Zora's golden eyes stared back at her, matching the vibrant hair on her head. Her white robes were decorated with gold, and a large halycon sun sat over her breasts. The Goddess of Dawn blinked several times, a strange feeling pooling somewhere inside of her. What the heck? Another one of my followers died without returning to me.
This was the first time something like this had ever happened to her since arriving at the new world. It had been a long time since she was a simple Balkan girl on Earth. She never expected that a car accident would have left her inside of her game character.
The goddess wrinkled her brow at the closed link. He died inside of Ambergrad. That was where Emerald is. This is definitely not a coincidence. She rubbed her chin. If it's someone from Green Emerald Online, then there are few in this world who would think twice about the name.
Her heart started beating a bit quicker. I really hope it is her.
Ever since Zora had reincarnated here, she'd hoped to see the woman she idolized, but after hundreds of years, that dream never came. Other names from the game came, and some of them went, dying after biting off more than they could chew. But if it's her...she is different.
Zora had made a name for herself in this world, and on doing so, she ascended in the eyes of the populace. Her body now collected their devotion, and the servants who so dutifully served her returned to her on dying. She'd become a true Goddess of Dawn in her own right. However, no matter how strong she was, she knew there was something greater.
Forum fan clubs started coming to her mind, the memory as fresh as it was nearly a thousand years ago. All of us idolized her. She was the beacon for all noobs and pros alike. She was the shining star of twilight...
"My Goddess," Angel Olaf said with a smile on his face as he knelt at the foot of her white throne. A pair of pale wings sprouted behind him. They were pure like that of a dove but not nearly as radiant as the goddess he bowed to. "Is something the matter?"
Zora looked down at the man kneeling at the bottom of pearly steps. It was so pristine that the golden radiant light in the sky shone clearly as a reflection. "It looks like someone has killed another one of my followers."
Olaf frowned and gritted his teeth. "The insolence. Do you know the culprit, My Goddess?"
Zora shook her head. "I have no idea. The soul didn't even return to me either. One of my followers dying is not absurd, but two of them dying and not returning to me… Whoever dispatched them was strong indeed, especially considering the newest one was a deacon."
Olaf's eyes widened. "But surely, that would be no problem for an oracle?"
"I honestly don't know. If I can help it, I would rather not risk the oracle's life. She has served me faithfully for years. Her devotion even cost her eyesight." Zora's mind still remembered that day as if it had only happened yesterday. Then again, ascension has such an effect.
The goddess placed a hand on her chin. "I can send her, but I need her to be careful. I want to try looking with my own skill, but the other gods might not remain silent once I start mingling."
Zora frowned the more she considered this elusive figure. I should definitely not treat the name Emerald as a coincidence. I made the right call by alerting the oracle. If they're both in Ambergrad, I will need her to make contact.
A sigh left her mouth as she thought even more. Though, the deacon had died the very same way. I should do something else.
"I've decided," she said, "I am going to send her to make pleasantries with this person. No sneaking, no provoking her."
"Is that really alright, My Goddess?"
"We need to play nice when she bears that name. If we try to rush into things or sneak around, we might incur her anger..."
"But she already killed two of your followers!" Olaf shouted in protest. He looked up at her narrowed golden eyes and stopped himself. "My apologies."
"It's alright, Olaf. I understand your sentiments. At the same time, this is not a normal person we're dealing with. The only way that my holy magic could get usurped like this would be from someone at least of a Demi-God level. If we start fooling around, we could anger something worse." She took another breath. "It has been a long time since the gears of this world started turning, but I didn't expect it would happen now."
Olaf opened and closed his mouth a few times before settling in to answer. "Should the other divine be alerted?"
"Not yet, we should let Prisma and Esmeralda move and see what this person is. Esmeralda had already had contact with her before."
"And who is this Esmeralda?"
Zora chuckled into the back of her hand. "Ah, I guess you wouldn't know. She is not high on the line, but she is most interesting. She shares the Evencrest family lineage, dating back to the founding of Bjorn and Leon."
"Leon? That is a name I've not heard in a while." He wrinkled his brow in thought. "Wait, do you really mean that Evencrest?"
"The very same. Don't worry about it, she is a trustworthy member of the family from what I've been able to see, and Prisma, it seems, really likes her."
Olaf shook his head and placed a hand over his heart. "I will not question your judgment again. If you say it, then it is true."
"Good." Zora stood up from her white-gold throne and started channelling her holy magic. "Now then, it is about time that I let the two of them know."
///
Esmeralda found herself sitting across from the oracle yet again. The last time had ended up with her crying her eyes out. A flush of embarrassment coated her cheeks as she remembered that. She stared down at the new freshly made tea, looking between it and Prisma.
"Oracle..."
Prisma frowned and sipped her tea. "I told you to call me Prisma." After a second, she gave a placating grin. "Don't worry about the tea. There is none of the substance that was in it last time, I can assure you."
The nun narrowed her eyes at the oracle. "You really shouldn't put that stuff in there to begin with."
Prisma chuckled. "Now, don't be so angry about that. It was a harmless little deed, and it made you spill all of what's been bothering you. Didn't it feel good to release all of those pent up feelings? You know, you could cry into my chest at anytime if you want, and I would never judge you."
"Why would I want to do that!?" She stared down at her tea that she still hadn't sipped as if it would attack her at any second. "Maybe I should tell other members of the cloth that you poisoned me."
The oracle opened her mouth, but something stopped her from speaking. Holy magic ignited around her form, blazing hot. Esmeralda could see golden light shining behind the cloth that covered Prisma's eyes. After a few seconds, the oracle frowned again.
"Is something the matter?" Esmeralda asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.
"Lady Dawn has spoken to me. Deacon Friede is dead."
The nun's eyes widened, the shock growing on her face. "There can only be one person responsible."
Prisma nodded. "It seems that Emerald killed him." The oracle leapt to her feet and grabbed Esmeralda's arm when she noticed the nun preparing to go. "And what do you think you're doing?"
"That woman, I knew she was bad news. We need to form a team, and..."
"No, we will do no such thing."
Esmeralda's face burned, and she turned to look at Prisma with narrowed eyes. "You don't mean to say we're going to just let her get away with this?"
"Don't be so hasty, Esmeralda. Do you not remember the report you delivered to me? Remember how you told me she killed a demon right in front of you? And not just one, but three?"
The nun stopped, her breath hitching. "But..."
"Calm down. It is this rashness that made you lose your temper earlier. If you can't maintain a calm mind, then you will falter when it matters most."
Esmeralda clenched her teeth. "So, what then? Did the goddess give you an order?"
Prisma took a deep breath and pulled Esmeralda to her chest.
Before Esmeralda could voice her protest, she felt soft lips press against her own. Her heart pounded in her chest, her knees shaking beneath her, and threatening to give out.
Why?
She closed her eyes, the stolen kiss hanging between them for a moment longer. Prisma's lips undeniably felt good against the nun's. She couldn't stop herself from going limp in the oracle's hold. Her breath was stolen away from her, and the previous anger gave way to something new.
Prisma finally separated with a deep breath. "Are you calm now?"
Esmeralda nodded meekly. "Why? What did you..."
"It was the only way I thought that would calm you." Prisma seemed to notice Esmeralda's growing frustration and continued. "Not only that, but I wanted to do it. I am sorry it was so sudden."
"I...I..."
The oracle laughed again, a faint pink in her cheeks. "Nothing has to come of this right now. Rather than that, I will need your help. Naturally, it was an order from Our Lady."
"Our Lady? What does she want us to do about this?"
Prisma breathed a sigh. "You're not going to like the answer.” The oracle ran her fingers through Esmeralda’s hair and sighed. “She wants us to communicate with Emerald."
Esmeralda crossed her arms, the faint blush on her cheeks growing forgotten with the new annoyance. Though, it is an order from Her. I really can't be mad if that is the case. Still, I really didn't want to deal with that woman again anytime soon. Why would our goddess say such a thing?
The oracle placed a hand on her shoulder. "Should I do it again, so you can focus?"
"N-no!" Esmeralda stammered and backed away, taking a deep breath. "I will be fine." Her face grew serious after a moment. "That woman, she is the type that won't take orders or listen properly. I have a feeling that she doesn't truly care what we do."
"What you said confirms what Lady Dawn has told me. Emerald has usurped the soul of the deacon, and it seems that is the case for your other friend."
"Tiberius..."
Prisma confirmed with a cruel nod. "Do you think you'll be able to maintain your composure?"
"I'll be fine. Let's just get this over with as soon as possible. Did she tell us what we're supposed to say to her?"
"That will be mostly in our hands. While she wants to know a motive, she said to try not to provoke Emerald." Prisma placed a hand to her chin in thought. "I think it will be good if we can just play a game with her. You said she liked chess, so let's go with that. If we can have her focus on a task, it might be easier to pry."