The portal opened up in the sky. Blackout, Jetfire, and Starscream emerged from the rift in formation. They banked in unison and descended rapidly.
Blackout was the first to land. He touched down. "We have arrived," Blackout said as he opened the door. They all began to disembark.
Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Marcel, Misuzu, Yuuki, Tsunoda, and Hisashi stepped out.
"We're here," Misuzu said calmly. "Where our Goddess lives," she added.
The others looked around. They saw the alien architecture. There was a towering structure. There were white walls, with gargantuan double doors that stood at least forty feet tall.
Marcel's brow furrowed. "What... is this place?" he asked.
Bertholdt looked back at the now-vanishing portal. "That portal," he remarked.
"Did he use one of these?" Annie muttered. She thought she had heard rumors he came from the sky.
Yuuki stepped forward. "This is where the Goddess resides," she said, almost dreamily.
Annie turned toward her. "She lives in a castle?" she asked.
"She is our Goddess," Misuzu said as she turned toward Annie and gave her a cold stare. "Mind your words," she added.
Reiner looked around. He thought this place was strange. There was more happening here than they're letting on.
Then they saw two small support droids around the corner. They carried a stretcher between them. A woman lay atop it. She was wrapped in a charred cloth. She had an oxygen mask on her face. Her body was horribly burned. Her skin was scorched and burnt.
"What happened to her?" Bertholdt asked.
"She made the unfortunate decision to confront him," a sweet heavenly voice said. "We lost several of the transformers as well," she added.
They all turned around and saw a woman. Her eyes were a mesmerising shade of celestial blue. High cheekbones accentuated the graceful curve of her face, and a delicate nose. She had a playful grin on her red lips. Strands of silvery hair framed her face, cascading down to her shoulders. She was wearing white angel robes. Her chest was large and a large amount of cleavage could be seen. She had long, slender legs and wore white high heels shoes.
"A Goddess," Marcel remarked as he was stunned by her beauty.
"Goddess," Misuzu said as she bowed down. Yuuki, Tsunoda and Hisashi also bowed down.
Reiner and Annie looked at her. She was breathtaking. She looked like being with purity.
"You should bow down to her," Tsnonda whispered.
"My angels, there is no need," the Goddess responded. "I am proud of you all for bringing our angels back," she added.
"Angels?" Renier asked. He thought that was a strange term.
"Yes, the people of the walls are the devil, so you are all angels," the Goddess replied. She had a smile on her face.
"They are devils," Annie added. "But he is the worst," she said as she clenched her fist.
"Indeed, he is a being who craves destruction, however his power is immense," the Goddess responded.
"You know about him?" Renier asked as he stepped forward.
"I can see but I am bound to this place," the Goddess replied. She had a sinister smile on her face.
"Then you can defeat him?" Marcel asked as he looked at the stunning Goddess.
The Goddess smiled. "If I can get my true power back," she responded.
"And that requires defeating that James, my Goddess," a voice called out. Renier, Annie, Berthold and Marcel looked at the man.
They saw a slender, slightly muscular young man with broad shoulders. He had black, messy hair, thick matching eyebrows, and brown eyes. He wore a purple open jacket. He had black jeans and black shoes.
"Aladdin," Misuzu said as she looked at him. She thought this was the tortured man, the Goddess showed her. He had been converted to the light. She had a smile on her face. The Goddess shows everyone the right path.
Aladdin bowed down to the Goddess.
"You are correct," the Goddess responded. "You have made a full recovery," she added. She thought the torture was fun watching him see the loss of his soul mate to another man and give him a glimpse of what they were doing. She smiled.
"Who is this James?" Annie asked.
"He is the one, responsible for the women's condition you had seen before," Goddess explained. "He holds a powerful device, which I would need for my true power," she added.
"So if we can take this device then you will be able to get enough power to get rid of him?" Berthold asked.
"That is one part, there are other devices which I will require and getting the device of the one who wields it will be challenging," the Goddess responded. She thought these fools are no match for her James.
"I will not fail Goddess," Aladdin spoke out as he looked at her. He thought he robbed him. He took the love of his life away. He stole everything for him. He would have been a king but he took it.
"Neither will we," Misuzu added. She hated James because Jasmine, that goody two shoes liked him. She hated that women. She was not beautiful. She was ugly. There was a twisted smile on her face. She thought of pouring acid on her face.
"You angels all have a role to play, destiny and my blessings will guide you," the Goddess replied. "They will be heading to a different world soon. They are right now in a pocket dimension," she added.
"Pocket dimension?" Annie asked. She thought about what that was.
"It is a self-contained space that exists within or alongside a universe," the Goddess explained.
Annie and the rest look puzzled. "What?" she asked as she folded her arms.
"Well either way, I am going after him," Aladdin remarked. He was going to get James no matter what.
"I will go with you as well," Renier said. He was curious to see what type of threat they are dealing with.
"We will go with you as well," Berthold added.
"No, we don't know what he is capable of and this will be a reconnaissance mission," Renier responded.
"We don't have much time, he could kill everyone," Annie said as she thought back to her home.
"When you return, it will be like you never left," the Goddess responded.
Reiner stepped forward. "You possess mysterious powers. That vision… the darkness. What was that?" he asked.
The Goddess stood calmly. "Every world exists in balance," she began. "That balance is held by a few key individuals who anchor the fate of their universe. If those individuals vanish or are not replaced..." she paused. "Then the world itself unravels. Erased forever," she said.
"Are you saying... our world could be destroyed?" Bertholdt questioned.
Annie narrowed her eyes. "Then who's the key person?" she asked.
"With my power... it could be you, angel," the Goddess responded as she turned to her slowly.
Annie's arms crossed. "How do we know you're not lying?" she said.
"You dare question the Goddess," Misuzu said as she looked at her.
The Goddess raised her hand gently. "Let her speak. Trust is earned. And I can only speak the truth, whether you believe it is your decision to make," she calmly replied.
Marcel took a step forward. He looked at the Goddess. "I believe her..." he murmured, almost in awe.
Reiner looked away. "We don't have many options. After what we've seen, what those creatures did... there's truth in her power. Whether we like it or not," he added.
Annie hesitated, then gave a small nod.
The Goddess watched them. "You all may rest now. You'll need your strength for what's to come," she said. There was a sinister smile on her face.
Aladdin and Reiner looked at each other.