Afterwards, Mai and Arseia moved at a certain inn. Though, the male inn-keeper was shocked, as he saw Mai and Arseia, since the two of them were very beautiful women that stand-out amongst the crowd. The inn-keeper was frozen in their awesome appearances although, Arseia just asked for a room for her and her companion complacently. The inn-keeper gave them the room key in a jiffy, without uttering any other word. It would seem his eyes had laid upon such Goddesses, although in truth the two of them were associated as Goddesses, even though Mai was stripped of her divine status and powers. Mai and Arseia settled at the room given to them. The room was clad in a very simple look that'd be enough for any adventurer. Mai sat at the clean bed and said,
"So what is it you want to talk about?".
Arseia moved over and took a seat beside Mai. Then, Arseia says,
"First...I'll show you this...".
Arseia brought out some kind of sphere-like contraption, floating without any presence of gravity pulling it down. It was devoid of any color, as it was clearly transparent such as a crystal ball in any fantasy world. Mai was surprised, since she was quite familiar with the object Arseia had brought out, making Mai to say with an excited look on her face,
"That's the light and darkness orbal reader...".
Arseia gave it a gentle touch. Soon, the crystal sphere illuminated a vibrant divine white glow, that proved to be a ball of light that'd shatter any kind of darkness. Though, there was a dark miasma spewing out its immense abyssal air around it, in which the blend of light and darkness were very chaotic to ever laid eyes upon. Mai's eyes were shocked, as she saw the sphere acting very unusual, turning her to say with a curious look on her face,
"How is that possible?!"
"The light is so strong yet it's releasing immense darkness from it?!"
"This is the first I have witnessed something like this..."
"What's going on with Goddess Ange's light?"
"Why is it also letting out darkness?".
As Arseia heard Mai's words filled with doubt, Arseia explains to Mai to get rid off any kind of doubts,
"Meaning...the light from GODDESS ANGEHIME is so strong yet..."
"It lets out darkness...due to her actions upon her world..."
"The normal case is that...light should only be visible on the FIRST TOUCH...and not like this...".
Mai nodded, as she understood what Arseia had said. Mai sighed with a stressed look on her face since, she was quite convinced of the anomalies and grave conflicts going-on, that the very light Goddess was letting them occur for some reason. A little while later, she asks one more question,
"And what about the darkness from GODDESS RUHIME?".
Arseia replies,
"Wait for a moment...".
She touched the crystal ball for a second time. Suddenly, the very darkness that was spewed out from before was leaking out some cracks of fading and glowing light. Mai was surprised but, she was looking kinda wishful of something and she was very much convinced of the whole thing, making her to say,
"No way!"
"From the DARKNESS it's creating cracks of light?!"
"That would only mean..."
"ANGEHIME is now the DARK GODDESS and RUHIME is becoming the LIGHT GODDESS right!?".
Arseia knacked out a humorous smile, as she heard Mai's comment. Though, soon enough, Arseia denied Mai's assumptions and she said her retort afterwards, that was filled with some hints,
"Partially yes and no..."
"Ruhime is still the dark Goddess but she is like...containing the immense darkness that Angehime is creating...".
Mai agreed and she asks more,
"I see...and Zen err I mean...Zeran Noah Aether is supporting Ru's cause?".
Arseia cracked out very funny expression, as she heard her own son into the mix. She calmed down later on and said with a soothing voice that seemed to have a few hints again due to her emphasized tone,
"Hmmm partially yes..."
"But I think it's more COMPLEX than that...".
For some reason, Mai was seeing that Arseia was wearing an interesting smile of sorts, such as she seemed to be very fond of Zeran being with Ru somehow. Mai was baffled that a seed of jealousy was starting to grow inside of her. Soon, she uttered out her words filled with grave seriousness,
"So...why are you telling me this?"
"Instead of your son?"
"Or Ru?".
The air became chilling cold and the candle at the desk withered out its flame. It seemed Mai noticed that there was something wrong in the atmosphere after she spilt those dire words. Arseia looked up for a second. Though, she looked at Mai directly afterwards. Then, Arseia let out her words, while she was smiling, even though her words were filled with dire constraints,
"It's because...those two are in a pinch..."
"I can't interfere directly on the course of this world, since I'm not under any jurisdiction to do so...So you're my only choice..."
"Oh and don't worry...you'll be greatly rewarded too if you'll be able to fix this problem...".
Mai sighed and closed her eyes. She held her forehead, deciding on what to do next. She thought that it might be a great opportunity to redeem herself from failing on becoming a hero, so she was convinced to take on the offer from the Reincarnation Goddess Arseia. Mai had stopped from delving in her thoughts. She opened her eyes, looked at Arseia with her determined eyes and she says with an eager smile,
"Alright...I'm interested...".
Arseia was pleased, as she heard that Mai agreed to her demands. Though, Arseia's smile of interest semed to be delving something much deeper in respect, in which her thoughts were very much entertained,
("Really Mai...you can't fool me...but Ru's into him too...")
("Hmmmmm...Mai and Ru huh...who would you pick this time...my son...")
("You lucky bastard son of mine...").
Meanwhile, at the Celestia heavens above, Otorine was at the outdoor cafe, spending her leisure time. More than that, it seemed she was the only customer there. She was having a milk-tea but, she was looking at the dagger seeped in black abyss that she was holding with her left hand. Her look upon the dagger was filled with deep sorrow and her heart was feeling heavy for some reason. In turn, she dove into her own flashback with Nassus, while they were at a certain non-lavishing room in a modern hotel at Celestia heavens. Otorine and Nassus were sitting at the bed. She was holding Nassus's cold hands. Moreover, her look upon Nassus was filled with deep empathic concern, that'd prove she truly cared and loved that much for Nassus. Sadly, Nassus's heart was cold that seeped into his composed look, as his face was devoid of any sign of happiness but, with grave seriousness into his goals. There was a huge silence in the air that'd deaf anyone's hearing. Soon, she broke the frozen air by letting out her words filled with sadness,
"I guess...you'll be making another blasphemous deed again...of capturing another Goddess...in order to save her...".
Nassus closed his eyes for a mere second remembering that he wanted to save Goddess Ira from her own despair. He exhaled and said with a deep voice, feeling very determined for his ambition that Otorine had said,
"Yes...so do what you must..."
"My Goddess...".
Otorine brought out the dagger from the dangling sleeve of her kimono. She held Nassus's manly arm and pulled up his sleeve. Thereon, his muscular arm filled with several scars in marks of "X" were revealed. Otorine turned her terrified face away, as she saw those marks again, since she'll do it once more. Her hand that was holding the black dagger was shaking, since she remembered that she had inflicted lots of scars unto him already. Though, Nassus noticed that she was feeling terrified, so he brought out his other hand and touched Otorine's face with great gentle care, trying to tell her, "It's alright my Goddess". His expression and actions may be cold but, to Otorine they weren't. Otorine calmed down, as Nassus touched her face with gentle caress. It would seem those two were more than in a cold relationship of an enslaved Goddess and a master but, it was something much more, in which they truly feel each others hearts. Sadly, due to his driven ambitions and goals, he had to turn his heart into steel, blocking any kind of affection with an invisible barrier between them, although their affection to one another were seeping through from time to time. Otorine eased the pain in her heart and steeled herself too. Her face was very much serious and determined. She looked at him, nodded and gripped the black dagger tightly. The next moment, she struck his arm deep with the black dagger. She dragged the dagger and wounded him, letting out his deep crimson blood to leak out. Nassus felt the pain but, he tried to ease himself. As Otorine was done wounding him with another fresh "X" mark, she threw the dagger away, flunging it onto the ground. Suddenly, she pushed herself to Nassus and embraced him with all her heart. Her pure crystal tears were falling out, while she was masking a sorrowful face seeped in deep pain. Nassus was surprised and felt some glaciers around his frozen heart had melted once more yet, it was still stiff driven into his goal no matter how destructive it was to both of them. Later, she was deep in her thoughts,
("Why...why are you so driven to do this...")
("I know deep in your heart...that you are in pain...")
("What do you see in that woman...")
("Nassus...").
Otorine was very supportive upon his goal and she shall do everything to do his bidding, as she's truly in love with Nassus no matter what the other people and divinities say about him, such as she was truly an angelic Goddess to him.
On the other hand, back at Himenea world, Zeran came across a small village with nipa huts as shelters. The winds were fresh and the very environment of the place was very rich in nature, as the great amount of huge trees in the colors of violet leaves and yellow leaves were blending in its most equinox, such as the signature colors of the two Goddesses in balance. The villagers around wearing tribal outfits were free from any kind of fear or conflict that shrouded the other major places. Though, his sights took great notice of the statues of the two divine-looking Goddesses at the very center of the village. Ru's statue was wearing her cloak, while Ange's statue was on the opposite side. In turn, Zeran says with a convinced look on his face,
"I guess this is...MELDIA VILLAGE..."
"And they have two statues...of both light and dark Goddesses here...".
Though, he was stranged in his thoughts,
("That's odd...usually...all of the villages, towns, kingdoms only have an Angehime statue...").
Sometime soon, the very old-looking male elder of the village went near Zeran. The elder was supporting himself since he was at his old age. The elder struck his cane on the ground to get the attention of the sightseeing Zeran. Zeran took notice of the elder. Then, the elder greets Zeran with great welcome,
"Welcome traveler...I'm sure you're tired from your long journey...".
Though, Zeran noticed that there was something pulling his pants, so he turned and looked down. Thereupon, he was seeing the Ru plush doll pulling his pants like an adorable little girl on its feet with its doll-like expression. He was shocked at first, but he was more disturbed in his thoughts,
("Huh? Ru's plush doll?")
("This is creeping me out again...")
("Okay...now it's moving again...on its own?!").
As the elder witnessed the very image of the Ru plush doll kinda liking Zeran, the elder wasn't shocked but, instead his eyes were gleaming in great awe of the cute plush doll, making him to utter out great praising words,
"Oh...you must be a lucky one...".
Zeran replies with an awkward smile,
"Lucky? How?".
Though, in his thoughts were somehow annoyed over the assumptions of the old man, since his very life was filled with grave suffering, ridding out the positive events that had happened to him,
("Geez senile old man...If you just knew my f*ckin' lives...how am I lucky?").
The elder continues to say,
"You got a blessed doll that looks like the ever divine and beautiful dark Goddess Ruhime herself..."
"That walks and moves..."
"And could you carry the dark Goddess doll with you?"
"It shows utter disrespect to all of us here...".
Zeran noticed that the other villagers were seeing him as a strange and an odd guy. A little while later, murmurs and gossips negative about him were overheard. In order to not let himself be an outcast just when he just got into the village, he grabbed the Ru plush doll around its plushy waist. The plush doll seemed to like it. Zeran was in his thoughts diving into more of his questions,
("Huh? How did this Ruhime doll come here?")
("But more importantly...")
("WHY DOES THIS PLUSH SEEM WANT TO HUG ME?!").
Thereon, he saw the plush doll's short and stubby hands outward, as if trying to embrace him. Zeran wore a very crept-out face at first but, he just grinned a forced smile of delight to the doll, in order to be accepted into the mysterious village. The elder nodded as if he understood Zeran's good intentions.