New Beginnings

[Nisorin]

A portal opened up into what looked to be a forested region of the Outerverse, with Hikaru and Celestie walking out of it. The moment they're out of the portal, Celestie grabs Hikaru by the wrist and starts teleporting the two to random locations over the Outerverse, to slow down any would-be trackers. After a good thirteen teleportations, she stops and sets up a three-layered sound displacement dome around the two, with an added anti-telepathy barrier surrounding the outermost layer. "Alright, you wanted a way to be rid of Lucifer's bindings, right?"

[Orph]

Appearing in a flurry of atoms Ararus stood next to Hikaru, staring at the ground with what seemed to be rapidly decaying eyes. His once brilliant violet eyes were now dull and lifeless, it seemed as if he was blind. "It would've been far more effective if you created a counter-clockwise spinning vortex at your first teleportation, it would scatter their atoms as they tried to follow you. As well as create two different signatures." Koty informed, still drilling a hole into the ground with his seemingly blind eyes.

[Queen Bright]

Catching her breath, Hikaru staggered slightly. The many teleportations was something she hadn't expected so quickly. Silently nodding to Celestie, before she could answer, however, Koty had arrived by them. Glancing to the God, Hikaru could sense something, but she wasn't sure what. Startled by the lifeless expression he held, she turned back to looking at Celestie. For as long as Hikaru had known Koty, he had never seemed this way, and it confused her. Nodding again to Celestie, she finally replied. "Yes, if possible. You said you had a way?"

[Nisorin]

Rechecking her barriers, just to be safe, Celestie stares for a few seconds at Koty's eyes. "You are the father, correct?" She asks, pointing at Hikaru's stomach. "Of the child growing inside her?"

[Orph]

"Yes." Koty responded, blinking before took a small step towards Hikaru. He seemed confused and frightened. Reaching out with his hand he grabbed her elbow, turning he head he looked at Hikaru.. Looked wouldn't really be the word, but his eyes were on her. "I can't see.." He muttered solemnly, turning away to once to look at the ground. "Lets get this done with as soon as possible," The God stopped for a second. "I can't lose her in the tournament."

[Nisorin]

"You are a mage, use your magic for your sight." Celestie says, widening the dome a bit. "And I hope to give you a way to not have to bother with the tournament to begin with." She adds, turning back towards the two and smiling. "Orion."

[Queen Bright]

"Orion?" Hikaru questioned. Looking back at Koty, she couldn't help but think something was wrong. Blind? How could a God become blind? A bit shaken up from the realization of this, Hikaru attempted to focus back on Celestie. Her own life was at stake after all, but still... Hikaru may act like she cares for no one. But at this point, anyone could tell she was lying. "Perhaps it's not best to do what you have in mind at this moment in time..," she added.

[Orph]

"Despite all my power, I cannot seem to see, but we must act now. Or it will be to late." Ararus replied, slipping his hand down near Hikaru's before taking hold of her hand. He was trembling. Ararus, Koty, whatever you call him. He was a God, and he was trembling. "I've heard the name.. But I doubt it's meaning is the same as the one I know. You couldn't possibly be talking about her..him..it.." The Blind Divinity muttered to himself, waiting for Celestie to explain herself.

[Nisorin]

She smiles and looks towards the sky. "Orion, called the Great Hunter by humans. They say gods gave him his place amongst the stars, but they neglected to mention that there was more than one man named Orion." She replies, projecting an image of the Earth's night sky onto the interior wall of the dome, with the constellation circled. "That Orion is not the one I speak of. I mean Orion Leris. He and his wife Celta were the first to attempt to merge completely with each other, not only enabling themselves to truly be together even in death, but to no longer be held by the bonds of time." She explains, pointing to a pair of stars that overlap each other. "These two created the Orias rituals, and the Orion path. It is a series of seven separate rituals fueled by the romantic and protective feelings of Love, merging the two over time. The merge is so complete that, by just the second ritual, the two partners' Orbs of Recognition merge. This can create various new colors, including one that will allow passage through Hell without Lucifer binding you. Assuming, of course, you don't make a deal with him after the second ceremony." She continues, looking over at Koty. "Yours, I would assume, is blue, as your human form is still currently alive. Hikaru's however is red, as she has done a deal with Lucifer. Should you two reach the second stage, your orbs will meld to produce a single, purple orb. That will end Hikaru's bond to Lucifer, and allow her to escape his clutches."

[Queen Bright]

Hikaru could feel the God trembling beside her. It was something that completely perplexed, confused, and even went as far as to cause her to feel sad for him. To her, Koty had always seemed the brave one. Back int he crusade battles, he'd been the best battler, she would admit, and had been the one to truly defeat the Anrufe at that time. Sure he had, had his moments of weakness, but she had helped him through those, but now, could the god who was so powerful to even frighten the other guardians, really be trembling? Distracted with this, Hikaru found it harder to focus on the words and explanation of Celestie. Continuing to hold Koty's hand, she moved closer to the God child, giving him a small hug of reassurance, before responding to Celestie.

"How long do the first of these two rituals take? Even now, we've been gone a while, too long, and we might be called back forcefully....And the methods required to go through?"

[Nisorin]

"Both ceremonies are four hours long each. I'm sure Lucifer wouldn't expect things to take less than a day. He probably won't care, or even notice, the first ceremony but the second he most definitely will. We'll need a distraction that will pry his attention for at least four hours for the second ritual. The first one is always interesting though. You get to switch bodies." She replies, looking the two over.

[Orph]

Switch bodies? How would she get by since he is blind?  But the seal..my power..Could she withstand that? Ararus thought, thousands of things could go wrong. But the thoughts slowly faded away, leaving nothing but a serene fear.. A calm apprehension. He stopped trembling, standing to his full height he raised his head and looked Celestie in the face with his blind eyes. The air around him changed, he wasn't afraid anymore, he couldn't be afraid anymore. He didn't have the luxury, he had to be brave. Had to push through..if just for her. He looked like the God he was, his blind eyes seemed to brighten a little, he appeared to be taller, stronger, just plain better.

"When can we start?"

[Nisorin]

"As soon as the two of you are ready. The ritual focuses on reliance and trust, Koty will cast the spell to remove Hikaru's spirit and soul, while Hikaru will cast the spell to remove Koty's spirit and soul. Then I, the Guide, will cast the spells that will bind you to your partner's bodies, and automatically return you to normal once the four hours is completed. Any seals or other magical bindings, unless they were cast specifically on the body, will transfer with you. For example, the seal on Koty that binds him to a mortal body will transfer with him." She explains, trading glances between the two prospective Orien.

[Queen Bright]

Caught off guard, in her still flowing thoughts about what was wrong with Koty, Hikaru gave a slight jump at Celestie's last statement. Switch Bodies? Was that even possible for the two of them? As a sage, Hikaru could do it anytime, but with Koty... was it safe? Could a god who was truly immortal, really switch bodies with a sage who was immortal only by mortal standards?

With the ritual requirement that Celestie had given still going through her mind, Hikaru just barely noticed that Koty had stopped strembling. He seemed more intimidating now, like all the times in front of the guardians, yet at the same time not in a threatening way. She didn't know if this was real, and the fears he had, had were now forgotten. Or it was a facade and they were still there. Whichever it was, Hikaru could now see, that this ritual was not going to be as easy as she had originally thought.

This wasn't just a ritual to help both of them, and it wasn't something they could take lightly. What was the word Celestie had said? Partners? The very meaning of the word meant more then she had given it credit for. It meant devotion, and caring, two things she had long ago given up. Those feelings, she had purposely abandoned, those many years ago... They had returned with the caring of Koty, having him under her care, even for the short time it was, and seeing his hardships... It had brought all of them back.

Though even if it was true, as proud as she was, Hikaru had always refused to admit it. To everyone around, and even to herself. But now? Doing this ritual, meant giving in, it meant admitting to herself as well, that those emotions never were truly gone. And it meant showing everyone, even Koty himself, that she cared. Now she knew, this ritual was nothing to take lightly, no, not at all. This ritual would reveal the truth to all, including the two themselves.

Hikaru could only keep these thoughts for a moment more, as time was running out, and hesitation was something that could not be afforded. Finding her words again, Hikaru spoke up. Talking to Koty, but her eyes still on Celestie, "Is there anything that would make this easier for you? More familiar location, or anything?"

[Orph]

"I would very much prefer to do this within Nox, but seeing as we are performing a ritual which moves souls it would not be safe.. Therefore I suggest Magimeta, we'll be safe there from any sentient creatures, but not from the native fauna." Koty announced, with no noticeable physical movement a portal was gashed into existence next to them. It didn't look like a normal portal, it was instead a large wound in the fabric of reality, it was powerful and complex to make. It was something that couldn't be traced by those who didn't understand the nature of Reality. On the other side of the gash was a beautiful prairie, what seemed to be a cow like creatures were grazing off the bright blue grass.
"I've always thought that this world was amazing to behold, but underneath all the materialistic beauty it's a disgusting thing, if you know what it truly is.." Koty muttered to himself, commenting on the world that he may never see again.. He knew well what was causing his blindness, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Hikaru. It would bring needless worry and panic, and he had seen enough of her in pain.

Pain?

Here he was, a God exiled from his home, his only Family, his true calling.. And he was worrying about someone else's pain. Someone else's grief, sometimes he'd see her remember something from her past. Little things would just jog them and make them flow like an unstoppable flood, she'd seem fine to anyone else. But he knew, he knew what she was going through. His thoughts were shattered as he felt the familiar sting of the chains wrapping around his heart, their sharp ends jabbing into his spinal cord, and piercing his intestinal wall..They were prone to move more radically when he became emotionally unstable, tightening around his soul till the point were he wanted to cry out in pain. His hand tightening around hers he smiled a weak smile, it was for appearances only.

"Lets go..Heh, partner." He joked, finding the word both amusing and comforting at the same time.. Just like the chains squirming through his body were both his curse, and his saving grace.

[Nisorin]

"Alright. I'll be keeping a look out for anything that may seem dangerous." She says, looking between the two before taking the lead into the portal. "If there's anything about your body that you think the other should be aware of, like an old would that flares up occaisionally, now would be a good time to speak up. I have taken battlefield medical magic courses, so I'll be able to at the very least dull most pains."

[Queen Bright]

As she was just about to walk with him,  she felt the feeling of his hand tightening around her own. Koty looked fine on the outside, But Hikaru was no fool, and could see through it. Just the slightest change in movement had given it away. Something was wrong, and she knew it. Hikaru could see it in the smile he gave, to the outsider it would seem normal. But she knew the signs, the change of movement, the smile; they were all signs of hiding something, signs of weight on the mind. The signs she knew all too well.

Hearing the words of Celestie, but barely paying attention, all of Hikaru's attention was now on Koty. Glancing up at him, Hikaru could no longer hide her thoughts or her empathy. "Koty, is there something wrong? If there is something bothering you, please tell me. As your guardian... no, As your partner, I want to help you. Whatever it is you're going through, you don't have to do it alone."

Even Hikaru didn't know her own words at this point. They were things she had never said, things she had refused to say. Emotions she had buried so deep, that for a while they had went as far as to become non-existent. For her to be saying things like this, it was something that was a shock to even her. And yet, it felt right to say such things.  The emotions of caring, empathy, feeling for someone else than just yourself. It was one of humanities, sage, and almost every other races greatest strength as well as weakness. The right to care, it could both be a burden, one you would want to cast off, and at the same time, be the one thing to help another. And just as before, when her words had come without effort, Hikaru felt her words weightless this time as well.

"As before, Koty. We're in this together, and if there is a pain, or something troubling. I will be there. Even if the other guardians had voted to seal you again. I would have found a way to unseal you.  I may not be as strong as you are, and you have protected me more than anything. But I will return the favor, and protect you."

[Orph]

"It's..it's just the seal. You've seen how it works back in the original crusades, it was just acting up." Koty muttered, looking at her with a reassuring smile on his face. He didn't want her to feel guilty because of him, what she did was both terrible and wonderful. It sealed a mad God in human form, but by sealing that God in human form it gave that God a choice. When he was a God he didn't have the luxury of choice, his power and nature ruled his mind and only allowed that which was him. But now, now he was a man, albeit a powerful man, but a man all the same. With all the curses and blessings that brings upon him.

Quickly pulling her into an embrace his lips made contact with her, he wanted to make sure that she didn't think about the seal or the chains for long. And this was a good way of distracting her.. He knew that she was a inexperienced when it came to these sort of things, but as was he. Even in his various incarnations love was never an option for him, not until he met her. Slowly pulling away he looked her square in the eye, his eyes now even brighter then before, but they were still blinded by whatever force was causing this to him. They were almost the brilliant violet that brought the fear into the hearts and minds of the Anrufe, Lucifer, the Arch-Angels, even his Brother.

"I know you would of released me.. I would of killed the Devil himself just to see you safe again, but luckily for him we've found a less violent way." Koty replied, grabbing her hand once again as he lead her through the portal.