Am I really from Earth?
The thought kept circling my mind like a stubborn mosquito. All my memories were from Earth. School, convenience stores, and crowded streets. I had never seen forests like this before today. I had definitely never met a blue haired girl who could turn into a divine deer.
So then what was that spirit mark?
Could I have actually been born here… and somehow sent to Earth? But who would do that? And why? And how would something like that even work? My brain felt like it was tying itself into knots.
"HEEEYYYY!!"
The sharp shout pierced through my thoughts like a thrown dagger. "Huh?" I blinked, snapping back to reality. Demeter stood in front of me with her hands planted firmly on her hips.
"Why are you mumbling to yourself?" she snapped. "Stop ignoring us!"
"Sorry," I said quickly. "I was just… thinking."
That was technically true. Too much thinking, actually. I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "None of this makes sense to me," I admitted. "Do you know why I have this spirit thing? Or why was I brought here?"
Demeter tilted her head slightly and tapped her chin with one finger. She looked exactly like a kid trying to solve a puzzle.
"Hmm…"
A few seconds passed. Then she shrugged. "Nope! No idea!"
My shoulders sagged. "Great," I muttered. "Just great."
"But!" she suddenly said, raising a finger like she'd just remembered something important. "We already told you, didn't we? Spirits choose their host." She squinted at me suspiciously.
"What? Did you already forget? Pfft! Your memory is terrible!" She burst into laughter. It was irritating. But somehow… also kind of cute.
Still, my patience snapped. "You think this is funny?" I shot back. "I just found out there's some mysterious spirit living inside me! Of course I want to understand what it is!"
Demeter blinked at my outburst. Then her lips curled into a teasing smirk. "You want to know what spirits are?"
"Yes!"
"All of it?" she asked, narrowing her glowing eyes.
"Yes. All of it."
"Ugh! Fine!" she grumbled. "We'll tell you! But you better not cheat us out of sweets later!"
"I won't," I said.
Demeter cleared her throat and straightened her posture, trying to look dignified again.
"Ahem."
She clasped her hands behind her back and lifted her chin.
"Listen carefully. This is a story our mother used to tell us."
That caught my attention. I leaned forward slightly. "Okay."
Her voice softened. "Thousands of millennia ago… this world was empty."
She gestured toward the sky and the trees around us. "There were no plants. No animals. No oceans. No sky."
Her gaze drifted toward the forest. "Only endless darkness." The wind rustled through the leaves as she spoke, almost as if the forest itself was listening.
"Then they arrived." Her tone shifted. Reverent.
"The supreme ones. Beings without form. The creators of everything."
She looked back at me. "The Elder Gods."
A strange chill ran down my spine. I wasn't sure why. But hearing those words felt… heavy. "They arrived in this dead world," Demeter continued, "and began shaping it."
She gestured toward the mountains visible beyond the forest. "They forged mountains. Created rivers and oceans. Painted the skies." Her eyes sparkled slightly. "Within moments, the world was overflowing with life and color."
I listened quietly. But honestly…
Part of my brain still thought this sounded like mythology. But considering I had just watched this girl turn into a Colossal creature… I probably wasn't in a position to question it.
"They created life next," she said. "The first beings to walk this land were the mighty Dragons."
She counted on her fingers. "Then came Demons. Elves. All sorts of creatures, plants and animals."
Her nose wrinkled slightly. "And lastly… humans too."
I snorted. "Let me guess. You don't like them much."
"They are weak," she said bluntly. Then she added, "But they are clever."
Fair enough.
"After that," she continued, "the Elder Gods gifted the world with magic."
Her finger traced a line in the air. "They placed magical circuits inside every living being and the world itself."
"Circuits?" I repeated.
"Yes. Magic flows through everything. Through the land, the sky, the oceans."
She pointed down at the ground beneath us. "All of it is connected through a vast invisible network."
"The Ley Lines."
I glanced around the forest. For a brief moment, I imagined glowing energy flowing beneath the soil like underground rivers.
Demeter continued.
"The Elder Gods were not finished yet. They created beings with divine authority. The Angels and The Beasts. And alongside all they created another "
Her eyes flicked toward the glowing mark on the back of my neck. "The ten spirits."
My body stiffened slightly.
"The spirits are immortal entities," she explained. "They dwell within the bodies of those they deem worthy." Her gaze sharpened. "With a spirit… one can shape the world itself."
My throat suddenly felt dry. That red aura…Those claws…A spirit. Living inside me.
Demeter's voice softened again. "With their creations complete, the Elder Gods left this world. They entrusted it to The Angels, The Beasts, the Spirits and the creatures who lived here."
She paused. Then spoke one final word.
"But before leaving… they gave our world a name." She looked directly at me.
"Spiegelbild."
The name seemed to echo through the forest. I slowly repeated it. "…Spiegelbild." The word felt strange on my tongue. Yet somehow… It felt important. Demeter watched me carefully.
"You look funny "
"Huh?" I blinked and returned to reality again.
She giggled. "You humans are weird." Then she added casually, "But you, are not too bad."
I raised an eyebrow.
"For someone who can make sweets, that is." she laughed cheerfully
....Even as the moment grew lighter, a heavy question still lingered in Ki's mind. Why was I brought to this world? And what exactly was the spirit inside me? I stared at my reflection in the lake. One thing was certain. If I wanted answers…I would have to uncover the secrets of this world
She sat cross-legged by the lake, still processing the breathtaking origin story of Spiegelbild as narrated by Demeter. She gazed at the shimmering waters, her mind swirling with thoughts of Elder Gods, spirits, and a world entirely unlike her own. But her musing was cut short by a tug on her sleeve.
"Human! You promised us sweets!" Demeter, in her adorable child-like form, pouted and stomped her foot.
Ki blinked, jolted out of her reverie. "Oh, right... But, uh, I don't have the ingredients."
The girl narrowed her eyes. "Are you lying to us?"
"No, I'm not!" Ki waved her hands defensively. "Look, I can't just conjure sugar and cocoa out of thin air! We need to find a human settlement or something to get supplies."
Demeter tilted her head, considering this. "A settlement? Do you mean the human village nearby?"
"You know one?!" Ki sprang to her feet, excitement sparking in her eyes.
"We… might," Demeter said coyly, brushing a strand of blue hair from her face. "Though that was over 500 years ago."
"Over Five hundred years! Do you even know if it still exists?" Ki asked.
Demeter sniffed. "Of course, it exists. Believe us, We are a goddess, after all! "
Ki folded her arms, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Right… Well, if this village is still there, we could definitely check it out. I need more than just ingredients. Maybe someone there can tell me more about this world… and about spirits."
Demeter nodded slowly. "Then it's decided. You shall provide us sweets, and we shall lead you to the humans!"
A grin spread across Ki's face. "Sounds like a deal, Demi."
"Demi?" Demeter frowned.
"Yeah, short for Demeter. It's catchy, don't you think?" Ki teased, already enjoying how the nickname annoyed the self-proclaimed goddess.
"We do not approve!" Demeter huffed, crossing her arms.
"Well, too late. It's sticking," Ki said with a playful shrug. "Now, lead the way, oh great Demi.'"
........
The warm sun filtered through the dense canopy of leaves above, casting scattered patches of light onto the forest floor. Ki trudged along, her gaze drifting between the odd flora dotting the path and the girl bouncing ahead of her. Demeter- no, Demi, Ki had decided, was humming to herself in a distinctly upbeat tone.
"Demi," Ki called out, trying the nickname again to see if it stuck.
The little girl stopped abruptly, turning around with her hands on her hips. "We said not to call us that! It's Demeter!"
"Demi is easier to say," Ki teased, smirking. "Besides, doesn't it sound cuter?"
"Cuter? We are not cute!" Demi puffed her cheeks, but her voice cracked just slightly, betraying her demeanor. "We are majestic! We are a Goddess!"
"Uh-huh, sure," Ki replied, clearly unimpressed. "Majestic goddesses totally throw tantrums."
Demi crossed her arms and turned her back with an exaggerated "Hmph!" but didn't object further. Ki suppressed a chuckle and hurried to catch up as they continued down the winding path.
"So," Ki said after a moment of silence, "You will keep our deal, right? Guide me to this village, and I'll make you sweets."
"Obviously! We are a goddess of our word," Demi declared proudly. Then, her tone softened, almost shy. "But they must taste as good as the one from before. No tricks!"
"Got it, got it," Ki replied, raising her hands. "No tricks. Cross my heart."
Demi seemed satisfied, her mood lifting again. As they walked, the two began to talk, mostly about nothing in particular. "Why do humans wear clothes all the time?" Demi asked out of nowhere, tilting her head.
"Uh… modesty, protection from the elements, that kind of thing."
"Hmph. Sounds impractical. "
Ki laughed. "Yeah, well, not all of us can turn into a giant stag, so we make do."
Demi smirked, clearly pleased by the mention of her great form. "That's true. You're quite a weakling."
"Hey!" Ki protested. "I fell out of the sky and survived, didn't I? That's got to count for something."
"Only because of your spirit," Demi quipped, sticking her tongue out.
Ki rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. The banter felt oddly normal.
.....As they walked, Ki couldn't help but marvel at the strange flora around them. Massive flowers with glowing petals that shimmered faintly in the dappled light. Trees whose bark shifted colors, blending seamlessly into their surroundings.
"Wow," she muttered, stopping to see a peculiar plant with spiral-shaped leaves. "This place is incredible."
"Of course it is," Demi said smugly. "The world is full of wonders. Humans just forget to appreciate it sometimes."
"Spiegelbild…" Ki repeated. The name felt significant, like it carried more weight than she could understand.
After walking for a few minutes something caught Ki's eyes she crouched to inspect a glowing blue mushroom growing at the base of a tree.
"Do not touch that!" Demi warned sharply. "That is a Mooncap. If you so much as brush against it, you'll be hallucinating for hours." Demi smirked. "You Humans are so clueless about their surroundings. How do you even survive?"
Ki shot her a look. "How was I supposed to know that was poisonous?"
Their banter continued as they reach a sparkling brook, where silver fish leapt gracefully from the water, and a cluster of enormous butterflies with iridescent wings flitted through the air.
As they passed the brook, Demi slowed her pace, her expression softening. "You know," she began, her voice quieter now, "the shrine you crashed into… it wasn't always in ruins."
Ki glanced over. "Oh?"
"Five hundred years ago, the humans in the village built it to honor us," Demi said, her gaze distant. "They prayed for rain, for bountiful harvests. And we answered. We were important to them once."
"What happened?" Ki asked gently.
"They… became independent," Demi replied, kicking a pebble along the path. "They stopped coming. Stopped believing. Stopped sharing stories about us to their kids. Eventually nobody remembered us anymore."
Ki frowned, sensing a tinge of loneliness in Demi's words. "That must've been hard."
Demi shrugged, though her voice betrayed her. "We are a Goddess. We don't need humans to feel important. But… it was nice to be remembered."
Ki didn't press further, letting the silence settle between them as they continued walking.
The forest began to thin, and Ki caught sight of rolling fields in the distance. A faint silhouette of walls and windmills appeared on the horizon.
The village? Ki thought it was quite large to be called a village
Demi stopped and pointed dramatically. "There it is! The human settlement! Prepare yourself human, for you are about to enter our domain. Well, it was our domain," Demi muttered, dropping her arm. "But now it's full to the brim with smelly humans who don't even know who we are."
Ki smiled patting her head, "Who knows, maybe they'll surprise you."
Demi swatted her hand away with a huff. "Hey don't patronize us!"
Ki chuckled.
As they stood on the edge of the forest, gazing at the village silhouetted against the light of the sun, Ki felt a flicker of anticipation. Answers, however small, were waiting for her in that village.
"Ready?" she asked, glancing at Demi.
"Of course" the girl replied, puffing out her chest.
With that, the two began their descent toward the village , their journey and their partnership, truly beginning.