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Anna, Elisa, and Monica couldn’t believe their eyes. After more than a year since Elayne had died, she stood before them—alive. Of course she looked strikingly different: taller now, even more voluptuous and curvaceous, embodying a true fertility goddess in the literal sense. Her hair was green like her Planta Avatar, and vines and flowers coiled around her naked, clear, brown-skinned body. It was as if she had rged with Planta, yet not exactly.
Despite the uncanny resemblance, certain details set her apart from the Elayne they rembered. Her skin, for one, was now a rich, sun-kissed brown—far from the pale complexion she had always had.
"But how is this possible?! Is this so kind of illusion?! Elena, what the fuck is going on? Are we dreaming? Is this a dream?! It is, right?! IT’S A DREAM!"
"No, no, wait!" Elena said quickly. "I also thought... I also thought it was a dream at first, but this is reality. Mom... I don’t know how to explain it properly, and I’m not sure I even understand everything myself. Apparently in this country there’s sothing happening—it’s like... a hidden Holy War."
"What?" Elisa asked, glancing between Elena and Elayne. "E-Elayne... Are you really real?"
"It’s ," she nodded with a gentle smile. "But I’m not sure if I’m all of ."
"...?" Elisa and Monica stared at her in confusion, then turned back to Elena.
"What do you an by a Holy War?" Anna asked. "We weren’t told any of this before...! D-Did you get dragged into it by accident?"
"Yeah," Elena muttered. "I... um, I don’t fully get it either. Mom, can you explain to us? Please?"
"Okay. The mont I was summoned, a lot of information was granted to ," Elayne said.
"B-By who?" Monica asked.
"By the World," Elayne explained. "You see... the Heroic Holy War is a special type of war led by several magus families—a ritual of sorts. It requires specific materials to manifest. First, an area rich in energy, especially Mana and Spiritual Energy, with large, active Ley Lines—or Dragon Veins—running underground. Right below Tokyo lies a massive network of these rivers of pure essence, deeply rooted in this country. Through this source of energy, a vast formation activates across the selected zone where the holy war begins."
"Wait, does that an you cannot step out of this domain?" Elena asked.
"I can, but over ti I will need to return to replenish my energy," Elayne replied. "Anyway, as I was saying, this Holy War is a ritual practiced for centuries. It is a special ceremony in which the Holy Grail—a Divine Artifact born from the World itself—is gradually ford by gathering Seven Heroic Spirits. As the Heroic Spirits slay one another, their Spiritual Power and Souls concentrate in the Vessel for the Holy Grail: a designated holy person, usually a descendant from a specific line of successors. Once a victor is declared, the Master and their Heroic Spirit receive the Holy Grail’s power, the ability to make one Wish. Anything."
"A-Anything?!" Anna gasped.
"W-Wha... I can barely keep up. Please slow down with the explanations..." Elisa sighed, groaning as she rubbed her forehead.
"This is so fascinating," Monica said with a gentle smile. "So it’s really you? B-But... how? And Heroic Spirits? What are they?"
"Heroic Spirits are exactly what the na suggests: Spirits summoned from the dead heroes of humanity’s myths and history. It could even include gods themselves, though since the 1800s Holy War in France over two hundred years ago, the rules have changed. It has been permanently banned to summon divine beings as Heroic Spirits," Elayne explained.
"B-But where do they co from? How does this make any sense at all? All the magic we’ve learned has never ntioned any of this," Anna said. "I’ve been studying Summoning and Invocation magic this entire ti and there was nothing like this in the books..."
"Well, seeing what the prize is, it’s obvious they would keep it all secret..." Elisa said, rubbing her chin as her mind sharpened. "But... where do they originate from?"
"This World has a Soul—a Realm of its own. Within that Realm exists sothing called the Divine Records, where all things are stored," Elayne said. "It is... kind of like the DNA of the planet itself, and also a ans to store how to recreate itself if... if the world were to end and needed to be reborn on another barren planet."
"HUH?!" The explanation only made things seven tis more complicated and confusing for everyone.
"Sorry, I don’t fully understand what that even ans myself," Elayne sighed. "This entire ritual tampers with the Natural Laws of the Planet’s Soul—an ancient practice, mostly forbidden by many organizations and hidden from plain sight. The Church once battled against it and eventually reached an agreent with the Magus Association to regulate it. The Vatican always sends observers and enforcers to ensure the rules are never broken."
"Oh..." Elena murmured. "Um, okay... So... where exactly did you co from, Mom? I thought you... you died? You were dragged to the Netherworld? Isn’t your soul there? Was it sowhere else?"
"Hmm, it’s hard to explain," Elayne admitted. "The last thing I rember is my death... I have no mories of the Netherworld. I can only assu I died and my soul either wandered aimlessly or... was destroyed. I cannot say for certain. I’m sorry, dear."
"..." Elena sighed and looked down. She felt her mother’s warm hand rest on her own, offering a small asure of comfort.
"I can only say this: Heroic Spirits are summoned from the Divine Records of this World. History and mythology are materialized using catalysts, then drawn through the Ley Lines and the World Soul itself to bind them to their Masters," Elayne continued. "Heroic Spirits have classes: usually Assassin, Saber, Berserker, Archer, Rider, Lancer, or Caster. However, there are also special exception classes that rarely manifest because they go beyond the rules—Foreigner, Ruler, Avenger, Savior, and so on. I am an anomaly in this Holy War. I wasn’t supposed to be summoned at all. A Holy Grail can only sustain seven Heroic Spirits at most, yet I am the eighth—Ruler."
"So that’s how it is..." Elena said. "But wait, Mom—are you a hero of history? T-That’s... I an, you did sacrifice yourself for us... and you’ve done so much to protect the world—yeah, okay, maybe you really are qualified. I never imagined that."
"I guess I am," Elayne nodded. "But... my Spirit Origin isn’t just the Records of Elayne. As I said earlier, I was summoned not only as Elayne but also as ’Gaia Mater.’ I am a Fragnt of the Primordial Titan of Life, Nature, and Earth from Greek mythos. This was likely done to enrich my Spirit Origin—my human records alone weren’t enough to fully materialize. At the sa ti, summoning gods is one of the major taboos of the Holy War... But I suppose Elena found so kind of loophole. I can tell I am not entirely a goddess, yet I possess many divine powers. One thing I’ve noticed is that I have no true physical vessel."
"Huh? W-What does that an?" Elena asked.
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