Date for the Divine [Arcadia, Cyrus]

She couldn't tell if anything particularly bothered the goddess, though she liked touching her like this regardless. Idly it made her wonder if the circles she was tracing with her finger might be some kind of violation, a little invisible mark that only Cyrus would be aware of how she was touched there. A little secret.

"Oh my, how human of you."

It wasn't mocking or even insulting, it was just teasing her. Arcadia let the fabric on her figure disappear and left herself exposed. Such trivial things were below her, she wondered though if the male aspect was just as shy about it all. Nevertheless, the action did have a consequence and Arcadia's hand travelled uncomfortably up her thigh, her side and finally her midriff to pluck at the fabric.

"I suppose we shall."

"I have always taken a degree of pride in my humanity, Arcadia. Is that not right, when I still bridge that divide?"

Arcadia's body held no appeal to Cyrus, for it was not that of the one woman she truly held dear. If anything, the temptations of the flesh held no value--her love for Helle manifested so passionately only because their form could never allow any other method of conveying it.

"You certainly seem fascinated with this body of mine."

"You can't hold onto it forever."

She reiterated the time would come where her mortal vessel would need to be surrendered to the grave and laid to rest. That was how growth worked and Arcadia wondered if Cyrus was willing to accept that about their agreement. Did she acknowledge she would surrender that bridge eventually, Arcadia's help was only accelerating that process?

When prompted by the fascination of her body. Arcadia pushed herself into the water and crawled up the bank to trap Cyrus between the ground and her body. Head on the woman's lap while chuckling.

"Why do you assume my fascination is strictly linked to your body?"

"I know."

Cyrus had no time to react to Arcadia's actions, and found herself now laying beneath the demon. How unpleasant, how thoroughly disgraceful. She did not appreciate this in the slightest, but she would not push Arcadia away. She could not.

"How deeply does your fascination run, Angra Mainyu?"

"If I told you it would ruin the mystery of it all, wouldn't it?"

Satisfied with her little tease, Arcadia pushed away and stood up while stretching. The stark red lines running down her figure fully visible without anything to distort or cover them. She reached out to take the hand of Cyrus and pull her up and begin the trek into the water until she was swimming.

This is where she wanted to do it.

"I did promise to help you, for what you want from me I cannot do it without the power you provide. If you're willing to accelerate the loss of your humanity, fill this entire lake with all the power you can muster."

That was what she said, a final test of resolve which she already knew the answer to. She asked herself why she was doing this, Arcadia didn't know the answer really.

"Mystery has no value in itself."

Cyrus followed Arcadia once more into the water, listening to the words she said. Did Arcadia realize what she was asking? For that matter, did Cyrus? She did not know the answer. She did not know what would happen if she did as Arcadia asked. But, she had not known what Shirohime would do, either. In spite of that, she had accepted it without question.

"I accept this, then. I have no recourse but to do so. But know that I will not do it as I am now."

Taking a breath to center herself, Cyrus' visage shifted in a single moment, an instantaneous change which could not possibly occur naturally. Gone was Cyrus of the Blissful Flame, and in her place stood Ahura Mazda. He spoke in his divine words such that none could possibly have understood. None could even have contested him, had they dared to try. Such was the overwhelming nature of his divine right in this moment.

Ｋｉａｆａ　ｍｅａｆｕｌｌｎ　ｏｏｏｒｈａ　ｔｔｈａｒ．

She had not expected the sudden shift but it truly was a magnificent display that caused her to wince a litt ebit. Far too overbearing for her in this state. It didn't bother her in the slightest, there were other things that bothered her more. Far more than the appearance of his most glorious form. Her reservations were much stronger now, she didn't want to go through with it but it was far to late for her to back out.

Cyrus could use a lesson in what blind worship felt like, it made her grin a little bit but her sad expression really took it away. She had hoped her little play had worked she thought while she used her nail to draw blood and let it freely flow onto the tip as she started to draw patterns on him. Stars on his shoulders, a dot on his head, a circle around his navel and a line across his heart. She took his hand and held it in her own while letting him touch her chest.

"I'm sorry, I did lie to you when I said what I did about this.. I said no one had to die, didn't I?"

As she said it she pulled his hand through her chest and spilled the ichor through the water. How painful, she had wished she could've seen Cyrus' face when she did it but from the majestic image of his divine ascension she imagined it wouldn't even flinch. Regardless her spell had been activated and while she sank down to the lake bed with her wound all the power in the lake converged on the single figure of Cyrus to fuel her conceptual enhancement and her use of sacrificial magic.

It was fairly traumatic and she lost consciousness when she hit the bottom, it was fairly unlikely that he'd be able to remain aware through it either and by the time he woke up a few days would pass and leave whatever aspect of Cyrus woke up to reorientate themselves from the empty lake, all of the water had been used as fuel after all. Arcadia did lie a little, her statement of needing to die was something she was uncertain of. It really depended on how quickly his body could wake up from it all.

The danava still looked like she had seen far better days, blood was coming out of an eye that she couldn't see. There was blood from various wounds that looked like her body had tried to tear itself apart, every orifice might as well have been leaking some kind of blood and so she laid there with shallow breathing, blood having dried all over her face, body and between her legs.

Upon waking, the first action Ahura Mazda took was simply to look upon his own body. It was, indeed, his body, not merely the fragile shell he had inhabited. He flexed his fingers for a moment or two, coming to terms with his new existence. He was keenly aware of the significant suffering which existed around him, of course. He knew that both his former vessel and the tool of his ascension were in great agony. Kouroush would life without his attention, and so Mazda paid him no mind. Angra Mainyu, however, merited the benevolent gaze of the Sun upon her.

Ｐｒｅｓｉａ　ｒｈｅａｎ　ｉｏｎ．

With but his word, Mazda now stood over the body of his benefactor. She had certainly given much for his sake, as any who worshiped should. He would reward her more kindly in time, but at present, her life was certainly the greatest gift he could present for her faith.

Ｋｉａｆａ　ｍｅａｎ　Ａｎｇｒａ　Ｍａｉｎｙｕ　ｓｓｓｉｐｋ　ｏａａａｚ．

A blessing from he who was the highest good, of life granted to evil. Her existence was a necessary one, which mortal sight could not possibly have grasped. This world required her, and so too did he for that very same reason. Her death was simply not an outcome which would be allowed under the gaze of Heaven, and as the power of the world itself repaired Arcadia's wounds, the sheer weight of the energy and its overwhelming efforts likely far more painful than the wounds themselves had been, Mazda simply watched over her with the faintest glint of pride.

"Stand, when you are able."

Arcadia struggled to see, she only had one good eye at the moment and wasn't able to see the figure in front of her clearly. It was Cyrus, except it was not Cyrus. Not the one she knew. Was he gone? She couldn't tell as her wounds were healed, despite the fact it had done so she felt distinctly hollow inside. Something was missing though it wasn't time to think about it. Her hand held onto her hip, the arm covering her stomach while she tried to hold herself up after she stood up.

"..."

There were two of them now. This wasn't what she thought would happen, how nice when things surprise you like that. Though she did have an ounce of concern for Cyrus, now why was that she wondered. He wasn't anything anymore, just a husk. His true form of the divine king he represented was right here.

"Hmm, I thought one of you would assimilate the other."

Her red eyes cast to the side thoughtful about the result. She couldn't complain, it was the unexpected results of growth that spoke to her as a mother and as a life goddess.

"It would be a disservice to a mortal life to simply destroy him for my own being. For one who has sheltered me, I surely ought reward his piety."

Mazda watched Arcadia's every slightest action with the gaze of one who demanded to know all things. He found her gait and her tone thoroughly disagreeable, particularly given the blessing he had bestowed upon her. It was in her nature to be of sin, he knew, but to show it so openly in front of even the Wise Lord was not something Mazda would abide.

"You speak irreverently for one who has professed faith in me. Mind yourself and your speech."

Given her status as another divine, Mazda saw no purpose in offering her the gentle and guiding hand that the children of the Earth deserved. They were small, unable to grasp this higher existence. Such could not be said of the Angra Mainyu.

"We are returning to the City of Lights. There is much I must discuss with Shirohime."