The goddess of death, Kyrie, wore a hooded robe to cover her more striking features, and wandered through the marketplace of humans.

Kyrie was in a bit of a daze, unsure of why she felt a bit of nostalgia, or why her senses captured a tone that seemed to pulse through the air, though she could not find its source. It was like a siren's voice.

"Hello." Kyrie looked down, a little surprised, and smiled. She immediately expected the young girl to step backward in fear, but what happened was the exact opposite. "Pretty." The girl was approximately six years old, and she looked up into Kyrie's eyes with fascination.

"What's pretty?" Kyrie asked. The girl smiled and pointed at her.

"You're pretty. Your eyes are pretty. Like a gemstone." She said as she continued to smile and look into her eyes. Kyrie had only stopped for a brief moment in this marketplace of humans, yet she met this child as though destined to meet her. Kyrie knelt down, most of her face and hair was hidden by her hooded robe, but the girl saw her easily.

"Really?" She said, and the girl nodded. "Don't I frighten you?" The girl tilted her head. It seems the question confused her. "My teeth and eyes aren't normal for a human." Kyrie said, which made her grin.

"Pretty is pretty. Like your hair." To her surprise, the girl reached out and lightly stroked the hair that peeked out from her hood. She even stepped in and sniffed. "Like the summer sun, blazing red, but soft like cinnamon." She said quietly. The words were soft as she said them without thinking, as though she only felt the words and spoke what she felt. Kyrie smiled gently, and lightly traced her cheek.

"What is your name, child?" Kyrie said softly.

"Lena." The girl said as she looked into Kyrie's eyes. Kyrie smiled and leaned in.

"My name is Kyrie." She said softly at her ear. Unseen to everyone, Kyrie breathed a red mist that she sent into Lena's ear. "Remember me, little one. I will always remember you."

"Promise?" The girl said as Kyrie leaned back and she could see the earnest look in the girl's eyes. This surprised Kyrie again, as that red mist should have erased the girl's memories of her, and put her into a soft sleep that would allow Kyrie to escape unnoticed.

"Yes, I promise, little one. I will never forget the girl who said I had pretty eyes." Kyrie watched the girl's eyes smile, and for only the small fraction of a second, she could see the girl's eyes flicker to a deep red color, like the mist. The girl yawned delicately.

Kyrie moved in again, and exhaled another thicker stream of red mist to enter Lena's ear, with a slightly different purpose this time.

"Some day, we'll see each other again." Kyrie whispered at her ear. She heard a soft sigh, and another small yawn. Kyrie smiled, and disappeared as though she were never there to begin with.

* * *

"She saw you, goddess." The dark robed woman said when Kyrie appeared.

"Not only that, but she accepted the mist." Kyrie said and felt the woman's surprise. "Watch over her, Rachel. Keep her safe, but let her experience the world."

"Prevent her from dying?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. Kill anyone who wishes to end her life. Let her experience the world, but don't let it kill her." Kyrie said firmly.

"Who shall I ask for assistance?" Rachel asked carefully.

"Anyone from the throne room. Use as many as you need. Shadows. Soldiers. Hunters. Watchers. Keep her alive." Kyrie's eyes blazed brightly, which let Rachel know that her goddess was completely serious. Not only that, Rachel was given permission to completely use the strength of their people to protect this girl.

"The next twelve to fourteen years are going to be difficult to endure." Kyrie said, but she grinned, and showed why she felt Lena would fear her. Her teeth gleamed bright white, while the sharp points filled many men with absolute terror before she ripped out their throats.

Kyrie was a goddess of death and life from death, given the title of goddess of death by the humans who she slaughtered when their empire became terribly cruel and heartless.

Sometimes, she would send her Others to exact judgment, and sometimes she would do the deed herself.

The appearance of her Others upon Imera was a symbol of change and upheaval. It would take a squad of Others to decimate an empire, and they could do so within a day. As of this order of their goddess, an entire squad watched over one little girl so that she could grow up.

The goddess' order was a little strange though. Protect the child, but let her experience the world around her. That meant many things could happen to her, and as long as it didn't steal her life, the goddess would allow it.

An odd stipulation for someone the goddess wanted to protect.

* * *

"Hello, little one." Kyrie said as she appeared in Lena's bedroom. She carefully watched the girl's eyes. To her surprise, the girl smiled excitedly.

"It's you! The pretty lady!" Lena said excitedly. Kyrie smiled gently.

"You're a year older now. How do you feel?" Kyrie knelt down so she could look into Lena's eyes. Lena bit her bottom lip.

"Okay. Momma and papa work hard in the store, so I'm alone a lot." She said. "But I don't mind." She said quickly. "They work hard so we have a place to live. I can't be sad or they would feel bad." Lena said firmly.

Kyrie smiled gently and held out her arms. Lena walked into them and laid her head on Kyrie's shoulder. She had felt quite lonely lately, and for some reason, her young mind clung to the woman she met a year ago.

"I've missed you, little one." She whispered, and put her lips near Lena's ear. Once again, she exhaled a red mist, but this time, there was a lot more of it. Several spots near her ear rose up and looked like red lines beneath the skin.

"I've missed you too." Lena yawned. "What's your name?" She asked as she yawned softly again.

The red mist was a part of Kyrie's realm, the very essence of the goddess of death herself. It rebuilt a barren rock into a haven for her Others.

It should be too powerful for a child, but every time she gave the girl a bit of it, she sucked it up without a fuss. It confused Kyrie a bit, as the first time, it should have erased her memories of that day. This time, she gave her enough to completely erase her mind.

It should have been more than enough to kill her, but the first sliver became a part of her consciousness, and vital essence. Kyrie took a chance that first time, and gave her more.

This time, she gave her an even larger quantity, and she sucked it into her body easily.

"Kyrie." She said gently, and lifted Lena off her feet, and laid her on her bed.

"Why am I so tired, Kyrie? I want to see you." She said and closed her eyes. Kyrie smiled as the child fell asleep.

"Some day, you'll never leave my side, little one. For now, take my gift, and get strong."

A gift from a god. Not eternal life, or gold, or power, but a gift of mental strength to endure life on this world. She didn't brainwash her, or anything a god would do to reserve her agent in advance.

Kyrie's kin were known to abduct humans they took a liking to, and develop them into toys, weapons, or sleeper agents to use at their whim. Kyrie was different.

She took those murdered through horrific means, or disposed of and abused their entire lives, and brought them to her realm. She rebuilt their bodies, reforged their spirits, and made them powerful. She gave them life after death, and one where life was no longer a struggle to survive, but a pleasure to live.

What was her intention for this child? Even Kyrie couldn't answer that question as Lena was a complete anomaly that Kyrie could not anticipate, or predict the results of.

She only knew that Lena felt familiar, and wanted to protect her.