Sitting above the ground as though a raft upon still water, a seamless amalgamation of crystal, wood and stone imposed its presence upon the deep green forests of the Tsukobaishi Valley. Called the Tower of the Divine, a great palace from which the beings of the heavens plotted and made their presence known in the realms of mortals. Atop hundreds of floors, in the full view of the blue sky, marbled by the orange clouds of dusk sat the celestial garden, where dozens of young women with long white robes frantically tended to the flora within. At the center, a regal-looking woman sat upon a cushion, bearing an elegantly embroidered robe.
In an almost lethargic manner, she patiently sharpened a ceremonial dagger with a slow, repetitive movement; her eyes locked forward and up towards the clouds. As one of the servants hurried by in front of her, she lowered her head, gaze stopping the woman in place. Knowing she was about to be spoken to, the servant obediently dropped to her knees with her head down. Taking note of the center of the garden, the other robed servants quickly set aside the tasks at hand and rushed to followed suit, forming neat rank-and file lines in front of the lady in the center. Smirking ever so slightly, the noble-looking woman adjusted her posture to add extra height to her visage while she checked to ensure the servants were all present. Satisfied with their obedience, she carefully set aside the whetstone to her left, then stabbed the knife into the ground with an uncharacteristically fast flick.
"I am ready to pass on my judgement of this world." She announced in her typical soothing voice. "Lady Shio, let it be known what your judgement is! From the four corners of this garden, it shall spread to the furthest reaches of the heavens!" the front and center servant cried, head still locked downwards. The dagger that had been driven into the ground had begun to glow, like veins running just beneath the skin, a dim green colour had begun to flow along the brilliant surface of the knife, slowly growing brighter. With a lazy, flowing motion, Shio pulled it from the soil and rested it on her lap. "It pains me, for the beauty of this place is unmatched, but this realm has become one with sin. We shall take it into heaven with us, and let its beauty be matched by its purity when our work is done."
"It shall be known!" the front and center servant cried again, rising up to a sitting position, but with her head stiffly downwards still. "The messengers of judgement shall be assigned when the sun next rises, now, forgive my interruption, it's not typical that I get in the way of your work like this." The servants bowed once more in unison and hastily returned to their stations. Shio chuckled happily and rested the dagger upon the ground, now glowing brightly enough for a green hue to highlight her face. As the petals danced around her, she held her hand out to let them graze her; glowing green as the touch of her hand caused them to fade from existence.