annoying. You don't need to do that Elizabeth...please." Her Rossie said while fighting against her attacks.
"...Fine. But I need more explanations." Elizabeth relented as she released the control over her shadows, most of them returned back to her [Shadow Haven], back to her [Soul].
Not all of course, she still left the [Thing] contained within the shadow cocoon.
"He is among those that were [Tainted] such as you. And got a new attempt at life with the [Advent], and as such, he worships not the [Gods] that made this possible, but the [System]." The bishop explained, " And are mostly harmless, they preach and try to get others like them, and [Odyssey] saw fit that they got access to this hub, so they must be generating [Faith] and their [God] must be real too."
"Of course [Mother] would... " Elizabeth cursed under her breath, yeah, she was not getting a gift for Mother's Day... again.
"I find it curious, you are powerful with your [Shadows], but why is that this one claims you to be a [Saint]?" The bishop asked, she felt a wave of mana try to pierce her defenses, but since it was laced with [Holy] mana it was rebuffed, was it because her [Titles]?
It probably was.
"Ask him, we are just coming to ask something to [Odyssey] and then we leave." Elizabeth said while turning her attention back to Rossie, "Where to?"
Her Rossie turned too and directed her to the gaudiest door she had ever seen before, it was probably made of gold with gems all over the place, different relieves of girls in sailor uniforms adorned the door, and at the top was a girl with stars on her dress with the figure of a man kneeling at her side.
"....*sigh*" Yes, that one was her mother all right.
"Welcome to [The Cathedral of Stardust], we think this was one of the bases [Odyssey] used while living in our world, but we have no evidence, it is the place where most of her [Apostles] received their divine message. If you require help or have any doubts do ask." Said the bishop while guiding both girls into what was honestly one of the biggest and most trippy buildings Elizabeth had ever seen.
The place was huge, it had seatings all over the place and she could almost taste the flavor of magic in the air, gravity seemed to be more of a suggestion than anything as some people were walking on the walls and a few seemed to be sitting on the ceiling. Magic circles floated all over the place and instead of normal windows, they had portals that showed depictions of other places.
Elizabeth seemed to recognize some of those places from descriptions her mother had given her in stories, but wasn't too sure about that, so she asked "Are those portals? Projections?" while pointing to one that had a view of a medieval castle.
"We aren't sure, some think they are indeed projections to worlds [Odyssey] also reigns, while others think they are portals to said worlds. But we haven't been able to pierce them nor use them, so we leave them be." The Bishop answered, that was a dangerous mindset.
If they were mere projections it was fine, but if they were portals...Yeah, those worlds were awful, and if the stories [Mother] told about them were true, then half of them deserved to be destroyed.
"Do you require anything else?" The Bishop asked as they arrived at a statue made of gold and gems, that didn't look like her [Mother] at all, but she could see the golden and blue mana on it.
"Only that you make sure that [Thing] does not bother us when going back," Elizabeth said, she hadn't released her control over the shadow cocoon yet, so the [Thing] was still struggling in the area where they arrived.
"That will be all, thank you, Dominic." Rossie said giving a curtsy to the bishop.
That was interesting, did she know him?
"I will be seeing you at the manor Miss Singh." He said to Rossie and then turned to Elizabeth, "We will be seeing you around in a few months then, [Inheritor]."
And on that note he disappeared, did more people know about her without telling her?
Again?
Wasn't this getting cliché?
What had changed then? Nothing?
"He is the head butler of my house," Rossie started saying when the bishop left, "He joined the church when the opportunity rose to make sure my parents knew what to expect from these new entities...He is also the reason I could get away even though they found out my affinity with [Holy] magic."
So he was a spy planted by Rossie's family? That still didn't explain some things. Like what he knew of her title as an [Inheritor], not that she was still one, or whatever that had happened outside and how he had managed to stay as if nothing.
"And why did you stop me? He claimed to be on the side of [Him]" Elizabeth said, the mere idea of someone serving under [Ethan] made her shudder, they should not be allowed to live.
"He wasn't a follower of Ethan, but of the original entity that Ethan was supposed to follow." Rossie started saying, then after a few seconds she continued with a heavier tone, "The same entity offered me a deal actually."
Elizabeth would love to say that she didn't narrow her eyes, that she didn't shift her stance and sharpen her mana, that she didn't feel betrayed and tightened the control over her [Shadow Haven], over the apartment where Rossie's soulscape was held.
She couldn't say that though.
"Whatever entity or [Entity] that currently is there sent me this when I found you at that clinic." Rossie said while doing a motion with her hand and soon after a new blue screen materialized in front of Elizabeth.
| Hello Rossaline: |
| This is a time-limited offer, Rossaline Singh, what you have in front of you is the remnants of what was once my [Inheritor], the one that would bring a great era upon your world. Now at this point is where the [System] would inform you that the person in front of you is not the one you think it is, but you are among the few that can confirm for yourself if that is true or not. This being the reason I'm even you speaking to you. Let's make a deal Rossaline Singh, the previous one you did with the [Tainted One] means you are willing to collaborate after all. What you have in front is but a husk, the remains of my [Inheritor] trying to make itself whole, while it is at its weakest I need you to collect something from within it. [The System] will grant you the computational power of a whole world so you may achieve success, within the [Soul] of this thing in front of you is the [Egg] of one of my servants. The one that would bring upon the new world, sever its connection to the [Inheritor]. Release [My child] from the [Vestige] of the [Inheritor] and I shall grant you a [Wish], unlike [The Tainted One] I will allow you to word it as you desire. Don't be mistaken, this can circumvent whatever whim [Odyssey] imposed upon the world, for [I] am above those, for [I am The World]. |
"I didn't accept, couldn't accept. Not after what happened to you the first time I tried to accept a deal such as those." Rossie said and when Elizabeth finished reading that blue screen she noticed it crumble.
Elizabeth wasn't sure what was this, but she knew something, she needed answers.
"[Mother] stop playing coy, what is this." Elizabeth started saying while turning her attention back to the statue that symbolized the mother of magical girls, "And get this annoying filter off."
Elizabeth said while her mana blanketed the immediate area around them, shadows started fanning out, and the very few people that still were around started leaving the area.
Elizabeth didn't pay much attention to them, nor why they left with the bishop at the helm.
It wasn't till the room had been emptied and the walls were covered in her shadows that something answered her, the eyes of the statue started shining gold and a silhouette walked out of the statue. A woman made of gold and blue mana.
| Notice: |
| Divine Advent in the area, please remain calm. |
"Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-" The singing voice of a thousand angels seemed to resonate in the place. It sounded sacred, as if you needed to prostrate to the owner of said voice.
Unless you were Rossalina Singh, who didn't hold the [Divine] in good place at her heart, and was using all her mastery over [Soul Magic] to make sure she didn't listen to the instincts engraved into her soul.
Or you were Elizabeth Starbright, who was protected from the of meddling gods thanks to the [Titles] that had been granted to her.
"[Mother] " Elizabeth said, dripping sarcasm out of her words.
"...You do know I can hear what you truly said right? That isn't a nice way to speak to your Mama young girl." [Odyssey] said, admonishing tone in her voice. "Where did I go wrong...I even allowed you to have a girlfriend! Most of the geezers at the [Council] would have thrown a tantrum at that! Even if half of them had a few girlfriends themselves!"
"I greet the goddess of magic." Rossie said on the side while giving a small curtsy.
"See, she at least pretends to have respect for me," [Odyssey] said while pointing at Rossie, "Even if I can hear she isn't using capital letters, she still pretends!"
"Get over it, I am no longer addled nor am I in a good mood, what the hell happened? Who the f#ck is the B#tch that caused so much trouble for me?" Elizabeth demanded and to make it obvious her intentions, "And don't you ever dare to try to shrug it under a joke, I used to not mind it since it was fun and all, but I no longer can afford that. I do not have anyone to depend on anymore."
"Catherine, let's talk." A black-haired man said at the side of [Odyssey], he was average looking, average height, average built, the most normal person in the whole world. And yet, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel...at ease? Why?
"Papa?" She tried saying while looking at the man, and as the words flew out of her mouth she rushed to the man and hugged him, "PAPA!"
Rossie was confused as she knew for a fact that Elizabeth didn't have parents, not anymore, and yet...She also couldn't help but think of the man as [Elizabeth's Father].
"Now that isn't fair, why does he get a hug? He didn't even do a showy entrance!" Grumbled [Odyssey] as her figure dimed and turned into the image of a normal blonde woman, she still looked quite stunning and closer to a world-class model, but it wasn't the same type of ethereal beauty from before. "[There], I mean. There, the censor block is gone, try again Eli-Eli."
"Stupid childish woman that does not think and acts on whims and somehow managed to be a Mother." Elizabeth said in one go, "Oh, it works, long time no see Mama."
"...Excuse me what?" Rossie said on the side, "Every time you said [Mother] you were saying something like that?"
"Sometimes she said less cordial things too." The black-haired man said on the side with a shrug.
"Sometimes she swore at me too yes, can you imagine it?" The older woman said, "I'm here working my ass off making the world work and be a nice place, and my daughter is insulting me! She doesn't even want to let me take a peek when she is lovey-dovey!"
"...That is on you Catherine, I told you to not let Agatha tell Elizabeth that you could peek at what she was doing by using Agatha as a medium." The black-haired man said.
"BUT THEY LOOK SO LOVELY!!!!" Catherine said while fussing over Rossie and poking Elizabeth in the side.
"We are running out of time Catherine, we can do this again at another time." The black-haired man said as his figure started to shine, turning into a tall muscle man who nodded before dissipating.
"Oh, the old lady is getting grumpy because she got found out?" Catherine said while frowning, "Yep, she found out. Okay then Eli-Eli, pay attention!"
Something was going on, the mana seemed to be vibrating all around them.
"First, [The World] or however you wanna refer to her is the [Entity] that rules this world, she was the one that was supposed to be sleeping but sneaked at the back and tried to pull a fast on us. We [The Twelve] had been keeping her at bay and gave no reason to wake up. " Catherine started explaining, "I'm not sure how much you know, but you were born as a very special girl, I transformed my body into one made of mana, and so you were born with huge amounts of mana. But the body couldn't hold it quite well. I made a deal with the Saintsworths so they made something to hold control over the mana, we didn't know you had something stuck in your soul, and so you ended up with a few extra things stuck in."
That was information she already knew, "And the filter?" So Elizabeth asked what interested her the most.
"Put in by the big boss at the top, was there to try and erase your memories of us. Not that it worked since we put the protection against meddling." Catherine said, "So yeah, it was pointless in the end. The filter is gone now by the way."
So it was meaningless meddling?
"And the [Inheritor] stuff?" Elizabeth asked, Catherine was starting to shine too, was the time coming to an end?
"The daughter of Jack and Eleanore was supposed to kickstart the [System], by using shadow mana and creating a web in the world, no human can achieve that. So [The World] sent one of its minions in the way of a [Seed], that [Seed] was supposed to be nurtured and bring a mana cataclysm. The [Inheritor] is the one that holds the [Seed] and nurtures it, and also the only one that can hatch it." And after that Catherine asked while pointing at her chest. "You still have that thing stuck in your soul, do you want me to take it away?"
"Nyx? No, he can stay, is anything else there?" Elizabeth asked worried, was something still there?
"Besides your girlfriend? No, there are remains of other stuff but either the lizard or your girlfriend can deal with it if you don't want to deal with them." Catherine answered, so only Rossie and Nyx were left...Good, surely some remains were harmless.
"That would be about it, if you want to speak again with me do try to get the [Oracle] skill or convince your girlfriend to become my [Saintess], see you around Eli-Eli." And like that, Catherine disintegrated into motes of light that joined back to the statue.
Leaving only Elizabeth alone with Rossie.
"...I'm sorry." "I'm sorry."
Yeah, it was getting cliche.
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you Rossie," Elizabeth started again, this time with no interference.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about all of this before, but I wasn't sure what you would be able to see or listen to. And I'm sorry for not believing you about your parents." Added in the end Rossie, "I didn't think [Odyssey] and [Framework] were truly your parents, some memories just didn't parse quite well and they showed as different people in my mind."
"Probably more mind tampering that Mama hates, it's okay. Just...do mind that if you end up pledging yourself to her, she will peek at us from your point of view." Elizabeth said, she didn't want that to happen but would respect Rossie if she did.
She would feel weirded out about it and would probably curse her mother for looking at her kissing Rossie.
"I will not, I'm sorry to your esteemed Mother, but I don't want to pledge myself to any deity if I can prevent it." Rossie at least was smart enough to not sing a deal with the devil.
And with that out of the way...
They had found out everything she wanted to, right?
She didn't forget anything...
Right?
