When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the light, or lack thereof, in the room. I guess it was night then. I glanced around the room after sitting up and saw who I assumed was Sylphet sleeping while leaning over my bed. The rest of the room was empty aside from the furniture. Now how do I get out of bed without waking her? As I considered my options, I noted something was different about my situation than usual. I felt lighter and maybe a little stronger than I was with my unsealed spear. As soon as I noticed that; a slip of paper appeared in midair and floated into my hands. It read: My dearest sister, I know you told me not to, but I didn't want you to lose your only chance in your new life. I took the liberty of arranging a compromise, where I only made it so that you could harness a single seal worth of your original power. So, technically I didn't go against your wishes. All you told me was that you were against unlocking two seals because you wanted to still be within the bounds of that world. With one seal unbound, you will be a little bit stronger than the spirit king. What was his name again, oh right, Orpheus. Best wishes, your beloved twin, Historia.

Damn it, Historia! "Haahh," I sighed and activated my unique skill, omnidirectional movement to create a solid ledge in the air to lift myself out of bed. Then I swung over Sylphet's slumbering form and used my skill to avoid making a noise on landing. I walked over the ground with a single centimeter of clearance. I snuck out of the room and investigated the situation.

I get down the steps without causing a single creak, avoiding any sound that may give my presence away. Using my unique skill, I shifted my orientation so that my feet now stood on the ceiling. Then I crouched in a corner because my future sight detected the door to my left opening. It was Kotoha in a dark green negligee, and she seemed to be sleepwalking into the kitchen of the inn. I followed her, taking care to minimize my presence and avoid making noise. Once she got herself a drink, she headed into the dining area in the dead of night. There I saw Athena reading to lamplight in her usual armor.

Their conversation began. Kotoha spoke first, "I still don't like the fact that we have to work with you humans to protect our lady. However, I understand that you were given orders to see her safely to the forests of Mina."

Athena shrugged in response, then replied without a single retaliatory reaction. "Hey, I get it. Humans are the source of many of the woes that affect the natural world. I don't blame you for it at all. May I make an inquiry?"

Kotoha rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sure, if I can answer, I suppose I'll pay you back for guarding Lady Izuna until we took over."

"Ok, so...what's the truth about Izuna's origins?"

The dryad hesitated in her response, giving away that there was more to the story than the runaway princess bit. "As long as we're working together, I owe you a proper explanation of the situation. First, let me ask you something. Do you know the story of how our dimension was created?"

The human nodded, so she continued, "The creation of our dimension and the founding of the first mortal lifeforms was said to be orchestrated by the primordial goddess Izunami. Time and history came afterward thanks to her twin sister, Historia. Over countless millennia, Izunami watched from her gilded castle in the divine realm, unable to directly experience life among her creations. Throughout those countless millenniums, Izunami earned the reputation of being an unpredictable powerhouse. She was also assumed to suffer from mental instability. She created more things, more lifeforms, and killed off those which she deemed failures. Eventually, a few members of the mortal races earned their own divinity and specializations. However, they kept their distance from Izunami because of her role as the primordial goddess of death. Are you following?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Athena nodded once more before Kotoha continued, "This next bit is more or less speculation. Eventually, the never-ending isolation and growing loneliness drove her to do something drastic. We assume she sealed her powers and memory and blessed a couple with a miracle child. Vampires are often thought of to be among the higher ranks of the undead, and High elves are the immortal rulers of the elves. That couple was Izuna's parents. On that day, the progenitor high elf was born. However, she had a unique trait compared to her twin sister, Mizuno. Izuna's eyes had the same divine stigmata that were on every statue of Izunami and Historia. Once again, she was isolated until she was old enough to wear colored contacts. Only then was she allowed her debutant ball. Due to her isolation, she developed a severe case of social anxiety and awkwardness. This tale takes a tragic turn, where the war began four years after her debut, and she lost everything she worked so hard to gain."

Athena sat in silence for a while after that, "So...Izuna is Izunami?"

Kotoha nodded and smiled with pride, "Our Lady is the forgetful sort and tends to leap before she looks. She hates thinking hard about things if they don't catch her interest. Despite having been born a goddess, she had never experienced love, friendship, companionship, or anything that could amount to a proper life. However, she was the most human of the gods and had needs that would never have been met unless she reincarnated herself. We dryads take great pride in serving Lady Izunami."

"That explains a lot. Though, I would like to see proof."

That's when I dropped from my hiding spot nearby and made both of them jump and arm themselves. "Sorry if I spooked you, I couldn't help listening in when you started talking about me. Now would be a good time to reveal the proof I suppose?" I took a seat at the table and placed the letter on the table. "First, this letter was addressed to me by Historia. The second bit of proof would be my eyes," I popped my contacts out again, revealing my true eyes.

Athena gaped at me in awe for a while before speaking, "Thank you, Izunami."

I cracked a sheepish grin and shrugged, "No need to thank me, I just now accepted this as the truth tonight myself. So, I won't wear my colored contacts anymore," I took the box containing my contacts off my belt and threw it into the firepit. "After that vision tonight, I can't think of any way to deny it anymore. I met my twin sis, Historia, and we had a conversation about everything. It ended when I regained consciousness here. The letter proved to me that it wasn't just a dream, but something more."

Kotoha smiled at that then teased me, "Now you accept it, even though we've been saying so this whole time, eh? I swear, what are we gonna do with you?"

"Sh-shush Kotoha, I was in denial, ok? Who in their right mind would readily accept that they are a goddess just because someone else told them? They would have to be crazy...er, no, crazier than me at least," I paused before adding in a light but happy tone, "Anyway, we leave for the port of Elysia in the morning. Get some sleep you two."

""Yes ma-am!"" They both replied and fled the room, leaving me with an exasperated smile on my face. I love my life now, so I don't think I was wrong to leave my godhood behind for an extended vacation. Perhaps I'll take a wife and when our inevitable mortality takes us, I will resurrect everyone I cared about as gods so we can live together forever. I dread being alone. If what they said is true, and I reincarnated myself just to experience life, I better make the most of it. I headed back to my room and climbed back into bed, making sure not to wake Sylphet. I covered her with a spare blanket and closed my eyes thinking about the near future and how much fun it will be.