Divided by Dawn

As Henry got dressed in the blue and silver uniform under Helia's impassive gaze, the feeling of being a lab specimen intensified. Every movement felt calculated, every breath measured. He could feel Helia's presence like a constant heat on his back, a pressure that was the polar opposite of Tsukuyomi's chilling cold, but just as oppressive.

"Don't forget your... weapon." Helia's voice cut the silence as Henry got ready to leave. She was looking at the black katana leaning against the wall. Henry hesitated but grabbed the sword, the familiar cold grip a small comfort.

Just as he was about to strap the sword to his back, a figure flickered into existence between him and Helia. Tsukuyomi appeared, not as an unseen presence, but fully corporeal, her playful smirk and defiant eyes on full display. She snatched the katana from Henry's hand, hugging it like a beloved toy.

"Well, well, look what we have here," Tsukuyomi said, her eyes locked on Helia. "The little star has decided to play babysitter. Tell me, Amaterasu, is mortal life as tedious as it looks?"

Helia was unfazed. Her golden eyes narrowed. "Tsukuyomi. Always so... dramatic. I don't go by that name anymore. And I suggest you return to the trinket form you came from. Your presence defiles this place."

"Defiles? Darling, I *am* this place. I'm the night, the mystery, everything that makes life interesting," Tsukuyomi shot back, circling around Henry to stop behind him, draping her cold arms over his shoulders in a possessive hug. "This boy is proof of that. He needs me. Without my darkness, his pathetic little light has no purpose."

Henry felt like the center of a cosmic tug-of-war, Helia's heat on one side, Tsukuyomi's cold on the other.

"He needs control, not chaos," Helia said, her voice dropping dangerously low. A small golden flame danced on her fingertip. "And you, of all beings, know what happens when my light decides to purify chaos."

Tsukuyomi laughed, a sound like tinkling silver bells. "Threats? So soon? You can barely keep that reincarnated form of yours stable, and you already want to start a fight you can't win? Let me remind you, the last time your 'purification' resulted in the annihilation of both our clans. Do you really want a repeat performance?"

The air in the room grew heavy, charged with the power of the two deities. Henry could feel the pressure, a force that threatened to crush him.

"Enough," he said, his voice surprisingly firm. He shrugged out of Tsukuyomi's embrace. "I have class."

Both goddesses turned to look at him, surprised by his interruption.

Henry looked from one to the other. "Can you two... please not try to destroy the room? I just got here."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then, Tsukuyomi burst into genuine laughter. "Oh, I like this one! He's got guts!" She patted Henry on the shoulder. "Alright, my little vessel. Let's go to your little class. I want to see how the great Sun Master handles 'History of Ancient Magic'."

Helia glared at Tsukuyomi with pure disdain but said nothing. Henry's small act of defiance seemed to have broken the tension. She simply nodded. "Let's go."

The walk to the classroom was the most awkward experience of Henry's life. He'd walk down the hall, and one step behind him, with regal stiffness, was Helia, the reincarnation of a sun goddess. The other students didn't just stare; they parted like the sea, giving Helia respectful bows and shooting confused, fearful glances at Henry.

When they got to the classroom, all the seats around an empty table in the middle magically cleared out. Henry sat down, and Helia took the chair next to him, sitting perfectly straight, like a marble statue. The professor, an old man with a long, braided beard, stammered his way through the start of the lesson, clearly intimidated by the uninvited divine presence.

Henry tried to focus, but it was impossible. He could feel Helia's gaze on him, analyzing his every move. And he could hear Tsukuyomi's amused whispers in his mind.

*"He's sweating. You think she's going to wipe his brow for him?"*

*"Look at that girl in the front row. She can't decide if she's more scared of you or in love with you."*

*"I'll bet you ten souls you can't get through this class without blowing something up."*

Henry sank lower in his chair, wishing the floor would swallow him whole. It was official. His life wasn't hell anymore.

It was a circus. And he was the main attraction, with two rival ringmasters.