Chapter 2: Set

Wendy doesn't know how to feel about her current situation, not in the slightest. In her eyes, she had just been on a plane heading to Paris alongside her childhood friend, then the next moment she was standing inside a lost forgotten temple, next to a talking sea dog and now face to face with a man bearing a horse-like skull as a face.

"For heaven's sake, as if my life couldn't get any weirder!" The girl thinks to herself before the tall black figure reintroduces himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, child. I am Set." Now standing face to face with each other, Wendy can't help but feel a bit intimidated by the tall figures demanding presence. Much different from the demon and the golem, this man carried himself with a feeling of superiority, maybe even one of… Divinity?

"Set? That's a weird name if I do say so myself. I'm guessing you have something to do with my current whereabouts then?" Wendy guessed as she subsequently placed her sword down. "Yes, forgive me for my hastiness, but given the situation you had befallen yourself in, it seemed imperative to bring you here to the Spirit Temple to safeguard your absolute survival." Wendy thinks for a moment before continuing, "Spirit Temple? I see, so where exactly are we? As I can recall I was in a plane that crashed into the ocean, how exactly did that cause me to end up here?

The tall man who carried himself in a more relaxed manner raised one of his hands and pointed upward. "That would be through your own spirit affinity, there are many lesser spirits around the entire world, but more so within the earth's very oceans. Therefore, when your magic amalgamates with the fleeting lesser spirits within the primordial waters, it must've opened a gate, leading you here." The Tall man explained.

"I see, so my guess was correct, demigod or not I seem to have a higher affinity to spirits than others…" The girl says presumptuously. "In any case, I suppose I owe you one. So Set was it? Not to judge or anything but I don't see many people that look like you, by any chance are you also a demigod?" She asked him, sensing a bit of hesitance coming from the dark-suited man. "No, to be specific young child, I am an Old God, one of the first gods to appear during the first Dynasty, the God of Sandstorms, Set." Wendy takes a moment to take in this information, and then after her brain has processed this her eyes go as wide as a row of pink tents.

"Eeeeh! Seriously, God! You're really like a God-God! That's unbelievable! I mean from that skeleton face I could've sworn you were some type of supervillain or a shady cosplayer at least!" Wendy says making the newly announced god look at her dejectedly. "I see, yes I suppose I do have a bad rep given my current appearance, though it's not like there's much I can do about it…"

Wendy, feeling a bit of regret for her criticism attempts to take it back. "Eh I mean your just not what I expected is all! Now that I take another look you certainly do give off the appeal of an almighty God!" She says attempting to give off a persuasive smile on her face. "Never mind that, would you walk with me for a second?" Wendy blinks twice before looking down at her newly acquired sword, then looking back at the God, "Sure."

The two are seen walking down their selected path down the temple's steps, and then walking along the pond that surrounded it. "I'm sorry for the abruptness of your situation, however, if it's any consolation, I would like to take this time to explain any questions you may have about the situation." Wendy, looking not at Set but straight ahead, answers. "Well I suppose I do have a few, For starters, why did I get chosen to become a demigod, and Ronny as well for that matter?"

"Ronny?" Set questions, not being familiar with that name. "Oh, I mean Scyron Tategami, someone very dear to me that got resurrected by the same great spirit." Set takes a moment to answer before his dark hollow eyes give off the feeling of a man staring down into a hollow abyss. "Amun," He says under his breath. "What was that?" Wendy questions before Set quickly disregards this. "It was nothing, but to answer that, The Phoenix spirit in legend was told to be the most powerful spirit in existence, its power too great to be held by a single vessel, so to counteract this transgression, its power was divided into two separate entities to better monopolize in its power. You and this "Ronny" of yours just so happen to be the lucky ones…"

"Wow, so it was all just by chance then…" Wendy says, giving off a look of melancholy. "So this spiritual temple, what's its purpose for?” She says, enticing an answer from the Old God. "Its purpose is to withhold all the accumulated spirit magic from around the world, and from all the previous Spirit Goddesses. About every few centuries, a goddess gains the title of "Spirit" Reigning monarchy over all the spirits in this and other realms. It's important to understand that the magic of this world is highly influenced by the power of the spirits. Since all gods use spirits as their catalyst to using greater magic, the deity who rules over them can potentially rule over magic itself, making them far too powerful than a demigod should be."

Wendy ponders on this for a moment before replying, "Spirit Goddess… wait so you mean…?" Set turn to the young woman before answering, "Yes, the phoenix's blue flames invoked a change within you, not just a physical one but a spiritual one. As the harbinger of the great fire spirit, you also now hold the title of the next Spirit Goddess, master of lesser and greater spirits." Set answer giving sue to his divine propaganda. "Wait wait wait! This is all a bit too much to take in! The phoenix part I can't believe since I actually met the bird thing, but spirit Goddess! That all seems a bit too grand for me! Before all this, I was just a normal teenager for crying out loud!" Wendy screams out, getting a bit claustrophobic by the old God's boisterous claim.

"I understand this is a lot to take in, but this is the reality you must face. You along with that boy of yours have been chosen by the phoenix to become demigods, it is now your sacred duty to act out the will of the gods and save the world from damnation." Wendy immaturely steps on the old god's foot. "I said I don't want to hear all that! Stop talking all grand and mighty about you old skull face!" The old Gods slouches down grabbing his foot, "Ouch, you didn't hold back there did you…" Set says with a bit of pain in his voice.

Wendy takes a moment to calm down after feeling overwhelmed by the surplus of information just thrown at her. "In any case, I won't pretend like everything you just said doesn't at least kind of make sense given my own experiences with the matter." She says rather understandably. "So, where do we go from here? And how exactly can I get out of this temple?" She asks the now recovering elder as he stands back up on his feet. " Yes, now as for that, I suppose we should make our way back to the temple, there's still a bit more I must explain to you however." As the pair make it back to the temple's steps, Set turns back and takes a look at the young woman. "For now, why don't you retrieve that Black Sword for a moment."

Wendy, looking a bit hesitant, decides to go to the temple doing as the older one says. Waiting outside, Set starts able to hear a loud commission going on inside the old temple, and then after a moment passes he sees a blue-haired girl dragging out the sea otter spirit from within the temple, the sea otter begrudgingly holding the sword with his wet paws. "Set! Stop her, this woman's gone crazy!"

"Oh shut up! This wouldn't be happening if you'd just cough up the sword!" Wendy drags the spirit down the stairs until they are both standing in front of Set. "No!!! Like I said you cannot possibly be the Spirit Goddess, someone as unholy and Vulgar as you have no right to wield such a divine weapon! I won't allow you to sully Undine's name!" Wendy, fuming from the spirits' false presumptions, bites back, "Oh can it you little pipsqueak! I told you ya had it all coming! Next time hold a much tamer trial for your stupid god ritual! Now let go of the fucking sword!"

The two argue back and forth before Set grows tired of this exchange and claps his hand, a large echo swiftly follows. "That's quite enough Otto, are you so ignorant that you cannot put aside your personal feelings on the matter, have you ever taken a moment to look at your surroundings?" The lesser spirit looks a bit anxious before responding. "Set, forgive me I was just…" Set then continues, "Take a look at the outskirts of the temple, throughout its interior and exterior do you not see them? The blooming amalgamation of Spirit lilies is a sight to behold. Must I remind you that these flowers are only fated to bloom in the presence of spirit magic at its purest? It should go without saying that the only person who could bring these flowers to their blossoming nature would be the spirit goddess herself.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Otto, who was brought to a halt by the old gods' convincing reasoning, decides to answer back in stride. "Yes Master Set, you must be correct, the magical blossoming of these spirit lilies is something I haven't seen since…: Otto doesn't finish but looks down at the ground with a saddened expression. Though he was a greater spirit, he once upon a time also held the title of a familiar, being somewhat of a yes-man to this world's previous Spirit Goddess, Undine. Though that Woman had died almost 100 years ago, her spirit lingers within the spirit temple as her body had been kept in a casket along with all the previous Spirit Goddesses, this place acting like a morgue of such, though their spirits have mostly passed to the other side, there are a few remnants that stay behind as well.

"Perhaps I was too harsh before…” Otto looked up to see where that voice had been emitted from. "Now looking back at the whole thing, I see you were just doing your job is all, It wasn't right of me to take out my frustration on you the way that I did," Wendy says now looking down at the spirit with an understanding expression. "Listen, I don't know much about this whole god stuff, nor about what standards and customs I should have withheld, but the previous user must have meant a lot to you, I don't have any intention of setting myself down any proposed path, but I promise not to sully any of the memories of those who came before me. I'll simply continue to do what I've always done, and that's trying my best!"

The greater spirit looks up with a bit of hope in his dark big eyes. "What do you say, is there any chance you can forgive me?" Wendy finishes off as she bends down to be at eye level with the spirit. After taking a moment to process the little speech the girl gave, Otto puts on a more accepting expression. "Yes! It would be my honor as a greater spirit to hoist up the next spirit goddess to her designated state of glory!" Otto says, feeling as if he may have misjudged the blue-haired woman a bit too presumptuously. "Here, it has now come to my realization that this does in fact belong to you." He says holding out the sword for Wendy to accept it.

"Thank you~," Says Wendy reaching out and grabbing the sword, but not before showing a bit of affection towards the small great spirit by wrapping her arms around it in a hug. Smiling at each other they both turn around and look back at the elder god. "So… why'd you ask me to recover this anyway?" The girl asked, staring at the elder. "Yes, I was thinking it'd be best if we begin your training."

Before Wendy has a moment to speak, an alarming sound emitted from behind the designated group. Through the pond-like area that Wendy had previously arrived here from, a slew of three dark monsters emerged from the waters. "No way… those are Demons aren't they!?" The blue-haired maiden says, baffled by their presence. She lifts her sword, ready to defend herself before Set interjects. "Yes, these demons must have been attracted here due to your arrival, I suggest you attempt to slay them before they cause any harm to these sacred grounds." Says the old god, presumably removing himself from the situation.

"What! There's three of them, you expect me to fight them all by myself!" The demons lunge at the girl, forcing her to block with her sword. "Yes, I cannot interfere with the acts of demons according to my oath. Best of luck to you then." After hearing his monotone words, Wendy continues her fight with the demons. After a certain period passes, she is seen leaning on the hilt of her sword covered in blood, with three demon corpses slowly turning into ash. "Dick!" She says out of breath looking at the God that had been silently watching in the background.

"Don't be so dramatic, you did excellently. Your form and precision were impeccable for a newbie." Wendy silently accepted the old God's praise before responding. "It's not that of a big deal if I'm being honest, I took Kendo for a long time so I know my way around a sword. Not to mention I can emit my flames through the sword to quicken the process."

"Yes, I see, truly the Great Phoenix is no force to be reckoned with, I can see why Ra had sought its power." Wendy looks up, staring at Set's skull head, "Ra?" set now looks back at her, presumably making eye contact. "Yes, Ra is the king of all the Gods, the Sun God." Wendy, now recovering from her recent battle, decides to go to a nearby rock and sits down. "Sun god huh, how many gods are there?"

"That depends on what you consider a God," Set says, mimicking Wendy by sitting on a slightly bigger rock perpendicular to her. "In this world, there are great and powerful things many people over time have come to associate with gods, such as order and time. Certain facets of knowledge may have been lost in translation over the centuries. For instance, when what you may refer to as "the big bang", maybe what I'd refer to as the birth of the nine greater concepts that form the universe, and through those concepts, came Ra. The first god to be birthed from the greater consciousness outside of the primordial chaos.”

Wendy stares at the old god as he goes over the details of his cosmic existence. "After Ra was Born, he created several Gods that represented their own origins and ideas. In a sense, all gods are children of Ra, for we all derived from a part of him. Now in these days, all The old Gods have removed themselves from the mortal realm to a degree, some continue to help humanity in the ways they are still permitted, others choose to stay within their realms and carry out their sacred duties, and the rest simply remain in the God realm, aiding humanity by continuing to grant chosen humans to become demigods."

"Like me!" Wendy chirps up after taking in the whole explanation. "Yes, though no demigod in history has ever necessarily been as special as say you. To be selected to become the spirit goddess as well as given the power of a spirit selected by Ra, surely, you will be part of a new ogdoad that will save this world in its entirety. " Wendy suddenly stands up to stretch before letting out a tiresome sigh. "Gah, you're throwing too many new words at me! How the hell am I supposed to keep up with all this." Understanding her frustration, the old god stands up as well. "Well considering that you are but a novice, I believe it'd be best if we spend this time here training your body to its potential. After all, the spirit temple is the deepest place to gather spirit magic during your training."

Wendy puts her hands on her hips and holds a disappointed face. "You mean now!? Seriously, I just wanted to get out of here! Can this wait until later, I need to go and make sure Ronny is okay?" Set looks at her with a monotone look before answering, "My little lady, not that I had expected you to have known this, but you realize that you've been asleep for almost three months."

"WHAT!" Wendy says flabbergasted. "Yes, before arriving here you slept dormant in that cave for 3 months as your mind healed itself from the trauma. So in any case, whatever fate has befallen your partner I'm sure his situation has already come and passed. Though I cannot answer if that fate was kind to him." Now looking at a loss, Wendy slumps down, on the verge of tears. "No… what if something worse happened to him. I need to get out of here and make sure!"

"There might be a way…" Wendy looks up with potential hope in her eyes. "A way to make sure he is alright. All you have to do is connect with him through the spirit world. Since you associated with him before your arrival here, you must already have a read on his heat signature. Theoretically, if you can access the spirit realm and connect through your shared flames spiritually, you can find out what his current condition would be."

"I can do such a thing?" Wendy asks, looking hopefully at the elder God. "Yes… though only after you gain a certain level of affinity with your spirit magic. And the only way to build that affinity is how you would refine any other skill, through extensive training." Now crossing her eyes and bearing a more determined look, Wendy looks back at Set. "I see, well you talked me into it alright! I'll do you damn training, and then I'm getting out of this temple!" Otto decided to speak up now.

"Uhn, Set? How exactly will you be conducting this training? To my recollection, you're not much of a spirits user" Set takes his arm out and summons a dark black weapon, a black sword that mirrors Wendy's. "You are right otto, though I have an alley that has instructed me on everything I need to know to teach a spirit magic user." He says confidently now, raising his sword towards Wendy. "A sword huh, I thought you couldn't interfere with real-world issues or something."

"I cannot interfere with the acts of demons or humans, though an upcoming demigoddess like yourself is no doubt a worthy exception."

Hearing this, she raises her sword and takes action. "Alright then, do be kind to me, Set-Senpai~!" As she says this, they both lunge at each other, clashing the ends of their swords together with a loud clanging sound emitting from the temple's walls.

On the outskirts of the Sahara desert, a place that was long deserted has become a haven for vile and malicious creatures to accumulate together. These Demons are soulless entities from the underworld that rise and claim the lives of innocent stragglers that wander these ancient deserts. From the midst of the blowing sand, a girl in all white can be seen giving prayers on top of the wasteland's many hills. An old discarded temple that seems to be made out of glass or some other unidentifiable element can be seen from the horizon. This young girl is seen to be praying alone in solitude, she clads a white sister outfit with a gold ankh in the middle going down her dress. She is shown to be emitting a light bluish glow to her, with smaller lesser spirits floating around her. As she slowly opens her eyes, she stares at the old shining temple with a look of disdain, for here in these harsh deserts is where her story begins.