Planet Earth/Midgard
Mercer Island
Pocket Dimension
13:05 PM

The cold white lights of the illumination crystals in the infirmary made his wife’s skin look paler than usual. Heracles put Malicia on their bed, she was moaning in pain at each movement she made and it broke his heart to see her in this state. 

He couldn’t believe that Elissa could be this crue- actually... he could; after all, Malicia had raised her like this. His wife has always been striving to make Elissa as good as she could be, to always push her limits and to never accept failure.

Elissa was beautiful, strong and a dangerous enemy for those who she deem to be her foe. The hero had been proud of that fact before, but looking at Malicia suffering like this was an eye opener. Maybe he should have been more strict and not allow Malicia to influence the girl too much.

Knock. Knock. He heard the door opened after those quick knocking on it.

The familiar form of his younger brother appeared, he was followed by his fiancé and Heracles future sister-in-law, Brianna DuClair. They were in costume, Achilles in his Phantasian armor and Brianna a convincing replica of his; his brother hadn’t lied when he said that she was his apprentice as well as lover.

“Brother… what happened?” Achilles came at his side, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Heracles? You don’t look so good…” Brianna said, staring at him. His sallow face and red eyes showed that the man had been crying. She then looked at Malicia still moaning in pain on the bed. “Who did that to her? I thought she was the End boss in this pocket dimension?”

Heracles averted his dark green eyes. He hesitated in revealing what happened. “Hum…”

Achilles called out his brother questioningly. “Brother?”

Heracles saw the concern in his blood brother’s face, but he knew him, he would laugh at his wife’s situation; their enmity was such. But if he didn’t tell him, Achilles would learn about it sooner or later.

The muscular man lowered his voice as he finally said in an unwilling voice, “Elissa.”

Achilles frowned. “What about her?”

Heaving a sigh, Heracles ripped the news like a band-aid. “Elissa did this to Malicia, they had a fight…”

Seeing his brother freezing at what he just said, Heracles closed his eyes and then turned to his wife. Achilles, then did the same. He didn’t like Malicia one bit, but seeing her in this state… scratch that it made him want to laugh.

“You want to tell me, the second most powerful sorceress of Phantasia has been bested by Elissa who only has twelve years of instructions?” Achilles asked.

“Yes.” Heracles said simply.

Achilles wanted to laugh, but the gravity of the situation didn’t… the speedster zipped out of the infirmary. Everyone looked at the empty spot where Achilles had been and saw that the door was now closed and a laugh could be heard from behind it. Heracles’ face became dark, he knew there was bad blood between Malicia and his brother, but him laughing at her suffering wasn’t honorable.

“Well, I can’t say that she didn’t earn her comeuppance.” Brianna said while shrugging.

As if he had been slapped behind the head by such an admission, Heracles turned to his brother’s fiancé.

Heracles turned to the young woman and shouted, “Not you too?!”

Without fear Brianna advanced in his personal space and stared at him with her cold blue eyes. “What did you expect? She cursed him!!”

The boldness of his future sister-in-law surprised him and for a man used to command the room by his sheer presence made the muscular man step back. “But…”

Brianna snorted and crossed her arms as she gave Heracles a heated look full of fury. “No buts, mister. She got what she deserved.” The blonde beauty decided to put salt in his wound by adding, “And anyway, Malicia should have been forthright with the girl! This would never have happened if she did. But no, she’s too much of a control freak.”

Heracles couldn’t take much more of this treatment, his eyes squinted dangerously. He stepped forward menacingly. “How dare you?!”

Uncrossing her arms, Brianna answered the challenge. Her face showing an expression of defiance. “I dare!”

The door of the connected office to the infirmary opened and an old sun-elf with greying beard and purple eyes with a white healer robe appeared.“Hey, you two calm down. There’s a cursed person on the bed and she needs focus to undo what is afflicting her.”

The two superhumans looked at the healer who with an unyielding stare stood up to them. After thirty seconds, they averted their eyes out of shame. Heracles just turned his back and returned to his vigil.

Brianna was more polite and raised her hands placatingly and said, “Sorry doctor.”

At the same time, Achilles opened the door of the infirmary and zipped to his fiancé’s side with super speed, air pressure making Brianna’s hair fly.

Achilles still had tears of laughter in his eyes and proceeded to wipe them away. “I never laughed so much before.”

Brianna rolled her eyes at her future husband and said, “Chilles you shouldn’t laugh at her misery, I am sure she’s going to beat herself up for what happened.”

When she saw Achilles smile, Brianna knew he was about to say something that would certainly get him killed. She knew him, sometimes his mouth got ahead of him and he could be a right asshole. Brianna wasn’t disappointed when she heard him say, “Nope, Elissa took care of that and she did it soundly.”

The atmosphere in the infirmary became heavy and suffocating, Brianna saw Heracles turn toward them; the air trembling around him and his voice having lowered in octave, “Get out.”

Achilles knew that discretion was the better part of valor in this case and knew he shouldn’t push his brother more than he did. “As you wish brother.” He saluted with a fist on his chest and slightly bowed; a Phantasian salute to his commander.

Then he turned to his fiancé and said, “Come Bri, we must go look for my niece and convince her to not cut ties with us.”

Shaking her head, Brianna said, “Okay.”

 

---

 

Norway
Jan Mayen Island
Beerenberg Volcano
14:45 PM

<Elissa did what?!>

This voice ringing sonorously in the hot cavern was feminine, and belonged precisely to the supreme dragoness ruling over Midgard. As the lava river flowed in the middle of the cavern, the red and yellow fire crystals illuminated the walls here and there. On a throne made of white mana crystals surrounded by a literal field of treasure made of gold, jewels, artefacts and weapons, a humanoid dragoness with black and golden hair looked astonished at her mate who was himself in his humanoid form.

Runeflow has silvery metallic hair and the build of a martial artist, he wore shining silver armor and black leather pants.

<She conquered territories on Svartalfheim and killed the local dragoness.> Runeflow said proudly to his Mate.

He couldn’t believe that she was so strong now, she had wings and felt so… draconic. His blood recognized that she was in part from his people. *Strange, but agreeable.*

Gadhiss stood up from her golden throne and began pacing, her two arms behind her back on the rich carpet made of mithril and arachne threads. Runeflow looked at her as the dragon matriarch was thinking.

The golden dragoness stopped pacing, turned her golden eyes to her mate and asked, <Was she connected?>

Runeflow opened his left hand and a grimoire appeared in it, <Let me consult my notes.>

The grimoire opened and the pages turned at high speed, Runeflow looked for the name a dragon ruling Svartalfheim, one of the closest realms to Midgard. Gadhiss waited for her mate to find information pertaining to the lineage of the dragon that had lived there, and if it was Chromatic or Metallic. If Elissa killed a Chromatic she will take steps to protect her from the wrath of those evil aligned pests; if it was a Metallic ones it would be another sort of problem that would come her way as the Dragon Council might take steps to avenge them.

Runeflow’s grimoire stopped turning pages and he put a finger on a name. <Found it. Apparently it’s a fire chromatic dragoness named Siodhanth from the Noshara line.>

<What? That wench had a daughter?>

Noshara the fire dragoness was the Matriarch of Thalara a planet with numerous resources that she conquered and whose population she enslaved. She was evil and vicious, and she took pleasure in making the elves suffer. Though Thalara was mostly inhabited by Moon Elves and Dwarves, she hated Humans and wiped them out from the surface of this world.

Runeflow looked at his mate, an eyebrow raised at her language. <It seems so my love.>

Gadhiss blushed and averted her eyes from his; their relationship was intimate enough that the dragoness stopped acting imposingly with him like she did with everyone and even her own progeny.

Gadhiss returned to sit on her throne, deep in thought. <We need to send someone to shepherd our wayward goddaughter.> The dragoness mumbled.

Thanks to his sharp hearing, her mate heard her, <I agree, Little Doll doesn't know what she’s in for.>

Elissa was the goddaughter of Midgard’s Matriarch and her enemies became Gadhiss’ enemies. The Chromatic faction would pounce on the young Queen like locusts.

Gadhiss stared at her mate and said sadly, <However, my duty is to safeguard Midgard. I claimed the planet and the dragon collective won’t let me take on a second.>

Runeflow raised his chin and laughed. <Send one of our daughters.> He simply said.

Gadhiss seemed to be startled at that idea, she leaned in her throne and thought about the pros and cons of such a proposition. Her thirteen daughters were as strong and as domineering as her except one who frankly was a letdown.

<But who? Most of them would try to oust Elissa from power.> Gadhiss said thoughtful.

Nersis, her eldest was living on Alfheim with her mate and was about to lay her third brood;  Aennyl her third daughter was just like her, thirsty for battle and in search of a territory to rule. Dira her twelfth and Rythyn her eleventh would try to fight Elissa for Svartalfheim...

<It’s hard to decide, we must send someone young but powerful enough to act as a deterrent for any dragon passing by.> Runeflow said as he himself was in a quandary, he lamented that their instincts were so domineering in their younglings.

Gadhiss became irritated, she loved Elissa but thought that the hatchling was taking on too much; she was barely sixteen, even if she killed a Chromatic it must have been by the skin of her teeth. She would have liked if Elissa was born of her own brood, she was a hatchling of focus, commitment, sheer will. 

Completely different from the let down that her thirteenth daughter has be- Gadhiss leaned forward in her throne and shouted, <WAIT! I know who can!>

 

---

 

Spectra the rainbow dragoness was reading in her crystal cave. She liked the calm and the serenity of her cave. She had her library, sand bed and solarium. Spectra wanted nothing else, she was a peaceful dragoness and thought of staying away from the fights and politics of the dragon collective. On Zeonus the central collective planet she had been treated like dirt and realized that fighting even if you were powerful when confronted with the might of nepotism it brought her nothing but trouble.

She came back defeated on Midgard and became the laughingstock of her family. Her mother, the Dragon God bless her heart had given her a place in her territory. It has been one hundred years since this debacle and she only got out to hunt or go collect magical tomes and strange artefacts; she had her own hoard but it was less than her mother who literally swam in gold and jewels.

Looking around, the rainbow dragoness proudly gazed at her beautiful home; crystal platforms floated here and there in the underground cave, they were of different colors, just like her scales. Red, blue, yellow, green and other ones. A complete mish-mash of color as if a unicorn puked everywhere like her mother told her.

BANG!

The rocky door to her cavern suddenly exploded and Spectra entered in a defensive stance, her wings folded and claws and teeth bared.

<Spectra where are you?> A familiar psychic call reached the rainbow dragoness.

The dragoness cringed, her sudden fierce expression melting into dread, the heavy footsteps of Spectra’s mother elicited a fight or flight reaction in the rainbow dragoness. Fleeing won out and as Spectra ran to the hidden exit of her lair she took on humanoid form and jumped from platform to platform, trying to reach the ceiling. As she was about to take flight, her naked foot was caught in a vise like grip.

Spectra looked with jeweled eyes at who had caught her and she emitted a groan of despair when she saw the golden armored Gadhiss looking at her in disapproval. Pulling her back down hard, the Dragon matriarch violently made her daughter land face first.

<Once again you disappoint me, daughter.> Gadhiss kicked her daughter.

Their relationship was a typical draconic one, the weak submitted to the strong; Gadhiss was the strongest of the two and Spectra the weakest in the family, even though she had the biggest potential out of her daughters. Gadhiss loved all of her brood and protected them; but she told herself that she must have erred somewhere when it came to handling Spectra.

The Matriarch had been blinded by the powerful mana and magic of her daughter and spoiled her the most and expecting great things from her. But now? Now her daughter was a shut-in, and a bookworm who was afraid of fighting.

<M-mother, why h-have you come?> Spectra said as she stayed in a kneeling position, her head bowed.

Gadhiss made an expression of disgust when she saw her flesh and blood not even attempting to look at her in the eyes like a true dragon would. <This is my mountain, I do not need to tell you why I’m here. If you don’t want me to barge in anymore you are free to leave.>

Spectra finally deigned to look at her mother, shock etched on her face; Gadhiss finally saw fire in her eyes as the young dragoness spoke back to her. <But Mother! The entire planet belongs to you!>

Indeed, as the Dragon Matriarch of Earth, Gadhiss ruled Earth and not those pesky humans who thought that it belonged to them. All the lands and oceans under Sol were her property ad infinitum.

Gadhiss gave a smile to her daughter. <Now you are seeing it my way.>

<I don’t want to move! This is my lair!> The Matriarch was satisfied that her trespass relit the embers of courage in her daughter, blood was true after all.

Gadhiss' face became neutral and she said, <Not anymore, I am throwing you out. Pack your trunks, you are going back to Zeonus.>

Spectra’s eyes widened like saucers, she stood up and rushed her mother and took one of her arms in her hands and pleaded, <No! Mother, please! Please! Don’t!>

For the first time ever Gadhiss sighed as she looked at her daughter with compassion in her eyes and decided to tell her why she was taking this course of actions. She put a hand on her daughter’s cheek and said, <Let me tell you something you are already aware of hatchling.>

Spectra looked like a hatchling seeing a fierce predator appear, nevertheless, Gadhiss continued to speak, <The universe isn’t all sunshine and sand beds. It's a very mean and nasty place, Spectra; and I don't care how tough you think you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.>

The Rainbow Dragoness flinched as Gadhiss poked her collarbone.<You, me or even your father, we are never going to hit as hard as reality. But it isn’t about how hard you hit it. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward! How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!>

She hadn’t expected her mother to come today, and she had tried to flee when confronted with the biggest predator on the planet. Spectra had thought that her mother had come to make snide comments at her or tell her how disappointed she was in her. Those she could take, but her speech? Her speech rose something in her. 

The dragoness wanted to rise to the challenge. However, a part of her who was afraid to interact with others held her back. Gadhiss saw it in her eyes, again that hesitation in her daughter’s eyes. The matriarch didn’t know what happened on Zeonus, but someone made sure to destroy her daughter’s confidence on that planet. When she found who, he or she will wish that Hel had taken them.

<But-> She tried to say, but was interrupted.

<There’s no but, don’t argue with me!> Gadhiss said as she took her daughter and lifted her in a fireman carry and walked out of her sand bed platform.

Spectra struggled but it was for naught as her mother held firmly on her.  She decided to plead, again. <Mother, please I don’t want to go back on Zeonus, I left this shit planet because I didn't want to die in it. Do you want me to die in this shit collective world?!>

Gadhiss stopped and growled at her. <Look, this is simple. You should never back down on this planet, I learned it the hard way when I was betrayed over nothing. I made the oathbreaker suffer a slow death.>

To obtain her Queenship Gadhiss had to go to Zeonus and she had quickly realized that the collective was corrupt and the playground of the important Dragon Clans. They only handed the scraps worlds to new hatchlings from the minor clans. This also happened to her, even with all her powers and knowledge there was nothing she could do against them, yet.

<And now you are stuck on a backward planet with almost no nature energy radiation and with a low magic field.> Spectra mumbled.

Gadhiss heard her and stopped, then she let the Rainbow Dragoness fall on the ground with a ‘Eep!’

With her magical aura crackling around her, Gadhiss said, <You know what your problem is, Spectra?>

For an instant, Spectra was intimidated and fearing that she would get splattered on the wall of her own lair.

<That I am not like you and my siblings?> Spectra asked derisively, her eyes lowered.

Gadhiss gasped, was it so simple? That her daughter has been living in her shadow and that of her siblings accomplishments?A plan quickly came together in her mind and she seized the initiative.

<No, you always deflect responsibility! Blaming your failings on others! If you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth! But you need to be willing to accept reality, and not pointing fingers saying you aren’t where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that isn’t you. You're better than that!> Gadhiss said with a rousing tone.

Spectra looked down at her feet, everything her mother said pierced her two hearts and she began to sob, her rainbow colored tears hiding her face. Gadhiss’ own hearts ache but she steeled herself, this was because of her coddling that Spectra had become like this.

As for the rainbow dragoness stood up with difficulty and then glared at her mother, however, what she saw was different from the usual look of disdain. She saw concern, worry and love. For once in her life the dragoness asked herself if what she has been doing was good? Normally she should be having her own planet with people bringing her things as tribute to let them live on her world. All her siblings had their own worlds and servants, elves, dwarves or dragonoids. However she had nothing, but her books and magic and she lived at the mercy of her own mother.

Something broke inside of her when she realized that she was a failure, and a wastrel not even worthy of carrying the name Gadhissdottir. 

Energy crackled around the rainbow dragoness, though at a lower intensity than her mother’s. <Mother, I don’t want to go to Zeonus… but I want to change! I want to be strong, b-but still be me! Can y-you- can you help me?>

*Finally, a daughter of my blood is standing before me.* Gadhiss was elated inside, but didn’t show it outwardly.

The golden dragoness nodded to Spectra. <You just had to ask. But are you sure? The how will be difficult and bloody.> Gadhiss’ aura retracted.

<Mother, I would do anything for you.> Looking into her mother’s eyes, Spectra walked up to her to hug her.

She was accepted in her mother’s embrace and Gadhiss stroked her daughter’s multicolored hair. <I am not asking you to do anything for me. You're my daughter, Spectra Gadhissdottir, and you're my blood. You're one of the best things in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you aren’t going to have a life.> The golden dragoness whispered in Spectra’s ear.

Spectra was out of Gadhiss’ arms and said with anger, <I want to change! I want to stop being a laughingstock! I want to destroy anyone who ever mocked me!>

Gadhiss smiled in victory, happy to have finally lit the fire inside her daughter. She was happy that strong arming Spectra worked, she decided that she will never coddle her again. <Good, take my arm.>

Spectra obeyed and asked, <Where are we goin->

And they disappeared in a maelstrom of light and color, a swirling of energy that quickly closed was the only proof that they ever were there. Spectra would realize later that her mother had manipulated her and that a hellish life was awaiting her for the foreseeable future.

 

---

 

Pocket Dimension
Daphne Snow - Infirmary
20:00 PM

Malicia could barely move, however, her mind wasn’t idle. Her mind was stuck on her confrontation with Elissa and what she could have done differently. Heartbroken and sad, Malicia felt empty. Her two treasures had left her, and the anger in their eyes and their words hit her all the more. She was drenched in sweat and stained the bed, a black and green aura around her spread in the room as her self loathing and misery tortured her soul.

The healer felt the darkness spread and searching for prey, he hastily teleported in the corridor and with an arm held before him countless magical circles glowed on the door that he sealed with haste. Raising his wrist to his mouth, the old healer spoke in his CLO and warned, “We have a code black in the infirmary! I repeat code black in the infirmary!”

The code black, comparable to ‘the defense readiness condition (DEFCON) that is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces’ was the strongest maximum readiness level that the self governed territory of Daphne Snow possessed. Only activated when a greater demon or something comparable was on the loose in the pocket dimension.

Malicia was out of control and the healer wasn’t about to release the seal on this part of the school.  As for the Sorceress, little by little the restraining curse on her magic faded away as her mana ate through it as it leeched away the wild mana that the nexus the pocket realm was built onto generated. However, it was taking more time as the curse was weaved with divine energy that a certain goddess had chosen to add in the mix for the special punishment of Malicia to begin.

Dark Hekate came to Malicia in her dreams, she didn't look pleased and Malicia kneeled instantly when she felt the goddess' presence. The dreamscape around them changed to emulate her private domain. Her cloud throne appeared and she sat on it, still gazing at her wayward priestess.

The landscape changed to become a grassy plain with mountains and a giant tree. The pink sky was cloudy and the weather shifted from idyllic to stormy; a sure sign that Hekate was furious.

“Do you know why you are here?” Contrary to the usual warm tone she adopted with Elissa, Hekate entire demeanor with Malicia was chilling and full of dark promises.

Malicia knew, but she hoped that it wasn't it.  So, she answered with, “I do not presume to know your thoughts, mother goddess.”

“Strange, you have been letting your emotions and Dae nature take over as you raised my champions and heiress. Doing as you wanted, making her weak, you knew that she is sorely needed on Phantasia!” Hekate shouted, divine power exploding all around them. 

The sorceress' body being flayed by the wind of power, but despite that, Malicia kept her eyes firmly on the ground, not daring to look at the powerful elder goddess and showed submission. “...”

Leaning forward, Hekate asked the sorceress,  “Did a Griffin get your tongue, girl?”

Bone chilling fear filled the sorceress. “I-I have no excuses mother goddess. B-but Elissa is my daughter and I chose to…” She tried to reason with the goddess of magic, thinking that she would be able to defuse the situation.

“Silence.” The cold voice of the elder goddess resonated everywhere,  making Malicia stopped trying to justify her mistakes. “Good, you still know who your betters are.”

“I'm sorry, my goddess.” Tears flowed from her green and golden  eyes.

Her pride was in tatters, her heart in thousands of tiny pieces; she had received a massive blow to her confidence when she was beaten by her adoptive daughter. Never in all her life, Malicia had felt so insignificant and miserable in her life. Her goddess fell out of love with her, her daughters had left, could things be going more out of sorts?

“Oh, you will be.” Dark Hekate assured her as she crossed her legs and a cold smile appeared on her gorgeous face.

Malicia froze, *I should have not tempted the Norns…*

Thunder roared, lightning flashed and Hekate gave judgment. “I will withhold my blessings and the power I gave you, until I deem you sufficiently punished.”

Malicia stood up at the verdict, terror etched onto her face. This will set her back completely, being a simple hybrid sorceress with less power than she is used to? It would invite the Corvinus council into probing her weaknesses and try to take over her pocket dimension.

“Goddess, no!” She pleaded.

Hekate showed no emotion as the plea of her arch priestess went unanswered. “You have no resistance to holy magic anymore, your powers will be less than they were when you were first consecrated as my arch priestess. Now, you find yourself to be a simple Dae sorceress; what will you do to redeem yourself in my eyes?”

They looked at each other, Malicia noticed the blue and white galaxy spinning into Hekate’s eyes; she looked for anything to hold on, a feeling, pity or mercy. 

She found none. 

To placate her patron, the sorceress resolved to do what she thought Hekate wanted from her. “I will get Elissa back and-and reflect on my actions.”

Hekate genuinely smiled for the first time since she entered the Dae’s dream. “Good.”

“I thank you for your mercy, goddess mother.” Malicia kneeled again to Hekate who shook her head with an expression on her face showing that she was disgusted.

“I am not done with you daughter of Mab. Your punishment has just begun, each night you will be subject to a trip to the Limbs. The Death goddess, Hel, has a special task for you, it will continue till you Elissa and Cassandra come back on Earth.”

Malicia frowned, stared into the face of the Dark Elder Goddess and asked, “What does it consist into?”

“Lichs and fallen angels have escaped her realm and are now terrorizing the nine realms, your mission will be to seek and destroy them as you dream.”

A chill went down Malicia’s back. Battling spiritual entity while in astral form was incredibly dangerous even for someone of her power and prestige. “My astral soul will be in jeopardy… as I fight.”

Hekate scowled at her, she slammed her fist in her cloud throne’s arm and it disintegrated and she stood up, generating powerful divine energy that suffocated the sorceress. “I do not care! Your behavior almost cost me my world! The future of billions! You should be thankful that I am this merciful!”

Malicia quickly bowed her head. “Yes, mother goddess. I apologize, I spoke out of turn.”

Slowly, the throne cloud reformed, Hekate sat back on it and leaned into her divine seat. Her fingers hitting against the armrest of her throne. “You have one year, one year and if you fail to bring my heiress back on Midgard you'll wish I had destroyed you today.” She said with finality.

“It shall be done.” Malicia didn’t dare saying that it was impossible, she wanted to do it. Whatever it took.

"Now get out of my sight, worm." Hekate said as she waved her hand and Malicia's astral form broke down into light particles and disappeared into the pink sky.

 

---

 

Weatherlight
En route to Svartalfheim

Elissa looked at the shifting colors of the spatial tunnel they navigating in, it was almost as if she could hear some kind of message beyond her perception and senses repeating again and again. Finally, she felt complete, finally she was free! But why was she feeling so empty? A memory of Malicia looking heartbroken flashed in her mind.

*I-I guess I've been too harsh on mom…* Elissa thought as her heart tightened. 

Elissa reminded herself that Malicia had her reasons, that maybe it was for the best that she didn't grow in power too fast, she wasn't a weapon after all. The young Queen had remorse and despite herself, tears streamed from her eyes. "What, why am I crying?"

Suddenly, the platinum blonde felt herself being hugged at the waist and she looked down to see Cassandra hugging her. "Eli are you okay?"

Elissa shook her head. "No, little Tyke. I am not okay."

She began to stroke Cassandra's hair while looking at the blue-green light of the tunnel. 

"Is it because of mommy?" Cassandra was an intelligent girl and the fight between her mother and Elissa had shocked her.

Elissa nodded. "Yes… I was really mean to her and I regret telling her that I didn't want her in my life."

Cassandra shook her head and chuckled.  "You are being silly, we can just go back and say sorry, right?"

From the point of view of  a child, the solution was so simple and natural that Elissa laughed at it. But she couldn't give in to her fears of losing her mom. After all, she wasn't her own person anymore and she had people depending on her now. She was a queen first, wife second and a friend last.

Elissa's voice grew colder as she said, "In a perfect world I would, Cassie. But… No, I won't be crawling back to her. She will come to me, on her knees and begging."

Cassandra giggled at that and leaned more against her sister and said, "Eli, you and mommy are more alike than you think…"

The two returned to the forward cabins of the ship and Elissa tucked her sister in bed to a room connected to hers. She ordered Lady Christine to take care of her sister and the cat familiar answered with <Of course! Hmph.>

Elissa returned to the captain's cabin and found Dicinna and Dawn speaking together, they warily spoke to each other, but still with familiarity. Though, the Young Queen noticed how attracted her asian girlfriend was to Dicinna, and she didn't even realize it, she knew the signs in her posture and way of carrying herself. Thanks to her mage sight, it was weird for Elissa to see the bond between their souls reinforcing itself as time passed and ensnaring the poor Dawn like the most solid chains in creation snaking around her, never permitting her to leave.

It was like between Elissa and Dicinna all over again. Nevertheless, Dicinna was also aware of it, the easy smile on her face and outspoken and confident way she behaved showed how smug she was being. Elissa had put much of a fight in resisting her advance, however, it seemed that the bond was too powerful to resist as it had already linked Elissa and Dicinna and Dawn had no way to resist it.

*Soon, I will have my cake and eat it too it seems.* Elissa thought.

Dawn finally noticed her girlfriend's presence and cried out while blushing heavily, "Hey, Elissa you are back!"

"Yeah."

Dawn slapped her thighs and made a come hither sign with her hand, Elissa cooperated and laid on her bed, her head on Dawn's thigh. She had missed this sensation, the smell of Dawn and her kindness. "Dawn?"

"Aye, love?" Dawn answered affectionately. 

"I missed you so much." Elissa whispered.

Dawn heard her and kissed her forehead and then her lips.  Their noses touched, and they kept looking in each other's eyes. Elissa stroked the asian girl's cheek with tenderness. 

"Me too, I think I should have left with you…" Dawn said with relish.

She spent the summer being tortured by Elissa's mom and a lot happened, she awakened as a superhuman and didn't even tell Elissa about it yet. Her new shadow dagger conferred her new and powerful abilities that she has been trying to master in vain, of course, because she had rotten luck.

Elissa shook her head. "No, I wouldn't have been able to focus if you were."

Trying to imagine her girlfriend in an unsafe environment and the woods of Svartalfheim… no, it's safer now thanks to her sacrifices, she will show Dawn that.

"But now, we are never separating again." Elissa said this with such certainty that Dawn believed her.

Cough.  The dark elf bride of Elissa interrupted them, feeling left out.

Elissa looked in Dicinna's eyes and saw annoyance. "Oops, sorry Cinna."

"So, are we telling her?" Dicinna huffed.

Looking between the dark elf and her girlfriend, Dawn asked, confused, "Telling me what?"

Nodding, Elissa said, "When we reach the Majestic Temple mother Hekate will explain everything to her."

Elissa didn't think Dawn would accept that she married someone who wasn't her, she was possessive and a yandere in the making. And Elissa realized that Dicinna was like this too and sighed heavily. Whatever happened she was going to have her life made difficult. 

Narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms under her breastplate,  Dicinna said, "She’d better do."

Dawn didn't like not being in the loop. "Girls is there something…?"

Quickly Elissa said to the asian girl, "Yes Dawn, tomorrow we are meeting a deity."

"Huh… wow!" Dawn looked astonished and in awe.

After this brief conversation, the three of them went to sleep, Dawn asking why Dicinna was sleeping with them. "All will be revealed when we arrive on Svartalfheim tomorrow." Elissa told her.

Though the possessive way Elissa held on both of them in the bed tipped her off. She wanted to get mad and ask why Elissa would cheat on her but something told her not to and that she would know everything tomorrow. The space mage girl noticed that it felt like a compulsion, she tried to resist but it felt so insidious and subtle that she had no choice but to give in.

Dawn was in her girlfriend's arms and slowly soaked in the cool temperature of Elissa's body and was put to sleep. "I hope you didn't betray me."

She really hoped so, if so she didn't know what she would do. Dawn loved Elissa too much, bordering on fanaticism, she was her first friend, and her first lover. The first person to accept her for herself and worked with her to better herself, and gain in confidence. 

Elissa tightened her hold on Dawn's body. "No, I would never consciously hurt you. Everything will be revealed when we get married."

Dawn was sceptical at Elissa's reassurances. But to disarm her wariness further, Elissa decided to give her a bit of a clue about what was happening. As she stroked Dawn's silky brown hair she said, "Say Dawn, do you think us meeting was coincidental?"

Dawn who was looking at Dicinna with dagger in her eyes and a lot of blood lust was startled by Elissa's interruption.

Now that she thought about it, Dawn thought how irrevocably in love she fell for Elissa and now that she was confronted with Dicinna… the same thing was happening.  But she couldn't resist it. Dawn shook her head. "No, I love you too much, was attracted to you at first sight. I couldn't stop thinking about you even when we were in the same dorm tower. This phenomenon… I saw it described in a soul magic grimoire…"

Dawn was afraid to put the soulmate label on their relationship and didn't want to get burned by Elissa or Dicinna thinking that she was a silly romantic girl. But when she looked at them she saw no judgment,  just acceptance. They smiled at her. Elissa kissed her, and she gave in. 

When they came up for air after a ten minutes make out session, Elissa patted her head, "Oh, I see that mom made you catch up to me in your readings."

Dawn frowned. "Are you trying to say that us three...?"

Dawn saw that Dicinna's hand was around her right arm, caressing it. She wanted to tell her to let go, however, she couldn't as it was really pleasurable, Elissa saw this and smiled at her and said, "Everything…"

Dawn continued the sentence. "Will be revealed I know, stop being a broken record."

She looked at Elissa with a crazy glint in her eyes. "If you did betray me... I will find a way to kill you, and myself thereafter. "

Elissa didn't even flinch at the harsh tone of her girlfriend. "I am sure you would, you are my little Dawn. Dying by your hand would be an honor."

Then the space mage girl turned her eyes to Dark elf girl and shouted, "And you, you thieving cat!"

Dicinna smirked evilly. "Yes, I seduced her. You already know why."

The young Queen distracted Dawn with a kiss, then Elissa passed on the other side of the bed behind the dark elf and caressed Dicinna flank, making the dark elf gasp in pleasure. "Dawn look at that ass." The young Queen said as she slapped her bride's posterior.

"Hey!" Dicinna cried out.

Dawn looked on as Dicinna's bum undulated under the hand of her girlfriend, she looked mesmerized by the spectacle. "It's…" the voice of Dawn was thick with lust.

Elissa looked on smugly at her girlfriend. "I know, it's great, right?" And she slapped Dicinna's ass again. Dicinna growled and took revenge by throwing her pillow at Elissa's face, Dawn followed suit and this is how the late night pillow war started.

 

---

 

The morning after the pillow war, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Elissa, Dawn and Dicinna were not fighting. As the captain of the Weatherlight, Elissa sat primly at the head of the table and summoned hot and cold breakfast dishes  on the oak dining table.

Everyone began to load their plates until two troublemakers acted out.

"Cassandra, Tabitha stop hoarding all the waffles." Elissa warned.

The cat girl had already two waffles in hands and Cassandra three. The two of them looked at each other and placed their waffles in their plate and heavily covered them in honey or syrups. Emilia and Jamie were massaging their temples as the headache caused by the upload of the elven language into their brain ransacked it.

Donovan was sipping on his coffee as he was reading on the crystal tablet in his hand. "You know, the fact that I can enjoy my internet webnovels on some kind of spaceship who downloaded it in its entirety is ludicrous,  right?"

[Correction, Master Sims. I left a drone in orbit of Midgard that links the planet’s primitive network to the skyship through the quantum communication aboard and I must say that the quantity of data available is so negligible that I can spare one of my minor servers to store it.] ZHAER smugly informed Donovan.

Throwing an annoyed glance at the hologram representing the onboard AI, Elissa said, "Stop showing off, ZHAER!"

Dawn shook her head at the weird interplay between her girlfriend and the weird AI.

"I don't know Elissa, I mean the guy is so awesome that he has reasons to sound so smug…" Erika said, laughing. 

"Please don't he will get a head bigger than the ship if you praise him too much!" Elissa whined.

[I thank you for your praise Mistress Erika. Can I do anything for you?] The AI asked.

The two began to speak in earnest about Phantasian history and classification of powers. Breakfast went without a hitch after that, and Elissa was about to go do the dishes with Emilia and Jamie when Danny caught her.

Danny pulled Elissa in an alcove in the main corridor of the ship. "Elissa can we talk?"

"Danny?" Elissa asked nonplussed. 

The blonde girl looked around and whispered, "In private please."

Elissa shrugged and answered, "Come to my office."

The young Queen pulled her friend to the office part of her cabin. The room was twenty square meters with an iron-wood desk with a holographic computer linked to the ship. Behind Elissa's chair was a big painting of the imperial palace of Storm advent on Phantasia. Elissa liked it here, it was full of peace and serenity,  somewhere she could kick off her boots and dance to some music. 

Danny looked around her and was surprised to find such a tasteful room inside of the skyship. The two of them were alone in the room, while Dawn and Dicinna who never separated from Elissa were already on the bridge trying to learn about the ship. 

Danny sat before Elissa on the strange comfy chair. Elissa leaned forward in her seat and waited for her best friend to speak.

"Hum, now that I spoke with ZHAER, I realize the kind of position we are in. You are a Queen, and I want to ask you what kind of position you will give us?" Indeed, it was something that Erika had informed her about, how Elissa already had a lot of land to develop and needed people to manage it. The young Queen, being a good friend, had thought about Danny and her group and intended to give them positions and powers to help her. Erika had been frantic in how she said to Danny that it was a turning point in their lives.

Elissa nodded, yes she was going to ennoble her friends after shocking them in a health tank to modify their bodies to be similar to ancient humans.

It was just something that she could do as Hekate's champion it seemed. "I intend to make you a Viscountess, and Erika and Carolyn, Baronesses." Elissa answered with eagerness.

Danny had a fine mind for strategies, but she lacked the know how of logistics and history; she wanted her as the second general of Aryther's armies, maybe she could find a tutor who could teach her. Danny noticed the calculating glint in her friend's eyes.

Danny said, "Urgh just as I suspected. Can't you give them knight positions instead? They don't want too many responsibilities…"

Erica and Carolyn were indeed followers and not leaders as they always waited for Danny to come up with plans and solutions for them.

Elissa nodded. "Okay, I can do that." Then after thirty seconds passed, Elissa added,"You are going to be ennobled after my marriage to Dawn."

Leaning against her desk chair, Elissa smiled at her friend predatorily. 

Warily, Danny asked, "When is that?"

"As soon as we arrive at Aryther." Elissa loved the look of surprise and dismay on the face of her friend.

"It's too soon!" Danny cried out in panic, barely standing still in her chair.

Elissa placed her hand under her chin with a teasing smile and said, "Not at all."

"But at least tell me how long I have to prepare for it?" Danny asked with a whine.

Good question, Elissa thought. "ZHAER, how far are we from Svartalfheim?"

[We are 2 light years from our colony, we will be arriving in 1 hour and 30 minutes, your Imperial Majesty.]

"Thank you, ZHAER" Elissa felt the computer participate in her joke, ZHAER was a mean little AI.

[I strive for Efficiency.] He answered with self importance. 

Elissa stared at Danny and said, "Chop chop, go prepare Danny."

The blonde girl stood up while growling and excused herself. Elissa liked to do this with her friends, they were so fun to tease. 

It was one hour and thirty minutes later that the Weatherlight entered Svartalfheim's atmosphere with a booming sound from breaching the sound barrier and the planar tunnel closing behind the skyship. Everyone beside Ocima went outside on the main deck and looked at the strange and at the same time familiar landscape under them.

Svartalfheim had two moons and different constellations compared to Earth. Cassandra was excited! And asked to Elissa if they could follow the ship on dragon back. "Pretty please, sis?"

The platinum blonde took her time to think about it until she nodded. "Fine, but only till we reach the Citadel."

"Yay!" Cassandra jumped and cheered.

It took some time, but Rilo and Aghri were soon following the Weatherlight in the sky with Elissa, Dawn, Dicinna and Cassandra on their back. Elissa sometimes decided to deploy her own wings to fly after them in formation.

Roar!! Rilo roared for every denizen of the forest under her to hear, as a result the animal noises and bird chirpings ceased as they all heard an apex predator signaling her presence. 

"Awesome Rilo, good girl!" Cassandra patted the base of the neck of the black pseudo dragon. 

The black killing machine preened and executed a roll while in the air, fortunately Elissa put an enchantment on Rilo for her rider to not fall out. To the young Dae, this trip on dragon back was like being on a rollercoaster with family. After three hours of flying, Aryther was in sight and the shimmering entrance of the pocket realm drew before everyone, churning like boiling water.

As they passed the barrier, they felt as if they were being invaded, judged, weighted: for Elissa it was more akin as being caressed by a friend and said hello to. The realm sang as it felt her return and latched onto her spiritual meridians and filled her with wild magic. The sapphire waters of Lake Aryther were now visible, the citadel flanked by a lot of yurts on its right with its ice walls was a welcome sight to see.

The two draconic familiars roared, and suddenly a sea of fluffy Lutrinian appeared under them, the Weatherlight docked at Brunhilda’s tower and the rest of the crew disembarked. Rilo and Aghri landed and were mobbed by their fluffy caretakers, but fortunately they left the humans alone. Well, all except Elissa… They captured her and brought her to the Mead Hall and installed her on her Icy Throne.

“Welcome chief!” All the Lutrinians in the Mead Hall bowed a knee to her.

The Weatherlight crew looked astonished by the sight before them, a sea of cute otter like people wearing weird clothing. Cassandra had succumbed to the fluffiness and was patting a baby otter already in her arms.

“It’s been a while matriarch!” Elissa crouched and patted the head of the cute grandma like Otter who was the second most highly ranked leader in Aryther.

“Indeed chief, what good news do you have for us? We see that you rescued your mate and brought the other in the village.”

Elissa chuckled. “A lot of things happened you know.”

The young Queen began to relate what happened in Cynlenor. Some of the Lutrinian were shocked by the level of deceit and underhanded schemes the dark elves were fond of.

Then the matriarch began to relate the happenings in the village since the last time Elissa left. A dryad tribe was discovered east of the great lake and was asking for an audience with the Nexus' guardian and the Raccoon tribe was also eager to place itself under her aegis and swear fealty to become citizens of Aryther.

The Apis, a race of humanoid beefolk entirely made up of females was discovered to the south and Aryther under the orders of the Lutrinian matriarch entered into a trade treaty with them. Their Queen Maya Apis was eager to also become part of their queendom and be protected from the raids that elven adventurers always enacted on their hives.

Elissa was intrigued, she wanted to meet more fluffy races and plant girls and bee girls. "Good job matriarch, send messengers to each of those tribes and tell them they are invited to my wedding to Lady Dawn Kisaragi and the ennoblement of the defenders of the realm."

Bowing, the otter grandma said, "Yes chief. It shall be done." 

"Dawn, love, follow me." Elissa commanded.

The space mage girl walked to Elissa, followed by Dicinna; the young Queen put each of her arms around them and they dimension-doored to the Majestic temple. The cavern was, as usual, worth its name. Water crystals littered the underwater cavern, along with crystal dragon blood trees; the dragon blood tree has a unique and strange appearance, with an upturned, densely packed crown having the shape of an uprightly held umbrella. This evergreen species is named after its dark red resin, which is known as "dragon's blood".

Between the two pillars holding the giant temple cavern, Hekate’s statue was in the middle of them, with her beautiful leather robes and crossed magic torches. 

River, Mystral and Farad, Elissa's elementals deployed in the temple, guarding each of the entrances. Dawn looked ambivalent at the prospect of meeting a deity. Dawn was pulled by the arm by Elissa who was eager to complete the ceremony with her when all of a sudden the tall statue gained life. 

A hazy shroud of golden mana surrounded her. “Ah finally~”

Elissa and Dicinna quickly went on their knees, the two of them pulled Dawn down to bow to the deity.

"The set is finally complete, the assassin, the mage blade and the rogue are finally assembled.” Enigmatically said, the elder goddess.

The three young women looked at each other, uncomprehending; It made Hekate giggle at their expression, mortals were so much fun to tease. Elissa was aware enough that she understood that her sadistic tendencies were inherited from the elder goddess. Elissa reddened at this realization, Hekate seemed to guess at her thoughts and had this impish smile on her face that seemed directed at her heiress.

Elissa spoke first, her two lovers too awestruck to be of use, “Mother Hekate, we are here to introduce my soulmates, Dicinna Zerloth and Dawn Kisaragi. I hoped to avoid any friction in our group by letting you explain to Dawn why I fell in love with both of them.”

The joyous expression of Hekate wilted when her eyes gained a dull shine. Her smile became thin as she watched over the three young women. “Yes, I wouldn't want for any of you to separate. In fact, if Dawn were to leave today, one of you two will die in the next Underdark war with the demonic entity in the lower dark.”

Elissa paled, Dicinna stood up and Dawn cried out, “What?”

The space mage girl looked between Dicinna and Elissa, fear seizing her heart. She couldn’t have just got back with her girlfriend to lose her, and what about Dicinna they have strangely become close to one another, sure she didn’t like the fact how she wormed her way into Elissa’s heart but she didn’t want her death and it all hinged on a decision of hers?

“I have engineered your conception, girls. Before, you were one, and now you are three.” The goddess continued to say and this suddenly became too much for Dawn.

Dawn interrupted Hekate and shouted, “Wow, ok stop. What are you getting at, your holiness?”

Dicinna quickly glanced at Elissa who understood the underlying warning she was being given. With a hand on the asian girl's arm Elissa said, “Dawn, calm down.”

Dark Hekate may look likeable and friendly but she was nothing but; she was vengeful and vicious, capricious and selfish, cruel and crafty. But she was also lovable, charismatic, and attentioned with people she favored. Dawn closed her eyes and kneeled back, breathing in and out to calm herself. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, that she was some pawn in a godly game.

Hekate looked on amusedly on her champions rolled with three and was satisfied to know that they knew their place and that they needn’t argue with her. “I needed a champion, but I guess you need to know the entire story.  We are going to need snacks and some seats.”

A low table was summoned before them with golden decoration of dragons, ram and birds with cakes and tea before them. A bench with cloud cushion appeared behind them,  Elissa instantly sat, followed by her two lovers.

“Here, now that we are all at ease let me tell you about Phantasia and it's wonders.” And Hekate began to weave a tale of creation, bargain with mortals and earthly gods and about the dangers to come.

 

---

 

Majestic Temple
Two hours later…

Dawn could scarcely believe it, she knew Elissa had given her the bare bones of her story, but this? This was beyond sad. So much pain, so many betrayals; there was so much darkness in Hekate's tale that it threatened to choke and overwhelm her. Panic welled up in her and fear filling up her mind.

*Am I really ready to take on such odds with Elissa?* Dawn asked herself.

What was going to happen?  If she said yes she would be married to Elissa but she would have to share her with a stranger, a dark elf girl who in fact was cradle robbing. *Hekate just told us Dicinna was 160 years old, she's beyond ancient.* 

Dawn looked at the hand of that dark elven hussie stroke Elissa's thigh and anger flooded her mind. *Why couldn't all that shit happen to different people?* 

Elissa then suddenly looked at Dawn, searching her eyes. The asian girl averted her gaze from the soulful verdant eyes that seemed to always know what she thought.

Snort.

Dawn turned her head toward Dicinna who looked at her haughtily. A disgusted expression appeared on the dark elf's beautiful face and she said, "You don't love Elissa."

Elissa, Hekate and Dawn fell silent at the dark elf’s accusation.  Dawn was shocked, "What?"

"Cinna?" Elissa called her out, Dicinna raised a hand before her to stop any further questions from her wife and then pointed a finger toward Dawn.

"Look at her, she's afraid and about to bolt." The dark elf said derisively.

Dawn bristled at her tone, yes she had been about to leave to think about everything that had been said, but this bitch decided to enact a power play between them seizing the opportunity.  She was a dark elf, even if she had stopped being politically involved, Dicinna wanted to be top dog in their relationship with Elissa.

Dawn scowled, her body language taking a threatening overtone. "Are you saying I am a co-"

Dicinna giggled, and sweetly said, "Coward? Yes. You don't deserve her if that was the first thing you thought about."

Leaning forward with crazy eyes, Dawn said, "How dare you!  You are just an interloper! I met her first, she's my girlfriend!"

"Tough luck, she's my wife." Dicinna said with possessiveness and putting an arm around Elissa's shoulders.

Elissa saw Dawn’s face slacken, her eyes gain an unholy purple glow and dark shadow surrounded her. This was the first time she thought Dawn could be scary, as for Dicinna she smiled through it all.

"I will kill you." Dawn whispered.

SNIKT. Dawn stood up and unsheathed her black dagger, Dicinna smirked at that and stood up too and unsheathed her twin crystarium daggers that she twirled in her hands. Elissa's eyes widened and she was about to tell them to stop that but the two young women portaled and teleported respectively through their own powers and were out of the temple.

The young Queen was about to follow them with dimension door when golden chains surged from the ground and the ceiling, caught her arms and legs and lifted her from the ground. Elissa was trapped, she felt her mana and cosmic energy being drained by those golden chains.

Elissa turned her eyes to her patron goddess, a betrayed look etched on her face.

Hekate shook her head. "Don't interfere daughter, they must resolve their differences and Dawn must accept her fate, just like you did."

This made Elissa's heart clench, when a god said ‘trial’ sometimes it ended badly for the mortal. She struggled with all her strength and the chain groaned and almost snapped, it surprised Hekate, but the enchantment on the chains triggered again and leeched more of Elissa's mana and cosmic energy, weakening her more.

"Release me, Mother Hekate please!" Elissa pleaded and tried to break the chains with her super strength.

"No, don't bother trying to break them or use your ice against them, they were made to bind gods, so you being half of one? You cannot escape, the strength and durability of the chain grows stronger with the target having higher Divinity." Hekate explained to her.

Those chains were artefacts that she pried from the cold dead hands of a demigod called Gilga-something an inconsequential man who had dared to try to turn her into one of his countless slave wives.  She took his sword too, the Sword of Rupture; it's the enchantment on this one that helped mold Gram into the divine artefact it is today.

Elissa's gaze focused on the chains and powerlessly pulled on them again."Why?"

Hekate said with sightless eyes, "This is a trial for her, to show if she is worthy."

The goddess was busy watching the fight that had moved to the surface. The two young women fought the kind of battle that only someone attuned to space and dimensional combat could. But in the back of her mind she was concerned by the fact that Elissa could destroy Enkidu's god sealing chains.

Meanwhile for Dawn, she was getting her ass kicked by Dicinna. The two rivals appeared in the Lutrinian village and began to fight, Dawn trying to gut the bitch, but Dicinna deflected her dagger's with ease, opened Dawn's guard and hit her with the pommel of her free dagger sending her flying into a yurt that crumbled under the impact. Dawn sank into her shadow and then reappeared behind Dicinna where she began to make her sink into the shadow world.

Fortunately,  the dark elf was wise of this move and opened a portal that engulfed her. Dawn let go of the dark elf's foot as the portal closed, she didn't want to get her hand cut. Then another portal opened near her and a beam of red light struck her body ejecting Dawn from the shadow dimension and into the air.

Dicinna caught her and slammed her body on the ground. A one meter deep crater created on impact. Then the dark elf crouched at the side of the panting and wheezing Dawn who had a thread of blood coming out of her mouth. "I don't understand what she sees in you. You are so weak, too soft and cowardly."

Hatred filled Dawn's eyes. "You know nothing! "

Harrumphing, Dicinna said. "I’ve seen indecisive people like you before, they are not worth knowing."

"You-" Dawn was beyond furious now.

Her wrath materialized as purple shadow armor on her skintight armor and a dark purple aura surrounded her, she stopped holding back and went into an inshek combat stance. She stepped toward Dicinna whose smirk disappeared when she felt the powerful magical aura around the space mage.

All around the village people watched the fight, it was as if two gods were battling it out and ravaging the landscape before them. Tabitha placed Cassandra behind her to protect her. Danny and her boyfriend, Donovan Sims, looked on with horror as Elissa’s wife and girlfriend went at it viciously. 

"We must stop them!" Danny said as she held onto Donovan.

In her heart of hearts Danny thought that it was the first time she had seen Dawn this pissed, she could barely relate the happy go lucky girl she met 8 months ago with the killing machine before her. The Lutrinians were all panicking and the men took the children and Elissa's familiars into the evacuation point warded with a force-field and a notice-me-not ward. The village was subsequently emptied of the fluffy people, only Elissa's immediate friends were left.

Donovan looked left and right and noticed the absence of the villagers and said, "Huh, I think we shouldn't. Where's Elissa by the way?"

"I don't know…" Danny looked at the broken yurts and the craters dotting the village plaza's. "When she appears she's going to kick their asses, I mean they are devastating her village."

Erika who was wearing her skintight armor for training purpose became irate and screamed at Carolyn and Emilia to erect barriers around the two fighters. Fortunately, Cassandra heard them and held her hand forward, red magic coalesced around the two cat-fighting girls and surrounded them. Suddenly, a purple beam was launched from Dawn’s dagger that was pointed at Dicinna who redirected it with her portal into the sky.

The beam cut down the band of clouds in the sky and dissipated when it reached the stratosphere. But of course it was an opening that the space mage exploited and she lunged at the dark elf and tackled her. Dicinna, rolled with the impact and tried to open a portal but Dawn saw it coming and stabbed in the shadow of the dark elf and the black enchanted dagger's magic pinned her to the ground and paralyzed her.

Dawn had won.

The asian girl put a hand around Dicinna's neck, the dark elf didn't fight her, she was unable to and looked into her eyes, unafraid. "I told you, I will kill you."

"Do your worst then, if you are able to." Dicinna rasped tauntingly.

Dawn circulated her mana in her hand and materialized it as a purple blade and was about to slit Dicinna's throat when she stopped herself. No, it was more accurate to say that she couldn't move. Her body refused too.

"Why?! Why can't I kill you?" Dawn shouted at her, tears falling down her cheeks.

Though she was angry she also noticed that she in no way wanted to kill Dicinna, as if she knew that it would be a mistake.

Dicinna emitted a throaty laugh. "I'm in no position to explain the intricacies of soul magic to you, idiot. But it boils down to: we are a set, you and I with Elissa. Even Hekate knows it, why are you denying your fate?"

Dawn let go of Dicinna’s throat, barely able to articulate. "I-"

The dark elf continued to push her advantage and said, "When Elissa was in your place you know what she said to Hekate? 'I'm not one who runs from my troubles!' And she rose to the challenge, what will it be for you, Dawn?"

The choice was made for her already, she has never been more alive than when she has been with Elissa. She gained friends from her association with her, her the eternal loser and geeky girl. Then she bagged the most gorgeous girl at her school, her life was good. But if she had fled just because of a bit of adversity,  won't she lose everything she obtained?

*No, never again.* she thought with conviction.

With a steely gaze dawn said to Dicinna, "I am not a coward, I won't leave Eli to die and… and not you either, I am not a monster." Her voice became softer as she said finished saying this.

Dicinna raised an eyebrow at that. "So you don't want to kill me anymore?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, I'm going to marry Elissa and we are all going to be equal, I won't be playing second string to someone who likes to cut in line!"

Dicinna blushed and was a bit aware that she was the homewrecker in the story. Though to defend herself and Elissa she said, "Hey, she's not easy to seduce, it took two weeks to wear her down, you know!?"

Dawn threw her a vicious glare. "Wench."

Dicinna smirked at her, not deterred the slightest. "Bitch."

They smiled at each other and it marked their reconciliation with each other. As the sky darkened and stormy clouds formed and black bolts of lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The Lutrinians recognized the phenomenon and knew that their chief was responsible and terribly angry. A black lightning bolt landed thirty meters from them and gouged the ground forming a crater. Lo and behold, Elissa appeared in all her glory with black lightning crackling from her body and eyes.

The two lovers looked on with fright.

"Oh, Nodicea…" Dicinna swore.

"E-Elissa?" Dawn looked at her like a deer in the headlights, she had never felt so much power coming from her lover before. It was shocking and made her want to bolt.

Dicinna tried to move but the shadow spell of Dawn was still paralyzing her. "She's going to kill us..."

As Elissa walked toward them, she cracked her knuckles and said, "No, killing you would be way too easy." 

 

---

 

Queendom of Aryther
Majestic Temple
5 minutes earlier…

Elissa struggled once more against the godly chains, Hekate was still looking at the outside. The platinum blonde could feel the echo of two powerful people battling at the surface. The most powerful of the two was obviously Dicinna with the barest instructions on Inshek, while Dawn had at least six months of it and they were tearing asunder her realm.

She suddenly stopped struggling, the more she did it, the more mana and cosmic energy was siphoned from her body. Looking for a way out, Elissa thought fast; everything slowed down around her and time stretched. Those chains were leeching her divinity, though now they were imbued with her magic and life force.

A smile stretched on her face, if she couldn’t battle the chains, she could she make them hers? But how could she do that? Wouldn’t Hekate have done the same as her? But she felt that it was the case. Those chains lacked substance, as if the essence of her goddess wasn’t infused in them, that they were blank. Elissa decided to try, she wouldn’t let her two lovers tear each others’ throats.

The young Queen gazed at her left gauntlet intently and with her will shoved it away from her arm; it landed on the rocky ground, clattering. Elissa looked at the unmoving statue of the goddess hoping that she didn’t hear that, but thankfully she didn’t move or pay attention to her.  

She cut her finger with a well manicured and sharpened nail; blood pearled from it and Elissa connected it with the chain and channeled her mana and using a power word, “Δικος μου (Mine).”

Elissa’s magic flared and flowed into the chains at each end of it, from the bladed one and to the weighted ball of the other. That attracted the attention of Hekate who had her eyes open like saucers. “Elissa don’t-”

But it was too late, the chains accepted Elissa as their master and released her, she fell on the ground creating a minor crater, cracks spreading on the grey rocks.

Hekate looked down at her, shocked by what her champion just did. “Elissa what did you do?”

Elissa felt drained, but just as suddenly as she was she felt her magic and life force being given back to her by the chains that had retracted and were now wrapped around her left arm. “What I had to, Mother Hekate. I can’t let them fight like this.”

She walked to her gauntlet and put it on, the sentient chain seemed to accommodate the piece of enchanted armor as they retracted further to let Elissa don her armor piece.

In a sad tone, Hekate looked at her artefact. “The chains, I can’t take them from you, only death can now.”

Elissa froze at that, looked at her goddess and felt guilt fill her. “I’m sorry.” She said bowing her head.

Hekate shook her head and said, “We will talk about that later, go.”

Elissa bowed her head again and disappeared with a crack of black lightning. Hekate looked at where her heiress was standing a second ago, all of a sudden, a smile spread across her lips and she cackled like mad. “Just as planned.”

 

---

Present time...

 

Elissa appeared in the plaza, the storm domain automatically activating when she saw the damage done to the houses of the poor Lutrinians. Her other friends looked on frightened at her as she appeared.

"She's going to kill us..." she heard Dicinna say.

Anger and sadness filled her heart, but she also saw that the problems between the two seemed to be temporarily pushed aside. 

As Elissa stepped toward them, she cracked her knuckles and said aloud, "No, killing you would be way too easy." 

"Eep!" Dawn shouted as she felt Enkidu's chain wraps around herself. The godly artefact moving by instinct through Elissa's subconscious will, the space mage girl fell on her butt.

Then Elissa advanced to Dicinna and looked at her, face neutral until she crouched at her wife's side. The dark elf cringed when she saw Elissa's hand moving expecting a slap but it was the black dagger that she took and suddenly her paralysis ceased. 

The young Queen pulled her wife to her feet before moving them both towards Dawn. A moment later, two loud slaps could be heard ringing across the badly damaged area. Dawn and Dicinna could be seen holding their faces before Elissa pulled them into a hug and stating with a clear, but fierce, voice; “Don’t you dare do that again!”

Everyone made painful faces when the slaps rang in the air and pitied those two for a moment. They then disappeared in a crack of black lightning. 

Everyone in the plaza sighed in relief when the fight was finally concluded, Tabitha decided to bring Cassandra to Elissa's yurt at the center of the citadel that was still under construction and give her some snacks. Donovan and Danny continued to look around them at the damage caused by the two young women vying for Elissa's heart. To Danny Sparks, the fight had been eye opening about the level of power needed to stay at the side and help Elissa. 

She tightened her fist, dejected. "Three months! Three effing months and Elissa and Dawn left us in the dust!"

This was truly angering her. She had spent months with barely any sleep and a high protein diet while she pushed herself physically and mentally and she rose to the rank of high Alpha rank in the Tesla academy. But Elissa?  She played for keeps and became so overpowered that she could now manipulate the weather. On earth she would be classed beyond omega and the country would try to limit her movements. 

*But does she really care about our planet anymore? I don't think so, when I listened to her yesterday she had already written it off.* Danny thought.

Donovan hugged her when he saw her angsty face and tried to reassure her that she would catch up eventually. 

Cough. "Now you understand why it is imperative that we must catch up?" A voice said from behind Danny who turned and saw Erika.

Danny scowled.  "You knew!"

She left Donovan's embrace and walked up to Erika and caught her by the shoulders. The little mousy sandy blonde smirked at her best friend. "Of course I knew! I'm the precog in the team!"

Danny let go of her, shook her head and said, "So it really is destiny that we met her, huh?"

Erika straightened her skintight armor.  "No shit? I saw this precise moment happening six months ago.  I didn't have any context, but Elissa being strong enough to command storms? Dawn controlling gravity and able to alter the landscape?  Hell yeah, we needed in on it."

Squinting her eyes, Danny pressed more questions."Why didn't you tell me?"

Normally the sporty blonde was being told important divination from her precognitive friend. They were a team, all that mystery and secret bullshit were for people that didn't trust each other.

Erika gave her friend an expression of disbelief, then promptly laughed at her. "After all these years Danny, you still don't get it! The simple fact to look into the future changes it. If I had told you, you wouldn't be friends with Elissa, not genuinely, you would have sought to manipulate her. News flash, ancient humans can smell deceit.  She wouldn't have given you the time of day."

Danny stopped to digest that, knowing Elissa like she did now? Yeah it's possible that it wouldn’t have happened just like the precog described. Erika actually did them a solid.

But there were things she still didn't understand, which concerned the motivations of her diviner best friend. "Why would you do that?"

Erika blushed in embarrassment. "You are the boss... and you can't act to save your life, I become the bad guy and I am used to it. No one likes the precog,  remember?"

She got slapped for that. "You idiot, you are more than your powers, please don't define your worth by them."

Erika rubbed her cheek and lowered her eyes to her feet and didn't dare looking at her scary friend in the eyes.  "We will see..."

Meanwhile on the Weatherlight,  Dawn and Dicinna were swiftly thrown into the brig of the ship. The Brig on the skyship Weatherlight and other warships of the same make are used to lock away dangerous people or prisoners. It was a large room with non-touching cells in the middle. Each cell was a large cage with horizontal bars and a powerful force-field spanning across the sides. This field does not allow material to pass through and is only deactivated (on the opening side) when the cell is opened. 

Fortunately, Elissa still had enough self control to hold back, but Dawn had a split lip and Dicinna had began to cry.

"Elissa please, we-we resolved the issue you can stop now, right?" The dark elf could feel the scary feelings of her wife through the bond. They had hurt her, hurt her badly.

Elissa looked at her, silent. A bit of a question going through her mind that she could feel through their bond. 

"Yeah, Dawn decided to stay, finally." Dicinna said aloud.

"I see." Elissa said simply with no emotion.

Dawn felt cold; it was Elissa who generated this much low temperature and it happened only when she went out of control or was super pissed. "Elissa why are you looking at us this way?"

Without the same warmth that the two young women are used to feeling from her, Elissa said, "I'm going to punish you two."

Dawn remembered having seen such a phenomenon before, it's when Elissa acted like a demoness. She ceased simply to think humanely when she was in this state. Trying to defuse the situation,  Dawn advanced toward her trying to hug her, "Eli c'mon it's us, we… won't do it again, we promise."

However,  she was pushed back into the cell, falling in a heap with Dicinna. 

"You won't." Elissa stepped back out of the cell they were now sharing and the force-field  that will keep them prisoner activated in a shimmering red light. "One week with stale food and only water, no shower. Then I will think of a more appropriate punishment.  Be good to each other, ZHAER keep an eye on them."

"No Eli," Dawn screamed.

Dicinna tried to stand up. "Don't do this!"

[As you will, your Imperial Majesty.] The onboarding AI decided to cooperate with the captain to not attract her ire.

With a neutral expression, Elissa disappeared from the brig through the door. Dawn looked at Dicinna and accused, "This is all your fault."

A magitek rune appeared on the force-field,  Dawn recognized it and knew that even magic or abilities won't help them get out of here.

And there was nothing Dicinna could say to refute that.