A True Believer [Solo/Item Obtainment]

Kamiko woke with a scream followed by several heaving breaths until she managed to calm herself down enough to take in her surroundings: She was within the small abandoned church that served as her home for the last few months and was as alone as always. She was not trapped within the burning hellscape that she had imagined in her nightmares, nor was she drowning in black ichor as she had also dreamt. She was safe and needed to reassure herself of such several times before she managed to force herself out of bed and stumble her way to the window of the small room which had been repurposed from a former Priest's study into Kamiko's bedroom during her stay within the old building.

Taking a few more deep breaths, Kamiko steadied herself and looked out of the window upon the darkened streets of the Black Market that she had been calling her home for the time being. There was no firey hellscape, nor was there anything else that could serve as a reminder of the horrific nightmare that had been only one of the many she had been experiencing throughout the last several days as a result of - what she believed to be - some sort of Divine Punishment for her more recent straying from the words of her Goddess. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had for the most part never truly believed in any sort of Goddess originally and had been simply reading from some discarded text that she had found and used the belief system of the deity as a method by which to worm her own beliefs and desires into the minds of those who Followed her.

Perhaps she had truthfully angered an actual deity, that or it was possible all of the time she spent alone within the Forests were finally getting to her and that she was actually much less stable than she had originally believed herself to be? The answer was uncertain, but what Kamiko was definitely certain of was that the newly made Amulet she wore around her neck made of simple golden colored rope was the cause; she had begun hearing the voices in her mind only recently, shortly after she had created the necklace and this had led her to believe that whoever the voice was, it was most certainly deific in nature and she was not about to go against it.

Shaking her head softly from side to side, Kamiko attempted to clear her mind of her worried thoughts and would begin to turn away from the window -- only to let out a sharp yell of surprise as she jumped at the sight of a figure that had been apparently standing behind her and that was now in front of the Priestess:

The being that stood before her was grey-skinned and covered in what appeared to be feathers, shining red eyes boring into Kamiko's very soul as she stood in utter shock for what seemed like an eternity while paralyzed with fear:

"Surprised to see me?" The Being asked, eliciting only a slow nod in response from Kamiko. "I am not here to hurt you, Kamiko, there is no need to be so fearful of me." The Being added, moving forward to place a hand on Kamiko's cheek with a faint smile as a show of non-aggression toward the still shocked Priestess.

"You must be ... Zy-- Zyarae." Kamiko finally managed to say, to which The Being - Zyarae - nodded in response while removing their hand from Kamiko's cheek. "That I am, and I am here to tell you that you are wasting your talents, Kamiko." Zyarae began, continuing further before Kamiko had a chance to object. "Words may have served you well in the past, but those of this day and age require more ... concrete proof of the existence of those such as myself." Zyarae tilted their head slightly to the side, seeming to be waiting for a sign of understanding from Kamiko.

"Then-- Then why do you not simply appear before them, as you have me?" Kamiko asked incredulously, still in shock at this whole affair but equally agitated by the fact that this supposed Spirit or Deity or whomever they truly were had been speaking into her mind for several days and weeks now and only now saw it fit to appear physically before her. Why her? She was not even particularly religious - quite the opposite; she had been using the guise of a church to convince those who needed something to believe in to join her Following. She, of course, cared for those under her guidance and shepherded them much like a Pastor or Priestess would but this ... this was not what she had intended in the slightest.

Zyarae answered with a laugh that echoed throughout the small room and a slight narrowing of their red eyes that suggested seriousness after having finished doing so and while they spoke in response to the question: "If it were that easy, Kamiko, then I would have found a way to have you killed by now." They said bluntly, causing Kamiko's heart to skip a few beats as the woman bit her lower lip slightly. "But as it stands ... You are the only one that can see me, hear me and feel me within this world and as such: I need you." They continued, stepping uncomfortably close to Kamiko who could not help but step back a pace, placing herself up against the wall. "You will become a true devotee of myself and, in return, I will help you grow this Following of yours." They concluded, to which Kamiko finally spoke up with a clearly nervous expression:

"And if I refuse?" Kamiko asked, to which Zyarae simply responded. "Then I will tear you apart from the inside." They answered coldly, forcing Kamiko to look away in order to avoid Zyarae's gaze. "I suppose if you put it that way, then I shall follow you -- Goddess." Kamiko muttered in a tone that suggested she most certainly felt backed both literally and figuratively in a corner at this moment and that if she had any other feasible option that did not result in her immediate death then she would have attempted such.

"Wonderful," Zyarae said, calming down as they backed away from Kamiko and offered the same smile as when they had first arrived. "I had not wanted to get violent with you after having just said that I was not intending to harm you." They added before turning their attention of the window that Kamiko had been looking out of previously, doing so in silence for the moment.

After a long few moments of silence between the two, Kamiko would be the one to finally speak again as she took a seat upon her nearby mattress which sat upon the floor near the window. "I am still a bit uncertain as to your true intentions or even who you are, Goddess, what is it that you want with my flock to begin with?" She asked, her eyes cold and staring toward the ground as she contemplated the full weight of the agreement she had made; she had always intended to use her Followers for her own gain -- but this? This was essentially forfeiting their lives in exchange for her own for reasons she was quite possibly going to very much disapprove of; how could she have done this to those she practically considered her very own children at times? How could she agree to such a demand in fear for her own life?

Zyarae's response disrupted Kamiko's thoughts as the deity turned their attention from the window and fully onto Kamiko: "I want to do what a sister spirit of mine could not -- I want to exert my power upon this world such that no one can deny my existence, so that even those outside of your influence shall be forced to worship me and give me the strength to someday before more than just a mirage in the corner of someone's eyes. No matter what that takes." They would then move closer to Kamiko again and place a hand upon the Priestess' shoulder. "Let us just hope that you are able to help me in doing so before I must resort to devouring the lives of those under your wing; You wouldn't want that, would you?" They asked in a sweet tone that Kamiko swore was meant to be mocking in how she said those words.

"Of course not, I understand," Kamiko said stiffly in reply, not bothering to look up toward the feathered Goddess as she spoke to them. "I will not fail you." She added in an attempt to convince Zyarae, which, judging by the fact that they had removed their hand from Kamiko's shoulder and moved away seemed to be at least somewhat convinced on the matter.

Zyarae paced briefly about the room, appearing to be in thought for a few moments before finally speaking up toward Kamiko with a widening grin upon their lips:

"If that is the case, then I have much to teach you, and you have much to learn..." They would say with a tone that made Kamiko feel even more uneasy than she already had been throughout this whole ordeal. "I will mold you into the perfect Priestess of mine and in doing so -- I will even give you the power to protect those Followers of yours." Kamiko would then raise her head, her full attention finally being diverted to Zyarae. "You just need to listen to me above all else, that should not be too hard, hm?" Zyarae said while raising a brow, eliciting a nod from Kamiko in response.

"Good." Zyarae practically purred in response, appearing to be quite pleased with themselves. "If that's it, then, we can begin training now." They would say eagerly, to which Kamiko knew she stood no chance of objecting to seeing as she had already pledged herself and her Followers in the same breath to Zyarae just moments ago and there was, of course, the very likely possibility that Zyarae had the ability to simply kill Kamiko on the spot if she disobeyed.

On the other side of the coin, however, she also knew that Zyarae needed her as she had previously said and would likely not be too keen on killing their only connection to this world out of something as petty as a minor argument between the two; however, Kamiko was not one to take unnecessary risks and as such she remained silent as Zyarae led her out of the church and onto the dark streets of the market she had been calling home for what felt like years even though it had only been at most a few months.

"Where are we going?" Kamiko asked in a whisper, looking around in an anxious fashion at the eyes that watched her from the depths of alleyways and from behind windows. The eyes upon her reminded her of the judgements she often received back in her home village and the stares from both parents and children not of her Following who saw her as some sort of insane woman rather than someone who simply knew how to get the attention and worship she desired from others; all it took was making them believe that the same worship they showed her was also being shared with a God or Goddess of some type and they were more than fine with lavishing her with anything she could ever want.

"We are going to announce to this world that I am here now, and you shall help me do it." Zyarae responded simply snapping Kamiko out of her thoughts as she moved deeper into the market while Kamiko followed behind, resigned to the fact that she was now no longer simply a con-woman who used religion as a means to gain the trust and belief of her Followers -- She had become, in the matter of a few moments, a true Priestess.

WC: 2,011
Claiming with WC: Followers Amulet

Approved.