CHAPTER 10: EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY (6)
~10.6~
*****
While Maya and Astarte fought Kaede, Elysia and Astraia were facing their own challenge. In front of them stood a near twin of Elysia, only shorter and with smaller breasts. Elysia was slightly taller than Kye, and the girl was a bit shorter than Kye.
“Greetings, Lady Astraia,” the girl said, her voice softer than Elysia’s, but otherwise she sounded the same. “I am Azalea of Athas. I have served as Lady Elysia’s partner since my birth early in Athas history.” She held a plain katana with purple tsuka-maki, and wore a sleeveless short kimono, colored purple with black accents and flowers. “I shall test you before you enter Lady Elysia’s core. As a weapon, I am known as Jouten, Heaven’s Blade. Please ready yourself. I shall begin as soon as you are prepared.”
Kye nodded and turned to Astraia. “Before that, you should see the true me.”
“The true you?”
She nodded, saying, “I entered here with the appearance that you already know, as Kye Akari. In a soul world, one takes their true appearance. This is only an illusion I cast on the way in.” She suddenly released an immense burst of pure silver aether, the glow of her aura and eyes refined. Astraia’s eyes widened as Kye’s aether increased more and more, far beyond anything Astraia had thought possible. Once the initial burst faded, and the aether clung to her body tightly, her true appearance was laid bare. Her silver eyes remained the same, but her hair was white, her clothes changed to the same kimono uniform Azalea wore.
“This is the true you? The illusions you used to show us… it’s different. It’s as if… looking at the illusions were looking through foggy glasses, and this is crystal clear. Kye… Elysia, you’re… words don’t describe this feeling. And your aether… is… godlike. This is what you could be capable of in our world, given time?”
“This and so much more. What you see is just a taste. My power is the result of millions of lifetimes of experience and eons of training before that.”
“No wonder the measuring orb shattered when it tried to measure you. To quantify such an enormity…” Elysia turned toward her and held out her hand.
Astraia gasped when she saw Elysia’s eyes. “Your eyes!” I know those runes! I believed her, but this only further solidifies her claims. Those are the runes of Athas royalty. Does she know what they mean?
Elysia smiled. Astraia returned a smile, took her hand, and transformed into her weapon form. Elysia placed the weapon on her right hip so that she could draw with her left hand. “My weapon name is Hikarimaru.”
Elysia stood ready, poised to draw at any moment. “Azalea! Begin!”
*****
Meanwhile, Maya and Astarte had just finished up their own challenge. Since they were inside her soul, Maya could draw upon her true power. The most that Astarte had ever experienced as a weapon was when she was wielded by Atalante. Maya’s true power was so much greater, and her skill so much finer, that Astarte felt a sensation that she described as indescribable.
The match ultimately resulted in a draw, but the goal was not for one to defeat the other. Kaede would never allow another inside her master’s core without knowing they could safely be wielded by her master. Once the match was over, Astarte returned to her human form. Afterward, Kaede bowed and confirmed that Astarte was worthy of Maya’s hand.
Before she allowed them to pass, Kaede had one more important question to ask. “How will you find me once I reincarnate into your current world?”
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“There are three main social classes. Commoner, noble, and royal. I was born a commoner and adopted into royalty. It is not likely you will be born into royalty unless you wait. Elysia and I may have children in the future, but I know you are too impatient to wait for that.”
“Yes, I would like to join you immediately.”
“Assuming Lady Eve allows it, you are most likely to be born a commoner, but you could be born a noble. At age five, you’ll be-”
“That long?!”
Maya sighed in exasperation. “You’re so impatient!”
“My lady, I wish to be of service as soon as possible!”
Maya shared glances with Astarte, who had an idea. “Could you not ask to be born on a specific day and planet? That would drastically narrow down the possibilities. I’m sure we could conduct a search from there.”
“That depends entirely on Lady Eve. It’s not-”
“I’ll beg her until she agrees!”
“You’re just going to upset her.”
“Then I will just have to upset her! I will even give her an earful for putting you in the same world as that despicable Shiro Shikigami.” Maya was beyond exasperated and Astarte was beyond shocked.
“What am I going to do with you…?”
“She’s going to scold Goddess Eve…? I can’t believe I just heard those words come out of someone’s mouth.”
Maya gave her an apologetic smile. “Well…”
“It’s fine!” Kaede insisted. “I will ensure I am born before in the evening of your eighteenth birthday. That should be enough time to plan things out. What planet should I target?”
“Terra, Alcanus, Nippon Sekai, and Drachenheim are the best bets. If you can prioritize those, then do it,” Astarte suggested.
“Are any in particular a better bet?”
“Nippon Sekai,” Maya answered. “That’s where we are planning to spend the day. If you can be born that day, we’ll find you.”
“Then I shall see you soon!” And with that, Kaede disappeared.
Astarte turned to Maya. “What the hell?”
“I… heh. Sorry about her. She’s… unique. You’ll learn all about her soon, so I’ll forgo the details for now.”
“I see.” Astarte glanced over at the door. “Shall we?”
Maya opened the door, and the two went inside. The core was brimming with pink-colored aether. A large sphere floated above the ground, just high enough to walk under it. An endless field of pink flowers surrounded the sphere as far as the eye could see. Inside the sphere was an exact copy of Maya, only naked. A katana identical to the one Kaede wielded was floating next to her within the sphere.
“I have lived a long time,” Astarte said. “In our world, the concept of having a different societal gender to one’s birth sex was not introduced until a few years before the war that destroyed Terra. That war ended in year 2025 of Atlantean Era 1. It was called the common era at the time, but to bury that dark past, we completely removed the concept of religion, which sparked the war in the first place, and remade the planet. The continents were drastically changed, and the leaders and members of Paragon became the founders of the royal and noble families we know today. Thus, began not a dystopia following nuclear war, but a utopia. We have protected our peace for ten million years. It’s been so long that our maps are different. The continents have shifted naturally. In the utopia we have created, people may freely choose to be what they want. I’ve always thought the soul reflected one’s true self, and now that I see your soul… I am happy we were able to help you with your transition.”
“Thank you, Astarte,” Maya said. “I was quite distressed when I was born into a male body. It’s the first time I’ve ever been born male. I never thought it would feel so wrong. I never gave it a passing thought at all, in fact. Despite the progress, despite how much the dysphoria has been eased…” She smiled. “I would still rather be the real me.”
Astarte nodded. “I questioned Atalante the day you were born. She wanted to adopt some commoner born in an orphanage. I couldn’t fathom why. After learning of your white mana, I accepted you without question. Even after you told us what you are, I had trouble believing it. But standing here in the very core of your soul, I see the truth. You are a champion who has experienced far more than my comprehension. If you were not born with white mana, would we have still found you? Due to our societal norms, I question that. My own mentality has shifted. I feel more… no, that’s not right. I feel that over time, the ruling class has grown complacent. We do our duty and keep our people safe, but do we not look down upon them? I cannot truthfully say I have never looked down upon a commoner. You have changed Lanti, Kari, and I.”
Astarte turned to Maya and kneeled. Alethea was taken aback. “Astarte?”
“I swear to you here and now. Wherever your fight leads you, no matter the hardships ahead, I will stand with you.”
*****
Revision: 2023-1-10