Chapter Twenty-Seven Duality of the Cycle

Hikaru shivered, still cold from his unplanned swim and now rather naked. His clothing and armor hung up to dry. He wasn’t entirely sure where they were either, the river had carried them a long way and down into a tunnel. The only thing he knew for sure was that they were somewhere in the Underdark now. The river had dropped them off on a shelf. Well, three of them anyway. He didn’t know what happened to Kuon, they lost track of him in the river.

Sighing, he worked the fire starter again and grinned when he was rewarded with sparks. Finally igniting the small amount of tinder they’d found. He spent the next couple minutes tending the fire till it was nice and burning, the heat welcome.

Task done, he turned to Polca. “How’s Eren?”

“Paralyzed, but alive. Unfortunately, we lost our antidotes to the river, so I can’t do anything for her.”

He glanced at the naked fox, normally the sight of her would get his blood pumping, but his rather exposed member stayed quite flaccid. Being with two naked girls would usually get him excited, but he just couldn’t get in the mood after what happened. “How long will she be like this?”

Polca sighed, “She received the full dose, Drava toxin lasts days, she should be able to move again in about nine, maybe ten, days.”

“Over a week?” he gave her a second look, “I...”

“I can keep her fed and hydrated. I’m more worried about Kuon.”

Hikaru looked out at the water. It was hard to say where the river had dropped him. They could only hope he was alright. Kuon had been in that heavy armor though, so he just hoped the man wasn’t at the bottom of the river somewhere. He wasn’t sure when they got separated however, as he’d been far too busy helping Polca keep Eren’s head above water. Given what had happened to that poor fox, she’d been first on his mind at the time. “Right, he’d been in that heavy armor. Think it...”

“Goodness no, Kuon had a few magic tools that would help. If need be, Kuon could have ditched the armor.”

Hikaru let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, “That’s nice to hear. Unfortunately, now we have to find him.”

Polca gestured towards the only path available to them. “Perhaps but I think we should head that way once we are warm and our clothes dry.”

“Beats another swim,” said Hikaru, “But got any idea how to find Kuon?”

“A few, but if those fail I told Kuon to wait for us at the Red Temple if we got separated. It seemed like a good place to meet up in such an event.”

“Not a bad idea,” he replied before turning back to the fire to add some fuel.

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Dressed, warm, and as rested as he could be after what happened, Hikaru adjusted Eren as the party made their way down a tunnel. Polca was in the lead, lighting the way with a magic light. They’d taken the time to take stock of their supplies, they’d lost everything they’d left at the inn, and even more supplies to the river. Not only had they lost their antidotes, but they’d lost potions, food, water, and their camping packs. Thankfully he still had his firestarter kit, Polca still had a few potions, and they had Eren’s camping pack which included a sleeping roll. 

Not ideal by any measure, but they had their lives and souls. A thought that reminded him of what they had left behind. Some hero he was, finding something like that and then running. His mind flashed to the dragon and the hard lesson he’d learned from being a plaything for two months. Sometimes the better part of valor was to fallback and prepare. Not that the thought made him feel better.

His mind wandered to Eren who he was now carrying. Hikaru wondered how much she was aware? This toxin the Drava used was pretty nasty. Being paralyzed for days must be like a living nightmare, but Hikaru had no idea how he’d comfort the fox. Yet he knew she was in there and awake, he could see that much in her eyes.

Pushing his thoughts aside he focused his gaze on their surroundings, the tunnel walls were worn, age old stone. Trickles of water ran down here and there, but the floor seemed worked, smooth like a road. Eventually they reached a turn, Polca studied the fork for a moment before choosing the right path, claiming either route was as good as the other and since they were lost he couldn’t argue.

This path sloped slightly upwards, so he hoped it would bring them to an exit. Instead he noted the walls started looking increasingly worked, stalactites and other water-induced features gradually vanished until they were all but gone. Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a wide open area, and on the far wall was a temple, two statues on either side of the grand doors.

On the left was a winged man, his features rugged yet distinguished. Scales covered his arms, and legs, more across the visible portions of his torso, the rest hidden under light clothing. Instead of feet he had the talons of a predatory bird. On the right was a woman, her features softer. She seemed motherly and regal at the same time, yet she almost seemed related to the man. She had the same scaled wings and matching scale patterns up her arms and legs. Beyond those features there was something about the face that made the woman seem to be a sister or something to the man.

“A temple? Here?” commented Hikaru.

“It’s to one of the High Gods, the God of Creation and Destruction, more commonly called either the God of the Cycle or the Goddess of the Cycle.”

“As interesting as that is, it doesn’t explain why there is a temple here.”

“No, but this could be a good thing. We should go inside, if we are lucky there might be a priestess in attendance. If not, we can always try praying for the goddess’s favor, you are a hero after all.”

“What does that have to do with anything? And I’m not much of a hero, more of a Failed Hero.”

She giggled, “Perhaps, but heroes can gain abilities by earning the favor of gods. The Goddess of the Cycle is a good choice, her champions have often been powerful.”

He thought back to the Soul Snatcher, “Think she could give me the power to deal with a Soul Snatcher?”

“Only one way to find out,” she said as she pushed open the old temple doors. 

He took one last look around before following her inside, noting the walls were covered with murals depicting naked women on the right, and armored men on the left. The panels depicted war, and destruction on the left, while on the right the women were depicted in acts of creation, some of them rather lewd. 

As they walked deeper into the temple he noted these themes of duality continued, all the way to the altar, where two statues stood, on the left the man, and on the right the woman. Oddly he felt there was something familiar about them, like he had seen them before. Not today, but in the past, yet he couldn’t place when.

Hikaru took a breath, “Why do they keep depicting this god as both a man and a woman?”

Polca replied, “The Goddess of the cycle is a force of duality, they can be either male or female depending on their moods, bringing with them a force for creation or destruction. They are also the ruler of all gods, they sit at the top of the pantheon.”

He just noted that down as he drew closer to the altar, “Well, I don’t see anyone here. So how do I gain their favor?”

“Just kneel before the altar and pray. If she answers you, you will have your answer.”

He sighed and looked around, noting the only place he could really put Eren down was on the altar. So that’s where he put her before kneeling down in front of it in prayer. Polca started to say something, but suddenly the altar glowed, light swept through the room and then suddenly they were elsewhere.

A winged woman who looked remarkably like Arlie was there to greet them, wearing something regal yet very revealing. It did little to hide her busty figure and her nipples showed through the thin fabric, yet the outfit had a holy vibe. She grinned, “Quite the unintended offering, giving me your paralyzed fox,” she said before laughing.

“Huh?”

“In this world, Altars are used mainly for offerings, but don’t worry I’m not the type to take what wasn’t intended. Although if she wants to be my priestess I won’t turn her away.”

“Um... thank you?”

Polca spoke, “I’m honored to meet you, and thank you for overlooking my comrade's error.”

The goddess gestured behind her, and then addressed Eren. “Young Eren, you can speak and walk now, but only in this space.”

Eren blinked then jumped up ecstatic, “I can move!” Then she frowned, “Wait? What do you mean only here?”

“I brought your minds here. Your bodies are still in my temple.”

“Are we safe?”

“Quite safe, we will have plenty of time for this chat. Now Hikaru dear, you wanted my blessing? You have it, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to reach out to me.”

He blinked, “Wait, what? That easily?”

“Easily is in the eye of the beholder, but the truth of the matter is you are already compatible with my power. For the choice of a champion, that is the most important metric. Second is I have taken your measure already. It is true you have failed before, but those failures shape you. You will grow, and your nature will send you into danger again and again. I know you won’t stand idly by while children are endangered. Now, one thing you should keep in mind is that as my champion, I expect you to act in a manner befitting a hero and to carry out missions on my behalf. Nothing I ask however will be beyond your capabilities.”

Hikaru did not know what to say. Words escaped him for a moment. So instead he asked a question, “Um, why do you look like Arlie?”

The winged woman smiled, “She’s my daughter, my blood flows through her veins.”

Polca exclaimed, “What!? She’s a demigod?”

“Of a sort, it would be more accurate to say that she is my mortal vessel and my priestess. Now speaking of her, I know you saw the Soul Snatcher. If you want to kill it, you will need her, she has, through my blessings, the firepower to kill it but she can do little for the husks.”

Hikaru spoke up, “Can they be saved!? Can I do something for them?”

A grin that unsettled him appeared on her face, “Why yes, there is something but not as you are. I have the perfect blessing for you.”

“Why do I have a feeling I won’t like it?”

“I’m sure your companions will love it. I know Polca especially enjoyed the other you,” said the goddess as she produced something. Handing it to Hikaru.

He took a look at the object in his hand, it was a sword. Perfectly fitted to his hand, the blade was pristine. It gleamed in the light, the metal a silvery blue, the edge looked incredibly sharp. It had a fair length to it as well, about eighty centimeters long. He noted the pommel and handle of the blade seemed to be forged of carved crystal hiding hues of swirling blue, green and purple. “What’s this?”

“A soulbound weapon; The Duality of the Cycle. That blade cannot be lost or stolen, and if it is destroyed in a battle, the weapon will restore itself with time. More importantly, it has two forms, just keep in mind that it also transforms the user when you switch between forms.”

“Transforms the user?” That feeling he didn’t like grew, a lump forming in his belly.

“You’ll understand how when you use it. Right now it is in its destruction form. Its creation form is that of a staff perfectly suited for controlling magic, you will also be transformed into a magic user. I can help you with your spellwork to a degree but you will need a teacher. Polca here will be able to teach you the basics.”

Polca grinned, “that sounds fun.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

“Sure, the Duality of the Cycle channels divine energy, right now you can only store enough to use its transformation spell three times in a day. That energy will slowly recharge within you when you rest and your capacity will increase as our bond grows. Also, each form of the weapon contains a divine spell, that you can activate when you desire, but that will use up a transformation to use it. In Destruction form, you can use Dragonflame Strike. It is a powerful spell that channels the destructive energies of a dragon’s breath into your strike. The spell can wound the Soul Snatcher, but with your current strength you won’t be able to kill it before you run out of uses.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Hikaru.

Eren came back over, “So, um, could you heal my paralysis? I don’t want to be paralyzed longer, it has been a pain already.”

The goddess giggled, “I could, but I have no need to do so. Hikaru will be able to do that. All Hikaru has to do is switch to Creation form, and use the other spell I was about to describe. The second divine spell you’ll have access to is the Sun’s Healing Light, a healing spell of the highest order, it can heal any wound, resurrect even the recently dead, and cure almost any affliction be it physical or magical.” Then she let out a breath, “It won’t, however, restore a husk. It can’t replace the lost soul, but when you bring the Soul Snatcher down, you shall plant your staff in the ground and offer a prayer up to me. I will take care of the rest.”

Hikaru nodded, just as Eren hugged him, whispering into his ear. He blushed.

“Now one last thing, if you get pregnant you won’t be able to switch back,” said the goddess as she vanished.

“Wait!” he cried out only to find himself back in the temple’s altar room kneeling before Eren. Only now he had the Duality of the Cycle clasped in his hand, blade piercing the ground. Polca stood a step behind him with a hand on her chest.