Arrival

[Amaterasu]

To someone with a background from a modern world, Omni's gesture would have looked more like a "Pull my finger" practical joke. To Fiara, it was what Omni offered her. "Of course I want to... those are..." She hesitated for a moment, then her expression became determined and serious. "Those are my memories. Even if it means I have to remember my own death, I want them back." Gingerly she reached out and their fingertips touched.

A flood of visions, impressions, feelings and thoughts washed over her that moment, but though their sheer number seemed overwhelming they cleanly arranged themselves into her brain like film strips to be viewed at a later date. The impressions she had were fleeting, an entire lifetime squeezed into less than a second. They were not meant to be experienced all at that time. Even the fleeting moments that coursed through Fiara's head could have driven a mortal insane by overwhelming their senses. Was the Smiling God to thank for that her brain did not short-circuit at the time? She never remembered to ask.

Waking up in the midst of a desert, it felt like she had been there all her life. Perhaps that was it. She knew what she had to do. Above her, written in the stars, the constellation of Moegami, the phoenix god of flames. Below, nothing but the evershifting sands, and a community in the distance. She had to find her. She had to find Amaterasu, and bring her to this desert.

Dante's Abyss. The chaotic beginning of it all. Arturia Pendragon, the knight-woman of the western lands, their meeting short yet informative. She had met Amaterasu. Friendly tones were exchanged. Then, the separation. She had never quite discovered what this all was about. Only that they had been stranded by some misfortune on an island where everything was hostile. Many had taken off, but the Plaguelord had stayed behind to lead the remaining ones. Him, and the red-skinned man... Vision was his name. Then, the attack, the cave collapse, the underground mine for raw Omnilium veins. Reuniting with Arturia for a brief moment, and with the ally she had made. And finally, her death only moments before the chance of rescue. What irony.

Fiara gasped and stumbled backwards, nearly falling over had it not been for Oki who, fortunately, was close enough to catch her before she could hit her head against Valhalla's ground and give Omni or his angel janitors a puddle of blood to clean up. She quickly regained her composure though and stood on her own two legs again, then, though shakily, bowed before Omni. "Thank you... I'll be sure not to lose them this time." Then she hurried back to Amaterasu. There was something important that she had to tell her, and she almost wanted to beat herself for having forgotten. Oki was left alone standing closest to the throne.

"Ah... it looks like it's my turn?" he asked and, in the same manner as the others, bowed before Omni and cleared his throat. "Unlike the others I did not come with a wish or request - I am quite satisfied the way things are for myself. But seeing how I am here, I suppose I should not squander a chance that may never present itself again, so... if I may ask a question. That black orb, it has caught my attention since we stepped into these halls... it seems oddly out of place in a hall of nothing but white and gold. Did someone other than you or... those winged humans bring it here?"