Upon taking Medaka back to her own little space, Tearwyn started to think. She couldn't quite sense what her Mother did when looking at the girl. The feeling of despair and resignation practically overwhelmed the poor thing.
"You are... Hm..!?" Tearwyn looked deeper, her surprised hum earning the attention of the corrupted Raven and Salem.
"You can head back. She's going to wake up soon and I don't want to risk you scaring her." Tearwyn stated, noting the corrupted appearances of Salem and Raven.
"But Goddess Tearwyn..-" Raven stepped forward, thinking to call her Master over, since Tearwyn's slowly becoming more mischievous every time she spends time with her other sisters.
"It'll be okay. Mother is here too. And sister Hecate is nearby, if that eases your concern." Confidently, Tearwyn exclaimed.
Raven and Salem looked to the other, internally asking themselves, 'When did Goddess Lilith get here?'. Then they heard a chuckle from somewhere they couldn't pinpoint and nodded in understanding.
"We understand. Call us back if you need anything." Salem said with a nod before they both left.
Tearwyn then brought her attention back to Medaka and placed her hand on her head. A golden glow began to emanate from her body. The quality of her soul revealed to Tearwyn, her eyes shone, as if she were looking at something extraordinary.
But there was something vicious around the beautiful golden glow. Tearwyn reached down and pulled on a black chain. A powerful means of controlling one unlucky enough to be ensnared.
"Well that won't do!" Her eyes glowed and an invisible pressure flowed through the small hand that held the black chains. Under her influence, it began to corrode. Fractures lined the length of the chains until it could sustain itself no more and crumpled to dust.
It was at that moment did she realize what her Mother saw. Inside the golden glow, was a reddish-black entity. Though it was calm, practically asleep even, it still radiated danger.
"Ohhh... Now I understand. What a crazy Goddess. To put that inside you. Hehe~ What if her peers found out? Let's keep that in my back pocket until later." Tearwyn laughed a little wickedly.
As she was internally debating how she could use that information, Tearwyn heard Medaka begin to awaken. Her ruby red eyes opened, and for a while she seemed dazed. Only when her body did nothing for a few seconds did she actually move her eyes.
The sound of gentle breathing broke her out of her stupor. She blinked, then slowly raised her hand in front of her face.
"I.... am I dreaming...?" Her breathing quickened, not daring to believe this was real.
"Does it feel like a dream?" Tearwyn sat on a hammock beside her, above the black water.
She had brought Medaka to the layer of her world where her and her sister's power coalesced. The sakura trees, corrupted black waters, tree of forbidden knowledge and the swirling whirlpools of magic made for an interesting view. Tearwyn was particularly proud of it, which was why she brought Medaka here specifically. To make a strong impression.
"You're free now, thanks to me! My name is Tear...wyn..?" The little Goddess tilted her head in confusion, as mid-introduction, Medaka started to cry uncontrollably.
There was no sobbing, nor weeping. But simply a cascade of tears that gently fell from her eyes. Though she did seem to be paying attention to her still.
"Huh..? Are you okay? How long were you trapped?" Tearwyn asked, as this was a new situation for her. She wasn't quite used to dealing with something this heavy.
"I... I'm..." Medaka held her hands up to her face and tried to stop her tears, but it only caused her to cry more.
"Khe.. Sorry.... I..." Medaka tried her best to compose herself, now that she was finally free. But all those years of suppression and hopelessness took its toll. It certainly hadn't helped her cry less when Tearwyn hugged her head and used her tails as a source of comfort. All the years of consciousness, the despair, hopelessness and helplessness were let out over the course of a day.
Tearwyn was surprised. She expected anger, resentment, hatred. Things she was accustomed to seeing. But Medaka held onto a certain purity. It was something she could respect, if it was something she was willfully doing. But if she was simply incapable of it or too naiive, she would be a little disappointed.
After her tears dried, Tearwyn decided to ask.
"I'm surprised. Don't you hate her? That Goddess? For putting you through that? I know plenty of people who would have raged and cursed someone who did that." Tearwyn tilted her head, asking for an answer.
Medaka reluctantly separated herself from Tearwyn's fluffy tails and looked the little Fox Goddess in the eyes. She rubbed her puffy, red eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'm angry. Furious even. But I don't want to feel hate. Not again. At one point, it was why I lived and breathed. And after it left me, I always felt so unbearably empty. Hate is a place you go when you can't stand sadness." Medaka hugged her legs and stated.
"Or you are my sister, Artoria..." Tearwyn murmured to herself with a wry smile.
Tearwyn tilted her head the other way this time, "You're pretty noble, aren't you?"
The way she asked expressed a deep sense of amusement. She wanted to learn more about her.
"No." Medaka immediately denied, shaking her head.
"Not with what I've done. Willing or not, I can't stomach that kind of righteous label. I have some principles, that's all." Medaka stated, eliciting an amused giggle from Tearwyn.
"If you say so. Denying it, yet feeling that much sadness~. Tell me more about you. I'll grab the snacks." Tearwyn hopped up off the hammock and started to set up a table and tea set.
Medaka looked at the curious little Fox Goddess and felt a certain lightness in her chest. The first real conversation she had in a very long time. And she even comforted her when she failed to control her sadness.
It was a first for her, in her second life. On top of that, she was freed by her. Medaka could hardly believe this was truly happening. Still carrying some doubts, she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Tearwyn to simply put her under her control next. Though she hoped beyond hope she was wrong.
"Ah don't step in the waters-" Tearwyn warned, looking over to see Medaka knee deep in the black water with a now uneasy expression.
"Is.. Is it poisonous? Will I feel itchy..? Wait, no.. acidic!?" Medaka pulled her legs out, but apart from the black smudge marks on her calves, there was nothing out of place.
*SNAP*
Tearwyn snapped her fingers in recognition, "Oh! I see now. Death is incorruptable. Even fragments of it, I suppose. Interesting!"
Medaka had no idea what she was referring to, but it seemed she was fine. Tearwyn summoned a fluffy chair for her and pat it.
"Here~ Here~ Come on and sit. We have tons of time. Let's start with your first life, on Earth." Tearwyn smiled as she summoned a plate of cookies.
Oddly, Medaka felt she could open up to the little Goddess. She was understanding, mischievous and possessed a comprehensive ability that no child could ever have. Medaka began to tell her surface details and feelings from her first life.
"It was relatively normal. I didn't really have a bad life, I guess. My Brother died in a drunk driving accident when I was ten and I didn't ever.. connect with my parents after it. I became a cop afterwards. Then, I died in service." Medaka summarized her life rather quickly.
Tearwyn tapped her chin in thought. "Well when you start it off with 'I didn't really have a bad life' it makes me think you hold some regrets, you know? If you want to vent, I'm all ears."
Medaka remained silent for a while, internally debating whether or not to say anything. But those eyes. Genuine interest.
"I wasn't the favorite kid. Even after my brother died, that was apparent. His death hurt me too.. Because in some way, I felt guilty about it. I hated him because of what our parents were doing but he was never cruel. I only realized after I lost him." Medaka felt the tension on her shoulders relax. It was clear she wasn't saying everything, but this was what seemed to bother her the most.
*Pat~*
Tearwyn pat her resting hand and nodded. "That must have been really bothering you. Why don't we talk about something happier? Since you told me about yourself, how about I share some of my life? Or did you want to leave?"
"N-No. I like talking to you. God knows how much I missed actual interaction. Please, tell me about yourself." Medaka denied, she had spent an extremely long period of time alone, she wanted to prolong this interaction with Tearwyn as long as she could.
And so they started chatting. Spending days just talking, exploring the corrupted garden layer and playing some games. A bond began to form between them, but there was still one fear Medaka had, despite the time they spent getting to know each other. On the fourth day there, Tearwyn asked her a question.
"So, now that you're free. What will you do?" Interested, Tearwyn asked her while sitting atop a branch of one of the Sakura trees.
"...Free. You'd really let me go? I know I'm valuable to some Gods so I assumed.." Hearing her worry, Tearwyn snickered.
"My sister, Hecate. The one I told you about earlier? She has a very strong belief in personal freedom. I may not care about the freedom of every random being out there but we're friends now. So, I think your freedom should be protected." Tearwyn stated without care while she kicked her legs.
"..." Medaka looked up at the girl, her last fear finally put at ease.
"Yeah. Tearwyn wouldn't force me to serve her." Medaka nodded with a rather prideful smile.
"Mhm Mhm-" "That's why I choose to. I want to help you." Medaka's next words made Tearwyn's little fox ears prop up in excitement.
"What? Really!? You know those Light and Dark Gods are trying to take my territory. You'd just be going back to killing their agents again. Are you sure you want that, Medaka?" Tearwyn asked while swan diving off the branch and landing on Medaka's shoulders.
"I am. I wanted to be useful to someone who cared about me. A place to actually belong. I spent so long with just my thoughts and now, after crying my eyes out, after getting to know you, I've decided. I want to help you. I'd hate for you to suffer at their hands." Medaka secured Tearwyn on her shoulders and stood up.
"Well then welcome to the Pantheon! Given you're not a Goddess, you'd be my agent. My.. hm... not servant.. Oh! My Valkyrie!" Tearwyn exclaimed, patting her head.
"I have a few of them. They're being trained by my sister, Hecate though. But since I officially appointed you first, you can by the Valkyrie Commander! Mm, that sounds cool if I do say so myself." Tearwyn said while literally patting herself on the back.
"I'm happy to be of service." Medaka snorted in amusement.
"Oh, there is one more thing. Before any sort of mission can be given out. You ought to be tested. You were semi conscious for so long but your body was constantly killing. There might be some complications. Like memory. You'd have passively recalled and used countless skills and powers back then but now? Tough to say." Tearwyn speculated, draping her arms over Medaka's head and flicking her ahoge.
"So, what kind of test are we talking about?" Medaka was confident she was at least capable of fighting.
*Slosh~*
"I will handle that." A voice came from behind, accompanied by wet footsteps from casually stepping in the corrupted waters.
A woman in a black dress with pale skin and corruption lines appeared before them. There was a judging look in her fierce golden eyes when looking at Medaka, yet a very soft and loving look when she directed her glance at Tearwyn.
"Ah~ Medaka, meet my dear sister. Artoria."
[AN: Wanted to get at least one more out before I 100% focused on Dragon Heart, RWBY- The Reaper and The Sovereign]