On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Thirty / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Five – Suzuki Haru

Haru screamed out her emotions as her Blessing of Sharing Light took on all her buried fears, self-loathing, guilt and blame. It shot out from her like a glowing nova, and those who were not protected by the imprisoning barriers nearby shuddered and fell, spasming as the sensations, memories and feelings she had kept hidden within were forced into their brains. Only one person managed to ride out the storm of her detonating anguish, and that was Hyacinth, who had somehow also escaped being trapped in the spherical barrier prisons.

Tears glittering in her silver-violet eyes, she staggered, but was still pressing forwards. “Poooooor girl. Hyacinth feels for yooou, I do. But compared to what I… dooo not care to remember… well…” she gestured, and vines roared up around her, forming a spiky wall of tentacles. A barrier tried to ensnare her, but with the cloud of flailing thorny limbs, the sphere was unable to form. “…best nooot to dwell on it. Sad times are ooover now!”

Several tentacles shot out, coiling around the shield of the crazed man who called himself the Judge of Death, and began to squeeze. He looked pained for a second, blinking his eyes, while the severed head he held keened silently, no voice heard as the lips moved soundlessly. “That was quite the fright. That light… it is not the one I wish for.” He knocked his blade-pierced hand against the barrier surrounding him, which rippled as it was slowly compressed.

“I… I may be dead, but I have my pride!” Haru cried again, her eyes turning a brilliant golden-blue, a strange mirror to Hyacinth’s eyes. “You don’t get to judge me! Nor anybody else!” she gestured, and bolts of energy rained down, striking the barrier. Hyacinth tutted as some of her vines were severed, reinforcing them with more, preventing their opponent from moving.

“Oh? Really? Your attitude is unseemly. The dead should know their place!” A surge of aether flooded him, his body thrumming with it, and Haru felt her consciousness start to fade, an invasive presence straining to push her down, deep into the bottomless mire of darkness within her mind. Arms around herself, she let out a whimper as the darkness closed in, full of voices, his voice, telling her to give in, to obey, to serve the master of the dead…

“Bad man!” Hyacinth hissed, still shattering his attempts to cage her. The thorns on her vines were dripping a toxic venom, and slowly starting to bore into the shell protecting the Judge, faint fibres like roots spreading, digging in. “Hyacinth has seen such eyes befooore, many times. The world does nooot need yooou!” she howled, pulling out more of her power, forming a screen of erupting mushrooms which detonated, filling the air in front of them with impenetrable spores, forming a smokescreen.

I… I won’t give up! I’m not weak anymore! I’m Suzuki Haru, Onryo! I’ve been through hell once, and died for it. I’ll not let myself go down without a fight again! Her dimming light fought back, eyes and body shining. Shooting a grateful look towards Hyacinth, she waved. “Thank you. If I looked into his eyes for much longer… well, I might have cracked.”

“Think ooof something, you are smart, right? A servant, like Hyacinth? Yooou should help the mistresses!” she eyed Shaeula, who was trying everything to break free. At her words, Haru’s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile, gentle and mocking.

“I’m not a servant, I’m an employee, there’s a difference. Well, to be honest, that’s mostly because Akio-san is a nice person. I’m his Chosen hero and Vassal, I can only go home because of him…” as she spoke she began weaving light, pouring all of her willpower into it, as well as something else, the only thing that might work. “… so I suppose you’re not wrong. But just as you take pride in being a servant, I take pride in my job. Jobs. I’ll be an important figure in the new Ministry, a Chosen of Kannon, Akio-san’s hero, and whatever else I want to be! I’m not limited like I was in life! I’m dead, and free to do what I want! Don’t think you can enslave me!” she roared, all her anger at the unfairness of her life before she died pouring out, tears falling like diamond sparkles.

“Such men only ever think of others as tools. Well, it is hardly confined just to men…” an elegant voice said from behind her, and as Haru turned, she saw it was the woman in red who had accompanied Shiro, stepping out from a slash in space, hands smoothing her dress, cold, beautiful face expressionless. Getting a good look at her for the first time, she gasped in recognition.

“Wait, aren’t you Arisu…” she began, only to pause as she was glared at, dark eyes glittering with equally dark emotions, the likes of which Haru recognised. Betrayal. Pain. Anger.

“I am who I am. Myself.” She said, sidestepping the issue. “My point is, nothing you say will reach him. I know the sort. Too well.” She turned, eyeing Shaeula who was struggling behind her, desperate to break free. “We do not have long. I cannot open my Room within the barriers unless I am already inside. I did try. However…” she smiled. “Are you not like White, very near here?”

At those words, Shaeula’s eyes opened wide. A grin spread and she said but two words. “My thanks.” And with that, Shaeula slumped down, as if she had fallen unconscious, her body resting within the barrier.

“As for you…” Arisu began, only for the Judge of Death to roar in anger.

“Enough! I Judge you all and find you wanting! Perhaps in death you shall be obedient! I need to replenish my forces, these useless fools are all used up. Now, woman who has no business with the living, you shall be bound to me…”

“Really? I don’t think I would like that very much. I’d rather be… dead.” Haru stuck out her tongue, despite her tears, and opened up her Telepathy full force. She winced, the sudden rushing influx of thoughts and emotions from those around her bringing back terrible memories of when she believed herself insane, before her untimely end and subsequent rebirth. “I’m not insane! I’m just… special!” She opened up her mind, channelling everything into the head of her oppressor, amplifying it as best she could. The Judge of Death stumbled, staggering, his painful wave of commanding aether and something more faltering, and Haru found herself smiling. “And now, the finishing touch!” her light went inwards, sharing all her agonies with herself, which were then sent through her telepathy. The Judge shuddered, eyes going wide and vacant, and the head in his grasp fell, spittle spraying from his mouth, followed by silver vomit.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll let you be the judge of whether it’s right to make others suffer like this. No, in fact, as the dead, I’ll judge you. Guilty.” The barrier failed, and Hyacinth’s thorns surged down, piercing flesh like a thousand poisoned knives. Now physical pain was joining his mental pain, only for a streak of lightning to pierce him, blasting one hand off his body, the sword falling away. Haru flinched at the sudden thunder, to see Shaeula, rushing out from the nearby Ring Gate, face pale with anger, lightning dancing around her. She was followed by Grulgor, who hurled a round ball of metal the size of a shot-put, crushing the other hand, and as the bone swords fell, Shiro was there, crimson eye glaring.

“Burn. But you shall not quench my thirst. Even were I not full, your vile evil would turn my stomach.” Flames flashed, only for Shaeula to grab her hand, stopping her. As she was glared at, Shaeula shook her head.

“Do not-not kill him or her yet… the swords first.” She said, and the deity possessing Shiro, who was called Taṇhā, Haru believed, inquired angrily as to her reasons.

“Why? If he recovers, he can trap us again, or perhaps do worse. Those bubble barriers are potent. Perhaps they could even be used to crush us within, with more skill.”

“Yes, quite.” Shaeula agreed. “Well, hence why I wish for you to stop. Hyacinth, do not-not kill him, but keep him immobile. Haru…” Shaeula reached out, patting her shoulder. “I know it must-must be painful, but continue to assail his mind. Pour your pain into him. And then… how much ether do you have?”

A strange question. Though during the battle I have gathered quite a lot, actually. “Nearly ninety thousand.”

“I see. Not quite-quite enough. Well, no point hoarding, is there?” With that she produced several green Etherites. Handing them to Haru, she grinned. “I am so very-very proud of you. You have repaid Akio’s trust in you and proved worthy of a slot on his Throne, not-not just out of pity, but of worth.”

“Really?” Haru managed, emotional. “I… I’m worthwhile?”

“Of course. Now, prove yourself even more so. A Throne of Heroes. Rush-build it. A hundred thousand ether should be enough.”

A Throne? Here? Haru was confused, but she trusted Shaeula, so she began to form a Throne with all her ether, rapidly constructing it. All around them the barriers were breaking, and Ixitt stumbled over, eyes curious.

“Princess, Grulgor, how did you escape the barriers?”

“It was thanks to this one here-here.” Shaeula grinned at the woman in red.

“I have a name. Arisu.” She said coldly.

“Well, Arisu can be cold and prickly, but don’t worry, you’ll all get along swimmingly, I know it!” Shiro said, taking over from Taṇhā for a moment. “But yeah, she’s real smart. And very experienced with spatial stuff. Her Room is crazy.”

“Enough, White.” She chided, but Shaeula merely laughed.

“Yes, I like you more-more than it first appears. It is simple. The barrier blocks wind attacks but not-not sound. Light attacks but not-not sight. It does not-not actually function as a genuine barrier. It is most strange. So when I returned to the Material, it had no cause to hold my empty Astral body captive. I then simply re-entered through the Ring Gate, following Shiro.”

“Following? I had a head start and you ran past me like a damn whippet. Damn girl, how high are your stats?”

“High-high enough for many things.” She giggled. “All the better for … intimacy.”

“Grulgor listened, and Grul worked it out too.” He said proudly, thumping his chest.

“Yes, that was the most surprising thing of all. Grulgor, notorious blockhead, he is now quite-quite smart. Duke Formor will be most surprised, although he has already been outsmarted by him once. You know, I am actually quite-quite pleased Akio spared you, as he did me.”

“I see. I think I get it.” Haru said, as the Throne formed. Pain was in her heart and head, the memories and thoughts she was sharing agony. “So, what now? Why do we need a Throne?”

“Simple. Because I am most-most greedy, and I want my due for this battle. Quickly now. I want to go help Akio as soon as I can!”

Their battle seemingly over, Hyacinth having great fun pumping agonising and paralysing venom into the so-called Judge of Death, they rushed over, only for Shaeula to completely ignore the fallen man, and pick up the severed head. Wrenching out the bone sword, she hissed, quickly bathing it in flames, destroying it as Taṇhā had the others. The severed head rolled its eyes, trying to whisper something, but Shaeula pulled it up to her mouth and spoke harshly.

“Well, how does it feel to be a slave to not-not one, but two worthless, abusive masters? You have a choice then. Why not-not serve a third? Well, you can choose death, I suppose, but I shall make sure to take out all my ire on you before your life in death ends. No, choose a chance at life anew. I do not-not promise it will be long, nor kind, but… a chance is better than what you have now, no?”

Seriously? That’s what she wants my Throne for? But I was going to use it for my new sisters, those who suffered at Kondou Kazuo’s hands… “Uh, Shaeula, if I may…” Haru began, only for Shiro to pat her on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. This is just a temporary gig, I get it. Aki can pull out Divine Favours, right? Tan can eat them too. Maybe if she proves a damn good slave, we can find a use for her, assuming she survives but… whatever we do, it’s kinder than being devoured by the slime still inside her, or slaving away for eternity to that prick there.” She aimed a kick at the fallen man, before cursing as some thorns nicked her. “Shit, going numb already. That crap really is powerful, girl!”

“Indeed. Why-why let this delightful shield escape us, especially with that trash having shown us how-how it can be used?” Shaeula winked, before turning back to the head she held. “So, choose quickly. The future for you may-may be bleak, but the now-now, you know what hell that is.”

I see. Well, I couldn’t have got this far without the support of everyone so… I can spare the time now. Besides, Kyoto will definitely need rebuilding, so if I get to Rank 3, I can have a second Throne, right? The dead won’t have to remain alone much longer…

Looking the severed head in the eyes, the aether still connecting her to the fallen Judge of Death, the only reason she was, if not living, animate, Haru smiled, a touch melancholy, remembering her own choice, and her own cruel servitude to Kiku. “So, what do you say? If you ask me, being dead isn’t so bad, so long as you have a good master. I’m blessed, but what about you? I don’t promise to be kind, you’ve done a lot of evil here… but I do promise to at least understand your suffering.”

Moments later the head disintegrated, and a body had formed, replicating the appearance of the woman before Shaeula’s wind had dismembered her. Right, whoa, I get a lot of restrictions I can put on her. Akio-san hasn’t really used any on me. He’s such a pushover, like the girls say. Not that I’d betray him anyway… well, I’m not so kind. We’ll go for the full set. Now, as for him…

“And dead.” Shaeula grinned, stomping down on his head, shattering it. “Shiro, Tan, best burn this to ashes. I do not-not want him returning to haunt us like a bad dream. One-one cute ghost is enough for me.”

Haru giggled at that, relieved she could finally shut off her telepathy, before slumping to the ground, wrung out. “I know I should go help Akio-san and the others, but… I’m about finished. I… want to sleep for a week. But the dead don’t sleep. Well, I can in the Material, if I want… ugh, forgive me, I’m talking nonsense…”

“You are forgiven.” Shaeula said piously. “Brother, remain here in case there are any other enemies. Protect Haru and her Territory at all costs. Hyacinth, follow me. Are you coming too, Shiro?”

“Tan is full, but… sure, I want to come. Arisu, you’re pretty much drained, right? Stay here with Suzu and Bunta, protect this place.”

“Fine. I want to mess around with my new zombie idol anyway. Can I have it back?” The blonde girl with the drill twin-tails asked Arisu, who scowled at her, but opened up a small slash in space, a barely moving corpse falling out.

“In that case, Hyacinth, Shiro. Let us go now-now!” Shaeula ran westwards, towards the distant battle, and as the others followed, Haru watched them leave from her position on the ground, praying for their success. Be safe, everyone… “Now then… what’s your name? Do you even understand me?” Haru asked, able to fall back on telepathy to gain understanding if necessary, but when the woman opened her mouth hesitantly, the words were clear, if quiet and filled with dread. “Me, master? My name? Well, I… I am…”

********

The Candidate wasn’t the only one who saw my mad dash across the battlefield. A brave Cultivator, who was preparing to use a Talisman on Daiyu, instead directed the attack at me. “Five Element Talisman: Metal. Grinding Dust!”

A cloud of small metal particles was discharged from the Talisman, though moments later a number of focused beams of laser light from me had pierced the Cultivator and a number of others, striking them in the head and heart, lessening the pressure on Daiyu. My speed carried me through the rasping dust, and even with my great Fortitude I found the dust annoying, my eyes and throat burning as the dust got inside my mouth and nose. Calling on water element, I washed myself out, all in a moment, before the assassin who was being ignored by everyone opened fire. At the same moment he thrust the blade towards the wounded Kinkawa-san who was struggling to safety, being oppressed by the mighty six-armed warrior.

Nope. Wind gusted, and the bullet was deflected, sailing past the Prince, while my blade intercepted the bone blade, already radiating fire. The bone scorched, and the Candidate leapt backwards, shocked. Oh, pretty fast. But not at my level, not even close.

“By Lóng Teng, how the hell did you see me, Japanese swine? Mist, Obscure me, fog his mind!” Aether surged as the man glared at me in hatred, and I did indeed strongly feel the urge to look away, forget he was there and turn back to the fight.

“Well, I have a good Eye!” I said, amber piercing the damp fog. “I admit, it’s really a good skill though. If my Determination and Resilience wasn’t sky high, I’d probably succumb.” Split Thoughts probably helps too.

“I’ll kill you!” he gloated, moving deeper into the mists, and my Eye was struggling, though I could still see his outline. “I wish I could have killed more Japanese soldiers, or got some of their Heaven’s Chosen, but… no time. We have a hungry god of vengeance to feed.”

In the misty shadows I could barely make out his face, but I could see a broad, shadowy grin, full of malice, almost like a Dragon. “So, you killed people, huh? And it sounds like it wasn’t even for your survival, merely hatred…” I said as I ran into the mist. Taishakama-san and Daiyu were giving me odd looks, but then they couldn’t see the assassin like I could. My blade split space, and blood was shed, but it quickly melted into the cloying, dense mist. More gunfire came back at me, but I shrugged off the rounds, feeling nothing now that I was under Shiro’s buffs. That shocked the assassin, who called out his own words, moving and dodging, trying to make my gaze lose him.

“Go to hell! You Japanese, especially soldiers, you aren’t people, but demons! We remember! We’ll never forget the atrocities you’ve done! And now… war. A war you won’t win. Those who betrayed us will bleed…” I followed his voice, but the mist obscured even that, making echoes, and all of a sudden the man blurred into multiple shadows within the mist. “… and you pig demons will die in your millions!”

Yeah, again, I get the hatred some Asians hold for the Japanese, but… is this really what any sane person would want?

“Now, Guohua, do it! Kill the bastard while I have him distracted!” As the fleeing assailant spoke, his voice echoed through the mist from all the doubles. In that moment I was bombarded from all sides by a rain of rock, broken debris from the shrine such as burned tree trunks and branches sharpened to spears, wreckage from torii gates, lashings of sacred ropes and more. The impacts were heavy, easily enough to break bones and crush a person to death, but to me they were more than manageable. One sharpened branch did manage to pierce my skin, but it got hung up on my solid thigh bone, so I tore it out, still charging, my ears ringing as a large boulder slammed into my skull. Furious Earth, I need Fortitude!

Swinging my blade at one of the shadows in the mist, I watched it split apart and dissipate like a mirage, while from behind me the Candidate appeared, pointing a very modern anti-tank grenade right at me. Yeah, that could clearly still kill me easily enough with a direct hit, but…

“Lóng Teng is not something a fool like you can…” blood sprayed as the strands of wind I wove behind me took his arms, shearing through flesh and bone with the ease of a bonesaw. As he screamed, stunned, I grabbed him by the neck.

“A fool? Sorry, I could see the real you the whole time.” I headbutted him, stunning him. “I really think maybe you deserve to be eaten, but…” Just thinking about the blob of flesh, that even now was consuming all the attacks bring thrown at it and the Cultivator carrying it, tongues easily slurping up wind and earth element greedily, I knew I didn’t want to feed it. “But you still have to die.” I forced out the slime around his chakras and the divine favour with a multitude of aetheric strikes, heedless of the damage it was doing to his Divine Favour and his body. I wished I could take it, but removing it functionally would take precious time I didn’t have. As flaming slime, Foehn burning it, rained down around me, I quickly decapitated the foe with a single strike.

You have gained in strength. Your level…

With him slain, two things happened at once. First was that three more enemies were revealed, the mist shrouding them vanishing. On seeing that, the three panicked. The one who was hurling rocks and other debris turned to flee, while the other two grabbed onto each other and started sinking underground. The second thing was that the vile blob of slime howled in inchoate fury, thrashing and twitching, a dozen tongues surging towards me, enraged. They moved quickly, but not faster than I could dodge, and I took that moment to race towards the golden six-armed statue, just as it had thrown down the Prince, trampling his leg savagely, breaking it. A brilliant beam of light from Kofuku Jizo staggered it for a brief moment, and Taishakama-san let out a sigh of relief, ushering Tsukiko-san away, despite his numerous injuries. She was horrified by the scale and fury of it all, her enemies indeed swarming over her shrine and Kyoto like ants, despoiling and destroying all, leaving filth in their wake.

“Fucking hell!” I cursed. The golden warrior swung a spear at me, but I parried, my sword full of light element. Space twisted, but the spear was pulled back, still able to function as a staff without the head, and suddenly I was struck by a heavy mace, and my arm was wrapped in a net of golden strands, wrenching Cutting Twilight from me. “This bastard isn’t fast but he’s skilful. Hey Taishakama-san, where are the others?” I asked, using my physical strength to strike the statue, staggering it. My fists bled, but I clad them in earth element and continued pounding, dodging sweeps of the mace, a long hook, the net and more, and soon the golden statue was on the defensive, golden body full of cracks and dents, silver blood weeping like rain from the wounds, his movements slowing.

“Engetsu has returned to the cycle of reincarnation.” He said sorrowfully. “Fortunately his death was an honourable one, not eaten by that.”

I see. Shit. Well, he won’t be the only one to perish… “Well, he’ll be avenged.” I said, only for the golden statue to laugh, his voice cracked and pained.

“You think so? Vengeance is what we are here for!” the statue cried. “Unlike the rest, I have little dislike for you people. The past is the past.” The hook was gathering a brilliant radiance, and he was pulling in an immense amount of aether emitted from the gibbering blob, fuelling it. “Only darkness can avenge the fallen light.” He said piously. I called flame and water, bombarding him, but the light quenched it. I could feel the radiance burning my skin, realising that it packed as much energy as my body held before Shiro’s buffs into one burning attack, the supply from the blob endless.

“Darkness, huh?” I wasn’t great with darkness element, I’d never really got the concept of manipulating the absence of something, but since it had changed to Shingetsu, the darkness of the new moon, I was having inklings. New beginnings. Accepting all.

“Yes. We sin because we need to do this. If we must be devoured, let us do so knowing that we have struck a blow for freedom and fairness, and quenched our need for revenge. I am putting my very soul into this attack, die happily knowing I will perish myself soon after. But your death will surely be a spark of a great conflagration. I die happily for that. Now, farewell.” The light poured down on me like a torrent. I conjured spirit water, rock and flame walls, as well as wind, but none of them held more than a moment. But it was a  moment I needed. My skin was scorching, despite my immense stats it was like I had suffered a hefty sunburn, and I knew it would surely get worse. The fortunate winds were blowing around me like a cloak, urging me on, giving me a feeling that darkness would be lucky for me, luck I sorely needed.

“Time to show me what you can do, darkness!” I cried, drawing it out, forming a circular, moon-shaped hole of inky darkness element. Aether, adherence, anything I could do to strengthen it was being poured out of me, the new moon, Shingetsu, shining darkly, as impossibly paradoxical that seemed. Even some of the fortunate winds was being drawn from me, feeding the darkness.

“Draw… it… in…” Prince Shōtoku was crawling away, burned by the light even as he fled, and around us the ground was beginning to bake, steaming. The light was diminishing, the golden body of my enemy, one of the ones we had no real details on from Yasaka-san’s Book, beginning to lose its lustre, becoming dead and dim, the flow of blood becoming sluggish, the silver and red radiating a vile purple mist. Though at this rate… my eyes were bleeding from the brilliance, and though I was drawing it in, it wasn’t enough. Shit… emptying aether from my Territory, I still couldn’t completely stem the tide. However, the winds call to me, telling me I need to do this. Despite the urgings, I felt some regret, but having little choice, I crushed the Chimeric Winds, feeling power and adherence flow into me, the fortunate winds dissipating entirely, sinking into me along with the wind energy inherent within the Divine Favour.

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from level One Hundred and Nineteen to One Hundred and Twenty. All of your Material statistics…

Your Skill, Heart Chakra Of Wind has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, breaching the first bottleneck. Due to the effects of Anesidora’s Blessing of Many Gifts your skill currently functions at Rank 7…

Your Skill, Wind Manipulation has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first bottleneck. Due to the effects of Anesidora’s Blessing…

Your class, Wielder of Elements, Classic Western has increased from level 5 to level 6. This has increased further…

“My soul is devoured. This is my twilight, but I shall not share it… alone…” the statue cried, but I was not listening. The adherence and aether from the destroyed Divine Favour was fortunately just enough, and Shingetsu started to devour the light, moving across it like an eclipse, drawing it in. As it did so, the edge of the dark moon began to shine brilliantly, a gold and indigo hue.

“No, you won’t share it alone. I’ll take your will onwards. You may have done evil here, but I’ll see the true evil punished. Your fate pays for your crimes, so… go in peace.” I promised, as the arms started falling from the statue, his very essence being eaten, the laughter from the many-mouthed blob of slime enraging me. Now my dark moon had sucked in the light like a black hole, converting it into something neither wholly darkness, nor light. In the end, the sight was beautiful, and for a brief moment the battle around us halted, seeing the fathomless black disk, with a brilliant prominence around it.

“Well, for my… last… sight… I suppose… this will… do. I suppose I will… go ahead alone. Do as… you see… fit. Just beware… those who would… betray and use… you…” with that, the statue crumbled to dust, and the tongues lolled, the many mouths laughing, an ugly, grotesque, ‘sha-sha-sha’ sound.

Feeling an intense sense of anger, I looked at the disk of energy in front of me, a mixture of light, darkness and even containing some fragments of the Divine Favour that had been shattered as the man, fuelled by the endless poisoned chakra of the blob creature, had poured his everything into a sacrificial attack to take me out before I could defeat him. It was oppresive, powerful, reminding me of Foehn. It was also two elements, bound in one. But unlike Foehn, where I extracted the flame, and Shaeula the wind, two elements that supported, this was light and darkness, opposite, but also alike. And all mine…

Tongues shot out from the blob, greedily grasping for it, hungry for what had been created, but I expected that. Cutting Twilight was boiling hot, charged full of the six-armed warrior’s sacrificial light, and I pulled it to me with air and spun, using the great blade one-handed, and tongues were severed. The blob screamed, and the light was devoured from the blade, the edge starting to pit and crack… Oh shit, Bjarki is going to kill me for sure… but with my other hand I reached out, plunging my hand through the prominence of light into the accepting darkness, my darkness, the Shingetsu that had accepted the light, and I made it a part of me, the Mangetsu, the full moon of completion, of existing laws.

You have gained a unique light and darkness, Prominence Twilight…