Assuming his description of Conclave was accurate, she would not need to abide by their laws. She would be a law unto herself. An absolute, supreme being, a single point of order from which a descending hierarchy would unfold.
Obey Hitomi! Or her peace shall fall upon you.
And her peace would be the peace of the sword. Or death ray, since she could not actually wield a sword.
The god route, in other words.
So, world conquest, huh, she thought, looking up at the setting moon.
She remembered the sprawling view below her when she had been in the sky. All that could be hers…
Or not.
"Yeah, right," she mused bitterly. "It never works out. Besides, it's not like I've got anything to prove or any legacy to leave behind."
Still, where did that leave her?
The beast route? Wander from place to place, surviving on instinct, avoiding contact with people… it sounded bad, and then she realized that it was exactly what she had been doing during the time in YGGDRASIL. She went where her whims took her, avoiding people lest they decided to try and turn her in for a bounty…
Hitomi sighed.
I leave YGGDRASIL for a brand new world, and then the first thing I do is hide from it? This is bullshit.
But then, what else could she do? If only…
She turned an eyestalk back towards the stone house, where Julian and his wife were now surrounded by a group of smaller figures who had rushed out to greet him. They seemed to be throwing their arms around him as well.
Children?
Hitomi bit her lip.
She had wanted them, once. Before…
She sighed heavily, expelling as much of the negativity choking up her chest as she could.
She almost succeeded.
I don't belong here. I've done my part. I should go.
Saying so, Hitomi prepared to step over the edge of the cliff when —
"Ma'am!"
A distant voice came from Julian as he waved to her.
"Over here!"
He called out two more times before Hitomi realised he was waiting for her to turn and face him, and so she did.
By that time, three people had reached her — or rather, three children. They all looked like classical catfolk, with human features, cat ears, tails and some unusually-colored skin.
Two of them were boys — twin boys, who looked to be around 10 or 11. They had mischievous yet curious grins on their faces, and they eagerly drank in the unusual sight of Hitomi and her many eyestalks. They flanked a girl who seemed to be 15 or 16. She seemed somewhat reticent, and there was a nervous smile on her face.
"Um… hi," the catgirl said, "My name's Mira, and these are my brothers, Ico and Cal."
The twins beamed to Hitomi, and she smiled back without thinking.
"Dad told us to come over and ask if… you wanted to come in and sit down with us for a while? He's very grateful, and he said it was the least he could do."
Hitomi froze.
What had she just heard?
An invitation? But that meant…
He wants me to come in. That's nothing. That's normal. But…
Just because she did not need to be part of society did not mean that she could not try to fit in anyway. Would that be so bad?
Hitomi had avoided contact with others for a long time because of the stigma against heteromorphs in general and the enemies she had made in particular. But this was a new world, a fresh start.
Julian had told her of the many species here; particularly the Cyclops, who were excellent warriors and smiths. Perhaps she could pretend to be one of them, and by extension, one of the people who were accepted here.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a third option, between becoming a god or a beast.
And besides, was mankind not the place where the rising ape met the falling angel?
It felt as though she had been wandering through the darkness, stumbling blindly on, but then a shaft of light had come down from the heavens — and from it, an angel had appeared.
"We made a bit of extra fish," the angel/Mira said. "Maybe you'd care to share it with us?"
Just then, Cal and Ico pointed at her.
"Look, the sun's coming up!"
No, they were pointing behind her. But then, why did the paths their fingers were tracing go right through her?
Hitomi could see it too, without turning around. There was a warm red glow on the horizon, a promise of hope and potential.
She felt the same way.
"Yes," Hitomi smiled. "I would love to."
The boys tugged at her hands, and she obligingly floated after them.
The sun rose behind Hitomi, and her world filled with light once more.