And raw force slams downwards, blasting out from the pin, hard enough to shatter the rock below.

Broken legs broken ribs broken spine broken everything-

She barely has the presence of mind to shift out before her body dies. She liked that face, too.

And Kaguya pulls them to a featureless plain -

And seems to start becoming more, a sort of presence forming around her -

Featureless plains would ordinarily be her favorite. They're just so easy to add features to. But she's starting to run a little low on mana here, so she's going to have to revert back to dragonish methods of fighting.

Unfortunately for her this is around the time when the sheer pressure forming about Kaguya keeps anyone from approaching -

And reality starts to unspool around the woman.

That is bad. She prefers reality to stay intact.

The world takes on a strange quality. Like a dream, or an illusion.

And Ellisaria is elsewhere, without her allies. Alone upon smooth paved stones, the cliff before her falling into clouds, the sun bright and ever-present. There's a sound of birds and wind chimes.

Soft footsteps come behind her.

She turns, tilting her head curiously.

There's a woman, dressed more finely than anyone Ellisaria has ever seen, robes floating in an unfelt wind, hair immaculate, the golden threads and ornaments glowing with an inner fire.

"Hello," says the woman, her voice like a banked inferno. "I have been watching you."

"Have you, now? To what end?"

"The mortal world is in peril, is it not? And the matters of mortals impact even us here, for all that that fool attempted to wall us off. I would see the world restored to what it once was, nothing more."

"What is your name, spirit?"

"I am Amaterasu, She of the sun and the heavens, who illuminates the world. Though it is rude to ask the name of another without giving your own, Ellisaria."

"Clearly you knew it already. And you said you had been watching me. That is considered somewhat rude in my world."

She laughs. "Do you consider the sun's gaze an insult, then?"

"I am not accustomed to suns possessing intelligence."

"All things do, in the proper order of things. Some are just too young to appreciate it. But I brought you here for a reason: the world I love is in danger, and I still cannot directly impact it."

"And you wish me to be your avatar in this matter?"

"Yes. I do not demand service, merely offer my aid in return for your own."

"What form would your aid take?"

"There are powers I could grant you, that would provide an edge. I can pause time here for a short while, to allow you rest. If Kaguya succeeds in further unmaking the world, I will be able to do more, but I must confess i would rather it not come to that."

"As would I. Time to rest and recover my mana reserves would be welcome, as would any additional powers."

"Then have them you shall." Her eyes unfocus for a moment, then - "And if you are not impatient, a proper transference is not a quick thing."

"I know how to wait."