[Medea’s World]
“How is the research going?”
The drunk Phoenix sauntered toward Persephone and asked with a smile.
Persephone looked away from the fight and nodded toward Hathor. The two had become quite close over the time spent together in each other’s company since they were both healers and support and held similar powers.
Moreover, they also had many sisters they needed to take care of and a demigod mother that could be quite absent when they needed her presence. There were just many similarities between them that allowed them to connect with each other.
Besides, they also had a certain biased view toward life as one simply went through the motion without caring much about it and the other saw life as a series of books compiled one after another.
“I believe we have enough data already. I already mapped the whole body of the two and I am sure that I can recreate them up to 50-60% already. What about you?”
Hathor whistled at that news. The body was extremely complex and having such a deep understanding of a body that wasn’t even your own was quite impressive.
“Done as well on my side. The physiology of the Succubi is quite similar to the True Demons and I healed quite a few during the last war so that was a bonus.”
As she spoke about the war, Hathor showed an expression of distaste for an imperceptible moment before hiding it as soon as it appeared.
Persephone, as wise as she was, didn’t ask more related to that matter. She didn't want to stir a hornet's nest by chance.
“Anyway, little Isis also finished her part. Later, we will train to maintain a certain synchronization when using this power. Kali will be with us and help us in case things go bad while Ambrosia and Medea will slow time to give us more leeway.
“Finally, even Sherezade will give us a hand and use her power for this. There is only a little problem left on our hands.”
‘Where to do this procedure?’
This was quite a problematic question for them.
This space was not a true dimension. So there was a limit to how much it could block from the goddesses’ gaze.
“We will do it in the Inverse World.”
Isis chimed from the side, “You guys have yet to see it, but it’s pretty cool.”
“So you’ve seen it?”
“Well, not from up close. I am a Duke rank after all. I don’t want to have my feelings twisted and played with inside that realm. But it’s pretty powerful.”
Pandora was given no information about what they wanted to do. After all, while a King rank could block their thoughts from being spied upon, things were not very clear when it came to the relationship between a Blessed and their goddess.
Isis, meanwhile, had her soul protected from all outside observations since her birth. Trying to pass the block would immediately alert Anubis.
In the same vein, while Lilin had an inkling about what was happening, she was given no concrete information.
Whatever the results of their operation were, in the end, no one outside of them would know the truth.
“I wonder if we will succeed.”
“We will. No, we must. At all costs.”
A smile full of determination bloomed on her face as she watched the fight that took place between Pandora and Lilin.
This long plan was slowly inching toward its end.
They did not know what was at the end of the tunnel. But it did not really matter to them.
As long as they were together then she was sure that everything would be alright.
‘Though, I wonder what Lilith will do later on.’
Isis had no particular attachment toward Lilith. However, she remembered Skuld telling her that even if she had to seal her soul to keep her alive, she must do it. This meant that there was no way Lilith could be allowed to die.
It seemed that, even beyond Sol’s happiness, the Titan had determined that keeping Lilith alive was extremely important as she had the potential to reach a level few could ever hope to even achieve in their wildest dreams.
Skuld was a Titan as well as the being with the strongest power and understanding when it came to observing the aspects of the ever changing future.
Furthermore, her loyalty and devotion to Sol were beyond a shadow of a doubt.
‘Well, I hope it won’t come to that.’
An undead could never grow and absorb knowledge in the same way the living could. No matter what kind of potential Lilith may have, the moment she became an undead, it would be greatly diminished.
In the end, though, everything would still depend on Lilith herself. There was only so much they could do from their side.
“I wonder what she's doing right now.”
“Perhaps she is brooding by herself in her room?”
“Or perhaps she is just employing her sword arts on the rooftop?”
———
[Castitas’ Church]
No matter how much Isis and Persephone thought, they would have never guessed that the woman they were so worried and concerned about was currently downing a pint of beer big enough to make even the staunchest alcoholic cringe in fear and hesitation while feeling admiration and awe for doing such an act.
Camelia looked up with bewilderment as the throat of her friend kept moving on and on without end as she finished the whole thing in the span of a few seconds.
“Are you the new incarnation of gluttony or something?”
Not only was she drinking enough to make a whole sailor crew have justifiable doubts about their virility, but she was also wolfing down the food that was being presented to her like there was no tomorrow.
“Heh. Do not worry. Everything I eat is immediately devoured by my body down to the very molecules.”
Camelia’s smiling face twitched as she looked at Lilith’s flat and fit stomach with envy and jealousy.
“Sinful women like you can never understand the pain normal women like us go through.”
“Heh. Says the normal woman who should be near her forty but looks like she is in her twenties— the prime of a woman's lufe.”
“Ahem. I am eternally 17 years old.”
“Heh, and I am eternally 18. Did you forget already?”
The two looked at each other and smiled with light hearted mischief in their eyes.
This reminded them of the good old times when everything was simpler and they could bicker with little to no worries in their mind.
“So, tell me. Why did you come, outside of, of course, just wanting to finish all the reserves of food we accumulated.”
“Why…?”
Lilith closed her eyes as she thought about why she came to this place— to her long-time friend after such a long time. A smile formed on her devilishly beautiful face as she came to a decision,
“I just thought that it would be nice to spend some time with my friend after a long time.”
Her lips had stretched to form a forlorn smile full of melancholy. It had been so long since she could spend some time with Camelia like this. The circumstances just saddened her.
There was always a reason. Always something coming up that stopped her from going to speak calmly with Camelia.
But if she had to be honest about it, she simply did not wish to show her current pathetic sight to the one she had always considered her rival and also her best friend.
Perhaps Camelia’s opinion was something that mattered to her even more than Mars. After all, in the past, she knew that Mars was too kind to ever hate her.
But the same wasn’t true for Camelia— a very highly pragmatic woman who could be quite the snake when necessary.
“I feel like you are thinking something rude about me.”
“I would never.”
Camelia scoffed and leaned back in her chair with a tea in her hand but before she could even take a sip she saw Lilith pushing a second drink of pint toward her.
“Drink this. Let us go back to the first day you went drunk.”
Camelia blushed and coughed as she remembered those embarrassing memories. “We do not talk about that.”
Her expression was stern but she did not refuse the pint from her friend.
Lilith laughed out loud at her contradictory behavior. It was rare to see that woman become flustered with the mention of booze.
“Well, it was indeed something to see. I wonder what Sol would say if he knew that?”
Camelia blushed further at her remark, “Well, I think he would just laugh it off. But I don’t want to destroy my image with you mentioning that dark page of my life.”
Camelia had already spent too much building the image of a mature and calm woman for Sol. She didn’t want him to see her sloppy side.
This might be a little vain of her. But she wished Sol would always look up to and respect her. See her as a great woman when, in reality, she was still full of insecurities and imperfections. Too many of them, in fact.
“You are like him, you know? I guess you two are really fitting as a couple. Though the new girl he brought seems more fitting in that aspect than you are.”
Camelia could only smile bitterly at Lilith's blunt remarks. She knew that Sol also acted more mature than he was in reality.
The two of them wanted to always show their best side to the ones they loved and cherished so they did not allow anyone to see their weaknesses.
This seemed to have changed however with the arrival of that Phoenix. She had received the report about their outings during the festival and she had to admit that she was positively surprised by what was written there.
“I always wondered… What do you like about Sol?”
Camelia laughed slightly at that remark of her friend, “Then tell me my friend, what did you like about Mars?”
Seeing Lilith becoming speechless at that curveball she threw at her, she continued,
“Love, you see, always needs a starting point. It could be anything. Physical appearance, personality, the circumstances, and even more.
“But once you go past that starting point… Things become fuzzy. I fell in love at first sight with his soul. But I would have never lasted so long with just that. I love everything about him, even the things he does not wish to show.”
Lilith smiled, hearing those words, “The same way Blaze loved Mars even though the two couldn’t be any more different.”
Camelia snickered inside. In her opinion, Mars and Blaze were so suitable for each other that it was astounding. A match made in heaven.
Blaze was a very dominant woman while Mars was more on the passive side when it came to love and relationship as a whole.
Even though Mars and Blaze had signed a Pride-type contract, with Blaze submitting to Mars, the reality was completely opposite.
This reminded her of a picture Arachne once drew.
That of a slave kneeling in front of her master. But in a twist of fate, the slave was holding the chain of a collar in her hand… A collar that was tied around the neck of her master.
Theresa loved the picture so much that she bought it at a sky-high price.
“Well. Those were the good times I guess?”
The two smiled quietly as a comfortable silence fell between them.
Camelia stopped asking why Lilith came and Lilith never bought any particularly important topic.
They just quietly chatted away like the old friends that they were…
(AN: So. Every day I receive the same question. Where are the illustrations? I already answered in a long announcement on my server. But here is the link to have peace: https://[email protected]/HikaruGenji?filters[tag]=Illustrations (Just replace the @ with a)
Also, I already said it’s free. Last time someone complained to me on DM about putting my illustrations behind a paywall and saying it was Bullshit or whatever when I have said again and again that they are FREE and available for everyone. Just for that, I tested it with my phone. Then tested with another account, then asked four members of my servers who are in different countries to test, the result is the same and they could all see the pictures perfectly well.
I am the first to say I am greedy for money. I never lied about it and I never hide that writing is a pleasure but also works for me. I fucking pay my rent and live on what I gain as I writer. If I wanted to put illustrations behind a paywall, I would. Easy and nothing anyone can do against it. So when I say they are FREE and available to the PUBLIC then I meant it and I have no reasons to lie to more than 20K readers of mine. Sorry for the rant, just frustrated. Also because of that, I closed my DMs. If you want to write to me, then do so on the server. Sorry guys. But imagine receiving a stupid message like this at nearly 3 am while you are banging your head about future chapters and some dude comes calling your decision Bullshit.)
