Chapter 9: Eternia

Grace hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She definitely hadn’t expected angels to need sleep at all. And yet here she was, definitely dreaming, surrounded by clouds that looked suspiciously solid and a tea table that absolutely hadn’t been there a moment ago.

And there sat that woman again.

Once again, she looked exactly like Grace… if Grace had been drawn by an artist with a very specific appreciation for the female form. Same white hair, but flowing like silk. Same golden eyes, but knowing and seductive. Same face, but more mature and confident.

And, well… definitely, absolutely, a much more generous figure that made Grace want to demand a refund from whatever divine being had handled her own physique.

“Enjoying the view?” the woman asked, her voice rich with amusement as she sipped her tea.

Grace’s face burned.

“I wasn’t… I mean…” She coughed. “I was just noting the… differences.”

“Mhm.” The woman gestured to the empty chair. “Sit. Tell me about your day.”

Grace sat, trying very hard not to stare at how the woman’s robes seemed to be fighting a losing battle with gravity.

[What, just like that?] Grace thought, hands on her thighs. [Just start talking about my day? Just like that?]

It took a moment, but Grace began.

“It’s been…” Grace searched for the right word. “Intense?”

“Oh?” The woman’s smile was absolutely criminal. “Do tell.”

“Well, let’s see,” Grace started counting on her fingers. “I died, became an angel, got kissed into unconsciousness, found out I’m some kind of… triple-threat angel which apparently hasn’t happened since forever, and then got attacked by the world’s most aggressive welcome committee!” She paused for breath. “Also, everyone is unreasonably attractive and I think my heart might actually explode.”

The woman’s laugh was like bells chiming.

“Yes, your new sisters can be… enthusiastic,” she agreed, pouring Grace a cup of tea that smelled like summer flowers. “Especially with new arrivals. Though in your case…” Her eyes sparkled. “Well, you are rather precious.”

“I am not precious!” Grace protested, immediately undermining her point by almost dropping her teacup. “I’m a hardened farmer!”

“Of course you are, dear.” The woman’s smile widened. “A very cute hardened farmer who just had her first kiss and promptly fainted.”

Grace buried her face in her hands.

“Is everyone going to keep bringing that up?”

“For at least a few centuries, yes.”

“Wonderful.” Grace peeked through her fingers. “… Can I asks something?”

“Of course,” the lady replied. “Amusing as it is, I did not come here only so you could vent.”

Grace nodded slowly.

“… Who exactly are you?”

The woman gave her a closed-mouth smile.

“Who do you think I am?”

Grace inhaled, suddenly feeling a bit colder.

“… Eternia?”

The woman leaned back.

“In the flesh,” she nodded back. “Or, I suppose it would be more accurate to say ‘in your dreams’, hehe.”

There it was. It was stated so clearly, so simply, and yet Grace almost felt like she already knew that. She was shocked by how not shocked she was.

“Okay…” Grace crossed her arms. “I guess my next question would be… what do you want with me?”

At that, the lady set her tea aside.

“Let’s talk about that.”

Eternia rose from her chair with a grace that made Grace feel like a stumbling chicken in comparison. The goddess extended her hand, and Grace took it before her brain could remind her that maybe she shouldn’t be so casual with literal deities.

“Walk with me,” Eternia purred, and oh, that wasn’t fair at all.

The clouds beneath their feet shifted, parting to reveal the world below like a living painting. Grace’s breath caught as she saw familiar landscapes transformed into scenes of violence and despair.

Below them, the clouds parted to show a mother clutching her children, trying to shield them as demons tore through their village. Beside that scene, an old man huddled in the ruins of what was once a grand temple, sharing his last crust of bread with a group of orphans. In another town, a healer worked herself to exhaustion, her hands shaking as she tried to tend to dozens of wounded with supplies meant for ten.

The images shifted again, showing a young warrior facing down a demon twice her size, buying time for others to escape even though terror showed clearly on her face. Next to her, a farmer much like Grace had been stood guard over her neighbors’ children, armed with nothing but a rusty pitchfork and determination. A priestess in a ravaged church cradled a dying soldier, whispering prayers even as tears streamed down her face.

“I assume you recognize this?” Eternia’s voice was softer now, though her hand remained firm on Grace’s. “This is your world, little one. Or what’s left of it.”

Grace swallowed hard.

“I… yes. I saw some of it myself when…” She trailed off, remembering Nymera’s final moments specifically.

“Of course. You’ve lived through some of this. When you watched one of my angels fall,” Eternia added. Her thumb traced circles on Grace’s palm, somehow both comforting and distracting. “When you proved yourself worthy of everything I’ve been planning.”

“About that,” Grace managed, trying very hard to focus on the serious conversation and not how Eternia’s closeness made her skin tingle. “Why haven’t you done anything about all this? You’re a goddess, aren’t you?”

Eternia’s laugh was rich and warm.

“Oh, but I am doing something about it.” She turned to face Grace fully. “I’m doing you.”

Grace choked on air.

“Poor choice of words. My apologies,” Eternia amended, though her smirk suggested she wasn’t sorry at all. “What I mean is, you are my solution. My masterpiece.”

The clouds shifted again, showing scenes of angels in action.

Warriors clashing with demons, healers tending the wounded, and… others doing things that made Grace’s face heat up considerably.

[O-One of those doesn’t belong with the rest!]

“You see,” Eternia continued, clearly enjoying Grace’s flustered state, “divine power works in the form of what I call the Divine Cycle. There are three ‘holy virtues’, Grace,” she put up the number with her hand. “Bravery, Compassion, and Love. When humanity shows those virtues in the mortal world, those virtues in turn fuel our power. Yes, not just the angels’, but my own. That is why angels exist, so they might inspire humans to take these virtues to heart.” She sighed dramatically. “But lately, humanity’s been a bit… lacking.”

Grace watched as the images grew darker. People hiding instead of fighting. Turning away from those in need. Hearts growing cold.

“Warriors running away from battle, no one helping each other… and don’t even get me started on the state of romance these days. Even birth rates are down!” Eternia rolled her eyes. “So, as soon as I noticed it all, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

She pulled Grace closer, and Grace’s heart did several backflips.

“I’ve been saving up power for the last couple of millennia,” Eternia explained, her voice dropping to something almost intimate. “Gathering it, concentrating it, relying on my angels to handle things themselves. It was heartbreaking, I’ll have you know, watching humans die. Watching fear take hold of Linaria.” Her free hand came up to cup Grace’s cheek. “But, I waited and waited… and when I finally had enough, I made you.”

Grace blinked.

“You… made me?”

“Mhm.” Eternia’s smile was absolutely radiant. “Like an artist crafting their masterpiece. Every detail planned, every trait carefully selected.” She brushed a strand of hair from Grace’s face. “Though I must say, you turned out even cuter than I expected.”

“I…” Grace’s brain was having trouble processing this. “So when humans ask where their goddess is during all this…”

“I can finally answer: she’s been crafting you.” Eternia’s eyes sparkled.

Grace gawked back at her, mouth open and hanging frozen.

“Don’t worry too much about getting things right straight away, Grace,” Eternia waved dismissively. “You’ll figure it all out over the course of your training. You might think your body is nothing but a brittle toothpick, but I’ve placed the spirit and vigor of an entire army within you. You might think you aren’t cut out for divine power, but trust me, if it is within my power to do? Someday, you will be able to do it also. And, you might think you don’t have a single sexy bone in your body,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “but, soon, you’ll have to fight people to get them away from your bed~ HA!” She cackled.

Grace blinked as Eternia said that.

In truth, it was hard to imagine any of that.

Her, being a warrior? Her, using magic? Her, ehm… lifting people’s spirits?

“So then… That’s it?” Grace asked, looking back at those bleak images. “I’m… I’m meant to be your weapon? Your way of saving the world?”

Eternia nodded.

“You will be the light humanity has been waiting for. Soon, of course,” Eternia took a step back. “For now, just focus on getting acquainted with your new home. And, remember,” she put her hands on Grace’s cheeks. “If at any point you start doubting yourself, just keep in mind… You are, rather literally, made for this.”

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