No... I can't let it end like this... I must... fight it...

That was what Asteria said to herself. Even as she found herself consumed by an abyss of dark energy, even as her soul was nearly crushed under the malevolent grip of that twisted god, she never surrendered. Every single moment she could muster, she battled the insidious force that sought to dominate her.

But how? How can one possibly resist the power of a god?

Well, she’s a genius after all. Even if there was no light in that endless abyss, Asteria knew how to invent her own light. It was just a process that needed time, and time was the only thing that Asteria had.

Step by step, Asteria executed her plan.

At first, it was once every hundred years that she managed to claw her way back to herself for mere seconds. But even then, she strained every fiber of her being to fend off the demonic power coursing through her. By doing that, she could potentially build up tolerance to the dark power. Thus, after thousands of years, she was able to lengthen those precious instances of self-control to a full minute. And then, after tens of thousands of years enshrouded in darkness, she got one hour of freedom to act on her own.

And that was enough.

Utilizing a dimensional rift that Kataros already created, the catgirl managed to flee her blighted realm for another among the countless diverse dimensions in the cosmos. It was a fresh world teeming with untapped resources and energy—a world that the evil god had marked as its next target.

Yet, for now, it was a realm untouched by demonic influence, offering her a respite, time to recover, and the opportunity to plan her next moves.

So she retreated to a secluded corner of this new world, heading to the northern reaches where snow-capped mountains and ceaseless blizzards created an inhospitable, uninviting environment. She believed that no one would find her there, and she could spend another thousand years alone, resting.

But then, a weirdo suddenly came, and disrupted her sleep.

---

"Haha, I found a catgirl nya!"

What!?

Asteria was jolted awake by boisterous laughter echoing through the cave. Before her stood another figure—a catgirl also— with white hair, blue eyes, and unparalleled beauty. Yes, Asteria was closing her eyes, but still able to perceive the other girl’s appearance.

How did she get in here? Asteria tried to comprehend what just happened. Impossible! Even gods can't breach my barriers!

But this individual, this catgirl, was no ordinary deity. Asteria could feel a monstrous amount of magical energy radiating from her as she got closer. 

And then…

Knock knock!

The white-haired catgirl rapped on the dark crystal encasing Asteria's form—a crystalline cocoon she'd created so that she could rest and prevented her from going berserk.

"Oyyy! Can you hear me nyaa? Are you alive nyaaa?”

In response, Asteria decided to feign death, hoping the intruder would grow bored and leave. So she did not reply, and suppressed her energy even more. She even held her breath.

However, not only did the stranger stay, she even spent so much time touching and investigating the crystal, and inspecting Asteria from different angles.

“Woaaaah! You are very pretty nyaa!"

“Your hair is so shiny nya!”

“Oooooooh! Your claws are so long and sharp too nya!”

“Yes, yes, the tail is very sleek. I like it a lot nya!”

Ack! Asteria grew more and more frustrated. To think that I would one day be sexually harassed like this! Unacceptable!

Thus, unable to fake it anymore, Asteria opened her eyes. 

"G-go away! Or I will kill you!" she shouted at the stranger.

Asteria thought that revealing her demonic eyes would surely frighten the girl away.

However, to her surprise, the intruder only grew more enthusiastic.

"WWWaaaaa! Red eyes!!! A catgirl with red eyes nyaaa!”

The stranger yelled and began dancing and celebrating ecstatically in a bizarre manner.

“Hey, are you out of your mind? Are you stupid? I’m a demon! I’m dangerous! Get the hell out of here immediately!” Asteria was acting all angry.

“Huh?” But the stranger didn’t seem scared, even a little bit. “Nu nu nu! Miss red-eyed catgirl, this is my territory, I am the goddess ruling this land! Why would I get the hell out of my own territory nya?”

Hearing that, Asteria's crimson eyes narrowed, pondering the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, a demon with millennia of darkness and turmoil entwined in her soul, face-to-face with an unflappable deity who acted more like an enthusiastic teenager than an immortal ruler.

"You're a... goddess?" Asteria questioned, skepticism lacing her voice.

"Of course nya!" The white-haired catgirl twirled elegantly, her laughter ringing through the cave like melodious bells. "I'm Aquilonyan, the Goddess of this realm nya. And you are...?"

"Asteria," she responded, just to immediately question herself why would she give the answer that easily. 

"Anyway," Asteria pressed on, "Aquilonyan, if you really are a goddess, you must understand how dangerous I am. I'm under the influence of an ancient evil god. I'm a demon who can barely control her power. If I go berserk, the entire world could be destroyed!"

"Hmmm," Aquilonyan murmured, her brows furrowing in thought. “That is quite troublesome nya.”

"Actually," a new realization dawned on Asteria, "if you're strong enough to get past my barriers, then perhaps—"

Asteria then shared her desperate notion with Aquilonyan.

"Haaah!?" the goddess exclaimed. "You want me to kill you? Are you out of your mind nyaa?"

"Please," Asteria begged. "If you let me live, I'll only be a danger to this world! So please..."

The reason Asteria hadn't done it herself was simple: she couldn't. Every time she regained control of her own body, she barely had any power left—certainly not enough to harm her now-immortal form. Hell, not even enough to leave a single scratch.

"Yep, let's do that, nya."

Aquilonyan nodded and began to gather power in her palm, aiming it at the crystal. 

Asteria closed her eyes, readying to face death with a smile. 

With it, eons of suffering would end.

And then, boom! Aquilonyan blasted at the crystal, and it shattered into a million pieces. 

However, despite all of that destructive power, Asteria was unharmed. To her shock, she just fell down, and Aquilonyan caught her. 

“What!? No!” Asteria cried out. Freed from the crystal, she immediately felt the insidious pull of demonic energy surging back. Clutching her head, she tried to wrest it away.

“Don’t worry… I am here nya…”

Out of nowhere, Asteria felt a warm embrace envelop her. Before she knew it, Aquilonyan was holding her tightly in her arms. And then, somehow, the demonic energy within Asteria began to wane.

“What… are you doing?” Asteria murmured in disbelief. 

But at the same time, her heart was beating like crazy with a strange feeling. It had been... how many years, since someone embraced her like this? She had been all alone, wandering the darkness. For tens of thousands of years, the only warmth she could feel was the blood of innocent people, killed by her own hands...

“I am a goddess, so I can share a bit of your burden nya…” Aquilonyan replied. As it turned out, the Goddess was absorbing some of that demonic energy into herself, like a sponge soaking up poison.

“No, wait!” Asteria realized what was going on. Thus, her voice a frantic echo, her eyes widening with fear for the goddess before her. “You will be corrupted! Stop!”

However, “I don’t care nya…” Aquilonyan's voice unwavering as she turned Asteria to face her, locking eyes.

At this very moment, their faces were so close that Asteria could feel the gentle warmth of the goddess's breath.  Looking at the goddess up close, she was lost for words. Those eyes, they were a hypnotic dance of colors, flickering between shades of blue and hints of red, the intricate snowflake patterns within her pupils softly glowing. It was captivating, mesmerizing. Asteria, despite being heavily against what the goddess was doing, couldn't even fight back. 

And then... “I was already corrupted the moment I laid eyes on you, nya,” Aquilonyan murmured, her voice as soft as the touch of snowflakes. "I am the Goddess of Catgirls, not the Goddess of this world. If I have to choose between you and the safety of the world, I'll choose you. Always, nya."

Hearing that, Asteria felt warmth rising in her cheeks.

“That… doesn’t make any sense…” 

“Nope, that makes purrfect sense nya.”

Aquilonyan said, then against Asteria’s will, “kidnapped” her.

And that was how they first met.

---

But even fast forward until now, sitting on top of the mountain top inside Felicia’s internal world, reminiscing about the past, Asteria still cannot understand the logic behind that. To opt for her—a living embodiment of imminent destruction—over the safeguarding of an entire realm? It was utterly unfathomable. Nevertheless, this was the enigmatic nature of Aquilonyan's actions: perplexing and inscrutable, yet inexplicably liberating in the most stupid way.

But thanks to that nonsensical logic, Asteria was able to regain control of her fractured self. It was also thanks to the tips that Aquilonyan gave her. The Goddess’ words, she had taken it to heart.

“Think of yourself as a beacon of light. If your resolve is unwavering and your heart is true, darkness won’t be able to hurt you nya.”

"How ironic that I now find myself reciting your own words back to you," Asteria murmurs to herself. "But it was your method! Then why the hell couldn't you do it!?"

Now she is referring to the fact that, despite giving this advice to Felicia, the young girl is still struggling tremendously. . 

"Aaaahhh..." Asteria cannot help but sigh. "Silly Aquilonyan… what should I do with you now?"

However, as she speaks, Asteria instinctively places her fingers on her lips. The kiss just moments ago, compared to the countless kisses they've shared before, felt no different. They always make Asteria's face red, they always make her heart flutter.

And now, the crimson-eyed catgirl is desiring for more.