Hare of Misfortune

The fallen creation deity truly seemed like a good mother, reminding Rachel of the times her mom had done the same before school and teaching her how to present herself properly. Done fixing Nia’s outfit, she prompted the quivering Hell Bun to sit.

”Six hours released, eighteen hours in rest.”

”Sleep included?” Rachel swiftly asked.

”Indeed.”

Her teeth flashed, holding up a hand for the thrilled girl to slap. ”Not bad, huh?!”

”Yes! Yes! Wait...” Nia froze in place. ”Does that mean...I get double the outfits?!”

Rachel lifted an eyebrow. ”I...guess it does; well, not storage capacity, but Mom will definitely love to get you more clothes to fit a child and an adult. At least until Maria is strong enough to break that curse... We’ll probably have to pay a hefty amount, though, considering her profit mindset. I do have an upfront payment, at least.”

Nia wasn’t listening now, jumping out of her chair to dance around. ”Aaah! Wooh! I get cute girly clothes and grown-up clothes! Oh, oh, sorry, Dolfo! We’ll figure out a way to break that five-minute curse, too! No! I got it! We’ll hold a witch hostage, tie her up over a big pot of water, and threaten to poof her unless she gets rid of the curse! Hehehe.”

”Dream big,” Rachel snickered, leaving the girl to her childish, imaginary machinations. ”Are all Legend Quests like this, with rewards and stuff?”

”Hmm-hmm. No,” the Hell Lady mused. ”Your favorite lesser god manipulated things in this light. Typically, rewards are far more geared toward the quest itself than this selection process. It is his moronic manipulations of the preset tournament that were the cause of me changing things in the last match to use the other pantheons to supplement what energy was lost from the previous rounds.”

”Impressive. Is that everything?” she asked, glancing around the filthy riverscape. ”I have a needy little blood-sucker to check up on.”

Izanami held up a finger with a sly twinkle in her flaming eyes. ”I said I was not interested in begging you for space in that Seed of yours, yet that does not mean you did not make an impression on the other pantheons. One has stepped forward who has taken quite a liking to Nia specifically.”

”Oh?” Rachel hummed, spotting the girl’s puffed-up chest at doing a good job, begging for praise as her Chinese hanfu flashed into place. ”Who might that be?”

Motioning to the chair beside her, Rachel’s devilish smile grew as a beautiful, milky-skinned woman appeared, practically glowing with serene grace. With hair as black as night and lips like cherry blossoms, the graceful young lady’s stylish hair ornaments brought onlookers’ attention to her elegant face.

Smoothing out her long, flowing robes, she presented a sweet smile. ”Lady Izanami, Park-Sung-Hyo, I am Chang’e, the spirit of the moon and its grace. I reside within the 6th dimension and had the delight of meeting this lovely young outfit earlier. Your battle prowess is quite high for such a gentle soul.”

Nia took on a whole new persona, mirroring that of a classy young woman. ”Lady Chang’e, thank you for, umm, your pretty gift,” she said, probably unable to find the right word her adult self would know.

”It is pleasant to see such a magnificent bunny of the moon, Nia.” She covered her mouth with her sleeve while displaying a soft laugh that lit up Hell. ”I suspect that you were fashioned by a version of myself, yet far more skilled than these clumsy hands.”

Rachel’s questioning eyes darted to Izanami, who snickered and gave Chang’e a light glare. ”What is she talking about?”

”Secrets should be bargained for, and here I let you have an angle of attack that you squandered.”

”Apologies, Lady Izanami,” the young woman whispered, showing a womanly poise, ”but I am not here to gain anything from Rachel. Your rescue of Nike in the face of an opponent so far above you that it cried absurdity was...breathtaking. I only wish I had been here to see it personally. I think I am becoming a fan of yours, Rachel, which is why I hope to persuade you to find balance.”

”I appreciate that,” Rachel said, still caught on the previous topic, ”but what do you mean, Nia was likely created by a stronger version of yourself?”

Izanami sighed and folded her fingers against her stomach. ”It is an...uncomfortable topic. While you mortals saw no change for nearly a century after we higher beings saw problems arise, we dealt with our own version of change. Numberless universes, in your finite mind, collided together...”

She waved her hand to show a dozen other clones on the ship as a short tug pulled against her soul; the Seed was starting to collapse, and she could feel it, yet the Hell Lady went on with her story.

”4th-dimensional to 7th... All versions of ourselves from many universes were smashed into one soul fragment, and only one of us could take the sole place available in this plane. It is where I received these scars on my face,” she whispered, the illusion fading again to show the closed, ugly gashes.

”Due to my superior knowledge and aptitude when at my prime, I stood victorious, yet I cannot be sure my children are even my children anymore... Then again, there is one thing I do know, and that is enough.” Facade returning, she held a hand toward Chang’e. ”What the Lady Moon brings into question are the versions of ourselves beyond the 7th dimension, where Dionysus was dragged. A chilling prospect for us.”

Rachel leaned back, folded fingers resting against her belly. The Izanami in front of her was the strongest version of her amongst countless universes, who had a similar figure, and they’d all battled to have a place within their universe, only to discover they were trapped between the 6th and 7th dimensions.

If it included the 4th, then that meant Dionysus was the strongest version of himself amongst all those universes. It also meant that all the gods would be suspicious of one another and had already been conditioned for combat. Athena’s inability to get the main three Greek gods on her side made sense now. A lot of trouble came from that understanding, and it put more into perspective regarding the incomplete pantheons that had watched her.

”The Heavens and Hells are in chaos, then... You don’t have anyone on your side...do you, Chang’e?”

The young woman looked away with a somber sigh. ”It is a loose non-aggression pact that...most are agreeing to follow as we discover how things will play out. I will say it is...disheartening to learn that throughout all those versions of myself, corrupted, fallen, and...haaa. It seems transcending to the 6th dimension is the highest I was ever able to reach.”

Even when a devil bunny, Nia’s eyes were big and watery at the goddess’ words. ”Please, Major, can we help her? She likes me. She probably made me.”

Nia... It could be a lie to get close to us, she mumbled. You need to understand that this innocent young woman is not so innocent. At the very least, she can handle herself if she battled...let’s say, a million clones of herself and came out on top.

”Oh... Oh, yeah, she’s a badass! We totally should recruit her!”

Haaa. You aren’t going to give up on this.

”She thinks I’m cute!”

I’m not going to win this one.