So much for godly power.
Elisia watched as Subject Three let himself get devoured, his final cries drowned out by the other million or so she could hear on the planet’s surface. She turned away after a few minutes, flicking a hand and closing the view window. Stupid child. May your ascension bring you greater intelligence. She sighed. After the first few hundred years, she figured the mortals would stop causing them so many problems. Alas, a Goddess's work was never done. Why did this keep happening every century or so?
“Who was it this time?” Gruu asked.
Elisia rubbed her temples, the smooth skin feeling wrinkled despite neither her nor any of the realm’s inhabitants possessing the ability to age. She’d been the same long-haired maiden from the day she ascended to now as she prepared for her ten-thousandth name day. Her sunset yellow dress had gotten more modernized as she adapted to the trends of mortals, but she’d retained her vibrant white hair.
“Another academy world,” she said. “I swear these candidates get worse every millenium. What’s the point of dispensing God Tools if the mortals can’t use them?”
“Lophr says we may need to step in at some point.”
“Not surprising. We just bailed them out a century ago, but they never learn.” Gruu shrugged, earning another sigh from her younger sister. “Fine. I’ll shine my radiance on the mortals once more. How much time do we have left?”
Gruu thought for a moment, her eyes shutting as she had to peruse the trillions of worlds in the cosmos. Her sister wasn’t as beautiful, sporting an ugly beauty mark and crusty black hair, but Elisia had only sometimes poked fun of her for the misfortune. She was a gracious Goddess above all else.
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“A decade,” Gruu said. “Maybe less. The mortals have started pushing for more graduates. Perhaps it would be best to assist.”
“I suppose." Elisia fixed her dress. "What’s the next world on the list?”
Gruu flicked a hand, a map of the cosmos appearing before them. She pointed at a spot on the image, the universe zooming from a galaxy to a cluster to a solar system. It finally stopped moving as it showed off a glimmering blue world. Another one of the experimental planets. She doubted the students knew much of the wider cosmos.
“I see,” Elisia said. “How many have been chosen?”
“Five so far. Word in the realm is they won’t last another day.”
“A dying planet? Interesting.”
She flicked a finger, the view window switching from the decaying world to the inhabitants of their soon-to-be overrun planet. The celestial body had already dropped out of warp space, streaks of white carrying it closer to impact.
“I think I’ll wait a bit,” she said.
“Most will be gone if you wait too long, sister.”
“Maybe.” She smiled. “But the best champions bare their fangs in a crisis, don't they?”
Her sister gave a dismissive shrug. As if she’d understand.
Gruu always chose whichever candidate had the strongest heart or the strongest will. A foolish metric. What Elisia needed above all else was survivability. If there was to be yet another cosmic purge, she wanted someone semi-competent. Someone who could appease the mortals and had good survival instincts. Someone who would lash out until the bitter end, defiant of their fate.
Subject Three was that in spades. She'd be satisfied if her fourth choice of the century was even a quarter of the fighter he was.
"Are you still going?" Gruu asked.
"Unfortunately," Elisia said, taking one last look at the blue world. The celestial body was hours from breaching orbit. "Let's hope the mortals fare better this time around."