Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Vahn's arrival, Circe, he had been squatting down, petting the head of a lamb, turned to look back as she rose to her feet. Her wings flittered just a bit, revealing the golden sheen of Magic Circuits on their interior as she whispered in a gratified tone, "You came..." Though Vahn himself wasn't required for the ritual, and could actually make it worse, Circe wanted him to be here with her. This was, perhaps, one of the most important moments of her life as, if she failed to receive Hecate's blessing, the only end that awaited her was death. She did not fear this, however, and, even if she were to die, she had already left a will and other items that would aid, not in her revival, but any other version of herself that Vahn decided to summon...

After navigating his way through the flock of lambs, Vahn pulled Circe into his embrace, her body nearly weightless as he lifted her a few centimeters off the ground while answering, "Of course. I would not leave you alone during a moment like this..." This comment cause Circe's ears to waggle adorably, causing Vahn's expression to soften as he gave her a small peck on the lips. He didn't want to rile her up too much, as this could complicate the ritual even further, so he settled for just giving her a bit of motivation.

With her eyes briefly flashing with a pink hue, Circe licked her lips and, as Vahn sat her back down on the ground, she mused, "You know, if this ritual is a success, you'll have to take responsibility. If you don't give me lots and lots of attention, I may die of a broken heart..." As the Red Moon Ritual would strip her of both her immortality and divine spark, it meant that Circe would just be a very unique mortal woman. There was a good chance that even her wings would be torn from her body if Hecate was so inclined to make her pay an even heftier price for her apostasy. If Vahn didn't treat her well after the fact, she would do everything in her meager power to ruin him before taking her own life...

Cupping Circe's face with his hands, Vahn gently stroked her cheeks as he stated in a firm tone, "You know me better than that, Circe...I may not be able to stay at your side at all times, but I can fill the moments when we're together with meaning..." With his Petting Laws and a bit of support from his [Hands or Nirvana], Vahn sent calm and comforting energy into Circe's head and body, helping her relax as he could tell she was very anxious. This caused her skin to glow with a subtle rainbow hue as, with nothing but the moon to grace them with its light, the cold peak was shrouded in darkness.

Feeling the familiar comfort, Circe's mind calmed considerably but, as there was a heat rising in her body, she reluctantly separated from Vahn's hands after a few seconds. Then, with her back to him, she looked over her shoulder and said, "Watch closely...never forget this moment, no matter how much time passes...if you do...I..." Without finishing her words, Circe decided they were unnecessary and, instead of adding to her slowly building anxiety, she began to discard each of her pale-gold accessories before removing her think vest and skirt. As panties weren't even a concept of her time, her modesty was instead protected by a powerful enchantment, meaning there was nothing beneath the hand-length skirt that had baffled Vahn during their first few meetings...

Circe had never explained how the Red Moon Ritual worked but, with her having him promise not to intervene, regardless of what happened, Vahn was left gawking at the side with a serious expression on his face. He watched as Circe snapped her fingers to ignite a basin of oil-soaked logs, causing a medium-sized pyre to illuminate the surroundings. Though this obscured her figure somewhat, Vahn was virtually immune to changes in light intensity and, even in the absence of any light source, he could still see in the dark with relative ease. As a result, he was able to see Circe throw her clothes into the pyre, allowing them to ignite into golden flames before, startling him quite a bit, she 'tore' the winged ornament from her head...

Though they were not originally part of her body, Circe's winged ornaments had become one with her person shortly after her training with Hecate. They served as the catalyst that allowed her to use Magecraft that should have only been available to the gods, representing both her accomplishments and the favor of Hecate. Removing them was not only painful, but it was the same as renouncing the teachings that had been deeply ingrained into her heart, mind, and body...

With her long pink hair quickly filling with some bloody streaks, Circe unhesitantly tossed her tiara into the pyre which, under normal circ.u.mstances, had no hopes of burning such a powerful artifact. Under the stimulation of her blood, however, the flames became a pale golden color, tinged with a subtle blue hue as the 'crown' she had prided herself to obtain was turned to ash. At the same time, a massive ritual spell circle expanded outward from the basin, spreading precisely 300m as it began rotating a few centimeters off the ground.

While doing his best not to intervene, Vahn looked around at the ritual spell circle and, though he would have normally tried to analyze it, he felt this could 'offend' the entity being invoked. Thus, he decided to simply observe, allowing the image to be stored in his memory instead of trying to break it down in the present. Then, as the light from the moon had noticeably changed, at least in the area of the spell, Vahn turned his head skyward, noticing that the moon had gained a red hue that was slowly deepening to blood red, just like the hair around Circe's scalp...

Resisting the pain as best she could, Circe's eyes reflected a resolute light as she brought her hands together in prayer, chanting, "Hear my plea, oh Great Mother of the Night. I stand at the crossroads of my fate, seeking the guidance of she who walks all paths freely. To thee, I offer the lives of these one-hundred innocent and pure, raised carefully by my own hand so that they may walk at your side between the boundaries of life and death..."

Though these words sounded rather simple for a chant meant to invoke a Goddess, Vahn knew that Circe had spoken the entire verse using Divine Words. By the time she was finished, Avalon was no longer in view and, now bloody red, the moon seemed to have grown more than a hundred times in size, now dominating the night sky. In the surroundings, which had previously been rich with healthy apple trees, a ghostly forest spread out far beyond his perception, complete with a hazy mist that, as it touched his skin, felt significantly colder than ice. Then, as Circe continued to pray, the Lambs in the surrounding area began to drop to the ground, ghostly blue flames rising from their bodies...

Vahn's primary focus had been on Circe but, before he realized the transition, he suddenly found himself in complete darkness as an icy cold voice echoed in his ear, "I was wondering what kind of man had corrupted my daughter so..." Then, in a completely different, yet equally icy tone, another woman's voice echoed, "To think the instrument of the World would take such a form...", followed by a third voice adding, "Even so, to profane our daughter is not a slight grievance..."

Though Vahn felt as if he could easily break through the restrictive force binding him, he chose not to offend the voices and simply stated, "It was never my inte'". Before he could finish speaking, his words were cut off by mysterious energy flowing into the flesh around his mouth, binding it shut by erasing it completely. This caused his brain to buzz, complete with the cool sensation from his head immediately intermingling with the warmth flowing from his Soul. He never liked when people just did whatever they wanted, especially God's who imposed their wills on others. If not for the fact he had promised Circe not to intervene, he would have broken free in an instant after being slighted in such a way...

This time, instead of three voices speaking in turn, each synchronously stated, "We do not care in the least what kind of excuses you have prepared. Your conviction, love, and determination, mean less to us than the lives of the worms beneath the dirt." As these words echoed, an aged woman wearing a cloak that seemed to be formed from pure darkness walked into Vahn's view. She had raven black hair, an easy comparison to make as there was a large raven perched on her shoulder, while a large ghostly horse followed closely at her side. Her eyes burned like amethyst flames amidst a face filled with wrinkles while, in her hands, a crooked scepter played perch to a white snake that coiled around its length...

Walking forward until she was just a few meters from Vahn, the woman he assumed to be Hecate kept her ghostly eyes trained on him as she stated, "Know this, foolish boy. We do not resent you for coming to love our daughter, nor would we reproach her for finding someone she truly loved. What infuriates us is that you would treat our most cherished student as nothing more than a middling chambermaid! You surround yourself with women as if they were trophies, purporting to love them all? Preposterous! Even if love is something that can be shared between multiple people, the path you walk will always lead towards tragedy. We do not want our daughter to be corrupted by your influence..."

As she spoke, Hecate continued to emanate a great amount of pressure but, while her aura was considerably stronger than his own, Vahn was able to bear it. He kept his eyes focused as she spoke, waiting for her to finish her diatribe before shaking his head in admonishment. This seemed to be conveyed properly as, seeing the look on his face, Hecate's expression turned dark as she raised her scepter toward him. However, even though the white snake seemed ready to strike, Hecate's eyes began to flicker before her entire figure vanished moments later...

---

While Vahn had come face-to-face with a powerful old Crone, Circe had been lowering her head to an exceptionally beautiful woman, one near and dear to her heart. Like the Crone, she had glowing amethyst eyes and raven black hair that extended past her waist. Instead of an aged and weathered appearance, she also had unblemished white skin, even though the only visible surfaces were her face, neck, and the deep-v that displayed her ample cleavage. Her facial features were not all that dissimilar to Circe's, albeit with a touch of maturity, while her figure was both conservative yet curvaceous at the same time. Unlike the Crone wearing long hooded robes, she was wearing a dark purple dress that seemed to twinkle with starlight and a fur-adorned mantle that covered the entirety of her shoulders as a three-headed white dog nuzzled against the kneeling Circe...

With her cold expression having turned into a pitying gaze, Hecate gingerly ran her fingers through Circe's pink hair. This caused the blood that had dyed her scalp to evaporate as the wound on her head quickly healed over, albeit without her winged adornment. At the same time, in a voice that was both gentle and soothing, Hecate stated, "It pains us to see you like this, Circe...that man is not worthy of you. Come, it is long past time since you returned home..." Though the Greater Grail was indeed very powerful, that didn't mean the summoning was without flaws. Hecate knew that, so long as Circe's anchor to the world was broken, her fragmented soul would return to the Reverse Side of the World once again, allowing this troublesome affair to fade with the passage of time...

Shaking her head without any hesitation, Circe turned her eyes up at Hecate, stating in a resolute tone, "This is my decision to make...I could have given myself to Vahn long ago...I'm only doing this because I care for you, Great Mother. You sheltered me against those fiendish Gods who saw me as nothing more than a prize to be gained. No matter how much time passes, I can never repay you for the kindness and grace you had shown me..."

In response to her daughter's words, Hecate's face formed into a deep frown, concern clearly visible in her eyes as she countered, "We always believed you were the most talented of our students. How can we allow you to give up everything we granted you for the sake of a man who does not even hold you in the most cherished part of his heart? Even a common fisherman would be better than a licentious man who can never understand the weight of your sacrifice...!"

Once again shaking her head, Circe stated with even greater resolution than before, "You are wrong, Great Mother. I have toyed with thousands of men, flirted with dozens of Gods, and attended several Heroes. None of these men have been able to leave as deep an impression on my heart as Vahn. It doesn't matter if I cannot occupy the largest part of his, as the most important thing is my feelings for him. If I did not seize this opportunity, I would regret it for the rest of my short life..." Knowing there was a chance that Hecate might take her back, Circe wanted to make it very clear that even this would not change her heart...

Before Hecate could form a response, her eyes began blazing as an incredulous expression marred her otherwise perfect face. At the end of Circe's statement, she opened her wings to reveal that, instead of the familiar golden sheen, a layer of blood had covered much of the interior. Then, before she was able to stop her, Hecate watched the winged ornament she had given Circe thousands of years prior simply slough off her body. This caused the latter's back to become completely covered in blood but, despite the immense pain she must have been in, Circe kept a resolute expression as she bowed her head again, bringing her hands together as she murmured, "Please..."

Feeling greater regret than Circe herself, Hecate gently placed her palm against the former, causing the vicious wound on her back to quickly heal. Now, the only thing granting Circe any power was the core that had been implanted in her w.o.m.b, serving as both her divine spark and the last vestiges of her immortality. If it were removed, she would be nothing but a mortal woman, albeit with a more powerful Soul.

Releasing a profound sigh, Hecate raised Circe's chin, seeing the immense anguish in her eyes, not due to the pain she was feeling, but the worry she had about being separated from the man she loved. This caused Hecate's heart to feel pained as, if it were almost anyone else in such a situation, she would not have hesitated to either kill or cripple the other party. Circe, however, was the person she was most proud of, to the point she had even contended against several Gods to protect her. It was incredibly frustrating to learn that, despite the fact they had retreated to the Reverse Side of the World, her most cherished daughter had fallen in love with a man on the Surface...

Though she swore in her heart to curse Vahn's entire lineage if he betrayed her daughter, Hecate produced a pained yet kind smile as she bent down and kissed Circe's forehead. As she pulled away, a wispy blue trail followed along with her, appearing like vapor as it coalesced in Hecate's mouth. Then, after swallowing the clump of mystical energy, she explained, "We strip you of your knowledge regarding the arts..." before kneeling before Circe and placing her palm above her w.o.m.b. This time, Circe's face morphed into one of extreme pain as the crest engraved beneath her navel ignited into a wispy blue flame that quickly coalesced into a pale-gold sphere of light. With another sigh, Hecate placed the sphere of light into a hand lantern that had appeared out of thin air, stating, "We strip you of your immortality...".

Despite the fact she was in enough pain that she wanted to cry out and beg for a reprieve, Circe did her best to resist, clenching her teeth so tightly that her gums began to bleed in some areas. It was fortunate that the ordeal was largely over as, with visible regret on her face, Hecate placed her palm against Circe's chest, adding, "From henceforth, you will carry your love as both a blessing and a curse...it will continue to grow until it threatens to consume you...if that man cannot bear the burden of your love, you will both meet a tragic end...I pray that you do not regret your choice..."

The moment Hecate gave her warning, Circe's mind faded into darkness as her body fell limply into the Goddess' embrace. At the side, the three-head dog began to whine pitifully, causing Hecate to release another sigh as she remarked, "What a tragedy...to think I would lose my precious daughter to a man who could never appreciate her sacrifice...haaaa..." After saying this, though it was custom to destroy the divine spark that had been relinquished by a Demigod, Hecate safely stowed Circe's away in her sleeve. In truth, Circe's actual body was still back on the Reverse Side of the World, albeit in a statuesque state, so she intended to implant the divine spark back in its rightful place if Vahn ended up breaking her daughter's heart...

After removing her mantle and laying it across the ground, Hecate laid Circe's n.a.k.e.d body onto the comfortable and warm surface before staring down at her figure with a pitying gaze. While vowing to never make another exception, Hecate picked up the winged adornment, still covered in blood, before changing it into a feather-adorned robe. She then laid this across Circe's body, preventing the frigid cold from invading her vulnerable figure before turning away and shaking her head. Then, as the light of the moon slowly returned to normal, accompanied by its rapidly shrinking size, Hecate vanished in a cloud of blue flames, taking the hundred surrounding blue wisps lingering above the corpses of the lambs with her...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Never forget...*proceeds to rip wings out of head*','Old Crone or Beautiful Maiden?','Circe's Resolve : Hecate's Lament')

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