Munetsuchi

[Bloodedge]

According to Anais, something auditory would be best for her current setup of abilities. Ailen understood this well. One would always prefer the idea of keeping with an existing theme to avoid overcomplicating things; he was much the same. "I think that would be a wise decision. If you base it on something you already have a deep understanding of, it should cause you little to no issue when included. As my apprentice, you'll have an ever-expanding repertoire. You would do well to convert as many things as possible into whatever you're most comfortable with," he explained. In the meantime, Anais chose to access her status, presumably to utilize the experience she so recently obtained in bulk. Prior to looking, however, she addressed his concern over the failed lecture. It had apparently been a choice of hers to distract him. A calculated risk resulted in loss of knowledge, but it seemed there was a replacement of different knowledge instead. "Oh? So you were experimenting, were you? Interesting. Well, you did manage to do something I never thought possible. I haven't felt so overwhelmed since... either my very first experience, or my first meeting with my wife. Really, excellent work. You'll make anyone very happy to share their mana with you."

Luckily for Charlemagne, Sakura decided to drop the whole MILF thing. That was good, but why did it feel dangerous? Maybe it was nothing to worry about; he'd been having that feeling repeatedly today anyway. As for the Void influence, it had much to do with his physical reconstruction with Sakura as a base. She had taken that white-haired, corrupt form, and he linked himself to her afterwards. That made sense as well. Physically, he was indeed fine. Mentally, he'd have to be careful? Very well. He'd go forward attempting to keep himself from snapping emotionally, not thinking it would be much of an issue. "I like to believe I'm pretty good at keeping a level head. Well... I say that before I fly off the handle about something. Can I trust you to keep me in check? I know I've asked a lot of you already, but I'd also hate to put too much on the others," he said. True enough, he knew all things could be evil. Father An had been the ultimate symbol of holy power, and he proved himself evil in the end. Just the same, he now had confirmation of multiple demon-like power sources used for good. With these things in mind, he wouldn't be judging much else. "Yeah... I think I understand that pretty well now. I think my Skill evolved, too. Some sort of adjustment for all this new information has it working a little... differently. I can feel something evil inside you, but it's not coming from you as a person. Liv must be the same now. . ."

[Apollymi]

Anais received more advice as she prepared to think about how to use her new found knowledge and the advancement of her magical abilities. She would be receiving much from him in the future and figuring out how to use it within her own themes and likeness would be most useful. "Hai, I'll make sure to convert everything into forms I find comfortable for use~" Anais confirmed. What an interesting girl, this one was turning out to be. What more could she have done? Well, she managed a reasonable explanation which would keep the elf in her presence for blaming himself for their incomplete lesson. It seemed he was not upset at her for the liberties she'd taken in this case, and he seemed only interested that she'd decided upon such an experiment. What was more, he made the claim that she'd surprised him in a way that compared either to his first experience ever, or his first experience with his goddess wife. She was commended for her efforts. And well... praised in a way she hadn't expected. Ailen claimed anyone would be happy to share their mana with her, given those things. Surprise crossed Anais' face, and then it burned one of the brightest shades of red which aimed to challenge that of the leaves and the like. 'Yosh, we're showing out like goddesses and hot elf MILFs... definitely going to slut hell~' her internal monologue wouldn't let her off the hook. She'd immediately cut her eyes away but only after realizing the sincerity of his statements. "Arigatou gouzaimasu... Shishou," she murmured as she turned her gaze back towards her status. "WHAAA! Where fuck did five levels come from?!" she seemed to be eyeing her stats, and found that she had gained some five levels over the course of this day. HOW? "Ooops, gomennasai. I was just shocked, I didn't mean to swear... I just," she was suddenly flustered in ways that she didn't expect to be today.

In the meantime, Sakura had dropped her quest to find out information and was instead being asked to undertake a strange task. Charles, asked the lass to keep him in check emotionally? That was odd, she didn't expect that she would be asked to do such a thing. "You want me to do that? It seemed like the sort of thing you might want of someone you were closer to. I can be trusted to do it, if you wish to trust me..." she said in her apathetic way. Perhaps she was strange, but she still wasn't sure if she counted as this lad's friend, and it seemed an oddly intimate request for someone who couldn't be called close to him. As for the rest, it seemed that there were others in Charles friends who had similar connections to the Void. Liv, whoever that was, had a connection to evil that reminded him of Sakura. "Yes, it was quite aggressive initially. I trapped the most of it in my Dark Grail? Yes, I might like that name..." she said looking towards the cup. In turning her eyes towards it again, she felt as if a hand was laid against her upper back encouraging her to step forward so she would take a few steps towards it. Actually she walked all the way over and picked it up. That warm feeling continued and she found herself holding the cup and exerting her mana on it. In so doing a pool of darkness seemed to spawn beneath her and she smiled given its working ability. "I think I'm going to meet someone else now... wanna come, Char-kun?" she asked holding her unoccupied hand out to the lad. If he took said hand, he and she would find themselves in that infinite dark room facing a very interesting woman.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen nodded in response to the girl's affirmation. She'd be an interesting one to teach. In fact, she proved moment by moment her worthiness of receiving all knowledge he had. Ailen rarely even entertained the idea of taking an apprentice, knowing any he had would need to meet certain requirements. Anais seemed to fit most, even giving him no reason to believe she'd fail at the final hurdles. Moreover, she surprised the living hell out of him with her ingenuity. Ah, but she surprised more than the elf; she seemed to shock herself as well. After a short silence, there was a short, swearing outburst about five levels. Five? That number sounded small to Ailen, but he supposed their transfers were of a simpler variety. "Only five?" he wondered, scooting closer to the lass until their bodies were touching. In such close proximity, Ailen wrapped an arm around the elafia girl's torso, seemingly for the purpose of keeping close enough to view her status from a similar perspective. "Sou ka. I didn't realize your level was so high initially. I suppose five makes sense, considering. And don't worry about the swearing; I'm not that sort of elf," he added. "Were you expecting less experience?"

Charlemagne could easily place his mental stability in Sakura's hand, considering how she single-handedly took care of his physical and spiritual fortitude the day they met. Beyond that, there was a very firm reason he could trust her, despite Sakura's own disbelief in him doing so. "Well... after everything else that happened today, why shouldn't I? Who's closer to me than you right now?" he asked semi-rhetorically. With a hand to his own chest, Charlemagne took a moment of silence before continuing. "You know, if I stop for a minute... I can feel it. Right here. That's you, isn't it? Yeah. I trust you," he stated with a certainty unseen in the lad previously. There was also that hint of evil deep within Sakura, most of which she mentioned locking away in the more officially-named Dark Grail, but he wasn't too worried about that in her hands either. In fact, Charlemagne found himself watching curiously as she moved toward the item in question. Some dark pool spread from her location, and lo... she invited Charlemagne into it. Why not? He'd already been randomly dragged into the room of God; one could only assume this one led to the Void itself. Would he meet the lord of demons? Maybe. It was worth a shot, at the very least. "Even if I wanted to say it was a bad idea, it's not like I'll let you go alone ─ not after I put myself in your care. I'll go," he said, reaching out to take the lass's hand and... apparently be taken to a newfound location within the Void. . .

[Apollymi]

Anais... had been experiencing all manner of invasive thoughts this day, and they sadly wouldn't be ending any time soon. As she settled into her shock about her present leveling conundrum, her mentor settled in beside her. Well, beside was a bit of a loose term. He scooted in rather close, an arm thrown around her person as he aimed to see her status while she looked at it. The redness of Anais's face might never go away at this point. She could also hear the constant echo of her own heartbeat within her ears, it was literally pounding. Why was he so far in her personal space? Why was he so comfortable doing it? Why did she... like it? 'Hoh? He could be ours ya' know. He's so close he probably wouldn't think anything of you taking a few liberties!~' What the hell was with this internal voice? Her internal monologue was getting way out of control, and what about her mentor? How often would he invade her personal space like this, while thinking nothing of it? "Only five? Shishou, I haven't seen five levels at once since the first week I was Olga's Squire.... it's quite abnormal," she stated. "Besides, I didn't do anything that should have given me experience, why would I have..." a pause happened as she finished processing information. She got the experience from their interaction. Gaining his knowledge through sexual activity and the sexual activity itself. His level was likely way higher than her own... so, "WHY?! Why does it work that way? Who decided this works this way...." she seemed to be strangely surprised by the knowledge. But she would be. If learning from her mentor would be raising her level... well, a lot of people would be privy to her activities, maybe. Well, she was a bard, she could probably just not explain her level gain but what about her friends? How many of them would notice... what kind of attention would she garner, what would happen if their resident battle maniac figured out she was approaching his skill level?! Oh well, at least she didn't have to worry too much about swearing in front of her mentor.

Meanwhile Charles was posing a semi-rhetorical question to Sakura and she in turn was taking a moment to think it over. She supposed she was a large part of this man now, and though she didn't necessarily equate the things he was mentioning she couldn't refute them. "I was only doing what I thought was right at the time. This doesn't necessarily equate to a trusting relationship... and yes, I am part of you, but that doesn't mean you have to trust me," she said seeming to find it odd this set of equations. Perhaps humans considered things differently. Ah, and she was soon to be shown how far this trust extended. In fact, she found herself standing in a pool of darkness getting ready to sink once more out of this reality. But as held out her hand to Charles, even if he thought it might have been a bad idea, he seemed content to go along. "Don't worry, that Ojii-chan seems to like her. I'm sure she can't be bad," mentioned Sakura. Once they were within that warm and inviting dark space, a pair of red glowing eyes greeted them, as the rest of a rather buxom blonde woman appeared along with it. She seemed to be taking steps forward and for the initiated she seemed to be dressed as a nun but missing several important pieces. But for others, she would appear completely covered in black and white cloth, especially around her breasts and torso. Upon her head a habit and veil but those white slit pupils seemed to pulse just a little. "Hello, little ones. I'm happy to see you both..." she greeted the pair. Such made Sakura smile. "Yeah, she's definitely fine. You gave me the hug right, Onee-sama?" she asked seeming to have connected this woman back to the feeling she got immediately after creating her cup. "Oh my goodness, is that what you'll call me? I did see it, but it still feels interesting~ " she mused, seeming to find the way the girl referred to her to be fun. "Of course, you deserved to feel rewarded for doing something so very good. It's a great creation... I plan to use it. Mostly to help allow my youngest daughter to enjoy her life a little more, but also to help the rest of you deal with the more evil individuals leaking through now," she said seeming to share pretty freely.

[Bloodedge]

Anais's promiscuous mind was not at all wrong. Ailen wouldn't have thought anything of several liberties being taken, as he did not consider them liberties at all. Alas, that was neither here nor there. It seemed quite some time had passed since Anais saw so many levels. With her lack of mana transfer before today, she had to be growing at a very steady rate. That steadiness would henceforth be challenged by Ailen's existence as a mentor, as the difference between their levels was quite sizeable. "I would assume you've never felled a very strong opponent, or taken in a vast array of knowledge at once. Status," he said, holding out his free hand and summoning a visual of his own parameters and abilities beside Anais's. Strangely though, his active Skills labeled Gamma, Delta and Omega were encrypted on the display, hidden from sight via means he'd yet to share with Anais. His level, however, was visible; 90 was the number shown. "You've taken my mana into yourself, which is just shy of the highest possible tier. In addition, the knowledge I gave you earlier was of the entire workshop containing my most-used ingredients. By all means, recalling that information would label you a seasoned expert alchemist in the eyes of most. In short, there are multiple reasons our time together has contributed to five levels. I'm actually a little surprised it wasn't seven. . ."

Sakura didn't believe in a relationship of trust between them, but once more, Charlemagne disagreed. It wasn't specifically because she was connected to him that he trusted her; it was everything associated with the connection. "Iie, it's not just that. You didn't have to help me out at all. You could have let me die without lifting a finger, and it wouldn't have made you a difference. You took corruption into yourself when you didn't have to. You also said you were in this for the long haul. Even if it's just to sate your own curiosities, I can't turn my back on someone who helped me out. Besides..." Charlemagne paused there. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about the whole pregnancy thing. He definitely wasn't going to leave some helpless bastard out there in the world if he could prevent it. Even a goddess could benefit from the aide of a partner in child-rearing, right? Charlemagne would hope so.

Upon entering that dark pool, they found themselves in a world filled with darkness ─ much to Charlemagne's expectation after the previous experience. Ah, but this location also had an unknown figure within it... or was it an unknown? Charlemagne gazed upon a scantily-clad nun of sorts, thinking for some reason that she was the most familiar individual he'd ever seen. Damned be the fact that she was a visual enigma the likes of which this world couldn't withstand. The more he looked, the less he could even think of looking away. After a few moments, a single tear fled from his left eye, trailing down his face with haste. Charlemagne didn't know why this occurred, but he felt... strangely looking at this woman. "Who are you to me?" he wondered. Surely there was some connection between them, right? Some memory long lost had to be there, somewhere.

[Apollymi]

Anais would avoid letting her internal voice get in the way of her normal developments, even though, it was contributing greatly to her progress. Here and now, Ailen seemed content to remain rather close while also questioning the life experience of the young Elafia. "Until Fier, I was the newest member to the group... I wasn't around when everyone was fighting in wars or going on big adventures," she explained of her situation. It gave context to how out of place she felt being tossed out into this one instead of it being one of the others. Technically this could count as Anais's first big adventure without one of the others being around for her to lean on. Strangely, Ailen showed his own status, and it was rather interesting to look at. The most interesting thing, being his level which was far higher than any in their group, even the stronger members were only about eighty in level. "Sugoi! You're really amazing, Shishou~" she murmured. Still, there were things she couldn't see... she wouldn't pry as everyone was entitled to their privacy but she did comment in a strange way... "Hm, the only person I've seen with anything redacted before is Ness... and that's just her race..." she mused, no more no less. She supposed, given everything she knew about their difference in level a bit of extra made sense. But according to Ailen she was basically an expert Alchemist after receiving knowledge from him, he'd have expected more growth... "Really, am I actually already an expert?" she gave it a bit of consideration. Choosing to think to the ingredients she could list and know their uses of, she thought of what he'd been doing before and immediately understood the workings of that potion. "Sou ka... I guess I do understand completely what you were trying to do with those ingredients, and I understand a lot of other things too... learning stuff this way is so... cool!~" she exclaimed her eyes sparkling. This truly might be one of the best things she'd ever undertaken. 'And now there would definitely be time to figure out all the extra credit stuff~' her mind was a terrible place.

At the same time, Charles was explaining the amount of faith placed in Sakura to keep him on the straight and narrow. He seemed to equate her actions to things that went beyond the simple necessities of right and wrong. Her willingness to go about it for the long haul also seemed to contribute to this trust he claimed to have. Sakura may not have completely understood, but she supposed in this case, her actions equated to a merit, determined by Charles. "Sou ka, if you say so... I'll believe you. Though I find it strange, I suppose it is the sort of thing that can't be measured empirically," she mused. Whether she would need him to raise their future off-spring or not, the scantily clad nun was definitely something worth drawing their attention away for. Charles's response to her, was something noted by Sakura and she watched as the lad shed a tear. The woman with her large red eyes seemed to be looking at the lad intently, that was such an emotional response, she found herself approaching just a little, to answer his question but also to comfort him, he seemed to need it. "To you, little one, I should be no one... but the one who tried to steal your life, used to call me his wife so I suppose he left behind a bit more of himself than he meant to. Well, he definitely did. I suppose it should be taken as the world forcing the change he refused to make..." she mused as she reached for his face to wipe away his tears. "I'm surprised. That you can see me without it causing you pain, means you're definitely not aimed down the same path..." she stated as if this made sense. Of course, she'd seen quite a bit since coming to the Void, so she was aware of Charles and all he did.

[Bloodedge]

For Anais to be lacking in the experience of adventuring, she had a decent enough level prior to their exchange. She'd certainly be an asset to any party moving forward, even if all she took with her was one additional lecture Ailen had planned. "You say that so solemnly, but you really shouldn't. Don't underestimate the abilities you had even when first landing in Munetsuchi. I count myself among those who believe potential energy is superior to kinetic energy. Potential blossoms when needed, and when it does..." Ailen's sentence did not end, simply because it didn't have to. While he spoke, there was a twisted vine growing across the floor, reaching just in front of Anais and himself. With those final words, a bud at the end of said vine bloomed rapidly into five elongated white petals, creating something of a star-like appearance. That single flower had multiples joining it along the vine's length. With that, Ailen thought nothing else needed saying. Every one of those flowers boasted a magical glow, radiating energy through the nearby air. By then, Ailen heard himself being called amazing for his status. "Subjectively, perhaps. But I am just an alchemist," he rebutted. As for the redacted information in his status similar to her peer's race, he could at least explain why it was the case for him. "Take no offense. Those three Skills are hidden because they follow principles that must never become common knowledge. I will teach you those principles one day, but you must be ready... and they cannot be passed on via the same lectures I've given you already."

Happily enough, Anais seemed very satisfied with the current method of learning upon discovering her own current knowledge. She even understood the potion he'd been making, which she seemingly had no further use for now. Perhaps though, she'd find use in a tool he found inspiration for in her status overview. "It's a marvelous and mysterious thing, isn't it? Now... this sconce you use for your abilities; are you able to produce them as a self-sustaining thing? I may have use of one, if so," he stated.

Something was very strange about that devil woman. Charlemagne was almost certain he had some sort of connection to her, even though he'd never seen her in his life. No... there was a hint of familiarity regardless, though it was a much deeper connection he felt beyond that. Apparently, that sense came from Father An, who was once married to this woman. Ah... she must have been The Mother. Mother? There was something mentioned about a Mother by that crazy old man. Could it have been her? No... that didn't seem wrong, but it didn't seem right either. Either way, the woman claimed seeing her was not causing him pain as it should have if he followed the path of An. He wasn't in any physical pain, but he wouldn't say he felt no pain at all. "This is pain. I feel like I did something, and I don't even know what it was. I don't even think I want to know, honestly. I'll take the victory of being enough myself to stay separate from Father An─"

[Apollymi]

Anais had technically outed herself as feeling a bit unsuited to the task she'd undertaken. Of course, her mentor in his own way sought to help her by reinforcing a certain line of thinking. This was done with words pointing out that she shouldn't feel bad about her inexperience, and then a specific example. The example? A vine which grew until a flower bloomed upon it. It was an interesting looking thing, and she found herself mesmerized by it. "Sugoi! Arigatou... Shishou," the girl said. Strangely she felt better, but that didn't stop those shy reactions. 'He's sweet!~' apparently her inner monologue wasn't strictly plagued by its horniness. Moving on from this her mentor apparently thought he was... just an alchemist and was only amazing from a subjective perspective. "Huh? I wonder if you believe that... or if you are just being modest. Though I don't think elves has modesty as a base characteristic," she said seemingly in thought. "Wait that one might be a bit racist, gomen..." she said quickly. "Still, I don't think it's a matter of subjectivity. You can be both... amazing and an alchemist," she said firmly. Anais was quite an odd girl but she believed this man was as amazing as she thought he was, regardless of how he felt about it. No matter. They could easily continue on, according to him, his missing skills were hidden because they weren't the sort of thing that could be common knowledge. It was interesting to get an explanation for it, but it wasn't as if she was asking for such a thing. "Iia, it isn't like that. I wouldn't take offense to something like that... everyone's entitled to their privacy. But still thank you for explaining it to me... " she said softly.

Truly, Anais could have been more excited about the way her particular form of learning was going. Though it was a bit embarrassing considering the very aggressive voice of her internal monologue, she wasn't having a bad time learning and keeping information. Regardless, it didn't seem to be a problem at all for their interactions and she was asked about the nature of her powers. He asked about the catalysts she used for her flame based magic and she found herself giving a shrug. "Yes, I can just make them..." she mused as she opened her right hand and produced around her fingers a tiny candle holder and then a little standing flame which was the protective magic associated with the white stag. "What do you want to do with it?" she asked interested as always...

Moving on from that, Sakura was watching the interaction between Charles and the Devil Nun Lady. The latter seemed surprised that Charles wasn't in pain from being in her presence, Charles on the other hand said he was indeed in pain. That he thought he'd done something and he wasn't even sure what it was, and didn't really want to know. Sakura gave it consideration and concluded that if this woman was indeed the mother of the gods, then the father of the gods had lied to her repeatedly and caused her great torment since this world began. Then he'd gone on to try and erase her from history by brainwashing the masses into not believing in other gods. Whatever this lad said, the woman seemed to be quite taken with it as a statement and tilted his face to look at him more directly. "Aww, my sweet boy, such a precious sentiment~" she mused in a manner almost similar to the way An referred to all children as his children. "It is definitely a victory. You needn't feel bad for something you didn't actually do... I won't give you those details if you don't wish to have them. Just know that you are succeeding in being different enough, even just by having the decency to empathize," she mused seeming find this boy's emotional state quite interesting.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen nodded when thanked for his reference. No such thing was needed; he spoke only when he felt the need, and only what he viewed as truth. Anais was one in possession of nigh-limitless potential, to such an extent that even he could only help her realize a portion of it. If nothing else, he could at least guide her to prosperity in this world of magic. Of course, he was just a simple alchemist. Anais questioned his modesty, if elves had such a thing. Was that a racist assumption? Well, yes and no. Ailen chuckled over the thought of modest and immodest elves before speaking. "Racist, no. It is a widely-known stereotype which is... also typically true. I am truly just an alchemist, though. If I'm so amazing, it is not my merit alone. I am only the result of my master's teachings, her master before, their master... and you as well. You, my magnum opus, will be amazing. By then, I will be only a shadow cast by the light you radiate," he explained, summarizing a somewhat personal belief of apprenticeships.

Anais could indeed create stable candelabras; she did so with little to no prompting. As for what Ailen wanted to do with it, he'd been planning something since their very first discussion. "Ah, excellent. It's time I grant you something no druid should be without. I dabble in wandsmithing, you see. As you are a Saber, I think this will be neither wand nor stave, but... wisdom works through me now. I will need your sword," he said. Reaching out to the candle, Ailen materialized an arcane ring around it. The object floated away from Anais as if by telekinesis. If produced as requested, her sword would receive the same treatment. "Some of my methods were labeled long ago as Forbidden Knowledge. While I can't teach you those principles yet, I can show you a small example."

Charlemagne's emotional turmoil was met with comforting by the strange nun. A precious sentiment, she called it. Keeping his face turned forward, she assured the lad that no negativity need be associated with that phantom remorse, even going so far as to reiterate the positive of his differing mindset. It seemed Father An had become a lost cause long, long ago. Charlemagne couldn't know all the reasons why, but surely he'd discover the truth in time regardless. Of course, looking at this woman still produced a host of emotions he didn't really want to unpack at the moment. 'Forgive me mommy, for I have sinned,' was one intrusive thought flowing repeatedly through his mind. Looking her way was probably not for the best, though it wasn't as if he could avert his gaze presently. Perhaps he could divert? "So uh... the Void..." he muttered. Sadly, there was no greater point; he'd only said the first thing in his mind which didn't involve perversion or something of the sort.

[Apollymi]

Ah, a minor detour would be taking place in this conversation. As Ailen pointed out that Anais's statements about elves while not racist were based on stereotypes which were widely known and mostly... true. Well, at least he was self-aware. If nothing else, Anais would give credit for that, even if she managed to suppress a little giggle herself after hearing the chuckle of her mentor. Moving on from that, a certain philosophy was shared with the girl, about how this man thought himself only as amazing as all the merit of those who put into his being. The line of mentors that led to him and finished with how he thought of Anais. He according to his own words saw her as his greatest work, something which would reach the height of brightness which could cast shadow over even him. "Hm, I understand how we got here. And when you explain it that way I feel really motivated. I'll do my best, Shishou!~" Anais was an earnest girl, and performed well when she understood what her goals were. Her goal here was simply to become the best she could be, with the ability to pursue that as she wished, it was far better than her previous life had been.

With this in mind, she had produced one of her magical sconces for the man and she found it going into a magical circle. That was interesting, but Ailen was explaining. He claimed to be giving her something a druid couldn't be without and knew that she was a Saber by class so a wand or stave was out of the question but he thought something else might be useful for her instead. And for it he needed her sword. She held out her hand in front of her producing her equipped weapon. A rapier thin bladed with a slightly more ornate than normal handle, and she'd soon find it within a magical circle as well. "Woah! Really?!" the girl was as attentive as ever. Eyes peeled for whatever it was she was about to witness. Still, she hadn't noticed her own nudity nor was she concerned about anything other than whatever she was about to witness. The idea of Forbidden Knowledge was strange to her. There were government secrets, things normal people didn't need to know, or even things that people shouldn't look up... but that kind of just made it more interesting didn't it?

Meanwhile, even while being comforted Charles was experiencing intrusive thoughts. Poor lad, would not know how very interesting these higher tier existences were until a moment like this. "I don't think you've done anything in your entire life that requires forgiveness... those things you think are sins are no such thing. Just an old man projecting his misdeeds onto others..." she said to words that hadn't been spoken. Ah, but that was a pretty easy thing to deal with as well. "I've been this way since I was a young goddess... it's a natural power of mine~" she stated in an almost amused fashion. As for what was spoken aloud she gave a casual shrug. "The Void. A vast and mostly empty space, where Mystery resides..." she said calmly. Sakura nodded seeming to understand. Mystery was a thing the world didn't understand anymore. This was at least part of the Forbidden Knowledge. This was interesting, she had to absorb all this informaiton.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen's explanation was received as well as he'd hoped it would be. It was but the truth of apprenticeship as he knew it, even more specifically the requirement that came alongside taking an apprentice. Ailen could only be considered fulfilling his task when Anais became more than he had ever been. "I'm sure you will. I will be doing my best to make it an easy journey for you. In the end, you will be the most respected alchemist in the world, as the elves see it at least," he mused. Moving on, the addition of Anais's sword to the mix was just what Ailen needed. He took a look at the candle, easily understanding its construction based on what he already knew of Anais. The sword, however, was not a construct of her soul. "Silver? I suppose it works as a safe, rudimentary conductor. The craftsman of this should have taken the risk. Your ability to improvise would allow you to use far more fickle materials than this, even for half the effort," he said. Multiple arrays appeared within those arcane circles he conjured, becoming the seldom-seen transmutation circles instead.

Anais's candle and sword both unraveled down to the very code which constructed them, each line branching out from the circles. At that point, various other circles appeared around the room. The largest of them seemed focused on the rocks surrounding the waterfall. Each circle produced code lines moving toward Ailen's outstretched hand as he focused on the candle and sword... or rather, things that were once a candle and sword. Those two would find themselves combined into one transmutation circle as he proceeded. "Alchemy is not so finite as brewing potions and the like. In its entirety, alchemy is the act of manipulating and altering matter itself. Through alchemy, we extrapolate the effects of everything we touch. We decompose, we reconstruct, and we repurpose. If performed skillfully, one can even create gold from lead. And, with enough experience and understanding... we can even enter the territory of gods," he explained. In that moment, Anais's sword materialized from coding in Ailen's hand. She would find it a bit more ornate than the previous variant. Silver which previously constructed its blade now functioned as a candelabra in the shape of a rapier handle. The candle itself ran through the rainguard, even entering the base of a flawless white blade, too pure and white to even be called ivory. Ailen believed this weapon would be far more suited to Anais on a spiritual level.

Within the Void, Charlemagne was having his inner musings read... again. After the previous experience, one would think he'd have the sense to control his mind. Ah, but no... he couldn't do that. Suddenly, the male's face was painted crimson. This woman luckily hadn't mentioned the whole of his thought process, even though she acknowledged it fully in spirit. "Uh... alright, yeah. So you can..." He was prepared to ask if she was actually reading his mind, but the woman beat him to that just as the male had done earlier. This time, clarity was given in a more direct manner. "So all of you can just read minds then, huh?" he concluded. For some reason, he had a minor understanding of a thing called Mystery residing in the Void. Perhaps that was a callback to what he knew of demons, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Frankly, Charlemagne was having a difficult time keeping his own memories separate from Father An's. It seemed the longer he looked at this woman, the more he had to consciously determine what thoughts and feelings were his own.

[Apollymi]

Apparently, the end result of Anais's journey would be her becoming the most respected alchemist in the world. Well, according to him that was by Elf standard, but Elf standard was probably considered one of the highest standards that existed in the world in general. "Sou ka, that sounds like a lot. Still, I'm glad you'll be helping me..." the girl mused. This wasn't the type of adventure she'd want to undertake alone. Nor was it something she'd even considered during her playthrough of this world as a game. Perhaps this was the important part, doing something different and growing beyond her original limits. Ah, and now he seemed to be looking at the things she'd given him. Analyzing them, her own magic hadn't had any comment, that was to be expected, she did give him a full explanation of how her magic worked earlier. Beyond that... there was the sword she used, it was silver, he claimed other materials might have been better. "Silver is one of the better metals to work with for humans in general. Not many human craftsmen can handle it well... not to mention the issues with getting your hands on more magically inclined materials..." she commented. Just the same her eyes were locked on the changes in the circles. What did it mean? Why were so many popping up?

Well apparently she was about to see... Alchemy wasn't strictly about brewing potions. In this case, it seemed that Alchemy went from the realm of high fantasy into the realm of science fiction. Oh, well that made a great deal more sense. "That is science," she stated her own understanding. Of course, science fiction concepts would be considered forbidden knowledge in a world that was run by magic. It would be way too easy to use the imagination to make that sort of thing work without the general rules known about them. Still, Anais got to watch the creation of her new weapon by a method that was so fascination. "Ooh?!~ It's cool!~" she mused, not about the weapon specifically but about the entire process. The weapon was soon looked at for some very specific reasons. It seemed all the things that had gone into it originally were still there... but the blade itself seemed quite different. Ah, that must have been what came out of the rocks. The weapon looked much more ornate and had a feeling that seemed a bit more familiar to Anais overall.

Meanwhile Charles was coming to a strange conclusion. All of these type of gods could read minds... that likely wasn't true. "I don't think it is the case that all of us can read minds. All of us can read things we are meant to. My original form of Creation encompassed many things... reading minds, communicating directly into them, seeing the future, these were skills innate to my person... I gave up the future sight for a while, but the rest never stopped being used by me. Some of my children display other things, like the ability to read emotions, or hearts or intentions...." she explained of that particular difference. In observing the whole of this situation, Sakura realized that Charles seemed to be a bit odd during his questioning of the woman here. Sakura reached out to touch him knowing that it might help him a bit, given the amount of comfort one could receive from touch. "Oh? The children of wisdom are all so interesting~" mused the nun. Of course this gained Sakura's attention. "Children?" she asked. "Oh? You haven't met yet... well, that is interesting," she mused once more. She motioned Sakura a bit closer and once she was close enough she pressed her lips against the girl's forehead. Doing so would give her a gift. "Have that... I can't name you since Dad did it already, but... you can have that. Consider it a gift for you and your mother. I never considered wisdom separate in the first place. All children were my children," she mused. Sakura opened her eyes, and the redness had seemed to have gained a bit of extra depth, and her clairvoyance seemed to have evolved a bit. Presently those red eyes had become, 'Goddess Eyes'. "Really? No questions or clarifications?"

[Bloodedge]

"Of course. I have a duty of care. Regardless of the fact that I took it upon myself, I will perform my duty to the best of my ability," Ailen assured. One could only hope his best was sufficient. Thus far, that seemed to be the case... whenever he wasn't being distracted out of providing lectures. If something like that was his future, however, it would surely be a long relationship with no sense of monotony. Regardless, he had a present for the lass. That sword was not nearly as simplistic a material as silver, or even things like gold and platinum. The 'wand' of it was hidden within its blade, which itself was among the greatest magical conductors in existence. "I have for you a tool that will serve you almost as well as knowledge. Never let it leave your side. The more you adjust to it, the more it will adjust to you," he stated. Of course, there was more to explain. "The blade is Orichalcum. Most believe it is a physically powerful ore that is difficult to work with. In truth, it is the creation of gods such as Miwa. This, coming from this room, is a construct of her and myself. You should be easily acclimated to it through your connection to me."

According to the nun, not all gods could read minds. Well, Charlemagne didn't think that of all gods. The two he'd seen today, including one who willingly took the identity of the 'one' God, however... were obviously a different story. "God read my mind in the Nexus. That's two for two so far, assuming you're like... Dark God or something," he mused. Charlemagne sighed as more information to process entered his mind. When this was all over, he would definitely be taking a mental health break from everything, everywhere. He gave this much consideration while the nun and Sakura were speaking, finding at least a bit of peace from the latter's simple touch. In time, he'd hold onto enough of his own opinions to manage. So then, were there questions? Charlemagne had them in spades without even knowing where to start. That, however, was often the case in these moments. "I have about ten thousand questions, and I can't even single out one. I've been having a bunch of stuff thrown right into my head for the past two days. So... one question: do you have any way I can compartmentalize before I even think of asking for more stuff?"

[Apollymi]

A duty of care. This is what Ailen claimed to have when it came to Anais and her development. It seemed like such a noble cause, though he had indeed taken it unto himself, Anais felt as if her mentor was truly one who wished to help her in any way possible. Whatever the case, she was certain the best of his abilities would be some interesting things to see. 'You can definitely take care of me to the best of your abilities!~' oh, it was back. That voice of hers which was almost vulgar in her own head which seemed to only be thinking about sex. "Hai, I look forward to it," she said seeming to think their relationship would only become more interesting over time. Speaking of interesting, she was soon being presented this new weapon of hers. Now that her mind had started working again his words registered in her head in a strange way, 'He can have that tool adjust us any time~' Anais needed to quiet her brain at some point. Perhaps eventually there would be something that could keep her mind from wandering so far just from simple moments of speech? "Hai, I'll keep it with me... besides I kind of want to," she mused. It was strange but she felt almost attracted to the weapon. Ah, an explanation, Orichalcum was quite the rare material but what she and other humans thought it was, was not at all what it was... huh. That was interesting. She'd have to share some of that at least, it would definitely be of help to Olga. "Huh, I didn't know that one... I am very sure this is a misunderstood material. Still, it's a lot... and it feels nice, like I'm sure it could do anything I think of..." she said holding it out in front of herself. "Arigatou Gouzaimasu, Shishou," she thanked the man for his contribution to her future.

Meanwhile, the nun was called, 'Dark God' that was close enough to the truth to make her laugh. "Hehe~, I suppose that is close enough to the truth." Beyond this she'd asked if they had questions but it seemed Charles was suffering just a bit. That didn't make much sense, as he claimed he couldn't keep track of the things going on well enough to know where to begin to question things. His power the one he'd taken from Anu was the power of Order. Ah... perhaps what was left of his humanity was getting in his way? "If you want to compartmentalize you can. Your self is something you can control... how you wish to organize your mind and the information within it, isn't being impeded by anything but your own limits. Close your eyes... take a deep breath," she said. Still so close she was able to run her hand over the lad's eyes gently. She was quite reminded of her early conversations with her son, about his powers. She had quite a bit of experience talking her children through their powers and the developments and problems between. "Now... clear your mind. See the way you would want to organize the things in your head. Are they little boxes? Are the books? Are they branches of a tree budding into leaves... whatever form you are most comfortable with see that... and place all the information in those. Take your time... there is no rush, find the way that works best for you..." she talked the lad through potentially figuring out how to organize his own mind. She wasn't sure what he'd chose, but she'd given examples that he might find good. She spoke calmly, warmly with her nature as 'mother' seemingly leaking into every word. Comforting was what she was going for, giving acceptance and freedom, much like Sakura had provided while he rebuilt himself. Sakura for her part in this, realized that her mind organized her thoughts as threads... but she hadn't had to think about that. She felt strangely knowing that the lad with her had been struggling with something innate to her form.

[Bloodedge]

Without being privy to Anais's mental rebuttals, he had only her verbal confirmation to work with. From that, he could surmise that Anais was... "Thrilled to learn. That's good. There is a long future ahead of you. It will ideally be a fun experience, but it may also surely be strenuous at times. Some future lectures alone may consume entire days and require much effort to take in. Then, there is still the experience of putting learned things into practice to consider..." the elf rambled. Once Anais took up her new sword, receiving the explanation of its primary material, Ailen reached out to run a hand gently along the blade. His other arm hadn't left Anais, but keeping that position seemed even more important now than it had been when viewing statuses. "Perhaps not anything... but nearly. With your magical catalyst inside, its position is perfect to utilize Orichalcum's innate abilities. Destructive power has its limitations, but I don't think you'll see that as an issue. After all, you are more attuned to creating. Just think of it as a staff that can also be used as a sharp melee weapon. Oh, and... a name," he added.

'Dark God' seemed about accurate enough for this woman. It seemed a bit rude to call her a devil or demon; that all sounded a bit derogatory to Charlemagne. Whether it was or wasn't in truth ─ well, that was another matter entirely. The nun laughed, though. For some reason, Charlemagne found that moment so very calming. It felt as if something had been set right, even if only temporarily. She even had some advice to give him in response to his latest question. Charlemagne's mind was something he could compartmentalize so long as he had the will to do so. Instructed to close his eyes and breathe deeply, he did precisely that. Clearing his mind took a bit, but he placed a bit of faith in the nun. Bit by bit, he decided to put all his worries away until later. Now, how did he think to organize all the things in his head? Boxes didn't work for him. Books were too much clutter. Branches and leaves would require too much focus to determine which was what. Overall, Charlemagne would be standing there with his eyes closed for a few minutes before deciding... trading cards were the ideal method of compartmentalization. Each card would have information about a certain person or thing. As a single example, the woman speaking to him was assigned a card with all he knew about her thus far in its text; that card would be sorted into a deck assigned to the Void itself. In the end, he had only a few loose cards with no deck to call home. A card dedicated to Sakura could be counted among those. "Alright. I don't know where everything is going, but it's mostly sorted. That was super helpful; thanks a ton. So... my main question: what do you do? What's the real purpose of demons, the Void and all that stuff?"