Chapter 1: Underwater Temple
The Underwater Temple, Home to spirits of lesser, had now gained itself a new unexpected guest. This guest was none other than Wendy Tategami, the blue-haired, recently resurrected Demigoddess that had washed up here after a tragic plane accident.
Within one of its tight creeks and caverns laid the stagnant woman. The traumatic event that befell her left her body in a suspended animation state for an unregistered amount of time. Her reincarnation had given her the latent abilities of the phoenix. In ancient legend, the Phoenix was said to be an immortal firebird capable of reincarnating itself through its ashes. She now bears those same characteristics, as well as gaining the ability to conjure up blue flames.
Her body, which previously was covered in bruises and fatal wounds, had already regenerated itself. The only problem now was the blow to her psyche. Her mind was a convoluted mess, still processing the massive flow of events that befell her. Subconsciously, her mind lingered over to a spiky-haired boy, one she had met in her youth, and to what she could recall had been dropped into a dire and dangerous situation. Her natural protective instincts creaked into her and after a long comatose state, she had jolted herself awake.
"Ronny!" The girl screamed out, only to hear her words echo back to her within the solace of this cave. She looked around her surroundings, only to witness the emptiness of her current location. She, after receiving a small concussion, had a very hard time formulating an answer to her current predicament. The cavern was covered in dark rocks and minerals, with a small light source emitting from below, giving the cave a bluish tint. Though unbeknownst to her, this cave was down deep in the bowels of the ocean, making it impossible for any light source to shine within here. The thing lighting up the cavern was in fact the blue flowers that have bloomed around her, along with a few that have bloomed out around the cavern's hollow interior. These blue flowers were known as spirit lilies, they form around areas such as this, where instead of using sunlight as their energy source, they absorb the magical energy that only emits from an entity with a flux of spirit magic.
"Gah! My head's spinning, where am I…?" The girl says out loud, provoking an answer from her empty subconscious. She, paying no mind to the blooming flowers in her stead, attempts to rise from the shallow waters. She looks around, trying to scout out the best direction to go in. After looking down for a moment she glimpses over at her hair, taking in its hue and features. "Hmm, I don't remember dying my hair blue…" She thinks for a moment before moving on.
Now walking along the caves trenches in solitude, small blue shapes of light start to come into her vision. These flickers start to take more solidifying forms, coming into their own and presenting themselves as spirits. Wendy, who stares at these light sources for a moment, is about to brush them off as hallucination when one of the spirits connects with her forehead. Immediately, a storm of images floods her head, memories of a plane incident, an encounter with a demon, and a spikey-haired boy flood the crux of her mind. Slowly, but surely, she is starting to retain her memories.
"Wow… that whole thing was pretty scary, I'm starting to remember things…" She thinks to herself for a moment before looking around at the fleeting spirits that have started swirling around her. "The lights, you guys are spirits, aren't you? You've started helping me remember what happened." She thanks the lesser spirits while still pondering what events took place to get her in this dark cave all alone.
"Meh, never mind all that! What's important is that I start finding my way out of here!" She says confidently pumping her fist, as she says this out loud, the number of strangling spirits starts to light a path forward for the young woman. "What's this? You guys are showing me the way? That's awesome, you're all so sweet! You remind me of Tinkerbell~" She says with stars in her eyes as she gleefully strolls down her designated path. Now feeling a bit more comfortable with her small spirit companions keeping her company, she starts to walk with more grace in her movements. Before she knows it she's hoping around the tunnel, gracing her steps like a ballerina, jumping and hoping as such. Now getting to the end of the cave's path, she is met with what would seem like a dead end.
"Hmm, are you guys sure this is the way out? I don't see anywhere else to go." She says out loud. The spirits, which were previously beaming in front of her, fly up to an open creek of rocks close to the tunnel sealing, one that leads out to the vast depth of the ocean. "Damn it, so swimming out is the only real way out of this. Oh well, I hope I'm a good swimmer." She says before jumping on top of a few rocks to get herself in a better position to dive upwards to the open creek.
Now swimming out in the open, she's able to witness everything the underwater surrounding ruins have to offer, many sunken statues, and old decomposed temples of such had been surrounding the cavern she had previously inhabited. Now taking her new environment in, she opens her eyes in glee at the amazing sea creatures that swim around her. So many variations of fish, turtles, seahorses, and other aquatic life roamed the outwards of the caverns.
"This is so cool, I wonder how many different critters roam around here! Hmm… I don't seem to need to hold my breath that long now that I think of it…" She thinks before continuing on the designated path the spirits have laid out for her. "Now arriving at a shining light up ahead she makes her way over to it expecting to finally come up onto the land's shore. Where she truly ended up emerging, she could not have predicted. Popping her head up from the water, she now seems to be in a small pond-like structure, one that is placed directly in front of a blueish, undamaged temple, unlike ruins she had glimpsed over on her way here. This was none other than the Underwater Temple, better to be known as; The Spirit Goddess Temple.
"Oh boy… I don't like the feeling of this." The girl says to herself, taking in the majestic presence of the palace. As she stares up at its size, she reckons it can't be that big in its interior, it being about the size of your average church. Nonetheless, she swims down to the pond's edges and places her feet on the rocky grounds. "I've never really been much of a religious girl, but even this place is giving off a very divine feeling. It's quite ominous…" She says to herself as she walks to the temple's steps. The right of her, right before the steps she sees a small pillar with ancient writing scribbled on it. "Hmm… I wonder what this says, it's not in any language I'm familiar with…" Wendy says as she bends over to gaze at the stone pillar. After breaking a moment to figure out its meaning she brushes it off and decides her next course of action should just be to go inside.
"Well, it's not like they left their doors open for no reason~" She glees at herself before walking up the huge steps. Now entering the temple's doors, she takes in the full majesty of its interior. Within this temple are multiple statues of unrecognizable people, all of these being women. Around the walls and even covering the ceilings, are bloomed blue lilies that have scattered within the innermost crevices of the temple. But the biggest highlight of the inside is that of an ancient Black Sword, standing tall and mighty wrapped by thorns and flowers.
" I may have gotten myself into something I'm not exactly prepared for…" The blue-haired woman says as she starts walking deeper inside. "Damnit, why did those spirits lead me over here? I hate to say it, but I really must be lost. The only thing in here are all these statues, and this sword I guess…" Wendy ponders for a second before she recalls her previous recollections when concerning her memories. An attack on a plane, a demonic creature, dying and then ending up here. The girl could only come to one conclusion…
"Wait a minute… Did I Get Isekei'd!?" She screams out, only to be met with the echoing sound of the last word she said. After taking a minute to recompose herself, the young girl starts slightly chuckling to herself. "Hehe, yeah right~ As if something that ridiculous could happen in the real world. Besides, if this was another world then there would be classic RPG monsters lurking around like slimes, or golems…" She thinks to herself as she lingers on her otaku tendencies, where she and a special someone would stay up all night and binge the latest anime and manga. "Well if this place doesn't have any answers for me then I better find another way out'' Wendy says as she turns around, only to cut herself short when she takes in the massive amalgamation of rocks composed in front of her. This giant creature was made completely out of the rocks that made up the cave's blueish interior, along with two white eyes as it formed a face. This creature was in fact, a Golem.
Suddenly, the Golem lunges at Wendy, presumably to attack. Wendy, quick on her feet, moves out of the way, causing the brute to crash into the rocky walls. Not feeling adept enough to battle the giant creature, Wendy makes a beeline to the exit.
"What in the world! That's a golem! A real golem!!! I was just kidding before, did I really get isekei'd? Anyway, I gotta get out of here!" She thinks to herself as she approaches the temple doors when suddenly, a formation of rocks comes up from the ground and blocks the exit doors.
Looking back she sees the golem moving his arms, seeming to be able to manipulate the surrounding terrain. "Damnit, it's able to move those rocks! I can't escape like this, what does he even want from me? Is he the temple's guardian or something!? Maybe he sees me as a threat of some sort!" She thinks before being confronted by the golem's second attack. Same as before she lunges back and forth, dodging the brute's heavy attacks. This goes on for a minute before the golem gets the upper hand, manipulating the terrain in which she is about to jump in order to get her to trip on her feet. Now on the ground, Wendy attempts to get up before she is kicked by the golems' gigantic feet. Now slammed to the Temple's walls, Wendy lets out a scream of anguish as she coughs up blood. The stoned brute was able to break and puncture her ribcage in one attack. Still traumatized by the powerful attack, she doesn't notice the rocks around her start to alter and form over her, binding her arms and legs to keep her stuck to the wall.
After suffering such a blow, it engulfs a sense of urgency in the spirits. They form around the bonded-up girl as they start to flow magi into her injured body. Her mind starts to race, as the flux of magic coursing through her also brings some clarity to her troubled psyche. In an instant, Wendy remembered everything. Not just the recent events that had led her to this temple, but all her memories have fully returned to her. From the spirits to the Phoenix, to the events after fighting the demon, and of course, to Ronny.
"Scyron… My precious Ronny…" She says under her breath, recalling the last moment they shared. "No… this can't be another world, Ronny had gained abilities too, we were still here before… before the plane crashed!" She thinks to herself as the Golem starts to walk closer and closer to her, his footsteps being profoundly loud. "How long has it been, I feel like I must have been lying in that cave unconscious for weeks! Maybe even Months! Somehow, after the plane crashed, I ended up here, but if I'm here… What happened to Ronny!"
The Golem, now in front of her, is about to launch another attack, but before it could reach, Wendy is bursting with a fire that shines a bright blue. The monster is taken aback by this, as the flames' heat is not something common in these underwater trenches. Now filled with vigor, and her previous wounds completely healed, Wendy breaks free from the rocky shackles, now standing proud on her feet. " Alright you big Oaf, Round Two!" She says as she lightly smirks. A golem or not, Wendy has been in a few fights during her life, and she can proudly say she has not lost one of them, there is no reason this brute should be any different. The Rock monster lunges at her again, throwing fist after fist, as Wendy dodges left and right, evading his attack with even more ease than before. Getting frustrated, the Golem attempts the same underhanded tactic it used before, trying to subdue the girl from below. Wendy, expecting this, uses her newfound super strength to jump as high as she can right at the moment of attack. She did not jump aimlessly however, she jumped in the direction that would leave her right in front of the temple's flower-encrusted sword.
"I'm sorry about this, I don't mean to vandalize upon any sanctity this temple may have, but this sword might be my only way out of here!" She says before grabbing onto the sword's handle. The moment her hand touched the black sword, her body glowed in a blue hue, she felt the flowers and veins begin to unwrap from the sword, as the built-up magical power that had been inside the sword engulfed the blue-haired woman, forcing her to release the gut-wrenching power in a fiery blue aura. Now surging with the unregistered spirit magic, she who previously was walking around nude due to the dramatic circumstances that had befallen her, is now coated in tight blue spandex, along with the spandex, came a thin layer of battle armor, as safeguards for her elbows and knees that looked a bit like seashells. Now holding onto the Black sword, she takes in her new outfit, the outfit designated for the one who holds the title of, The Spirit Goddess.
"Well, this just got a whole lot worse for you, buddy," Wendy says to the Giant brute, if she wasn't confident before then she was more confident now. Feeling not just the spirits, but a more inept control of the magic coursing through her body. She picks up the sword and holds it in front of her in a more action-like pose. From her surging energy, the bloomed lilies in the aura start to blow around her, creating the image one might see walking around a forest in the spring. The Rock monster lunges forward, and Wendy does as well. The hilt of her sword meets with the end of its fist. Wendy, taken back from this, twisted the sword with her wrist, spun around, and slashed around its supposed abdomen.
"Years of Kendo and martial arts training are going to have to start paying off now!" She thinks to herself before continuing her fiery sword swinging, chipping away at the monster's back. The Golem turns to strike at the girl with another kick like before, forcing the woman to use the sword as a shield of sorts, holding it out so it can take the weight of the incoming strike. Now being significantly pushed back she takes a moment to compose herself and think. "This isn't getting me anywhere, I need to find a way to get through his hard exterior!" She thinks before forming small balls of light above her, these lights had not been spirits though, these were made with her magic, as she now learned how to formulate essentially fireballs. She throws the fireballs at the golem, creating a mask of smoke between them. At this moment, Wendy confides within the spirits. "Alright, you guys led me here, what is it you want me to do!? How do I beat this thing!" The spirits begin to swarm around and begin to speak to her, not speaking in the traditional sense, but in a way, only she could understand. "I see, well you better be right about this!" She says as she does as she's instructed. The surrounding spirits in the temple start to flow into Wendy, as she absorbs their power, she concentrates its heat into her sword. Then through the smoke, the rocky monster lunges at her once again, but with the surplus of magical energy conjured up by the blue warrior, she spins in place, dodging the incoming attack, and in one swift move, slices the Golem's arm.
Screaming in pain, the Golem gets down on one knee, looking up at the surging woman. "Wow, that really did work, concentrating my magic onto the sword's hilt is way more effective than shooting it out aimlessly." She says before raising the sword above her head. "That was only a love tap, by the way, I only used a quarter of the absorbed energy! Now here's the rest!" As she says this, she swings her sword down at the wounded Golem, upon impact, it shatters into a million pieces, bringing an end to their fight.
"I'm sorry it had to go down like this, but I have a special someone I need to get back to, so I can't afford to die down here." She says as she brings her guard down, dispelling any lingering magic she has within her. "Excellent! I expect nothing less from the new Spirit Goddess Candidate!" Wendy, turned around to see where the voice had been emitted from. A small blue creature that resembled a sea otter, but standing on what appeared to be two legs, was glowing right in front of her. This creature shone in the same hue the lesser spirits did, as well as holding a small staff. This creature was known as a greater spirit.
"That was an excellent fight! Believe me, if I had socks, they'd be flying right now!" Says the blue otter, clapping at the girl's efforts. "Eh" Was all Wendy was able to say, taking in the weird but adorable-looking creature that appeared out of thin magic in front of her. The sea otter clears its throat, "Hello young lady, I am the sea spirit that has been guarding this temple for generations! It's so nice to finally meet you, I've only been waiting for close to 80 years!" Wendy stays silent and continues to listen to the charming spirits' words.
"You have successfully passed the trial and defeated the Golem that terrorized this temple's sanctity! And as you may already be aware, You've even been accepted by the great Spirit Sword, Soulcalibur! That sword has been passed down by every spirit goddess since the first age of gods, and choosing you proves that you are the spirit goddess that this temple and I have been waiting for for so long!" Says the spirit going in-depth on his analysis.
"So you were here the whole time?" The spirit stands proudly, tapping his staff two times onto the ground. "Yes! I was the lesser spirit that led you here to this temple, I am a greater spirit you see! I'm made up of several lesser spirits that form together to become a stronger entity! It was my mission to lead you here so you may obtain-" He was cut off abruptly, "Yeah yeah whatever, so you're the one who brought me here? Which means you're the reason I was put in danger in the first place?"
The greater spirit looks back at the girl, only now seeing the unrelaxed expression on the woman's face. "Well, you see… It was my duty, as instructed by the previous spirit goddess, to put you through this trial to invoke your magical powers…" He was interrupted yet again. "You think I give a shit about your trial!? What if I was murdered!" She says now storming over to the greater spirit. "Hey! Language!" But before the spirit could continue, he is furiously bopped in the head by an understandably angry woman. "The golem was scary! What if I didn't get to the sword in time huh? Then your whole ritual would have gone up in smoke! You idiot!!!" She says after taking out her frustration on the sea otter, who is now holding his head to null the pain. "Ouch! That hurt! I may be a spirit but I still have feelings! You're way more violent than any of the spirit goddesses!" Whines the sea spirit. " I don't give a shit! Now tell me how to get out of here!" She says, having just about enough of this abrupt prologue.
"I can't!" He responds hesitantly before being immediately grabbed and raised in the air by the blue-haired woman. "Can't, or Won't!" She says, her head fuming from her temperature reaching its limit. "I can't let you go! Not yet, as the spirit goddess, you still have a duty in this temple!"
"Spirit Goddess Spirit Goddess Spirit Goddess! Is that supposed to mean something to me? I don't even know anything about this stuff! You expect me to just go ahead and listen to your orders aimlessly! Now I won't ask again, let me out of here you bug-eyed twink! The spirit, hurt by her remarks, decided to bite back. "Why are you so mean? I only did what I was instructed to do! A woman as rude and violent as you can't possibly be the spirit goddess! Give me back the sword!"
"I'm KEEPING the sword!" Wendy barks back, not taking any of the spirits crap any longer. "That will be quite enough, Otto." A rough and menacing voice says from behind the pair. Wendy turns around to take a look, only to be met with a tall, alarming figure, standing right on top of them. This being, looked more like a man, wearing a pitch black suit, accompanying a red tie and a white dress shirt. He had long white hair and had all the characteristics of an older man, except for one thigh, he didn't have a face. At Least not traditionally, he had a skeleton face, but not that of a human, this looked more like a horse's skeleton, equipped with two rectangular horns sticking out of the top, with pitch-black hollow eyes. This didn't look like an average man, nor did it give off the feeling of a spirit, his was an entirely different being altogether.
"It's a pleasure to meet you child, I am Set."