She descended the stairs in silence, though she floated just above them, her presence serene yet commanding. It struck me as strange that a goddess would bother with stairs, but perhaps there was some meaning behind it. Maybe she wanted to feel the ascent—or descent—of something one last time. I wasn’t about to question her. Instead, I saw an opportunity to gather information, to understand more about her kind and their plans.

“You're not worried about being noticed?” I asked. “Before, you were very cautious about staying hidden.”

Her voice echoed like a distant wind carrying the weight of ages. “The pieces have already been set in motion. The factions are locked in their final clash. They are... preoccupied. None should turn their gaze here now.”

We reached the bottom of the stairs, and the room that greeted us was unexpectedly small. It felt strangely familiar. Circular in shape, the lights had an eerie, neon-like glow, casting sterile shadows over the pristine, white surfaces. The walls were lined with towering shelves, and the center was cluttered with tables overflowing with strange devices. Huge apparatuses hung from the ceiling or sprouted from the floor, their function unknown but unmistakably vital.

“Quite the... lab you have here,” I remarked, trying to ease the tension in my voice.

She didn’t slow her pace, her gaze focused on an enormous machine in the center of the room. "Yes, but we cannot tarry." Her tone was final, unyielding. She approached the point where two massive constructs—one descending from the ceiling and the other rising from the floor—met in the middle. It resembled an opaque metal hourglass, pulsating with energy.

Without hesitation, she laid her hand on its center, and the structure unfolded like the petals of a flower, revealing a receptacle within. The shape was unmistakable—the shard was meant to go there.

"Place the shard," she commanded, her voice echoing in the sterile space.

I hesitated, feeling the weight of something unspoken in the air. "Shouldn't you explain what's about to happen before I do this?" I asked, trying to buy a little more time. She had said we had some to spare, after all.

For the first time, she paused, as if reluctant to answer. A cold dread crept into my chest.

"Yes," she said at last, though her tone was heavy. "There is no point in delaying the inevitable any longer. First, you must understa—"

"Wait," I interrupted, suddenly realizing something crucial. "Before we proceed, can you bring my companion here? She’s been with me from the start, and I’ve kept her in the dark long enough. She deserves to know."

She turned to face me fully, her eyes shimmering with timeless wisdom and, perhaps, the faintest trace of sympathy. There was a long silence before she finally nodded. "Very well. She shall join us. But the weight of what is to come will now fall on you both."

The goddess raised her hand with a graceful, almost dismissive motion, as if brushing away dust from her sleeve. In an instant, Alira materialized before us in a blinding flash of light. Instinctively, she retreated, her sword drawn and ready before she realized it was me standing before her.

Her eyes darted toward the goddess, who appeared to her as nothing more than an elderly woman. I gave a quick gesture for her to lower her weapon, and the sword clattered to the ground beside her.

"A little warning would’ve been nice before... whatever that was," Alira said, her voice strained. "It felt... unnatural."

It had to feel strange, even unsettling. What she had just experienced resembled teleportation, though much more abrupt. The portals we had used before were different—more like stepping through a thicker, denser material, almost like moving through water. But this? This was something else entirely.

"Perhaps," the goddess's voice, rich and resonant, refocused my wandering thoughts. "Perhaps next time."

She glanced briefly at Alira before turning her gaze to the massive machine that dominated the room. "This device," she continued, "will draw from the crystal—my essence, my very life force—to send a wave across the dimensions where the gods reside."

Alira’s expression twisted in disbelief, but the goddess pressed on. "It will not destroy them entirely, but the wave will unravel the order of their planes. It will inject chaos, disorder. No matrices, no stable thoughts or forms will persist. They will be... lost to a slumber that lasts forever."

Alira’s eyes widened in shock. "This is your plan? To kill the gods? Why?"

The goddess's gaze was steady, unwavering. "The gods are coming. When they do, the destruction they bring will be beyond anything you’ve ever known. Wars, calamities, the very land torn asunder by their thirst for dominion. If you think this world has known suffering, it is nothing compared to what they will bring."

Her words were raw and direct. She wasn’t hiding the grim truth. Yet something in her previous hesitation gnawed at me, a lingering doubt I couldn't shake.

"And all I have to do is place the shard in that machine?" I asked, feeling the weight of inevitability pressing down.

The goddess turned her eyes on me, her gaze cutting through my uncertainty. "You didn’t think it would be so simple, did you? I chose your world for a reason. The wave will require all the power the crystal holds to disrupt our dimension. But the chaos, the randomness—the very thing that will trap them—that is where you come in."

Her words lingered in the air, a weight I wasn’t ready to carry, but I forced myself to respond quickly, masking my unease with sarcasm. "Are you saying this involves sacrificing my life? Because, you know, that feels like the sort of thing you'd want to mention upfront."

She waved the idea away with a casual indifference that only made my nerves worse. "Nothing so grand. A more accurate description would be that you won’t live as long as other humans."

Her tone was so dismissive, like shortening my lifespan was a minor inconvenience. My stomach dropped, and I couldn’t hide the edge in my voice. "How much shorter?" The concern was evident now.

Her previously composed demeanor faltered slightly. "It’s not an exact science. Many factors are involved, and the very nature of your being makes any guess... difficult." Her voice had lost some of its cold certainty, becoming quieter, almost reflective.

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I didn’t appreciate the ambiguity. "Oh no, please, take a shot at it," I snapped, my frustration boiling over. I had been foolish to think I'd found one god who wouldn’t screw me over. I guess some things never change.

She paused, her gaze not quite meeting mine. After a brief silence, she finally admitted, "No more than half a century. Perhaps even less."

Half a century. I did the math in my head—ten years, maybe a bit more before my time would run out. "Well," I said bitterly, trying to mask the dread with dark humor, "seeing your kids grow up was always overrated."

Her eyes softened, but her voice remained steady. "When the crystal's energy is depleted, I will cease to exist. So I’m not asking for anything more than I am already giving."

Even through the haze of anger, I could see her point. She was signing off her own existence for this. Her sacrifice was ultimate. Still, the lack of transparency stung. "You could’ve mentioned this at the beginning," I muttered, unable to keep the resentment out of my voice.

She met my gaze fully this time, a quiet intensity behind her words. "Would you have believed me if I told you all of this from the start?"

She had a point, and I hated that she did.

"You don’t need to do it." Alira’s voice broke the heavy silence, her tone resolute yet tinged with concern. I turned toward her, surprised by her sudden interjection. Her eyes were fierce, searching mine for any sign of hesitation.

"She’s been hiding things from the start," Alira continued, her voice firm. "Who knows what else she’s not telling us?"

Her suspicion was justified, and together we both turned to the goddess. I half-expected a sharp retort or some divine reprimand, but instead, she had already regained her serene composure, like the weight of Alira's accusation barely grazed her.

"It was never my intention to force you into anything," the goddess replied with a calm, almost soothing tone. Her eyes were steady as she spoke. "Yes, I did take you from your world, but I’d like to think that giving you magic made us even. Now, you have a choice."

I could see in her eyes that she wanted to say more, but Alira wasn’t done. She cut her off with a sharp retort, her frustration boiling over. "What kind of choice is that? Sacrifice half your life on nothing but her word? The gods have existed since the dawn of time, and now, suddenly, they’re about to invade?"

The goddess ignored Alira's growing anger and pressed on, her voice unwavering. "As I said, you have a choice. Help me and make the sacrifice, or I can send you home."

The room fell into silence, the tension thick. Her offer hung in the air, and Alira's anger suddenly deflated. Could she really be willing to let go of her grand plan that easily?

Curiosity stirred in me, pushing the words out of my mouth. "You’d send me home? Just like that? And forget about your plan?"

The goddess’s gaze softened, but her voice held a note of finality. "The moment the dragon fell and the crystal formed, my fate was sealed. With or without your help, the end has already begun for me. The crystal cannot hold my essence for long. If you choose not to help, there’s no point in slowly fading away. At least this way, I can make amends to you," she said, pausing as if weighing her words.

For a fleeting moment, I was tempted to call her bluff, just to see how she’d react. But the thought passed quickly. If she really wanted to, she could just create a portal and toss me back to my world before I'd even blink.

And did I even want to go back? If it was just magic keeping me here, I may have.

I glanced at Alira, her eyes still locked on mine. Then, turning back to the goddess, I took a breath. "I’m not going back," I said, my voice steady and final.

"Well, in the interest of honesty," the goddess began, her tone carrying a hint of playful sincerity, "I did hope that your time here might make you more... amenable to the plight of new friends." There was a slight lilt at the end, as though she were gauging my reaction.

I exhaled sharply and muttered, "You should quit while you're ahead." The weight of the situation made her playful insinuations grate more than usual.

She smiled, unfazed by my remark, and turned her attention to Alira. "So, are we all in agreement?" Her tone shifted to something more businesslike, though still with that unsettling calm. "Can we proceed?" she asked, her gaze locking on Alira with a confidence that assumed compliance.

Alira gave a dismissive shrug, her voice flat. "If it's what he wants, sure. Just get on with it." There was no warmth in her words, only a sense of resigned acceptance. "So, please, continue—how does this all work?" she added, impatience creeping into her tone.

"As easy as placing the crystal into the receptacle," the goddess replied, her slender hand gesturing to the flower-like slot in the machine. She spoke with an eerie tranquility, as though this was all routine.

I approached slowly, the crystal in hand. It felt heavier now, as if it knew what was coming. Gently, I lowered it into the receptacle, expecting the imminent pain, but instead only a soft, diffuse light began to glow from within. The machine hummed faintly, as though it had been waiting for this moment all along.

"So... that's it?" I asked, feeling a little underwhelmed by the simplicity of the act.

"The energy is transferring now," the goddess explained, her eyes fixed on the crystal. "It’s moving into the machine’s capacitors, so to speak. When the crystal turns black, it means the transfer is complete. only then you'll place your hand on it for the final part." Her calmness was almost unsettling—she spoke of her own demise as if discussing the weather.

I had to admit, her resolve was admirable, if nothing else. No hesitation, no last-minute second thoughts.

"How long will it take for the crystal to change?" Alira asked, her voice clipped but curious.

"A few minutes at most," the goddess responded, her focus unwavering.

Alira frowned. "Why the rush?"

"There’s always the chance we could be discovered," the goddess said, her voice tightening ever so slightly. "The quicker we complete this, the better. You never..." But then she stopped mid-sentence, her gaze shifting around the room, as if sensing something beyond the walls, something imminent.

Suddenly, a deafening sound and blinding light filled the air, making me instinctively close my eyes and cover my ears. The sensation was overwhelming, and for a moment, I lost all sense of where I was. When the light faded and I cautiously opened my eyes, the room we had been standing in was gone. All that remained was the machine and the glowing crystal, the only source of light in the familiar darkness of the cave.

A booming voice echoed through the cavern. "I knew you were still lingering, Aurora. I can recognize that energy anywhere." The voice dripped with venomous familiarity.

Aurora stepped forward without hesitation, her voice cutting through the tension with a cool defiance. "Ten thousand years, and you're still not over me?" Her tone was taunting, but underneath, there was something raw and ancient in her words.

Then, a figure began to materialize in front of her, solidifying into a human-like body. "I would love to reminisce," the figure said, its gaze locked onto Aurora, "but first, I’ll destroy that little machine of yours."

He dissolved into a swirling cloud of energy and passed through the image of the goddess as if she didn’t even exist, colliding directly with the machine. The impact made the entire cave tremble violently, debris raining down from the ceiling. Despite the chaos, the machine stood firm, and the energy cloud reformed at the same spot it had been moments before.

"You... you’ve fused with the machine?" He bellowed, his voice reverberating through the cavern, filled with shock and fury.

Aurora appeared again, but her form was almost translucent now, barely holding together. Even though I wasn’t an expert on divine battles, it was obvious this wasn’t going according to her plan. She was already losing, her strength fading fast.

The entity attacked the machine again with even more ferocity, and I was surprised the cave hadn’t caved in entirely. Alira, having dodged the falling debris, was covered in dust but still moving. As for me, I was struggling to my feet, pushing a few rocks off me.

Aurora’s shadowy figure turned toward me, her gaze almost pleading, her form barely holding together.

He glanced at her, his voice a mix of disbelief and mockery. "So the rumors were true, then. You sacrificed yourself for them. Why?"

The goddess looked weaker by the second, and I could tell she might not survive another attack. So it was time to improvise. People did say I had a talent for getting under people's skin. Guess it was time to see just how annoying I could be.

"I thought gods knew everything," I said with an unmistakably grin on my face.