Lucas... felt existence again. Sheer, wonderful ever feeling existence! The wind, the cold! The Sun! The warmth of flesh! And... the familiar face of Death was there to greet her- amongst the beasts though this time, Lucas did not see her own reflection upon Her eyes. The angel was not worried... not at all. It felt impossible to actually become worried about anything. Worry was such a... mortal thing.
Death looked at Lucas, and... her form passed right through the angel, as if she was never there. A ghost, a phantom... a dream. Death could not touch Lucas at all. No, She did not have any place now in her destiny... not for now, anyway. Not with the God-modification code now running within her. She had achieved transcendence? Is this... what it was all about for her? She felt herself asking so many questions of what this now meant with not just her life, but basic existence.
Is this not essentially, immortality?
I really am an angel now? she asked herself.
Yes Lucas...
She was the light... a guardian of existence... a near supreme power, and with it came a strange measure of peace. A peace that felt... like she wanted to let go of more then worry but of any earthly fear. The peace... this strange feeling, nothing should disturb it. Nothing could, as it rested within the core of her being. It was so welcoming that she felt her mind turning inward, to join with it. To become part of it... and feel an ever greater bliss, then she could have ever imagined.
No wonder angels rarely had free will... it was almost a surrender-
"Neurite..." she whispered, as she felt the goddess she felt the most kinship to, become part of her. Was she to become part of the moon itself? The concept of the moon?
Lucas was not part of anything though... she was... her own self. Chaos incarnate! She had to fight... she knew she had to. She needed to... she wanted to! Lucas did not surrender!
Like the flick of a switch turning on, Lucas was now suddenly truly awakened. Her free will acting upon the full power of an angel, at her disposal, and she could feel Neurite smile... smiling with beaming pride.
The spider army was surrounding the angel Lucas, even as a soft gentle light started to glow around her. Her Halo, suddenly flared into blazing light, forcing the spiders to step back. Lucas had the most serene expression she had ever worn, since transforming. Her entire body floated, in mid air... her wings flaring outward.
Lucas held out her sword, with an open palm as it balanced itself on the pommel. The light seemed to just explode around her form, as all around her was enveloped in light...
... and all the matter surrounding her, was thus converted into energy...
Arachne winced as she felt... them all cease to be. They were never living, these creatures. Not really. Mere images of her own form...
Something powerful was here now... and she was fearful. She had to work quickly to get back to Earth. Not just any Earth... but her own Earth. Bringing the beasts back was just step one... there was one more thing to do.
Shana was feeling the magic of a magic girl burning in her body. She wasn't sure how long she had until it completely killed her. But Arachne must know of some way to fix it... if they found magic girl Three, that would work! She could give the power back to her.
"We're going back to Earth," said Arachne.
"How?" asked Shana.
"... step into the circle with me."
as the two stepped into the circle... There was that strange feeling of virtigo... and a blast of rainbow light.
Shana found herself back on the Rainbow bridge... the guardian was there.
"Present your token," asked the guardian.
Shana looked to Arachne. Token? This was the same creature that sent her... to play the game. She didn't gain any 'token' though... did she?
"The token," said Arachne, showing a shining circular coin. "I have spent centuries in that hell-hole, completed all the tasks of a dozen life times. I have earned my way back to Earth, and my world. I have earned the highest prize on offer..."
The guardian looked to Arachne. Agreed... please state your wish.
"Wish?" asked Shana surprised.
Arachne smiled. "I played the game... and won. Very often. I have earned one world changing wish. It can do anything... absolutely anything. There is no limit... not a single one. " The spider woman said with quiet awe in her voice. Finally... finally, she found the way back. She could get her greatest desire...
"Then you can wish me back to normal!" Said Shana quickly.
Arachne looked to her quietly, her face... grim.
Shana felt her heart stop. "...you're.... you're not going to wish it are you. You're going to leave me here...." The younger spider girl said quietly.
"... I'm Sorry Shanna." she looked back to the guardian. "I wish... my daughter who was taken by the gods to fight the monsters as Three, be returned to me."
The guardian looked at Arachne sadly. I know her story... she died alone, forgotten by all. She saved the world... and brought the age of technology to Earth. what you ask for will change Earth in irrecoverable ways... the monsters would never have been defeated... and there will not be a guardian in your time, when it is needed most. The void must be filled...
"I don't care. Someone else could have been magic girl three-" She stopped. yes... maybe she could help shanna after all, and get what she wanted. she said glancing to the other spider girl. "An amendment to my wish. Send Shana in my daughter's place."
"What?!" said Shana.
.... it is done. said the guardian. The one known as Shana will be sent to your time, at the dawn of the monsters end and face the final battle... instead.
"W-what have you done!" said Shana. She realised however something felt different... she was no longer in pain. The magic felt... part of her? She felt different... subtly so.
Arachne sighed. "... I hope you do better then her..." Gods what has she done! She just chose to let someone else die instead of her daughter... Shana was just a stranger, despite how much she liked her. However when it came to her own family, there was no choice in the matter.
Shana disappeared in the wink of an eye. To face the final battle of the previous age... and it was not likely she would win.
As the spider woman looked past Shana's lost form, she looked to the guardian once more. "What happens to her?"
You have made your wish... I can offer you no more. Your daughter waits for you on Earth... go now.
