Rapania's sinister smile shows her fearlessness and confidence in facing Tahiri, whom she should know as the God of Storm. Even I haven't laid a hand on her, and I'm fairly certain at this point that I could be regarded in the upper reaches of this world's hierarchy of powerful beings. So where does her confidence come from? Maybe the fact that they have history with each other and that Tahiri might not want to kill her? It's the only explanation I can come up with under these circumstances, since I can't see her losing to a being that's called a sea witch, even if she has powerful magic.

She waves her hand and the strangely shaped machines around us come to life, sparks flying about between metal coils and arcing back and forth with ear-numbing intensity. In response to that, Tahiri stretches her arm out at Rapania and electricity jumps through the air, directly at the sea witch. However, the attack is redirected onto one of the machines, which absorbs the energy and appears to become charged up in response.

I can't see Tahiri's expression, but she must be surprised at this. Even then, it's not like this redirection will be able to defeat her. The machines will become overcharged and most likely stop to function eventually, while she has unlimited energy. But I have to say, a lightning rod as a means of defense against the God of Storm may be the most stupidly clever invention possible.

Trying it again, with the same result, Tahiri looks at the machines around her. The sparks have gained in intensity and are flying ever faster, suggesting that they will reach a threshold soon. Looking over her shoulder to us, she must be thinking that if these explode, we would be caught in the blast. While my children and I would be alright, Awhina and potentially Tokomaha could sustain heavy injuries. And Mereana, who's still alive, might die from it.

"[Do you really think these toys will keep you safe?]" With these words, she walks forward to get physical. I'm wondering why she doesn't use wind blades, but maybe she actually really doesn't intend to kill Rapania?

"[I know they will.]" Spreading her arms, the sea witch gestures at the machines to both of Tahiri's sides. The electric arcs hit the goddess and she stops, looking around in confusion. Then I see it: Her skin is beginning to flake off and her form is dissolving. Fat and muscles are exposed, then bones and organs, all disintegrating into nothingness as her form diminishes quickly.

Within seconds, Tahiri has disappeared, not even making a sound in the progress.

"Wha-" I'm painfully reminded of when my mother disappeared like that, not a trace of her body remaining. How did she do that?

I can't believe that the God of Storm would be defeated so easily. I haven't even landed a single hit on her, and this sea witch just used some machine...?

"[That was more effective than I thought.]" Shrugging, Rapania laughs with a triumphant expression. "[I am sure the king will like this.]"

Alright, I don't care whether Tahiri wanted to keep her alive or not, I'm going to kill her now. If this machine is able to disintegrate living tissue in layers, I can pass through it by replenishing my outer layer from the inside out. It's not a huge field and I should be able to just jump through and reach her that way.

... or there might be something better for instantly killing her without even having to get close.

Transforming my hand into a dragon's maw, I point it at the sea witch and gather the plasma in its depths. A lightning rod is useless against that and I should be able to hit her with it. I'm making sure to keep the size small, so that I don't accidentally hit Mereana, who's very close to my target.

"[Is that how you melted my door?]" Rapania's eyes show pure curiosity. As expected, she's a mad scientist, too. "[But are you sure you want to shoot me with that?]" With these words, she quickly moves behind Mereana. "[Please aim well.]"

Damn! I can't be sure that the electric field won't mess with the beam in some way. If it gets redirected at the hostage, it wouldn't be funny. Then how about a spirit spear? I can aim that with pinpoint accuracy, since it flies straight at the point I wish for it to go. And light shouldn't be affected by electricity at all, right? I'm not confident in my physics knowledge in that regard.

All my other magic is hard to aim and really large in scale, due to my lack of output control. Even if I can cast everything without using the chants, that fact hasn't changed about my skills in magic. And my transmutation magic is still quite rudimentary and not of that much use. Without either Aurelia or Juzual around, I couldn't really improve on it either; I'm able to change things into gold, and that's about it.

No two ways about this, I'll-

Suddenly the ground shakes and Rapania looks around in confusion. Then a rock spike emerges from the wall beside her and shoots straight for her chest. Backing away quickly, she avoids it and turns to stare at us. Or rather, at someone behind me.

It's Awhina, who has taken a pose similar to the one she had during the defense of Aoranam. This spike is clearly her doing, although the medium this time is the stone the tower is made of, unlike last time, when she used sand and dirt. Her ability was able to bypass the disintegrating barrier completely.

Not wasting any time, I whip my arm around and punch the machine to my right, crushing it and sending it flying into the wall. The electricity jumps over to me and rushes through my body, but dissipates without doing much harm, leaving only a tingling sensation on the surface of my skin. With this, the arcs between the two sides have ceased, and I immediately extend my arm toward the sea witch.

It turns into a spear and shoots forward, much faster than Awhina's rock spike, aiming to pierce her chest. However, she's somehow able to dodge that one as well. Still, it only served to separate her from Mereana further. That's my cue to rush forward and immediately absorb Rapania, before she can come up with any more gimmicks or tricks.

Just then, the roof of the tower is torn away and a storm suddenly finds its way into the interior. A lightning bolt crashes into the center of the room, followed by an ear-piercing thunderclap a nanosecond later. My eyes have been blinded, but I instantly swap them out with a fresh pair, allowing me to see right away.

A naked woman with skin the color of angry thunderclouds, sporting glowing runic marks all over her body, is standing in the middle of the scorched circle. Extremely long hair arcs like electricity in the air, glowing bright like lightning seeking its target.

That's Tahiri, without a doubt.

"[I'm disappointed in you Rapania.]" Her emotionless voice reverberates through the air as she walks forward, her electric hair jumping over to the machines in the surroundings and frying them from the sheer energy contained within her body. "[Very disappointed...]"

"[A-as expected of you, Tahiri.]" The sea witch is cowering on the ground with a nervous smile, a clear hint of fear in her beautiful features now.

"[Did you really think you could kill me with my own powers?]" Stopping a few steps before the sea witch, Tahiri looks down on her.

"[No, but I thought it would be able to stall you for long enough.]" Rapania extends a hand towards the God of Storm and laughs, but then sadness seems to overwhelm her for just a moment. Then she vanishes in a pillar of light before anyone can react.

She appears to have teleported away.

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"[So, what's the story between you two?]" I walk up to Tahiri and put a hand on her shoulder. Expecting electricity to run through my body, I'm surprised to find that it's not happening, and realize that her skin has returned to its previous cloud-white. No hints of those glowing runes are visible anymore, so they must be something that appear when she's going all-out. It's the first time I've seen her look like that, which means she hasn't ever fought me at full strength, huh?

"[Shouldn't you be more worried about that human?]" Pointing at Mereana, the God of Storm sighs without turning to look at me; she seems tired. But she's right!

Quickly running up to Mereana, I look into her lifeless eyes. Are my Chaos senses deceiving me? She clearly still has life energy, but even after everything that happened in front of her, she hasn't moved or even blinked. Or does this mean her mind was destroyed and she's become a vegetable?

Whatever the case, I break her restraints - especially the metal ones digging into her flesh - and put my hands on her forehead and chest. I'll begin with a medium-ranked healing spell meant for physical wounds first. Her silver armor is nowhere to be seen, as something like a white shirt covers her upper body. It seems she's not wearing any underwear and her exposed legs look quite enticing. No, now's not the time for that! An unresponsive doll is no fun either way...

"[What happened to her?]" Awhina comes up to me and asks. I look over my shoulder to find that Uten and Saten are staying back, looking in my direction nervously. With a glare I signal to them that they should prepare for punishment later - especially if I can't fix what happened to Mereana.

"[I don't know, she seems to have lost consciousness.]" Her pupils show no reflexes either.

"[All the guards have stopped moving.]" Tokomaha states as she scratches her head. That means Rapania's influence doesn't reach from wherever she went, implying that she most likely isn't in this city anymore.

"[There are still a lot of people in the castle. Search for them and gather them in the courtyard.]" Whether those are the sea witch's collaborators or prisoners, we'll see when we get down there. I turn back to Mereana and find that my healing has removed the chafing wounds on her wrists and ankles, but did nothing to return her senses. Then next up is a light magic spell for strengthening one's spirit and resolve. I don't know how effective that will be, but it's better than nothing. It's also the only spell I know that involves a person's mind, but I'm sure there are others.

Within moments of casting the magic, Mereana closes her eyes and seems to slip into slumber. So does that mean it was effective or just served to turn her from an open-eyed vegetable into a comatose sleeping beauty? Will kissing her wake her up?

Well, this is all I can do for now. She seems relaxed now and is breathing properly, like a person in deep sleep. Let's wait until she wakes up before making any judgment regarding her mental health, I guess.

"[Now, as for you, Tahiri... time to talk.]" I stand up and turn to the goddess, who is looking up absentmindedly. The storm above us has cleared and the winds have become a light breeze, but the roof is still missing. The dark storm clouds still remain, barring the view of the night sky. It seems her mind hasn't calmed down completely.

"[What is there to tell? I failed her and she became a monster.]" Looking at me with sadness but also defiance in her eyes, Tahiri replies curtly. Then she disappears in a flash of lightning, into the clouds above, upon which they quickly disperse.

A sensitive topic, huh?

"[I know what happened, but I don't know whether I should tell you or not.]" Tokomaha walks up to me and states with a hint of unease. I'm sure she doesn't want to meddle, but it's clear that I really want to know, and she's quite eager to please me, despite being a tsundere - or exactly because she's a tsundere.

"[Tahiri didn't tell you not to speak about it, did she?]" Flawless logic right there. "[Then you can tell me.]" Thinking about it for a momet, the little goddess finally relents and her expression shows that she's entering story-telling mode.

A long time ago, there was a lonely sea witch who fell in love with a human.

He was a young man who lived on a peninsula near the reef she called her home, and would sail past her during fishing trips almost every day, unknowing of her existence. Having lost her parents to a monster from the depths early in her life, she had been alone for a long time. Therefore, she was drawn to him the moment she laid eyes on him. However, as a sea witch, she could not go onto dry land and meet him. Spending her days watching the young man, her longing only grew stronger.

Seeing the sea witch's heartache, her long-time friend, a goddess of the sky, offered to help her get together with her beloved man. Gifting the sea witch the appearance of a human for one moon, she would be able to walk on land and meet him. But in exchange, she could not enter the sea for that duration, or the magic would be undone and her true self would be revealed to all. Thus, she was able to approach him in his village, and it was love at first sight.

Every moon the goddess would come and extend the duration of the sea witch's transformation, never telling her how the magic worked. Thus, many moons passed and the two lovers formed an eternal bond. Even though he found it strange that his wife would never swim in the ocean despite living so close to it - she avoided approaching the shore as if it was a cursed place - he did not question it as their relationship was perfect.

However, soon the sea witch would look out to the waves every night and reminisce about her time in the depths, longing to swim in the water and feel it flow through her gills once more. She kept the goddess' words in her heart and never fell to the temptation, but her mind seemed to become more and more occupied by her longing for the sea.

The goddess learned of that fact and decided that it was time to test the man's feelings. If he truly loved her, he would accept that she was a sea witch who could take on a human's appearance. This way, she would be able to return to the sea she missed so much from time to time, without having to worry about people finding out about her. So, one day when he was out fishing, the goddess summoned powerful winds and caused a giant wave to smash his boat to pieces. She knew that the sea witch was watching from the shore and would jump in to his rescue.

And that she did, without hesitation.

Taking on her true form the moment she entered the water, the sea witch dove after her unconscious husband and quickly returned him to shore. Unable to go onto the beach, she let the villagers carry him the last stretch, waiting to see how he was. She already understood from their fearful expressions that her kind was regarded as monsters. But it did not matter for her, as her beloved's life was hanging from a thread.

Fortunately, it appeared that she had saved him in time and the village doctor was able to resuscitate him. The first thing he asked for was the whereabouts of his wife, since he did not see her face among the gathered people. When the villagers pointed at the sea witch waiting in the water not far away and he turned to look at her, his expression made his thoughts about her very clear. She understood, in that moment, that they could not be together anymore, and she swam away, ignoring his apologetic cries and pleas for her to return.

The sea witch knew that it was the goddess who had caused this state of affairs. Calling her down from the sky, she expressed her anger over her needless actions. Unrepentant, the latter argued that if he could not accept her for what she was, he was not deserving of her. Their argument became so heated that it created an irreparable rift between the two and they separated in hatred, never to meet again.

"[Those were Rapania and Tahiri?]" Awhina and my children ask in unison, complete and utter bewilderment on their faces.

"[Huh, what do you mean?]" I'm confused. Of course that story was about them, who else?

"[What she just told us is a very famous folktale.]" Uten and Saten respond to my question and wonder about my lack of knowledge about it. Well, I didn't grow up around here and in this one year nobody told me that folktale. "[It's used to teach children that all species have compassion and even gods can make mistakes.]"

And a huge mistake that was, Tahiri; it was unnecessary meddling on her part. I can understand that it would be much better to know that the person you love accepts you for what you are, but it was something Rapania should have decided on her own. The decision was forced on her by the artificial emergency situation, most likely much earlier than was comfortable for either one in the relationship.

"[What does a sea witch actually look like?]" I assume Rapania was in her human form earlier, since I can't imagine anyone shunning that appearance.

"[They have eyes like a fish, with razor-sharp teeth in their wide, lip-less mouths. Their hair is made up of scale-like growths and their necks are almost nonexistent, with gills on the front. They have webbed hands that look more like fins than fingers, and instead of a lower body, they have octopus tentacles as legs.]" Tokomaha explains since the others actually don't know. I guess the stories don't specify their exact appearances, but everybody agrees that it's a monstrous one.

That sounds quite like what a Crawling Chaos looks like. And this reminds me of the fact that I still need to show Awhina my real appearance. Also, my two children don't know what they really look like either, since they never took on those forms. I'm interested to see their unique aspects, just like how my looks differed from my mother's slightly.

Maybe now is the time to show her... show everyone here? It's the perfect transition from a story about failure to accept one's lover for what they are, solely based on appearance and prejudice... right?