AMBROSIA“Wait, wait,” said Aqorm, “before we head to the Realm of Void, I want weapons that aren''t gonna fail me.” Azrael also nodded, “This weapon is property of an angel. If I die, they''ll be prevented from doing their duties until my weapon is collected. I want a weapon suited for me.” I wasn''t fond of this last detour, but to fair, I had done things like stop to collect song sheets. One more trip couldn''t hurt.

    And yet somehow we sat and waited in a pub while Aqorm played hit songs from her Song Book. All because of some legend that the book was key to a powerful weapon. She had just finished page 284 of the songs, playing Tribute by Tenacious D, when one of the people in the pub approached her. He was a tall burly man vaguely similar to the guy who always used to bully Popeye in the show. What was his name again? Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a pair of knives. “I have no money to pay for your performance,” he said, “All I have is these shabby-looking knives.” The knives were not shabby. They were forged from an odd metal that was clear like crystal, and which glowed with ancient Elvish runes. Aqorm nodded, and carefully contained her excitement, “I suppose that will have to do.” As he left, we could no longer contain ourselves so we quietly slipped to the upper room of the pub. “Holy crap!” Aqorm said, staring at her find. The Song Book had mentioned basically this weapon, a pair of Twin Daggers made from elven using a process long forgotten, yet known for strength and beauty. These daggers had many of the traits of her old ones, but it was much stronger to the point where she used it to break the others, and the runes made it hard enough and sharp enough that it was able to cut a line deep into the wall of the room. “Hey,” said Nevras, “try not to destroy the insulation.” We spent the next couple of days in this pub earning real money to put in the bank, before finally getting bored and leaving.

    When last we talked to King Charis, he mentioned that the weapon in his catacombs was some sort of weapon with mystical powers, so Azrael tried this next, hoping to get a sword to replace Raphael. Nevras showed us to the old vault, which turned out to not be as much of a trip as I thought. I was expecting some great maze-like area like the Four Gods dungeon, but instead it was a simple walk downstairs with a hallway to a large gated door.

    Now, it was certainly secure. The stones looked like the stuff in Aiken Monastery, and probably couldn''t have been punched through without serious magic beyond what any of us had. And the door resisted even Lilith''s attempts to just barge in with Hellfire. I reminded them that in fact none of this was necessary, that I had the key right here. But Lilith still looked disappointed. With a simple turn of the key, the vault unlocked, but it was built to be secure against rust and the elements, so it wasn''t going to open that easily. Several of us including Lilith pushed together, but to no avail. Then Elias, carefully examining the door, announced, “Hey everyone, this door is a sliding door. It moves sideways. Like this!” With little effort, he slid the doors open, revealing a rather underwhelming treasure. There were no gems in this vault, no gold or jewels, no weapons that I could see. Only books.

    ELIAS

    Obviously, the others couldn''t appreciate the treasure they had found here. Why, this room had preserved records of the entire history of Phoenix, from its origin to its dark ages where fighting, plague, and famines dominated the region. It contained secrets long buried of technology and alchemy, and thanks to some of these I was able to come up with more formulas for use in battle, as well as a number of crafting and synthesis recipes for building lost devices. Many of these were worthless to me, but I persisted in my studies. At long last, my hunt paid off. Inside a book titled ?Landmarks and Artifacts of Ancient China? I found a page that seemed more than slightly suspect. The rest of the book had either mountains, architecture, or ancient historical legends. The text in the nearby pages seemed consistent, until I got to one page where I saw a drawing of a bronze sword. Sure, the page and the back looked like they fit, but a careful read convinced me that the page before and the page after were meant to go together, the text on the back was copied from another book, and when looking at the picture it didn''t look quite like an actual photo but rather artwork made to look like photography. It pained me to do so, but I ripped out this page. I was traumatized for a few minutes.

    Examining more closely, I pulled out some spectroscopic glasses. Runes and alchemic formulae were sometimes hidden under the dyes or inks of other writing, but they still emitted light and energy at a constant rate. Putting the glasses on, I saw a dizzying array of both patterns. This wasn''t a real object at all! Rather, it was a schematic for creating an object, and making it real enough that it could be summoned into being and persist as long as I lived. Whoever devised this was a genius!

    I didn''t need a sword, but I could certainly use a replacement for my bronze shakujo, since it had gotten pretty banged up. With this model, I would not only have a brand new weapon every time, but I could in theory custom-make it. I began drafting up an alchemic synthesis schematic for something nearly identical in appearance to the shakujo but with greatly altered durability and weight. sea??h thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I carefully examined the schematic. The layout appeared to be a giant pentagon (not to be confused with a pentagram) with five distinct circles. After cross-referencing this with existing books of alchemy that I owned, it appeared to be a method to circulating ley lines to gather natural energy (senju). The bottom of the diagram had runes for Wood in high volume, flowing into the one for Water which enriched the first, which in turn gave way to the top circle for Earth, followed by Fire, ending in Wind, and cycling back to Wood. This model showed two such diagrams, one with the symbols for Earth (the planet, not the element) and the other with symbol for Man. These two diagrams had arrows going from one two another. I had more research to do. In one book, I found a passage, ?The essence of alchemy is understanding the interplay between mankind and the natural world. The human lives due to a ley system within their body. Most wonder-workers use their own energy to push ambient runes into distinct spells, while elves use the ley system to grant them eternal youth and guide magic in the natural world for the purpose of producing magic. Doing so involves a lighter touch than conventional magic. The alchemist on the other hand, can directly tap into the dantian or senju equally. The former is known as Inner Alchemy and is useful for the purpose of replicating the elves'' natural affinity to immortality through the use of effort, while the purpose of Outer Alchemy is threefold. It can be used to enrich the land through geomancy, it can be used to deplete the land turning its energy into a catalyst, or it can be used to form lasting physical objects. The methods of Synthesis, however, are not fully understood, so many attempts toward Synthesis result in flawed or temporary objects. Care must be made to build the land up as a ley point, by circulating senju and dragon seeds, and if possible connect the existing ley point to nearby ley lines...? The passage trailed ever onward, but the idea was pretty clear. Most Synthesis failed to work because it forgot to build the strong connection between Inner and Outer Alchemy, between the land and the self, or because it failed to properly circulate sufficient energy in the first place. I experimented around with creating tunnels and rooms around the vault, and using complicated feng shui to boost energy, until finally grass began to grow underground, as a sign of the system being set up. I returned to the vault, and began to spread the dragon seeds (the strong senju energy only gathered from the balance of elements) into the ley point, solidifying its power, while I drew senju into my own body. Then I channeled this outward to a point on the ground, until it “grew” a bronze shakujo nearly identical to the one that I owned. I would name this creation the Mystic Sutra, since it was a weapon of writing and not common metal. Aqorm also helped me pick it because “It sounds cool.”

    On my first attempt, however, it was a complete and utter failure. This method used far more runes than alchemy than the Philosopher''s Stone that I had made, and turned out to be far less solid, so much so that my hands actually passed through when attempting to touch it. Azrael had to tutor me in the art of making objects solid, before this worked. Despite this training, I was not able to alter my magic itself like Azrael could, I simply had gained the ability to make a lasting solid object. And while I probably could alter the other alchemy formulas to likewise make fully real objects, each one would require relearning the alchemy formula. What I did manage was impressive, though. It was so solid that testing its strength against real bronze caused the other to shatter, to say nothing of the runes I had added to the formula to make it a bane against the undead and spirits. The fact that I could now summon it anywhere and at any time was also a pretty good deal. Once I successfully created this weapon, which I did, I had a lasting connection between myself and the land, which meant I was able to summon it freely from then on.

    Ambrosia said, “Seriously, what is it with you people and smashing your old weapons?” I gave her the scraps, which she took to a jeweler make a few necklaces and bracelets.

    AZRAEL

    The climb was as steep as we remembered, but I needed to do it. We had been flying around Bahamut so much that we had forgotten that there were places that she couldn''t go. She couldn''t dive underwater (mainly because of us), and she couldn''t fly out of the New Earth, but more important to right now, after last time where we had just barged in and caused a commotion on Bahamut, we couldn''t directly enter the floating island of Heaven. When she tried, a powerful wind pushed her back. It seemed like right now at least, there was too much turbulence surrounding the island. And so it was that we had to make it up the mountain again.

    It took longer than expected, but eventually, I was standing on the fluffy soil of Heaven. Heaven was a place that was slightly different every time you encountered it. The first time, the area was filled with trees and mushrooms and strange animals, while the second time it was empty but for the angels we passed by. Heaven was a land of perception, and being in a hurry made it a much different place from when we explored it the first time. This time, it was strangely solemn, like a forest at night. There was something in the air that vaguely resembled fireflies. These were hitodama, what many people call remnants, a bluish flame-like light that was from the souls of the dead. I had a duty to do here, and they were there to join me. When the people who entered Heaven were stressed, storms of cherry blossoms appeared; when they were calm, Heaven looked like it had the first visit; and when there was a duty to do, it had a solemn appearance. While Hell exerted its will on others, Heaven was affected by its residents.

    As promised, I delivered Raphael''s sword back to Heaven, asking in exchange for where I might find a sword to replace it. “Hmmm,” he said, thinking hard about this. The angel itched at his wings, then scratched his head. Finally, he spoke, “I have no idea. Sorry. But I''ll ask God about it.” They conferred in private, until Raphael came back with a glass bottle filled with a faint light surrounded by a thick black fog, a miasma of sorts, from the looks of it. “What is this?” I asked. Raphael explained, “It is called negaigoto. This glows brighter when you come closer to your heart''s desire. When you do, the glass breaks and what is inside is released. Just speak aloud what you must want.” Before that I asked, “But what exactly is inside that bottle?” He shook his head, “Light and darkness. In order to secure your deepest desire, and equal amount of misfortune must be contained within the bottle. In short, to make this item, several thousand people had to suffer greatly. Once you have achieved your desire, their fortune will be returned to them, and you will receive a great curse.” I shrugged. I had dealt with curses before. There was no way this could be that bad. Could it?

    In any case, I told it my wish, “I wish to find the ultimate sword for an exorcist like me. A sword to replace and surpass Raphael''s sword.” The bottle''s light flashed, and then dimmed. We were far from our heart''s desire right now. It took a few more hours to walk down the mountain, but once we managed this, we got on Bahamut and flew around for awhile. For most places, the light was relatively dim, but it grew brighter as I went near Goji. Since we had a pretty precise area to work with, I landed Bahamut. Figuring that a powerful weapon would likely be buried in a grave or crypt, I checked up and down in town where there were a great number of creepy sites, but to no avail. I left and searched the desert, starting east of town. I made it all the way to the Four Gods temple, but it was beginning to get dimmer. So far, we were on the wrong track.

    For the next few hours we spent our time playing the game of hot and cold. There was an old mental institution to the southeast, back when people believed they could fix people''s tooth problems by gouging them with metal picks and drilling holes, and their mental problems by giving them shocks or large amounts of medication. Today, this building was in serious disrepair, and the spirits of all those tortured by their malpractice were still screaming. It was too bad that the bottle wasn''t leading us here, but oh well, I guess we would have to go someplace else. To the south, a pyramid stood in the desert. Nobody could explain how it got there, because I hadn''t noticed it before. But I saw more of those flying discs around it, and one noticed us and fired a beam and...

    I... what was I talking about? Suddenly it was night, and I didn''t know where the time had gone. My neck felt sore in a specific spot, and when I rubbed it, I felt something pebble-sized that felt almost metallic under my skin. Some of the others rubbed their necks too. Strange. The pyramid was impressive, but our treasure wasn''t here either, judging from the lack of glow inside the jar.

    Qurac likewise was dim, but the glow grew brighter on the western side of the continent than the eastern, and since it dimmed as we headed south, we made our way north along the coast, stopping to catch seafood for dinner. We found the area where it was brightest. Seikai.

    ZOE

    Passing the pyramid made me think of Egyptian myth. In the Druid grove, my superiors told me of some of the myths and legends of the world. I learned about Norse legends, most of which appeared to involve misdeeds of Loki. And I learned of Greek legends, and of course about the Egyptians.

    The Egyptians had a number of “gods” but it seemed to me now like these were misunderstood by the cultures around them. That they weren''t gods at all but paths of life. For example, Ra was the “god of the sun” but extensive amount of his myth was involved in his daily pattern around the sun and then underground, or rather in phases of birth, death, and rebirth. The more I thought about it, I had been living kinda like Ra for awhile. That was kinda what I was doing until, well... I became immortal. The story of Osiris was most like mine now, he got his body cut into bits then joined back together. The secret to my immortality was my willingness to put myself at risk for her. Now my body would repair itself even if it was likewise torn apart. Then there were two other “gods”, Anubis and Khonsu. Anubis was “god of death” but actually more associated with the afterlife. Most people lived in this route. They lived, died and were either found wanting because their heart was heavy, or they went to the Field of Reeds (the Afterlife?) which echoed their life on Earth but was instead everlasting. Unlike the others, Khonsu was oddly much less known. This was largely because he was a friend or sometimes a subset of Thoth, probably, rather an independent deity. As such, Khonsu was associated with time and the moon, sorta being about eternity too, just by virtue of being in control of time. Khonsu appears in a number of roles, such as a child, provider, defender of the pharaoh and travelers, healer, aid in childbirth, one who drives out evil spirits, and ultimately the one who decides the lifespan of others. And the moon will appear to disappear completely for a time, but always returns.

    I was now immortal, so my body went through some pretty serious stuff whenever I got hurt. It often healed me so quickly that it looked like I shrugged it off completely, but also able to recover from some serious gore like being torn to bits, disintegrated, immolated, or sucked into the Void. I was not at risk for ceasing to exist. But this brought with me some new worries, like getting stranded in space. Immortality was kinda creepy when you thought about it, especially spending it alone. If only she could also share in my life, as long as it lasted.

    We entered Seikai. Before, it had simply been a large forest with distorted space and villagers trapped inside. But now that the people inside were freed, the area returned to what was probably its true form. A creepy-as-fuck haunted forest.

    There were the ravens flying overhead cawing at us. Then there was the intense mist and constant rain, yet never fully flooding the area. As much as it rained, it could have been a mangrove swamp or something, but instead the ground was simply ankle-depth in in most places. All the same, most of us would have to worry about trench-foot, so I tried to lead them to safety. And above us, the moon was a constantly moving. It was a sort of bright twilight that played with our eyes, distorting time and our perception of it.

    “This place is weird,” said Azrael she walked slowly to the left. “Tell me about it,” I said. “Hey guys,” said Ambrosia, “do you think there might be water snakes here?” Azrael flinched and turned right, “I hate snakes. Normally I''d chop off their heads, but now I have to worry about using magic before it bites me or something.” Nevras said, “Don''t worry, I''ll take care of one is we see it.” She continued ahead, then had to turn right because of a rock she almost bumped into. “Hey, Azrael,” I said, “Does this rock look kind of familiar?” She sighed deeply, “Oh no, we''re going in circles.” The moon was waning quickly, as I asked, “Are we going to be stuck in here forever?” I never got the answer. The moon became new, and the others disappeared from their current spot.

    Azrael appeared behind me. “This place is weird,” said Azrael she walked slowly to the left. I stood there slightly confused. She appeared in front of where I was standing, and repeated, “I hate snakes. Normally I''d chop off their heads, but now I have to worry about using magic before it bites me or something.” Ambrosia and Nevras likewise repeated their lines. Immortality doesn''t mean immune to time. I was displaced like the others. But it does mean my body and mind adjust to changes. I remembered that time had looped immediately, while the others kind of looped a lot more. Azrael appeared to my right, and informed me, “Oh no, we''re going in circles.” The only difference was that before, she had said this in response to me saying something, whereas now she did it because she had crossed my path three times while I stayed still. The moon became new again, and time repeated. Everyone had returned to their original positions.

    The others all said their lines, moved in their paths, and time repeated.

    The fourth time, I decided I wanted to end things. And so, I asked Ambrosia to use the Crest of Chronos on the bottle. She was confused, but obliged. I then offered to take the bottle telling the others that I wanted to try an experiment. I drew a circle around where I stood, and then walked to a nearby stone, to sit and wait until time cycled again. I fully expected my location to revert to the spot I had sat before, as it had done the first time, but to my surprise my position was unchanged! Progress!

    Before Azrael wandered off this time, I caught her hand. “Stay with me, and watch what I see.” She blushed, but held me by the hand and never let go. And she watched, as Ambrosia and Nevras wandered in various paths, time cycled, and they said the same stuff over and over again. She gasped, “A time loop! And I was caught in it...” I told her, “Ambrosia used her Crest of Time on this bottle, so it seems to repel changes in time, and protect both the user and those holding them.” At these words she held me close by the waist, her breasts rubbing against my back. It was my turn to blush, but thankfully she couldn''t see it right now.

    I wasn''t really clear on what to do, because my specialty was not magic analysis. I was lucky that I even thought about using the bottle as a source of protection, or I''d still be jumping back in time and space even now. So I asked her, “What''s our plan for getting your weapon and getting out of here?” She told me, “Hold me very tightly, I''m gonna sit down.” I grabbed her with one hand, holding the bottle carefully with the other as she moved around drawing a large circle with a stick. Zoe identified the branch I used as a Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo). Unlike my circle, which was just to reference position, this was a 30 ft radius circle with runes all along the rim. “Close circle,” she said. The runes glowed and the edge of the circle glowed, and she said it was okay to stop holding her. The water drained outside the circle as well, revealing sandy soil.

    For all intents and purposes, we were inside an area where the rules of this forest did not apply. The others of our group didn''t seem able to see or hear us (and I tested it out by calling to Ambrosia), and walked through the circle passing by us like we were ghosts. Given the rather large area inside the circle, she used it as a makeshift blackboard to draft ideas, using a stick to draw in the damp sandy soil. “Let''s see,” she said, “The others are stuck in a time loop based on moon phases, limited by the perimeter of the forest. Now, given what we know from our last visit, these dimensions are the actual measurements of the total area...” I looked at some complicated math which seemed accurate but not necessarily relevant to our current situation. So I asked her, “So, as long as we stay holding hands we''re immune to the effects of this place, correct? But the distortion is probably centered around the weapon we''re looking for? So... what happens to the others when we find this weapon?” She began to sweat. “Well... it''s possible this entire place will collapse trapping them inside. But, I''m not sure that would happen.” My mouth kinda opened wide in shock. “Wait, you were okay taking me with you, and you didn''t think to mention this?” I asked, outraged at her. She explained, “I didn''t know what to do! Besides, you''re the one that took me along, aren''t you?” We argued for quite some time, while the others continued to auto-loop, repeating what they said or did forever, unaware of any other path. I suggested, “Couldn''t we all hold hands together and make it to the weapon?” She shook her head, “No good. You and me, Ambrosia and Nevras, Lilith, Michael, Aqorm, Elias, Yazim Jianne and Selqui, that''s ten people to manage. One of them could lean wrong or trip, and we could get in a pile while the bottle rolls away. Or one of us could lose our grip, and be trapped alone for all eternity. The idea of getting stuck alone forever is a bit frightening.” She looked knowingly at me. She continued, “But we can''t abandon them either...” I offered, “This circle is insulating us from this area. Would it be safe if everything collapsed?” Her face brightened, “That might work! Even if everything does collapse, I should be able to rescue them since my runes are connected to me, and retain a physical location. Well, unless I die from something.”

    We spent some time convincing the others first that they were in a time loop, then getting them to agree to stick inside a magic circle that I had created. Lilith in particular wanted to stay outside, until Michael and Aqorm grabbed her from behind and pulled her in despite her protests. Free to explore, Azrael and I used the bottle as a dowsing device to scan the area. Rather than wandering in circles, we gradually found a path. Forest gave way to swampland, and the swamp eventually led to a small shrine. I would like to say that as we continued, the area became less creepy. I would like to say that, but it simply isn''t true. If anything, the mood got darker. The swamp wasn''t a simple wetland swamp with green plants, it was filled with dead and dying plants. The water was murky and the color of shale, and the air itself was heavy with darkness. Worse yet, the water was becoming deeper, making it a slow trip. I was still holding the bottle as it led us towards our goal, and we were holding each other. But things were hard right now.

    As we approached the shrine, the bottle glowed brightly. Yet Azrael seemed frightened by something. The rain beat down hard on us, soaking our hair, as Azrael held me close. What could be wrong?

    AZRAEL

    My senses are slightly different from Zoe''s, even when she''s in her Sage form. For one thing, I can sense ghosts, undead, demons, and Monsters even when they are invisible. I held her close with fear, for the awesome power nearby was threatening to make me faint. The air shimmered where it floated, even though I had yet to see it.

    In front of the shrine, a sword sat in the water. Despite being submerged up to the hilt in stagnant water, the sword was untouched by corrosion. Stranger still, the sword sat without sinking in muddy soil while persistent rain fell, and probably had for untold centuries. So powerful was this sword, that I could see runes floating in the air all around it. I could sense that this sword had probably claimed the lives of many otherwise clever and powerful would-be wielders, for it was away from the shrine where its stand was, and the shrine had long since fallen into disrepair. I could also sense this, because there was a thoroughly decayed corpse grasping the sword. If I was not careful, it would also consume my life.

    A wave of energy from the invisible presence knocked us into the air, loosening our grip on one another. I flew forward near the sword, while she kept hold of her bottle as she fell hard backwards. I took a big gulp of brackish water as I fell in the muck, and spewed it back out, crawling to the surface. The moon was setting, and I had no protection, for I was too far from Zoe and her bottle. My only hope was to claim the sword before the moon returned back to new, or all of my time would be reset to start, and given what I experienced earlier, my memory as well.

    There is a sword discovered in China, not in myth or legend but in real history. It was known as the Sword of Goujian, and it was found in an old tomb. This survived in submersion in water over 2000 years with the blade untarnished and still sharp through a combination of a tight sheath and a strange alloy of copper, tin, lead, iron, sulfur, and arsenic. It was a bronze broadsword with ?King of Yue? written in ancient bird-worm seal script (the precursor of the Chinese language). This sword strongly resembled that sword, but the Sword of Goujian had a crack in it from a overseas exhibition, where the crate it was packed in bumped against the sword because of one of the workers being a clumsy oaf. I had always been convinced that this sword was a mere replica of the real sword; in other words, some people switched this sword for that one. It shouldn''t have been damaged so easily if it had been the real deal. Those analyzing it had taken the real sword and made a convincing copy, giving those ingredients as what they used to make it themselves. The real one was taken to this shrine to protect this land, and was made of a heavenly alloy as it glowed with energy.

    The sword drove me back with its pulse when I tried to reach for it. It is likely the testers had only been able to touch it indirectly, and even then, died prematurely. I understood the power of the sword now, and why it had killed those who had taken it from its resting place. It was a sword of moon and time, created by the King of Yue. And many people falsely believe this refers to a nation called Yue, or more specifically Yuyue of the Zhou dynasty. This is incorrect. The word “Yue” means “moon.”

    Now, I have a great number of spells and know all manner of symbols and runes. But runes were based on writing, and spells are based on a skill that being shy, I ironically suck at. Conversation. The ability to speak to others is more powerful than any magic. I said, “Ummm... excuse me. But ummm, I would like to use this sword. I contest claim with the current owner, the King of Moon.” The moon suddenly stopped waning, and time stopped. A voice came from the unseen form that attacked us earlier, “You who would wield this power, speak my name and face me in combat.”

    The reason the sword would not accept me was that it was still owned. The writing on it clearly told who owned it, the King of Moon and the master of time. “Khonsu,” I said. And with that, two things happened. Well, three things. First, the writing on the sword suddenly erased, allowing me to touch it. It was about three feet long and pretty wide, but the sword was strangely light enough that I could lift it with one hand. Second, the bottle we had broke, releasing all the good back to those who it had taken from and hitting me with a Great Curse. The ravens that had been flying around before began to peck at me over the course of the battle. Lastly, Khonsu appeared. Khonsu kind of looked like a mummy, but for some distinctive hair braids. Zoe was put in time stasis for the battle, so I faced him alone.

    I tried all manner of symbols and spells against him, but being protected by divine energy, he simply shrugged off the runes like nothing happened. He countered with his own magic, using beams of focused moonlight to bash at me, and randomly messing with time. I didn''t yet know how to properly use the sword, but I managed to slash through some of his runes with the sword. He swung a khopesh in combat against me, and it was all that I could do to avoid his attacks. But my sword was heavier and made from sterner stuff, so eventually I prevailed. I rushed him and slashed twice, ripping off his mummy wrappings. Underneath the mummy wrap, however, was not the rotting flesh of a mummy I suspected, but the biggest bishonen that I had ever seen. He was slim and young with delicate white hair, much like Elias, only much more pretty. “Well done,” he said, “I accept you as wielder of the sword. I give you my Domain, and I will live this life as a mortal from now on. But first... I assume you know how to write runes? Give this sword a new name.” And so, with my finger, I traced on the sword the runes ? 佛指向月亮 ? literally meaning Buddha Points To Moon. But this was too long a name, so I would later rename the sword as Eternal Moon.

    As explained by others, all living things fall into Six Paths which they may be reborn as, under the cycle of samsara. But the depiction of this also shows pointing to the moon, that is, outside the six paths of of human existence, there is the power to remove one from the cycle. This sword could injure and drive back evil that couldn''t be banished through means other than an Exorcism, and likewise, wielding it would make one eternal by removing them from time.

    Zoe was released from her prison with a quick stroke from the sword. I suddenly understood exactly how to use this sword, and why it was necessary to have discipline. The godless have made a pact with death considering it their friend. A sword of the moon was a dangerous weapon to hold because of the nature of immortality and eternity, versus the nature of humanity. Immortality is only reasonable when one has conquered good/evil that is false perception, and the traps of the Six Paths of Desire Realm.

    Zoe achieved immortality by letting go of her fear, and risking her life for my sake. And I achieved eternity only by becoming at peace with the idea of life with her. Without first cleansing their desires and fears, humans would quickly fall into despair and eternal life would be agony. This is why such a sword was so dangerous without a pure heart. Human beings must have purpose, or they always try to destroy themselves. I could be killed, but I would renew with the full moon. But the one thing that might sever my eternity was using the power of the moon to commit suicide. There would be no paradise for me, I would head straight into the path of Niraya if I used my eternal life that way.

    As it was, I understood the importance of a neutral attitude. I was eternal now, and would see a great many things born or die around me, their lives but a mayfly. But I did not have to spend this alone. In the mean time, I decided to deal with the curse I had acquired from that bottle. I tripped repeatedly, got pecked some more by angry birds, and even got caught in a mudslide. This was one thing that I wasn''t going to deal with for eternity. I grabbed blank paper from my collection, and using my exorcist powers and my understanding of o-mikuji, I sucked the curse out of my body and wrote the following, ?Great Curse. Terrible luck will befall you for all the days of your life. Your romances will fail, you will become accident-prone, and ravens will peck at you seeking to end your life. Nothing you do will be any good at this time? onto the paper.

    This curse was tricky, and even burning or ripping the paper would release it back to me. But I knew how to deal with this. Using a bizarre pun from Japanese (the word “to wait” sounded like “pine tree”), I carefully folded the paper and pinned it to a nearby tree, letting it rest with that instead. I walked away from the swamp, and back to the forest, giving Zoe a small kiss on the cheek before we rejoined the others. We had gotten what we came for. It was time to face the Realm of Void.