"Topht! Get down!" Lynefra heard herself saying in a man's voice before she was was lost to the circumstances. There was an explosion of heavenly fire and a star winked out of existence. For some reason Lynefra knew this place to be an area between the Universes. A battlefield in the void of the hyperverse where stray stars and planets ended up. Rules worked differently here and the gods were more powerful here than in her own universe.

The man Lynefra had called to was Topht, another Universal protector. The supreme god of his own Universe, he fought together with Lynefra in her previous life against invading forces from beyond the void. Topht was a giant, so massive, there really wasn't a place for him to actually get down behind.

Topht grunted as he ducked under another fireball lobbed in his direction and grabbed a planet, hurling it at the source of the fireball in retaliation. To the right of Lynefra there was only Topht and some unseen force hurling balls of fire towards the ones behind Topht. To Lynefra's left, there was a close quarters battle. A desperate melee between gods, none of whom belonged to Lynefra's Universe. Stars exploded and winked out of existence, some stars winked into existence. An endless cycle of destruction and creation occuring around her. It was complete chaos.

Lynefra had no control of her own body so she was forced along for the ride. A blast had knocked her down at some point. Soon she was back on her feet and running, a double bladed sword drawn (two blades in one direction, not darth maul style). She charged at a man who looked to be made of magma. Cracked, rocky skin with molten rock underneath his "crust." A sword light flashed and the magma man was no more, it was then that she turned and looked around her. A gorgeous looking woman was being attacked by a green man with webbed hands and fins on his head.

Space trembled as Lynefra felt her body move and in an instant she had moved two kilometers to where the woman was. Lynefra blocked the incoming attack towards the woman from the fin-head. She quickly counterattacked and the fin-head died.

"Thanks," the woman said in an oddly familiar voice.

"Anytime," Lynefra heard herself reply with the voice of a man once again.

"I'm Veorful, you are?"

Lynefra woke with a start. Looking around the room she realized she was back in her own body, in her own room, although apparently she had destroyed much of it in her sleep. At the foot of her bed lay Kuzunoha, smiling weekly towards her.

"Have a nightmare?" Kuzunoha asked, blood was dribbling from her mouth. "I managed to save the building but the things inside..sorry"

"What are you sorry for?" Lynefra asked, panic stricken at the state of her sometimes unwanted companion. "Did I-Did I do this?"

"It took all I had to keep you from levelling the entire school," Kuzunoha replied softly, her chest heaved up and down as she breathed in the energies of the earth around her, attempting to replenish herself and heal.

"Kuzu, I didn't mean to.." Lynefra's eyes watered up. She highly valued her companions even if she didn't act like it most of the time. Kuzunoha especially, she felt a special connection with the divine fox.

"Think nothing of it," the fox woman abruptly jumped towards the head of the bed and pulled Lynefra in for a hug before turning into her natural form, a fox. What were you dreaming of?

"I don't know..a war I think? I saw Veorful, but she looked different, weak.."

You're starting to remember, the fox said lazily, drifting to sleep.

Lynefra lay there pondering for a while as she cuddled with the sleeping fox. 'Remember what?' she asked to herself, though she already knew the answer. Eventually, sleep once again, won out over the young lady and she fell into a deep slumber. This time there were no dreams, only the bliss of oblivion.

"Lynefra, Lynefra!" Cirwyn called to her daughter as she opened the door to her daughter's dorm room. What she saw startled her. The room was a mess, clothes were ripped up and spread everywhere, the dresser had been splintered. The door handle even broke as Cirwyn had opened the door. The window was cracked and the drapes were ripped from their spot on the wall. "Lynefra what happened in here?"

"hmm?" Lynefra replied with grogginess. "A bad dream," she told half the truth.

"I see...well get up then, today is your big day." Cirwyn was referring to the coming-of-age ceremony. "We'll have to find some new clothes for you though. It appears your entire wardrobe has been destroyed by a bad dream." There was a slight mockery in her mother's tone that Lynefra had no choice but to ignore.

Lynefra tried to sit up but there was a furry lavender colored creature sleeping happly across her body, its head was resting on her chest. "Help! I'm being molested by a divine fox!" She cried mischieviously.

The fox's eyes fluttered open before getting up. As Lynefra went to sit up, the fox sat down in her lap and then used its weight to force Lynefra back down. Nestling comfortably over her stomach, the fox closed its eyes again.

Lynefra sighed helplessly, "Mother, it's not that I want to disobey you but there seems to be an animal that doesn't want me to get out of bed."

Ineed, you make for a wonderful pillow, the fox replied with its eyes closed.

"Is that so?" Cirwyn asked, "Then how about I just let your father in, you know how he loves hugs in the morning." Cirwyn looked into the hall behind her and nodded her head before stepping aside.

"Someone wants hugs from daddy?!" Traigar's boomed as he burst into the room and launched himself at the bed.

The fox jumped out of the way just in time for Traigar to start falling towards the bed. "Dad no! I'm in my pj's!" Lynefra screamed right before Traigar landed and pulled Lynefra into a bear hug. "Why are you in your underwear?!"

"I just got up," Traigar replied, as if strutting through the halls of the academy in his underwear was the most natural thing in the world. He rubbed his bearded face against his daughter's.

"OUCH! Would it kill you to shave?" Lynefra shrieked angrily before grabbing Traigar's chest hair and pulling.

"You little shit! Cirwyn your daughter is bullying me!" Traigar cried mournfully.

"aha, she's learned something from her mother then," Cirwyn grinned. "Maybe this is just enough motivation for both of you to get ready for today's ceremony." She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Lynefra pushed Traigar away and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door. "Did she forget I have no clothes?"

Traigar looked at the fox who was turning into her humanoid form, "Did she say she has no clothes?" Traigar then looked about the room and laughed. "How did this happen?"

"No worries," Kuzunoha assured Traigar, "I have this covered." Several outfits appeared from thin air, as Kuzunoha started fanning herself.

The ceremony was held in the main courtyard of the Royal Academy, well away from the warrior's training fields. Tables were set up, each with eight or so chairs. Each table was designated for a specific family There low marble platform meant for dancing was constructed in the center of the cluster of tables. The closest table to the dance floor was reserved for the Nihili Zelix table. The organizers of the event were at a loss of what to do to honor the patron god of the high humans. They had wanted to seat him with his family but were deathly scared of somehow offending him by creating the impression that they thought he was part of the Nihili Zelix family.

At the request of Cirwyn, the commers and foreign students were also allowed to partake in the ceremony. "A gesture of good will," she had said. Lynefra didn't have nay particular friends to invite to the party. The series of events that had taken place shortly after she had arrived at the Academy had prevented her from gaining any lasting friendships. Yanrin was about as close as anyone outside her family..and the pestering gods, had gotten to being a friend. Even then, the girl was disturbingly attracted to Lynefra.

Lynefra, herself, had mixed feelings about the big ceremony and the celebration dedicated to herself. She was out of place with her family, having some grand power that they couldn't imagine and being aware of a past life she actually had no specific memories. She felt Kuzu was only sticking around her because of some great deed she had done in her past life that she didn't remember. Loki was only sticking around because the events that transpired due to her influence seemed interesting. As for Syble and Lystall, Lynefra wasn't sure. Every now and then, Lynefra heard the voices from that white world that she couldn't recognize, they weren't talking to her specifically but they were talking about her. If Lynefra had to guess, it was because there was great event looming around the corner and she would have something to do with it.

There ceremony started at noon. When all the guests had arrived, Syble showed up from out of nowhere in his usual fashion, on the dance floor. "Syble!" Some of the high humans called out and bowed to the god, the rest of the people gathered followed suit. Before anyone had lifted their heads from their bow, Lystall appeared in a splendid formal gown, complete with a veil to cover her face as maidens typically did during a formal event. Her gown matched Syble's formal attire, and weren't her normal colors but this was a High Human event and she showed proper respect.

Her gown was fell to the floor, covering her feet, and had a similar style to the dress Lynefra had worn at the impromptu meeting several weeks earlier when she had healed Fallagar. The main color of the dress was black with gold embroidery. You dress up nice, Lystall said playfully to Syble.

Ugh, Syble grunted. These clothes restrict movement. Why did I ever let that woman start these pointless cultures with these gaudy clothes. Syble was wearing a black robe with gold embelishments. It wasn't too fancy but his divine prestige took care of the lack in fanciful adornments.

Shortly following the two gods, the royal family of Dulsa arrived. The Emperor with his princess consort, their seven young children, dressed in similar garb as Syble and Lystall, though the young girls were wearing much more conservative versions of Lystall's dress. Following the Emperor, Fallagar arrived. Finally the Nihili Zelix family arrived.

Traigar was wearing an exact replica of Syble's clothes, something Cirwyn had demanded. Cirwyn was also wearing a matching gown to Lystall's. "Wife, are you trying to make Syble and Lystall a couple and give the appearence that we're all closely related to the gods?" Traigar had muttered when Cirwyn was helping him with his formal attire.

"Are you not directly related to Syble?" Had been Cirwyn's response, then she added, "With you being named the sole heir to Laigrat, our nations are now allied with eachother. What's so bad about having our races' deities seem romantically involved? It would give the other races reason for pause, I think."

Cirwyn was on Traigar's arm as they walked through the reception area and wandered to their seats. Traigar didn't bow to the Emperor as his status was now equal to Artinalwe's. Laigrat soon followed with his granddaughter Altresca. Dean Altresca Nihili Zelix was wearing the academy's formal dress. It was one of the few arguments she had won against her mother. "I now represent the school and all of its interests. Any ceremony held at the school, I must represent thoroughly!" She had argued. Against such logic, Cirwyn had to admit defeat.

Altresca's dress had been slightly modified by Cirwyn, however, as the formal attire of the Academy truly didn't befit such a grand ceremony. The dress was a shoulderless one, blue with overtones of green and finally gold embroidery, the school's colors. Lacking a place for the Dulsa family crest as it was the Royal Academy's crest as well, a necklace had been made in gold and sapphire, now worn around Altresca's neck.

Freyd and Fonral entered right after Altresca and Laigrat. In the past few weeks, the two had solidified their relationship and Cirwyn was thoroughly pleased with her future daughter-in-law. Traigar didn't have much to say, he hardly knew the girl's father or her family and he didn't much care for the political grandstanding and marriages of the nobility. As long as the girl truly cared for his son, he was happy.

For such an event, Kuzunoha was not to be outdone. She had briefly left the mortal plane and sought out Abe no Yasuna, the father of her only child, Seimei. In every one of the mortal's lives he had been without wife and child except for the one where Kuzunoha had wed him. Currently his name was simply Yasune Abe, no longer of earth but of a distant planet. In this lifetime he was a "cultivator" and though not a god yet, he didn't lose out to any of the High Humans in terms of ability. Kuzunoha had forced his memories back to him so she could have a date for the ceremony. The Kings of the afterlife and reincarnation were none too thrilled with this turn of events but were too busy to actually stop her. Kuzunoha walked in wearing a lavender patterned furisode while Yasuna held her arm garbed in a plane Yukata, a sword on his hip.

Finally, Lynefra made her entrance. Being the dress-up doll once again, her mother, Lystall, and Kuzunoha had argued in depth about what she should wear, leaving no where to voice her own opinion. Lystall and Kuzunoha wanted to dress her up in an outfit that would have left her mostly naked, her mother disagreed.

"I don't care if she has curves and the looks to cause wars! My daughter is no slut!" Cirwyn had shouted at the two goddesses.

"You're just being a stick in the mud," Lystall had pouted.

"Why are leather and knee-high boots a bad thing?" Kuzunoha had asked. After several rounds of back and forth the two goddesses lamented in defeat. "Mortals make no sense at all," they had said as they consoled themselves. With the outfit set, Lynefra had the first set of clothes for her new wardrobe.

She had white silk elbow gloves, white kneesocks, and a simple summer dress with a less than conservative neckline. The hem of her skirt reached about mid-thigh and the loose fitting dress covered up just enough of her curves to stir the imaginations of the most of the guests.

Since waking that morning, Lynefra hadn't felt quite in place and comfortable in her own skin. She looked around at all the guests and realized she didn't really know any of them, even her own family. 'Let's get this over with,' she sighed to herself and went to greet everyone.