The palace of gold spanned its reach into the horizon, stretching towards the endless whiteness, where the land was a sea of cloud and the sky a sea of flickering stars. The starlight sang a soft, sweet melody as it fell onto the palace, got up, and gently flowed along the roof. It entered the inner world through the open windows, rippling past the marble pillars, circling the palace, then left soundlessly, satisfied by the heavenly environment.
At the centre of the golden palace, in a gigantic bed-like couch, a divine beauty rested on her side, sinking into the comforting pillows, humming something in her throat, watching the river of radiance coursing around her. Bored, she reached out and plucked a strain of light to observe. Inside, countless memories and emotions displayed themselves, showing the struggles and the happiness of a believer.
Behind the couch, five angels stood with their three pairs of white feathered wings folded behind them, their heads slightly lowered, their faces expressing profound emotions: smiling, aloof, carefree, shy, contemplating. While breathing softly, they stared at the divine beauty, imprinting her every movement into their heart.
"My Goddess, please state your desire. We shall complete your design for you," the aloof angel said.
"Godd—Goddess, please let us serve you as we did in life," the shy angel said. "We won't ever disappoint you; I, I promise it!"
The divine beauty blinked and turned to the five angels, letting go of the strand of Faith. It went back to the sea of Faith and flowed out of sight, leaving the central room of the palace. The divine beauty giggled as she flung herself up from her sleeping posture, letting her hair flutter through the air, displaying her glowing, holy brilliance.
"If I needed my Archangels to do every little thing, no one would worship me anymore; my religion will fall, and I'll be left alone, in sadness, in pain," the Lord said. "You five are the best of the best. Throughout countless years, I only have you all as my Divine Spirits, my most precious treasures."
"Goddess, there are at least hundreds of Archangels within your Heavenly Kingdom," the contemplating angel said. "Unfortunately, none of them could reach the limit; please don't blame them, Goddess, for they’ve tried their very best."
"How could I blame my followers? All my Archangels are my beloved children, but sadly, they indeed couldn't join your rank. They lack the quality and destiny."
"Goddess, why don't you turn those male Archangels into female Archangels?" the carefree angel said. "If they were female, some of them might breakthrough, and we'll welcome a new member!"
The other four angels turned to the carefree angel, who didn't notice anything and smiled the widest she could. The contemplating angel was about to scold her when the aloof angel shook her head. Everyone got worked up to clear the misunderstanding, but the Lord smiled and clapped her hands softly. Her authority soundlessly rang and silenced everyone.
"My path is only compatible with those who could follow it," the Lord said. "I am a woman in body, mind, soul, and belief. It is meaningless to force others into changing their existences, for misalignment will happen, and bad things will follow."
"So that's how it is," the carefree angel said, nodding. "Goddess, you know I'm not bright. I don't even know how I get to this level."
"You have both talent and luck, Carefree. If you don't want it, you can tell me. I can take it and give it to someone else."
The carefree angel rapidly shook her head, her expression turning teary.
"Goddess, please!" She wanted to fall on her knees and beg, but the other angels stopped her. "I want to stay here with you. I like this place. Pretty please?"
The Lord chuckled. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed in and out, her laughter echoing in the endless palace.
"I'm just kidding, just kidding."
"It's not funny at all!" The carefree angel pouted. "Please don't do it again!"
"Then you must promise me one thing. I'll apologise and promise you never to tease you like that ever again." The Lord drew her right hand forwards, showing the back of her hand to the angels.
The five angels paused, light gleaming in their eyes, then solemnly they unfolded their magnificent wings, reached their hands out, caught the Lord's palm, and revealed their pure, sacred airs. Though the characteristic expressions still lingered on their faces, there was a hint of feverish zeal mixed in.
"Please guide us towards our destination, Lord." The five angels lowered their heads until their gaze met the ground. "We, your Divine Spirits, are forever yours."
A mysterious mark manifested on the back of the Lord's hand. It was an insignia, made of gold, coated in clouds, resembled the eclipsed sun behind a crescent moon, with a tiny yet magnificent black star in the middle. The same marks appeared on the Divine Spirits' foreheads. They accepted the Lord's power and command, giving their entire existence to her.
"Within the near future, a new member will join your rank," the Lord said. "And with her, an unprecedented opportunity will present itself. She will be the key to everything; you five must get along with her and dote on her like how I dote on you."
The five angels softly nodded as the marks on their foreheads lit up, shining brighter than the starlight around them. They were akin to the blazing suns, whose radiance gave hope and warmth to all living beings. As the angels immersed themselves in the pleasant feeling, the Lord noticed that the smiling angel was glancing at her.
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"You don't need to request the permission to speak, Smile, or should I call you Canerin?" The Lord intentionally raised her voice.
"Goddess, please don't tease me." The smiling angel, Canerin, turned to the other angels, then at the Lord. "May I ask, Lord, what the opportunity will entail?"
"As expected of my first Divine Spirit, my best friend, Canerin," the Lord said. "You five have been at the limit for a long time, too long, really too long. I've been utterly helpless in this matter. My path can only be walked by me; anyone else can never reach my height."
"As, as long as we get to serve you," the shy angel said, "we don't, don't mind what our status is. Divine Spirits, or Angels, or Goddesses, they don't, they don't matter at all."
"You all have been serving me, playing with me, staying by my side, for how long?" The Lord got up from the couch and walked towards the five angels, standing in front of them. Her height wasn't the tallest, but she didn't mind such insignificant detail. "If I don't reward you, how can I sleep at night? How can I be the just Goddess you all praised about? Don't worry; I'm not doing this because of boredom. If this plan succeeds, you'll be even more precious to me."
The five angels tilted their heads and blinked innocently, but the Lord merely smiled, keeping her lips shut and her expression still. She liked to surprise her Divine Spirits with her plan; their expressions when they found out the truth always lit up the warmth in her heart.
For them, she was willing to do everything.
While the five angels tried to probe the secret, the Lord raised her head, glaring in the middle of the room. It was a platform which sank into the palace's floor, surrounded by a three-step staircase, and had the insignia of the Lord floating in the centre, absorbing, producing, and soaking in the flow of Faith. Inside the unceasing tide, a stream of Faith glimmered and danced, struggling against the current, breaking out of the confinement.
The glowing Faith, like a fine thread, silently drifted onwards, moving towards a particular direction. It was moving south, then north, then west, then east, as if circling the world was its intention. Despite its tiny, insignificant size, the five angels soon noticed the anomaly and stared at it; their expression darkened, forming a faint furrow between their eyes, like pouting, like sulking.
Unlike the five angels, who expressed their bewilderment through their cheeks, the Lord touched her lips as her mouth curved into a wide, satisfying grin. Her golden, shiny irises flashed with glee while her mind blossomed into countless thoughts about the future and the past. In the reflection of her eyes, a silhouette emerged, kneeling on the ground, praying, believing.
"Goddess, please let us settle this act of heresy," the aloof angel said, her voice cold, freezing the sea of Faith. "We shall personally smite the sinner who dared to steal your Faith. We shall imprison them inside the Heavenly Kingdom and purify their soul until they submit to you."
"Goddess, please grant us the right to serve you." The contemplating angel lightly clenched her fists. Since her ascension, never had she seen anything so sickening as this.
The shy angel didn't say anything, but her entire body was trembling. Her long golden hair fluttered in the air as the holy aura around her intensified. She was about to raise her hand when the smiling angel stopped her, raising her finger, placing it on her lips.
Once the smiling angel stopped the shy angel, the other angels immediately quietened, waiting for her to speak with the Lord. Canerin was the Lord's closest friend, her childhood friend. Their lives intertwined with each other so closely they could exchange their places, and nobody could tell them apart.
"That smile of yours, Goddess, I know it too well, way too well." Canerin looked at the Lord, who was slightly shorter than her. "This is one of your crazy plans, right? Are you going to tell us, or are you waiting to see our surprises again?"
"Cerin, you need to stop spoiling my intention," the Lord said. "Why are you so quick-witted now? I very much prefer the old you who was adorable, innocent, and not so bright that I could bully you a lot."
"Goddess, you told me yourself that people change. You changed; I changed; everyone changed. Change is the only constant of the world. Even the Goddess and her Divine Spirits changed."
"Ironic, is it not?" The Lord sighed, defeated by the playful tongue of her friend. "You're correct. This anomaly is a part of my plan. There are many unexpected changes, but everything is progressing in the desired direction. Soon, I'll take you on a trip that will change your lives forever."
"Goddess, how long, long before we can see the result?" The shy angel's voice was timid, lovable. "Is there anything we can do, can do to help?"
"You all can help me in another way." The Lord waved her hand, creating a picture of Herrifer. "Go watch over her, but don't help her or make yourself known. She must mature by herself, and when she is ready, she will make her final leap into our embrace."
The five angels engraved Herrifer into their minds before they bowed and excused themselves, waving their gentle wings, flying across the palace, leaving the Lord alone. Silence once more descended, cloaking the golden palace with a sense of serenity, which slowed time and stagnated emotions. There the Lord stood with the starlight illuminating her face, her fingers reaching the lonely strand of Faith.
"You're here faster than I expected," the Lord mumbled. "Very good. Very good. I know you would want to take advantage of me, and I'll comply. We're taking advantage of each other; that is how it should be."
The Lord delicately grabbed the strand of Faith and pulled it closer to her eyes. Vague information flowed into her as countless fragmented scenes manifested in her heart. The distance between universes was unfathomably vast, and the endless void was not a place where energy could traverse. If not for the Mark of the Lord, Iris's unique circumstance, the Lord's power, and the resonance of Faith, the information would not be able to reach this world.
"Elizabeth, Iris, you are indeed what I need." The Lord snapped her fingers. A burst of Divine Flame manifested around her. "The power of Faith is not something a mortal can use, but you, Iris, are an exception."
The Divine Flame, brighter than everything combined, stronger than everything combined, holier than everything combined, shattered space and the fabric of reality beneath it. The golden palace trembled under the pressure of the world, its pillars cracking from the power of assimilation. The void peeked into existence, devouring all things.
The Lord sent the strand of Faith into the void. It twisted and turned until it sensed a calling from a peculiar direction. With the energy granted by the Lord, it spun and flowed into the depth of the endless nothingness, leaving only the faintest trail of afterglows, which lingered for mere moments before fading away.
Watching the Faith disappearing from her view, the Lord clapped her hands. The Divine Flame flickered, sealing the gap in reality, healing the damage on the golden palace. After finishing her task, she went back to her couch and sank into her pillows, smiling, daydreaming about the past. She could only wait for the result, but she was patient, the most patient existence in the world.
After aeons of stagnation, I shall finally step out of the boundary and see everything, truly everything. I can feel it, the calling of my dream, our dream. Once this is over, I will forever dance in the sky, among the stars. Together with you, no one can hinder our path, free, like the endless void.