Chapter 19: The Path of Destiny

A new day has arisen. The party of star warriors have said their goodbyes to Ms. Anne and have packed their belongings. Instead of driving the speeder, the Divine hammer prepares a teleportation circle.

Magic. A magic technique that moves individuals or objects from one place to another.

Though, frankly, even the Creation goddess doesn't know how it works fully. The goddess of creation was never trained or told how her magic works, only that it works and that this android was capable of teaching herself and others new forms of magic. Depending on their attributes. If only she received a proper explanation, then the Divine Hammer could probably spread this mystical knowledge easily through the cosmos. The blonde woman sighs as a magic circle begins surrounding the five of them. Divine flash perks up, curious how it works.

“Is this magic? Like the magic you used against my sister when you two first met? How does it work?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know. Maybe someone in that tower knows.”

“Why do you think that? There's no credible proof there is even someone in the tower. Let alone some person that could conveniently explain this.” The Builder smirks.

“This tower. Seemingly sentient. Would it not be fair to assume someone else designed it, made it? In a way, the tower almost reminds me of us creation gods. This is all mere conjecture, I have no valid proof to make you believe me. But something is definitely, no, surely, someone wants us to go in there. You can feel it too, can’t you, young Divine flash?” Flasie agrees, feeling some kind of energy and essence flowing from the tower, something that is tugging at her spirit.

Now, less distracted, the Builder finishes the magic circle after about twenty minutes. It is ready.

All five of them step on the middle piece of this strange, circular magic. City folk of Viana and Ms. Anne have come over and cheer them good luck as they slowly vanish in the span of a couple minutes. Then a moment later, they have reappeared, right in front of the tower of their desires.

Divine Flash grabs Nam’s hand, looking at the Builder. The Builder walks forward, motioning that unruly silver haired goddess to follow. Diana already moved next to the creation god, walking in step with them. The Divine Hammer turns around, saying goodbye.

“This isn't really a goodbye but more of a ‘see you later’. I will let you know when it is safe to enter this place.” The goddess spouts confidently and surely but the two sisters can’t help but to have a feeling of dread come over them.

What truly lurks in here? Where will this tower lead them?

Only by walking forward will they find the truth. A truth no one else can tell them, but one they must learn for themselves. The three androids walk away from them, now in front of the strange steel doors. They open slowly without them even touching them. Further proving something was very off, very strange about this place.

They quickly shut behind them, leaving the view of the courageous sisters behind them.

Inside, a marvelous sight can be seen. Technology not of this world, and more accurately, technology not of this universe. It was so foreign and strange, it was difficult to understand without seeing it firsthand. To their left with stairs made out of a black marble, rising high into the air, leading to higher sections of this tower. To the sides, giant crystals held in strange machines. Machines that had magic floating around them, though the magic was quite unidentifiable to the Divine Hammer. It almost seemed like words and symbols could be seen, like digital words on a screen. Yet these words were alive and thrived, moving with the rhythm of a beating heart. Diana walked towards one of those crystals and touched it, making it react and shine, creating a shimmer. A gentle energy flowed through here but nothing else about her changed. The crystal's data on the front of it changed mildly but a second later, it had returned to its humming, vibrating self. There were tens of thousands of crystals like this one, all contained neatly in this tower. They were of different sizes, shapes, and varieties. Some of them were singular, some packed in groups, others of these were in this sort of containment or see through containers together, forming some kind of data link.

The only thing the Divine hammer could guess was that the crystals contained data. But what kind of data, what amount of information, how was the data processed, where did the data more importantly come from? Too many questions ran through her mind as the three approached the steps, walking up them slowly.

“Diana. I know it is pointless to ask, but do you have any ideas what we are looking at?” Diana chuckles, knowing it is a bad sign when the smarter lord is asking the less intelligent servant but indulges her, understanding the feeling of being overwhelmed by unknown technology.

“Naaaaaaaah! All I could guess is these crystals contain some kind o energy and data! I have never seen this material anywhere. Also, the crystals are both alive and nearly indestructible. When I touched that one earlier, my own systems did a quick compositional and structural analysis! You would have a hard time breaking these things let alone getting them out of those, uh, ‘containers’? Not sure what we are looking at my lord but your guess is better than mine at the moment.” Diana hums, enjoying the conversation.

“It’s okay, that is not that far off from my own analysis. Most likely, some kind of data storage unit. But where do these stairs lead? This doesn’t make sense, databases aren't shaped like towers. I know, I’ve built some for the drone arrays we use. Screw it, no point in overthinking it. Whatever this tower is, it feels archaic, ancient even. But also alive. The way those crystals are moving, it is at the same rhythm as a heartbeat. Hmm.” Her thoughts trail off as they continue walking upwards.

Star Breaker says nothing as they reach these revelations. There was no need for her to say anything, anyway. Exploration and creation were her sister's forte.

The elder goddess who was walking next to them had a simpler role. A rear vanguard, that was what she excelled at, really. Supporting from behind.

As the three walk, something strange happens to the Builder. Something even her sister was not fully expecting at this moment. The creation god's eyes turn golden and her hair begins floating, floating with divine energy. What was this phenomenon, she wondered?

Future Divine Hammer looks towards this young, young one.

Memories of the past have filled her mind. The future was full of many things, heartache.

Loss.

Despair.

But more importantly, hope.

And the future Builder has great hope in her comrades. Enough to even to go back in time to help them out, just a tiny bit, just a little. The being, the far future version of the creation goddess, can only offer mild help or advice, the five chosen must walk the path themselves. No one else can live your life like yourself, really.

“Oh oh, finally surprised by something, sis? Weren’t expecting this, hmm?”

“What the, who are. No, what are you! This was not foreseen-” The future Divine Hammer laughs, chuckling in a strange morphed version of their natural voice. A voice that had seen way too much, it seemed.

“Just because you saw a strong glimpse of the future, with your power, does not mean you saw everything. The future, like all of us, constantly changes, deviating from its path. The future is as alive as the present. You should not assume everything will go the way you planned. That's why they…” Out of the corner of her eye, she looks at Diana, who is seemingly just bouncing around. Diana isn't saying anything, strangely.

“What? Want something from me, my lord? Or should I say, future version of my love.”

“You really aren't surprised by anything. I applaud you.”

“My Lord is my Lord, no matter what. A future version conveniently shows up to tell her unruly, stubborn sister to not take too much stock in whatever nonsense she saw with her power. And you are right! The future isn't just some dumb vision or some prophecy people make, the future is the path we all carve together, the one we make together, the one we build with each other.” Diana says, saying something quite insightful, making Star Breaker astonished. The surprised woman, who was wearing white and gold armor, always thought this servant was merely a big chested flirt, based on her behavior around the Builder. Future Divine Hammer chuckles, enjoying the dumbfounded look on her much younger sister’s face.

“Appearances can be quite deceiving, young Star Breaker. Anyway, that was the only thing I wanted to tell you. Any more will get us all in trouble.” And just as fast as she appeared, the presence vanished.

Divi had returned to normal, a little dazed. The two look at her, Diana with glee, while the sister looks astonished at the two of them, surprised by these two developments.

“And I thought I had secrets, what the hell is going on with you sis! Why didn't you tell me you are getting possessed by your, your. Future self!” The silver-haired android spits out, almost chuckling and laughing at this bizarre predicament. This was even beyond her expectations, a visit from the future Builder? Why? Diana bemused, slapping the woman on their back, almost knocking her over.

“Why, to help you, you dum dum! Why else would my lord go back in time for a minute? Not for a petty reason, for sure. Get over yourself and actually try to listen for once. It is tiring putting up with your bullshit.” Again, cutting deep into the mind of the unruly goddess, it was almost like this was her speciality. Putting up a front to observe. Rather than masking oneself as a fool and refusing to share the burden. The results were obvious which method was healthier for the mind. Star breaker catches herself, then continues walking, standing next to the Divine Hammer, who has finally recovered from that daze. Diana quickly gets her up to speed, then the blonde goddess calmly speaks.

“I am a little unsure but again it seems, my future self has taken over my body. But at least it was for a good reason, so I am not too upset. Though I could question how she is doing that to begin with, it is better to not think too hard on this matter. And to be frank, Diana is correct. I think my future self merely came back to help you in your time of need, really. If you do not heed her warning, you will merely mentally cage yourself in your troubles. Please, just please. Try to share your burden with us.” Diana smiles genuinely.

It seems the words of their new friends and future self, have already slightly borne fruit.

The Divine Hammer wants to start mending that torn relationship. Star breaker, finally accepting that she alone cannot handle the burden of the world by herself. Frankly, no one can.

From the future Builders brief but poignant words, it seemed the future would be a dark one full of conflict and pain. So, they will have to take it on together, no matter what might happen.

Diana still gleefully smiles even though the cloud of darkness will soon envelope all of them. The three reach a landing of sorts and a figure has been awaiting their arrival.

Not to the surprise of the Divine Hammer.

There were too many strange things going on and now a knight in blue and gold armor was merely waiting for them to walk here? Too many strange things have happened to dismiss away as sheer luck.

Something was clearly leading them straight towards this moment.

“Alright. Give us some answers. Who are you, why are you even here? Telling us it is pure luck or coincidence would be an insult to our intelligence!” The blonde woman narrows her eyes, staring at this strange person in unknown armor. From a glance, the being looks feminine, though they are unable to see their eyes; the face is covered by a steel helmet that covers all the entirety of their face. A feminine voice responds, almost mechanically.

“I am Unit #003, the War Goddess, at your service. Here to lead you towards your next destination.” War Goddess, what a menacing name, Diana thinks. The servant begins walking towards this strange entity but both Star Breaker and her sister immediately stretch their arms out, stopping her.

“Don’t! I don’t trust this woman.”

“It would be unwise to get close to this War Goddess of sorts. We do not know what she is capable of nor do we know why she wants to ‘send us to our next destination’. ” The lord motions to her servant to stay behind them and out of direct danger. The War Goddess merely chuckles but this is a proper reaction. Keeping your guard up when met with a new face is always reasonable. These two were far more grounded than Nameless, who immediately wanted to fight in the face of danger. Assessing the danger and reacting to it was, honestly, more important than your own ability to fight it.

If you are weak, how can you even fight back? Thinking before acting, these two have already gained a bit of respect from this purple-haired ancient being.

“Well said. Such a reasonable decision from star warriors. As a reward, I will tell you a little about myself.” The War goddess walks over the platform, pulling over a nearby chair and sitting down.

“A reward. Well, you are the secretive one, aren’t you, War Goddess? If that is what you want us to call you?“ The knight nods, looking upon the Divine Hammer carefully eyeballing this unknown person.

“By design. As much as I would like to, I am restricted in my information sharing. My task is the observation and cultivation of the final star warrior candidates aka, you two. Though, your servant may be of help, perhaps. You have already met two of the others, haven’t you? Those poor little teenagers waiting outside, waiting for your radio signal.” The Builder is shocked. Were they being monitored this entire time? Being listened to? This thought unsettled her further, increasing her distrust of this “War Goddess”. What a farce. They were just spying on them!

“You boldly tell us that you were listening to us, spying on us. Why? And now that you said this, it makes me feel like you have other people listening on to me or the other star gods! How improper and foul. You call yourself a god?” Diana chuckles, patting her lord on the back.

“It is rather disgusting behavior but maybe they have a proper reason for this? This powerful looking lady despite her rough manner of speaking, trying to help us out, tell us things we want to know. Let us listen to her a little longer, my lord. Even though I admit, you are a little intimidating, Ms. War.” Diana is shivering a bit. The War Goddess is massively suppressing her aura, her energy. But even so, a tiny bit is creeping out.

That tiny amount they can feel tells them the three would be severely outmatched if they even thought of battle. Their instincts told them not to incite conflict.

The menacing machine angel continues, sighing. They were not wrong but there was nothing the woman could do to ease them.

Suffering was awaiting them, after all.

“Keen insight, Divine Hammer. We have another Unit watching over you all, as well. Can you blame us? You and the others. You are our last hope.”

“Last hope? Hope against what? What do you need us for, could you not merely fend for yourselves against whatever mighty thing you have struggled with?” The War Goddess does not respond but merely curls her armored fist into a ball. It appears not, clearly.

“Well, you have me intrigued but I have a feeling your tongue is tied, powerful knight. Is there anything else you can tell us? That can help me or the others?”

“Only one thing. To find the missing goddess, the Earth goddess, there is a place, a path towards her. The will of the tower will lead you towards where you need to go, it will create a path towards that planet, that place. As long as you focus your willpower, your spirit, this place will make a path towards where you need to go.” The War goddess stands up and walks towards one side of this platform. The tower moves independently. A path begins to form, made from data crystals. Solid energy emerges between those gems. The three focus on their desire to find the Earth Goddess and that walkway appears before them.

The path that will lead them towards the test guidance unit, first, however.

The three slowly walk towards the beginning of this path, eyeing it with wonder.

How mysterious, it is reaching out to them. Calling to them to walk forward, calling them to dash forward. The War Goddess turns away from them, saying one last thing.

“Show us that our faith won't be misplaced. Show me the power of your unity.” It sounds not that the War goddess doubts them fully but wants tangible proof. Proof that five warriors can stand together, arm and arm, and overcome whatever will befall them. The Divine hammer, Star Breaker and Diana all subtly notice this, some of their fear alleviated.

What good will fear do when someone wants to believe in you? Sometimes you just have to put your faith in others, even if you feel doubtful or scared. Believing in others will make you believe in yourself.

“You know. Why didn't you just start with that? There is something deeper in that heart of yours, something you are hiding from people. Aren’t ya, Ms. War Goddess! Terrible at expressing yer feelings, when you so desperately want to cheer us on! We will do our best!” Diana merrily runs forward, dragging along the builder, who just chuckles and dashes behind her. Star breaker merely nods, embracing the words spoken.

Nothing else needed to be said, the path forward is now clear. Star Breaker runs, catching up with the three.

#

Just as they run out of sight, the other two sisters merely catch the glimpse of their friends, who have vanished. The path behind them has evaporated leaving them unable to follow. By design, naturally.

It was not as if the War Goddess was being completely forthright, absolute danger did await them.

Nameless, spying the War goddess, yells angrily. “God fucking damnit! We were moments too late! And you sent them into the pit of danger?! Didn’t you, you bastard!” Luckily, Nam was slightly more restrained this time, merely clenching that dainty petite fist, nearly drawing blood from her skin.

The Divine Flash looked worried.

The two had a premonition, a sense of danger, several minutes ago. They could feel that their friends were being led to danger, so ignoring the advice of the Divine Hammer, they rushed quickly into the Crystal Tower. Slamming the doors open, it took them several minutes to catch up.

Only moments too late, unfortunately. Nam looks quite angry at the War Goddess.

A mighty knight in gold and blue armor, with a massive plume of purple hair. For some strange reason, that hair reminded her somewhat of her own hair. The rather upset teenager watches as her sister walks up the unit, getting right in front of that face, which is covered completely by a large silver helmet.

“Oh? Something you want, Divine-”

“I am just going to ignore for a moment the fact that you already know our names. You. You are quite heinous, aren’t you? How many others have you sent to their doom like this. Answer me.” Pure righteous fury builds on the blue-haired sister’s face.

“What do you mean? I only sent them to find the lost earth goddess, who you all need to meet, quickly. If they meet something in between, who knows. Who knows what will happen!” A cackle erupts from the War goddess putting the two on their guard even further.

“Did you think you could save them? Do you think that there was anything you could do to stop them from running ahead? Naive! They will have to deal with the Proctor unit first.”

“Proctor unit? You are testing us? I see. Now it makes sense, at least a little. Why you just let them wander in first, then you just buttered them up, made them believe your shit. What the hell did you tell them?!” The righteous anger of this girl that wears a plain white and brown dress scares Nam and frankly, even the War Goddess. Not expected.

“I only told them the truth. They have to overcome themselves, as you two need to do as well.” The War goddess, acting mighty, almost seeming to say a little too much. This woman was as ill-natured as Nam, it seemed. Almost. There was much more of a regal, refined aura around the knight, almost like these words were designed to taunt and incise them. Divine Flash merely scoffs.

“You won't make me crumble that easily.”

“And you shouldn’t.” A figure grabs the War goddess on the left shoulder and pushes her away gently. The Magician, seemingly, has appeared out of nothingness. Well, more like she walked down from the slightly higher platform and snuck up on the three distracted ladies.

Shocked, Unit #003 jumps backward. The ancient machine angel didn’t even detect her lord’s presence. How dangerous, she thought woefully. The two sisters glance at this new white and red-haired stranger, wearing robes covered in strange symbols. Resembling the magic symbols of the Divine Hammers teleportation magic.

“You. Who are you? Someone else that this ‘war god’ knows, I guess?” The Magician chuckles.

“Maybe, maybe not. I wander into this tower through a strange door I found in the city.”

“A strange door? I would say unlikely but seeing how we just saw our friends walk through a pathway with a door connected to it, you might have some credibility. Go on, what did this door look like? How did it work?” Divine Flash continues asking questions, wanting to assess what this new person was doing. Another being shrouded in mystery, this time, appearing from a completely unknown place. Why did the War goddess reflexively jump backwards, did she not see her coming? Perhaps the danger of this pretty looking woman far exceeded their own. The Magician playfully smirks, flexing her fingers together for a moment.

This woman was enjoying this chaos, wasn’t she?

“Honestly, you are strange. You jump in from nowhere, yet you are at ease in this heated conversation? What are you? “

“Wow, not even a ‘Who are you?’ I am saddened!”

“No, the ‘who are you?’ can wait, I agree with my sister. Your ability at being calm under pressure is unnatural. Even greater than that of those gods we have recently met. Something is definitely different about you. Something indeed, I can't put my finger on it.” Nam chimes in, finally finding the room to speak. The two don't trust this strange person at all. But it does not feel like they are in danger.

More like they are in some kind of gentle web. How strange and peculiar.

“Dont have to look at me so threateningly. I am the Magician, people have called me that. I have been wandering the realms, looking for traces of ancient magic and technology. I am both a magic user and a collector of sorts. Hopefully that suffices for now, hmm?” The two nod, slightly less unease but still on guard.

“Fair but show us something that proves your designation. I have never heard of a magician. Though our gods use magic, they do not know how it works. Maybe you have some insight they do not have? Since you have been researching and collecting artifacts." Flasie firmly continues wanting to gain more insight into this woman, this strange phenomenon. The great magician merely nods. A small flame appears in her hand, with symbols floating around the base of it.

“Magic. What is magic? Shooting fire or water at people, maybe?” Nam asks.

This woman, who barely looks older than twenty, laughs. It was finally time to educate these two on this important matter.

“No, no, far off the mark. Magic is merely focusing your spiritual intent to accomplish something. Anything, really. Fire magic is really just your desire to want to burn something. Magic merely reflects our inner desires to accomplish things with our spirit and can be performed by altering natural elements to reflect our desire. Perhaps a desire to move faster, or change gravity or a desire to obscure the intentions of your spirit. Those latter things are a bit more advanced ‘magic’ so as with all things, it is best to start with simple things.” The two nod, enjoying this explanation. Finally, after all this mystery, this strange tower and whatever the heck that woman was, the one standing to their side, someone was finally giving them a reasonable, logical explanation.

“Well that is a start. Based on this logic, can anyone perform magic? Sounds like it is both a thing you need to practice but also something you need the aptitude to do so as well.”

“Correct my dear new young friend. With practice, any person can manipulate their spiritual energy into magic. Magic is an external representation of the spirit, influencing and molding the environment with your own will. So, you need both the mental creativity to imagine the magic you want to perform. As well as the spiritual energy to continue enforcing your will onto the environment.” The flame in the Magician’s hand grows in size and color, turning from red to a larger blue flame. Maintaining the attention of both sisters, intrigue by this exciting display.

“Suppose that means both of us can do magic too, eh!”

“Of course. Try it. Imagine a flame in your hand. Imagine the flame burning the color red and mildly hot to touch.” Nam imagines and surprisingly, forms a small, small flame in her left hand after doing as instructed. The flame fizzles out after a moment.

“Seems like fire magic is for you, you would have to try other kinds later. Don't worry, it takes time to get good at it.” Chuckling at the slightly disappointed face of Nam but she shrugs, understanding this wasn't an easy thing to master.

“You said external? Is there some kind of what would you say, internal expression of the spirit? Is that what you would call it?” The older sister murmurs out, pondering this new found territory.

Magic truly could be done by anyone, it was so simple. But why was this knowledge not widely known? More questions on top of more questions. It was mind-boggling. Too much for one person to think about. The sage wearing strange clothes winks, answering the question with no difficulty. Was this woman an unknown teacher, they wondered?

“Oh so smart, so smart! I would give you a 8.5 out of 10 for that one! Also, sorry I did not ask the names of you two, young, beautiful ladies.”

“Call me Nam, Ms. Magi. And that is my sister, Divine Flash! Nice to meet you. So much nicer than that person behind us. Can't say I completely believe your story from earlier but doesn't look like you’re here to mess with us or be cruel! I guess you learned all of this magic-y stuff on your journey through the realm?” The magician, happy they are receiving her well, is still lying to them, despite their great insight. The magician was one of the beings that designed magic and spiritual systems in this universe to begin with.

But, to carry on with her great facade, the sage merely concocts a believable story.

“Oh yes! I have learned quite a lot from old elders that live in the star system of Jugoo, a solar system deep in the mid-earth realm. And other places I have visited. Despite my looks, I am in my late forties, hmm hmm.” The Magician walks around, stretching their arms. Snapping their long, dark fingers, a couple of comfy pillows appear.

The elder magic user motions them to sit down and get comfortable.

“Oh! What about the Divine Hammer? And Diana. Ms. Magi, can you send us to them? I am worried about my friends, I feel like they are heading towards danger.”

“Sadly no. The Tower leads us both to everywhere and nowhere. And I fear the place they have been sent to is not one that can be teleported in. That's just my intuition though, I can't say for sure!” The two have a grim look appear on their face and shrug sadly. If this person could not send them, then no one else could. Better to hope for the best then hope for something impossible to happen. These sisters, despite their trauma, were quite grounded. Also, was it not unfair to ask someone you just met for help, too? Divine flash sighs.

“What’s wrong, Ms. Flash, did my answer not help?”

“No. It cannot be helped., We cannot make the impossible reality. Well, easily anyway. Now, you were mentioning something about the spirit before we side tracked you?”

“Ah yes, the internal spirit. Energy manifested from within yourself and expressed through your body, actions, behavior would be ‘ki’. Perhaps you want to create a giant energy ball and throw it at the wall. Well, ez pz! However, ki is more volatile than magic, so be careful when molding your ki.” A ball of green energy appears and hits Nam in the chest. It merely splashes and does nothing to her. Modestly impressed, the intrigued red-haired girl smiles faintly.

“And what was that supposed to be? Water? It had the consistency of water yet no water remains on my body, Ms. Magi.”

“Ah, just a ki blast. Harmless, wasn’t it? It is all based on your intent. Whether you heal someone, whether you hurt them, or if you want to interrogate them, it is all up to you. As with all things, everything comes with a price. So. Be mindful of how you use your spiritual intent. As above, as below, as an elder once told me.” The sage carries on, showing them a couple simple different elementary magic spells. Nam attempts others but has little success; her affinity seems to be fire magic, with a leaning towards offensive style or damaging magic. Divine Flash seems more attuned to the wind and water, fitting her cool and collective demeanor. The blue-eyed girl feels a little tired, exerting her spiritual energy was quite exhausting.

How much did this mage practice to be able to easily cast spells without much effort? How much effort did she put in to become like this? Only further increasing the doubt in the girl’s mind about the sage.

About that finicky origin, learning this from some random elders they met. Was that truly the source? Keeping this thought in the back of her mind, Flasie asks more, further indulging that curiosity brewing inside that mighty spirit.. Intrigued despite being skeptical. Something was captivating about this majestic sage.

“We have been at this for about an hour. While we take a break, I want to ask another question, Ms. Magi. Can you perhaps, use this ‘ki’ and magic together? Like a combination of different systems or a combined technique. The only way I could describe this thought.” The Magician laughs genuinely; these two will become great students of hers. The glint in the sage’s eyes increases along with that wild enthusiasm. In time, their spiritual talents may even surpass that of hers, this ancient being older than the universe itself.

“Oh. Yes! Yes yes yes! A splendid thought Ms. Flash. Yes, magic and ki can be combined. Order and chaos can be fused together since. Well. They are truly no different from each other, in a sense.”

Nam perks up, some of her fatigue drifting away as their new older friend starts talking again. This woman was great at teaching.

It was always something fascinating coming out of their mouth, such a wordsmith.

“The trick is, actually maintaining said technique. It would require an incredible amount of training, of the mind and spirit, to simultaneously exert your will over reality while also expressing your internal spiritual desire. I am not saying you two cannot do it, but not at this moment.” Nam merely shrugs, accepting this answer readily.

“Too difficult. Any more questions?”

“Yes. You implied this was using two techniques at once. Can that mean you could say, use three or four magic spells at once? And the same of ki?”

“A curious question that deserves a curious answer. Ki is more of a singular expression of oneself. So, one could not really perform multiple ‘ki’ techniques at the same time but perhaps better said, more in a row, one after each other.” The Magician holds her right hand outwards, a red ki sphere floating in it. On the right, a magic spell of water is formed instantly.

The water flows in a circle with a magic seal beneath the water, controlling the flow of its movement.

“While magic is the opposite. You could theoretically cast as many magic techniques as you would like, given you can actually keep all the spell circles maintained at the same time. So, in reality, only gods or particularly gifted individuals like yourselves can multi-cast magic or do multiple magic spells at the same time. The amount of spiritual power, as well as the mental load and concentration, multiply with each concurrent magic technique. If you are curious, my current limit is about four magic spells at once. I have been practicing for years, however. I don’t recommend that you try to copy me. Learn how to walk before you run, hmm?” The two sisters simply nod in agreement.

Some time later, they finished their questioning. Well on the matter of magic, anyway. The Magician had successfully distracted them from their real goal of entering this place.

But it wasn’t a waste of time, they had learned some very important knowledge. Knowledge they needed to share to Divine Hammer, surely. Nam stands up and moves her legs slowly, getting the blood to flow after sitting for so long.

A presence has merely been standing behind them, motionless.

“Got something to say, you dreadful knight?” Nam spits out nastily at the machine angel.

“Not much. At least you have grown a little since the last time I saw you, you brat. Now, that you all have been merry and happy. I think it is time to tell you where you two need to go.”

“Where do we need to go? You get to decide what we do. As if you fu-”

“Language my sister. Where to? Somewhere important I’d guess.” The masked knighted nods.

“Off back to Lunace. Unless you don’t want to save your friends, hmm? Oh, that got your attention didn’t it, oh nameless warrior! If you want to save your friends, go find them back on your home planet. That was the only thing you two needed to know.” Unit #003 merely ignores the nasty look she is receiving from the two younger girls.

It wasn’t going to get easier from here, so why would she be nice?

What a waste of time. Being nice to them won’t help them in the long run.

The War goddess refused to do so. It would be a disservice to these star warriors in the long run. A great disservice; they had to learn the true and proper way, as all of their predecessors had to. Through the pain of living and the agony of loss.

“If you two focus with your spirit, this Tower will respond to your strong desires. That’s all that needs to be said from me, for now.”

“Why not come with us, oh great War Goddess?” The inquisitive divine warrior asks, curious though still quite frustrated at the tone and attitude from this powerful warrior. It was haughty and extremely disrespectful. But it was obviously clear that this knight was hiding a lot from them.

And not just hiding information. Hiding herself. In that imposing armor.

Not once had they ever seen their face. Why hide it so much? Only for suspicious reasons.

Why else would she put on airs so much? Why would the War Goddess intentionally taunt them, try to get a rise out of them and try to make the two teenagers focus on their desire so badly? This knight, who is mighty on the outside.

Was burdened with something beyond Flasie’s comprehension.

Whatever was weighing this powerful, intimidating general down must have been immense. Divine Flash takes note of this and her posture but says nothing about it to Nam or the Sage.

Even if she did mention it, probably would not get a suitable answer. That ancient knight by her own words, “was restricted heavily”.

“I cannot go. I have other duties to attend to. I will meet you again in the future, but for now, you must go.” The machine angel says mechanically with a tinge of sadness in her heart, which cannot be seen by the two still unpleased by War Goddess’s earlier behavior.

The Magician shrugs, getting up.

“I don’t think we will get anything else outta of her. Definitely as hard as a wall.” The bemused expression on that face showed that she was having fun at this stubborn knight’s expense, even though these two already secretly knew each other.

“Let us take her advice and find our way back to your home, hmm hmm? It sounds like these friends of yours are very important to you two.” The two nod very enthusiastically.

“Not just friends. Family. Irreplaceable family taken away from us by the Chaos Knight! Thinking about that day still makes my blood boil, sis. I have been trying to deal with it, but the feelings aren’t going away.” Nam controls her fiery anger, slightly clenching the right hand. That fist becomes calmer as Nam feels the warmth of Flasie’s right hand tenderly grabbing hers, easing the pain in her mind, just a little.

“I understand Nam. Just wait, we will get our chance to fight her again. For now, we must focus on finding our family. What is left of them, anyway?” The two focus.

Focus on finding their family.

These two little urchins; they did not spy their corpses among the dead on that fateful day.

Granny.

Nathan.

That dumb, dumbass drunkard, the blacksmith Ryan. All irreplaceable to them. They want to save their family and return them to safety, on a place far off that accursed rock called Lunace.

Responding to their strong will, another path forms near them, a door appearing at the end of the path. A door that will lead them back home. The two hold hands and quickly leap on this path of solid cyber data.

It looks different from the one they had seen the others walk on, perhaps, the path was shaped by their will and nature.

“Come on! No time to waste, Ms. Magi! If you are coming with us. It sounds like you want to!” The two teenagers dash forward, wasting no time for the ancient magician to reply.

“In a minute.” For a brief moment, the Magician smiles, gazing at those beautiful young children.

Then in the next moment, the smile slides right off of that pretty face. Shaping itself into the sage's proper form. The woman has but a moment to speak properly, the path will fade in a minute or two.

“Done playing around, my lord?”

“Don’t call me that. And no, every side of myself is the truth. And perhaps a lie, too. I will personally aid them as much as I am able to. Until I am not able to. Until they are ready to stand on their own. When that day comes, I will enjoy the end of this new journey I began with them. In time, they will understand your role, as well. You who-” A terrified voice cuts her off mid sentence.

“Don’t say it. Please. Not yet. I beg of you. Let them wander in the darkness a bit longer.”

“It is only a matter of time before they properly see through the cracks in your armor, War Goddess. Prepare yourself. Pain isn’t only awaiting them.“ And with that sagely advice, the mischievous smile returns on the dark-skinned woman’s face, that has strange symbols tattooed on it. The magician waves, forgoing a proper goodbye and jumps high into the air, landing right behind the two sisters.

Two sisters who will lead.

Two sisters that will unite everyone together, along with the other three stars.

For now, they dash together, quickly vanishing through the door of energy. Returning to the land ruled by Chaos.