Place materialized Kaya into a thin hallway. On the walls were white tiles, and the floor was polished grey, giving the entire thing a very weird look. Instead of lights there were floating iridescent gems casting out light to the entire hallway.
I should have asked Place what to do.
But before she could guess a tall woman with braided hair wearing a thin white dress appeared through the small door at the edge of the corridor. Strapped to her back was what looked like a round shield, and her face was impassive.
“Great Mother is waiting for you,” she said, walking towards her. “You have already delayed her enough.”
There was a sense of regency in her voice, like the one the headmistress in her middle school used to have, or when her mother got too pissed at her. As she stepped closer Kaya noticed the woman’s eyes were simply white - no irises, and she didn’t even blink. Holding her dress was a golden belt that bore the sigil of a snake at the center.
“W-What have I done?” Kaya tried her best to remain calm, but the energy the woman emitted made her uncomfortable.
“Walk!”
Kaya started walking. She didn’t want to wait to find out to see what would happen if she didn’t start walking. As she got near to the door she felt beads of sweat on her forehead. Until that moment she didn’t know goddesses could sweat.
The little door was embodied with a golden frame and a handle, and opening it, Kaya entered a vastly larger room that was at least twice large as their school hall. The ceilings were high enough to touch the sky, and the walls surrounding her were adorned with rich colorful paintings. The marble floors were slippery, and as Kaya moved her eyes front, she realized why.
At the very center of the room was a large bath - something the size of her school swimming pool, but instead of water there was a creamy blue transparent liquid. It almost looked like water, but when Kaya looked at it, she could see shadows of white faces moving inside, getting caught in the current, then disappearing.
“Kaya,” a voice echoed. “Is that what they call you?”
Kaya’s eyes moved to the owner of the voice. At the other end of the bath was a naked woman whose body was covered in tattoos. She was sitting on the bath, with her arms at back, and her wavy black hair falling down onto the water. She had golden eyes, eyes that bore right into her even from the distance. But that wasn’t what scared Kaya. Even when the middle aged woman was at least fifty or so feet away she radiated some dark energy with her voice. Something that could pale the energy of the minotaur.
Kaya bowed, because that’s what her gut said. She would have loved to keep bowing if that was all it required to get her the hell out of this very weird bathhouse.
“I am Kaya, my lady,” she said in the meekest voice possible.
“Yes, just Kaya. Not a goddess. Not even an imperial soul. A mortal who has been thrown into the gods because of one stupid goddesses idiocies.”
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The door opened again, and Kaya dared not to look back. She heard footsteps behind her, and someone stood beside. When Kaya turned she found it was Persephone. She didn’t look angry as before. The look in her face said the opposite - she was scared. Her brown hair was plastered to her face, and her blue eyes looked larger than ever.
“H-holy mother-” she stuttered. “I-I can explain.”
The woman in the bath waved a hand. “Not needed. Did you really think you can escape your duty by throwing a mortal to it?”
Her voice got louder with each word, and the last one almost echoed off the walls.
Persephone whimpered. “I was too tired Holy Mother. I have been doing this job for aeons-”
“So have others. And handing it to a mortal is no excuse.”
“B-But she has done such tasks before,” Persephone’s mad eyes turned to Kaya. “Tell her. Tell her how you were that class…whatever.”
Kaya turned to Holy Mother, who was glaring at her. If glares could kill Kaya would have been dead that instant.
“I…I have some knowledge as to managing rowdy worlds,” Kaya said. “And my assistant Place has been teaching me a lot.”
“Assistant?”
Kaya thought of a better word, and Persephone jabbed her. “She meant to say spirit. The spirit that has been bound to her.”
“Y-Yes,” Kaya stuttered. “That.”
“You two are acting like newborn mortals when your duty is something much more sacred!” Holy Mother snapped. “Persephone this girl isn’t good at managing things, she is good at making things worse. Have you foreseen the future of your own world child? That undead you created will infect the entire kingdom, and within a few years he’ll rule with his own army. And have you even looked at your scores? 0 Holy Points to 52 Evil Points.”
“What?” Persephone looked at Kaya as if she wanted to strangle her. “0 Holy Points?”
It was your fault for throwing me into something I never know you dumb goddess…Kaya gritted her teeth and said nothing. Sometimes silence was a better option than words.
“This girl is dumber than a slave spirit,” Holy Mother said, folding her arms. “But I will make sure to train her. I’ll give her a guide, give her a second chance. And if she fails to use that second chance…” her eyes fixed on Kaya. “She’ll be casted out of here. But words rarely seem to have effect in this place so let me show it with an action.”
Kaya heard footsteps behind her, and her legs almost wobbled, but instead of her, something pulled Persephone back. Kaya turned to see the tall woman she had seen at the corridors grabbing Persephone from her hands.
“Wait…wait… Holy Mother you can’t do this!” Persephone struggled to free herself but the tall woman’s grip seemed to be strong. “I have served long enough. Please, at least let me correct my mistakes.”
Holy Mother raised her hand, her index fingers pointing at the struggling goddess. Something similar to a thin blue mist escaped from her long fingernails, slowly moving above the water until it reached Persephone, and started to circle her.
“WAIT! WAIT!” she shrieked, but the mist encircled her and as Kaya watched in horror her skin turned grey, almost like a limestone statue, then turned into a grey mist before mixing in with the air and fading away. Her screams stopped as the infection reached her mouth, and Kaya’s last look at Persephone was her helpless eyes looking into Kaya’s own.
As the goddess vanished the tall lady wagged her hands, then bowed to the Holy Mother before leaving.
“Rules are meant to be followed,” Holy Mother’s voice echoed, drawing Kaya’s attention back at her. “Like I promised, I’ll be giving you one chance. Your stats will be reset, and I will also allow you to be accompanied by another goddess for your initial training. You will have ten days to learn something, and when you are summoned again you’ll be judged. Pass, and you shall permanently be a goddess. Fail, and your fate will be similar to what you just witnessed. Do you understand?”
Kaya bowed down until her head almost touched the floor. “Yes, Holy Mother. Thank you, Holy Mother.”
“Leave.”
Kaya stepped back, still keeping her head low until her butt hit the door. Then she turned, opened the door swiftly and escaped out. It was at that moment she realized she’d rather face ten high school bullies at once rather than be at that room again.