6. Reborn From The Shell: Luna Emerges!

"Calm down there my dear, is that any way to treat someone who gave you their blessing~? Forgive my rudeness. You may address me as Loki, Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts~."

The strange woman, apparently named Loki, did a small bow after she introduced herself. Is she expecting me to thank her for that blessing of whatever? Well, I've got bad news for you lady, I never asked for your blessing in the first place.

"And what are you expecting from me, some kind of thanks? As far as I can tell you're going to be nothing but a nuisance." I said plainly. Loki's face went from one of joy to shock.

"Huh? How could you say that little foxy~? I'm only looking out for your well-being, plus my little blessing there will help you get stronger faster~." Loki said as her face returned to her mischievous smile."Hell, I even managed to get that hard-headed husband of mine to give you his. He was so against it even though you were pretty compatible~."

Again did she expect me to thank her? Well I'll admit being able to grow faster is pretty nice, though as Kasen said, nothing in this world is given for free."I am grateful for you giving me the opportunity to get stronger a bit quicker, but what do you and your husband get out of this? I'm sure you just don't pass out blessings like hugs."

Loki fell silent for a bit before giving me an answer. Her face took on a serious expression even."I'm tired of this cycle on this planet. Gods are going against each other just to see what pantheon reigns supreme, the fact that I and my children have to live like outcasts is eating me from the depths of my soul. You know my family forced me to marry my husband to just broker some that didn't even last thirty years. I had to leave my true lover Angrboda alone, all the while under the gaze of that bastard The All-Father. I'm tired of all this nonsense, and I want it all to end. You are the only being that is capable of such a thing."

Well, I'll admit I wasn't expecting that answer. Her whole demeanor even changed. Did this Goddess expect me to help her with this, something she can't even do herself? Though I'll admit the look on her face when she said these things… resonated with something within me. She was forced by her family into something she never would've wanted, why does that feel familiar to me? My family never forced me into anything, and if they did it was for my own benefit. Loki was forced to marry and move away from her home, leaving her real family and being seen as an outcast. Dammnit why am I feeling sorry for her, I don't know her, and our circumstances are different! Why do I feel some sort of connection with her? She lost her home and her true lover, and she and her children had to become outcasts. I lost my entire family! She can still talk with her children, and her family, I have none I can speak to. My parents, my Master, I didn't even get to meet my little sibling that my parents thought they were hiding from me. We're completely different, so why am I feeling pity instead of envy for this Goddess? Unbeknownst to me, it seemed that my aura was leaking uncontrollably causing whatever place this was to shake violently. My astral projection also started to leak what Kasen and his people called tears from its eyes, and my mouth was in a deep frown. Loki looked at me in confusion and fear, but she eventually wrapped me in a hug, which broke me from my state of despair. Finally gaining back some clarity, I found myself in Loki's arms. My mind told me to push her away, but my body did no such thing. I wanted to tell her to let me go, or ask her why she was suddenly hugging me, but my mouth moved to do no such thing. I felt like a babe in her arms.

I was sad, more than I thought was possible. I had pushed these feelings down, focusing on my goal of getting stronger, putting myself in the business of the Tatenushins, helping out Kasen and his people, attending their celebration, trying to sleep, taking in the view of various landscapes, putting off questions that I could answer in a single second; they were all my excuses to not deal with the sadness I felt deep within my being, to stop me from realizing that those I love and used to spend time with are no longer here. To keep me from remembering that I can no longer return home and see them, these things kept me from remembering that my little sibling never even got the chance to live their life. I am…broken…my facade of absolute power, nothing but a way of keeping the sadness at bay. Not only that, but my anger at myself for being useless is why I help these people. To not feel useless, am I really that pathetic? Maybe, I'm only a little over ten thousand years old, a child among my race, one who thought she was mature and ready to be with the adults. Naive really…I couldn't even protect myself against the Outerfaction.

My spars against my family and Master were nothing but play fights that I won on occasion. I used the power I gained here to beat a bunch of weaklings into the ground and call myself strong…what utter foolishness. I see myself mature in my mind, but I'm really nothing more than an overconfident brat. It seems Loki picked up on my self-loathing as she tightened the hug. I honestly don't know how long we sat there in silence, it felt like hours. The whole time I was still within Loki's embrace. My aura has settled down, but the once luxurious palace was in ruins.

"Feeling a bit better?" Loki asked me. I'll be honest, I wasn't. But sitting here crying in Loki's arms had helped me a bit.

"No, not really. But I'll admit that the hugging helped." I replied as I left her embrace.

"Happy to be of service, it seems my story opened some wounds you would have liked to keep closed, forgive me for that." She said as she did a deep bow.

"No, it made me realize that I've been running from those feelings and that I may have been using a lot of what I do to keep them buried. I…I did not properly take the time to grieve what I lost and by remembering it all finally I can begin to properly honor their memories." I said sincerely.

"It seems you've suffered more than I have. I'm sorry to have tried to put my worries on you." Loki said with another bow. I shook my head.

"I understand where you're coming from, you want freedom from the fate thrust upon you. I do as well, while our circumstances may be different, I feel some sort of connection between us. I shall help you Loki, Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts. On my honor as Lu'naris, first born to Ish'Mayl and Natluli, I will release you from this fate, and that you and your family shall live peacefully with none being able to take it away from you." Guess she's grown in my books. I put my honor on the line, this is now a sacred bond between us. Should I fail, let not even Ashy'Kyhm take my essence back. As I finished these words a golden chain formed between me and the Goddess. She was surprised by such an action, to say the least.

"Have you formed some sort of contract between us?" She asked as the chain disappeared from sight.

"I have. Since you helped me realize how foolish I've been acting, I shall repay you by freeing you from this fate." When I finished those words, Loki fell deep into thought. After a few minutes, her eyes began to water, and she lunged at me, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug. We stayed that way for a few seconds before she broke away.

"Thank you, when I called you here I wasn't expecting things to go like this. I expected some resistance like you showed initially, and I would've had to try and convince you. To think you actually formed some kind of contract, I'm assuming the repercussions for failing are quite gruesome?" She asked. I nodded my head in response. "I see, thank you for doing such a thing."

"It is my pleasure, like I said you made me realize what I've been doing is wrong. If I had continued on such a path, I would've no doubt reached a place of no return. A place my family would have never wanted me to go." I replied. If I had kept going the way I had been, I would've eventually fallen to my marks temptation. This is especially true since I've found a way to get stronger. My mark would have turned those feelings into an obsession, and I would be a slave to it. So to repay Loki, I will take care of those who forced this fate on her.

"Very well then. Since we still have a few hours, why don't we get to know each other more?" Loki suggested. I could find no fault in that way of thinking so I joined her. The place where we were was apparently just a place created by the system, and the damage I caused with my breakdown was already fixed. Loki was in control of the space, and she made it resemble a small house. We sat ourselves at a small wooden table with two chairs.

For a few hours, we discussed a multitude of things. Loki went first and told me about how the system of the world was made by a God named Hermacules, whose real name was Okosmos, which in my opinion is way better. The system was made due to the request of each pantheon's leader. Apparently, it's to see which pantheon is the best. They use humans who they call their champions to do this. The gods are allowed through the power of the system to grant their champions their blessings. Through those blessings, the champions would be able to grow stronger, and faster than those without one.

As for the world itself, there are a total of twenty-five continents. Fifteen of those were large, while the rest were small. I remember Asteria telling me that a small continent could hold over a hundred billion people, this world really was crazy huh? I asked her what parts of the planet each pantheon had under its thumbs. According to her, the place I had landed, which consisted of eight continents was under the control of the Grecean pantheon. The one I was currently on was called Apelchilles and it is in the center of the eight Grecean-controlled continents. Almost the entire northern hemisphere of the planet was controlled by the Norsean pantheon, which Loki is from. They are currently at war with the Hympatioan pantheon for control of the rest of that area. The Egaliptian pantheon usually keeps to itself in a small southern part of the world, while the rest of it is controlled by the Milation pantheon. To the east of the Grecean pantheons, controlled territory is the territory of the Nihoyashin pantheon, a small but powerful group. And finally to the west rested the territory of the Aztecian pantheon. Altogether there are seven pantheons in control of this world. My quarrel is with the Grecean and Norsean pantheons, the rest can fight over their territories when I'm done with them.

After that, she shared a bit more about herself and her children. She apparently gave birth to two sons and one daughter. One of her sons, named Fenrir, is a wolf. Not just your average-sized wolf either. I'm told that at his full height he stood a whopping thirty meters! That's not all cause her other son who is a snake, mind you, is big enough to wrap around the entire planet! How many majestic and strange creatures could be made from this woman's womb!? His name is Jormungandr, a sweet name in my opinion. Lastly, there is her daughter named Hel. She has her mother's appearance, but when she gets angry or is under stress she reveals her true form, which is that of a woman with half her skeleton showing. She also told me about how she had to birth to a horse for the All-Father, though she doesn't see that one as one of her children, I wasn't going to ask her why so I just nodded my head. She then told me a lot about her lover Angrboda and how they first met, it was a touching story really. They met each other through dreams and after a couple of thousand years of talking with each other, Angrboda invited Loki to his home and they passed their first night together. Which in turn led to her pregnancy with Fenrir. After he was born Loki and Angrboda did their best to keep him hidden from the eyes of the All-Father.

It all went well until the day of Hel's fifteenth birthday. The All-Father, better known as Odin, crashed the party for a better lack of words. He along with Loki's brother Thor and his Einherjar came and took Loki's children prisoner. His words to her were "Your trickery knows no bounds, my daughter! If you ever want to see these…abominations again then you will have to perform three tasks for me!" Just listening to such words made my body fill with rage, which I was able to calm with the Goddesses' assistance. She continued her story after that and told me the three tasks that were given to her were one give birth to Odin's steed, two travel to the realm of Helheim, which is the land of the dead, and retrieve the seed of an apple that somehow grew there. She paused as she got to the final task.

"The final task given to me was to marry Ares and travel to the realm that he and the Grecean pantheon had given to us." She sat in silence for a bit after she said that. A few minutes later she spoke again. "He gave me three days to decide, and when I told Angrboda about it he was so furious that he wanted to drive a spear through the All-Father. I was eventually able to calm him down. After that, we talked for a bit and came to the decision that I would go through with the marriage. We spent one last passionate night together and then I began to walk the road that has led us to where we sit today." She finished with a sigh.

"He returned your children right?" I asked. She nodded her head in affirmation, with a small smile on her face.

"He did, under the condition that I had to keep a chain around my boy Fenrir's neck, and that Hel would have to spend time ruling in the realm of Helheim. He also told me that Jormungadr had to stay the size of a small snake, which is uncomfortable for him. But we've all eventually learned to live with these conditions." She said with a sad sigh. I felt terrible for this family. Unable to see their father and husband, and forced into these strange and unfair conditions. To be treated like this by your family it…it did a huge blow to something within me. I was certain that I now had a vendetta against Odin, for what he has done to his daughter and her family. We sat in silence after that. I finally broke it by telling her a bit about myself. I told her about my parents and my Master, I told her about my numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I told her about The Old One Ashy'Khym. She listened with great interest throughout it all. I even told her about how my uncle Effriam acted and the problems he caused. After a bit of contemplation, I told her about the younger sibling I never got to meet, and how I came to be on this planet. My eyes released those things called tears again throughout the whole explanation, who knew an astral projection could cry this much? Loki moved her chair closer and embraced me again with her arms. I once again did nothing to stop her. I eventually asked her why she hugged me.

"It's the least I can do for the one who has vowed to save me and my children from the fate thrust upon us. Besides, it's a bit hard for me as a mother of three to see such a beautiful child crying her eyes out like this." She said with a smile. I chuckled at her words.

"I'm over ten thousand years old you know?" I said with a chuckle.

"Still a youngling to me" She replied. I felt at ease around this Goddess, we had known each other for only a few hours but here we are sharing stories like a couple of good old friends. I even think her motherly vibe had been having some effect on me. And to be honest I didn't mind that one bit. Loki broke the hug and stared off into space for a second.

"It seems our time is almost up, we'll be unable to talk with each other for a while. I wish you the best of luck in your quest." She said as she stood from her chair. I followed her actions and did a small bow.

"Thank you mot- ah I mean Loki. I'll put my best effort forward" Oops, don't know why I almost called her mother there. Maybe that vibe of hers had more of an effect on me than I thought. It seemed that she had caught my little slip-up based on the smile I could see on her face.

"Good luck then my child. As a parting gift, I shall give you a name, one that will be feared throughout the land. Are you ready my child, for as soon as I do this you will be recognized as the daughter of the Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts?" She asked with an uncharacteristically serious tone.

I thought for a bit. A name would be good to have here in this world, I didn't want to have to designate everyone I talked to as an ally each time I wanted to tell them my name. But being identified as Loki's daughter, did I want that? Would I be giving up the name that my parents and myself recognized, the one that gave me my identity as their child? Loki waited patiently, I assume she could see the thoughts swimming through my head. I was joking when I said her motherly vibe had rubbed off on me, but it seemed deep down I wouldn't mind calling her mother. I knew deep down that I was really only looking to fill the void left behind by my parents' death, how would they feel about this? Would they feel like I was betraying them by doing this, would I be spitting in their faces if I said yes? As if one cue some words my father once said to me came to mind.

"Lu'nairs my child while our race may be ageless, we are not immortal. We can all die. I know that may seem like a concept that is foreign to you, but it can always be a possibility. In the event that I and your mother pass away, turn to your uncles and aunts for guidance, if they are gone as well then turn to your older cousins if they are gone turn to those you call friend. If they are gone, turn to those you trust."

I'm sure what I'm about to do is a bit different from what those words meant, but they did lift the weight from my body. I said a small thank you to my parents before looking Loki in her eyes.

"I am ready!" I said with conviction in my voice.

"As you wish my child. From this day forward you shall be known as Luna Lokisdottir!" As she finished those words, I saw my body glow and a feeling of calmness washed over my being. It was as if I was a babe being rocked to sleep by its mother's arms. The feeling soon faded and I was once again looking Loki in her eyes.

"That was…unexpected," I said. Loki brought me into her embrace once again, seriously how many times was this woman going to hug me?

"Welcome to the world Luna." She said with a smile, which I returned.

"Thank you, Loki," I replied. A frown appeared on her face.

"What happened to calling me, mommy?~" She said with a fake voice of sadness.

I chuckled at her antics. "Sorry, mother just wanted to tease you a bit."

"Teasing the Goddess of Mischief, how bold of you my daughter!~" She said as we both chuckled. She soon released me from the hug and we stood apart from one another. "Safe travels my dear."

"Thank you mother, take care," I said as the world began to fade in and out around us. Soon I found myself waking from my sleep. I broke through the cocoon-like structure I was trapped in and stretched my legs. I immediately realized that my body felt solid. It actually felt like this was my original body. The floor of the building didn't feel like I was slipping over it anymore, instead, it felt as if I had finally become real in a sense. I don't know how to explain it. As I was getting used to my new sense of feeling I was assaulted by the multitude of beeps produced by the system notifications.

Ding!

[Congratulations you have evolved into the species [Divine Primordial Two-Tailed Abyssal Kitsune of Astral Descent] (Unique Divine Beast Species)

[Time taken to evolve was thirty-six hours fifty-three minutes and twenty seconds]

[All your stats have increased]

[You have been given a name by a higher being]

[You have become a part of the Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts kin]

[You have gained access to the [Illusion Magic] attribute]

[You have gained a resistance to the [Emotion Magic] attribute]

[You have gained access to the [Chaos Magic] attribute]

[The [Void Magic] and [Chaos magic] attributes has fused and become the [Abyss Magic] attribute]

[You've gained the title [Child to the Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts]

[The title [The One of Battle and Mischief] has been integrated into the new title]

[Your Status has been updated]

Seems some things changed. First, off I thought the evolution was supposed to take only twenty-four hours. Why it suddenly took an extra twelve hours is beyond me. In addition to that my race name went through a change, and my void magic fused with this new chaos magic, and resulted in this abyss magic. These changes were I assume were brought about by my naming by Loki. It matters not to me, I'll be able to use this new strength to complete my task for mother. Hmm, that will take some getting used to. Anyways its time to view my updated status.

"Status."

[Name: Luna Lokisdottir

[Class: Daughter of Mischief

[Race: Divine Primordial Two-Tailed Abyssal Kitsune of Astral Descent (Unique Divine Beast Species)

[Status: Inquisitive

[Level 735/15,000

[Exp 0/1,200,000,000

[HP: 300,000,000,000/300,000,000,000

[MP: 1,000,000,000,000/1,000,000,000,000

[STA: 600,000,000,000/600,000,000,000

[STR: 60,000,000,000

[INT: 500,000,000,000

[VIT: 150,000,000,000

[DEX: 30,000,000,000

[END: 300,000,000,000

[RES: 50,000,000,000

[DEF: 100,000,000,000

[SPD: 60,000,000,000

[Special System Funcitons:

[Skill Maker] [System Assistant] [Passive Exp Gain] [Special Evolution Creator] [Auto Skill Point Allocation]

[Active Skills:

[False Data Reveal] [Divine Entangling Embrace] [Primordial Beast Roar of Intimidation] [Primordial Beast Physique Enhancement] [Primordial Beast Soul Devouring] [Divine Whispering of Madness] [Moment of Omnipotence] [Dark Tendrils of Destruction] [Aura Overwhelm] [Spatial Teleportation] [Divine Thought Processing and Acceleration]

[Primordial Magic: Abyss Magic]

[Abyss Magic: Abyss Walker] [Abyss Magic: Abyssal Hell] [Abyss Mag-Encompassing Abyss] [Abyss Magic: Abyss Strengthening] [Abyss Magic: Abyssal Space Creation] [Abyss Magic: Onlooker From The Abyss] [Abyss Magic: All Consuming Abyssal Beam] [Abyss Magic: Summon Abyssal Aberration]

[Magic Attribute: Illusion Magic]

[Illusion Magic: Mirage Screen] [Illusion Magic: False Double] [Illusion Magic: Kitsune's Rampage] [Illusion Magic: One Hundred Eyes of Terror] [Illusion Magic: Culmination of Madness] [Illusion Magic: Moment of Peace] [Illusion Magic: Moment of Horror]

[Passive Skills:

[Appraisal] [Appraisal Block] [Divine Language Translation] [Aura Release] [Primordial Divine Beast Illogical Physique] [Unnatural Tongue] [Unnatural Existence] [Primordial Beast Indomitable Will] [Primordial Beast Unparalleled Auto MP and HP Regeneration] [Primordial Beast Unparalleled Mental Fatigue Resistance] [Fox Form] [Gaseous Body] [Solid Body]

[Ultimate Skills:

[Ginnungagap:

Step-1 In The Beginning There Was Nothing

Step-2 In The End Everything Returns To Nothing]

[Abyss Magic: The Slumbering Abyss] [Illusion Magic: Reign of The Kitsune Empress]

[Immunities/Resistances:

[Physical Pain Immunity] [High Soul Pain Resistance] [Fire Immunity] [Water Immunity] [Lightning Immunity] [Shadow Immunity] [Dark Immunity] [Earth Immunity] [Ice Immunity] [Poison Immunity] [Acid Immunity] [Low Emotion MagicResistance] [High Light Resistance] [Medium Holy Resistance] [High Debuff Resistance] [High Mental Attack Resistance]

[Titles:

[Child to the Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts] [The One Who Was Betrayed] [The One Who Was Destined For Greatness] [System Worker] [User of Divine Attributes] [Primordial Divine Beast] [False Goddess] [#######] [True Shapeshifter] [Kin To The Outer Gods] [Descendant to The Kin of ######] [Visitor From The Stars] [Masterful Elemental Manipulator] [Masterful Magic Scholar]

[Blessings:

[Blessing of Loki Goddess of Mischief and Unnatural Beasts] [Blessing of Ares God of War] [Blessing of Ashy'Kyhm God of The Eternal Void] [Blessing of #########]

These stats are getting out of hand. While I understand that I'm strong, I think they are a bit excessive. Well, no point in complaining I guess, after all, I'm going to be fighting Gods in the future. I wasn't familiar with the concept of Gods, beings capable of immortality. Would I be able to kill an immortal? It would certainly be one of the greatest challenges in my life. That thought, while it scared me a bit, also brought with it a sense of excitement. A battle to the death with a God, a being that surpassed all common sense. I felt something within my body beat at a fast rhythmic rate as these thoughts went through my mind. Would the Old One be capable of defeating an immortal?

Wait, now that I'm having another look at my status here, I see that I have the blessing of Ashy'Khym! Is the Old One a God? It says they are the God of the Eternal Void. That wouldn't make sense though, shouldn't they be the God of creation? They created a whole race, after all, I mean unless you can use the void to create living beings. Who am I to question the Old One's methods? I should really take the time to look over all my skills here.

Well, let's get started then.