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Sidenote: if you’d like to see all the illustrations featured in the novel, click this link!

Yumi Tohma, supreme voice actress for Urd, wrote the first and only novel for Oh My Goddess! in 2006. Titled First End, the novel serves as both a summary/starting point of the series and as an...alternate universe/retcon of the series. It's as intriguing and as confusing as it sounds, so if you feel safe with some spoilers, read this review. I recommend picking up the novel, to be honest -- I thoroughly enjoyed it and Tohma shows just how much she cares for the very series that marked her as a household name for some fans. It’s funny, heartwarming and spectacularly epic in scope.

Throughout the series, there have been aspects of Skuld (and the AMG world as a whole) that Tohma came up with or that she built upon from Fujishima’s manga that are too good to not use! I feel like making this Cliff Notes: Extreme Edition post of sorts can serve as further inspiration for possible plots or headcanons. ♥

I’ve divided the notes in the chapters the tidbits appeared in, along with my own thoughts, should I have them. The chapters are separated into these weird segments, so you’ll get those too. Even though I skimped on the story in some parts, everything under the cut is still SUPER LONG AND SPOILERY, so read at your own risk!

PROLOGUE:

Skuld’s first appearance in the novel has her stepping out with a shopping basket in hand: “She could always be counted on to be in a good mood the day [Dobon] hit the shelves.” [While this goes against my personal headcanon of Skuld preferring to ask others to buy her fix, it does make sense as to why she has such a sizable collection of comics magazine. It’s possible the above happens once in a while, but I wonder if it fits better after she met Sentaro and started being more “outgoing.”]

The first power Skuld shows us is right after the above, the Reveal Hidden Object. It’s not in the manga or anywhere else, so it’s original to this novel. Unfortunately, Tohma doesn’t tell us when or where Skuld learned [which I’ll forgive because novel] but she does write: “Skuld extended her hand. Unfortunately, her first Reveal Hidden Object spell failed. Despite his despondency, Keiichi's reflexes remained intact. [...] She attempted the spell a second time, then a third. But each time, her hand only waved impotently in the air.” She was trying to get a wrench from Keiichi’s hands, since he was hiding it behind his back. Naturally, she just got mad at the end.

CHAPTER ONE, SEGMENT UTAKATA -- EPHEMERA

“Then, too, the phone had rung...at first, Skuld had ignored it, pretending not to hear. But she was the only one home, and eventually she picked up the receiver. "Yeah?" she said unenthusiastically. It violated her principles, but she was willing to use the I'm-just-a-kid-act if it meant dodging a telemarketer.” [She also got on the floor and ‘hugged her knees’, as Tohma writes. This is So Skuld. Principles!]

While we knew that Skuld was the goddess who had the least clearance and powers of the goddesses, it’s nice to see some sort of official status: “Even though Skuld and Urd were both Goddesses Second Class, Skuld's qualifications were a far cry from Urd's Limited Administrator License.” We also know just what type of specific license Urd has. This explains a lot about her actions in the manga during the Welsper arc. Splendid!

By this point, Yggdrasil has been running a little...weird...and bugs are beginning to proliferate. Peorth commands Skuld, who’s not too hot to come back: ”Getting rid of these bugs is the number one priority right now. Who better to round them up than you, Skuld? Return at once!" [My personal headcanon is that Skuld is the only debugger Yggdrasil has, for various reasons. Though I sometimes change it a little to reflect the sudden Leader status Skuld acquires in the TV series --commanding helpers to debug along with her-- I like that Peorth’s line essentially establishes that whether there’s one or many, the exemplar debugger is Skuld.]

The OVA established the idea that time passes at the same rate both on Earth and on Yggdrasil. This is why Keiichi and Belldandy met as children and were able to meet again as young adults. The manga is a little iffy, but it’s assumed that time passes the same but faster. The novel takes this stance, which can actually work too: “On Earth, two days had passed since then, while in the celestial realm it had probably only been a few hours.”

Tohma gives her girl the best spotlight, though obviously the manga says so too: "Look, if things were really that bad [in Heaven], Peorth would contact me [Urd] directly." It was true--even though she was a Goddess Second Class, Urd's powers were tremendous. And it wasn't for nothing that she held an Administrator Limited License--when it came to Yggdrasil's system, even Belldandy couldn't hold a candle to her.” By here, things in Yggdrasil have gotten worse, with Skuld working overtime. Things have gone almost completely black communication-wise.

Exact details on the bugs, though maybe a little retcon-y: “In the Yggdrasil system, however, the bugs were mere data errors--but down on Earth they took the form of weird, supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, they also had the inconvenient quality of being invisible not only to the human eye, but to heavenly beings as well.” [Then how did Skuld ever...hunt them...? FUJISHIMA CONSISTENCY HAS STRUCK TOHMA, GO TO RED ALERT. Though in the manga, she and the goddesses do don special glasses in order to see the bugs. The OVA has no such thing, and Fujishima was heavily involved in that.]

Belldandy and Urd have received a plea from Peorth to create a barrier shield, because -- gods are coming to Earth?!: “High above, a stream of bright red light appeared like a geyser in the sky. The earth emitted a violent rumble. "Maximum Defense Barrier Shield!" Belldandy and Urd's voices rose in harmony. Just as the barrier shield formed, a blinding light flooded their vision. A multitude of gods and goddesses began to stream down through the open gate.”

[SCREAMS OF MY BABY] “A ball of intensity, Skuld came running into Belldandy's gentle embrace. The little goddess' face was streaked with tears. "Belldandy...Belldandy..." She was sobbing too hard to speak. "There, there...it's all right now!" Hugging Skuld tightly, Belldandy looked over at Urd. Skuld's trembling body communicated the severity of the situation. "Skuld...what's the matter? What happened?" Urd asked, repressing the impulse to simply comfort her little sister.” [SCREAMS OF URD WHY’DJOU HAVE TO BE SO PROUD JUST HUG YA SISTER]

Oh, and the above is heightened by Peorth looking for the first time, scared, confused and very much like a fresh survivor of a natural disaster. Because Yggdrasil is dead. Heaven and everything associated with the realm has shut down, broke down and disappeared.

"...after that, it all happened so fast..." Skuld's small, tremulous voice joined the tense conversation. "Yggdrasil went completely out of control...here and there, it began to crumble...all of Heaven was in a panic..." Once more, tears overflowed from her eyes. She squeezed them tightly shut but couldn't block out the horrific images. She struggled to breathe. "We had no choice but to evacuate," Peorth finished.

[So besides witnessing firsthand the complete destruction of her home, Skuld has also had to come to terms with failing to save it, come to terms with Yggdrasil no longer existing, and come to terms with the fact that she had to run away in order to save herself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Skuld {and many others!} would start to suffer from PTSD. I’ve always held that she’s the strongest of the goddesses in terms of overlooking tragedy fast in order to get to working to solve it -- whereas Urd, the proud one, wouldn’t hesitate to think like a leader. That’s why they work well together. But Urd has lived longer. Skuld, whether she’s 12 or ageless, is still young. And let me tell you, as someone who survived a hurricane at 8, lost everything due to that hurricane and came back to find what little of my life still existed up until then caked in mud or destroyed, I KNOW how she feels. That’s her home.]

CHAPTER ONE, SEGMENT TASOGARE -- TWILIGHT

Officially, much like the movie stated, it’s been three years since Belldandy and Keiichi met. [So that’d make Skuld...14. OUCH. The above’s worse then.]

The singularity tied to Keiichi, that was brought up in both manga and OVA, is amplified here. Instead of being one, it’s multiple. Which is why in the beginning, he died protecting his sister. The System Force/Reality was trying to fix reality in its twisted own way.

Oh yeah, KEIICHI’s DEAD. TOHMA DON’T PLAY. [And yes, Belldandy reacts the way you’re imagining it.]

“ "If I'd just kept better neutrino measurements...we might have been able to do something before it came to this!" The realization came with a flood of remorse. She bit her lip in frustration.” [SCREAMS THE SEQUEL OF MY BABY]

Much like Care-a-Lot, Yggdrasil has its own special clock. “The hand moved on the Zero-Timer Clock that measured Yggdrasil's energy and computed the end of the natural world.”

The manga makes it clear [especially near the end] that the goddesses’ appearance -- e.g. Urd’s black skin, Skuld’s black hair-- are generated by themselves, that it’s their idea of how they want to represent themselves. The demon Mokkurkalfi says as much to Keiichi, warning him that if he ever saw the goddesses’ true forms, he’d be scared witless to say the least. [She says that too right when she’s about to unleash her true form on him.] Belldandy, shortly after Skuld's first appearance, explains in another way that their true tenth-dimensional forms are more or less programs, the indicator in their three-dimensional forms being the symbols on their faces. The entire mess of their real forms is really relevant when the gods and goddesses from Heaven disappear into dust in front of the temple.

The chapter ends with the goddesses trying to do a System Restore to, well, the universe. The following facts are important: a) Belldandy and Peorth are the first to disappear; 2) Urd manages to keep on until the last minute but disappears; 3) Skuld, who’d been inputting the code and commands for the Restore, is the last one to disappear defiantly some seconds after Urd. [I feel some SYMBOLISM there. Need to think about it.]

CHAPTER ONE, SEGMENT KIZASHI -- OMENS

The System Restore means just that: restarting the world from scratch. That means Keiichi called Belldandy again, and she grants his wish again. There will be differences, like Urd meeting Keiichi on the same day. But this is where readers likely will get to ‘experience’ AMG at its beginnings, if they are new to the world. TOHMA DON’T PLAY THE SEQUEL.

Tohma describes Skuld: “Her thick black hair swung at hip length and she had big, dark round eyes like a puppy dog.” The puppy dog detail becomes Tohma’s preferred line to describe Skuld. [ISS CUTE.]

Gods and goddesses are prohibited from peering into the future, but they are able to look into the past. There are parts they absolutely cannot see, however.

This is new to the franchise as a whole, and has never been used elsewhere [sadly]: “But the Goddesses of Time --the three sisters, and they alone-- had a special kind of magic. Memory differs from person to person, based on the events that have befallen that individual--but this magic allowed the sisters to synchronize their memories. In other words, they could call up every last feeling and perception from their past experiences and share that information between them. "Based on my [Urd’s] memory, we can revive your [Skuld and Bell’s] memories. [...]" “ [This. Is. Amazing. ‘Nuff said.]

So it turns out that Keiichi BECAME the singularity. This singularity/he became so great and huge, and became so linked to the three goddesses’ existence, that his death triggered the destruction of Yggdrasil.

Because the Yggdrasil system was also reset in the System Restore, everyone’s memories were reset. Hence, nobody remembers anything/the previous world...except Urd. She stipulates that, because she is half-demon, that bloodline allowed her to remember her other half. Belldandy rejects it and says instead that Urd remembered only because she needed to. The need was much greater than all.

The sisters start to create a mandala that allows them to synchronize their memories. Their markings are part of the mandala. [How cool a design that has to be?! *adds to to-do list*] Belldandy [VERY CUTELY] orders Skuld to follow her since the spell will weigh more heavily on her. and Skuld agrees [VERY CUTELY.]

Their markings also glow once the spell’s underway. This chant verse is telling of each goddess’, hmm, let’s say attribute? "BURNING FLAMES, ILLUMINATE THE DEEP DARKNESS...POWERFUL WIND, SHOW US THINE PATH...SPARKLING WATER, FLOW THROUGH THINE PATH..." [In case you don’t remember: Fire is Urd’s element, Wind is Belldandy’s and Water is Skuld’s.]

After the deed’s done, Urd hands to Skuld a very special item: Noble Scarlet’s egg! “Just like Belldandy, Skuld had immediately thought of someone special when all of her memories came back. Her angel counterpart--no, the angel that was an actual part of her being.” [BWAHAHAHAHAHA YES BYE FELICIA SENTARO.]

[In all seriousness, I’ve held to this too: that no matter what Skuld feels for Sentaro, that Noble Scarlet wins over everything. Glad to see this has been validated too.]

Unfortunately, Tohma done goofed. Scarlet’s eyes are hazel red: “After a moment, tiny white wings sprouted from her back. In a burst of feathers, an angel with golden hair and blue eyes was born.” Another mistake.

CHAPTER TWO, SEGMENT HARUBI -- SPRING DAY

“ "Oh, sister dearest! You baked muffins!" A squeal of anticipation greeted Belldandy's return. the youngest goddess, drawn by the smell, waited eagerly in Keiichi's usual spot. "Why, Skuld!" Belldandy sat down next to her sister, who was clearly ready to dig in. "You know we don't need to eat!" Belldandy scolded. "But Belldandy..." Skuld puffed out her cheeks and scowled.”

[Yes, I left the entire thing here, I thought that it was important to see how Skuld will eat her sister’s cooking {and take Keiichi’s spot VERY CUTELY}, even if the goddesses don’t need to. This is slightly evidenced in the OVA in Skuld’s episode, where she looks at the food Belldandy cooked, stares at it like it’s a tax form, proceeds to taste it cautiously and is surprised that this food is good. Also, I live for Skuld getting scolded by Bell. Pain is Good.]

Belldandy explains again what I mentioned above about the goddesses’ bodies: "In order for humans like you [Keiichi] to be able to see us, we goddesses maintain our appearances by continually regenerating our molecular composition. The energy we need to do this--and the energy we need to survive--is supplied by Yggdrasil, the system that governs Heaven. That's why we don't need to eat." But wait!, you say. What about the alternate energy source!, you say?: "But when our energy levels are dramatically reduced, such as after using a high-level spell, it is possible for us to replenish that energy using alternative sources from this realm.”

It’s interesting to note that Belldandy says that it’s disrespectful to the food if a goddess eats it, when they don’t need to. [Like the issue between hunting for food vs. pleasure, it seems?] But they can still feel the sensation of taste and feeling.

Also: “ "Only Keiichi gets to enjoy your home cooking! It's not fair! I want to eat the things you make, too! Come on, Big Sister, pleeeeease?"

Skuld, after Keiichi agrees, proceeds to a) make the muffin into an a la mode, complete with DUH ice cream b) wolf down 2-3 muffins in seconds flat. And talks with her mouth full of them while ice cream’s stuck on her face. [...VERY CUTELY.]

Megumi went bi for Urd for a minute. [Nah, not necessarily, but she sure did blush a lot.]

"Oh yeah? Well I'm a whiz at math and physics--and any other technical topic you can name!" Even though Skuld was young, she had skills to rival those of a graduate student. [In other words, it’d be useless to send her to any school, unless it were a technical college or graduate school. It’s good to know what level of education she was at re: these topisc.]

“Unlike Belldandy and Urd, Skuld had never frequented the campus since a child her age would have stood out among the students. She'd watched with envy as her older sisters had departed to attend the school festival or sit in on lectures, and had always harbored a keen curiosity toward the Institute.” [Parts of the manga and OVA contradict this -- BUT this is a new timeline, so it doesn’t apply here? Then again, Tohma establishes that she never went to the Nekomi campus. It’s a bothersome note, so I’ll add it to the mistakes pile.]

On the visit to the campus, Skuld wore beige culottes, cowboy boots and a red stadium jacket. [*adds this to to-do list* I’ve thought about Skuld taking a liking to those sorts of jackets. Nice!]

"Do you think they're foreign exchange students?" / "The girl with the black hair is a real cutie!" / "Are you serious? You're a pedophile, you know that? Didn't you see the one with the totally hot bod?" [THANK YOU TOHMA EVEN THOUGH I THINK THIS COMMENT WASN’T MEANT TO BE SEXUAL BUT AT THE SAME TIME THERE /ARE/ PEOPLE WHO MEAN IT THE WAY SAID ABOVE SO TOHMA DON’T PLAY: THE QUICKENING.]

CHAPTER TWO, SEGMENT BANRYOKU -- VERDANT HORIZON

"Since childhood, [Keiichi and Megumi] had been strictly trained to clean their plates at every meal. It was one of their Big Three family rules.” [...Tell us about the other two, please. The fate of the world hangs in the balance! It doesn’t but you know.]

“Powerful goddesses could alter the process of their molecular regeneration to create multiple miniature doubles--true doppelganger magic.” [It’s nice to see this ability being given a proper explanation. Explains why Urd and Bell can create so many super-deformed versions of themselves!]

At one point, Belldandy and Keiichi go on a trip -- they see a tree on this trip, this famous Jomon cedar tree. Curiously, Tohma goes ahead and makes the Yggdrasil tree of Norse myth part of AMG’s Yggdrasil: "Yes, it's a very important tree; it presides over the system...[...]" [Wish they’d gone with this idea further, somewhere else.]

Official flavors that we now know Skuld likes: jamocha almond fudge, chocolate mint, cookies 'n' cream, rum raisin and too many others because she is Skuld.

"Yippeeeee!" Skuld whooped, grinning from ear to ear. She hugged the box to her chest, plastic bag and all, and did a little dance for joy. Aroused by the commotion, Skuld's angel popped out of her back. "Noble Scarlet! It's the new issue of Flower Girls! Let's go read it together and eat ice cream!" Angels shared their masters' tastes. Noble Scarlet's eyes sparkled as she nodded her assent.

At one point, the Nekomi student population is entranced into catching a ghost that has been haunting the town for a while. Really, the ‘survival game’ is headed by none other than Tamiya and Otaki, our lovable goofs. Skuld and Banpei take charge in the game too: Banpei becomes Banpei Riot Control Attachment Precision Maneuver 8-Wheeled Armored Vehicle, Mark 3, a gigantic vehicle with 6 gun barrels in the front and Banpei’s face protruding from the gun turret. There’s also a Maxwell stone-powered chain gun with 8mm BBs; pursuit sensors; eye monitor and a Vanquish Enemies setting. [SKULD DON’T PLAY.]

Skuld also made for Keiichi -- so that he could see people well enough and tell Urd what to do-- the Static and Moving Object Sensor Machine with Amazing Visible and Invisible Light Wave Detector, or Super McMoneagle. It’s a load-bearing vest and headgear that looked like a helmet with rabbit ears. [Man, I just wanna know where did the McMoneagle name came from. A Google search gave up this, so possibly Tohma did her research well enough!]

There’s such a thing as Goddess-tongue. [Must be this.]

CHAPTER THREE, SEGMENT TSUKIHANA -- MOONFLOWER

Urd, inexplicably, goes home for something secret: “Skuld had been overjoyed. She had the television and newspaper all to herself, and there was no one to pick on her or to interfere with her projects. But her euphoria had lasted only a few days. Before long, boredom set in, which then turned to loneliness, end eventually to irritability and moodiness.” [In other words, SCREAMS OF MY BABY MISSES HER BIG BIG SISTER.]

Keima and Takano never celebrated Christmas because the Morisatos weren’t Christians. New Year’s was more important. [Points to Tohma for thinking about Christmas in this light, though Christmas is pretty much secular in Japan.]

“Although they'd outlived their usefulness, these older Yggdrasil technologies couldn't be casually discarded. Careless deletion or disposal was likely to cause negative aftereffects. For that reason, it was common practice simply to abandon them as they were.”

“ "I just can't concentrate today!" World Inventions Journal, a documentary show that chronicled epoch-making inventions and the great luminaries who had developed them, was approaching its climax. Against a period of placid classical music, the featured inventor was about to perform his final experiment. Normally, Skuld would have been on the edge of her seat, furiously scribbling notes, but not today. Her eyes gazed at the screen, but the information completely failed to reach her cerebrum.” [Me like this.]

“ "Skuld, you were watching in Urd's room again, weren't you?" [..] Without Urd around to battle tooth and nail over television rights, Skuld had a complete monopoly over the TV in the tea room these days. But for some reason, she was completely uninterested in watching it. No matter how many times Belldandy scolded her, she watched the one in Urd's room instead. Belldandy knew that Skuld would sooner die than admit that she missed Urd.” [Aw, you all know what goes here.]

“As far as [Skuld] was concerned, anyone who wasted her beloved sister's home cooking deserved capital punishment.” [SKULD DON’T PLAY THE SEQUEL: NOBODY PUTS BIG SIS’ COOKING IN THE CORNER.]

Talking about Christmas, Skuld divulges her newfound education on this Earth custom: "Yes! I read about it in Flower Girls. You decorate a tree, eat cake, and exchange presents by candlelight. Christmas is a very important holiday for sweethearts." [This is true, though. Christmas in Japan is different, hence the odd though well-done Morisato thing above.]

“Skuld's melancholy vanished completely and a bright smile bloomed on her face as she lost herself in the world of her beloved Dobon.” [GOOD.]

“Skuld burst into the room, her arms laden with packages. She plunked them down on the floor. The shopping bags overflowed with party goods: everything from poppers and party hats to lights, garlands, and tree decorations.” [Everyone got that? You want a good, swingin’ party, you call Skuld.] She also bought out half the store.

Banepi’s winter jetski mode is Banpei-kun Cold Climate Attachment: Snow Rider V3,' or the 'Banpei-kun V3' for short. [...] Its shape resembled that of a snowmobile but Banpei's round head stared out from its prow [...] The V3 was painted red, white and black. [...]

“ "I now present...the One-and-Only Skuld Shining Christmas Illumination Ceremony! And now...Switch Number One!" An incredible display of ornaments and silver and gold garlands adorned the towering Japanese maple. As Skuld's finger flicked the switch, the entire tree lit up, including the star at the very top. "It's beautiful!" Keiichi marveled, grinning from ear to ear. "That's just the beginning! Switch Number Two--ON!" This time, every tree in the compound lit up. "And finally, Switch Number Three!" The snowmen and snow huts that populated the yard flickered with colored lights. It was almost like the electrical parade at Disneyland.”

Skuld does not get drunk with alcohol. [I’ve pondered about whether alcohol affected heavily everyone except Belldandy. I’ve assumed it doesn’t affect Skuld either -- because she doesn’t drink it, of course -- but nice to see this clarified.]

Skuld also saw Tamiya and Otaki at the shopping center, and decided that they looked so lonely/bored, she invited them to the party. She didn’t think they’d come but was they did. [You know what? I believe this. I may have my take that Skuld’s very shy/timid/somewhat anti-social with certain people, but I like this because again, it shows her being more outgoing with people. She’s coming out of her shell and showing others the nice babby she can be.]

“ "[..]--And best of all Skuld's having so much fun..." Skuld was playing cards with the Motor Club members and laughing up a storm. It had been a long time since she'd been in such high spirits.”

CHAPTER THREE, SEGMENT KAZABANA -- WINDFLOWER

Litter-Picker-Upper-Tottoko-Mark 2 is a lidded plastic container that resembled a garbage can. There’s an antenna next to the lid. When the lid pops open, multiple arms extend from the contained (like Avalokiteshvara, Tohma writes.) Each hand can do a separate, different task.

“Wearing the red and white skirt that was the uniform of a Goddess Second Class, Skuld used a hammer and stakes to chart out a mandala in the ground. Her tiny angel, Noble Scarlet, peeked out from behind her back, darting this way and that as she did everything she could to help.” [...Skuld’s goddess outfit...is /the/ uniform of a Goddess Second Class...OKAY WELL WHERE’S URD’S OUTFIT THEN? This makes no sense, honestly. But hey, cutie angel helping cutie bby. ♥]

“ "That's amazing..." Skuld sighed in admiration as she watched from below. [...] Skuld looked on, hypnotized, until Noble Scarlet's frantic pointing drew her attention. The mandala was just one symbol from being completed. "Oh, oops!" Quickly, Skuld, too, raised her voice in song. By synchronizing the mandalas in the sky and on the earth, they would create the strongest ward possible. [...] Skuld's song made the mandala on the ground glitter with a silver light., and its rays extended toward its sister pattern in the sky.”

[If I remember right, they were trying to do something with/for Yggdrasil. Either way, it’s curious to note that Belldandy’s mandala is golden and in the sky, while Skuld’s is silver and on the ground. I think there might be some non-Western color meaning there, but it might also be of how Skuld prefers to be hands-on, on the ground? Hmm. Need to dwell on this later, possibly.]

CHAPTER FOUR, SEGMENT KAMITOKI -- THUNDERBOLT

Urd finally appears again, with artifacts that can increase a goddess’ power to rival that of the Almighty. In Urd’s hands, that’s just worse. But to her credit, it’s to be able to resolve the nagging issue of the supposed ghost -- given that the ghost was not in the original timeline. The name of the artifacts? Hlidskjalf Dusk.

Time Index Search = "Yggdrasil's memory included records of everything that happened in Heaven and every event that involved any goddess. It made Skuld lightheaded just imagining what ordeal it must have been to comb through that extensive memory, isolating events pertaining to the brouhaha with the apparition.”

“An energy analysis was a function within the Yggdrasil System that was capable of identifying an energy pulse --not unlike a DNA test. Every deity and demon had his or her own unique energy pattern.” [A way past cool tidbit!]

Oh, by the way, the ghost was Hild. The Hild from the previous world.

Universal Access Unit is an important line that connects Yggdrasil to Nidhogg. “In order to make the Doublet System contract both fair and secure, it was agreed that a line would be established to connect the systems governing both realms. Allowing both systems to oversee the System would prevent any foul play. The solution created an intimate connection between the two realms, despite their contrasting natures, thus deescalating the conflict. Equilibrium was maintained, and before long there was no more bloodshed. But ironically enough, the new era of peace led many to forget about the line's existence.”

“Though largely forgotten, the line continued to connect the two realms, quietly but surely. [...] Like the two sides of a coin, like night and day, both elements were essential to the existence of their counterpart. But Yggdrasil had disappeared one day without warning, leaving Nidhogg to the imminent demise--unless something was done. Nidhogg hadn't hesitated to perform the only act it could to ensure its salvation: creating a new Yggdrasil.”

[In other words, holy cow. FUJISHIMA WHY DINTCHA USE THIS, AGAIN?]

Hel gets a mention.

CHAPTER FOUR, SEGMENT HAKUMEI -- DUSK

By this point, after a very confusing scene with Hild and Belldandy, it’s determined that this world is going to go worse for Reality. So, another System Restore needs to be done, but properly. There can’t be TWO Yggdrasils [Bell and Skuld from the new vs. Urd from the old] and TWO Nidhoggs [ghost!Hild from the old vs. Where in the World is Hild Sandiego from the new], along with conflicting events. So the goddesses need to be back home, and Keiichi and Bell must break up. Keiichi stays alone.

Skuld creates [amaaaaahhhzingly, because she is genius child] a Time-Space-Proof Mini Box, which can transcend space-time. She plans for this box to contain everything Skuld wants to tell Bell, mainly about Keiichi and their past. This way, they will all recover their memories.

“Noble Scarlet fluttered over Skuld's shoulder, trying to get a peek at the note. A little white feather flowed down, landing lightly on the box's lid. Kchak! The box snapped shut. "Wha...?" [..] The crucial letter of explanation was not yet inside the box. The lid had shut on just a tiny corner of the page, the part that said: "My Dearest Sister." Skuld cursed the safety measure she'd built in to her invention: once it was closed, the box couldn't be reopened until after the reset operation.”

“The little angel let out a voiceless cry, apologizing desperately. The angel wouldn't have blamed her mistress if she'd given her a good angry punch for this. When Skuld's hand came toward her, Noble Scarlet squeezed her little red eyes shut. But the hand pulled the weeping angel into a gentle embrace. “It's okay, Noble Scarlet. I'm a genius. Even with our memories gone, I'll think of something. What's more important right now is that this time, I won't remember you. You're such a part of me, and I'm going to lose you!" “

[1) Angel wings are apparently zero gravity great and 2) WAAAAAHHHHH.]

“Skuld gave herself a little hug, sending waves of affection to the angel inside of her." [WAAAAAAH CUBED.]

The novel ends with everything restored, Belldandy on her way to work. Skuld gives her the box, but she doesn’t know where it came from. In it is the ring that Keiichi gave Belldany, but she only has passing recollections.

Finally, a call comes in for Belldandy, and she takes her time in answering...

#first end

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