The Legacy Of The Moonscar[END]

[Inariel Myotis]

When the light had taken its toll on the realm around us, what cools our weary, sundried souls? Parched, we search for what exactly? Something to calm... to quell.

Inari had traveled far beyond the realm of Muu after a rigorous confrontation with the ruling powers of the Astral City. Flying through the night sky with no set destination in mind, doing naught but nursing the need for a reprieve from it all. With his people being cared for or watched over to ensure they didn't cause problems within the city, he was free to ponder everything he had experienced up until now, as well as the phantom he encountered just before he slaughtered Udiah. It was a temporary arrangement, but Aurelius's death weighed heavy on his mind. He could not comprehend what it was about himself that was worth a person sacrificing their very being for. Still, he has already taken measures to return if needed. What...what did it mean...to love something? Or someone?

"So much has happened...and for all the answers, I've unearthed the questions they created are legion."

The moon gleamed brightly in the sky. This force, the smell of the night, enticed him as he contemplated his journey thus far. Inari began his path as a living enigma, a relic from a forgotten world. Remembering the first time his eyes opened since being reborn in this latest link of his curse, resting lazily on the moon. Incomplete, unfinished. Like a mural abandoned by its creator. His body felt numb. Unmovable, practically catatonic, is how he lay upon a patch of earth barren at least two meters around him. No life thrived near him. A mental fog perplexed him. Where was he? Who... who was he? And why was life fleeing from him?

How the dusk deepened, and shadows danced among the trees. In the twilight, a soft rustle caught his attention. He squinted, the faintest flicker of movement warming the chill of his uncertainty. The moon, he reflected, was both a terror and a lure. He felt the pull of it as if it was whispering ancient secrets only he could hear. During that Zenith of the Scarlet Night, he awoke, thrust into conflict with villagers from nearby Lundao, fighting against the bizarre predator. He recalled Bora, the mighty Orc-kin mercenary whose strength had equated to an indomitable spirit yet was extinguished by Inariel's reckless transformation—an uncontrollable force.

Inariel remembered the horror that had flashed through him as he succumbed to the urge to Consume. In the aftermath, the blood on his hands had drawn lines of guilt across his heart. Now, he bore the memories and lessons of the lives he had taken, his kills' heavy chains of regret that intertwined with his own.

"I...was overcome with hunger, maddened by the Demon influence."

Yet, in the meadow of nameless dread, an echo of something brighter eventually bloomed within him. He had learned to navigate emotions with the guidance of Nagase—the fierce daughter of Vesta—who swore to keep him close lest he become a threat to others. Her unwavering resolve tethered him even as danger hovered, though he hated to admit it. He owed much to her suspicions of him. Together, they wandered through the twilight, fate entwining their paths, leading them to The Wood, a manifestation of nature’s deeper whisper. Its words rumbled through the air, a truth unveiled, explaining that life pulsed twice within Inariel and that he was born of two bloodlines. This knowledge frayed the edges of his consciousness, colliding past with the present in a tumultuous dance.

“Your mother,” The Wood had said when they ventured into one of the last places where memory transcended time, “she has sought you since the sun swallowed the shore.”

Inariel remembered his mother—the phantom apparition he conjured in the marrow of his longing. They danced at the edges of his mind, weaving tales of possible definition like gossamer threads of moonlight that sparkled against the weight of his darkness. And with that, he desired to find the Myotis—his family.

"Thinking back, I and the spirit were always at odds. At one point, it felt like Vescrutia herself rejected me. Now I know why she views me as foreign...a trespasser. I've done nothing but demand of her..."

A shift in the air around him signaled a door of opportunity. It opened wide upon reaching the Acrix, a place filled with echoes of history where the wisdom of the Urizen lay nestled in tomes. The journey through that hallowed library became his rite of passage—a tender unraveling of layers, each revealing deeper wells of strength and understanding.

Even though the terror of combat raged around him as the Bone Golem named Drought strode through the city, Inariel had learned of teamwork, of mankind's fragility transformed into resolve. He tapped into a well of power he hadn’t comprehended—his second heart, his Ava—linked to strength and the primordial essence of purpose that propelled existence. At the time, he hadn't realized that was what had happened; in his eyes, they had all gotten in the way of his meal. One he despairingly wanted to taste. However, he was forced to settle for the knowledge he came for.

"Then...came Amrit."

When he met Zeik, leader of the Astral Chaos, the truth of his lineage became crystal clear—he encouraged him to walk Amri's wing, the path of hearts. Opening the locket Zeik gave him at the best of a Myotis elder, who leaned was his grandfather, who was long dead, after ingesting a single bead of magically preserved blood, he met his mother, Malka. It was here that he learned a vicious evil was haunting him, and it was also here that he forged a pact with his familiar Amrit. Through their time together, the once petulant vicious fox spirit had become a reflection of Inari's stalwart ambitions and tenacious ability—a mirror of the moon's symbolism and nature duality. His bond with his familiar saw him survive the trials of the Crown Jewel contest and against the current Crown of the Tyr.

"And now here I stand, with the weight of my own crown. A people who are weak and malnourished, taking sanctuary in a land that fears them. But they must endure. I cannot hope to lead them if I continue fumbling in darkness."

As the flashes of his travels and trials settled, the last one to be brought back to his mind was the devilish encounter with the demon that sired his curse—the truth of his origins and how the Holgurd crown conspired against his people. An ancient evil after Inari's very soul...what it called the "Seed Of Creation."

"I must discover for myself what this all means. I can rely on the... kindness of strangers no longer."

His soul, this seed, was something the demon desired so intensely it corrupted him, granting him a curse of immortality that would trap him in a seemingly endless cycle of reincarnation, madness, and death. Yet for what purpose? Inari had determined that what he knew now were small pieces of a much larger puzzle, and his duty was to solve it.

Antares: Youre young, Inariel and even more so...you seem not from around here, hell....with that accent, I'm not so sure youre from this planet at all. In all my millenniums ive never had to try so hard to understand what someone speaking my language, was trying to say. So, before I execute the both of you...i'll learn you a thing or two. Rubbish like your slain cousin walk a particular path of life, one little golden boy over there wouldn't know a thing about, but an orphan like yourself should know better.. Animals like your cousin kill anything they can get a few coins for and covet anything that makes them feel like a big man. That snubbed- nosed mut probably over heard an old fang at the tavern, regaling in fables older than the rodents dandruff and got carried away delusion of grandeur, probably thinking golden boy was something hes not.

"If my soul is truly not of Vescrutia...then I must know from where it hails. They...my parents said the demon has been haunting me for ages...even after my death, it simply waits for me to be reborn... perhaps...perhaps the keys lie not in this life...but in the lives I have lived before."

But how would he go about recounting his past? He held no memories of his past lives nor any of their dealings, not even what led to their deaths. Only the weight of the sins they committed...

"Their...sin?"

He smirked, but it was not one of humor, more of irony. His ailment was the "Curse Of Loss"; he could surmise its purpose by that name alone. What he knew for sure about it was that in each of his lives, he awakens, desires, longs, and covets, is touted by what he lacks and his driven made by these desires under the thumb of the Scarlet moon...and by its end, he commits an unspeakable atrocity that leads to his death once more. Recounting this made things all the evident to him; if he wanted to uncover the truth of his past, he would have to do so by delving into the only remnant of them he still held...the inherited despair of their respective loss... a thousand years of mired melancholy and madness...

[Inariel Myotis]

"My...sin..."

His word drifted on the passing winds as he cut through the skies like a crimson blade, his majestic mane seemingly burning in the moonlight like a living conflagration. His mind pondered how he was to tap into such an emotion. The sins of his past lives were many; indeed, he could scarcely even begin to know where to start. At that moment, he recalled the events when he first encountered his kin. A proud race of warriors, protectors of the nine realms, is now reduced to pauper guttersnipes who would feed on their carcass if it meant survival. He first glanced at them as lesser, undeserving of the nobility they once held. Yet...when he encountered Aurelius, the crown before him, he began to understand once more a humbling truth. Even the most mighty are capable of falling; he had fallen short many times, and his current status as the crown was far from what he was prior. A mindless rampaging creature devouring anything he let his fancy on. His desire to reach the pinnacle was born..from his hatred of being forced to the bottom. Perhaps that was why, instead of measuring them like Udiah, he chose to offer them power, the power to reclaim their former glory and become an existence that transcended their past entirely. If the Hellgates feared the Myotis before, they should soon be even more terrified of what lay for the bat evils.

"..."

This truth was revealed to him through the mingling of his and Aurelius' blood, and they discovered a lost power within their bloodline. A psychic realm capable of recalling past events as they pertained to the Myotis family. It was also here that Inariel came face to face with the demon that sired his curse...

"The Red Eye...to think...I was born a sickly child...and yet..."

It was because of his parents' love that not only did he survive all those centuries ago, but even now, he could stand in opposition to the demon awakening his place as an Arch Magus, the highest order of the Amaris path. That was when he was beset with intense pain in his head as his mind was racked with visions.

Spoiler

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The Gateway is a massive tear between that which separates the realms seen and unseen. Its form and shape alter depending on the one invoking it. Regardless of size, invoking one requires an absent amount of power. In the ritual that brought her here, Belif, the mortal man of little arcane cunning he was, still managed to open an entry point as significant as a typical door. With the backing of the Black Knight, Sophia created a rift the size of a lake. The land where the void rest existed no longer, the cauterized bones of the fallen erased, their only heirlooms were the memories held in the hearts of those who loved them, forever scarred by the heinous mark she had left on them all.

The gateway to Lo'Kaleer was like a living entity, and only after being fed would it yield to the whim of the one who provided the meal. From the belly of the necrotic void did a plume of formless darkness manifest as if the very seams of the Nether began weaving its form into that of a woman. Her body black like the void that wove her, eyes gleaming with the essence of Necrofire, the energy of the Deadflame, the force of death, the nether itself, flowing through her. It's Scion born anew, washed in the essence of the dead and living. The blackness of the Shadows around her began to give way, unveiling Sophia reborn.

The air about her had changed. Her gaze no longer burned with anxiousness nor uncertainty of any kind. The ritual had been completed, and her binding to the mortal belief no longer hindered her connection to the nether. With her was full access to her necrotic lineage and the demon mastery of the demon within her. Lo' Kaleer's chosen had returned. "It feels soooo good..." Her words seeped from her lips slowly, as if savoring each syllable spoken from her newly formed lips. "To be alive." Power flowed somberly from her, the sheer intensity of her existence ebbing against the boundary of the realms as if whatever manner of being existed between realms: the living and the dead, the rise and the fall. She could feel it in the tips of her fingers, in the stale gales of wind that brushed through her ebon hair, a shift in the paradigm—a twist of fate strings.

She would descend to the grounds of Erosia a few feet away from a man trapped in a fear-induced stupor. When their eyes met, his form combusted in a vaunt of Deadflame. Sophia's gaze widened in shock. "Dear me, I didn't even try to do that," she said, a wicked smile across her face. It seemed that her spiritual presence had grown to such heights or sunk to such depths that beings of weaker spiritual consultation could not hold themselves around her, forcing their life force to combust into dead flame.

This was good to know; she would have to...fine-tune her influence on the living realm, lest she leaves a trail of flaming corpses whenever she treads. "Now, to keep my word...come, Black Knight." A large mass of ebon magic emerged from her stomach; she barely winced as the blood spilled. It solidified into a giant black claw. Its figure was revealed as the entity fully materialized from her gaping wound. A massive black dragon took to the skies, its cries of freedom echoing through the city before it plummeted to the ground, its form morphing into something akin to a humanoid.

The Black Knight returned to its ancient form, the guise it held before its severance—an amalgamation of Darkness and Deadflame, a warrior of unparalleled prowess. "I remember...my name..." The demon's low voice spoke out as it pondered its current state. The ritual was a success; the two stared at the deadly aftermath of its completion: chaos, destruction, and death. All for the sake of her ideals, it made manifest. And now, they stood upon the first deathly laid brick upon a long road to change. "Oh? Humor me, The Black Knight is a bit drab."We've mentioned so much during this rite; it's starting not to be my favorite color anymore." She said as she approached the demon knight. Sophia could feel it, their connection aside, its smoldering demonic power. "Grixas".

Knowing a demon's name was no small thing. Names held power, and in the hands of a demon beckoning process, even more so. However, Sophia had no true aim in subjugating her companion; their union was symbiotic. What she was interested in, though, was its purpose. It knew her aims yet had never revealed their own, simply wishing to come along for the ride, promising power and knowledge, knowing that it would eventually lead to the reclamation of all that was stripped from them through the summoning. Though she briefly pondered its name, she remembered something: " Grixas? Now, where have I heard that before?". The black-clad demon stretched its massive wings, readjusting itself to having a corporal form once more." Well, there shall be plenty of time for discussion; let us leave this hellscape," Sophia said, having already grown tired of the flaming walls of the terrified. She was ready to venture on from this prison, don't greener or blacker pastures. However, Grixas did not share her readiness to leave, not just yet." Sophia, we still have one matter to settle before you go off with your Girl Scouts and play assassin." She scoffed, flippant beast; she wondered what he could have meant. The rite was done, their power returned, and the gateway manifested. They only needed to do it, and they could leave. What could be worth staying here a second longer? " And that would be?".

She inquired with a curious gaze. Her arms folded solemnly under her breastplate as the ribbons of darkness that made up her gilded garments floated majestically in the scream-filled gales. "The boy, that Venkage..." Sophia's eyes widened with increasing intrigue. Why, she forgot all about the little stain and his companions. "What could he possibly have that we need." Granted, Venkage were exceptional artificers, and the boy seemed to have a particular heightened knack for it; he did create the ring that could assist in harnessing rudrals currents. That aside, he wasn't much else worth a dime. The demon folded its arms as it began looking toward the skies. It was strange for Sophia to witness such pondering from the raven one. "No, we, I." Her hand trailed along her forearm before landing on the nape of her chin. "Ah, so the plot thickens." Grixas continued to gaze at the stars."The staff, you noticed the demonic influence ebbing from it. Did its blackness not feel...familiar?" Sophia turned from him, her eyes gingerly shifting from side to side.

Indeed, now it made more sense why the demon was so set on her not using the boy...the staff and it were connected, but to what end? "I do, in fact; you wished for him to live, so I sent them on a wild goose chase into the heart of SEED. The staff, the demon within it, who or what is it?" Her tone demanded the truth, letting her death partner know there would be no tolerance for hidden agendas and details. However, they were two consipteros in a vast array of deadly occurrences. There had to be honor amongst thieves.

Their pact demanded the truth from them both. Grixas knew this most of all. Compelled by oath to speak, it did so. "I am an Archdemon, Gongorei; even this is but a droplet of my power. What you see before you now, I am, is only one-third of a whole—a fragment of my true self. Like you, an eon ago, I was stripped apart and sealed within the Necropolis, the prison where the most heinous of cosmic terror are held. That boy bares the stench of not only one of my parts but two. He is the key to my ambitions...which means..." It said that looking over its shoulder at Sophia would have been looking at it with a precarious look. "He is the key to mine as well...fine. I shall fetch them. I cannot stand being here a moment longer than necessary; let your culling be swift." As she said, this naten began to twist around her, a gorgeous gloom of heinous magic pulsating with purpose. She knedded her intention into it until it became but a wisp of living shadow within her hands. "Bring me the boy...." With a light kiss, it was off to achieve its directive, bringing Shabuto and his demonic item to her.

"Who...what Am I seeing right now?"

He could feel the ebbs of the heinous magic emanating from the woman like a fearsome storm of cursed naten. The dark entity beside her also struck a devilish pain through him as if his very being was both drawn to and afraid of what he witnessed. Once more, he was beret with confusion. But out of all the flashes, three things stuck out, three names lost entirely to him.

"Lo'Kaleer...Grixas....and..."

His passage through the skies was as he nearly crashed into a mountain, distracted by what he witnessed. As he struggled to speak the final name, an unimaginable sensation of despair overcame him, it was crippling, forcing him to turn to the earth beneath him below for solace. His hair blanketed him like a bloody cloth draping around his wings as they retracted over him. His breath became labored; whatever this revelation was, it was so foul and powerful that it brought him to his knee in such a way. He tried to purse his lips to speak the name, but as he did, he was assaulted with another vision.

This one was set under an odd lunar occurrence different from the Scarlet Night he had come to fear. The moons seemed to encircle each other as if lazily dancing through the cosmos. Under this gleaming performance were three figures. One was a manwith hair as long as a river, a gorgeous cobalt hue that even the azure moon Kirin would be envious of. Next to him, a woman whose hair is like a stream of silver, as if each strand was a thread of moonlight itself. The radiance of her being cast a veil of blessings over those near her. Beside them...the third figure was more challenging to make out, but as he focused on the visage, its blur began to fade, revealing a sight that shook him to his bones...the face revealed to be his own, standing side by side with these figures...as if, they were connected... friends even. The blue-eyed man touched the woman's face softly and uttered.

"Sophia..."

Yet it was Inari's lips that spoke it, and with them, the visions faded, leaving him motionless upon the cold earth. The invocation of that name felt like a dagger being dug into his heart. What was the meaning of all this? One vision after another, a worrisome archive of partially revealed truth and furthered covered answers. He began to fear what he was beginning to unearth. He had been seeking the truth for so long, but with the coming of his emotional turmoil...he was starting to doubt...that he was genuinely ready to remember his previous life. Their origins were obscured by the many emotions and thoughts that ran through him. The one that stood out the most was an unrelenting feeling of regret...whatever happened must have been lustily devious to leave such a rooted scar on his spirit. It was a pain that dwarfed the guilt he held from killing Bora. It felt like he had earned the scorn of the heavens themselves. Perhaps that was why the earth, Vescrutia, detested him.

"I..am not ready..."

His solemn statement hung heavily on the silence that enveloped him. Alone in a massive expanse of unspoiled earth, he lay there, turning on his back, glaring at the moon. What was this great wrong he committed? Who were these people? Those names...Lo'kaleer...even more so, the name Grixas felt like venom on her tongue to repeat. He...he feared the depth of sin his last self committed...he...he wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore...

[Inariel Myotis]

"Sigh...how frequently you regress is alarming; where is your sense of pride?"

A familiar voice cut through the smog of these thoughts. From Inari sept a thin stream of mana that would wisp around before taking shape, it was Amrit standing before him like a fully grown dire wolf. His cardinal mane mirrored Inari's own, yet he fluttered on the stale breeze with an air of regal entitlement that he once thought he and his other half shared in common. His almost disinterested gaze cast a spell of judgment with notes of genuine befuddlement.

"Not Now Amrit...."

The spectral fox began casually licking its paws and intending to ignore him and his annoying attachment to perpetual melancholy.

"Are you seriously going to have a meltdown whenever you discover something? I hope not, I can think of many better ways to spend eternity."

Inari tried to ignore his Familiar's words. He couldn't yell out that Amrit didn't understand what he was going through, for Amrit was probably the only other being on this planet who experienced this world exactly as he did. And yet, despite the weight of these revelations, he was only ever interested in the next phase, the next step of the oath, while Inari pondered the meaning behind every stone they passed, practically counting the blades of grass along the way.

"Eternity has proved itself to be nothing more than an unending song of madness..."

"Pfft, yet there are those who bleed and perish daily...and their ends are permanent. Why do you obsess so over the deeds of your past lives?"

"How can I not?! To be the cause of so much suffering...the harm I've caused...and to be blessed to forget it each time, while those who I hurt are left to deal with the scars of my choices...my lack of control."

"Yes, and yet...it was not the you that you are now that made those choices. It is no different than children who inherit the sins of their parents. But instead of blaming yourself, you can discover something that differs instead of worrying about adding to the line in the chain...remember what you have set out to do...What Aurelius died for."

Inari continued to gaze. The force of his biting words was enough to crack his bones into spilters. Harsh as he may be, wrong he was not. The man he was now was different than when he first came to be on the passing of the last Advent. Besides, he...had more to consider than just himself. He was a crown, and even that was only meant to be a stepping stone for his true aims.

"To break them..."

He said with a slightly guttural tone as he lifted to meet Amrit face to face.

"To stand at the pinnacle of all things means to be above the notion of regret! Your parent gave their lives everything they had to ensure you lived. You owe it to them and those who now follow you to face the ghost of the past, not to wallow in the mire, but to clear it from you finally. If you have an error, then focus on the solution. And if one cannot be found, then bear your fangs and devour fate itself!"

"Heh...being lectured by myself, that got to be the pinnacle of arrogance at least."

"At least you're making some progress."

The beast snicked, baring its fangs.

"Remember what I am, your ambition given form, your ideals personified. So long as I am here, you do not face this ordeal alone. So cease this never-ending fretting over every detail; they are a litany of ants...and giants seldom consider ants."

"Of course...besides."

He rubbed Amrit's fur before bringing its head close to his own. The creature begrudgingly allowed it before it dissipated into a mist of mana that returned to Inari, who sat on the ground, folding his legs.

“Will you follow me, always, even if my path should lead you and our family to the depths of the Nether itself?”

"I cannot ask them to follow me into a place that I am too timid to enter...very well."

With his mindset set, his aura began to envelop him, no longer wispy murmurs of the madness and fear that plagued him a moment ago; now, it formed around him like a bastion. From this came a light of deep crimson that illuminated the brush around him, his essence painting over the green foliage. His naten sparkled around him as his locs of crimson began to wisp gingerly upon the conjured gales flaring towards the sky.

"Akai Kizu"

He invoked the name of his soul space, The Red Wound. The invocation caused the resplendent crimson to diverge into a myriad streams of various colors as the unearthed beneath him began to blossom. The realm around him dissolved and the lush silver light realm of the material real was rinsed away and in its stead a flood of primordial influence tingling with cosmic allure. As he opened his eyes, Inari would find his eyes filled with the gilden visage of a massive tapestry that scaled into the very skies of the red-clad realm.

The Red Wound was the name given to the dreamscape that manifested when he journeyed within. The psychic domain that governs the collective consciousness and knowledge of the Myotis, both new and ancient, was one he entered into with Aurelius purely by mistake. It shifted alongside the will that inquired of it, yet after Inari awakened his final omen, his incredible soul, manifested by his position as a crown, drew that realm into his soul, morphing him into the catalyst for all that was archived by his people. Instead, his deliberately entering the mystical expanse determined its purpose and its present form, perhaps its original one.

[Inariel Myotis]

"This...was not here before...."

His face was painted with the ethereal sparkle of the gilden tapestry scribbled in a language he couldn't make heads or tails of at first glance. Yet it emitted the same flow of energy as the spectral realm itself. Inari drew back on the memory of the second time they entered when he performed the black ritual to consume Udiah. Each time, the space mirrored what they sought the most. First, it was a sanctuary to learn. Secondly, it was a site to perform a deathly interrogation followed by judgment. What could this celestial script represent now? Though somewhat hesitant, Inari wasted little time before approaching the glistening weave. He had learned that this realm was founded in blood, born from the Myotis's ability to pass down knowledge and even inherited masteries through their essence. Their will, thoughts, dreams, and fear became the very walls of this domain, and with it now being tethered to Inari's own CORE, it had come to reflect what he could only interpret to be a well of information, a font of knowledge...one he procrastinated to drink from.

"..."

However, he had steeled himself to confront whatever may come from his inquisition. He knew he needed only to ask, and he would receive.

"No matter what is revealed, I cannot turn back now."

He said as Amrit drifted on top of the red clouds above, the gaze of the Crimson Moon looming over him. Every second longer he waited was another added weight of anxiety about which question he should ask. If the goal was to discover what happened in his previous life, he needed something to connect him. Then, one of the names from his vision came back to him. The thought alone filled him with an inexplicable angst that he would take as a sign. Even should he not confusedly remember whoever this person was...there was a great emotion associated with them, one whose secrets he would see unraveled. He touched the golden weave, and his intent sound was upon it.

"Who is Sophia...and what is my connection to her?”

The script began to gleam brightly, and as he opened his eyes, they mirrored the glittering sparkle of the tapestry, which started to mirror ribbons as they fluttered around Inari parading their secrets with the notion of birds gliding through the skies. As they spiraled around him, the lush red clouds that made up his soul space enveloped him in a torrent of cardinal magics that went beyond his naten, digging deep into his CORE, tapping into the manifestation of his mana, The Seed Of Creation. And nearly as swiftly as the crimson storm came to be, it faded, but when his line of sight returned to him, it was not the red wound he saw but that of a gours span of forest with a tree that shimmered like crystals. He stood on the cliff of a jagged mountain formation that looked almost like a crescent moon.

"How long do you plan to stand there gawking..."

That was when his eyes lifted from the ground onto a woman whose beauty seemed like something out of a fairytale; her gown shimmered like starlight, and her loc'd hair cascaded like ropes of liquid obsidian.

"Allen..."

As she spoke, he could feel a mountainous wave of pressure befall him; it was nearly paralyzing. His breaths were heavy, with a growing anxiousness and unstable feeling of sadness. Allen? He had heard that name before; the phantom in the Vareth Bogs called him by that name. Could it be that whomever that apparition was, it knew of the incarnation that is here now? He was not one to believe in coincidence, yet it made his weight no less easy to carry. As she neared, these feelings intensified. She stopped just before him, enough to be close to where they were nearly face to face. He could scarcely explain her presence, like feeling encumbered by the weight of the blackness of space yet embellished by the liberating rays of the moon's grace. He was inexplicably drawn to her, and the pangs of confusion and regret began giving way to serenity streams. As if she was the very pull and push of the moon itself, bringing balance to his worried soul. It was a feeling that he could define no other way but divine. To him, she exuded an aura of divinity—the air of a goddess.

"Ah, Sophia, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

His eyes widened as a voice called out from behind him. Over the cover of his shoulder, he saw a man with a scarlet mane much like his own and eyes that hummed with mystic affluence. Inari jumped back. It was not until this moment that he remembered he was but a visitor to this "time," merely watching the events he inquired of unfold. He didn't expect it to feel like this—this surreal. But as he scanned him over he could not deny their resemblance, like staring into a mirror, but this person, did not possess the wings of a Myotis...in fact, he looked oddly mortal. The possibilities of what this could mean nearly brought a chill to his blood.

"I was hoping for a little quiet."

She said as she leisurely folded her arms, adorned with silver and gold jewelry that only further expelled her standing. The vision of Inariel stopped just a few feet before her, smirking at her words.

"On the eve that a Moon Goddess is to wed a mortal man? Before an audience of those who worship her? Surely you jest."

She scoffed.

"You know I never jest."

He sighed, throwing his hand up in surrender. Inari observed the way they spoke to each other. Their comfortable conversation suggested that he and Sophia were familiar, comfortable even. Could they have been friends?

"A Goddess of the Moon?!"

So there was no mistake then; despite his disbelief in the notion of gods, he could not ignore how close her naten was to the claim. Whatever she was, she was ancient and very powerful. To be wed a mortal man? Could it have been?

[Inariel Myotis]

"It's just..."

She said as she looked up towards Kyrin, her eyes seeming to waver in the glow.

“You’re thinking of Minratha and how she feels about your marriage."

She sighs, looking over towards the crystal forest, the weight of it all bearing down on her.

“We are patrons born from how the Moons influence the world beneath us and the stars surrounding us. Minratha, born from Kirin affluence, must govern the Moonflow, keeping herself from straying too far from its boundaries. Mine, having been born from Bako's, is to facilitate the Night Sacrarium that protects the realms from those exploiting the secrets of those who have traveled to the great beyond for evil. "

“So she fears you’ll stray from that path? Or is your bond with mortals simply driving her to seethe?”

“I.. lectured her greatly about interfering with mortals. For eons, we have upheld a creed never directly to intervene in mankind's affairs. She must think me a hypocrite; I'm sure she's furious. I told her we guide from afar, allowing them to carve their destinies...yet...”

He stops her, interrupting her softly.

“The heart speaks a language that transcends the heavens and the earth. Such constraints do not bind love. It’s a force of nature, powerful and undeniable. You are a Goddess only in name, Sophia. You need not confine yourself to one mold. These missions, these torches we have picked up, they burn from a flame of our desires, not that of the planets.”

"And what of you, Allen?"

She said, turning to him, her gaze of sorrow and inquisition.

"Whatever do you mean?"

“The Alondra revere you as an embodiment of the moon’s duality—the serenity and the viciousness. Patron Guardian Of the Twin Moons. Able to draw from both Kyrin and Bako interchangeably. This crystal forest, the Lunarwood, a new species of plantlife, harnessing the moon’s radiance to nourish the land, spurred from your blood. Although you are newly arisen, you are part of our legacy. Our Brother...”

“You flatter me, sister. I am not like you or Minratha. You are fashioned from the fabric of night, Mistress of Mistery and keeper of the secret of the forgotten; Minratha's essence flows from the moon itself; she guards the souls of the departed whose essence joins the moonflow. I am merely a Myotian Sorcerer, a shadow of a people I’ve never known—a relic of a derelict past. I was on death door; without you two and Hyomyn, I am uncertain where the depths of my loneliness would have led me. I am but a guardian of you both."

"Allen..."

“I cannot recall my life before you two; it used to eat away at me, and for innumerable years, I wandered, fighting against my urges. But honestly, I couldn't care less about my prior life. The few centuries I spent with you and Minratha, even with her scrutinizing gaze, are some of my most cherished memories. You both lifted me from darkness... you most of all.”

"The madness....does it not still call to you? "

“No more so than the madness lurking within any of us. With my family beside me, I can hold my scars at bay.”
"I see...and Hyomyn? What do you think of our union?"

"Hyomyn, A mortal of the Venkage fae that possesses one of the most courageous souls I’ve encountered. He is a fierce warrior who would give the shirt off his back to someone in need or his limbs to protect them. Eyes that glimmer with cobalt hope. And with that divine gaze, he sees you not as a goddess but as the love of his life. I mean, he must be worth something...to have become my best friend. Don't ever tell him I called him that.”

They share a laugh.

“That... that means more than you know. Thank you, Allen. Your support is a light in my darkest hours.”

“Together, we will forge our paths, no matter how riddled with shadows they may be. We will guard the Moonflow and the Night Sanctum. You have a family now, Sophia. You're never alone in this.”

[Inariel Myotis]

"And our family is set only to grow!"

Sophia looks over in shock; Hyomyn steps forward from behind the cover of darkness. His hair glimmered like a waterfall of azure waters. He was adorned in ceremonial tribal garbs denoting his standing as a man to be wed.

"Were you spying on us? Not a shameful bone in your body...do Venkage even have bones?"

"Hmp"

Allen folded his arms with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Hyomyn stepped gingerly past him and avoided several swift hand chops.

"Hey, was not! I didn't see you among the guests. I was worried and came to check on you after I saw Allen wander off. And yes...we have bones."

"I see."

She said, turning from him, her gaze again accompanied by nervousness.

"Sophie...can we talk?"

Allen looked to Sophia and gave her an affirming smile before nodding to Hyomyn to take over from here.

"I'll leave you all to it; if they see their favs all gone, chaos might bloom instead of...nuptials."

With that, Allen seemed to fade into a dissipated red mist.

"..."

"I understand your sister’s fears and deeply respect her concerns. Minratha is a being that dwarfs me a thousand times over... But I want you to know, from the depths of my heart, that I love you, Sophia. You are the light that guides my very soul."

"H-Hyomyn..I."

She turned to face him, and as her eyes locked with his, she could see his convictions burning like living flames in his retinas. Her heart thumped as he drew closer, interlocking his hands with hers.

"I would face any foe, battle against the fiercest storms, walk through the dead flames of the Nether itself if it meant protecting you. My love for you is unyielding, and it drives me to be stronger and the man you deserve."

"Why...why would you bear such a thing for me? Do you not fear it? Death?"

He pulled her closer to him.

"There is nothing I fear more than losing you. I know I am only mortal and don't have the power of the divine like the rest of you, but you know what they say about underdogs, my muse."

He kissed her forehead before placing her hair behind her ear, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"They always come out on top. Let's not harp so much over the future, for all that is certain is the present."

"Ok...I'm ready. Let's go back; everyone will be worried by now."

"After you.."

The vision faded, but not before an image of Allen behind one of the enormous trees could be seen with a pained scowl on his face and his fist balled tightly.

[Inariel Myotis]

The vision left, and Inari was found within a void of the deepest black faced with the company of his many thoughts.

" So Allen was more than just a name after all. A guardian deity of the patrons who govern this Moonflow and the Night Sacrarium. It's hard to believe that I could ever be entwined with such creatures...let alone be deemed their protectors."

He ran his hands through his hair, lifting his gaze upwards towards the almost infinite black, the realm of Akai Kizu waiting for his subsequent inquiry while he weighed his awe and confusion.

"And Hyomoyn… marrying Sophia. Now that I've seen him, I remember. He and Allen were both from the same village. Hyomyn was an orphan who the villagers took in. Allen had been found blooded in the thicket of the Black Forest just outside the village; he dragged Allen to the Night Sacrarium, where he begged Sophia to save his life. From that day, they were inseparable; he had drawn close to him in the years they spent together. But now? Now, he’s bound to a goddess. Will he still have time for me?"

Inari gripped his mouth, gasping sharply, quickly becoming aware of the gravity of what slipped from his mouth. He wasn't just recalling past events; he was reliving his feelings, thoughts, and perceptions...that is, Allen's perceptions.

"That feeling...that was fear. Allen's fear. He was torn...between his loyalty to the women who saved his life and welcomed him into godhood, and the person whom...he..."

Inari shook himself free of the speculations. He had to remain grounded.

"I must be cautious...or I could end up swallowed by his emotions. But I can see where the seeds of his despair were planted."

Still, this seedling worries aside, Allen mandated to contain his control over the curse through what seemed to be willpower alone. Though Inari was inclined to learn more about Hyomyn and what made him and Allen so close, he was naturally more concerned with Allen himself. What was the font of his power? He had to have had his purpose, something.

"To stave off the demon within? How? How did he endure that struggle for centuries? "

The red cloud began to seem like a crimson vapor once more, the realm responding to his curiosity and determination for clarity.

"The Moonflow and Night Sacrarium…what are they? Are they realms within realms? Did they somehow suppress the demon's influence? He was connected to them."

He took a deep breath; it was time. He did not need to command the realm verbally. Having grown accustomed to the ebb and flow of the spiritual realm within him, he could will it on intent alone. It knew exactly what he needed to witness and would respond accordingly. The fog clouded the realm once more, now manifesting as a portal that could see the following vision he was to experience as he peered beyond it. Steeling himself, the Crimson Crown stepped forward.

As Inari emerged from the portal, he found himself standing on the lush banks of a gorgeous, nearly ethereal pond, its surface shimmering with an iridescent glow. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and the whisper of wind through leaves that seemed made of solid light. This was the Moonflow, the sacred pond where the souls of the dead took their final sip before passing into the peaceful afterlife. Upon seeing it again so clearly, the memories of its purpose began slowly reweaving in his mind.

"It reminds me of the first time Aurelius and I entered the spirit realm...so even then, my blood remembered this serenity, this peace."

Inari approached the pond, his steps silent on the soft, silver grass. The water of the Moonflow was clear and still, reflecting the stars above as if the sky had been inverted and placed beneath the surface. He knelt by the water's edge and saw his reflection, which was not his own. Instead, he saw Allen's face, his past self, with long silver hair and eyes that glinted with the wisdom of the ages.

A soft voice whispered in his ear.

"The Moonflow is the last touch of life for those who have passed. It is a place of serenity and reflection where the dead can find peace before they move on. Here, they can rest in peace; some even linger until they can depart with their loved ones. I noticed that you, too, can hear their whispers...this is good; they and Sophia have chosen a fine vessel."

Inari turned to see Minratha, the Moonflow patron, standing beside him. She forms a radiant silhouette against the darkness. Her voice was like the sound of the gentle pull of the tides, soft yet drew attention to her every word, her eyes like stars. Her presence was comforting and awe-inspiring, a reminder of the ancient power flowing through her veins.

"Minratha, so it was Sophia that brought Hyomyn and I to you."

Allen said, his voice a mixture of reverence and curiosity.

"What more can you tell me about the Moonflow? What am I exactly doing here?"

Minratha smiled, her lips curving into a gentle arc. This was the first time the young sorcerer was bearing witness to the place he and Hyomyn had grown up hearing legends about. What could he possibly do that the goddess could not?

"The Moonflow is a bridge between the living and the dead. As you might imagine, it is also a source of great power, a well of lunar energy and spiritual presence that can be harnessed to maintain the balance between the realms. Or disrupt it. It was their will that saved you. Resonating with Hyomyn's pure heart that desired to save you, so, with my blessing, you drank from the moon flow. To my surprise, you already held an affinity for lunar energy. It has... changed you in ways we must witness to understand. You may return their favor by ensuring they continue enjoying a peaceful afterlife against those that would harm them.. ."

Inari nodded, absorbing the weight of her words. He reached out a hand and touched the water, feeling the extraordinary, soothing energy flow through him. It was a connection to the past, a reminder of the responsibilities he once held. It was then that he could feel it; it was this very power that Inari churned through Inari when he combated against the Red Eye's attempt to enthrall him before he faced Udiah. This place, his bond to it, embodied a facet of his mana's properties.

"Who or what am I protecting them against?"

Inari's inquiry was spoken through Allen's mouth as if they were the same at this very moment. He could not help but be drawn in by this memory of Minratha. He could feel closely the reverence that Allen held for her in his heart, a sort of pride...but also peace, knowing not only was he no longer a lone fox trending this dark world of peril alone, but that he had a friend in one such as she. This was early in his having been revived by them. It made Inari wonder more about how such a bond could have been sullied so that it would lead to the peril he knew lying waiting at the end of this tale.

"Speak first with Sophia; she can paint you a more vivid picture of what will come...as well as why you were chosen."

With that, the scene shifted as Miratha's flowing lunar lit prentice became abalone of all light, and instead, a dimly lit forest of black brush replaced it.

[Inariel Myotis]

Inari found himself no longer in Minratha's company, but now that Hyomyn's, the two of them were venturing deeper into the realm, away from the peaceful shores of the Moonflow. They walked through a forest of shadows, where the trees seemed to whisper secrets. The path was lit by the faint glow of bioluminescent mushrooms, casting an eerie, fleeting light.

"You ok, Allen? You've been spacing out a lot lately, brooding more too, well, more than usual."

He looked over to Allen, his bright blue eyes seeming to command the truth of whatever they laid upon. Inari could feel Allen's inability to keep the truth from his closest confidant. He had been chosen, but he couldn't fathom why. Hyomyn, his childhood friend and a beacon of light in the darkest times, seemed the obvious choice. Allen felt that his ability to protect stemmed solely from his capacity for destruction, and he feared that this would be his downfall. His gaze is earthbound as they travel.

"Why do you think Sophia chose me for this trial? I feel like a shadow among the trees—like I don’t belong here. I mean, look at you. You shine with purpose. You’re meant to be a Guardian of the Moon."

Hyomyn, on the other hand, moved with a lightness and confidence that belied the gravity of their mission. He had always seen the good in Allen, even when Allen couldn't see it in himself. As they walked, Hyomyn placed a reassuring hand on Allen's shoulder.

"That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. It’s not just about shining; it’s about understanding the darkness, too. You have a depth that many don’t. That’s why Sophia sees something in you."

Allen shook his head in disagreement.

"But what if that darkness becomes a madness that consumes me? I can only protect myself with the sharpness of my fangs or the burn of my spells. Even still... I don’t— I don’t want to be a vessel for violence; I want to be a Guardian, but all I know is how to slay."

Hyomyn becomes visibly irritated by Allen's self-deprecating words. He gripped Allen's shoulder tightly, holding him firmly as he glared at him.

"Listen to me. The darkness you feel isn’t all you are. It’s only a piece of your story but doesn’t define you. Your story has yet to be entirely written. Every shadow holds a glimmer of light, and I see your light. It shines even brighter when you protect those who can’t defend themselves."

Inari could feel the weight in Allen's heart begin to lift, the stirring chaos within him quelling. Here was a man who possessed just as much power as he had yet seen the world through many different, softer eyes. At the same time, Allen wanted only to reject his calling. One more reason he felt Hyomyn was better suited for the task. Yet...one thing was true indeed. Allen was accustomed to the darkness in a way he prayed his friend never had to experience. That was his purpose for being here, for undergoing this trial. To be the one to bear the darkness so that those around him that he cherished, including the Alondra who raised him, could enjoy the serenity of light. Even still, He could not help but doubt his success in the trials ahead.

"But what if I fail. What if that darkness pulls me under? Sophia’s trials are meant to test our grit, and I fear mine is built on a foundation of rage and despair. Whomever I was before you found me, Hyomyn...these nightmares...I...I wasn't a good person.

Inari's heart grew heavy as the ebbs of Allen's words rang out into the black forest. He knew precisely what troubled Allen, having also long brooded in the mire of his known and unknown past sins. Not only that, but to be a being that held no moral compass, no emotional intellect, to now trust in an awareness of it sent him down a habit hole of regret. To know now the weight his former self carried and how he struggled with it was a somewhat comforting comparison to the first vision that gave the impression that he was beyond the demon's influence. He fought... his friends fought.

" Trials are about growth, not perfection. They push us to face our fears and confront what we hide in our hearts. Trust me, I’m terrified too. No one has ever been known to survive Sophia's games. But instead of running from the darkness, we must embrace it to find our strength."

"How can you be so sure? What if I lose control? You know what I’m capable of when I’m cornered."

"I have, and I have also seen your capacity for change. When you first came to, you were like a feral fox, cold, untrusting. Many of the villagers were scared of you. But when our village was under siege by a group of wild monsters, you stood by my side to defend them.
Allen blushed slightly, trying to hide his embarrassment. The memories of those times flashed before Inari, a menacing foe, fell in defense of a little girl...who happened to be the elder's daughter.

"You’ve shown kindness and compassion in the darkest moments. Fighting isn’t the only way to protect—there’s also understanding, courage, and wisdom. You have those qualities, Allen! I’ve seen it. When shit hits the fan, you do not flee; you do not fold, you stand!"
His convictions were like threads of faith sowing shut the innumerable fears in Allen's confidence. At one point, Inari would've been completely baffled by such words. But since he met Aurielus, someone who shared blind faith in him, he understood the breath of Hyomyn's determination in his belief in his friend. He thought he could barely imagine it coming from someone with whom you have shared much of your life. Allen...he took Hyomyn's words seriously.

"I value your faith. It feels like an impossible burden to carry the potential of failing the people who depend on me."

Hyomyn smiled at his friend, a smile that carried an almost divine warmth like being bathed in the sun's illustrious glow. This feeling was one he felt after he witnessed Bora's emotions.

"You won’t be alone. We’re in this together. We’ll face the Trial as comrades, and if you stumble, I’ll be right beside you to lift you back up. We’ve trained for this moment; we need to trust ourselves."

"If you say so..."

"Ha, you're impossible, man. I mean, look at this forest. It may be full of shadows but remember: the stars still shine above us, even when hidden. Like the moon, we can find our way through darkness together if we commit to facing it. And even should something ever happen to me... remember this, if you remember nothing else."

Hyomyn turned from him, now facing the sparkling sky above.

"Should you ever stray from your path, if you ever fall back, I will be your backbone...just look up towards the sky, and you'll see me, man; I'll be your guiding star. Even if you become a bad guy, I'll knock some sense into you! Cuz well..."

Hymoyn turned his head back toward Inari, a secure cat grin on his face, nervously stretching his face; his cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.

"That's what friends are for, dude."

At that moment, Inari felt a flood of feelings cascade through him like a torrential maelstrom. It almost sent him into a dizzy spell, an overwhelming sensation of euphoria. This was a feeling he had never encountered, but it was intense... incredibly so to the point that he nearly felt himself being consumed by it as if Allen's persona could also devour him. But he stood firm amidst it as it quelled in time.

"Friends...yes...of course. Thank you, my friend...let us keep the lady of secrets waiting no longer..."

Hyomyn took off running.

"The last one there has to rub the elder's feet!"

Allen let out a dry chuckle before taking off after him. The two companions walk deeper into the shadows of the Black Forest, a new resolve stirring in their hearts. The path ahead may be uncertain, but he could feel that Allen was more resolute to face these trials than before. The image of the black forest would fade, transition with an almost acquiescent countenance before revealing the next part of his initial inquiry.

[Inariel Myotis]

After what felt like an eternity, they reached a vast, shadowy sanctuary. This was the Night Sacrarium, the domain of Sophia, the Moon goddess. The air here was thick with the scent of night-blooming flowers, and the ground was covered in a soft, velvety darkness that seemed to absorb all light save for the powerful hue of violet of the sparkling tree at the helm of the castle. Allen's eyes became consumed by its reflection, a gorgeous shadowy majesty that was as alluring as beguiling. Its mere presence inspired curiously, the yearning to know what lay beyond it; she was known as the Lady Of Secrets, whose secrets he wondered.

As they neared its steps, a visage of an omen manifested. They immediately recognized her; it was a projection of Sophia. The spectral image is crafted from the same hue as the energy emanating from her domain, as if her essence was like a shroud cast over the forest.

“Welcome, I was starting to think you wouldn’t show....”

Her melodious voice echoed, her eyes fixated on Allen. Inari could feel their darkness simmering being close to her, yet her presence was like a cloak of stillness bringing it to a halt. Upon laying eyes on her as she was, in the breath of her being, he began to recall his experience of her when their bond was fresh. Sophia was untrusting of a mortal kind and was known to be a rather floor deity. She entertained the whims of few and only those she deemed interesting, typically the scholar exceptional, the curious, and ambitious; however, scarce were among them. All in search of her elusive knowledge, hence her titles.

"Night mistress, thank you for your assistance in saving my life.."

Her demeanor was like that of a solid stone, and her face was that of a child from Obsidian. Unyeidling as was her gaze. There was a scarce look of indifference in her eyes.

"You may save your, thanks. My intention was not for you to keep your life but to grant you a chance at a peaceful afterlife by telling the boy to let you drink from the Moonflow...and only because this boy would not stop screaming; it's quite hard to focus on reading when there a reaching ferret outside your doors. We do not so openly welcome outsiders...especially mongrels."

She shot Hyomyon a quick and lacerating glare, to which he feigned whistling while starting in the distance. Allen could feel a bit of sting behind Sophia's rather pointed tone. Even her speech was like a dagger barely touching the surface of his skin. One wrong move could be the end of him at any moment. He could hear the distrust in her very tone, which only sought to confuse him. Wasn't she the one who suggested he take on this trail?

"Then why have you requested I come?"

Sophia yawned.

"Are you daft? Was that not clear about undergoing the trial of Twilight?"

Allen could be seen visibly becoming irritated by her dismissive and arrogant air. She was indeed the Shadow of Minratha and practically oozed maturity despite being the younger of the two sisters. Before Allen could blow his chance by saying something rude, Hyomyn interjected.

"Your uh lady...ship? My friend means that despite your lack of trust in mankind, you have allowed him to try and become a guardian. He fails to understand why he has been given such a prestigious offer...your ma'am...hood."

He bowed as he spoke, his words an odd ballad of sweet words, reverence, and the nails of a dying cat on a chalkboard. Whatever it was...she found it cute, at best.

"Ah, ignorance brings many to my doors...yet illuminating is my sister's job; mine is to keep secrets, not give them away. Fufufufu"

She said as her gaze met Hyomyn; at that moment, she felt an almost magnetizing allure behind them, like the serenity post a chaotic storm. For even a moment as small as this, she found it nearly irresistible to turn from him. She could feel the ebbs of his passion behind his support of his friend...it reminded her of the gaze of another mortal she favored...long, long ago. Begrdugly, she would relent, her cap trailing behind her as she turned fully, facing her dwelling.

"While it is true that you are a foreigner, the pair of you, when we brought you to the Moonflow, I fully expected you to perish and join the others in the great beyond....but instead, your essence...melded with the Moonflow...and not just a drop of it...the very land the pond is seated on bonded itself to you as if the lingering spirits recognized you as kindred, something that generally only Minratha herself, being born from its affluence it thought to be able to do."

She folded her arms...it wasn't like her to be so... forthcoming. But she supposed for the horrors he was about to endure, it needed to be known.

" As for I...well...for now, let's say that I too wish to see…”

The doors to the domain opened, and echos of the voices of the dearly departed trailed along the stale winds—Sophia eyes teeming with subtle anticipation.

“Just what the secret of that darkness simmering within you shall yield...you may enter.”

With that, she vanished, and the pair moved to enter. Allen resolved to do what it took to prove that he could change.

[Inariel Myotis]

Hyomyn and Allen make their way through the dimly lit corridors of the Night Sacrarium domain. The air is thick with an eerie silence, and the walls seem to pulse with a faint blue glow revealed to belong to an expanse filled with royal blue flowers. They approach a grand, obsidian archway, where Sophia, the Goddess of Night and Mystery Keeper of the Secrets of the Dead, stands waiting. Her presence is commanding and serene, her eyes glowing like stars in the darkness. Her voice is a whisper, yet it resonates through the chamber.

"Welcome, Hyomyn and Allen. You have come to the heart of the Night Sacrarium, where the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, The Garden Of Gloom. Where the Gloom Blossoms bloom, each petal is a secret carried by those who have joined the Moonflow. This test will reveal your innermost darkness and challenge your will. Only those who conquer their shadows may walk among the Gloom blossoms and carry the secrets of the Moonflow."

Allen's gaze wavers a bit, but looking at Hyomyn out of his peripheral with a stalwart gaze, he affirms his resolve and steps forward.

"Goddess, we are ready. What must we do?"

Sophia extends a hand, and a swirling, dark energy forms a portal beside her.

"Step through, and the trial will begin. Remember, your mind and heart will be your greatest allies and foes."

"I...I want to take the trial as well."

Both Allen and Sophia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hyoyn? What are you saying?"

I've been giving this a lot of thought...and well."

His resolve became permeable.

"I know you have to be chosen, but. If you're protecting the garden and the moonflow, whose... who will protect you?"

His brilliant gleam glistened like a rain of starlit passion. His desire to help his friend was so great that even Sophia could not help but be moved. She had never witnessed such a thing from mortals, who tend to be selfish. Here, Allen wished to confront his anguish to protect those who protect him...and Hyomyn, desiring to share the burden of his dear friend. It sparked something in her...something other than curiosity.

"These are not children's games, boy; these trials have twisted the souls of greater men, their darkness and hidden yearnings twisting their bodies into horrid monsters. Demons known as Desires...Death is the only release I can grant them. You would risk your very soul for this man? Who is far from blood to you..."

Hyoymyn stepped forward, each step toward her thumped with a rising resolve from a dazzling soul.

"I don't care! I've watched him bleed for this land and its people. That's all the proof, all the reason I need to let my blood spill out if it means standing by his side."

Sophia is surprised to hear a portal take such a tone with her in defiance and defense of another. She had to admit it; she did not think such loyalty was possible or mortal.

"Very well, I shall allow it. Should you both prove capable, I am willing to dub you both as Guardians...less work for me, and I'm sure my sister will agree. She let you witness the place the moonflower is kept after all."

Allen is emotional as he contemplates the gravity of what is happening. He had never known the support and unconditional love he received from Hyomyn, and though he felt undeserving, he couldn't have asked the universe for a brighter star to help guide him through the battles to come.

"Hyomyn...I."

"Look, don't sweat it; I don't care what anyone says, we're brothers. You've never let me face death alone; I will honor that bond."

The two nod at each other before stepping through. Upon doing so, the air around them shifts, and a thick, swirling mist envelops the chamber. Now separated to undergo their respective journeys. Allen's vision blurs, and he feels a pull deep within his soul. Suddenly, he finds himself standing in a dark, twisted version of his mind. The shadows around him seem to whisper, and a figure begins to materialize—a dark, menacing entity with glowing red eyes. This single pair then became legion revealing eyes across the entire domain. As the shadows waned under the power of the scarlet moon that pierced the fog, the entity was revealed to be what appeared to be a winged man. It reeked of ash and chaos, a pungent affluence of madness ebbing from its very being as the scarlet moon above married his maddened gaze.

"So we finally meet again..."

His arms folded as Allen, and by extension, Inari, felt like the very air gripped at his neck. A sensation of repressed anxiety filled him to the brim with an encumbering fear. One that the scar on his back seemed to twinge with as if it remembered the one that left it.

"Chosen one..."