Several millennia ago...
In a grassy garden, there was a round white table with two chairs facing each other. Sitting in those chairs were two women.
One of them had silver-blonde hair, a slender and beautiful body, and the appearance of a young adult. She wore a sky-blue dress with green and golden details.
The other had hazel and golden hair. She wore an immaculate and noble white dress. Her body had an elegant hourglass figure, accompanied by the charm of a mature woman.
Both of them were drinking tea in silence, simply enjoying that peaceful moment, until the blonde decided to break the silence.
"I consulted the three Nomir sisters." Her voice was soft, but it carried a profound weight. "Specifically, Skuld."
The mature woman, upon hearing those words, had been holding her cup close to her lips, but stopped and placed it back on the table.
She raised an eyebrow, finding those words rather curious.
"You went to the Norse Pantheon to see Skuld?... Why?"
She tilted her head slightly.
The blonde adjusted her hair and looked toward the clouds in the sky.
"Actually, they were the ones who summoned me... You know... The gods rarely summon me. They know I don’t like being called over trivial matters. So when they called me, I knew it had to be something important, especially coming from those three."
She paused and looked at the mature woman sitting before her.
"They rarely socialize, and they take everything very seriously, following everything to the letter... Knowing that..."
"You couldn’t ignore them."
The brown-haired woman finished.
The blonde nodded.
"So... what was the reason they called you?"
The blonde woman answered with a sigh as she lowered her head and played with a strand of her hair.
"A prophecy."
"Skuld told me that, for some time now, she has been receiving small, fragmented flames of the future. At first, she didn’t pay much attention to them, because it is routine for someone who holds Authority over the future. She often receives small, random fragments, but..."
"But?"
The blonde raised her head and looked at the other woman.
"But those fragments became constant. The time between each one grew shorter and shorter, until they began receiving them every day. They also became clearer and easier to understand."
She paused before continuing.
"The more weight an event has upon the threads of fate, the more constant and relentless the warnings become... The three sisters didn’t know what to do with what they had seen, so they summoned me to tell me the truth, believing it was the best decision they could make... Especially when it came to the meaning behind those visions."
Her voice became lower and heavier.
Seeing the more serious expression on the blonde woman’s face, the other woman adjusted herself in her chair and leaned forward slightly.
"And the contents?... What were those visions about?"
She asked, feeling tense as she looked at the severe expression on the woman’s face.
The blonde ran her hands over her face and looked into her friend’s eyes.
"...... We’re going to die, Hera."
Returning to the present...
Inside a small, enclosed sanctuary, Hera stared at the ceiling as she remembered the conversation she had once had with her friend.
She had told Hera everything she and the three sisters had discovered, and, honestly, it had been so shocking that doubt had taken root in Hera’s mind for a moment.
Until she remembered who her friend was.
She never lied.
She was serious and never played around with matters this important.
But Hera couldn’t blame herself. After all, who could have imagined that the deaths of countless gods and mortals would be caused by the betrayal of a few?
Especially when some of those traitors were leaders of their respective pantheons, while others held important positions. And, above all, some of them were gods of the highest levels and hierarchies.
They weren’t insignificant gods of low rank.
They were important pillars.
But...
"They sold their own family."
Sitting upon the white marble, Hera clenched her fists tightly as she gritted her teeth. Her eyes were filled with fury and resentment.
"Zeus, you bastard! You pathetic, impotent piece of shit!"
She screamed loudly.
Her husband, the King of Olympus, had been one of those traitors.
Hera had never liked him, nor had she ever had a good relationship with him. Their marriage had been one of convenience for both of them, and she regretted it every day.
But it was too late, and she had learned to live with it.
She even had a certain amount of respect for him, although it was minimal. Her disgust was far greater, but that small amount of respect still existed.
That changed after he repeatedly ignored her warnings not to get involved with those outsiders.
But no...
He didn’t listen.
He even mocked her concern.
"Benefit, my ass, you bastard!"
She exclaimed furiously.
In the end, he and the other traitors sided with the invaders, who killed and destroyed every home in the Cosmos.
From pantheons across various sectors to mortal worlds.
No one was spared.
The only thing that eased Hera’s heart, even slightly, were her friend’s words.
"Despite our inevitable end, my friend... We can make preparations. And there’s also that..."
"The one who will give us a place and a purpose again."
Hera murmured, closing her eyes.
"Time is strange here. I lost my personal clock, and I have no idea how long I’ve been here, but... I’ll trust your words, my friend."
Hera took a deep breath.
"Because the one she spoke of is my only hope of taking revenge on those bastards."
She murmured, taking another deep breath.
Tired of sitting, Hera began walking around the small temple.
"You could at least improve the view around here, my friend... I’m going to get bored."
She muttered as she walked around the place, looking at the dull walls.
That place had been prepared to shelter the souls of dead gods.
It had been the plan devised by her friend, who had told her that someone would take them out of there someday.
She had never said when.
She had only claimed that someone could do it.
After walking a little farther, Hera’s attention was drawn away from the wall when she looked ahead.
There was a hologram.
As she looked at the screen, a wide smile appeared on her full lips.
[? WARNING! — You have been chosen to be summoned by the new Lord based on the preferences defined by him. ?]
"What wonderful news. A new Lord, is it?... Ah! So that’s what it was. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation."
She growled in a sensual and cruel voice, her eyes shining with anticipation.
[? Your Divine Vessel will be reconstructed to house your soul and complete the summoning ritual. Important warning!... Your Divine Authorities have been sealed, and your progression system will be converted according to the rules of the Cosmos where you will be summoned. You will begin at Level 1 and will possess only a few abilities of lesser expression and weight upon the laws. ?]
Hera would be weaker when she left that place.
But did she care?
No!
"That doesn’t matter... I’m not in a hurry. And my powers... well..."
She shrugged.
"I can recover them over time. Actually, I’m quite excited. Fufufufuf."
She placed a hand over her lips.
"What will he be like? The one my friend always talked about?"
[Ritual in progress. Your Vessel is complete!]
[Prepare to leave this dimension...]
"Hahaha! I’m coming back... The day I get my hands on you... Not even death will be enough to comfort you, you pieces of trash!"
And so, her soul vanished from that dimension, leaving trails of light behind.
Returning to Aster...
Aster covered his ears as the divine beauty standing before him laughed loudly, her voice cruel and filled with power.
"What the hell is wrong with this woman?"
He muttered while looking at the person before him.
He had expected to exchange a few words of greeting, but the moment she arrived, she began having a fit of sinister laughter and promising to kill someone.
"She said... Zeus?... She said Zeus, right?"
He wondered.
Of course, he knew that name.
Greek mythology was extremely famous on Earth. It told stories of the leader of Olympus and king of the gods.
And now, this woman standing before him wanted to kill him.
Aster had no idea what was going on.
"Guide... what’s wrong with this woman?"
He asked, still covering his ears.
The Guide replied, just as confused as he was.
It was clear that neither of them had expected this kind of reaction.
Returning to Hera, she was still laughing.
Her eyes opened as she turned her attention back to Aster.
Realizing she had gone too far, she cleared her throat and wiped away her tears.
"Ahem, ahem... Sorry about that."
She spoke in a quieter tone as she adjusted her dress.
"..."
Honestly, Aster had no idea what to say to the woman before him.
"No problem."
That was all he managed to say before turning his face away, red from the situation.
It certainly wasn’t because an extremely attractive woman was now staring directly at him.
Absolutely not!
Seeing Aster’s embarrassment, Hera couldn’t help but give him a mischievous smile, enjoying his reaction.
’So that’s him, huh?’
She asked herself while examining the mortal before her from head to toe.
’He’s quite weak, but... his Vessel has potential! In fact, his body is such a valuable treasure that even the gods would drool at the thought of getting their hands on it.’
She analyzed everything in her mind.
Aster felt a chill run through his body, as though someone were dissecting him and uncovering all his secrets.
"What the hell is she doing?"
His eyes widened slightly.
They were about six meters apart as they stared at each other.
This was Aster’s first interaction with someone and, more importantly, with his first summon.
He couldn’t be this passive.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at her and began to speak.
"Uh... hello, I..."
He couldn’t finish.
The moment he began speaking, Hera appeared directly in front of him.
Just centimeters away.
Aster froze for a moment.
He hadn’t seen her move.
Even with the passive perception granted by his physique, he had barely noticed anything.
Now he was absolutely certain.
The woman standing before him was on another level.
Aster was an insect compared to her.
"What a monster."
He muttered unconsciously.
"Oh, my... Calling a lady a monster is quite rude."
She spoke with a mischievous smile on her lips as she tested Aster’s mind.
"Didn’t they teach you how to treat a lady, you shameless mortal?"
She growled in a sweet voice.
Aster broke into a cold sweat, but remained composed.
"Forgive me for my rudeness. I was caught off guard by your speed... I didn’t mean to upset you."
Aster spoke calmly, showing no urgency as he gave her a small bow.
Not a long one, since he was the Lord here.
It was simply a gesture of respect and remorse.
"Fufufu, I’m only teasing... You don’t need to be so tense."
Aster then introduced himself in a gentlemanly manner.
"I’m Aster, a new Lord and the one who summoned you... It’s a pleasure."
Seeing Aster introduce himself, she did the same with a curtsy, holding the edge of her dress with her fingertips and placing one foot behind the other.
"Pleasure to meet you, Lord Aster. My name is Hera. Goddess of Abundance and Fertility, also known as..."
She paused briefly.
"The Queen of Olympus."