Volume 2, Goddess (2)

“You have been charged with reckless interference of countless worlds. What do you say in your defence?”

The goddess was standing in front of a semi-circle of gods and goddesses. This was the council. The ones who maintained order and ensured that the other gods and goddesses did not abuse their powers and authorities. The exact reason that the goddess was here – breaking the rules.

“I do not. This goddess has truly committed the crimes which the council has spoken of. However, has anything I ever done ever broken the free-will mandate?”

The goddess was basically just speaking nonsense, in order to delay the inevitable. The only reason she asked was to allow herself some entertainment in this bleak situation.

“Correct, the actions you have taken, have been against the mandate of free will. The exception to this, is of course, interactions with the reincarnate ‘Fei’, but you have made contact with individuals who are unaware of the existence of the gods and goddesses. Disregarding the individuals on the world the reincarnate currently resides, where gods and goddesses are intertwined with their community, you have violated this mandate on almost every world the reincarnate has ended up on.”

“Oh. Is that so? ”

The goddess, hearing this, was amused. To her, the idea of a gods words influencing a humans decisions was flawed. Humans, even when influenced by beings of great power, will make up their own minds. Some might choose to worship these beings in order to gain an advantage, however, it is still their own choice. That is her belief to how the gods and goddesses influence free will by communicating with humans; it won’t.

In regards to the goddess’ last remark, the council did not react in any way. They simply went forward with the procedure.

“Is there any final words that you would like to say, before the punishment for breaking the rules is decided and carried out.”

The goddess remained silent.

“The council will take your silence to mean you have no final words. Please allow us to have a short recess in order to decide upon the punishment.”
To a human, this short recess would feel like an eternity. To the gods, this time could be approximated to around five minutes. The council stopped their discussion, having come to a decision on what the punishment would be.

“The punishment for ignoring the rules set for gods and goddess to abide by has been decided. After today, your divinity shall be stripped from you, being replaced by either an angel or another goddess. You shall be renamed ‘Alice’ and have most of your memories stripped. There will be a duration for this punishment, however you will not be informed of it. Are there any questions which you would like the council to answer?”

The goddess thought it over for a moment, before asking.

“If my divinity is being stripped, I will no longer be able to reside in the gods domains. Where will I be sent?”

“The council is not without mercy. We have agreed to send you into the world which the reincarnate resides. You shall be granted a weapon in order to protect yourself, as well as the knowledge to use it.”

The goddess nodded, thinking that it was odd for the council to show any mercy. It would not be out of the ordinary for them to send her to a world where there were no humans or similar creatures in order to punish her for interacting with them. In fact, that was what she had expected.

The council both had granted her a name and let her stay on the world where she had sent Fei, which came as a complete surprise to the goddess. Of course, this did not change the fact she didn’t think she deserved punishment, but it was something that provided a small bit of happiness, at least.

“What will happen once the duration of punishment is over?”

The goddess asked one last question, preparing for the future.

“The council shall recall you from the world, whether alive or not. If you are dead, you shall be revived. Following this, you shall be re-granted your divinity. If you manage to find the reincarnate, he will be brought before the council as well in order to be judged. Has the council managed to answer your questions?”

The goddess shook her head. The council had raised a new point which she was confused about.

“No. What do you mean, that Fei will be judged?”

“Reincarnates are an odd breed. The fact that they are able to adjust to new worlds, or even come back from the heavens or hells, means they interest the council. The reincarnate under your domain has intrigued the council – his strength of soul, means he is capable of becoming a god, and in the future, joining the council.”

The goddess went silent, hearing this. Fei, having the ability to become a god on the council? It was a ridiculous notion. Although he had the strength of soul, his other features were lacking. He had poor judgement, a lack of talent and an attitude which seemed as though he was a blank book. This was something she had been trying to fix. However, rather than maturing due to situations he was put in, he simply… drifted on with life, no matter what happened to him.

“Understood. If that’s the case, then I am prepared.”

The council all looked at the goddess and raised their right hands in unison.

A bright green light enveloped the entirety of the room and when it slowly dissipated, the divine glow which had surrounded the goddess was no longer. Although one might think this would reduce her attractiveness, the opposite could be said. The goddess, who was now Alice, was even more beautiful.

One might even think that it was more appropriate for this woman to be human, than to have been one of the goddesses.

---

[ Previous | ToC | Next ]