II.

Otherworlders.

Elise.

Red Strings.

Elise.

Fate.

Elise.

Audrey.

Gift Giver.

Elise.

Tell me, Holy One. Do you dream of arms that can hold you? Do burdens annihilate the gentleness you think you deserve? Does the sky make the fields you tread upon treacherous? Do you dream about the simpler days where pain and love were never yours to worry about?

A name flashes in your mind. A name unknown, splitting your HOLY /////// ONE into TWO. A Shared Vision? No, a Shared Fate.

Two paths diverging, never to meet again.

Two realms, splitting yet vying for each other, Sky and Abyss.

Does this sudden displacement scare you?

Does it bring you a forbidden relief?

No princess. No nobles. No laws.

No Yesterdays. No Todays. No Tomorrows.

A plane outside of Time itself awaits you.

A star erring into heterodoxy.

Why do you forsake Fate?

Why do you wish to remain in mortality?

The name whispers itself into the sundered HOLY TWO, no not yet not here not now not no, HOLY ONE. In the dark, drowning deep of your prophecies, a voice of your loved one echoes out— overlapping over each other. A million years and possible timelines combine into a single Audrey's voice.

My name, the imposter begins to whisper its odd message to you, using your beloved's voice like a sacrimonious bell. My name is Reeyusi.

And now, when you look up you will see me and no one else.

Reeyusi. Reeyusi. Reeyusi. I am Reeyusi. I am Reeyusi and I will learn your ways.

"Elise," Madoka gasped.

It felt like the air got squeezed out of her chest, weighing on her heavily. Why did she think of Elise and not Audrey? She did not realize she was asleep until that voice invaded her mind. Frustration welled up inside of her. Just when she kicked out one of the strangers clawing their way around inside her head, a new one shows up the day after she feels better. Reeyusi? What is that? Do other kind goddesses and people like her have to have nightly visitors every dream?

The weight on her chest was real and it wiggled off of her. It was the girl-shaped ball, of course. Madoka glanced over and saw Audrey. Her mouth was agape, suspended half-way in a yawn and a snore. A small trail of drool traveled gracefully down her chin, glistening in the morning dawn. Its pool settled a beautiful lake in a small dimple. Audrey luckily did not catch her blurt the wrong name, the shame slowly wearing off of her.

The ball uncurled, blooming into a stretch and filling most of the bed. Her back and arms arched out like a cat sprawling in its favorite patch of sunlight. The entire room around them was in complete disarray, courtesy of the princess's chaotic magic. The strange insect-birds outside were going ballistic, buzzing and honking in flocks over the ravine.

Troublesome, Madoka thought, wiping a single strand of sweat dampened hair off her forehead. She sat up instinctively and stretched her arms wide. Wait. She lifted her arms back and forth. Her strength had returned to her! She shot out of bed immediately, sending pillows, blankets, and a sleepy Audrey to the floor. Her legs planted firmly on the messy room's floor.

She was not sick for now, but the work in this place had to be dealt with. The Silver I Adventurer tag and the storage talisman lay in a heap of clothes. A quick sniff revealed that they have been there for a few days, untouched. Madoka frowned, then simply tossed them in the portal and grabbed the broom.

"Whaa," the princess's muffled groan came from the other side.

By the time she finally got up, the place was back in order and clean. Madoka was busy sweeping the floor when she felt a pair of eyes watching her. Only a wild tangle of hair and eyes peered from over the bedside, threatening to submerge back under the covers if Madoka glared at her any longer. Audrey looked like a scolded and shy child.

"You're awake," she said with a placating tone, looking at Madoka as if she was an angry predator. "And also alive! Like walking alive!"

"G-Good to see you up and well, Audrey," Madoka threw the broom in the portal and pushed a floor to ceiling stone book shelf back to the corner where it belonged with one hand. The scraping noise from its protest made the princess jump to her feet. It seemed that she was not weighed down as much as she was by the revelations from yesterday.

"Y-You hungry?" Audrey asked tentatively. What was with her weary tone? Did she do something in her sleep? "I got food a day ago and… It's in the portal."

Madoka felt the talisman again and felt it was quite a hassle to fish out from under her shirt. It reacted to her thoughts, shifting into a bracelet that wrapped tightly around her wrist. She flicked her arm out of reflex, but soon both were looking at the band in curiosity.

"Did it always have shape-shifting capabilities?" Audrey muttered. She had somehow gotten closer to Madoka during her distraction and now latched a hand onto her wrist to inspect the mysterious storage talisman. "The thing has been with us for so long. It's bound to change at some point, right?"

"H-Hai," Madoka stared at the stone bracelet. Then her stomach growled ferociously. How many days had gone by without her eating a thing? She was not hungry, necessarily, but she would not give up food no matter what her situation was if it was given to her. The red carvings in it still lay etched into the talisman's sides, seemingly inactive. Could it be a living thing in its own way? Perhaps, a spirit lay within it? Reeyusi? She thought at it. The stubborn thing remained silent. Her stomach threatened to rumble again, so she reached into its magic and rummaged for any vision of food within it. "Ah. Meat!"

She found meat lying behind all the monsters and weapons. Audrey had thrown it in there with no sense of order, but it did not matter. She ate it all.

"So," Audrey said between bites. "I've been thinking."

The two were eating in the middle of the Guild Master's room without decorum. It seemed that the Lady truly meant what she said when she does not return here often. Otherwise, they probably would get in trouble for causing a mess.

"Right now, our priority is to get you healed," Audrey continued when the maid stared at her with a bone leg caught between her teeth. "Or at least find a way to heal the sickness effects when you see prophecies."

"H-Hai," Madoka murmured. Honestly, she did not want to be a burden to the princess any longer so it made sense to her. Being down for a couple of days was not good, but she still could not help but raise a slight concern. "W-What about the prophecies themselves?"

Audrey chewed silently; her eyes looked distant as she seemed to be accepting something inside her head. Madoka regretted bringing them up again. She was in a losing situation no matter what. Be sick and healed, but still be a burden. Or give her knowledge of the future. Of her Fate. She had no experience in either of those jobs.

"I've been thinking a lot about that too," Audrey's breath steeled. "And I accept it, I probably haven't taken it as well as you did when I told you that you'd get— well, stabbed. I know that the end of me will come sooner or later."

"Audrey…"

"Therefore!" Audrey threw a bone into the storage portal, stuck her hands in a strange swirling blue and green orb of magic floating next to her and withdrew a letter from her bag. Madoka recognized that it was from that messenger from Ilalune. Audrey smoothed it out on top of her notebook, which was now almost as big as the bag she carried.

"I suspect the Truth Guild will have intricate knowledge on stuff we need. AKA, we need all the help from A—" The girl stole a glance at Madoka in order to guage her reaction. She found no particular feather of hers ruffled. "Lady Arudite and her partner must be seeking us out for something. Specifically: We need to know who or what the goddess Fate is."

"Fate," Madoka thought about the Guild Master of the destroyed Gladeban. "Wasn't that the woman from Gladeban's Adventurer Guild?"

"She claimed to be godtouched by Gechick, yet," Audrey studied something in her notebook. "I sensed no trace of the kind goddess flowing through her. So the Lady Fate must be an entirely different entity, or an avatar for Fate, the goddess or whatever."

The logic made Madoka's head spin. Audrey noticed immediately and snapped her notebook shut.

"There's a strange thing about the number Two in this world. Two Moons, the Abyss and the Sky, Life and Death, like you living after dying… Anyways, it's a whole tinfoil hat sort of thing that we need help on. That is…"

Audrey seemed bashful, while Madoka's brain felt like it was overheating. What even is tinfoil?

"That is if you want to go to the Truth Guild," Audrey finally squeaked.

Madoka nodded. If it helped her not go through that again, then they should go. She was surprised that the princess Ilalune survived. The princess's worry vanished and she bounced over to her with a bright smile. As usual, knowledge and magic completely captured Audrey's attention. Perhaps even she was in Her Highness's mind as well. That doubt was shoved aside when the princess snatched her wrist, feeling the weightless storage talisman. A warm current of magic jolted through it as she rummaged through it.

"Good, but there's also a lot of other matters we need to take care of," Audrey muttered. "I've completely forgotten about all of the stuff inside here because of— well, you know."

"A-Apologies," Madoka looked down. She was sure she was in an absolutely unsightly state. "Such a fright must have—"

"No, not at all, not like that," Audrey waved her off. "The Truth Guild can wait. But it's officially time."

The girl's shift in tone made Madoka nervous. The glint in her eyes was unmistakable. That greed and ambition was something she had only reserved for shiny things. Sure enough, the hand holding her wrist suddenly pulled out a small pouch of coins.

"It's time to secure our second round of funding!" Audrey clapped her hands excitedly. The pouch swung around in her grip and smacked her shoulder. "Ach! This house, er, Theonys's house, is far enough away from the Artisan Guild or whatever. So we're going there first!"

Madoka suddenly wondered if being sick was better than going outside. It took her a moment to realize she did not even know how she got here. Audrey, as if reading her mind, pointed to the window.

"The houses in this mountain aren't really like the ones we're used to," Audrey explained. "You remember when we were on that giant flying cow when we first got here? Yeah, the door is also the window. There's houses above us and houses below us, like little dugouts. These tiny rooms remind me of, like, the urban villages from my old world."

"H-Hai," Madoka watched a group of winged Sovos flying over the ravine and disappearing overhead, presumably into other houses. It was then she noticed the small stone stairway leading to the open round window. A small landing hung outside, framed by ancient plants that clung to the wall and odd talismans that jingled in the wind. It was clearly made for people entering and leaving. The sky above is clean and blue, clear from those Weeping Souls and eyes.

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She leaned on the glass and saw the bustling street below her. More decorated burrows stuck out with various seals and other leaves. Each place had a distinct feel from one another, but there was a transient feeling reigning over this district. This house was just a small respite, not much of a stay for too long. A pair of hands hung onto the frame beside her. Audrey's hair was now down to her elbows. The skin colored scales on her back were now spreading, peeking out just above her shoulders.

"Well?" Audrey murmured. "Shall we?"

She was about to lift the window's latch before Madoka yanked her back.

"Wha—"

"You're not going out looking like that," the maid growled.

Audrey gulped and based off the surge of magic that now flowed into her eyes, the princess saw what Madoka was looking at. She was disheveled, hair floating upward like clouds and her clothes were lopsided. Absolutely not, she scoffed.

After flinging off Audrey's robe, Madoka inspected her pale skin. The scales, once soft, were now more defined and had more defined ridges. They were now painting more than just her shoulder blades and the back of her neck— they now plunged deeper along her spine. Madoka's hand paused on a certain rougher patch. How was she supposed to clean these? She had no experience in cleaning dragon scales!

"What're you looking at?" Audrey asked. Immediately, her eye tingled from her magic. The girl's back tensed as she gasped. "Are those… Scales?"

There was no use in hiding it now. Madoka shrugged.

"Yes," she answered. Madoka's eyes wandered further down the girl's beautiful body. Audrey gasped. Her magic faded quickly from her eyes as a faint shade of red bloomed across the her neck. Right, it was rude of her to be so shameless, but for some reason she felt smugness well up inside her instead of guilt.

"So it's true," Audrey mused. "I— I'm becoming a dragon. Maybe."

"D-Do all Royals become those?" Madoka asked. She suddenly felt a little nervous since she did not inform her the first time she saw those scales. Audrey turned around. Her different colored eyes were serene, yet the maid felt them scrolling up and down her. She wondered— Would she want to see more of her?

"I don't think so, but we did eat dragon meat…" Audrey's eyes never looked away from her body as she spoke. "Even you might be turning into one!"

In a flash, the princess lunged and tugged Madoka's cloak. It threatened to fall down to her waist. Hands started feeling her skin, making her freeze for a second. The maid instinctively pushed Audrey away. The wooden floor croaked as she tumbled onto the bed with a surprised yelp. Giggles escaped the tangled sheets, but a pang of guilt shot through Madoka as she realized what she had done.

"A-Apologies," Madoka lowered her head. "You can look at me all you want."

The giggling stopped, but the maid had already loosened her garb down to her waist. She heard the princess let out a sharp breath behind her, escaping in a sudden irregular yet charged rhythm. She felt the princess's excited gaze behind her, but she did not speak. She did not move. She did not need to channel magic into her eye to see what the princess was looking at. Her waist all the way up to the top of her head was on full display. Every muscle, scar, and burn was Audrey's to gaze at— And will belong to her eventually.

"T-That's a dangerous thing to say to me," Audrey breathed heavily. Her voice had dropped an octave. Madoka's ears felt hot and a strange temptation welled up inside of her. But she immediately pulled her cloak up, not missing the quiet sigh of disappointment released behind her.

"Well?" She turned. Audrey jumped and averted her gaze. "Did you see any scales on me?"

"N-No," Audrey admitted. "Nothing there. Maybe your, uh, Goddess Class overrides the Dragon Class. A little disappointing, wouldn't you say? We could be a cute dragon couple, doing whatever cute dragon couples do."

"I don't know what you're saying or thinking," Madoka sighed, heading towards the window. Classes? Audrey should know she hated learning things. She did get the general idea of what she was saying: She was not becoming a dragon anytime soon, nor did the princess seem upset over her slow transformation. "But it's time to go to the Artisan Guild and… the Truth Guild."

"R-Right," Audrey seemed reluctant, as if she wanted something. Madoka had a vague idea about what the girl was pouting about, but for some reason she did not want give into her. If she was going to be shy, then she can wait patiently for the girl to come to her directly.

The morning air was warm, yet there was a crispy edge to it, despite them leaving a little late. Audrey mentioned that apparently, to travel across the ravine to the other side or deeper into its depths required a permit of some sort. Madoka scoffed. When did they follow other people's rules? Still, after peering down into the ravine and feeling a little dizzy, she decided it probably was not worth it.

Ceghinortan was a perfect harmony of endless earth and free sky. They walked along the main street, which seemed to coil upward and wind around the entire mountain for eternity. Above them, the shadows of those huge Alpir'Row and the temples seemed like distant stars. When the sunlight pressed against their massive mud plastered and stony structures, they revealed a history far more ancient than anything she had seen in the Palace of Fiara. The airy feeling of their high elevation, however, was not new to her.

One of the tentacled wings swooshed from a rising Sky Beast, followed by a loud roar. The damp wind that followed tossed against Madoka, causing her clothes to cling to her and flutter behind her like a curtain. In its head, it was thinking about biting into a massive rocky fruit. Audrey trailed after her as a living additional accessory to her clothes and hand. Despite the sunniness and the gusts of wind, she did not topple over.

Madoka dragged her along anyways. They were still in the Adventurer's District, so it did not take long for her to remember the lay of the area. They ended up at the equipment shop they bickered in before since it was closest, but the shopkeeper simply shook his head. Madoka wanted to weigh the princess down, but both of them were not having it. She refused to admit her true reason for stuffing away inside this little shop was to hide away from the roaring wind outside for a moment.

"You're better off crafting your own weapons," he told them. "These are for beginners. The Merchant's Guild is in the Living District, so if you have spoils you'll have to get a license to sell them through a Company."

When the big Alpir'Row outside finally cleared out of the Adventurer District and ascended, Madoka conveniently made an excuse to get back on the road to the Artisan Guild.

"Bah! Bureaucracy's a big bit—"

"Language, Audrey," Madoka chided Her Rebelliousness, though she could not make heads or tails over the meaning of a license. Did they not have that Sir Rhev's seal in their storage?

"Can't fly around, can't sell stuff, can't buy stuff, can't do this or that," Audrey muttered. "What's next? Can't take a dump?"

Madoka groaned. Strangers were moving all around them, like separate streams. She saw many tags gleaming in the sunlight of various ranks, but thank the kind gods no one seemed to recognize House Dalion. There was only one explanation for her sudden spoiled outburst— She was bored!

Her steps quickened.

"Wha— Why so fast?"

The Artisan Guild was tucked inside what looked like a gash in the mountainside. Steam billowed out through carved vents above metal supports that towered over a complex smeltery that roared in a fiery rage. The fire illuminated more forges and levels of Knotting mages and adventurers scurrying about like ants. The Artisan Guild Master was nowhere to be seen. A nearby adventurer party informed them that they should find a free workspace for crafting, or pull a representative of a Company to process sales.

"Looks like funding will have to wait," Audrey sighed.

She was perched on a barrel in one of the free workspaces, kicking her legs. Madoka was not paying attention to the complaints nor to the loud hissing of the forge's machinery. Instead, she was realizing there were changes occurring in the Storage Talisman. There were things that she missed inside it, besides the human rifles and weak tiered weaponry that did not give off any colored auras. When she used the portal to "capture" the Crystal Lizard's falling corpse, she realized that rare metals and magical ore also fell into it. She could use this to create a new axe!

"Those rocks…" Audrey's eyes gleamed with undisguised greed as Madoka let them pour out of the portal. Each metal ore seemed to chime as they landed on the floor.

There were four blue metal shards that were like gems. Each of them seemed to hold oceans roaring within them. They were suitable for crafting, according to the Crystal's quiet voice in her head. Madoka inspected them, but stopped. She noticed that while they beamed with natural brilliance, there was no aura surrounding their edges. Knotting magic passed over them quickly.

"Marine Quartz," Audrey pointed at them. Madoka scooped them up and handed them to the princess, who gazed at them in her arms like they were a loved babe. "A kid back in the Palace, I think it was a duke's son, brought a bunch of them to me."

Madoka sighed. That was ages ago, so why could she not have left the obsession with shiny things back in the Palace, too?

Next, two long green metal shards with pulsing stones embedded in their sides lay flat on the floor. Madoka picked one up, noticing that the stone was too light. It exuded a red aura when she channeled Knotting magic into her eyes, indicating that it would make for a decent Tier 4 blade, but nothing useful. And, not particularly appealing.

"Amenocene," the princess dropped the blue metal on the ground and immediately diverted her attention to the green metal shards.

The Amenocene complemented her eyes, Madoka thought as she shoveled the Marine Quartz back into the portal. Perhaps, Her Highness could use an elegant jade green blade in the future.

Then, there was one final ore that the Crystal inside of her recognized as viable for smelting. The metal was jet black, yet glowed with a ferocious orange current through chipped cracks under its surface. Its glare seemed to outshine the forge's fires. The best for last, she thought wryly. There were more beautiful gems and metals inside the portal, but she feared that the princess would obsess to deeply over each and every one of them.

"Firerene," Audrey gawked at the metal. "A Cherish Beast man showed up in my Father's throneroom with a black blade on his hip. That's what he said the metal was. Where'd you get all these materials?"

"I got them from the Gladeban Mines," Madoka said blankly. Of course, Audrey would ascertain the names of every precious metal ore and gemstone in this storage portal by a single glance. "After I killed the Crystal Lizard. Now, It's time to get to work!"

She pulled out the work apron and the gloves Boss Thribelt gave her and threw it on.

Lady Eena, Boss, Madoka silently prayed as she noticed that the jet black metal began to swell with an incredible aura. A blazing orange, like the sun, seemed to burst out of it when she viewed it through the Crystal's magic.

Audrey simply watched as she got to work on the Firerene metal, but became more observant in the magic steps. The girl, of course, seemed to know a few odd things about blacksmithing from her world and offered assistance several times. It seemed like a metal made out of fire would not melt in the smeltery, but the process did not require that. She had the princess with her, whose flames managed to heat it entirely. Madoka's body seemed to remember every step. With Audrey's magic and her Crystal's help, a new axe was born.

"Magnolia II," Madoka called it. Even so, it was not shaped like an axe. Just like its predecessor, it was a malformed and black slab. It weighed even heavier than the first version, giving her satisfaction. Magnolia II seemed to also possess that strange quality that called for her hand to wield it. Was it because she created it? Or was it because of the strange attunement of Knotting magic humming along its jagged edges? When she first held it in admiration, she felt like she was honoring the memory of the first Magnolia. Then, its sheer weight strained her hand and it dropped with a resounding thud to the ground. The noise made several nearby adventurers glance their way, but a glare from Madoka made them shy away.

Still, the axe remained embedded in the floor like a fallen meteor. It was impervious to any disturbances, as if it did not trust anyone to carry it besides Madoka. Audrey could not pull it out of the earth. Since she had never seen any weapon with an orange aura, she assumed it was stronger than the first Magnolia she made. Slinging it on her side nearly ripped her garb's tough fabric, so she slung it on her back with a strap she made from Knotting magic. The moment she did, she nearly tipped backwards. Even Audrey could not lift it and from the look of her dark glowing core, it seemed to take a lot of magic to move. This pleased Madoka, although she now found it difficult to walk without breathing heavily.

More training was required to hold this weapon.

More discipline was needed to tame this beast.

More hunger was demanded to power this restlessness.

They regrouped outside on a balcony far away from people to clean the smoke off themselves. It was nice to avoid any important looking figures for awhile and the sun was tucked on behind the mountain from where they were. Nothing but a blue sky and mist below rested before them. Insect-birds that were gathered there refused to leave, buzzing incessantly until Madoka's own thoughts shooed them away. She blocked off the entrance with a barrier and had to be washed down by Her Highness. She felt embarrassed. If she had extra hands and Audrey's miraculous water magic, she would not have to rely on others to clean her.

"I still don't understand how you can lift that thing," Audrey groaned. Madoka felt a hand slide down her spine and shivered, but not because she was cold. Something else entirely slithered up her skin. "Madoka?"

She stumbled for a moment, trying to shake that odd feeling out of her. Was that desire? Madoka realized she had many thoughts and heard many thoughts, yet shared few of those thoughts with Her Highness. A hand suddenly steadied her from behind, but froze when she turned to face Audrey.

"Are you good?" Audrey's eyes shifted to concern. "Not sick? Do I need to drag you back to Theonys's house again?"

"I love you," Madoka blurted.

The princess suddenly lowered her gaze. Clearly, she was not used to the word. It seemed like neither of them knew what to do with each other. But since she said it, she was not taking it back. Madoka leaned over, towering over the girl. Her shadow overtook the shade of the mountain and the blue sky's backdrop.

"Y-You're covered in soap—"

Madoka cupped the girl's face and her lips silenced Audrey's words. The burning, sour taste of the magically conjured soap mixed with the sweetness of her lips filled her with a rushing desire. It would be a taste her tongue would remember for a long time. But she held onto the princess, whose squirming became less resistant; bare skin soaked the fabric. Eventually, the desire fizzled out when a hand suddenly started pounding her back and reality settled in again. Reluctantly, she drew away and the princess doubled over, wheezing and out of breath.

"S-Sorry," Madoka muttered. The princess glared at her.

"Don't you have any idea how bad soap tastes? A-And how terrifying you look like right now?"

Through her Shared Vision, Madoka saw herself through the lens of the Princess's view. A possessive glint sliced out through her bloodshot eyes and an average, scarred face framed by wild red hair stared down at her. Audrey was right. She did look terrifying at that moment. The golden gleam pulsating along her cheek to her blue eye only added to the menacing presence the maid was exuding.

But it did nothing to stop the desire warring inside her heart. How would Madoka put it? Audrey might be a heretic, or a monster, or someone who would physically alter the world for her. Whatever she said was completely meaningless to Madoka the moment she kissed her. Desire was dangerous, threatening to stop her reason like the rune on her shoulder. She was once again torn in two, drifting in a grey space between gentleness and the ruin this love might cause.

"A-Anyways," Audrey confirmed that she was not sick. "We still have a Truth Guild to find."

She fumbled with her bag as Madoka got dressed. Then, Audrey's face paled when she realized that it was in the storage talisman wrapped around the maid's wrist. The apprehensive look she gave her amused the maid. She stuck out her wrist for Her Shyness.

"Go on," Madoka smiled, but clearly, it was not the welcoming kind.

Audrey snatched her wrist like a thief and quickly withdrew the letter and a map she somehow acquired. Madoka was stunned. She had never seen the princess move that quickly.

"You're so… Audacious!" Audrey whined as they moved in an alleyway. "We were in public! What… What if someone found us? What if we need a license for kissing outside? What if they don't like…"

Madoka said nothing. She was alert, probing for both thoughts and hostile intent. This city was a veritable labyrinth, despite appearing to be a cliffside. It was tough to imagine that this was just one section of Ceghinortan. The stony path winded deeper inside the Adventurer District like a blood vessel made of mud bricks, but the Truth Guild's massive telescope was looming above them up ahead.

There, Ilalune would be waiting for them.

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