Twilight descended like velvet across the skyline of Orario.
The Tower of Babel stood as the tallest monument in the city, but nestled on the western edge of the upper levels stood another spire — Freya's Tower, a dark structure shaped like a blade of obsidian glass, cutting through the clouds.
Tsukihana stood at its base, alone.
She wore no armor, no weapons. Her long white kimono flowed like river mist, and her nine tails shimmered faintly behind her — half-visible, like a half-forgotten dream.
She had not knocked.
The door had opened the moment she arrived.
Floor 33.
A private salon. Marble floors. A wide balcony overlooking Orario's distant rooftops.
Freya stood by the open window, back to her guest, framed by moonlight. She wore a flowing black gown lined in violet, hair cascading like a waterfall of midnight. A porcelain teacup rested on the low table between two chairs.
"I'm glad you came," she said softly, without turning.
"I was curious," Tsukihana replied, stepping inside. "That, and I never pass up a well-brewed tea."
Freya turned, smiling. "Would you believe me if I said I brewed it myself?"
Tsukihana's eyes flicked to the cup. "I'd believe it was poisoned before I believed you boil your own water."
Freya laughed. "Fair."
They sat opposite each other — two queens, one of roses, one of foxfire.
Silence passed between them like wind between blades.
Freya took a sip. "The gods fear you."
Tsukihana sipped as well. "They should."
"I don't."
Tsukihana raised an eyebrow. "Then you haven't thought hard enough."
Freya leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "I've thought about you more than I should."
The statement hung in the air like perfume.
"You've been watching me," Tsukihana said, voice calm.
"Of course," Freya replied. "You entered my city wrapped in power I can't trace. You move through the Dungeon like a whisper in stone. And Ottar bowed to you without understanding why."
Tsukihana's expression didn't change. "Do you want an explanation?"
"I want a revelation."
"Do you want it because you're curious… or because you're afraid?"
Freya's eyes gleamed like starlight. "I don't know yet."
The moonlight caught Tsukihana's face, highlighting the faint shimmer of divine energy beneath her skin.
Freya set down her cup. "So tell me… who are you really?"
Tsukihana didn't speak.
She simply stood up, walked to the window, and looked out over Orario.
Then she raised her hand.
And with a snap of her fingers — soft, elegant, precise — the air shimmered.
Behind her, for a single moment, all nine of her tails became fully visible.
They unfurled like banners of silver flame.
And in the moment between heartbeats, Freya felt it.
The weight.
The pressure.
The memory.
She stood slowly. "That presence…"
"I am what the gods sealed," Tsukihana said. "What they chose to forget."
"Are you… a primordial?"
"No," Tsukihana said, turning to face her. "I'm what came after."
Freya stared, unblinking. "A goddess?"
Tsukihana's smile returned — not cold, not amused — but ancient.
"I am a Queen."
🕯️ Flashback: Ages Past
Before the gods descended. Before mortals rose.
There were forces in the world that shaped fate without needing names.
She had been one of them — or perhaps the one.
Draped in divine nature, wrapped in mystery, her realm was not heaven, nor earth, but something else. Something between.
And the gods had feared her, not for what she did — but for what she might become.
"Too powerful," they'd whispered.
"Too beloved," they'd hissed.
"Too free," they'd judged.
So they chained her. Buried her memory. Sealed her tails.
And now, she had returned.
🌹 Back to the Present
Freya stepped closer.
"You are the threat that the Heavens denied."
"And yet," Tsukihana said softly, "I offer no war. Only balance."
"You could destroy me," Freya admitted.
"I could."
"You could take Orario."
Tsukihana turned to the moonlight. "That's not my goal."
"Then what is?"
Tsukihana looked back — and in that instant, Freya saw not a woman, not a goddess, but a storm given shape and thought.
"I came here to live," she said. "To remember what was taken. To protect those who shine without needing divine favor."
Freya inhaled slowly.
"And if the gods try to stop you?"
Tsukihana's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Then they'll learn why the Dungeon bowed first."
🌒 Below the Tower…
In the deepest levels of the Dungeon, a heartbeat echoed.
Old.
Forgotten.
Resonating with the presence above.
Something woke.
🍵 Back on the Balcony
Freya stared into her empty teacup.
Then set it aside.
"I should be afraid of you."
Tsukihana smiled gently. "You should be careful. Fear implies I'm your enemy."
"And you're not?"
"That depends on how many more times you try to flirt with me."
Freya laughed, a soft and melodic thing. "Danger has never looked so… graceful."
"Careful," Tsukihana said, standing, "or I might start enjoying this."
She turned to leave, but paused at the door.
"Thank you for the tea," she said.
Freya bowed slightly. "Thank you for not breaking the tower."
Tsukihana smirked. "I considered it. But I liked the view."
Then she vanished.
No sound.
No trace.
Only nine motes of silver light, slowly fading in the breeze.
📜 Author's Note
Tsukihana has revealed part of her truth — and Freya is not only intrigued, but enchanted. What wakes in the Dungeon may soon wake in the hearts of gods.
Next Chapter:
The Guild begins investigating her records. Hestia has an argument with Ouranos. And Bell makes a decision that could change the party's future.