And without warning, the Empress spoke, and every one of us heard her voice as if it came from both the heavens and the depths of our souls.
Personally, I was terrified—utterly terrified—of what punishment my daughter might face for the devastation she had caused. I braced myself, already prepared to offer my life in exchange for hers if it would stay the Empress's wrath. But that turned out to be unnecessary.
{Why are you weeping, green one?}
The green one continued to sniffle, her sobs quieting only slightly as she turned her head, still not caring where the voice was coming from. "I'm a murderer," she said hoarsely. "I murdered everyone... Are you the one who's going to punish me?"
{What you did does not warrant punishment. If I found it troublesome, I would have erased you long ago. Tell me, green one...}
"What...?" The green one blinked rapidly, her ears twitching as she looked around in confusion, her gaze shifting between the gathered Lords and the empty air.
{Did you... see anything while the destruction occurred?}
Her sobs faded into silence as the question sank in. She blinked again, her face stiffening as if the voice had touched something deep within her memory. Then, trembling, she bit her lip, and fresh tears welled in her eyes.
"I saw..." she began weakly, "I saw my siblings and the wolves turn into stone, ash, and disappear into mist..." Her voice broke as she shivered. "And I saw the entire Shadow Realm collapsing..."
{I... see...}
The Empress's voice, for the first time, carried something that almost sounded like disappointment. A pause followed, long and thoughtful, during which Shizuka gently continued to stroke the green one's hair in silence.
{It is a shame she could not see Apocrypha. She is not the one from the shadows... Nevertheless, she has demonstrated remarkable command over calamity without allowing her existence to fade. She will make a powerful pawn and serve Master well when the Third War of the Heavenly Structure begins.}
None of us understood what she meant. The rest of us only exchanged uncertain glances, chalking it up to the incomprehensible awareness of true divinity.
Trigger finally stepped forward. "But Mother," he asked cautiously, "what will become of the Shadow Realm now? Is there any way to repair it?"
The green one lifted her head from Shizuka's shoulder at once, her eyes brightening. "Please, can you really?" she cried, tears spilling again. "If you can, Goddess-sama, please bring everyone back! My siblings, even the Specter Wolves too!"
I froze in horror at her impulsiveness. How could she speak to the Empress so freely? "Silence, green one!" I snapped, turning sharply toward her. "P-please, forgive her thoughtlessness, my Empress!"
{It is fine. I harbor a special fondness for the young Kitsune.}
"...Eh?!" The exclamation escaped every mouth present—even Shizuka's, who rarely showed emotion at all.
The idea that the Empress—known for her precision, detachment, and mechanical disposition—could hold affection for anyone, much less a single kitsune, was absurd. Among those who knew her, such a notion would have been laughed off as nigh-heresy.
Yet the green one, blissfully unaware of the weight of what she had just heard, smiled with childlike delight. "Really?! Would Goddess-sama truly repair my damages?" she asked eagerly, still showing no proper reverence in her tone.
{If the green one so wishes, that can be done. I shall restore what was lost soon. If this had occurred in the material world, it would have been nearly impossible. But here, within the shadows, the boundaries of my power know no limits.}
That much was expected. In the material world—what we called the Outside World—the Empress had equals and even superiors.
Chief among them was the Supreme Lord, and beyond him were other cosmic powers governing their respective domains under the singular Creator who made all things. In such realms, her authority was restrained.
It was said that her greatest weapons there were cunning, deception, and the art of sowing darkness within mortal hearts.
I had always known her to be cold, detached, and lacking in visible emotion. So it truly felt miraculous that the green one had found favor in her sight. And despite everything, I felt a quiet sense of relief.
Realizing she would soon see her family again—those she had unintentionally erased from existence—the green one began to weep once more, though this time with joy rather than despair.
The tears that streamed down her cheeks shimmered faintly under the suspended fragments of what remained of the realm.
{Are you still weeping, young one?}
The Empress's voice softened now, carrying an almost motherly warmth that none of us had ever heard before. The green one hiccuped and wiped her face, still sniffling, unable to compose herself beneath that impossible kindness.
Apparently, the Empress did not understand what "tears of joy" meant and assumed that the green one was still mourning over something grievous.
{Do not cry, young one. I assure you that your brethren will be reborn, and it shall be as though nothing ever happened.}
"Th... Thank you, Goddess-sama..." the green one whimpered softly against Shizuka's shoulder. "And I am so very sorry for doing something so dangerous."
{Not at all. It was excellent data for me to obtain... Green one?}
"...Yes?" she responded timidly, raising her teary eyes.
{...Will you... be my friend?}
My eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
In the span of mere moments, the green one had been elevated to a level beyond even the Domain Lords themselves.