I woke up in a completely white space, I was not falling, but rather floating in place with nothing around me. There was no fear or anxiety, I felt totally at peace. All around me there was silence and my entire being filled with tranquility. I began to try to remember who I am, and I couldn't recall anything. After a few moments, at least I think it was moments, I began to notice a bright pulsing green light right above me about ten meters or so away. The moment I stared at the light it then got closer and stopped a few meters from me before it began to grow and take on a new shape. When it was finished what stood before me was a very tall, very bright, and very beautiful young woman with dark green jade hair and clear evergreen eyes. I must have been staring at her because she looked directly in my eyes and smiled before speaking to me.
< Hello new Hero candidate, welcome to the initiation space governed by my family, the Midori. I am Constance Midori. Please feel free to ask any questions that you have, you must be a little bit disoriented. >
"Hello, I am sorry but I don't seem to be able to remember anything, I can't even remember my own name."
< That is very common, your soul has been transported from your original world to here, but rest assured there is nothing to worry about, I have your information right here. >
As Constance said that, she opened up her palm and a small but very bright green light appeared before it flew at me. When the light entered into my body I was then inundated with information, everything from my name to my family and my place of birth, my childhood, adulthood, the jobs I had through my daily life and up to my old age. While I was remembering my entire life, suddenly a calm clear voice began to speak to me in my own mind.
Please do not be frightened, I am your guardian spirit assigned to you since you were born. I am very sorry to interrupt your memories, but this is of utmost importance. Just listen to me for now. In a few moments, I am not sure exactly when, but another member of the Midori will arrive here in this space. Specifically, it will be the eldest of the siblings of the Midori who possesses the most power and influence of all of the Midori except for the Matriarch and Patriarch. Whatever you do, do not say anything rude to her. It is imperative you remain calm, do not blurt out any disrespectful phrases, such as "WHAT ARE YOU?!?!?" or "A MONSTER APPEARED??!?!?!" You will definitely regret it. Normally, I should have lost any means of communicating with you when you passed away peacefully, however, for some reason I am still connected to you. If you would like to respond just think normally, I am confident that Constance cannot hear our conversation while you are remembering your life.
How do you know that someone else will appear here? And why would I say such rude things to anyone?
I have been observing the entirety of this space even before you awoke, and I have seen two others that were in a similar position to you arrive in distant locations from you. Both of these other guys were greeted similarly but instead of Constance it was another that appeared before them, Corona, and the moment that they saw her they became hostile and extremely rude. When they shouted disrespectful things at her, it seemed as though the surrounding space that they occupied began to vibrate and then both of them just disappeared abruptly. I am not sure but I believe a tear in the spatial fabric was briefly opened up and sucked them in before closing up in fractions of a second.
I will be careful. Thank you for the warning….
No problem, it would be a disgrace to me if anything were to happen to you. After all, I have been watching you since you were born. Nothing bad really happened to you and so it seemed as though your entire life flew by without me needing to do anything to help you. Maybe, since you had an uneventful life I was allowed to accompany you before you start your new life.
Thank you for looking after me.
It was my pleasure…oh, you should say something to Constance. Hmm, I sense the other one nearing as we speak, it will be soon…
"I remember everything now. I was born on Earth and lead a normal life up until dying peacefully in my sleep."
< Correct, you are from Earth, but now after you passed your soul has been called here and left to my family to prepare you to be reincarnated into the world that we have been entrusted to govern, named Merian, so I will now discu- >
Before Constance could finish her sentence, a bright green light streaked behind her and began to change and reform its shape into that of a very tall, very large, very well-built, but nonetheless beautiful and stern looking woman very similar to Constance. The flustered Constance immediately moved in front of me and held up both of her arms as if to obstruct me from looking at what was in front of us.
< ELDER SISTER CORONA WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!!??? >
{Greetings Constance, I am finished with those two. They were not even worth explaining any of the rules to, so I simply dismissed them. I came to see how you were doing with your charge.}
< Elder sister, please take this seriously, at least give them a briefing of their duty! Wait, you dismissed them without giving them an artifact? That seems to be too harsh don't you think? >
The moment that Constance said that, Corona stared at her with such intensity that I felt chills down my spine. Constance began to shiver and whimper, and despite the two seeming to be about the same height, Corona was many times larger than Constance so it looked like a mountain was scowling at a mole hill. I could clearly feel the incredible amount of pressure that was directed at her, so even though Constance was covering me up completely I involuntarily gulped loudly. When I made that noise, Corona seemed to then notice me so she stopped her intimidation and began addressing her younger sister again.
{Harsh? I went easy on those two walking piles of garbage. I allowed them to leave without exacting any punishment on them, and they will naturally have the blessing and a suitable artifact from one of my subordinates. I've been more than reasonable. Anyways, Constance, who do you have behind you there? Move aside so I can see him better.}
< My apologies elder sister, I didn't mean to question your decision. The one behind me has just arrived here from Earth, and he has only just regained his memories so it still must be confusing for him. Please let me explain some things to him and- >
{I said MOVE ASIDE Constance.}
Without letting Constance finish Corona once again exerted a slight pressure that made her stop speaking, and she reluctantly moved aside in order to obey her elder sister's command. When she did so Corona stared intently at me and seemed to be evaluating every aspect of me. I clearly saw the power that she was exuding and so I gave a gentle bow and introduced myself.
"Greetings Goddess Corona Midori, my name is Vinyl Hine and I am from Earth. Just as Goddess Constance Midori has said, I arrived here only recently, so please forgive me for any rudeness that might occur from my lack of knowledge."
Having said my introduction I remained with my head lowered and could feel the pressure that Corona exerted disappear. I could also hear Constance let out a near imperceptible noise that conveyed both surprise and relief. I waited for either of them to say anything, and Corona broke the tense silence shortly after.
{Raise your head, Vinyl. It appears as though despite being from the same planet, the soul you possess is of a far higher caliber compared to those two. I will explain to you why you have been transported here: My family has been entrusted with the management of the world of Merian, and we have fulfilled our duty for eons, however, threats have appeared from other worlds known as "Chaos Agents" that have begun to jeopardize the sentient races present in Merian. These threats have been able to hide their presence from even us Midori, so my parents consulted the other Elder Gods and were told of a means to combat them, mainly finding suitable souls from other worlds and reincarnating them on Merian in order to allow them to combat the threat because despite being able to hide from us they will still be detectable to other-worlders. Apparently, other-worlders can recognize one another as they give off some kind of aura. Therefore, my siblings and I were tasked to greet and then brief the suitable other-worlders that arrive here within our space. Do you understand?}
"Yes, I understand. There is one question that I would like to ask, if you would permit me to."
I once again bow slightly and await her answer, but she instead moves even closer and now stands only a few inches away from me. Then, she uses her right hand and places it onto my chin and gently lifts it up so as to raise my head up and look me in the eyes. At this, Constance very quietly gasps and I can imagine that she must have a shocked look on her face. What she probably expected was some negative reaction from me, but I must ruin her expectations because I stare right back at Corona with a strong determined but also humble look and calmly respond.
"To be so close to Goddess Corona, I am unworthy. However, please, answer my question: why was I chosen and what can I possibly do to help Merian? I am not even an ant when compared to Goddess Corona or Goddess Constance."
{Nonsense, you are one of only a few true heroes that I have met. If it's you, I can rest assured the threat to Merian will be handled without fail. Naturally, I will bestow upon you my blessing and also these two artifacts.}
When Corona let go of my chin, she then motioned with both of her hands and from each of her palms two lights appeared and began to reform until she held in each of her hands a breathtakingly beautiful sword. In her left hand she held a crimson-red sword that released dazzling sparks of fire and in her right hand she held an aqua-blue sword that emitted a coldness similar to a blizzard. Constance let out an audible gulp and moved closer to Corona as she became flustered.
< Elder sister, you can't give one hero candidate 2 artifacts, that's definitely against the rules! >
{Rules are meant to be bent, Constance. Besides, I can't think of anyone else that deserves these two more than him, it would be a waste to just keep them with us.}
< The Elder Gods, including our parents, decreed that, at most, only one artifact would be given to each of the chosen hero candidates, so please don't be unreasonable elder sister! >
Constance had tears in her eyes, and she unexpectedly looked to me as if pleading for my help. I was surprised at this turn of events but quickly recovered and once again bowed my head towards Corona before speaking very carefully.
"Goddess Corona, I am extremely grateful for your immense generosity towards me, however I would be troubled if you were to go against the rules of your family. In truth, I feel I would be unable to wield even one of those extraordinary artifacts well. Please, I am more than content with your powerful blessing."
< You see elder sister, it's just as Vinyl says. Two artifacts goes against the rules set by our family, so please just give him one artifact. >
{Very well, you will receive ONLY ONE artifact.}
Constance was noticeably calmer now that her elder sister had agreed, but then I suddenly felt the atmosphere begin to vibrate and I looked up to see Corona holding up both swords in her hands and she began to chant in a loud voice.
{Flame Empress and Frost Empress, hear my will. The both of you shall now combine your power, and be reforged as one. Now, come forth Twin Empress!}
After she finished the chant, she clapped both of her hands together with both swords still held in the center of her palms and when they came into contact with each other a bright green light shone forth for an instant and as it faded, what was left was a single longsword floating in the air in front of Corona, one half of the blade was crimson-red and the other aqua-blue. Constance's jaw dropped and she was speechless. Corona then took hold of the sword and she held it in both of her hands before smiling and winking at me.
{In accordance with the rules, I bestow upon you One legendary artifact. As you alone are her master, no one else can wield this sword, unless they receive your permission first. Come forth and accept your rightful partner, Vinyl!}
I deliberately bow and will myself to move forward, keeping my head lowered and receive the longsword with both hands outstretched. Once I held the sword I heard a clear, resolute voice that spoke directly into my mind.
I am at your service, Master.
"I can hear the voice of Twin Empress in my mind. Please take care of me from now on."
Leave it to me, I will always protect you Master!
"I do not know how to properly express my gratitude to Goddess Corona for your kindness. I will do my very best to live up to your expectations."
While holding the sword with both hands and my head still lowered, I waited for Corona's reply. After a brief moment she then once again lifted my chin and raised my head so as to gaze into my eyes, but then she pursed her lips and moved closer to my face. I also pursed my lips but she put her right index finger onto my lips and instead kissed me on my forehead. I showed a disappointed look on my face but immediately lowered my head.
"Please forgive my impertinence Goddess Corona, I was unable to stop my lips from reacting."
{No need to apologize, if it wasn't for the rules, I would have definitely stolen a kiss, but unfortunately a blessing can only be bestowed with a kiss to the forehead. Damn rules...}
Corona appeared to be very annoyed and only pouted briefly before she regained her composure and once again started to explain.
{All right, with that the blessing of Midori was bestowed upon you, so you will be able to become stronger much more quickly. Also, with the blessing you will be capable of using all eight different attributes of magic: light, dark, spatial, temporal and the four elements of fire, water, earth and wind. You don't really need to worry about fire or water, as long as you have Twin Empress, you will be able to call forth her power and use their respective elements without having to use your own mana, however, you will only be able to use one attribute at a time. Be careful of your surroundings, Twin Empress possesses the most power of all the artifacts that have ever been bestowed to any hero candidate. I suppose you already know how to hold back right?}
"Yes, I will be careful to not cause unnecessary collateral damage. Also, could I ask about these threats from another world and how to deal with them?"
{Those threats vary in appearance and no two are alike, but from my understanding they will have a unique aura that you will be able to detect easily because you're also an other-worlder. As for how to deal with them, it seems as though negotiating will not work because their very natures are hostile to everything and everyone connected to Merian, and since you will be considered as a part of this world also after your reincarnation there, more than likely you will be attacked if you come across them}
"I see, so there can be no peace between them and those of Merian. Well, I believe that with the benevolence you've shown me and the power of Twin Empress, I will be able to manage somehow. Thank you for the detailed explanation."
I will purge all who would ever dare to attack Master!
I appreciate your support, Twin Empress.
My sole purpose is to be Master's perfect blade, whether to defend or destroy, all in accordance to Master's will.
< Elder sister, is it really alright to let him have that legendary artifact? What if it causes a major disaster when he uses its abilities? I think perhaps we should at least teach him how to properly use it >
{You worry too much Constance, but it should be fun to let him test out Twin Empress. Very well then, Vinyl I will have you use the inherent abilities of the legendary artifact to destroy these two dozen targets}
Soon after Corona said this, two dozen targets consisting of dummies with pictures of two young men, one a blonde haired blue-eyed good looking surfer type of guy and the other a red haired brown-eyed serious type of guy, appeared all around the space where the three of us were. I held Twin Empress and thought of what I wanted to do.
Twin Empress, I would like you to use your least powerful fire attack spell to destroy the dozen targets starting from the edge of my vision on the right side to the center of my field of vision, then use the least powerful water attack spell for the remaining dozen to my left.
As you command Master. Executing [Flame Arrow] X 12 starting at 20 degrees sweeping to 90 degrees, then [Ice Spikes] X 12 starting at 90 degrees sweeping to 140 degrees.
After I issued my mental command, the sword I held in my right hand began to emit a red light and fire sprang forth to form twelve glowing and rotating arrows that flew and immolated the targets that were floating on my right to the center of my field of vision, then the sword glowed a pale blue light before letting out ice that began to form into spikes that shot out and impaled the twelve targets to the left of my field of vision. All of the targets were wiped out in three seconds.
{So there doesn't seem to be any problems right?}
< Y-yes, it seems to be fine…. >
From the look that Constance was giving me it seemed as though she wanted to say a few things but was afraid to since it would provoke her elder sister. I could tell she was probably going to comment on how powerful Twin Empress' spells were, however she would be glared at by Corona so she's keeping quiet.
{If there are no more concerns, it is about time for you to reincarnate in Merian}
"Pardon me Goddess Corona, but will I be reborn as a baby or transported as I am?"
{Usually you would be simply transported to Merian as you are now, but if you would like to be a certain age, I think that it can be arranged}
"It would be best if I were in my early twenties, perhaps twenty-one years old, in order to be in my prime."
{So be it, with that you will now be transported to Merian. I wish you good fortune on your journey Vinyl.}
"Thank you Goddess Corona for your guidance and kindness, I will be forever grateful. Thank you as well Goddess Constance for your help. Goodbye."
A green light appeared in front of me and then reformed into a portal that began to approach me while I still had my head bowed to the two Goddesses, and the next thing I knew I was in an open field alone with two full moons shining down on me and a cool night breeze blowing onto me. I was wearing typical adventurer's clothes: brown trousers, a plain white shirt, a leather jacket, a backpack, dark brown leather boots and on my waist was a black belt and a normal looking green scabbard on my left hip that had Twin Empress sheathed within it. After looking around and then not noticing any animals or people around I unsheathed Twin Empress and sat down.
END PROLOGUE