"What…"
It was in the middle of a giggling fit with Sera that everything around , quite abruptly, changed.
One second I was admiring my Script, prattling on about its beautiful diagrams and insights, and the next… I was here. A vast, plain realm of nothing but white, as if soone had completely erased the background of reality.
What in the na of Lady Narcissus?
"Sera?" I called out, my voice echoing through the endless expanse. "Hello?"
Silence. Not even a whisper of response. Just my own voice bouncing back at .
Then, suddenly, a woman's voice, smooth, raspy, mature, reverberating, and almost… playful, echoed through the emptiness.
"Huh. Didn't expect that this would actually work," the voice mused, sounding almost surprised. The tone was a bit too casual—especially considering I'd just been dragged from my precious break ti.
"Who's there?" I demanded, snapping my head in every direction. "And who do you think you are, yanking out of my Script-reading ti like that? I was bonding with my fellow Script-devourer, thank you very much!"
The voice let out a sigh that reverberated like a low rumble through the space. "Ah… I forgot you're that kind of person," it replied, almost as if talking to itself.
And then, without warning, the entire white ground beneath began to shake, crumbling away piece by piece as if reality itself was being inverted from beneath my feet.
Golden flas licked up through the breaking earth, flickering in bright, infernal tongues. I staggered back, heart pounding, as a giant head began to rise from the depths, filling the space with a presence so imnse I felt like an ant staring up at the sun.
The head that erged was young in appearance, her skin flawless and bright, her eyes a striking red with black sclera, as though entire universes were swirling in each pupil. Even stranger, her luxurious gold hair flowed like a river of glowing energy, streaming down from her head like a fountain of pure light. Two horns jutted out from her head, curving inward before shooting up into needle-sharp points.
She smiled down at , lips pulling back to reveal sharp teeth that were far too predator-like for comfort. It wasn't a hungry smile, though—it was the grin of soone who'd found a new toy.
Yet, despite her demonic appearance, I felt sothing holy and divine surging out of her.
Not to ntion, her beauty was out of this world! It was almost turning into an obedient slave if not for my unwavering faith for Lady Narcissus!
I tried to speak, but my throat clamped shut, shock rooting in place. And the worst part? I could feel the heat from those flas, radiating from her very presence. Still, my loyalty for Lady Narcissus held firm.
The words tumbled out before I could even think.
"I-I am not scared of you!" I stamred, doing my best to sound brave, but my voice wavered, and she let out a laugh that shook the whole realm.
"Oh, you're delightful!" Her booming laugh echoed around , her eyes twinkling with a strange amusent. "I haven't had fun like this for countless eternities, little Erika."
Her voice seed to co from every direction, omnipresent, all-encompassing.
It was scary! I'm so scared! I want to get out of here! This situation was so terrifying!
"I… Uh…" I started, glancing around helplessly. I wanted to tell her I had better things to do than be toyed with by a giant goddess, but I couldn't exactly find the words.
"No need to worry," she assured with a glint in her eyes. "I'm not here to harm you. Heh, I'd almost forgotten about this 'Script' business… but it's the perfect way to reach you."
"Reach ?" I frowned, only to see her face coming closer, her imnse eyes inspecting , taking in every detail. It was as if the universe had collapsed down to just her gaze and .
"Yes," she said, her gaze unwavering. "And to remind myself that your kind exists," she continued, as if I was so kind of strange bug under a godly microscope.
Before I could question what that ant, the ground continued to tremble, and, almost leisurely, she pulled herself up from the burning gold chasm. The flas wrapped around her as if they were threads, weaving themselves into the form of a child-sized figure draped in a flowing white cloth, cut in a style I'd never seen before.
As she stepped forward, multiple pairs of wings stretched from her back, each one made of pure energy that shimred with a thousand swirling colors, and possible limitless universes. They spanned wider than anything I'd ever seen, stretching further than I could comprehend.
I could barely breathe. She looked like a goddess—a young goddess, no less. Everything about her was surreal, like she was less a person and more a manifestation of so grand concept. A true being of pure power.
"Y-you're…" I began, barely able to find the words, my thoughts scrambled. "You're a goddess?"
She tilted her head, laughing again as if I'd made a joke. "Perhaps. Or sothing greater." She leaned in, her enormous eyes peering down at . "I know who you are, Erika. And I have an offer for you."
I felt my heart skip. An offer? From a goddess? A part of wanted to refuse instantly out of pure loyalty to Lady Narcissus, my mind screaming at not to get tangled with a being like this.
"I appreciate your, uh… interest," I managed to say, forcing the words out, "But my loyalty is already pledged to Lady Narcissus! I have no need for godly offers!" I could feel my words sounded braver than I felt, but still, I held my ground.
She let out a hearty laugh, louder than thunder.
"You really do amuse !" She leaned back, watching with a look that was both curious and fond. "But you misunderstand, little Erika. This 'offer' of mine involves this beloved Narcissus of yours directly." Her tone shifted, growing serious. "The fate of your leader, your bastion, and even your world rests on a delicate balance."
The words sent a chill down my spine. Could she really be telling the truth? I looked up at her, feeling sothing inside shift. "Explain," I said, almost more to myself than to her.
"I need you to help ensure the success of nurous certain 'projects' Narcissus is working on," the goddess replied, her voice rippling through the empty space like a steady drumbeat. "Specifically, that 'Organic Calculator' she is creating. It's a small piece of sothing far greater, and there will be more of them coming along in ti."
I blinked, trying to wrap my head around her words. Lady Narcissus's project… her calculations… Was it all part of so grand cosmic plan? And that there was a godly entity backing it up like a patron>? The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating.
The goddess continued, her voice softening. "In exchange for your cooperation, I will grant you a 'grand authority'—a power, if you will, that will allow you to return from death, should you et it in the line of duty. A small gift to protect both you and her.
"Not to ntion, your mory and skills followed you back to the checkpoint you made, giving you more opportunity to devour your Script and ask your trusty leader for more wisdom and knowledge, isn't that right?
The offer was overwhelming. A power like that? AND I could use it to bring back the knowledge that I gained from the future to the past if I were to die so that I could start from the last checkpoint with more wisdom of the Script learned?
It was unimaginable, tempting, and dangerous.
At the sa ti, if it was all ultimately for Lady Narcissus… how could I refuse and the betternt of the greater good of our group?
"So," I said slowly, steadying myself, "All I have to do is… protect her and make sure her will is carried out?"
The goddess nodded, her smile growing wider. "Precisely. You are free to make your own choices, but rember, this is no simple endeavor." She leaned down once more, her face morphing and shifting, her eyes transforming into a single, enormous eye in the center of her face, swirling with scenes of creation and destruction. "Your part in this is simple: protect her, support her, and help bring her visions to life. That is all I ask."
Her tone held a weight that left no room for doubt.
I looked into the eye, feeling as though I was staring into infinity itself. "I… I'll do it," I said, barely a whisper. "If it's for Lady Narcissus… then I'm in!"
"Good," the goddess said with a pleased chuckle. "Then take this knowledge and use it well. Your path will be difficult, but rember: you are more than what you once were."
For a mont, the light of her universe-filled eye blinded , knowledge surging through as I tried to comprehend the power she was granting. And just as the light began to fade, I managed to stamr one last question. "Who… who are you?"
She smiled again, her form returning to that of a young woman as her wings flared around her. "Oh, Erika," she murmured with a knowing glint. "You're already reading my Script."
And with that, the white world around vanished.
When I blinked, I was back beside Sera, and she was still talking about her Script as if nothing had happened.
And I was hit by the unstoppable carriage of realization by the implication that the goddess made.
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