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[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"At what cost?" Mitsurugi looked at Aurora directly, golden eyes almost piercing through the other goddess. "The spirits of my world are defined by what powers them. A youkai consumes paranoia, fear, whispers in the night and tales told to frighten children into good behavior. The kami sustain themselves on reverence and respect, acknowledgement of the role they play in mortal lives. What would become of an existence such as mine?"

She looked ahead, shoulder drooping slightly. "I do not mean to be so hostile at your charity. I merely fear what it means for me. I would rather let the ignominy of my failed existence fade away entirely than allow myself to be consumed and remade in the image of some greater force, positive though that force may be." Her eyes cast downward once more. "There is only so much I can preserve of myself through will alone. Only so much I can maintain without proving my purpose."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

Her expression did not change despite the initial refusal. Instead she merely nodded her head.
  "Your reservations... are well founded," She admitted. "Yes, my world has... similar laws. And you would inevitably be changed through this gift, in accordance. Hence why most deities do not use the method I do. The faith of their followers lets them maintain their portfolios to their liking, diversify their powers and influence more freely. Drawing power primarily from a plane heavily biases you to the powers of that realm. However, it can only bias you. It cannot wholly define you, not unless you let it. As I mentioned before, the source of power is only one part of maintaining one's divinity. The other is your own sense of self. When I took this path, I chose to give up my old self, give up my old internal consistency. Because I had grown to despise the abyssal queen I once was. You... do not have to do the same. Even if your powers become strongly slanted towards the domain of Life, so long as you remember who you truly are, it cannot fully subsume you. And should you begin to gain followers and faith again, and you keep exerting that sense of self, you may well be able to completely shun this method of sustenance and fully regain your old self. I know it is no silver bullet, and that it is not exactly an appealing option... but it is a lifeline. A means to come back someday."

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"I do not know for sure if the laws of your world would apply to me. Even so, I cannot refuse to consider your offer." Mitsurugi gave another sigh and small shake of her head. "I also cannot make this decision now." It felt wrong, somehow. Though it was in a more positive guise - and perhaps even genuinely benign - it felt all too much like giving into the temptation of the darkness she'd fought so hard to stave off. An easy power, one that she merely had to reach out and accept. Aurora reassured her that all she must do is retain her sense of self, but she could feel that sense already beginning to wear away. Already, she was unsure if her identity as Saigai-no-Mitsurugi, guardian spirit, was simply a pleasant-sounding lie to herself. "I need time to think, if I am to properly consider such a thing."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"Understandable, I suppose. It's not an easy choice to make, even I initially struggled with it at first. We can discuss it again later." she knew full well when it was time to let a matter lie. There was something else to be addressed, besides. "About what you said earlier though, of not having much time left as yourself... what did you mean by that exactly? Do gods occasionally reincarnate in your world as well?"

If true, she may well understand the struggle even more. Though again, hers had been entirely her own decision. One made out of desperation to circumvent divine restrictions, but a decision nonetheless. She couldn't imagine involuntarily reincarnating was any more pleasant a process either, though she'd never experienced it firsthand.

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

Mitsurugi shook her head. "Not precisely. But they can change. New aspects may arise, or even split off from the original, but usually the god in question simply. . . becomes another. A god of rain becomes patron of the harvest becomes guardian of earth. Or a warden of natural calamity simply becomes the bringer of them all, reduced to naught but a singleminded destroyer." She didn't need to explain any further. Aurora was intelligent, a far cry from the animalistic creature she'd once appeared to be; Mitsurugi had already virtually spelled it out for her.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"I...see." Aurora said. She still wasn't entirely sure, but Mitsu's past statements were beginning to make a bit more sense in retrospect. She wouldn't act as though it was all in the mind, for there clearly was something going on here; that secondary signature didn't come from nothing. But with Divine ilk, mind very much could trump matter in many cases. If she could just get a bit more information, then maybe...
   "I can understand why you'd be so apprehensive about my offer then. Perhaps it's truly not a good idea after all, all things considered. But If I may ask, Mitsurugi, why are you so sure this is what's happening? What happened in that previous world that's shaken you so much?"

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"This is a problem that has plagued me from the beginning. Mortals fear what they cannot control, and a natural disaster is the epitome of such things." Her mouth twisted, adding a distasteful note to her somber expression. "I am loath to admit it, but I have always been very youkai-like. I represent a source of terror, despite being one who ensures that terror only falls where and when it must. It is all too easy to assume my power is the source of these calamities, and not merely a regulator." Her expression returned to her normal frown.

"Forgive my wanderings. In the last world. . . there were many troubling things." Another pause, and a shameful look down. "Youkai regarded me as a lord, not a guardian of man. The black claws of Yamata-no-Orochi felt as if they were closing about me. . . and the foul creature offered me an alliance." She stopped again, gathering her resolve. This last was the most difficult to admit. "And I have become. . . violent. My attempt to bless a shrine called lightning from blue skies to destroy it. I savaged my foes with abandon. I threatened a mortal who crossed me, ordered him to bow or be destroyed, moments after he had been concerned for my well-being." Her eyes closed. "The answer to the question of why this is happening is all too clear."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

That... is quite worrying. In that case dividing my spark to you really wouldn't help in the long run. It'd only be a stop-gap delaying a deeper issue.

She stood silent for a good few moments, stroking her chin in obvious contemplation. Even with all her years, she found herself out of her element here. It seemed that the cycles of change for deities in Mitsurugi's world were far less voluntary and more fatalistic than her own. This clearly wasn't as simple as telling her to remember who and what she was, not when both were being warped so subtly that she only noticed after the fact. It sounded far more akin to a new lycanthrope's first transformation under the full moon than it did the temptation of a cleric or paladin to violate their ideals.
    "This is... not quite like anything I've encountered before. I'm not sure I have the means to help." she finally admitted what had become ever more painfully obvious by the minute. But rather than herald lament or resignation, it instead served as preamble for her hand again gently resting on Mitsu's shoulder, having to reach up considerably far due to the difference in height. Her eyes quite literally shined with resolution as she gazed in Mitsu's. "But you are not alone, Mitsurugi. Even a god sometimes requires the aid of others, there is no shame in that. Even besides, it benefits everyone to make sure all among our ranks are fighting at their best. It seems this problem is two pronged, one of faith, and one of metamorphosis. I'm sure we can arrange something with some of the fles-our mortal companions for the former, if we ask them. And between you, myself, alexandria and any other divinities lurking around, I'm sure we can find a way to help you with the latter. The multiverse is unfathomably vast afterall, surely somewhere out in those infinite stars there is a way to stop you transforming if you don't want to."

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"Hopefully." The goddess did not seem to express the emotion the word implied. "My time seems to be short, but in the endless permutations of the universe, something may present itself, I suppose." Her eyes remained closed, simply accepting the hand on her shoulder. "The mortals here do not seem keen on acknowledging divinity, save for the few I have just spoken to. They either devote their faith to another, or reject that any higher being might be allowed to guide their path." She shook her head, opening her eyes only to show the storm warden's continued sorrow. "I appreciate your willingness to help, but do not waste too much of your worry on this fading echo."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

I see the process of change is not the only thing more fatalistic about the gods of your realm. A pity that you find yourself this low after surviving so much... but there is yet time.

"You might well be surprised," she shrugged, "for mortals are strange kin, capable of many things gods would never have cause to consider. Even if those travelling with us aren't willing to devote some faith for whatever reason, they may point the way to others who are, or still desire to help somehow. These two you spoke to earlier, for example, what were their names and likeness?"

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"Lyra Concept and one calling himself Kraken. One fearing divinity and one almost unaware of it, though both seem willing to learn to show proper reverence. Both wore raiments of an era past mine, Lyra further ahead than Kraken. Neither seems to have had an easy life, bearing the marks it has left upon their skin in many places." She looked at the other goddess curiously. "Why?"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Aurora, Mitsurugi
"I merely wish to speak to them, see what they're like," she again shrugged, though the confidence in her expression suggested she had much, much planned than she let on "and hopefully coordinate with them. If they are already willing to learn the ways of worship, then they could prove invaluable in helping to reestablish a following for you. The first sparks to start an inferno, if you will. Faith can be quite a contagious thing, after all. Especially when properly nurtured and reinforced."

[Chevaleresse]

Aurora, Mitsurugi

"I see." She wondered at what Aurora was planning. "It is self-serving, but I wish you success in your efforts." Mitsurugi gave a short, polite bow of farewell. "I have my own preparations to make for those two, so I will leave you to your work." She turned to leave, seeking out a space that was both open and quiet.

[Chevaleresse]

In the entrance hall of the area, another dark-haired swordswoman wandered in. She cast her gaze about, searching the dusty chamber for something, but evidently came back with no results. With a small shrug, she stepped into the center of the room, and took a deep breath. In a flash, her blade was in the air ahead as if cutting down an unseen foe. There, she paused, moving from the post-strike stance to a more defensive one. Her eyes closed in the process, and remained so as she moved onto the next form.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Tsubasa, Osada

It had taken quite some time, that was for sure, but Osada had finally found something big to be a part of after years of wandering. The whole Trespasser situation sounded like something he could get behind, seeing as it kept with his fixation on seeing both new lands and new styles. His introduction to the Castle was the icing on the cake, the swordsman being visibly awed by the size and nature of the building. And naturally, when entering such a place for the first time, the only natural thing Osada could do was explore the place to get a lay of the land.

... Although, he didn't expect to find something to divert his attention early into his exploration, but as he stepped into what appeared to be a Throne Room, his eyes were immediately drawn to a figure going through various drills, the technique and discipline shown being the main thing to draw him in. For a few moments, he simply watched, remaining silent as the girl ahead of him continued their drills, but eventually he spoke up, hoping to get a conversation started with a fellow swordsman (or woman, in this case) like him, "I'm not familiar with that sort of style you're practicing, but I can tell from your stances that you know what you're doing. How long have you been practicing?"