Lucy's POV-

The darkness was supposed to be alarming. It was supposed to overtake and make you feel empty inside. I knew that was how I was expected to react. However, when the dark shadows and forces enclosed on me, all I could feel was comfort. I felt at peace with the darkness.

I loved the light. The light was energizing and lovely, but the darkness was calming and understanding. Both forces made me feel at home and held a special kind of beauty within it. Without light, we would not know darkness. Without darkness, we would not know light. You cannot have one without the other.

"I simply cannot withdraw my support of her," the God spoke to me directly as I scried within the dark flames that I loved so much.

"Excuse me?"

"That wasn't the right choice of words. I have withdrawn my support of her," he corrected himself slowly due to my penetrating stare. "However, she already has the darkness and shadows on her side, just like you. Once my shadows and darkness has sunk within someone, they don't leave until it's not a viable place to be anymore. The witch provides them a temple to feed their darkness. She has much darkness and power for the shadows to draw from and feed back into... She's offered herself up as a place of solitude in a world that turns darkness and shadows away."

"You can't just command them to stop?" I asked.

"Can the Moon Goddess just command her wolves to do as she pleases? No. My shadows have the free will to do as they please. They seek a place to feel as though they belong, just as most beings do. The witch gives them that space."

"How do we fix it then, Grandfather?" I asked desperately, feeling frustrated.

I was hurt, upset, and I hated that I wasn't there with Kale. He was doing an excellent job; I could see his strength within my scrying in the dark fires. He was showing them all the way and being their light, but even in death... I could feel his heartache and sadness over my departure. I could feel all of their heartache over me.

I watched their turmoil and hurt. I was there for them, but I couldn't figure out how to truly show them except in the small ways I already have. A small star, whispered words in the winds, a kind presence in the darkness... It all seemed too small and insignificant. However, it was all so significant. I couldn't figure out how to get them to see that. Every little insignificant thing was totally and completely significant!

"I can't believe that I'm about to say this..." he spoke to me hesitantly. "We bring in the light," he whispered in an almost painful way.

"What do you mean?"

"The only way to overtake the darkness is by flooding it with the light," he said.

"So, how do we do that?" I asked calmly.

"I suppose we have to invite the light here, and then we go from there," he sighed.

"I know that you think that the light coming will weaken you..." I said after a full few minutes of silence. "However, what if it strengthens you?"

"What do you mean, Lucent girl?"

"The shadows cannot be seen without the light, Grandfather," I told him kindly. "Yes, the light sheds light on the darkness, but that doesn't mean that it overtakes it. It simply means that it is giving you a space to be seen in."

"You're telling me that since the beginning of time, we have all been going about this the wrong way? The darkness and light are one in the same, not separate?" He asked me in a disbelieving voice.

"I'm saying that you all need to change perspective," I told him firmly. "The dark and the light should not be fighting each other for one to overtake the other. They should be working together to give each other the space to simply be. You cannot have darkness without light. You cannot have light without darkness. The darkness gives the light a space to shine, and the light gives the darkness a space to fill. This universe is all about balance, not something overtaking another. We all have a place in this world. We just have to give each other space to fill it."

He blinked at me several times. No words came from his lips as he took me in, contemplating me. He knew that I was right, but he was too proud to speak on it.

"You're... something," he finally said with disbelief lacing his voice. "Let's get your other patron Gods and Goddesses down here, I suppose."

"Down here?"

"Yes. I am not the only one that you need to say these words to. They are the ones that banished me from the light realm. They have to come to me because I'm not allowed in their 'etheric' realm," he spoke calmly. "Turn around," he told me.

I obeyed his command with no questions. Honestly, my mind was still blown due to the lack of insight by literal ethereal beings.

As soon as he touched my back with his long sharp nails, I knew that he was sending his cold black fire through my markings. I could feel the cold sting overtaking my back. It was a weird kind of pain because it hurt, but I could also barely feel it. It was like the dark fire was soothing me as it was infiltrating my marks as well.

I saw the glowing from the marks on my back. I felt the sting come forward and reach within me to call out. It was the strangest feeling that I had ever felt, but I also felt totally at ease in the situation. Even as I collapsed into Grandfather's arms, I felt a strange calmness fill me up. I knew that I was being taken care of. So many things had my back and supported me so I could support the world. That was my last thought as I passed out and let myself sink down into myself deeply.

----

"Lucine," I heard the beautiful and very first etherical voice that had ever contacted me speak.

"Moon Goddess!" I spoke on a large exhale as I scrambled to sit up right.

"Careful, Lucent girl. Contacting between realms is very draining and powerful work, don't overexert yourself," The God of the Underworld spoke fondly to me as I was still halfway resting on him.

"As if he cares," one of the etherical beings before me scoffed.

"Grandfather has taken very good care of me, and even if he doesn't want to admit it, he cares for me greatly," I defended him as I pointed to his marks on my shoulder. "Just as all of you care for me."

"Spoken like a true child of the etheric," Mother Gaia said.

I smiled her way brightly. However, my smile quickly dropped when I took in her etheric body. It was even more burnt and dying than it had been the last time I had seen her. It made me want to weep looking at the damage that she was enduring.

"All of this is his doing," the Sun God spoke too firmly.

"Do not blame him," I said before Grandfather could attack. "This is not an isolated issue. We all have a part in this," I explained. "Do not think that you are more righteous or have less sins that him simply because you are light. You all seek too much power and want too much glory."

"That's not true!" The God of Love spoke too quickly.

"Yes, it is, sir," I answered with a shrug. "You literally kicked him out and forbade him from your realm because you don't like the threat he poses. What did you expect him to do? Sit around doing nothing? Yes, what he has done here is wrong... But you haven't kicked the God of War out of there, nor have you kicked the Goddess of disease and famine out either. They are overtaking the mortal realm and wreaking havoc just as much as the God of the Underworld has," I said angrily.

Still, they all glared at the dark God that was standing beside me. I took a breath and decided to speak my mind, "He's darkness, but that doesn't mean he's bad. Just as I've explained to him, the universe is all a great balancing act. Therefore, you cannot have light without the dark and vice versa. I love both equally. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That is why we need to work together to fight these oppressive forces. We will get nowhere without each other. That includes everyone, dark and light."

"She's right," the Goddess of the hunt spoke in a strong voice. "He's not bad, nor is the darkness bad. Too much of it is bad, but an excess of anything is bad. I support Lucine, and she supports The Underworld. Therefore, I support it too."

"As do I," The Moon Goddess said stepping forward. "I chose Lucine to carry this out because she is the one for the job. I trust her and her judgment. Plus, she is right about the balance. We have lived for too long unbalanced and separate... We are one. One universe, one frequency, and one love. It's time we embody that."

"Okay," the Sun God relented. "But he's very manipulative. If he even steps one toe out of line, I'm done with this."

"Agreed," Grandfather spoke from beside me. "I will not betray Lucine. She is the patron of my whole literal realm. We all chose her because we believe in her. We have to put that to the test now."

"Yes... So, what are our next steps?"

"Allies," I said on whim. "We bring everyone together," I clarified. "It is what we're doing in the etheric realm, and it is what we need to do in the mortal realm."

"And how are we supposed to bring them all together?" A voice asked.

"Lucine," the Goddess of Psychic abilities spoke with a smirk. "We use Lucine with her strength and ability in the Astral realm to convince them."

"Astral projection?"

"Astral projection into the mortal realm," she confirmed.

"Is that even possible for a non-etheric being?"

"With all the support from my patrons, I believe I can do it," I nodded as I lit all  the torches around us with the black flames that I loved so much. "Let's do this."

----

"She did it," I heard as I came back to my body. "She got them to unite."

"I did it... I really did it," I said, almost crying in relief.

I had known how reluctant the other packs in the south had been to fight, and I had seriously doubted my ability to convince them to join my pack. They didn't want to get involved. However, The North had involved everyone on their tirade. They didn't get a pass just because they weren't fighting them. They all just needed to realize that they'd all get pulled into this battle eventually. Whether it was to go down fighting or just to go down was completely up to them. They chose to fight.

"That's all good and dandy, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... What about the witch?"

"Um..." I hadn't even gotten a chance to think about her yet.

"It's going to take someone incredibly strong to fight her. I'm sorry, but none of them fit that..."

"Lucine," Grandfather, the God of the Underworld, said calmly.

"Yes sir?" I asked thinking he was speaking to me.

"No... I mean you're going to be the one to fight," he corrected.

"She can't breakthrough the astral to fight, Hades," someone sighed. "She could barely breakthrough enough to speak to them. She won't be able to handle fighting."

"I hate to say it, Grandfather, but they're right," I sighed.

"I know..." he said. "While you were travelling the astral, I know how difficult that is for someone who is not a God or Goddess, so good job on that. Anyways, as you did that, I was thinking... I'll give up your soul."

"What?!"

"Has that ever been done before?!"

"No... It hasn't ever been done before," he answered. "I'm doing it now."

"H-how does this work? How do I get back?" I asked as I stared at him.

He was obviously very reluctant to let me go. It made sense, my soul was tied to him and his realm. Plus, he was a lonely God, he didn't want a friend to leave right after finally getting one.

"You go back through the valley of pain and unknown, then you must climb the mountain of suffering that you fell from. I can get you to the mountain, but I cannot accompany you up it. This is my home... This is where I belong."

"I'll come back, Grandfather. You're acting as if this is a last goodbye," I told him calmly. "When the war is over, I'll come back to my patronage home and-"

"No!" He cut me off. "You will stay alive. You will be up there in your home. I'm giving you a second chance... Take it and live your life. You have a life, love, family, and home in your mortal realm, enjoy it."

"And when you come back, after you've lived your life..." The Sun God spoke calmly. "I deem you to be the Goddess of balance. Then you may choose to spend your time wherever you please, along with the God of the Underworld."

"A-a Goddess?" I gasped.

"Does that mean I am allowed in the light realm?" Grandfather asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, to the both of you," he replied. "Lucine, you show something that we all lack, so you must be here to keep us in line for all eternity. And you, Darkness, deserve a chance to show us your depths as Lucy has advocated for you."

"I'll be back, Grandfather. Then I can really get into redecorating the realm. Also, maybe renaming some of the landmarks around here. I mean... The valley of pain and unknown? Hardly. More like the path of pretty shadows," I said with a grin.

"Absolutely not, daughter," he said, surprising everyone with the endearing name he used.

I simply took it in stride with a smile, "I have a lifetime to think on it, I'll think it over."

"You're not renaming my realm or its landmarks," he replied with a frown.

"Your realm likes me better than you, I'll do what I want," I laughed.

"Is it too late to take her Godship away? I can already tell that she'll be annoying," he grumbled.

"Oh hush, you love me," I laughed before turning serious. "Are you sure I can do this?"

"The shadows like you more, Lucine. Plus, you emanate true love. True love always wins. You made my whole realm love you, I think that you can beat a measly little witch with too much power," he assured me.

"We're all with you," The Moon Goddess assured. "Plus, you'll be taking her off-guard since she thinks that you're dead. You can and will win. You'll save the mortal realm, just as you saved the etheric realm. We'll all be with you, and you can call upon us as you need us. We'll all answer your call."

"We'll all answer your needs," several of them spoke at once.

"Those markings on you are your strength, and your reminder that you can do this, Lucine. I mean, you're a literal Goddess now, after all. You'll save us," Mother Earth told me firmly.

I took a deep breath, calling my dark flames to me to comfort me on my journey, and turned back to all my Gods and Goddesses, "I will do this. I have to do this. For love, for freedom, and for good."

With those parting words, I took off back to the mortal realm. Even though I was a completely different person than I was when I had departed the realm, I knew that I still had the same love deep down in my heart. That all encompassing love that you'd do anything for, I had that... It was me.

I had the love of my people, my Gods and Goddesses, and of me. I had my love... I could feel the holes in my heart being smoothed over by the outpouring love that I was showing to myself. I would do this for me.

A/n-

Hey y'all! This took so long to write, and I am so sorry! I had to take some time for my mental health and exhaustion. Anyways, let me know what you thought! What do you think will happen? P.s. I have not even re-read it through because I am so tired... Let me know if there are any errors! Don't forget to vote, comment, and share! I love y'all!

-KAF❤️