Forge of broken memories

Once again. Once again, the young silver-haired maide stood in front of the tall structure, a gate to another world. She went through these so often that she could probably not count the number with her hands alone anymore. However, this time was slightly different. First of all, she was not to enter it alone, she had asked someone specific for help. But they were not quite here yet, and so the girl simply stood, gazing the the green mist which formed the portal into another dimension. The horse that got her here was also standing nearby, tied to a poll to make sure he would still be here when the girl eventually returns. But even the living creatures was not able to capture Leila's attention. For all she could see right now, was that fateful day in the past. She could see herself... and Jiyu Kazehime, her beloved friend, talking with one another. Ah, the wind witch just got her new armor and was showing it off. Such an exciting occasion... they were to enter the world of Kyoka together, and they did. But they never managed to fulfill their objective. The Heaven's Forge lied hidden to them. And the Eden's caretaker was not here on her own, without her friend. She couldn't help it, but feel a bit lonely, despite the fact that support would soon arrive here for her. It was more and more that she was thrown into the past like this. And it bothered her greatly. After all, she mostly lived for the moment, never really looking back all that much. So why was this happening? Was it because she had lost something and wanted it back? No, surely not. After all, she made up with her canine friend and were talking every now and then. But then... what was it?

"Haah..."

A simple, yet loud sigh that penetrated the dreadful silence. Even if she had not lost anything, she desired to go back. Those joyful days when she could do anything she wanted. Ah, well... she was still capable of that much. But it felt different. So much was lost and gained, it seemed like a completely different life altogether. And in a sense, it was. After all, she had sacrificed her life and then got resurrected. Perhaps that was the point where everything went wrong... where she lost her powers and the timeline itself became damaged. It was not right. People disappeared and just... it was perhaps her desire to fix it all that drew her here. Maybe, this could have been the first step of many. Clenching her first, her expression suddenly became much darker, but only for a moment. For she heard a familiar voice in her head... voice that was also present here last time.

"I know. You don't have to worry about me, Yuki. I know we can make this right... if we can't... then we'll create our own, new reality!"

But she couldn't do so just yet. She knew that this was too much for her alone as she was right now. She still lacked the power she once had. And so, she had to patiently wait for the one who was able to help her so-called sister. If he managed to team up with her, and with what he displayed in the ancient ruins when they met Lexa, even this should be possible to accomplish!

It took Leila a good moment before even reacting to the sudden words of a purple-haired male that suddenly appeared behind her. Though in the end, her simple turn of a body and head to face him was perhaps little lackluster or outright disappointing. Though her eyes remained somewhat dimmed as she scanned him from toe to head, almost as if she did not believe that he was actually there, that he did indeed show up as he was supposed to. Only about a minute or so later she finally snapped out of the strange shock.

"I'm afraid that I don't just duel other mages, especially those with power far above my own. My lifestyle also doesn't leave all that much room for normal activities. Contracts take priority."

When she looked back at it all, she could easily see that these words were, in fact, the truth. She did so little in terms of socializing or just relaxing, it was perhaps shameful to a certain degree. The work of a mage... it was her life. Her relaxation and her method of finding new people to interact with. And outside of that, she was nothing more than a simple traveler who wanted to see the world and beauty it was hiding from the many curious gazes. Perhaps she lacked personality? Was she nothing more than a hard-working doll in the eyes of others? She wasn't quite confident enough to ask them directly, so she merely sighed and clenched her fists for a moment.

"There are... no details. This is actually not an official contract, thus no employer. We very well might not get paid in any way either. I won't blame you if that made you lose your interest in accompanying me and I won't fault you at all if you decide to leave. All I can say is that this is important to me from personal reasons. There will be many enemies and we will have to fight through them in order to obtain certain items."

She would turn her back toward the boy as she once again faced the greenly lit portal. It was such a majestic structure, almost difficult to look at. And behind it, the magical world of Kyoaka... even more magical than Earthland itself. Hard to believe, but that was indeed the case.

"You don't have to worry about me at all. I can take care of myself... I have already been to Kyoaka in the past. I've been to nearly all the portals here. It's a world of magic, the atmosphere is filled with Ethernano. You can expect your magical power to raise several times over once we enter, so try to not be alarmed."

Her hand would move forward slowly as if controlled by countless invisible strings. Her long and slender fingers brushed through the strange matter, creating countless ripples that danced on the surface of the portal. Such a familiar feeling it was. But they did not have the time to just stand around and have fun. Or at least she didn't. Forcing her hand through, it would quickly dissipate and drag the rest of her body in.

"I'll wait on the other side for a bit if you want to join me after all."

Those were her last words that resounded in that world. And now, she stood in the tall grass, observing the majestic skies once again. The magic in this world... it was so powerful that its particles became concentrated enough to be visible. This formed phenomena similar to aurora lights in the skies, green intricate symbols dancing across the skies that appeared as the surface of the sea in motion. A world hidden in the hue of green. That was Kyoka, or at least the way Leila perceived it. She knew that when she was here last, her friend wasn't able to see the exact same scenery because of her body and senses. It was almost... saddening. Moving a bit from the portal, the girl would run her hand through the silver hair and look behind her. Was Cirven coming... or not? Even though there was no reward awaiting them, at least no promised one, she had a feeling he would not resist the temptation. Although it may have made Leila feel a bit forceful in a sense, as not many would refuse to help those in need like herself. Especially because of Noheme.

"I wonder what she's doing now. It's been a while... I was so focused on this, I didn't even bother to check on her. Guess I really am a bad 'sister'."

Not that they really were sisters. They were not bound by blood, nor magic or anything else. They were merely similar to one another by their origin. Something that hardly mattered to many. And yet, they were able to understand one another quite well. But all of this, it was just distracting her from the matter at hand! She had to push forward and complete her quest this time! She just... had to.

It seemed that Cirven really didn't take all that long to actually move through the gate in order to join the Silver-haired witch caretaker of Eden. It was something that clearly pleased the girl, yet she did not really show it any way. Though mostly because her small frame of a body was pushed to the side by the larger man who was clearly not experienced with the portals themselves and did not know how to properly walk through them without falling all over the place yet. For someone who adored exploration and lived as a traveler for majority of her Earthland life, such thing was almost confusing to Leila. Though she understood why some would be hesitant to visit these different worlds. Sometimes, they could be more than just dangerous. Though Kyoka was clearly one of the more lax ones. Though there were obviously dangers, as she said before, they would have to fight through a good number of enemies to actually get anywhere in their task.

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about this much..."

She said in a rather low tone. With her body pushed to the side like that, she would have probably appeared much more fragile than she actually was to those that did not know her well. And the fact that the boy worried so much over just this probably meant that he did not really know how she really was either. Well, that did not matter much, as he would probably soon see. Though there was one thing the Eden's Witch didn't like, the fact that he soon started slowly doubting her, in a way.

"If you really believe your own words, then I won't stop you. The portal is right behind you, so you can easily return without any problems. I'll be able to handle this somehow, always found a way."

That was right. She had lived the life of a mage for over a year now, and in that time, she managed to learn so much. Paired with her prior knowledge from traveling all over the world, there wasn't many situations this one could't squeeze out of. She asked for the man's company, yes. But it surely wasn't absolutely necessary in this task? After all, the girl also had all of her spirits with her, always watching over her. With their help, she would be capable of handling this just fine.

"There is no need to be mad or suspicious. This task is of a great value to me, but I do not have the information you seek. It was... my friend who heard the voice all that time back. But we never managed to find it. All I know is that... I will know when I see it with my own eyes. So I just have to keep moving forwardin this world until my task is finished, there is no other way around it! I have to fulfill this mission... because everything is wrong. And this could help me fix it!"

She was convinced that she had to do this! No matter if she were to go alone or with someone else to back her up, she just knew she had to. For her own sake... and for Jiyu. The two of them fought so much here because Aurora took over. And Yuki served the goddess faithfully as well. Those two facts mixed together only resulted in so many hurtful things escaping from Leila's lips, directed at her best friend. Things she did not mean in the slightest and would have never said if she was in control of her own body back then. Oh, how the roles have come around... right now, there was not a shadow of a doubt that Aurora would help the Caretaker of Eden fulfill her mission for the sake of the girl that she spoke so harshly to. It really has been a while since that event. And so, filled with confidence, the girl would start walking forward, not even looking back. At least until the moment the nature around them started rustling, bushes slowly moving as if there was something hiding inside of them, trees bringing a shield to unknown forms of life lurking about. Already, it seemed that the hard part of the job would start.

"If you're not going to leave in the first place, then there is no need to threaten me with that fact. It's... not always appreciated..."

She would slow down toward the end of her sentence, almost as if she was struggling to find the correct words to even say. Obviously, she did not mean it in any sort of aggressive way where she would call him out. However, she found his actions pointless. Perhaps it was just her slowly reverting to her old self, but she found herself trying to question the morals of those around her. Even though she herself now held the position of a hero, she was the prime candidate for her own mockery. Such chaos dictating her actions... was it part of the reason why she wanted to finish this 'contract' of hers? Hoping that it would somehow help her change into the person she wanted to be instead of the person she always was? Ah... there were no words she could really speak out about the subject, it seemed. Instead, she just took few step back as the growling reached her ears, her eyes finally picking up what was in front of her, as if they were in a black haze until now and unable to see anything at all.

"I won't be able to show much if you take them all out yourself."

She would reply in a low voice, watching the demon take out a good number of the opponents with quite the ease. Despite his destructive slayer magic, he was not killing them, not one of them. It certainly sparked a reaction from the silver-haired maiden, even if it was not a visible one. Now it really was her turn to show what she was capable of, however. For the hungry wolves, smelling fresh flesh that had entered the realm, seemed relentless.

"I have to apologize. I now realize that my previous words might have made it seems like I believe my powers to make me almost invincible to the threat of this world. What I really meant by 'I'll be able to handle this' was the fact that I have my own allies that will always watch my back."

With those words, her hand would quickly pull out something shining in a golden light from one of her many pockets. And as she extended said hand with the object, it became apparent that it was a golden summoning key. A Zodiac Key used by only the luckiest of celestial spirit summoners. And as the girl's magic poured into it, the key would shine in a golden light most brilliant, almost blinding anyone and everyone on the battlefield momentarily.


While the key itself created a magic circle from which a beautiful dark-skinned woman moved out, there was something much more. The skies themselves split apart with the second incantation, a gigantic magical circle adorning the view above them instead of the clouds and stars. It was formed only by the most brilliant and complex shapes as a light descended onto the land where they were standing, a feminine figure forming. An attire that was floating in the air along with her body, a star-shaped staff in her hand, several pairs of wings flapping behind her back, animal ears and tail swaying in the gentle breeze and a halo of pure magical energy static above her head. A being most unique was suddenly floating right behind the Eden's witch, the golden spirit also standing by her side.

"This is what I meant by my words. Libra, take the left side!"

The black haired female would quickly move her hand to the hilt of her katana that rested by her side with a playful "Yup, yup~", speeding up into the crowd of hungry animals, unsheathing her weapon and striking each one of them in what appeared to me almost one singular motion. She even took the care to only attack with the dull side of her weapon, merely delivering pain to the animals rather than outright killing them. Seeing such display, Leila knew that this side was taken care of, prompting her to quickly turn to the more majestic of the trio.

"Aurora... please..."

Her voice seemed to be weaker as if she was speaking to an actual authority, someone that was far above her own existence and much more powerful than she was. The summoned goddess would sigh as she ran her hand through the plentiful hair, looking at Cirven and then back at her summoner.

"Fine, fine! Stop looking at me like that, already, sheesh. I'll help... it's only fair after what I've done when you were here last with that precious friend of yours."

After she said those words, she would strengthen the grip on her staff, several lightning-like sparks suddenly emerging from her body as eight different beads of black mass quickly formed behind the goddess' back. An energy that Cirven could have possibly recognized, as he had seen and felt it before in his life. And with a single motion of the staff, these eight balls would rapidly start moving about the battlefield, bouncing between the remaining wolves and easily knocking them out with each hit. It almost seemed unfair to the animals. But such result was only to be expected. After all, the Rising Star had just pulled out her strongest summons. She was clearly in no mood to be messing around.

"Did you really have to open my gate for something like this? Especially when you have a god slayer around? Heretics like him only make the air sour..."

Libra:

Aurora:

The black orbs eventually made their way back to Aurora's back where they slowly dissipated into the eternal nothingness of this world, going seemingly unnoticed by the demon of absorption. And her heavenly body would float, glide through the air in a manner most graceful as her long, slender arms wrapped around her summoner's body, embracing the silver-haired maiden from behind with a smile adorning her expression along with rosy cheeks. Those blue eyes of hers, appearing almost as if the galaxy itself was inside of them, would lock onto the male nearby, curiously gazing at his corporeal form before closing for a bit, giving them well deserved rest.

"Naturally I know who you are. But you do not know who I am, it seems. Else you would not be asking questions like that. My name is Aurora Solaris, a Goddess that created the Gardens of Eden. I am Leila and Leila is me. Our soul is one, for she was born from me. Our memories, experience and powers, we share it all. And so, I know full well who you are, Cirven Mizune."

Leila herself would simply avert her gaze to avoid any possible eye contact, allowing her peepers to take in the green hued nature that surrounded them instead, otherworldly in its aspect and visage. Her body trembled slightly as Libra stepped between the demon and the due, glaring at the man herself with her hand ready on the katana she had just used to defeat the wolves.

"Step down, Libra. He's not going to attack. Not for as long as Noheme continues to exist herself. You went on plenty of interesting adventures with my 'sister', did you not? I'm surprised she does not share my view on that magic you wield... merely the thought of someone having powers specifically designed to slaughter our kin without mercy makes me want to... heh, oh well."

Letting go of her summoner, she would once again float into the air behind Leila, her many wings caressing the air around her. And the now freed Eden's caretaker would fall to the ground, her eyes widened in shock as her hands rested on the grass-covered floor. Something beneath it was amiss to this place, the dirt caked and fertilized by dried blood.

"So we really are at the exact same spot as last time, aren't we..."

Libra would speak as she herself turned her back toward the scene, her form most likely unable to bear witness to her master's wounds of the past. Small tears would appear in the corners of Leila's eyes. And as she tried to wipe them, she would look up at her partner, sniffing for a bit.

"You want to know what happened here last time? Despair and sadness. A friendship nearly broken, bonds falling apart in an instant as fragile hearts bled on this very spot, our souls and bodies mangled and lacerated alike. Our search for the items and the final location did not bring any fruit at all... only destruction. Maybe it was ever since then that all was going downhill. Maybe... if I had never been revived, that would have been for the best."

Saying her final words, her head would collapse down again, her body doing its very best to not fall onto the ground completely, rendering the poor girl helpless once again. But Aurora would not allow it, her frame moving between the silver-haired maiden and Cirven to face him from a much closer range.

"A voice of magical origin escaped the weave of this world and called out for help. And so, Leila along with her best friend came to this world in order to help. Of course, the two did not get all that far. The enemies wielded flames, weakness for the both of them. Listem to me, demon. We do not need to complete this task. In fact, it might not even be possible for us to complete it now, after so much time. One of us merely needs to recover from her wounds, is all."

And while the descended goddess spoke those words, Libra would fall onto her knees as well, right next to her master in order to embrace her and comfort her. In the end, this truly was no contract at all. Just a voyage to another world, filled with painful memories that waited ever so patiently to strike at one's fragile heart once again. It seemed that such memories awaited around every single corner for the nature mage, for the pendulum of time, the grand clockwork was still moving forward. With her revival, the entire world had changed, the grand clock moving to yesterday instead of tomorrow. But not everything could be re-done, even with such magic at work. Attempting to fix things that were not wrong, moving in the wrong direction, the girl was dancing on the thorns of her own blindness, shortcomings that could not be seen by anyone. And while she hoped that this place would allow her to fix mistakes she had made, only the opposite was the truth. After all, her fate was still shackled by an invisible force, unknown to their mortal minds. All she could truly do was obey and move forward like a pawn without any will. At least for now...

Aurora would but look into the distance with a smile on her face, her grip on the star staff seemingly tightening by the moment. And in only a few seconds, she would sigh and turn her back toward Cirven, now gazing at the nearly collapsed Leila.

"You expect far too much from someone like us. There are barriers stronger than the reality itself, something we will never be able to shatter. We... It's time again. Prepare yourself."

Just as the goddess said those words, an unpleasant smell of burning would waft through the air. Soon after, black smoke would start rising into the clouds in all direction as the forest and other nature that surrounded them caught ablaze, flames quickly consuming everything. And from them, a large number of elemental bodies slowly ascending and walking toward the group, leaving naught but black steps on the ground behind them. Nodding toward Libra, Aurora would quickly fly far into the air while the other Zodiac spirit let go of her summoner and jumped far back, unsheathing her blade. There would be time for more pleasantries, but not right now. Especially not now... for this specific encounter was one of the reasons Aurora even agreed to be part of this entire charade. As the flame astronachs marched, a rather large cluster of magical power would radiate amidst them, something suddenly bursting forth from the wall of flames. A giant one, much larger and clearly way more powerful than the rest. Without a moment of hesitation, it aimed straight at Leila, appearing behind her small form in a fragment of a second, one of its arms stretched backward in preparation for a downward punch. And it went through with it too. Only, the flaming hand would be stopped far sooner, not even hitting the ground despite it's fierce and powerful motion.

"Take care of the rest, please... I am no longer afraid of flames. I am no longer afraid of pain. I have been dead for thousands of years, walking the void... and today, as I stand here... I finally live."

No, it was caught instead. In that single instant, the silver-haired maiden got back up on her feet, raising her hand up above her and simply catching the Astronach's attack with her very own palm. She cared not for its body made out of flames... hell, her own body now was ablaze as well. The corruption mark that adorned many spots on her body shining with a crimson glow, like a burned out wood that still had flames inside. And yet, she did not present anyone with any clear sign of discomfort, not even flinching once. The hand that stopped the attack already transformed, no longer flesh but the bark of a tree, malformed and covered in blood as it lost it's shape, growing larger and more massive in order to ensure that the incoming blow was indeed stopped. The girl's expression suddenly changed into one of anger as she turned around, flinging the Astronach's hand to the side and performing a strike of her own, the already transformed hand penetrating the flames that formed its body like nothing. A moment of nothing, followed by a sudden growth that made the girl's hand look like an ever extending spear, pushing the elemental far into the air. Of course, the beast tried to fight back, extending its hands toward Leila as a ball of fire started forming in front of it. It started small but quickly grew into something, much, much larger and brilliant. A flaming core that was probably capable of scorching this entire area if it was allowed. And this very attack was now starting to move toward the Eden's caretaker.

But there were other players on the field still! Ones that already forged and perfected many fighting strategies over their time by Leila's side. All of a sudden, the ball of flames stopped in the air and started moving backward as the gravity in the area began to be altered, Libra revealing her floating form nearby and working her magic. Even a monster of manna as an Astronach had some will of its own. And it's body language showed it in this very moment, the clear surprise, or perhaps that it was impressed, confused mayhaps that something like this was happening to its mighty attack. Libra, the Heavenly scales... she was a golden Zodiac key, one of the most powerful spirits that exist in this world. An ally that anyone would envy! The gravity field extended beyond the attack as well, affecting the spirit's summoner who was now starting to float into the air slowly herself. And to help it, giant wings of twigs and colorful leaves would suddenly sprout out of her back, majestically flapping in the air as the witch started closing in on the enemy. Aurora finally joined as well, using her own many pairs of wings to follow right behind her other self.

"You won the last time... but I won't let that happen again! I... I have decided to fight!!"

As the wood that was holding the Astronach up in the air burned away near that moving sun, the monster would conjure its own pair of flaming wings, being pulled upward by the reversed gravity in the process. However, it seemed that its power was greater after all, capable of moving against the gravitational pull as a molten sword grew in its hand. A clear reply, a long katana of gray corrupted Eden wood forming in Leila's hand as she clashed with the spirit, the heat alone slowly chewing away at her life force. But with the help of a goddess right next to her as Aurora entered the clash herself using her staff, the two girls were able to push back with their powers combined, forcing the elemental to back away involuntarily. The wings of flame suddenly started growing even more, now resembling a pair of hands more than anything as they tried to scorch the two females, forcing them to leap back and create some distance as well.

"My oh my, this one just refuses to admit defeat. Whatever will you do, Leila?"

Aurora would tease her other half as the injured and burned girl looked up at the elemental and Libra who was floating behind it. She might have just been teased by the goddess, but her reply would be a sly smile.

"We. We will finish it. Libra! Just like the old days... Planetary formation!"

The combo attack that the two of them used to perform, a finishing move that would always decommission the enemy for good. Ah, when was the last time they performed it...? Oh. In that arena, trying to show off to Frey Rune as they fought together. A wavering smile, one that would steel itself as the girl pointed at the Astronach. The flow of gravity changed once more, as the enemy now became its very core. Naturally, this caused that giant floating fireball to actually crashed into its caster, not that it really did anything to a body made out of flames and magma. But that was only the start, as Leila kneeled down and placed her hands on the ground, several giant roots suddenly piercing out and moving about, their sole goal to break the soil they were standing on into pieces. And as these pieces were made, they would float up into the air and close in on the enemy. That was the goal of Libra's ability, to encase the enemy in whatever could be found around. And in only mere seconds, a tiny planet would start growing with the elemental at its core, the heat giving the spectacle an impressive orange tint and glow. Now, only one last step was missing.

"Sorry... I'm not strong enough to perform the Nature Cannon yet. Could you do the honors?"

Aurora merely sighed as the black orbs formed behind her back once more, all eight of them floating in front of the goddess this time, their essence combining into one. It took a bit of doing, but soon all of them formed a singular black spear that the winged girl held and with a smirk, threw at the giant ball floating in the skies. One would not think her throwing arm was that strong, creating a sonic boom the moment the spear left her grip, visibly piercing the air and going through the artificial planet as if it was a knife going through heated butter. So much shock was created in the process that the entire construct erupted into an explosion of raw energy, a firework that one would not see very often. A very potent one that did not leave a single trace of the enemy behind. The trio was victorious as they challenged the strongest of the enemies. Only a magical core would fall on the ground beneath, marking their victory. The only question remaining now was - how exactly did Cirven take on his part with the rest of the enemies?

The battle was over, leaving only scorched ground and a forest that was slowly fading away in the flames, leaving behind on black skeletons of what it once was, a cruel reminder that all things will one day fade into nothingness as they are consumed by the fate that awaits all. Even in this world, violence would not be subdued. No matter where, as long as beings with free will existed, there would be a conflict for one reason or another, even if the four creatures who remain victorious did not even know why the enemy attacked them. Did they even need a reason? The very same elementals attacked Leila when she was here last time as well, the flames that her friend feared so much taking on a much more horrid form that made the Wind witch faint. Left alone to protect her, the Eden's caretaker used up too much of her will, allowing Aurora to take over her mind for a limited amount of time and cause all kinds of trouble by saying things that the silver-haired maiden did not mean.But such seemed to be the nature of most arguments between people. Why do we say things that we do not mean, why do we not think in simple logic that would fix our problems? Questions like that raced through the female's mind quite often, and even now as she turned away from the demon who had walked up to her and spoke out loud.

"I don't think there is much to be enjoyed in battle. After all, there always has to be a losing party... and more often than not, the price is far too high."

Her tone was sad, yet strangely neutral as she lifted her left hand up and looked at it. The Eden's corruption... a gray bark-like skin covering most of it now, though also darkened in color from the flames, embers still resonating within it and making it glow faintly. She might have won the struggle against the magical construct that held a great deal of power, but it was not a flawless victory. She had sustained serious damage in the process, even if she was not really showing it to the outside world. In the end, her physical form was the same as Noheme's, a shell that she had to wear in order to be able to interact with this world properly. Part of a reason why they could be considered true immortals, as even if their bodies were completely destroyed and erased from the existence, their divine forms and souls would still be there, capable of creating a new body that would serve them. In a way, they were naught but disgusting monsters capable of just about anything they would put their mind into. Because of such, Leila had tried taking on a more pacifistic view toward the outer world, even after countless struggles and contracts that placed her in danger again and again, she had not killed once. At least not when she was her sane self... but when Aurora was in control, this body had killed one. An old man that wished to drain her of her powers, the man that was responsible for dividing Aurora's soul and giving birth to Leila by doing so. That was the sin she had to carry on her shoulders always, the one life that she had taken in a rage as the goddess entered her mind.

"Well, it wasn't too bad. Though it was beyond clear that someone like you would much rather go against an opponent of far greater strength, yes? What a shame that you have to be helping poor Leila who had lost most of her powers and cannot afford to go on dangerous contracts like that! Oh, and of course me and her have the same abilities. Though, this is not really a magic. It's pure dark made manifest, the core of black. Something that all who obtained power from the Miracle Demons such as Lilith are capable of. Leila was able to use that power too at one point~"

Aurora would step in, her teasing tone piercing the ears of all present perhaps in an attempt to lighten the mood or if one were to delve into a more sinister way of thinking, to agitate Leila and make the girl feel bad about herself. But in any case, the enemy was down and they were free to go anywhere they wanted if they so desired. The question was, did they actually want to go anywhere at all? They still had no clear goal in sight or mind, nor any knowledge of how to find the finish line. Libra did scoop up the magical core that remained from the construct, bringing it over and presenting it to the group. But that alone was far from enough, as they needed three different items. If they were to try and gather them all, the journey would be far longer than it was right now and more powerful enemies would stand before them, putting their skills to the test. And while the Eden's caretaker was clearly quite capable now, she did struggle a bit against the flaming Astronach. Would she be able to take down another opponent of that level, maybe two or three? Probably not, even with the help of Leila and Aurora... but the truth was, holding the gates open was also draining her of her mana, and not even by an inconsiderable amount either.

"Haah... I know I have said that I'll help because of what I did when you were here last, but I don't think it's a good idea to continue this charade. We don't have any clues as to where to go, we don't know who we will have to face and most importantly, we don't even really know what to look for. Not everything might be as obvious as this magic core. I say beat it. We had our fun, gained new experience alongside it, all's good. If you're still upset about your business with Kazehime even after gathering that new courage to fight, I'm sure we'll be able to find other leads as to what might be going on."

Saying all that, she would also turn to face Cirven. While he was here to help them with their quest, he also had some right to say his piece toward the matter at hand. His opinion as to what they should do counted just as much as anyone else's here.

The girl averted her eyes, as she did not desire to even look at Cirven at the moment. She heard his words, ones that described reality. They stung badly. She did not desire things to be like this. In fact, she knew that it could all be different. The Gardens of Eden, albeit a small world, was peaceful. All creatures within it lived in perfect harmony with one another, helping and smiling together. It was surely possible to create a world without any conflict at all. But no one ever succeeded, for humanity already corrupted itself so deeply that to reverse it all, one would require more power than was even imaginable. If only humanity could start over again, be reminded that freedom is something that should not be taken for granted and used for vile, selfish purposes...

"That is a reasoning of someone who had already given up on creating a better world for everyone, rather than just those that matter to you. There is no such thing as destiny or fate, there are only stories humans can grab into their own hands and mold to their desires. A true victor and hero should not talk about the world how it is, but how it should be and never give up trying to achieve that. Feel free to call me naive if you so desire... but I believe it can be done if we all try hard enough. It's true that I'm forced to fight in order to survive and protect what I love right now... but tomorrow doesn't have to be like that."

In her current state, she could only barely hold back tears once again. Ever since she was born in this world as Leila Vergious, she continued to travel with her adoptive father. She continued to learn about Earthland and its beauty, it's flaws. Nothing could ever be perfect, but what was stopping us from at least trying to get as close to it as we can? Or maybe it was just all impossible. But it was better to at least try and fail in the end rather than to give up halfway through. At least that was the caretaker's view on it all. Aurora would simply sigh at it all as she stood some distance away, merely observing the conversation at least until it came back to being replied to. And Libra was addressed as well, making her feel a little bit less invisible.

"Rather than swordswoman, my name is Libra..."

"Truly kind for someone who has a demon's blood flowing through their veins. But I suppose that as long as all parties involved end up happy, there is no need to complain. You make a fantastic mean shield while we can sip our tea~"

The goddess would say, somewhat ignoring the man's reply about Lilith. She had mentioned him, yes. But there was not much of a point to discuss the miracle demons right now. There was a war preparing. And once it arrives, everyone will be involved whether they like it or not. And Cirven will know right away. Though if he will be able to rid the world of the annoying umbrella man was yet to be decided. When the enemies started approaching, the winged girl would sigh once again. Her, Libra and Leila would clump together while the dog demon seemed to have found his own target. Though he was swiftly preoccupied with said target and eight whole enemies started surrounding the trio.

"'I am here to help so if I have to deal with all the enemies that come our way' huh? Nope, I feel like you failed us there, dear."

"There's no time to be complaining now Aurora, we have to... d... ah..."

The eight mages swiftly surrounded all three girls and started chanting in unison, some sort of purple barrier of similar design to the blood one appearing around them and sapping away their energy. Leila quickly started losing her mana while Libra's gate instantly closed, making the spirit disappear. It seemed that the goddess was the only one strong enough to just stand there and endure the effect, staring at her silver-haired counterpart for a little bit before grinning and suddenly hugging her. Of course, that was nothing normal she had planned. A sudden burst of magic quite literally shattered the purple magical barrier into pieces and knocked all of the hostile mages back. All they could see now was a single girl where there stood three before. With the appearance of Leila but wings of Aurora growing from her back and the goddess' halo above her head, she opened her shining blue eyes and smiled, the ground beneath them all shattering as countless wooden talon-like growths shot forward, piercing the skin of the enemy and sending them flying. Though it seemed that none of them actually died, they were certainly in a pretty bad shape right now, bleeding lacerations and broken bones as they lied on the ground. The new being would cast her look toward Cirven who seemed to have finished as well, showing a smile with fangs inside of her mouth.

"You shouldn't say things you can't keep. See? I had to deal with the enemy again despite Leila not wanting to. That spell they cast was quite a nasty one, I had to merge my existence with Leila's to gain enough power to break free of it. But don't worry, we'll split again in few hours or so once the magic wears of. For now, let's just head back to Earthland before more of them show up."