“Do you believe in magic Keiichi?” Belldandy asked intently after ushering him into the kitchen for more privacy.
Keiichi goggled at her as though she had lost her mind, “Magic? You mean ... like the Tooth Fairy or the Great Pumpkin...”
“Or like Goddesses?” Belldandy smiled faintly.
“I er ... when I was a kid, I guess, maybe, I suppose. Sometimes I did wish that there was magic,” Keiichi scratched his head, “I don’t know. I mean, it was a long time ago ... and well, I mean you grow up. You realize that the real world doesn't really work like that.
“I admit that I have seen a lot of weird things ever since I called the Goddess Hotline and met you,” and a fond smile lit his features for a moment, “and Urd and Skuld and even Peorth. I've seen Spirits and Ghosts and even Demonesses like Mara or Hild. But still, part of me can't accept something like magic. I've seen you cast your spells, Urd brew some weird potions, and Skuld build some sort of odd thingajigs ... but I was always able to well ... grasp that whatever it was you and your sisters was doing was explainable. It followed some sort of bizarre logic. As nearly I could tell, whatever it was you do is tinkering around with some physical or natural laws. What Urd does is some sort of really advanced chemistry and even like that magic circle you got scrawled outside, those runes or glyphs are just some sort of highly complex mathematical symbols, like super advanced calculus or eighth-dimensional quantum mathematics as far as I understood Skuld's explanation one time.”
“Yes, that is correct Keiichi,” Belldandy looked pleased and pressed her hands to her breastbone, “we Goddesses are part of the Universal Order, it is our role to shape and define this Order and as such we are inextricably part of it and as such, we can also exert ourselves to control and manipulate it. Magic however is not part of the Order of the Universe. It is Primordial Chaos. It is a fundamental force that we lack power over and ultimately it is only a force that mortals can wield and shape.
“Which brings us to Sakura Kinomoto.
“Sakura is potentially the most powerful sorceress of all time. That is if she desires it, if she studies and dedicates herself and her life to it ... she could wield tremendous power. She could be a source of great good ... or perhaps of great evil as well. Under normal circumstances, we would not interfere. Humanity must choose it’s path. Sakura would have to make her own choices, her own mistakes, and learn from them, to walk her own path and to define her own future. That is the essence of Free Will.”
“Normally?” Keiichi asked.
“There are ... Dark Forces in motion here Keiichi. They know of Sakura. Of her existence. Of her potential. They would desire to have her walk their path. Which is why Urd is ostensibly guiding her while at the same time giving her a measure of protection.”
“Urd is protecting her?” Keiichi demanded, his voice rising a few notches at that revelation. He was just barely able to bite his tongue and blurting out an expression of horror. Urd? Our Urd? That Urd? Urd, the irresponsible, inattentive, careless reckless Urd?
Suddenly Keiichi was aware of a faint click of the phone receiver and the creaking of the floorboards as Urd slid open the door and poked her head into the kitchen. “Hey Bell,” she began and then noticed Keiichi’s presence and nodded a brief acknowledgment, “let’s get started. I’ll go get Skuld and the kid, we need to get moving.”
“Trouble?” Belldandy asked, her normally cheerful expression clouding over.
Urd hesitated and then, “According to Father, the Opposition is on the move,” she reported.
“I see. You’re correct then, you should get moving,” Belldandy agreed solemnly.
Urd quickly departed.
Belldandy began untying her apron and hanging it up on a hook. Keiichi waited a beat before blurting out, “What was that about? Is it those ... Dark Forces, you were talking about? So what if they’re moving?”
“It means that there is a good chance that they have decided that Sakura is simply too dangerous to live.” Belldandy said flatly.
Keiichi felt a chill run up his spine at the finality of Belldandy’s last words and his face twisted in disgust, “What are you saying? That they’d ... they'd kill her if she doesn’t join them?”
“Yes.”
“But she’s just a child!” Keiichi protested feebly.
“Yes. So she is. But she is also much more. That is her destiny,” and Belldandy's voice fell to a barely audible whisper that Keiichi had to strain to hear, “or her curse.”
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(Posted Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:43)
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