The goddess turned her head around before her gaze stopped on the dying body of the warrior princess. She slowly walked down the staircase of air: ignoring the hundreds of thousands of eyes that were following her every step. The soldiers felt ashamed at themselves when her beautiful bare-feet touched the corrupted soil of men.

Then, the raven-haired goddess walked gracefully to the bleeding body of Sephiria and kneeled before her. "I'm sorry."

"I'm so sorry." The goddess repeated, her voice beautifully looping in their ears. "You must have been so scared."

"But it's okay now. Your prayers have been heard." She turned the princess's body over and grimaced at the sight of her bloody dress. Slowly, the ethereal goddess placed her hands above the princess's beatless heart and closed her eyes.

An arc of golden light shone from the goddess's body, transferring its divine rays onto the wounds of the warrior princess.

'Don't tell me she intends to-?!' Eric's temples crumpled as he quickly equipped himself with his sword. He ignored the soft voice in his mind that told him to relax before collecting mana at his legs and springing ahead.

The goddess, however, only opened one of her inky eyes and stared at Eric.

'What?!' Eric's body suddenly stopped in mid-air as his body drifted up. And when he reached a certain altitude, his bones were crushed; his heart squeezed, and his veins popped one by one.

"Argh!" Eric screamed before howling in pain from feeling another one of his veins pop. "Ack! Stop! It hurts!"

He gritted his teeth and looked horrified when he saw his skin tear, revealing the bulging, blue veins underneath. "Pl-Please, some-ack, someone help me!"

Yet, his pleas seem to pass by everyone's ears as they just stared at him with clouds in their eyes.

"I'll give, ack, I'll giwe you whawever you wangt! Please!" The blonde defector begged through the pool of blood that sat in his mouth.

The results were the same; not a single soldier stirred.

Eric's eyes swam around the battlefield in frenzy before it rested on the cowering figure of his best friend. "E-Edgar, my friend! Pwease Hewlp me!" He begged, his face twisting into a spiral.

Edgar also had the same misty look in his eyes as his mouth gaped like a fish, directly staring at his friend's mangled body.

"You! I'll kwill you! I'll kwill all of you!" He roared before turning to the cause of his current plight.

"I'll fwucking kill you! I'll rapwe ywur. Fucwk youh, hore!" Eric pointed his shaking finger at the goddess in shock-induced hysteria."I'll kwill you!"

In response, the beautiful goddess closed her peeking eye, and then, there was no more noise. Eric's disfigured body dropped down like a puppet that had its strings cut, yet the battlefield was so quiet that one would even be able to hear a pin drop.

"Rise." The goddess commanded the dead body of Sephiria. "Rise, brave warrior."

Sephiria rose up from the goddess's lap and frantically looked around the battlefield like she had accidentally lost her necklace.

"Wh-what? Where-? What was I doing?" She grabbed her head and massaged it, trying to alleviate her mind from the sudden attack of nausea. "I died?"

Sephiria stood up slowly and called for her sword to which it replied with enthusiasm. She then scanned the battlefield and felt confused when she saw the war had stopped, and everyone, including the wounded and injured, was staring at her.

'No. They're staring at something behind me.' Sephiria noted as she traced the soldier's line of sight.

'What in the high heavens?' And so, she slowly turned her neck only to meet with a set of generously sized breasts. Swallowing her surprise, Sephiria craned her neck to reach the impossibly beautiful face of a woman.

As orbs of gold met orbs of obsidian, the taller woman smiled. "Good afternoon, Sephiria."

The war princess immediately jumped back. She tightened her grip on her sword and pointed it at the smiling woman. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

She felt like puking at the colossal amount of energy released from the onyx-haired woman's body.

"Who knows? I could be a giant in disguise. I could be a rat. Or, I could simply be a traveler." The goddess replied. She giggled when she saw the princess's face flush with anger. 'I guess skills aren't the only thing I've carried from Eve.'

"Teasings aside, I heard your prayers. That's how I was able to help you from entering Death's domain." The goddess smiled.

Sephiria's body trembled when she heard her words. She sheathed her sword and adopted her cold persona. "I see."

"Then, as the princess of the Fantasia Kingdom, I apologize for my actions." Sephiria bowed before picking up a word that the woman just said. "You said something about hearing our prayers?"

The taller woman looked troubled by the question. "I-"

"Are you a goddess?" Sephiria asked. "Are you a member of the divine race?"

"No." The taller woman rejected the latter notion firmly. "But, I may be considered a goddess depending on your view."

"What do you mean?" Sephiria furrowed her eyebrows.

"I have power if that is the requirement to be considered a goddess. But no, I am not, in official terms, a goddess." The woman replied softly.

Sephiria looked around her. "Then, were you the one that caused this?" She displayed the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that were currently kneeling with her hands.

"Yes. I heard the calls for help, so I helped pick out the weeds." The woman nodded when she saw the princess clench her jaws. "Yes, including him too."

Sephiria relaxed her muscles. "I see."

"But, I've left your uncle intact."

Sephiria immediately took out her sword and aimed it at her enemy. "Why?" She asked, tightening her grip on her sword. "Are you his ally?"

Sephiria knew she couldn't win, but she had to, at the very least, put up a fight.

The onyx-eyed woman waved her hands. "No, nothing of the sort. I was merely curious to see what you were going to do to him."

"I see." Sephiria sheathed her sword and installed it on the belt that hanged from her hips. Then, a million thoughts raced through her mind.

'How was she simply able to dominate the battlefield of two hundred thousand soldiers just by herself? Where did she come from? Is she a threat to the kingdom? Or at least, turn out to be one in the future?'

Every time a question formed in her mind, two more popped up with it. Sephiria may not have the answer to all of those questions, but she did know one thing that would happen if she left the powerful goddess alone.

And she was about to make sure that never happened.

"Wait." The goddess stopped in her tracks. "You never told me your name?"

As the words left Sephiria's mouth, the beautiful woman turned around slowly. The goddess that had just dropped into the Kingdom's greatest war and ended it without so much as a scratch looked conflicted for a while before displaying a smile that outshone the beauty of dawn.

"Eve." She whispered. "Call me Eve."

"Eve." Sephiria rolled the word in her mouth. "It's a beautiful name."

She looked up into Eve's eyes. "Do you want to follow me back to my kingdom?"

The goddess pondered over the inquiry for a moment before ultimately making her decision. "I would be glad to come visit your kingdom."

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The war princess dematerialized her sword and smiled. "Wonderful! Would you like to go now?"

"Just a moment." Eve turned around and snapped her fingers.

The soothing, manipulative voice that had been on everyone's mind suddenly cleared without a trace as they felt their limbs finally respond to their orders. Their bodies quivered as they tried to form words in their mouths but failed.

"Sorry about that. Shall we continue where we left off?" Eve smiled at the war princess before motioning at her to lead the way.

The dominance that Eve had just casually exercised upon both her men and the Holy Empire's soldiers confirmed Sephiria's fear. Indeed, she may not have any of the answers she desired from the tall box of mysteries in front of her, but she did know one thing.

And, that was to never, under any circumstances, let this woman out of her sight. Or else, she risks her beloved kingdom destruction in the monster's temper.

But she shrewdly hid away her thought and smiled. "Of course. But first."

Sephiria called for her sword and looked at her trembling army. It was sad that her entire army of 100,000 had been reduced to a pitiful ten thousand, but she would instead take this than absolute defeat any time of the year.

She raised her blood sword high. "Rejoice!"

"Rejoice for, through our brethren's blood and sacrifice; we have made them proud!" Her army started to recover from their fear as they stood up with caution.

"Rejoice for you have made our beloved queen proud!" Sephiria roared; her men finally gaining back their courage as they raised their sword high and shouted.

"Rejoice for we have won!" A chorus of roars and whistles was the boisterous response that met the princess's speech.

"Runners! Tell the queen of our victory!" Sephiria yelled. "Soldiers! Prepare yourself for a feast tonight and a handsome reward due home!"

The previous response was exceeded by the current deafening cheers.

Sephiria sheathed her sword and dematerialized it. Then, she turned to look at tonight's guest of honor. "Well, then shall we go back to the fort?"

Eve smiled and followed beside the warrior princess. 'Maybe this world won't be so bad after all.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Well, the night was.... eventful, to say the least.' Eve tore open a rift in space as she flicked a wyvern scale inside it. The dimensional pocket roared as it ate the flashing scale and disappeared. 'Seeing as it was my first party.'

As she stared at one of the wonders of her body, a sudden light broke into her vision. She covered her eyes before following the golden rays and ended up on the scenery beyond the carriage's window.

She gawked at the myriad of colored trees to which the magically automated carriage was passing through.

The world outside the carriage was breathtaking. Mountains of flowers looped continuously in the distance and waved at them with a vibrant smile.

Bizarre avians with wings the size of towers graced her sight as they flew to the horizon with their little ones trailing behind them. Large cliffs that had been encrusted with dirt were suspended in mid-air as thousands of fantastical beasts feasted on its grass.

Eve peered downwards. An endless river danced in cursive, stunning the eyes of all that were sentient. Herds of deer that towered above cliffs sat on its banks, enjoying the show with their gargantuan family. From time to time, they lowered their giant spiraling antlers, appreciating such a beautiful display of emotions.

Eve stuck her hand out to the window, tracing the little multi-colored petals that asked for her autograph. They flashed their smiles as they thanked her for saving them; for keeping all of them. She smiled in return before she diverted her attention to the princess that was currently staring at her like she was an alien.

She coughed. "Do I have something on my face?"

Sephiria looked away, ashamed of being caught. "No. I was just thinking of something."

She glanced at the stunning dress that revealed a decent amount of cleavage, and the crown that hovered above Eve's head. "Are you sure that you aren't of the divine race?"

Eve sighed, caressing her bleached crown. "I've told you before. I have no such affiliations with the race."

Sephiria closed her eyes, reached for the sitting tea on the table before them, and took a sip. 'But the amount of power you're radiating is the same as them.'

She felt an arc of Eve's power lick at her senses before they disappeared. 'No, it might even be a bit more.'

"Um...is that tea?" Eve said, her stare never leaving the pinkish tint in the porcelain cup.

"Yes. It's a herbal tea that helps alleviate any excess pain, soreness, or headaches." Sephiria replied before she looked at her cup, then, Eve and back to her bowl. "Would you like some?"

Eve's eyes sparkled. "Can I?!"

"Of course," Sephiria said, wondering why a goddess was so fascinated with mere tea. Surely, she must have seen a lot more oddities back in heaven, or the other realms the gods amuse themselves with.

Nevertheless, Sephiria placed her silver cup on the standard tray and prepared another cup of tea for her odd guest. An aurora of herbal aroma wafted inside the carriage as Sephiria's hands blurred, beautifully crafting the drink like a master brewer.

The princess felt satisfied with the warm, spiraling, pink liquid before holding it in her hands and gifting it to Eve. "Here you g-"

Before Sephiria could even finish her words, the fresh tea in her hands had already been stolen by the taller woman. 'For a goddess, she sure doesn't show any grace.' Sephiria watched with humor as the graceful goddess that had charmed a hundred thousand soldiers was chugging tea like it was dwarven beer.

Eve didn't mind the amused gaze of the princess as she wore a satisfied smile when she finished the drink. "Ah~ That hits the spot~."

'My first drink~' Eve held the cup in her hands and furrowed her eyebrows to see if there was any more. She held the cup upside down and frowned when not a single drop was left.

"Would you like some more?" Sephiria asked.

Eve's features brightened. "You have more?"

"Certainly. Seeing as there's none other than the two of us in this carriage, I have enough to last us a week." Sephiria smiled and took the empty cup from Eve's hand.

Wiping the green mustache off her face with Orix, Eve's lithe body bopped with joy, watching with interest at the delicate and beautiful art of making tea. It almost seemed like a magic show, the way Sephiria's hands moved with both speed and accuracy. And by the time she was done, not a single drop of tea spilled onto the ceramic saucer.

Eve applauded. "Where did you learn the craft?" She accepted the green tea with grateful hands. "Thank you."

Sephiria looked distant, leaning her head on the carriage window. "My father introduced me to the art."

Eve felt a change in atmosphere, the mood turning grim. "I see. If you could make such good tea from his guidance, he must be a pretty good teacher."

"Of course. He was the best at the art after all." Sephiria said. "He always bragged about it whenever he could. Though he still lost to mother in the end."

Sephiria laughed. "I remember him being sulky about it and holding the grudge against mother for months. One day, he challenged mother again and he felt so happy when he won even though mother let him win. There was this one-"

She realized the smile hanging on Eve's lips as she stopped. Her cheeks turned red. "Sorry. I was rambling, wasn't I?"

"No, no. Not at all." Eve said. "It sounds like you have a very loving family."

Sephiria's smile turned upside down. The atmosphere felt heavy again. "It used to be."

The carriage was silent for a while as Eve held her tongue in respect of the princess's privacy. 'Great. Excellent job, Eve. You managed to darken the mood again.'

Luckily, after a while, Sephiria's features turned lighter. "Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention this. It would seem that there's a ball hosted by my mother in honor of our victory."

"It'll feature all of the most influential figures in our kingdom and apparently, the adventurer monarchs are participating this time too," Sephiria said. "And, you've been invited as the guest of honor."

Eve's body froze in time. "Sorry. I didn't quite hear what you just said, princess."

Sephiria slowly repeated her words. "Uh... there's a ball. And you're the guest of honor."

'So, my ears weren't playing tricks on me.' Eve smiled wryly. "Right. And when is this ball?"

"It'll be two moons after today, on the night of the celestial sisters' embrace," Sephiria stated, unmindful of the fact that she had just dropped a bomb on Eve.

"And why am I invited as the guest of honor?" Eve asked calmly, hiding the panic sitting in her stomach.

"Why not?" Sephiria gazed into the stars hidden behind the taller woman's eyes. "You single-handedly stopped what could have been the greatest disaster in Fantasian history."

"I see no mistake in my mother's decision. Why, is there something not to your liking?" Sephiria questioned worriedly as she looked at the frown on Eve's ruby red lips.

'Like hell it is. The complications behind the invitation is the problem.' Eve scratched her neck. "No, no. There's no problem at all. I simply don't think such an honor is deserving of me. All I did was finish what you started after all."

'This is a first. I didn't know that members of the divine race could be humble.' Sephiria was surprised. 'I guess the stories and myths were wrong. Or is it just her?'

"I understand your concerns. Even I don't want to attend the troublesome thing myself." Sephira started, "But unfortunately, it would be of the highest disrespect and shame to my mother if we didn't show up."

'Of course. She just had to pull the guilt card.' Eve sighed. "I see. In that case, I have no choice but to show decency befitting of the guest of honor."

"Wonderful! Please remember that the ball is due on the night of the celestial embrace." Sephiria stated dutifully and handed her a badge.

Eve held it in her hand and studied it. The badge was of palm-size, with the insignia of a golden tree that glinted for a moment. Other than that, she couldn't feel anything special with the emblem.

"That badge allows you to pass through the borders and barriers of my kingdom without any complications," Sephiria said. "And at any time too so please don't lose it."

Eve twirled the badge in her hand and marveled at the smooth metallic texture. She turned to the princess and was about to thank her before she noticed the princess's body twitching. "Is there something wrong?"

Sephiria felt a shiver run through her spine as a small fraction of Eve's power slip through her barrier. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now but can you please lower down your magical pressure?"

"What magical pressure?" Eve asked, scanning her eyes around in confusion.

"The colossal, unending waves of energy that's being released from your body right now. Wait don't tell me," Sephiria murmured. "You don't know of it?"

Her question was answered by the dumb-founded look on Eve's face. 'What in Terra's name...? It was unintentional this whole time?'

"What you mean? Wait. If what you say is true, then why haven't you already fainted from the pressure?" Eve jabbed a finger at the princess. 'Besides, I thought I wielded Orix, not mana?'

Sephiria reached into her breastplate and took out her necklace. "This [Amulet Of Indifference] grants me the ability to ignore any psychological ailments."

'Yet, your power was strong enough to make a crack and slip through it.' Sephiria thought, clenching her fist as another small fraction of roaring power snaked around her body. (How did she know there was a crack? Unless it's a metaphor, in which case a different metaphor should be used.)

Eve nodded. "I see. Sorry about it. I'll kill my aura right now."

And just as she said, the immense amount of power disappeared from the carriage as Sephiria sighed in relief. The princess checked her necklace and was shocked to see a crack on the crystal.

"When do you think we will be arriving in the Fantasia Kingdom?" Eve asked, bringing the princess out of her thoughts.

"We should be arriving very soon but-" Sephiria stopped midway. A whisper played in her left ear.

"Let me correct myself." She smiled widely before a flash of light pierced through the carriage's window.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Fantasia."