Chapter 9: You And Me… Or Is It Me And Me?

Wow, so this is the shrine

I stared at the beautifully made shrine. Well, instead of a shrine, it honestly looked more like a temple. We walked through the gates and unto the garden. Big hedgerows were surrounding the figure of the goddess. Not only that, a small water pathway was carved that led to a pool at the base of the goddess. There, a fountain was were intertwining with one another forming a beautiful arrangement of water arcs.

Quickly walking through here, we made our way to the shrine itself. Outside, the shrine had a circular look. Pillars went around the entire complex holding up the roof and a small dome could be seen. It really took my breath away. Judging from Rina’s and Iridia’s look, they seemed impress too.

“Oh… Once I get back, I should tell father to make one of these”

I look over at Rina who was studying everything seriously. I wonder, does the underworld not have these? She was even interested in the dwarves design. Is it possible that she never thought about using this worlds construction abilities to help her in the underworld? Well, I guess her time here will also be a good thing for her.

Suddenly, the shrine doors opened. To our surprise though, no one was there. Unfazed, we quickly came up the steps and walked through the door. The inside was even more beautiful than I thought. Like the outside, pillars were supporting the entire structure. A carpet laid on the floor that went to the very back. There, what appears to be a pool could be seen? I then noticed that there were pathways everywhere in this shrine. What was beautiful was the fact that they actually glowed. That’s why, the entire place was bathed in a soft blue glow. It felt really calming to be here.

“Hello”

A soft voice ran out. I looked around only to notice that someone was sitting near the fountain. It was a young girl wearing what appeared to be a priest robe. It was purely white, but around the shoulder a blue fabric design could be seen. This same design also went to the middle though it stop past midway. The girl herself was beautiful. She was young, yet she had a mature atmosphere around her. She had light golden hair and celestial blue eyes.

“Hello, sorry for intruding”

“Sorry for intruding”

Both Rina and Iridia gave out a greeting. They looked stiff as they politely gave a bow towards the girl.

“It’s of no problems. Please, come closer”

Beckoned by the girl, we slowly walked up to the pool. As soon as we got there, I felt as if I was surrounded by a gentle breeze.

“What brings you all here?”

“Ahh… we heard about this shrine from a friend of ours. So my sister and I decided to come here”

“This place is really beautiful”

The girl giggled as she stepped out of the pool. She then walked over to us, her eyes seemingly looking deep into our souls.

“Is that all?”

“Ahh… yes. Like my sister said, this is a very beautiful place. This was a real honor to see”

The girl giggled even more before her gaze matched mine.

“Well, this is the shrine of the goddess. Of course, it must be pure in both spiritual and physical realms. Of course, that is why the spirits gather here. Only here can they fully take on forms befitting of their true calling”

She then picked me up from Iridia’s head who did nothing to stop it. Rina also watched the entire thing without doing anything.

“The great goddess sure favors you, one who was burdened a dark filled life. But no matter what happened, you persevered and always saw what was right from what was wrong. That’s why, in the name of the goddess… I grant you the promised blessing”

With those words, she let me go. I felt myself free falling in the air, but I did nothing to stop it. I was in a very calm state, something that I’ve never felt in my life before. It’s like an eternal bliss… a world of comfort and happiness. Then, I felt my entire body plunged into the pool. It’s a strange feeling though. Unlike water, it felt more as if I was inside some kind of gooey yolk. I felt something surround me and mold me, as if my entire existence was being changed. This continued to happen until I felt my eyes closing into darkness…

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I felt someone touch my forehead. I quietly stirred as my eyes finally began to open.

“I see you’re finally awake”

The girl from before was stroking my head. This time though, I felt sluggish and almost heavy. I looked around and sure enough I saw… a hand. At first I couldn’t believe it but it was there. A hand that I can move around. But then, I also saw a paw. I blinked several times… just what?

“Take it easy and just look at my face for now. It’ll take a while for your form to stabilize you know”

The girl used her hands to bring my attention back. She then continued to touch my hair like a mom caring for her baby. I couldn’t help but be embarrassed. I knew for a fact that she was giving me a lap pillow. I haven’t been in any type of relationship before so this sudden development was making me nervous.

“You know you’re becoming red right”

She slightly teased me as she poked my nose.

“I…IT can’t be helped you know. I’ve never be… what’s wrong with my voice?”

My voice was oddly more high-pitched than before. Almost like a… girls… I looked at my body and suddenly, two small mounds could be seen. I kept gaping as I reached towards them. The moment I touched them, I felt a slight indescribably feeling flow through my body. I then reached towards my precious spot.

“Nothing… there’s nothing”

Then, when I accidently rubbed my hand on a particular area, I felt my legs give away as the indescribable feeling intensified. With this though, I found out a shocking revelation.

“I’m a girl…”

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“Feeling any better”

“…”

I could only slightly nod my head as I kept mulling over the facts. Apparently, I became a girl because of the reincarnation process. It was a rule that stated that if a person where to reincarnate, they must be of the opposite gender. Now, normally, it is possible to change one’s gender using a very intricate magic formula. But, because I was sent to this world with my memories, I was given no quarter. In other words, no matter how much I want to change my gender, I wouldn’t be able to since the spells wouldn’t work. Clearly shocking news.

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“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything else to help. Just by bringing you here with your memories were hard enough. Plus, it’s not like it’s the end of the world right”

“Yes, I understand… I mean, you’ve already helped us enough so I can’t just keep asking for more right”

I looked towards the goddess who had a relieved look on her face. Who would have known that she was the one in the temple? Actually, now she’s a bit different. She was older now and her aura seemed even more powerful.

“So, Fer chan. What do you plan on doing from now on?”

“Hmm… I really don’t know. I might actually just travel the world since that was actually pretty fun”

“Oh, so what do you think? I really tried my best you know”

I laughed.

“It’s a really fun world. But you know, you should have given a bit more details when I first came here”

“Ah… yeah, I’m sorry about that. One of the angels slacked off and didn’t give you any proper instructions. Mou, just when I told her that you were special”

She gave out a pouting look as my thoughts wondered around her answer. Special huh.

“Arian Sama… why me? Why did you pick me as a guardian of the forest?”

She gave a warming smile.

“It’s because your soul is innocent. Out of all the souls I’ve ever seen, yours had a beautiful radiance, one that can see both light and dark. Remember the two men you told Rina to kill?”

“Ah, yes”

“Well, those two were criminals wanted for many things. Murder, assassination, theft, rape. Those two were at their lowest point of existence. Now, what about the men you fought earlier? You specifically told Iridia and Rina not to kill them. They were only doing their jobs… actually one even has his family locked up somewhere, so you deliberately told your servants not to kill them”

Eh, really. I… didn’t even know. Why did I tell Rina and Iridia to kill the two but leave everyone else unconscious?

“It’s because, you sensed it. The soul. You are able to differentiate between those of good and evil. That’s why I chose you as a protector of the forest. The forest only allows those with good intention to enter whereas those with a bad heart are immediately forced back”

I see… then doesn’t that mean I was only chosen for my good use? I instantly crouched to the floor as a sudden pain appeared on my head.

“Hey, that’s a pretty mean thought. You think I chose you just because you have the abilities I need? Who do you think I am?”

“A great goddess… but, in my old world, the gods were always using humans. That’s why…”

“DON’T COMPARE ME WITH THOSE OLD SOWS”

She hit me in the head again. Ow, it hurts you know. It really hurts you know. I kept rubbing my head even more as small beads of tears were forming on the edge of my eyes.

“It’s because you never gave up”

“Eh?”

I looked towards the goddess who once again had a heartwarming smile. She then picked me up and embraced me.

“I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked, the things you’ve gone through. Yet no matter what, you always rose back up and tried again”

“But… I killed myself. I gave up… I could never…”

“No. When you killed yourself, you made sure that your friends were safe and your foster parents won’t be troubled. You made sure that the only one suffering was just you. That’s why, I know how hard you’ve fought and no matter what you say… the only truth I see is that you’ve persevered. That’s why in this world, have fun. You have a bright future ahead of you and depending what you do, even this world could change a bit”

She then separated from me and soon, a white light surrounded me.

“That’s why, live, fight and be happy. In this world many things can happen. Oh, and don’t forget to always pray to me so I would know what you’re doing alright”

“I… How… how can I repay you for everything?”

I couldn’t help but feel tears coming down from my face. This goddess has done so many things for me… I just, how can I even hope to repay her.

“Just live a fun life”

I stared into her face and saw a smile… a smile that can only be described as a motherly smile.

“Oh, and there might be a bit more surprises when you wake up so just ask my body double for any more info. Also, you are free to change this city however you want. My treat ok”

With that, the light intensified and I once again felt my consciousness wavering.

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“MASTER!”

I instantly awoke. Ahh, my head… It really hurts for some weird reason. I then looked at my surroundings and noticed I was back in the shrine. But, the view is pretty strange.

“Ugh… where am I?”

“Ruff… ruff”

Ruff? I looked on the ground and saw a wolf… actually, I looked up and saw a girl. EH? What? I blinked. Just what is going on? The wolf was sitting on the floor… the girl is sitting on the floor. Why do I have two set of thoughts? I slowly stood up. Both the girl and wolf stood up. Actually, I stood up… this is getting confusing.

“Ah, goddess body double” “ruff, ruff, ruff”

“Just call me Arian”

“Ah, yes. Arian dono… what’s going on with me?” “Ruff… ruff, ruff ruff”

“Oh, well. It’s simple. Your soul was unique so when you finally formed your true spiritual form, you were actually separated into two beings. In other words, you are both the wolf and the girl”

“Eh, that’s confusing. Even my thoughts are confusing” “grr… ruff ruff, ruf ruff.

“Yes, quite so. If you activate the spell [parallel existence] then you should be able to control it”

“[Parallel Existence]”

Soon, I felt my mind split in two. It wasn’t painful, it just felt weird. I looked towards the wolf which tilted its head.

This is so weird

“I know right!”

As a result, there were now two me. One as a wolf and one as a girl with wolf ears and a tail. How stranger can my life get?

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Author Notes:

So, this was a pretty cheesy chapter lol. I might make another chapter later... or maybe not, depends on my mood. 

P.S: I wonder how many people expected that XD