Timeframe: A little before the making of the Convocation.

A dream her? A real her? Was this a projectile or perhaps she was seeing through Ohta's eyes? The charming Fox god, but she looked at the hands from the eyes she gazed from and saw womanly pairs. More womanly than she was at that. She no longer had a body of a young adult but was now a mommy. Her hair was very long, black-brown that looked more brown in the sun. Her eyes looked deeply at everything as if seeking the aura of those she looks at. Her outfit was black, her inner outfit was white and little decors of lilac and red, her two colors. The area was of the golden tree with the lands of the mountain and marble it created. It was her half-sister's tree, Amaturasu's.

Did no one notice her? She saw some people roaming, the monks and worshippers of the Kami. "Hmmm," she thought out loud and walked around the tree to gaze at the beauty in her tired eyes.

In the aftermath of the civil war that raged within Joya a chain of events had been set in motion. Her father had previously cautioned her to get involved in this 'War of Ascension', believing it to be too complex for her to comprehend, and more likely than not someone would have exploited her naivety. However, to her surprise Ryuko now found herself being called back to her homeland. She wasn't certain why, but her father had told her it was time for his daughter to see the true nature of the mortal realm.

In the short time she had spent in the mortal realm the dragon girl had been forced to acknowledge that the world was not as Black and White as the stories made it seem. There were countless shades of gray, some uglier than others.

Still, her father insisted on her presence, and as such she found herself on Mount Kuja. The young dragon girl couldn't help but find herself somewhat out of place in this place of worship. Certainly there were the monks tending to the shrines and the gardens, and the faithful worshippers of the countless Kami, even some who likely came to pray for her father's goodwill during the next harvest so that he wouldn't cause a drought again.

Although it did always amuse her that uncle Ryujin had way more people praying to him compared to her father. But then why, despite being the offspring of a divinity, and by all means a Demigoddess herself did Ryuko feel out of place here? Because this was a place of worship, and she was a being of action. She wasn't the type who could just sit back and let events unfold. That wasn't noble or heroic in the slightest.

Stopping in front of the golden tree that belonged to the all-mighty Amaterasu the dragon girl went quiet for a moment. She knew nobody would likely pay her attention, even despite her dragon-like features. It wasn't that they had not noticed her, rather it showed the sheer amount of discipline the people working in this place possessed. Even if she had been in the form of a dragon they likely would had not bothered stopping their work unless she threatened this sanctuary, a heresy that she would never commit.

"I can't help but wonder what you meant when you accepted by Father's plea Lady Amaterasu. To be a champion of the people, to protect the weak and the innocent. It makes sense that such a goal would make one a hero. Yet looking at the mortal realm and its inhabitants I can't help but find myself unable to ignore the amount of wickedness that lingers."

She sighed softly, her gaze cast toward the taller branches as she smiled weakly. "I can't protect everyone, and for every person I save another one is forced to go without a savior. Feed a child and they won't learn how to feed themselves. What is good, what is heroic and just in a world so illogical as that of the mortal realm?"

She chuckled softly, her gaze lowering back to the base of the tree. "Couldn't you have been more precise in your instructions? Papa Shinryu isn't exactly the smartest dragon around." It was at that moment she caught another presence in the corner of her eye, albeit something was different about this presence. Her divine eye stirred, and for a moment she couldn't help but cover half of her face with her hand to try to suppress to sheer pressure she felt from this presence that stirred her.

Still, despite all that she attempted to smile at the stranger. "Ah~ here to ponder about what goes on in the minds of the mighty Kami as well? Unfortunately, I doubt we will get any responses, even if the tree is as beautiful as the weather we are having today~"

The tree looked as golden as ever, a glorified tree it was. She wondered what Ohta could be doing and wondered if her physical body was still resting as she was stuck in this area. Was it because of her godhood? Her shrine was here too now since it became public to the Joyans who she was. She could check on it, but as she was going to the woman heard someone speak. Something about Shinryu nothing precise. Was it some random who dared named themselves that or the dragon that was created by Ryujin, a god that no one wanted to mess with, almost as much as her 3 main siblings that were quite famous? She was just a half compared to them, unfortunately.

"Hah... Mighty, yet where were they when this Country needed them? The Kami Empress may rule the Kami and all, but," she smirked and huffed. It was silent for a mere second. "Amaterasu only responds to those she wants something from or is in trouble," her head tilted, her long strands of hair slid from her shoulder as her eyes slowly looked at the girl. She had the feats of a draconic so maybe it was the dragon Shinryu. "You spoke of Shinryu earlier, no?" she wondered. Her new appearance and everything obviously hid who she was. She was no shogun, no infamous demigod of war and death as well as soul collector of the dead, but just a stranger. Her appearance was different and that was ok. "I didn't know Shinryu had a daughter, yet then again I doubt I'd hear things about most of them unless they cause a problem for the Earthrealm," she sighed and lastly spoke.

She had to admit the words of the woman had come as a surprise. To the worshippers of the Kami, they might have even sounded as heresy. "Were the Kami to intervene directly, then surely it could bring peril not just to Joya but to all of Earthland." The dragon girl spoke sternly, but after a moment she couldn't help but smirk in response to the stranger's words. "At least that is what people would tell you. I personally feel their absence is troubling. Why pray to a god that remains silent? I wouldn't presume to know what goes in their heads. But isn't it weird? They have so much power, so much wisdom that they could use to help the people but in the end... I guess it is more complicated? Even Papa always avoids answering me when I ask the question..."

She dropped her shoulders lightly in defeat, yet hearing the woman's question about her mentioning of Shinryu the dragon girl instantly cheered up again. "Mhmm! But I'm not surprised you haven't heard of me~ You see, the only reason I was allowed to be born was because of the deal Papa made with Amaterasu. So I bet the other gods look down on me like I'm some sort of outcast."

She shrugged her shoulders lightly, a sheepish grin resurfacing on her lips. "Not that I mind~ Despite the flawed nature of this realm, I feel much more at home here. The fact mortals are able to pursue their ambitions and ideals with such determination is worthy of praise. And yet... I have seen some things that make me question so much."

She gently lowered the hand that had been covering her eye till now, fortunately having enough control over it to try to not activate it while looking at this woman and continued. "But you seem much more familiar with both the realm of Kami, and the world of mortals. But you don't really feel similar to me. Your presence is far stronger, or maybe the word 'experienced' might work better? Not that I'm that strong, ever since I caused an accident and scared some villagers by accident I had most of my power sealed away~ I can't even fly as high as Papa or Uncle Ryujin anymore."

She huffed in amusement after which she turned her gaze back toward the tree. "Ryuko~ That is what the people of Joya came to call me."

For some reason, she felt quite intrigued by the conversation she was having with this stranger. And so she turned her attention toward Mishiko. "But even now I have no idea what I am meant to do. The convenant my father made with Amaterasu said I was meant to be a 'Guardian of the innocent, a Champion of the weak', which clearly means a hero, right? But what is true heroism in a flawed and illogical world like this?" So many questions that plagued her mind...

The draconic girl spoke and seemed to feel happier when Mishiko named off Shinryu. "I wouldn't say all gods were absent, just the majority," she huffed a chuckle. Mishiko let them continue with what she had to say, let the feelings flow off like a waterfall down the stream of stories. Her eyes slowly blinked when she heard her assume her presence was strong and it was true she was at the knowledge of both realms. Getting her memories back was somewhat recent, all of them besides perhaps a few. She knew her memories will come back eventually though it was taking a bit. As Ryuko spoke about being a guardian of the innocent, it sounds like a sugar-coated version of 'I need you to go to Mishiko and be of use while helping,'. Amaterasu liked speaking gently, with elegance and yet with order, so her sugarcoating orders and directions sounded just like her half-sister.

"Sounds like her...", she muttered softly in Joyan. She gave a light motherly smile as the woman turned to look at her. "You see, Ryuko, once there was a girl, born as a priestess, sheltered from all. Later, forced into war, afterwards sold as a slave. Ran with her only friend and person she knew and trusted to end up fighting back. She saw the horribleness in Fiore, as she did in Joya. This girl, or woman by age, she learned many things from this, not expecting to be a hero, but became the savor of Joya. A single person, unknown to all, gathered friends she made on the way, allies even, and broke war against the Shogun all people feared. She didn't expect to escape alive, nor did she know what the outcome would have been. In the end, she became the innocent people's hero, even when she didn't expect to be. That is apparently what makes a hero," she tilted her head as she still was confused about why they saw her as a hero.

Was it because they no longer were in servitude and had to fear if a samurai under her control was going to violate them, burn their homes, or take someone from their family? "She still doesn't know why they see her as one..." she muttered with a crackle and soft tone. She licked her lips as her gaze was looking at the roots of the tree. The roots were actually her own parent, her mother as this tree was the tree that connected all gods and those who are related to each other, at least with Amaterasu.

"The truth is, the girl found out she was more than just some person who was going to be fed to the wolves..." she lastly spoke before putting a strand of her own hair away from her face.

A frown lingered on Ryuko's visage as Mishiko told her tale. The dragon girl listened attentively, wondering if it was not just a person's intentions, but also the people's needs that made someone a hero. "Perhaps it is a collective of things: The intentions of a person, the needs of the people that end up turning the actions of a person into heroism, and their presence into that of a hero?"

But then what of those who opposed that person? Were these individuals the villains, or was the hero a villain to them? It reminded her of Talaz Lagaar and the sheer chaos and confusion she felt at trying to understand the illogical nature of that conflict. As she heard the last words spoken by Mishiko the dragon girl brought a hand to her chin, pondering for a bit. "Hmm, to overcome such trials and tribulations, one could say that it was not only made possible because of sheer determination, but also  the presence of trustworthy friends and allies? After all, even a hero needs allies to support them in their time of need. For who will save the hero when they are in need of saving?"

She turned to look at Mishiko, an innocent smile lingering on her lips. "Although it is still confusing, I think I'm one step closer toward understanding what a hero is. Thank you-" Yet as she was about to express her words of gratitude she felt her divine eye pulse with energy, causing her to stagger lightly as she felt the familiar sensation overcome her. An Echo... A vision of the past

She could scarcely believe the things she witnessed, and as one might expect her face had turned pale for a moment as she found herself back among reality, yet instead of the expected response the dragon girl merely smiled. "Geez, and I thought I had a special family, I think you might have just topped me in that regard Mishi-nee~"

The dragon girl still couldn't believe it, but for now, she decided to trust the unusual powers she held. "So tell me something~ Now you became a hero, saved the people, and brought peace to Joya. I think one important question that remains unanswered is: What did the girl want to do in the end? What will you do now? Also don't worry, I might see but I don't tell, this eye of mine likes to stir when I least want it to. It shows me certain things, like the past. As if I was there at the very moment. I like to call it an 'Echo', because it feels kinda like that. The 'Echo of a Memory'.

She smiled weakly and remained entirely fixated upon Mishiko, wanting to hear her answer.

A sigh escaped her lips as she then chuckled, "So you have that ability, quite boring, don't you think?", she wondered. "I felt like a surprise would have been more exciting than automatically knowing the prizes, the answers," she lifted her hands and touched the tree, "It's like being excited for a Book, but once you touch and look at it, you immediately get the whole story within seconds," she retracted her hands to let them rest against her side. "But yes, birthed by one of the creators of Joya, siblings to the Empress and all the others," she waves her hand in carelessness. "Yet I did all the work to find people, to Command and control," she glared at the sky as her head tilted up.

"For that reason, I will be making a Faction to protect life as a whole, but mainly Joya. We will create our own life and preserve it to the fullest. Research all that there is to make a better life and world," she had an expressionless look on her. "Within time I will find every scraggly who sided with Ayame willingly and punish them with the Citizens getting to choose their sentences," she felt it was right for the citizens to be able to decide their fates, mostly if they were affected by them.

Cause, affect, and effect.

The Dragon girl couldn't help but chuckle weakly at these words. "I agree, some might call this ability a 'blessing'. The ability to know everything that happened up to the point of my birth, to have access to all this information the world readily exposes yet if I was to give my opinion I would call it a curse." She grimaced for a moment. "The fact I can't control it, the myriad of wisdom bestowed upon me rob me of the excitement, of the experience leading toward it."

She dropped her shoulders and sighed dejectedly. "I have been trying to find a way to get rid of it, but just gauging out my eye doesn't seem like the healthiest of solutions. Yet who knows what the future will hold."

As she listened to Mishiko's ambition, or rather her 'plan' to create an organization of her own that was meant to protect the people of Joya, she couldn't help but find herself intrigued by it. "It is true, despite having freedom, the people still need guidance, leadership. Without a ruler, they will be vulnerable to outside influences, and I wouldn't be surprised if another country within the mortal realm would have taken that as a sign of weakness, making it likely an invasion would follow."

Still, the idea of the citizen being able to decide on a punishment for those who had made them suffer for so long was a fascinating notion. It made her wonder how such a judgment would unfold. From what she had experienced so far mortals were emotional beings, and as such likely would let their feelings cloud their judgment. But even then she wanted to see, whether there would be some among them who could retain a clear sense of justice despite all the wrongdoing they had suffered in the past.

"To protect, to nurture and lead. Quite a heavy responsibility you plan to carry." Ryuko hummed softly, her gaze shifting to the roots of the tree as she pondered a bit further on the topic. "While I have no doubt the people will accept their savior as their new ruler, it is obviously not a task you can handle by yourself. How do you plan to gain allies and receive the support of the people? One could say they are placing their very future, their lives in your care, so I wouldn't be surprised if some would demand sound plans and presentable ideas to convince them. After all, mortals are beings of action, and noble intentions remain dreams until you have a solid method to turn them into reality."

"Land, I already have found land and it was created hundreds of years ago yet hidden from the eyes of mortals. It'll be close to the sea, my sister insisted to be near there for a specific reason she dared not to tell me as I'll find out soon. So vague..." she spoke in her womanly, soft, and cold tone. "Also, I don't tend to do it alone, I have my guild members who are willing to join, some strong people who will do tryouts for the important spots. Some are mere mortals and some aren't, they're demigods or higher versions of the mortals that reside here and around the world," she then looked away from the tree.

"I plan to have different divisions, each carrying out their specific categories, and become a grandmaster of them. We will help each other prosper to a better order, a better life for each other," she insisted. She remembered her dark incursion version. He ruled the world with an iron fist next to the gods. He killed all those who opposed him, including Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Susanoo apparently was on Mishiko's side, in this life, and in her other universal side. She didn't want to corrupt people to become the Mighty God that he became. Mishiko wanted to create and preserve what they have as well as destroy what will cause harm to the future - unless it can be used in a balanced way between force and will.

"Up to you if you wish to join us, as that offer is now towards you," she started to walk towards the table as she no longer wanted to stand.

The Dragon girl remained silent as she listened to Mishiko's idea for the future. When she started to approach the table to take a seat Ryuko followed after her, taking a seat across the table as she pondered for a moment. "The offer is certainly an intriguing one. However, you know how my kin can be~ We are proud beings, and in my time in the mortal realm I have considered my actions and choices as these of my own: Which of course also makes them my own responsibility. What I am trying to say with that is that I considered no god as my master, nor do I intend to serve anyone else in the future. Certainly: our goals and ambitions align quite strongly it seems, but I'm no servant or subordinate, I am a partner in these endeavors. If that is something you can agree to, then consider myself interested~"

She smiled briefly, her gaze shifting from Mishiko toward the surroundings as she pondered about something. Although the place felt tranquil and peaceful, the mortal realm was one of frequent chaos and unrest, and as such it would require a lot of effort to ensure the people could enjoy such peace and prosperity.

"You don't technically serve me, loyal, sure, but you serve the innocent people who need you," she lifts her hand and clenches her fist. Her darkened eyes gaze at the girl and then turn away, black-brown hair swaying their way. "I wish for peace among these people as they haven't seen peace for over a few eras. I hear the mourns of the souls of the dead as they plead for me to create a City, a large land where all can be safe or at least feel at more peace than they have," she shakes her own head at some thoughts. "Now, realistically, problems will always appear, but we will be there for them. Won't we, Ryuko?", she turns around and looks at her. Joya was large, but at the same time it was an island of large culture compared to other countries. Due to their success in war, many will try to win the Country's favor.

These were wise words spoken by Mishiko, to the point the dragon girl couldn't help but snicker for a moment after which she started to erupt in boisterous laughter. The monks tending the place briefly looked in bewilderment, but Ryuko paid them no mind. "Hahaha~ You're smarter than the gods up there Mishi-nee~ I like that. Yes; we serve innocent people, the ones who never had someone who championed their cause. When all they could do was pray for a savior, but now the time for idle worshipping is over. Instead, let them be guided by a ruler who will be judged by her deeds, and I will be proud to lend my claw to her cause in that case."

The Dragon girl's tail swished back and forth in excitement as she continued to listen to Mishiko's words. "I can't say I have the ability to hear the whispers of the dead, but as one who holds the lineage of a divine dragon I can say even I felt the sparks of unrest in the air. The people are restless, understandably, after such a event they will seek not only stability and reassurance they are safe, but we can and will give them more: prosperity. I'm sure you or someone among you is more talented in political affairs, but when it comes to protecting the innocent I'll be the hero your group can rely on!"

She went quiet for a moment after that cheerful declaration, a brief frown following. "I actually been doing some research recently. Although there are people who claim that my kin granted mortals the powers they call the 'Dragon Slayers' and their magics, I have been trying to track down traces of a similar event, one that dates to the times even the divine realm and that of the mortals was not entirely separate yet. Some might call it summoner magic, but it is far more complicated in design. This is not the art of summoning an ethereal being to your side, this is essentially the art of creation: of breathing life into new entities. But my trail ran cold after an incident in Caelum saw me return to Joya... I hoped to find out more about the origins of such magic... Because imagine if we could actually create things. We could create an infinite supply of meat for those who starve, Meat buns for all the children!"

She smiled at Mishiko, clearly in high spirits "But until I discover these secrets I'll try to help you in keeping the country safe instead~ Can only solve one problem at a time."

Mishiko nodded to her agreement, "Good, we'll be having a meet-up with many of the Joyan citizens about this. I also have to have a meeting with the Magic Council after our creation of the Shinigami Convocation," she adds with a sigh. She listened to Ryuko about some magic that had to do with time. She remembers this and had a run in with her, or the old owner of the magic. She hasn't heard anything about the woman after so long. "Ah, yes, I actually had personal interractions with the Dragon Slayer magic of time," she said in Joya and looked at the sky. "She's able to manipulate people's ages and go back into time to change or watch things happen. The owner I knew though is now a different one. I don't know much about the new owner besides being the Guild Master of Fairy Tail in Fiore," she admits.

She blinked a few times at Ryuko's burst, "Yes, Creations... Ohta can create things with a snap of his fingers. It's quite unique and beautiful. I hope to create divisions within this faction in hopes of creating and preserving life of all sorts... Imagine if we built a Utopia for our people, one where we can also defend," Mishiko speaks happily. She turns to look at the girl, "I will be happy to have Ryujin's neice by my side," she says softly. What she doesn't know is that Mishiko is supposed to meet Ryujin about getting married... What a headache that will be, she doesn't even know what he looks like or who he is.