Mutagen

It was the result of stress and fatigue she accumulated just in the span of one afternoon after witnessing the atrocities of the early civilization.

Then, Luna flinched. The worried face of the silver-haired woman suddenly appeared before her eyes.

"It seemed that you have witnessed some awful things. I\'m sorry."

The beautiful woman spoke in an unknown language. But strange enough, Luna could understand her clearly.

"Come follow me."

The woman grabbed Luna\'s arm and tugged her to follow.

Luna faltered as she was pulled towards the lake, thinking she would fall into the water. But Luna was stunned as her first step into the water resulted in ripples of light instead of getting wet. One step after another, Luna found herself walking over the water, leaving ripples of light on its surface.

The ripples of light looked beautiful, causing Luna\'s heart to calm down.

It appeared that the silver-haired woman noticed the change in Luna\'s emotions as she smiled sweetly.

Not given any choice, Luna was brought to the island in the middle of the lake while watching the woman\'s attractive smile.

The silver-haired woman was certainly beautiful. Nonetheless, her beauty could not be compared to Mei\'s. That was what Luna thought. But if there was one thing that made the silver-haired woman stand out aside from her unusual hair color, it was her presence. It was as if the silver-haired woman was the only light in the darkness, making it easy to follow her without questioning anything.

"Um..."

Luna finally uttered her first word to the silver-haired woman.

"Why not sit down first? I know you are tired."

The silver-haired woman made Luna sit on a preserved cut log facing the shore.

With a smile, the silver-haired woman put her right hand over her heart. It made Luna realize something. The woman was wearing the same clothing as hers for some reason.

"This one is named Anaelldenalia. My name meant daughter of the moon. Although I disagree with it, mortals call me the Goddess of Moonlight."

That introduction made Luna really surprised. A Goddess? Really? Out of nowhere? Those thoughts filled Luna\'s mind. It made Luna remember the Night Goddess they saw inside Mount Muria\'s underground cathedral.

Somehow, she understood that the woman before her and the Night Goddess had a similar pressure leaking from their bodies. But at the same time, the feeling was also different.

The Night Goddess had a gloomy and scary presence. On the contrary, the Goddess of Moonlight had a mellow and warm one.

"Once again, I\'m sorry, Luna. I figured you would arrive today, but even I cannot pinpoint exactly where you would appear. You had to witness the consequences of the current [Observer] neglecting his duties."

"Wha-- You know me?"

Luna could not help but ask after Anaelldenalia nonchalantly mentioned her name.

"Of course. How can I not know? A guest from the future..." Anaelldenalia said while walking away from Luna before turning around like dancing. "And a fragment of mine."

Anaelldenalia smiled, declaring the fact.

"What?"

Luna could not comprehend what the Goddess of Moonlight was saying.

"You can\'t understand? Or maybe you are refusing to understand?" The Moonlight Goddess said as she approached Luna and sat beside her. "Part of you is me. And part of me is you. I wonder if it would be easier to understand if I say it like this?"

"Or maybe it\'s more confusing? It really is hard to explain it in the words of mortals."

Anaelldenalia pondered.

"Just think about it like this. A part of me got reborn after my death, and it became part of your soul. Do you understand now?"

"I..." Luna finally replied. "I think I kinda understand. But also don\'t... Is Miss Goddess saying that I am your reincarnation?"

"Just call me Ellde. And reincarnation? Is that what it is called in the future?" Anaelldenalia tilted her head. "But as I had just said. Just a part. Half of your soul is of a mortal\'s while the other half is my fragment.

And as I see now, it had yet to fuse."

"Fuse?"

Luna questioned.

"Yes. Fuse. A fragment of my soul is within you. Yet, you cannot utilize my powers. It is because your soul and my fragment had yet to fuse into one whole soul. Although it might be my fault."

"Your fault?"

Luna could only ask questions.

"To be precise, the fault of the future me?" Anaelldenalia replied with a smile. "You see. My life will be a short one. That is why I kinda want to know more about the future. And that is why. When the time you need the power of my fragment arrives, your soul will travel to this time to meet me.

This way, I will be able to see the happenings of the future through your memories. At the same time, I will be able to give you the power you need."

"That\'s..."

Luna was taking a bit of time to digest the situation.

"It has been hard on you, huh?"

Those words entered Luna\'s ears as she felt the kind touch of the Goddess of Moonlight on her head.

It was when Luna\'s eyes began shedding tears. It was as if Luna finally found someone she could share her worries without needing to act tough. After all, as the leader of the Moon Chasers, she must not show weakness. Luna could share thoughts with her friends, but it was within limits. She was the foundation of the group, after all.

But here, Luna was just Luna. In front of the Goddess of Moonlight, she was just a child yearning for care and affection. With this feeling inside her, she became more inclined to believe that a part of her belonged to this Goddess.

And then, the thought came.

Anaelldenalia had just mentioned her death. Luna was a fragment of her soul after her death. This kind Goddess was going to die?

Luna could not help but stare at the Goddess of Moonlight.

And understanding Luna\'s thoughts, Anaelldenalia smiled.

"Care to hear a story?"

The Goddess of Moonlight asked.

Luna tilted her head in confusion but could only nod in acceptance.

"You see... I am one of the rare phenomena where a Godly being is born in this supposedly magicless world."

Anaelldenalia pointed at herself.

***

Earth was created to be a magicless world in a magicless realm. The entire universe where Earth existed was a realm focused on natural evolution with less influence on tampering with natural phenomena.

And on each planet where life bloomed, an administrator, the [Observer], was assigned. It was to enforce the rules of the universe on that planet. Their first duty was to let the world grow without outside interference, and the second was to manage it if things went on the wrong path, keeping things in balance.

However, the recently assigned administrator of Earth for its new era began neglecting his duties. Furthermore, for some unknown reason, he let Gods of other realms tamper with the world he was supposed to manage.

It led to Earth\'s era of Gods. It changed Earth\'s intended nature. The world without magic became filled with magic from other worlds. The Gods even began releasing their creations on Earth as if they owned it as their backyard.

In response to the neglectful administrator and the unruly invaders, the will of the world tried to create its own countermeasures. And the only way to fight the Gods was to give birth to its own God.

Using the accumulated magic in nature and the aspect of the brightest light in the night sky, a Goddess was born in the middle of a lake where the light of the moon converged one fateful day.

It was Anaelldenalia, the Goddess of Moonlight.

Many tribes of mortals witnessed the night of her birth. She became the worshipped Goddess of those tribes.

Alongside those mortals, Anaelldenalia learned about the world and her mission. She learned many things, and he also learned to love the mortals who worshipped her.

But as Anaelldenalia\'s powers bloomed, she also reached a certain fact.

Anaelldenalia had no way of completing her mission.

It was because Anaelldenalia\'s birth was too late. Earth had already been occupied and influenced by foreign Gods long ago. A newly born Goddess like her would not be a match for them no matter how many years passed.

At one point, Anaelldenalia\'s powers grew enough to allow her to see the future.

And the awful truth lay before her eyes.

The Goddess of Moonlight had no future. It was her fate to die, unable to even start the reason for her birth. It was a miscalculation for the will of the world to give birth to her this late in time.

But instead of becoming discouraged, the Goddess of Moonlight decided to dedicate her remaining lifespan to her worshippers. She spent time with them, gave them her blessings, and also...

Fell in love with a mortal warrior.

Unfortunately, the speculated time finally came.

The invader Gods found out about Anaelldenalia\'s existence and sent their worshippers to crush her followers.

It was the event Luna witnessed.

The death of the mortals, the suffering of the captured, and the destruction of their homes. It was the result of the contest for supremacy between Godly Beings.

And this night. It was the night before the final stretch of Anaelldenalia\'s life would begin. It was also why the future her sent the fragment back in time to this very day.

As soon as the next sunset arrived, the Goddess of Moonlight would begin to fight the invader Gods.

***

"You know you are going to die. Why don\'t you avoid it instead? You\'re a Goddess, right?"

Luna asked in concern.

"It is precisely because I knew the future that I understood I could not avoid it."

Anaelldenalia replied with a smile.

"There are different circumstances that could give birth to Gods," The Goddess of Moonlight explained. "There are those who were offsprings of Gods, already bearing the aspect and authority in their birth. Some were once mortals who broke the chain of fate and ascended to become Gods. And lastly, those who were born in similar ways to mine, either naturally or created by the will of the world."

"For mortals to become Gods, one must break and overcome their fate, their destiny. For those offspring, they were not chained by it from the start. Some could even bend it to their will. It was the influence they received from their Godly parents."

"Unfortunately, the same case cannot be applied to the last kind. They might be Gods. However, as they were born from nature and the world, they were bound by its rules. They were bound by fate. And unlike mortals, who could deny fate by chance, the Gods born of nature were tightly bound by fate and had no way of going against it."

"If I chose to avoid the death I am supposed to face, it would just change to another. If I want to change my fate, the best way is to just stab myself with her at this moment."

Anaelldenalia raised a weapon and pointed it at her neck.

Luna\'s eyes widened. One reason was because of the Goddess of Moonlight\'s melancholic threat. Another reason was that she was horribly familiar with the weapon the Goddess was holding.

"Oh, that\'s right," Anaelldenalia pulled the weapon away from her neck and showed it to Luna. "You had met her already."

That was right. Luna had already met with that silver-colored keris.

"Melfiss."

Luna said, and the Goddess of Moonlight nodded.

"Unfortunately, I cannot let her meet you at this time. That is why I made her sleep for this night."

Anaelldenalia sheathed Melfiss.

"Since this would be my last peaceful day, will you spend it with me?"

Anaelldenalia asked Luna with a smile.

And seeing the melancholy behind the Goddess\' smile, Luna agreed.

From there, the two spent time talking. Luna soon stopped being reserved and began talking to the Goddess as if they were sisters, which the latter truly appreciated.

The night passed, and sunrise came. Under the sun, the two denizens of the night talked happily at the center of the shimmering lake.

But as they said, time passes faster when they enjoy the time they spend.

Soon enough, the next sunset came.

"It\'s time."

Anaelldenalia sighed as she stood up.

"Are you really going?"

Luna asked.

"There\'s no point in persuading me," The Goddess of Moonlight smiled. "Since I will die no matter what, I would rather choose to die fighting with my people."

As those words entered Luna\'s ears, she saw a large number of people arrive on the opposite side of the lake. Those people then bowed, giving respect to the Goddess.

"Our people finally arrived," Anaelldenalia looked at the group of warriors. "Look at the man in front. Familiar?"

Luna was confused at first before turning to the warrior leading the group. Seeing the man, her eyes widened.

But before Luna could open her mouth, her vision blurred.

"It is also time for you to go. Your people also need you. Melfiss and your warrior are also waiting."

At this time, Luna\'s vision darkened, as she felt an unknown, yet familiar power spread throughout her body.

And when she opened her eyes, what Luna saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.