Tsukuyomi—the first time Sū ěr had heard this name was in his first life, in a manga titled The Legend of the Eyes. It was a technique often used by a weasel-like older brother to stab his younger brother thousands of times in an illusion. In the manga, it was merely the name of a move, but the being before him was the genuine deity, the origin of that name.
It was Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the one who stabilized the position of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni and created all forms of life and the new generation of gods. His left eye became Amaterasu-Omikami, his right eye became Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, and his nose became Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
Following this, Izanagi tasked Amaterasu with governing Takamagahara in the celestial realm, making her the noble and beautiful Sun Goddess. He sent Tsukuyomi to govern the Night Kingdom [夜之国 - Yoru no Kuni] as the Moon God, and finally, he sent Susanoo to govern the oceans as the God of Storms and Earthquakes.
This was the myth passed down through generations that Sū ěr had heard from the yokai and deities of Izumo—the story of the most ancient era.
"...Tsukuyomi, huh?" To be honest, after hearing the full-figured woman's answer, Sū ěr felt surprisingly little shock. He simply couldn't help but scan the surroundings on the back of the moon once more.
After all, the possibility that this statue-like giant was Tsukuyomi, the counterpart to Amaterasu, had already been part of their conjecture... it was unlikely to be Chang'e, after all. Absolutely impossible.
"So this is the Night Kingdom?" Think followed up immediately.
Tsukuyomi was appointed as the Moon God to rule the Night Kingdom, but as far as Think vision could reach, she saw no trace of architecture or life—nothing existed except for Tsukuyomi's gargantuan corpse.
"...The Night... Kingdom..." The mention of the name seemed to trigger a migraine in the full-figured woman. She pressed her hands hard against her temples, using so much force it looked as if she were trying to crush her own skull. "...I don't remember... The Night Kingdom, the Night Kingdom... the Night Kingdom no longer exists!!"
Her weak voice suddenly turned hysterical at the end, and the woman let out a scream.
"Er, regardless of whether the Night Kingdom still exists, you should put on some clothes first. And put some on that girl next to you while you're at it," Sū ěr said weakly, politely turning his head away from the view. "You at least know what clothes are, right?"
Since a moment ago, he had used the excuse of "looking for the Night Kingdom" to turn his head away. He hadn't expected the woman last birthed by Tsukuyomi to remain oblivious to her situation.
The gender of Tsukuyomi was a mystery to the deities and yokai of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, but from what Sū ěr had just witnessed, the giant's voice was undoubtedly male. Yet, the children he birthed were two females... let's just call them children for now.
"...My apologies." Reminded by Sū ěr, the woman finally remembered the matter. She answered in a low voice and brushed her hand over her body; a plain garment immediately covered her form.
Following suit, the young girl who remained unconscious was also clothed, finally no longer in a state of nudity.
"Would it be convenient to explain why Tsukuyomi ended up like this, bound to the back of the moon? What exactly happened in the ancient era?" Once they were clothed, Sū ěr asked impatiently.
"Was it because of Takamagahara? That Amaterasu? Also, has this moon always been this flat shape from the start? Has it ever had other shapes?" Think added, following Sū ěr lead.
These were the things they were most curious about—the hidden secrets of this world. However, the woman shook her head at them.
"...I am sorry," she said, lowering her head as she cradled the unconscious girl in her arms. "We do not know why Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto became like this. He did not preserve that part of his memory for us; he didn't seem to intend for us to do anything based on the past... Flee, and live. Those were the final words he carved into our hearts."
"I am Eirin, and she is Tsukuyomi. My mission is to protect and assist her, to let the Night Kingdom be revived under her leadership so that it may reappear in this world. For this goal, even my life is a worthy sacrifice," the woman named Eirin said calmly, without any emotional fluctuation. She had already come to view herself as a tool.
"As for whether the fall of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto was related to Takamagahara, I can only find one piece of information in my mind—if one wishes to reopen the sealed gates of Takamagahara and re-enter, one must carry a token." After a moment's thought, Eirin added, "Also, regarding the shape of the moon... I don't remember either. It seems to have been this way since the beginning?"
Even she was no longer certain.
"A token?" Sū ěr repeated, his gaze drifting toward the string of Magatama still floating in the air. Eirin's words seemed to align with what Tamamo-no-Mae had once said.
So, was this string of Yasakani no Magatama the token?
After those black auras flowed out, the Magatama had all turned into a fluorescent jade color, without a single trace of black remaining... Thinking of this, Sū ěr felt a sudden pang of guilt.
He remembered that while they were still in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, he had used a quite brutal method to forcibly flush and "purify" one of the Magatama with natural spiritual energy. With that portion of the black aura missing, had Tsukuyomi—or rather, Eirin and this Tsukuyomi—truly been unaffected?
Sū ěr felt a bit apprehensive.
He suspected those black auras were a preserved part of Tsukuyomi, poured into the Yasakani no Magatama by a kind-hearted deity before he was bound to the back of the moon. It was likely his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
In short, it was only after these preserved elements merged with the Tsukuyomi on the back of the moon that Eirin and this new Tsukuyomi were born. Sū ěr hadn't forgotten how these two beautiful women had transformed from piles of black sludge into their current forms.
Wait, if I think about it that way... could Eirin's lack of ancient memories about why Tsukuyomi fell also be related to that missing bit of black aura?
Why do I feel even guiltier now?
"Did you think of something?" Eirin asked, noticing Sū ěr strange expression. "If you had not brought back a part of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, he would not have had the chance to briefly revive, and we would not have been born. Therefore, if you require assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. I will do my utmost to help."