I1: The Night Goddess Has A Special Task For Me And She’s Really Nice
I1: The Night Goddess Has A Special Task For Me And She's Really Nice
The world was the black of eyes screwed shut, and rippled with half-seen patterns and forms. No stars; no moon; nothing.
Inaan blinked in the starless, moonless gloom, and tapped her foot on the ground. She couldn't even see her feet, but there was something down there, something she was standing on even when it looked no different from the rest of the world.
She was not sure why she was here, or how she had come to this place. The last thing she remembered was — no. Nothing. Everything seemed so distant. And that distance was something that should have been terrifying, but oddly she felt entirely calm.
"Hello?" she called out. "Is there anyone there?"
A shape in the darkness ahead of her; a pale face, dark-eyed, dark haired, a moon in this darkness. A silver tongue; two rabbit ears rising above her head.
Blanching, Inaan took a step back, and tripped in the darkness, landing heavily on her bottom. No. This was impossible, she thought through the aching pain. She recognised the night goddess, lovely Lela. Of course she did. How could she not? This looked exactly like her icon in the family shrine back home. And of course she had heard Meira mention about how the temple in Zorpondam had come to her and granted her power, so — as Lady Meira was a dragon-child who fought demon lords and bantered with goddesses — this kind of thing couldn't be unheard of. But there was a difference between a dragon-child meeting the divine and someone like her; someone whose blood had not made itself known yet, someone like her who wasn't as clever as Zia and who could never make other people happy.
The goddess stepped in, a shining silver tear streaking down her cheek. Inaan froze up. And then gentle Lela leant in, and pressed her soft lips to Inaan's brow. Her arms were neither bony nor hard, and as she held Inaan to her she couldn't help but sniffle. When was the last time someone had held her like this? Of course the night goddess Lela would be the one who showed her this kind of motherly love. She was loving, giving, kindly.
"There, there," Lela whispered to her. "It's all right to cry. You've been through such awful things, and no one has ever been there to hold you or comfort you. Not in years."
"I m-must be strong," Inaan mumbled. "I can't—"
"You can cry in front of me. I am the gentle mother of the night, sent by the moon to guard others from the harsh words and cruelties of the sunlit world."
Inaan clung to her, and sobbed, feeling her eyes burn and her lungs ache from the emotions welling up inside her. And there was a catharsis in this, feeling the choked up feelings inside her drain away in the soft embrace of the kindly goddess.
"My poor, devout girl," Lela whispered, running her soft-fingered hands through her hair. "So brave, so angry."
"I don't mean to be…"
"It is what I am looking for." The goddess cupped her face, tilting her chin back so she met her dark eyes. With her other hand, she blotted Inaan's eyes with her voluminous sleeves. "I wish I could only be here for you, only salve your feelings and comfort you. But I cannot do that."
"H-holy one—"
"There is another world, and I have need of you there. There are other people who need your power, need your bravery, your strength. I have seen it inside you. And that is why they need you, Inaan."
"There must be someone else," Inaan muttered into the black silk. "Someone better. Someone who has… who has the dragon's blood, who isn't so angry, so…"
"You have a passion in you, an anger that will drive you to better things if you let it out," the gentle goddess whispered. "They are wrong to dismiss you, to rubbish you. To look down on you. You are special, Inaan, and you don't know how special you are yet. You are my chosen champion in this matter. I will take you far away from Cahzor, to somewhere that needs a hero. And that is who you will be; my heroine. The one who wields my power to save another world."
Inaan's head reeled. None of this made sense — except it did. She had always hoped, wished, needed something like this. She had dreamed of being chosen by a goddess, and the thought of being taken from Cahzor to one of the places that she had only read about was unreal. Too good to be true, yet true nonetheless. Zia had obsessed about the past, but she had always loved the books which spoke of other places that weren't Cahzor. But when her brother went away and she became the heiress, she knew she could never leave.
Only now she could.
"Of course, kindly lady," she breathed, hugging the goddess back. "I… I will be your champion. As you need."
"I never doubted you," Lela said with a perfect smile. "Some people in this world might hate you, doubt you, because you wield my power. But they are servants of the cruel demon lord of flame and sunlight who threaten this other world. You need to save the world from the demon lord, my champion!"
She wrapped her hands around Inaan's, and the gentle, soft darkness of the goddess embraced her, sinking into her skin. The cool feeling was like lying immersed in a river, refreshing and blessed, and Inaan exhaled.
"What will I need to do to defeat the demon lord?" she asked.
"You will know. You can trust in yourself," Lela said. "Now, farewell, my champion! And look for my black rabbits! They will help you and guide you, when you most need it."
Wiping her eyes, Inaan sniffled at the unconditional affection and simple generosity of the goddess. "Yes, divine one! I won't let you down!"
"Now, go! Be the heroine I always know you could be!" Lela called out, and as she did the darkness receded.
Heart set high and a bounce in her step, Inaan went to embrace her destiny.
The world was the black of eyes screwed shut, and rippled with half-seen patterns and forms. No stars; no moon; nothing.
Inaan blinked in the starless, moonless gloom, and tapped her foot on the ground. She couldn't even see her feet, but there was something down there, something she was standing on even when it looked no different from the rest of the world.
She was not sure why she was here, or how she had come to this place. The last thing she remembered was — no. Nothing. Everything seemed so distant. And that distance was something that should have been terrifying, but oddly she felt entirely calm.
"Hello?" she called out. "Is there anyone there?"
A shape in the darkness ahead of her; a pale face, dark-eyed, dark haired, a moon in this darkness. A silver tongue; two rabbit ears rising above her head.
Blanching, Inaan took a step back, and tripped in the darkness, landing heavily on her bottom. No. This was impossible, she thought through the aching pain. She recognised the night goddess, lovely Lela. Of course she did. How could she not? This looked exactly like her icon in the family shrine back home. And of course she had heard Meira mention about how the temple in Zorpondam had come to her and granted her power, so — as Lady Meira was a dragon-child who fought demon lords and bantered with goddesses — this kind of thing couldn't be unheard of. But there was a difference between a dragon-child meeting the divine and someone like her; someone whose blood had not made itself known yet, someone like her who wasn't as clever as Zia and who could never make other people happy.
The goddess stepped in, a shining silver tear streaking down her cheek. Inaan froze up. And then gentle Lela leant in, and pressed her soft lips to Inaan's brow. Her arms were neither bony nor hard, and as she held Inaan to her she couldn't help but sniffle. When was the last time someone had held her like this? Of course the night goddess Lela would be the one who showed her this kind of motherly love. She was loving, giving, kindly.
"There, there," Lela whispered to her. "It's all right to cry. You've been through such awful things, and no one has ever been there to hold you or comfort you. Not in years."
"I m-must be strong," Inaan mumbled. "I can't—"
"You can cry in front of me. I am the gentle mother of the night, sent by the moon to guard others from the harsh words and cruelties of the sunlit world."
Inaan clung to her, and sobbed, feeling her eyes burn and her lungs ache from the emotions welling up inside her. And there was a catharsis in this, feeling the choked up feelings inside her drain away in the soft embrace of the kindly goddess.
"My poor, devout girl," Lela whispered, running her soft-fingered hands through her hair. "So brave, so angry."
"I don't mean to be…"
"It is what I am looking for." The goddess cupped her face, tilting her chin back so she met her dark eyes. With her other hand, she blotted Inaan's eyes with her voluminous sleeves. "I wish I could only be here for you, only salve your feelings and comfort you. But I cannot do that."
"H-holy one—"
"There is another world, and I have need of you there. There are other people who need your power, need your bravery, your strength. I have seen it inside you. And that is why they need you, Inaan."
"There must be someone else," Inaan muttered into the black silk. "Someone better. Someone who has… who has the dragon's blood, who isn't so angry, so…"
"You have a passion in you, an anger that will drive you to better things if you let it out," the gentle goddess whispered. "They are wrong to dismiss you, to rubbish you. To look down on you. You are special, Inaan, and you don't know how special you are yet. You are my chosen champion in this matter. I will take you far away from Cahzor, to somewhere that needs a hero. And that is who you will be; my heroine. The one who wields my power to save another world."
Inaan's head reeled. None of this made sense — except it did. She had always hoped, wished, needed something like this. She had dreamed of being chosen by a goddess, and the thought of being taken from Cahzor to one of the places that she had only read about was unreal. Too good to be true, yet true nonetheless. Zia had obsessed about the past, but she had always loved the books which spoke of other places that weren't Cahzor. But when her brother went away and she became the heiress, she knew she could never leave.
Only now she could.
"Of course, kindly lady," she breathed, hugging the goddess back. "I… I will be your champion. As you need."
"I never doubted you," Lela said with a perfect smile. "Some people in this world might hate you, doubt you, because you wield my power. But they are servants of the cruel demon lord of flame and sunlight who threaten this other world. You need to save the world from the demon lord, my champion!"
She wrapped her hands around Inaan's, and the gentle, soft darkness of the goddess embraced her, sinking into her skin. The cool feeling was like lying immersed in a river, refreshing and blessed, and Inaan exhaled.
"What will I need to do to defeat the demon lord?" she asked.
"You will know. You can trust in yourself," Lela said. "Now, farewell, my champion! And look for my black rabbits! They will help you and guide you, when you most need it."
Wiping her eyes, Inaan sniffled at the unconditional affection and simple generosity of the goddess. "Yes, divine one! I won't let you down!"
"Now, go! Be the heroine I always know you could be!" Lela called out, and as she did the darkness receded.
Heart set high and a bounce in her step, Inaan went to embrace her destiny.
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No. I'm not sorry for this. Shitty Isekai Sub-Quest is go!
Where Does Lela Send Inaan?
[ ] A verdant, rain-soaked land, so unlike dead, thirsty Cahzor
[ ] A cosmopolitan, prosperous land, so unlike provincial, poor Cahzor
[ ] A young, wild land, so unlike old, exhausted Cahzor
What Does She See?
[ ] A Handsome Boy, Threatened By Wicked Priests
[ ] A Pretty Girl, Threatened By Wicked Demons
[ ] A Powerful Magic Animal, Caught In A Trap
