I groaned in pain as I slowly regained consciousness. My head felt like it had been pounded into thin pieces, mixed up, and put back inside my skull.
[<That seems like an accurate statement.>]
Cleenah's voice reassured me, though I didn't say so.
"What happened?" I asked, taking in my surroundings. I was lying on a white bed, surrounded by other identical beds. I seemed to be alone in the room, which was a relief. I didn't want to be seen talking to myself and be labeled a psycho.
[You lost consciousness, and Jayden brought you here.] Jarvis replied.
I tried to piece together what had happened. My thoughts were fuzzy, but I remembered a dream—a vivid memory of my first day at school.
("Y-Yes! I-I am Shayna, pleased to meet you.")
"Shayna..." I whispered, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over me. Shayna had left an indelible mark on me during the four years I spent at that school, much like Ephera had.
I covered my mouth, feeling overwhelmed. Something was different, and not just because of the headache. I felt weaker than before, as if my one month of training had been for nothing.
I felt considerably weaker than before, it was worse than what I thought…
After being stripped of everything by the God who was supposed to protect me and my family, including my name and status as a Falkrona, I felt a mixture of emotions, but the prominent one was relief. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I no longer had to rely on his useless protection and mana.
I snorted.
I am the one abandoning him.
Yeah, I don't need him.
Despite my loss, I couldn't help but feel liberated and empowered. It was as if I had been released from invisible shackles and could finally discover my true potential. I was eager to train and become stronger on my own terms, without the limitations and expectations that came with being a Falkrona.
Now my progress will only be thanks to my hard work.
Well, I lost his protection, but I could still use the Falkrona ability since it was innate to me. I was born with it so it couldn't be removed. It was in my blood.
That God must be furious…
Serves his right.
Except his blood, he gave me nothing useful. Since I was a child, I had to work hard until late at night to catch up with Alfred, John, Aurora, or Layla, who were born geniuses. People labeled me as a genius, but they didn't know how hard I worked to reach that state. Only mother, Miranda and Elona knew about it…
I closed my eyes and suddenly found myself on a small grassy hill. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining. Three other hills surrounded me, each with a different environment. One resembled the hill I was on, but it was a graveyard instead. At the top of the hill was a dingy green doorway that spun like a black hole.
The second hill was entirely covered in snow. There was no sun, and the grass and sky were both white. A similar gateway was present on this hill, swirling quickly.
The last hill was the spookiest of them all. The sky was a deep red, and the grass and gateway were covered in blackness. It looked like the end of the world.
"Jarvis, Cleenah?"
I tried to call them, but they did not answer as expected.
"Whatever."
I knew I shouldn't, but my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to explore the closest hill, which was the one covered in snow.
As soon as I thought of it, I was teleported to the white hill. I called out for Jarvis and Cleenah, but there was no response. I walked toward the gateway, feeling a tremendous suction force pulling me toward it.
At first, I resisted, but I eventually gave in and let myself be absorbed. A piercing sound filled my ears, making me cover them, but my hands were suddenly gone. I fell on a hard surface, groaning in pain. Blood was leaking from my ears.
I was in a white throne hall, surrounded by ornamental pillars and decorated walls. The atmosphere was ethereal, and I felt like I was breathing in pure air for the first time.
I turned around slowly and saw a young woman sitting on a white porcelain throne. She couldn't have been more than twenty, and was wearing a sublime white dress that covered her entire body. A white mask covered her face, but I knew without seeing it that she was a woman of transcendental beauty. Her snow-white hair flowed down her back.
She tapped her white index finger on the armrest, an regal aura emanating from her.
I felt suffocated and turned to leave, but she spoke, her voice beautiful yet filled with arrogance.
"Weak."
Anger coursed through me.
"Says the goddess using my body to survive-"
Before I could finish, something invisible struck me, and I was sent flying out of the hall at bullet speed.
I felt an invisible force hit my body, and I was sent flying out of the hall at breakneck speed. I cried out in pain as I hit the ground, feeling several bones break upon impact. My mind raced as I tried to understand what was happening to me. Suddenly, I found myself hurtling towards a dark hill. I couldn't move my body, and I knew I was being forced to go there against my will.
"Th-That B*tch!"
I felt a surge of fear as I entered the dark hill's premises. I wanted to run away, but I couldn't. The dark portal loomed in front of me, and I was sucked into it without any choice.
"Arghh..."
As I fell to the ground, I threw up a strange, thick, dirty red substance that I realized was blood. My breathing became ragged, and I struggled to stand up on my shivering legs so I could leave this terrifying world.
"Ryliith nolthira ♩"
"!"
Suddenly, I heard a girl's voice singing a strange, eerie tune behind me. I froze and turned around, and what I saw made my blood run cold.
A lone girl was walking through a field of blood and corpses. She had long, raven-black hair cascading down her back, reaching her knees, and her face was breathtakingly beautiful. She was like a goddess, and her eyes were hidden behind a blindfold. She wore a black dress with strange patterns engraved on it, and she was humming a haunting melody that sent shivers down my spine.
I stepped back slowly, my face pale with fear. The ground was a lake of blood, and countless corpses were scattered around us. None of them had all their limbs attached to their corpses. I felt like I was in a nightmare, and I just wanted to get out of this place.
"...shirik♪ pethys ♪ hmmm♪hmmm♪"
It was really scaring the hell out of me.
But the girl continued humming her creepy tune and walking around aimlessly. I tumbled several times on the corpses and blood, ignoring everything in my desperate attempt to get out of this place.
I ran as if my life was on the line.
Cuz it was really on the line!
Why did they give me a ghostly, creepy woman as a Goddess?!
As if the arrogant one wasn't enough!
"...ah."
Suddenly, the girl stopped humming, and I knew she had noticed me. I closed my eyes tightly and ran as fast as I could. I ran for my life, ignoring the pain and fear that consumed me.
"Kaelaeth siryn, Hmmm♪…."
"!"
Shit!
As I crawled on the ground, I heard her hum just near my ear, and I knew I was in grave danger. She was a true monster, and her presence alone screamed death, hell, blood, and torture.
I climbed on the corpses, reaching the portal, and I immediately jumped in. I turned around and caught a glimpse of the woman staring expressionlessly at me. She was in the midst of blood and dead people, and I knew that she was the last goddess. But she was nothing like the goddess who had sent me flying into this nightmare.
I remembered Cleenah's words, telling me that the remaining gods were more than just a touch odd.
It must be a joke!
They bore absolutely no similarity to her. I slipped out of the portal and thought strongly of the bright hill I had been on before. I instantly transferred there, leaving behind the creepy, blood-soaked hill and the monster goddess who inhabited it.
For a long minute, I took deep breaths to recover, but it was too difficult, and my ability to breathe was entirely broken. I felt powerless and scared.
I thought of the bright hill that I had been on before. I wanted to get as far away from this dark hill as possible. I was panting and gasping for air, feeling like I had been thrown into ice-cold water. I was powerless, and I had never felt so weak and helpless before.
"Da-Dam...mit..."
I grabbed the grass with both hands, trying to regain my strength and composure. I took deep breaths to recover, but it was too difficult. I knew that I had to get to the last hill, which belonged to the only goddess willing to help me. The white hill belonged to the arrogant goddess, and the dark hill belonged to the creepy one. The last hill must belong to the only goddess who could help me.
I sent my thoughts and appeared in front of the portal. I closed my eyes and felt the suction force.
I...can rest now.