|My child|

Huh? Whose voice was that? I was pretty sure only Nira and I were in this room.

With a groan, I pulled my face from Nira’s bosom and looked at her face. It was still as flawless as ever, even with the oblique cracks running from her forehead to her chin. She was looking not at me, but at something so bright blue that its glow overpowered the blue in her eyes.

I followed her line of sight until I laid eyes on what I could only describe as a perfect woman with pale blue hair and golden eyes.

I was still very naked, so my hands reflexively pulled on the blanket to cover myself.

“W-Who are you!?”

The woman smiled softly at me. |You know me as Navr|

“...The Goddess? Hah, who are you trying to fool w—”

“It’s really her, Esther.”

I-If Nira said so, then it must be true. But why…. Why was she here?

As if knowing what I was about to ask, the Goddess parted her lips.

|I am here for you, Athenira. You have served your punishment. Return from whence you came, in the Garden of Divinit—|

“No.”

A resolute answer. One that shocked me, and even the Goddess?

|I am… confused. Why?|

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

In response, Nira pulled me closer to her, making me blush a bit.

“Think about it, mother. Why would I go up there and watch everything like a degenerate voyeur?” She then squeezed my butt, making me squeal a bit. “Actually, I’m thankful that you punished me back then. “I would never know how much the mortal world has to offer if I had stayed there.”

|Very well.| The Goddess was easy to convince. She let out a sigh and shrugged. |If it is your will, I can do nothing about it. But let me make one thing clear. Unless you transcend, you can never make it up there again. This is your last chance|

“My answer stays the same.”

I could see the faintest of smiles on Navr’s face, but Nira didn’t notice it.

|I respect your decision. But since I am here, I might as well do you a favor| She turned to look at me.

I froze at her stare, but Nira’s embrace calmed me down.

|One question. I shall answer one of your questions to the best of my ability|

The zealots would commit genocide to receive this chance. And here I was, receiving it practically for free?

I couldn’t think of any question I could ask her except for one.

“...Why did I reincarnate? Are you the one who did it? Why?”

|That is three questions, but I will allow it|

I breathed a sigh of relief.

|I will begin my answer. You misunderstand something, Esther Raze. Reincarnation is a natural cycle. Normally, souls would stay in limbo for hundreds of years before getting pulled into reincarnation. What me and my sisters did was simply accelerate that process for you and let you keep your memories|

So the three Goddesses were indeed behind my reincarnation. Now was the most important question. Why?

|Only those who experienced death can ascend and transcend. We know it best|

Before I could ask what she meant, Navr moved. She put a finger under Nira’s chin and tilted her face up.

|I hope you do not regret your choice, child. May you find happiness|

Nira growled back. “Anything’s better than staying up there.”

The Goddess simply smiled and disappeared as if she was never there.

“Nira….”

“Just forget about it.”

She grumbled and rested her chin on my head.

“You still have 2 days left, so let’s make the most out of it.”