[center][h3][color=a2d39c]Phelenia[/color]
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[color=DC143C]Homura[/color]
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Phelenia could see the faults in her own ways. Of course she could! What kind of a goddess would she be if she wasn’t capable of change? Oh but she had been such a fool for so long. The world was changing. It was so simple anymore.

Her siblings had weapons now. She should’ve known. Of course they had weapons that could harm the divine. She would have to make her own weapon then. One greater and mightier than anything the others could put together! The idea was already forming in her mind as she flew away from the Giant Lands.

First she would have to inspect the other continent though. For too long had she and her influence been absent. With supernatural speed she flew across the skies towards the western continent. The first real forest she found though was already a bad omen. Instead of beautiful shades of green the leaves of the canopy were crimson red. Phelenia quickly made her way down to see what wretched curse had befallen her sentinels.

But as she communed with the trees none seemed to be ill. They talked about a divine influence yet it wasn’t harming them. Despite the color this was a perfectly healthy color. Thus Phelenia saw no point in restoring the leaves to their original hue. Other plants talked in more detail about the divine that seemingly influenced them. Specifically, that she asked about her. They led her to where they claimed she came from. Phelenia followed the trail of her children. Until she stepped out of the forest again to see the most horrifying edifice to artifice she had ever seen.

It stood as tall as a mountain, and shimmered beneath the light of the majestic sun, but it lacked the life of the forest, the song of the sea and earth and sky… it was a macabre monument forged from death and destruction, held upright by the power of the divine. Nearby were three massive metallic creatures that stood along the stoney shore beside the terrible scarlet structure. They loomed over the land, like predators watching their prey, but had yet to strike.

Hidden within the aura of her own lingering presence, another goddess announced herself from behind Phelenia. [b]“Welcome sister, I am Homura.”[/b]

Vines twisted form the ground around Homura. Tree branches reared ready to strike. From the distance the bears and the wolves were already coming in, charging. While nearby snakes were slithering up the bark of the trees. Phelenia turned in a flash with eyes that told anyone who could see her that she was ready for a fight. After the humiliation she suffered before, how could she not? [color=a2d39c]“It’s unwise to move unpredictably against any divine.”[/color] She said, though she realized that she was once again doing what the giantland guardian had accused her of. With a thought she called off the predators coming to her aid but the plants remained at the ready. [color=a2d39c]“Is this your domain, Homura?”[/color]

[b]“I have no intentions of harming you. At ease, there is no reason for us to fight. I assume you are Phelenia then? It is a pleasure to meet you.”[/b] The red goddess replied, bowing respectfully. She was shaped similarly to the Zenii in Orsus, but shorter, and lacked both the musculature and pointed ears, however she still held a golden spear that exuded otherworldly power. The weapon seemed to shift, and was pointed away from Phelenia, but there was an evident tension in the air. The true form of the Goddess of Honor could not conceal her concern regarding the sight of the animals and plants that had arisen to attack her, but the unseen fiery aura was only visible through godly senses, and conveyed that it stood poised for battle should any combat occur.

Phelenia didn’t mimic Homura’s bow. [color=a2d39c]“Homura.”[/color] She simply repeated as she released the tension in her hand. The plants  around returned to their regular shape again. Though Phelenia was far from letting her guard down. Her eyes were on Homura’s spear. Of course, she too wielded a weapon that could no doubt harm a god. [color=a2d39c]“You haven’t answered my question. Is this your domain?”[/color] The green goddess asked again as she motioned behind her, at the citadel and the three, titanic, mechanical creatures.

[b]“I forged Keltra, and have commandeered those three colossi, but I do not claim dominion over these lands. I am a servant of the King in Heaven, and it is He whom rules both the Heavens and the Earth.”[/b] Homura answered with a voice that resonated with power after invoking one of the titles of the Monarch of All. Then she arose, and offered a sharpened smile, as though she thought the small tug of her lips a greater weapon than what she held in her hand. Her demeanor had slightly changed, less hostile now, and she took a single step closer to Phelenia.

[color=a2d39c]“The land disagrees.”[/color] Phelenia noted as she looked at the red leaves. But she quickly threw her sister a smile as her guard dropped further. Though it didn’t drop entirely. After what happened in the Giant Lands she doubted she ever could release the tension she held entirely. Phelenia looked her sister over for a moment, taking her time to examine the figure. [color=a2d39c]“You look… awfully similar to some creatures from the east. Is that a coincidence?” [/color]

[b]“Hmm… perhaps. Our sister, Zenia, traveled eastward with the gifts I had given her. If you are referring to humanity, their shapes were based upon my own. I cannot say for certain, as I have not traveled to any lands east of here.”[/b] Homura explained, before slowly twirling to further allow Phelenia to see the rest of her body.

[color=a2d39c]“The mother of humanity. How intriguing.”[/color] Phelenia said with a small, perhaps somewhat snide smile. The goddess of plants and animals hasn’t forgotten how flawed the zenii were, by design seemingly. The poor girl that ended up eating her fruit was so ill suited for survival in the forest. Now the goddess wondered who had made the mistake: Homura or Zenia. And then Phelenia also realized what her name sounded so familiar and in an instance some tension crept back up into her. [color=a2d39c]“Homura… you are our Father’s Judge. Tell me, what are your plans with this humanity?”[/color]

[b]“I intend to give humans to any among the Divine that would accept them. The ones that remain in my possession are still slumbering. They await the will of the Divine, that which would awaken them and give them purpose. Their shapes are malleable and easily defined by our touch, but they are fragile, and require a source of sustenance to preserve their lives. Would you like to receive some, I offer you up to ninety thousands, if that is what you want.”[/b] Her tone was cordial, but the Goddess of Honor wore an enigmatic mask, conveying no actual emotion, aside from the shadow of a smile she kept.

Phelenia watched Homura closely as she talked. A hundred thousand thoughts went through her head. There was an opportunity to show her siblings how sapience should be handled from the start. However she wasn’t blind to the emotionless state of her sister. [color=a2d39c]“What do you want in return for this generous gift?”[/color] Phelenia asked.

[b]“It is a gift. You do not need to return anything in exchange. However, I do have questions, and would appreciate it if you answered them. I recognize your scent; it is one I discovered in a region I am investigating on behalf of our brother, Chailiss. Do you know anything regarding a being known as the Green Murder?”[/b] Homura answered with a question as well, now incredibly still akin to a statue, even more so as though she were untouched by the hand of time, and was simply watching Phelenia.

[color=a2d39c]“I would take you up on the offer then. In exchange for the answers you seek.”[/color] Phelenia crossed her arms. Was Homura another of the sinner beast guardians? If she was then she was a fool to search for her in her own domain. Contrary to the goddess before her, Phelenia had no issue with exercising her might over her dominion and if she came to be threatened she would use that might. [color=a2d39c]“Green Murder is the name the sinner beasts gave me after the singular act they can associate with me. I killed a few of them to make sure my message would be heard. It would appear it wasn’t.”[/color] She left out the facts that Chailiss had banished her that now she might never set foot in the northern continent ever again.

[b]“Then you know you have chosen poor methods that will only result in further death and despair. Killing them was not the answer, and now life preys upon life, it perverts itself and curses our names. You share the blame with our brother, Jiugui, for heedless action. Our choices have consequences, and affect the entirety of the cosmos. We cannot afford to make mistake after mistake. We must cooperate to protect our creations. Guide them along the Sacred Path. We must lead by example, sister.”[/b] The mask she wore cracked, and sorrow seeped into her voice. Homura spoke with conviction; with a clear desire to end the conflict and preserve life. The red goddess stepped closer, and then offered her empty hand to Phelenia.

[b]“Let us clasp hands, and work together towards peace. Our war is not with each other, but those that would harm our children.”[/b]

The goddess of life and death did not take Homura’s hand. She just looked at her sister with a cocked eyebrow. She wanted to poke holes through all the grand statements Homura had made. The one that stuck out particularly was the idea that apparently life preying upon life seemingly perverts it. It seemed misguided. Life and death were all just part of the great cycle of the world. One could not exist without the other. Which meant that conflict was something to be accepted and not ended.

[color=a2d39c]“I have no immediate quarrel with you, sister.”[/color] Phelenia said. Of course she desired to sunder the place called Keltra. It was a pox-mark upon the region. As for the colossi… she didn’t know for sure. Still, she had bigger problems in the north. 

[color=a2d39c]“But I know nothing of your sacred path.”[/color] She continued. [color=a2d39c]“Tell me, do you truly believe death is a perversion of life? That we must guide and shelter our creations against the world?”[/color]

Homura let her hand fall back to her side before she spoke. [b]“Hmm… would you rather I burn this forest until only ash remains, and slaughter every animal I found? I assumed that would have angered you. Then you would have lashed out at me, and I would have retaliated. The season of violence unending between us, with pain festering in the world like a great wound that can never be healed. Do you feel joy upon hearing this? Will you laugh and smile as mothers lose their children? I could call upon the animals you summoned, and slit the throats of the youths while their parents watch the life bleed out of that which they love most. It seems I was not clear, Death is the enemy and I will end its tyranny on Galbar, whether I fight alone or alongside others.”[/b]

The red goddess could feel the flames stirring within her, hot with rage until she forced herself to ventilate it into energy to sustain the land around her. She let out a breath, though she did not need to breath, before she gestured to the life surrounding the two goddesses. [b]“You cannot have beauty, and eat it at the same time. If we do not guide our creations, then who will? Iqelis? Jiugui? We must amend our mistakes, before it is too late. I want to believe you will help me prevent the desecration of that which is sacred.”[/b] She said, and awaited Phelenia’s answer.

[color=a2d39c]“Such… zeal.”[/color] For a moment Phelenia wanted to rage against it. Yell at her sister that she was wrong. Of course she was wrong! But she did not leave the Giant Lands without a modicum of introspection. Homura’s zeal mirrored her own. If she burned surely there would be war between them and Galbar would suffer because of it.

Suddenly flames erupted across Phelenia’s hand. It blackened her fingers, giving it the look of coal  in an instant. The flames weren’t divine in power. They couldn’t cause harm to Homura and Phelania wanted to make sure of that. [color=a2d39c]“I could unleash this now.”[/color] She said as she looked enthralled at the flames. [color=a2d39c]“And your example would become a reality. As the fires would spread they would take tree after tree after tree. They would all be turned into ash and charcoal. So many animals would die. If not by the flames or the smoke itself then by the starvation that would follow. And I would stand here and do nothing.”[/color] The flames vanished from her hand and it regained its young bark-like look. [color=a2d39c]“Because it would’ve been their time. After the devastation passed the first fire-blooming seeds would sprout. From them new trees would grow and in a few decades a whole new forest would be born. Until, of course, it too was burned or crushed or flooded.”[/color] Phelenia spoke slowly and deliberately.

[color=a2d39c]“Such is the cycle of life and death. The cycle of nature. Would you prefer it if the world was static and unchanging?”[/color]

[b]“You are the second to ask that question, and I find it bemusing. To allow this insanity to persist is the very act of accepting stagnation and suggests a fear of change. I am proposing to change the world, yet your question indicates that you think nothing would ever change again if we focused upon preventing our annihilation instead of satisfying ourselves. What evidence do you have to support this theory? Our current situation? Your cycle of life and death is an excuse you tell yourself to avoid the task given to us by our Lord. It is unnatural, unless you are blind to your own being. Do you think we should begin killing each other? That our Lord would enjoy watching us consume each other? We have an obligation to remedy —”[/b]


[color=a2d39c]“Stop.”[/color] Phelenia said. She didn’t shout but she had put all her strength in her voice. “Where is this coming from?” She asked sternly. [color=a2d39c]“From all the gods I have ever met you are the only one who rages so against death. Even my enemy in the north acknowledged to some degree that death had a place in this world. Yet you stand here before the goddess of nature claiming you know what is unnatural. Why?”[/color]

Homura tilted her head, surprised at being interrupted. She blinked once, before she replied nonchalantly. [b]“Oh. Chailiss is a coward, I would have thought that obvious when you have said it yourself; he has acknowledged death and its victory over his own land. Truthfully, I find the creatures there disgusting, but I do not hate them. I only pity them because their makers so readily abandoned them. I also claim I know what is unnatural because I am a goddess of nature as well, as I had hoped would be obvious.”[/b]

[color=a2d39c]“You haven’t answered my question.”[/color] Phelenia said skeptically.

[b]“Perhaps you should reiterate it then, as I have provided an answer already. I explained my reasoning, and offered a solution. I will only repeat myself once more; if we allow ourselves to continue on our current path, we will only annihilate ourselves, and that goes against the command of our Lord. I propose we cooperate for now, fortify ourselves and fight against those that would bring destruction and despair to Galbar. We have created life. Now we must prove ourselves worthy of defending it. We cannot stray from the Sacred Path.”[/b] Homura answered, allowing conviction to seep into her voice, while her face remained impassive.

All Phelenia could see was another god that was hell bent on protecting life when instead they should learn to let it go when the time comes. Only a few days ago she would’ve fulfilled Homura’s threat herself. If only to teach the goddess before her a lesson. However right now Phelenia did not have the luxury to wage another war.

The goddess of nature stepped up to one of the trees and gave it a soft tap. A few leaves in the canopy withered. Their dried forms gently drifted down upon the wind. Good, Homura had at least the sense to not turn everything immortal around her just yet. Still, the goddess would have to be watched lest she upset the natural balance.

Then Phelenia turned back towards her sister. [color=a2d39c]“I disagree.”[/color] She said plainly as she crossed her arms. She hadn’t forgotten about the spear Homura carried. Divine power was swirling just below Phelenia’s fingertips. She was ready to use it at any moment should the red goddess lash out. 

[b]“So be it. You are not the first to disagree, and you will not be the last. I digress, will you be accepting my gifts, or not?”[/b] Homura asked, her tone unchanged.

[color=a2d39c]“No.”[/color] Phelenia said as she started to walk around Homura, back into the forest. [color=a2d39c]“I will not put myself in the position where I owe you a favor. You are wrong sister. On all counts.”[/color] As the goddess passed Homura the very branches of the trees and shrubs began to subtly shift to cloak Phelenia in darkness.

[b]“Hmm… we shall see. Farewell, sister.”[/b]

[hider=summary]Phelenia, beaten, flies towards Termina to inspect how things are going there. She encounters Kel-Phelena and wanders through the forest until she encounters the 3 colossi and Keltra. Which she obviously finds disgusting. Homura catches her from behind and introduces herself. Phelenia notices she looks a lot like the zenii in Orsus and Homura explains that this is because humanity is created in her image. She tells Phelenia she basically gives away the humans to whoever wants them. Though Phelenia asks about her endgame.

Homura insists it's just a gift but would like some answers too if Phelenia would give them. She asks about the Green Murder and Phelenia freely admits that that is her own title. Homura chastises Phelenia for the way she tried to work with the mortals there. She explains how she believes life perverts itself because it kills and can die basically. She wants to ally herself with Phelenia to stop that.

Obviously Phelenia’s not about that business. She doesn’t want to fight either considering she just got her ass handed to her. She asks if Homura truly believes the things she preaches. Homura asks if the mother of plants and animals would be angry if Homura burned down the entire forest (anticipating that the goddess would be against it and thus proving her point that death is bad). Phelenia, instead, seems fine with the idea that the forest burns down and then asks if Homura wants the world to just be static.

Homura goes on a rant about how she is instead proposing a change in the world and that death is basically unnatural. Until Phelenia stops her and asks why she feels this way, considering not even her enemy feels like that. Homura says Chailiss is just a coward and says she pities the creatures (bjork) living there. Which isn’t an answer to Phelenia. Homura just repeats everything she said already: that they are seemingly on a path to annihilating themselves. Phelenia disagrees. The offer of humans is given again but Phelenai declines to take them and leaves.[/hider]

[hider=Vigor]Phelenia start vigor: 5
No vigor used
Phelenia end vigor: 5

Cycle 3 Homura's Vigor total: 7.
Vigor spent: 0.
Remaining Vigor: 7.
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