Inclementia sighed as she saw who exactly walked into her throne room, the flowing blue dress an obvious indicator.

“What do you want, Ethie?” She asked, already tired.

Ethylene pursed her lips at that reaction, “I would have thought you would be grateful for some company.” She commented lightly.

Inclementia huffed, “Maybe if Father hadn’t sent you, I would be more inclined to greet you warmly.”

Ethylene’s eyes widened slightly, “How did you-?”

“Why else would you be here, Ethie?” She asked, “You hate the Depths.”

The older goddess seemed to shrink at those words, “Inya…” She trailed off before seemingly shaking off her guilt, “It’s urgent.”

Inclementia sighed once more, “Of course it is.” She stood, her long and black dress shifting slightly. She inclined her head, “Lead the way.”

As Inclementia walked on the white and iridescent stone of Zenith’s palace, she wondered what she had done this time. She had even left her domain for years, let alone caused trouble for her fellow immortal deities. When she entered her Father’s throne room, she tightened her hands into fists. It was clear he was mad and her Mother looked incredibly annoyed.

Shit, She thought, What did I do?

“Inclementia.” His voice was stern and displeased.

“Yes, Father?” She asked, her voice unusually quiet.

His frown deepened, “I’ve been told you’ve traveled to the Mortal Realm.”

“What?” She blurted out, completely bewildered, “No, I’ve been in the Depths for the past couple years, I-”

“Enough!” Her Father’s voice boomed and she winced, “As you are the youngest, I have put up with your tricks and schemes for more than two millenia, but you’ve gone too far this time! You’ve meddled in Mortal affairs and you’ve even stole the Staff of Life-”

“The Staff-I didn’t! I didn’t do anything! Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar!” Inclementia defended herself, but her father looked absolutely thunderous.

“Your words mean nothing!” He told her, “Your fate has been decided!” He motioned for the guards and they quickly grabbed hold of her.

“W-Let me go!” She was about to send them flying when they placed a cold metal around her wrists. The effect was immediate. It was as if she was submerged in water. Not drowning, but her limbs, body and even soul felt weaker. It was as if-

Her head snapped towards her parents, her breathing harsh and erratic, “You sealed my magic?!”

Her Father nodded, “Not all of it, you’ll need some of it to complete your task.”

She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, “What task?”

“You will be sent to earth to protect an important individual you put in danger by your actions.”

Inclementia’s eyes widened and she immediately began to protest, “You can’t-! What about my domain? Who will run-?”

“Tiva will.” Her Mother spoke up, “And I’m sure she’ll do better than you.”

Of course Mother would choose Tiva, She thought, She is her favorite.

“How long-?” She tried to speak, but her father cut her off before she could finish.

“Until you’ve righted your wrong and retrieved the Staff of Life. You will effectively be mortal. If you die, don’t expect to be coming back to Zenith or the Depths.”

She gasped, “But-”

“You’ll leave now! You’re dismissed!”

With a bang from his fist on his throne, he vanished. Most likely returning to his chambers. She looked towards her Mother, who shook her head.

“These are the consequences of your actions,” Her Mother told her, “If you don’t like them, you shouldn’t have stolen my staff.”

She, too, took her leave in a wind of leaves. She let out an unamused laugh. They blamed her without a second thought. Do they really think of me as a thief?

A light hand on her shoulder made her jolt. It was only Ethylene.

“It will be alright, Inya-” She tried to console her, “You just have to fix what you did and-”

Inclementia sharply turned to face her sister, “You think I did it too?”

Ethylene sighed, as if disappointed, “Of course you did it. Who else would?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Inclementia’s eyes burned and her heart ached. She brushed past her, but her older sister grabbed her, “Wait, I have something to give you.”

She turned back to her, “What, Ethie?”

Ethylene reached into her sleeves and pulled out a dagger in a black leather sheath. She holds out the small blade, “To defend and to protect.”

Inclementia hesitantly grasped the offer weapon, “Thank you.” Suddenly, something came to her mind, “How am I supposed to know who I’m supposed to protect?”

Her sister smiled reassuringly, “You’ll know.”

“Oh…Kay?” Inclementia was still confused, but let her sister carry on.

Ethylene just smiled, “Be safe.”

She nodded, “You as well.”

She walked away and headed to the Gate. She was nervous as she approached the Gate. She had never been to the Mortal Realm, let alone anywhere other than Zenith and the Depths.

Tiva was waiting for her at the Bridge, the transportation she would take to the Mortal Realm. Her eldest sister stood there with a smile, making the small scar on her lip more noticeable.

“Inya.” She said sweetly and Inclementia couldn’t help but smile back at her. Tiva was always the kindest to her. Of course, she never visited, but she always stood up for her. She couldn’t be angry that their Mother favored her over the rest of them. If anything, she was happy it was Tiva who would take over her domain while she’s gone.

“Tiva.” She greeted her.

Her sister’s smile dimmed, “I know you didn’t do it.”

Inclementia’s eyes widened and spoke with such reverence, “You believe me?”

She nodded, “As Key Keeper of The Bridge, I would have seen you. Although I have no idea who said it was you or who the true culprit could be. I tried to tell Father, but you know how he is.”

Inclementia nodded, “Of course. I’m just glad someone believes me.”

Tiva's smile tightened slightly, “I’ll always believe you.”

She shook her head, “Anyway, are you ready?”

Inclementia shrugged, “Don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Her smile fell, “Of course not.” She walked to the center of the room and Inclementia followed. She waved her hand over a section of the floor and it seemed to evaporate, leaving a hole in its place.

Within the hole was an iridescent whirlwind. It was loud too. Tiva looked at her, “Good luck, little sister.”

Inclementia looked to her sister, confusion coloring her pale face, “What am I supposed to-?”

Two hands on her back stopped her and she was all of the sudden pushed forwards. She gasped as she felt the whirlwind brought her down. Her whole body tingled and her ears felt like they were plugged up. It was like she was surrounded by magic, though she supposed that she was, indeed, surrounded by magic. She spinned and spinned for what seemed like hours until she finally landed on solid ground with a thud.

She groaned as she sat up from the dirt-covered ground. She noticed that her hair had come undone from its complicated bun and now reached her waist. She looked around and also noticed she seemed to be quite a while away from any civilization.

Great, She thought bitterly.

She slowly stood from the ground, her legs feeling shaky and unsteady, before the world tilted and she toppled over. Her whole body tingled again.

Inclementia huffed before sitting up again and attempting to stand once more. She manages to stay upright, this time. She let out a puff of air and dusted herself off.

As she did this, she noticed her clothes were different. It made sense, she wasn’t supposed to stand out, and her gown would have most definitely stood out, but what she was wearing made her a little peeved.

All she wore, now, was her white underdress. Instead of feeling embarrassed by this, however, she was rather indifferent. If that's what she had to wear, that’s what she had to wear. Still, they could have warned her.

She sighed and began her trek towards the nearest town. As the sun burned on her back and her throat began to dry, she cursed her Father. That’s when she heard the sound of a wagon coming towards her direction. She turned and saw an older man guiding the wagon. When he saw her, he slowed the horse's pace.

“Do you need a ride, miss?” He asked her with a kind smile.

With a tilt of her head, Inclementia thought for a moment before deciding that it would be better than walking, “Thank you, sir.”

His smile seemed to widen as she hopped onto the wagon. As he began the journey towards the village, he began to make conversation.

“I’m Fyn,” He introduced, “What do you call yourself?”

She paused before stuttering out an answer, “I-Inya. Call me Inya.”

The newly-named Inya tensed up. It was the only name she could think of besides her original name. She couldn’t use it, of course. After all, who would name their daughter after the goddess of the dead? Besides, the name Inya reminded her of her sisters.

Luckily, the man didn’t comment on her sudden tenseness. She couldn’t tell if he didn’t notice or if he was just being polite. Either way, she was grateful.

As they entered the village, Inya took notice of the crowds of people in the square. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she felt uneasy. The only people she was usually around were the dead, so she didn’t know if this many people around was normal.

That’s when the man stopped. She got off and he gave her a kind smile as he tipped his hat, “Have a wonderful day, miss.”

Inya bowed and grinned up at him, “I return your sentiments, kind sir!”

She headed off to find a place to rest. Seeing as she was given no currency, she knew she could not sleep in the inn, so she walked into the forest nearby to camp out. As she entered the clearing, she knew something was off. She paused her pace.

Inya heard it coming before she saw it.

A harsh growl came from within the darkness of the trees. Not just one growl, she realized. Multiple growls surrounded her.

Her hand reached to the dagger strapped to her hip and narrowed her eyes at the shadows. Large wolves began to emerge from the darkness, as if descending onto their prey. They snarled and gnashed their teeth. They were clearly feral. Still, something about them was strange, but Inya couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason why. The energy they gave off felt…Familiar.

One wolf lunged towards her, but Inya dodged. However, she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the next wolf and its teeth dug into her arm. She let out a pained scream before prying it off of her and slashing it with her blade. It let out a pained whimper, but she kicked it away. It landed harshly on the ground with a thud. The others grew more angry and lunged at one.

Inya clutched at her bloodied arm, her eyes burned and her vision blurred. She could barely move before they reached her. She fell on her back under the weight of the large wolf. It attached itself to her neck and she could feel her skin being breached.

Then, the wolf was knocked off with a pained howl. She looked to see a sword embedded into the wolf. She turned her head and saw a man as he drew the sword back.

She wanted to express her gratitude, but the world went dark before she could.