She said nothing for a moment, only the sound of Casper snoring behind us, until Janus finally spoke. "Why do you ask?"
I fidgeted, sinking my face deeper into her shoulder. "It's just.. I have heard about the war between the Underworld and Wonderland. I don't know why or how it happened, but it had something to do with that goddess... didn't it?"
There was no response from the Gate Goddess. I felt the light flicker from her fingers, which had once glided through my feathers. She sat there, her body both stiff and soft, and the comforting scent that surrounded her was slowly fading away. This change made me concerned. I looked up at her, shifting away slightly while Janus remained fixated straight ahead.
Her eyes closed, and a soft smile returned to her lips. "You have spoken to Arden about this." She turned her gaze to me. "May I ask what you talked to her about?"
I gulped, feeling myself stiffen at the sudden change of topic, yet I felt compelled to answer. "I talked with her about her scar, which led to a discussion about the war with the Hellbeings. I asked her about it because she had experienced pain before, and I wanted to connect with her on that level." I sighed, suddenly feeling guilty that I might have brought Arden back to that moment. However, I remembered how she had responded; she didn't seem to mind. It was a part of her—every scar she covers tells a story.
"I do not like the word.. war." Janus stiffened, turning her smile into a frown.
I giggled. "Arden said you wouldn't."
Janus's smile returned, grinning kindly back at me. "What else do you speak about with Arden?"
"She described to me what pain felt like and explained what had happened during the battle. However, she didn't know how it started or why it occurred in the first place." I turned my pleading eyes to her. "I know it had something to do with the Lord Goddess. I know that you know what happened. Can't you tell me?"
She sighed, shaking her head, "Why do you want to know so bad, my dear?"
I tensed up, feeling my wings seize up against my skin. "W-Well… I feel like I should be aware of it. Maybe it will give me a better understanding of what's happening with me."
"What do you mean?" Her voice grew serious, squinting slightly.
I turned, kicking my feet off the mattress. "I feel a connection to the Underworld in some way. They can feel pain down there, and so can I—so that's a connection!" My heart raced as fear surged within me. "The other goddesses already see me as a danger to everyone, and if I am linked to the Underworld somehow... I want to learn as much as I can about it." Tears filled my eyes, and pain shot through the back of my head when I realized I could not feel Janus's warmth. I turned to her and said, "Please... I want to know what happened. Maybe it can help me. Perhaps I could finally understand what's wrong with me!"
"Vienna, my dear." Janus pulled me into her chest, big arms wrapped tightly around me in a gentle embrace. I relaxed, the pain in the back of my skull slowly diminishing as all I could feel was her..
She rested her head on top of mine, the weight allowing me to sink deeper into the safety of her embrace. "I wish I could tell you everything is alright and that you will be fine. I don't know what is holding you back from letting go." She moved away so I could meet her gaze. "I don't think telling you this will help; it won't provide the answers you are looking for."
"Please, Janus.." I mumbled, squeezing her tightly like I was praying for something bigger then myself. "I need to know at least something."
Her expression, soft and gentle, looked down at me. I could only swallow my tears; the effort to suppress my sobs was intense. I might have been using this against her, but I could see the wall within her gaze beginning to break. She was trying hard to remain stoic and strong.
Janus let out a deep sigh, her eyes fluttering closed before she wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Alright," she said. I jumped in surprise, my eyes widening. "I will tell you. However, as I mentioned before, my dear, you will not have all your questions answered."
I nodded enthusiastically, desperate for something, anything to calm my curious mind. Janus softened at my look, pulling me into her so I could rest easily against her arms before she began to explain.
"The Lore Goddess is known as the goddess of dimensions. That is her sole domain and her only power." Janus tried to maintain her smile as she looked down at me before continuing. "She can travel between both Wonderland and the Underworld, which is why she is called the Lore Goddess. She is older than all of us goddesses and even older than the lords in the Underworld.
"I can't say she was the primary cause of the battle we fought decades ago, but I can say she is, well, quite fond of chaos." I raised an eyebrow, prompting a giggle from the goddess. "That might as well be her other passion. For her, chaos is merely a source of entertainment. She tends to create disorder wherever she goes, which is why she spends more time in the Underworld than here. Her ability to travel between our worlds, combined with her penchant for trouble, can lead to significant issues when she gets bored..."
I puffed my wings up, sinking deeper into her hold with my head resting peacefully into her touch. The goddess shifted, her large wing coming up to cover me the best it could on the end of the bed.
"That's what happened during the battle. The goddess felt the urge to witness something entertaining," Janus said with a heavy sigh, tightening her grip around me. "This desire coincidentally opened a transmission I had created to keep the Hellbeings out of Wonderland. She is powerful enough to override that, which allowed the Underworld to see the opening and seize the opportunity to cause as much chaos as they could."
I could sense the clear annoyance in Janus's voice. It was evident that she had a strong dislike for this goddess and the Hellbeings. As she spoke, I could hear the strain in her tone, which masked her calm, comforting demeanor.
"What hurt the most during that time wasn't simply that the goddess broke my transmission for her own amusement." She shook her head, curling her legs up to pull me closer. "She was also responsible for stopping the attack. She allowed me to remake my transmission and prevent the Underworld from invading." Her voice became softer, almost a whisper, filled with underlying pain. "The strongest among us are often irresponsible and mad." I looked up at her, placing my hands on her shoulders to make her meet my gaze. Her smile returned, warmth softening her eyes. "She doesn't care about anyone. She sees nothing in us angels the way we see each other, which is why she feels no empathy for this place or even for the Underworld."
"She does not seem good." I frowned, feeling my wings itch at the explanation Janus gave me. "I don't understand why she even has the word 'goddess' in her name!"
The Gate Goddess gently laughed, pulling me closer to rest her head peacefully on top of mine. "Neither do I, my dear.." She let out a breathy sigh, her fingers traveling up and down my back, resting a few times against my wings like soft kisses. "So, did any of this answer your curiosity?"
I let out a shaky laugh, feeling slightly embarrassed. "No.. not at all actually." I turned my head, trying to hide the embarrassing amount of red forming on my cheeks. "I didn't know that the Lord Goddess had such an immature reason to do that. I thought it would at least explain more about the Underworld." I stopped, flinging my head up to the goddess. "Wait.. you know about the Underworld, don't you-"
"Okay, my dear.." Janus giggled, shaking her head softly and planting a kiss on my temple. "That is enough for right now. I explained as much as I could; now you must rest."
I pouted my lips. "I don't see the reason to I mean, I barely even fought today. I just sat around."
Janus shook her head once again, moving away with her hands staying around my hips. "Resting is still good for you, my dear. It will make you more ready for your next session, maybe you will fight then?"
My wings bristled with excitement, flooding through my veins. I eagerly nodded, hoping her words would come true in the next session. Janus grinned and stepped back, allowing me to lie down on the mattress while Casper settled beside me, resting her muzzle on my chest. I waited, feeling a tingle on my skin. I shifted my gaze upward to the goddess, who was keenly watching me.
"Can.. can you stay?"
Her head tilted, feather-light touches traveling up my leg as she rested beside me. "Of course, my dear."
I felt better at that. A hand came up to rest on my head, her comforting warmth seeped through my skin and straight to my brain. My consciousness began to soar away, and I quickly accepted it.
I felt no fear this time, not with the goddess sitting beside me. She kept my fearful memories away…
I didn't know what to expect. The empty yet comforting dark void soon went away as the buzz from my wrist lulled me awake. I awoke alone, but I expected it.
I got ready with Caspar chasing my tail. We flew through the air together, and as we moved farther away from the coves and closer to the Battle Arena, I decided to play a little game of tag with the hyperactive pit bull.
I started to tire as soon as the large arena came into view, so I slowed down and landed near the entrance. I was early this time, which meant I had to squeeze through the gathering warriors who were taking their usual places to sit and watch. I caught up with Arthur, who was talking with Casey. We greeted each other and sat down to watch and wait for the next battle.
"Another great session!" The Warrior Goddess bellowed out, looking proud and ready. She placed her hand on her hips, looking at all of us. "Now, who is next to the right in the arena?"
Of course, I raised my hand. I watched as the goddess scanned the crowd, her eyes locking onto mine before shifting up and behind me. Axel, the male warrior, had his arm raised. I let out a frustrated tut as I noticed his sly grin directed at me while he made his way into the arena. I growled and kept my hand raised, hoping for a chance to battle that annoying warrior, only to be passed over again.
She chose Arthur, the warrior beside me was getting pressured by Casey. Arthur nodded to his boyfriend, noticing my annoyed look, he patted my shoulder. "Hope you go next!"
"Right..." I stifled a tight, fake smile, but Arthur didn't notice.
Now, I was certain Ballona was passing me up. She chose both Arthur and Axel, one sitting right behind me and the other beside me. I was growing increasingly annoyed.
I forcefully suppressed my emotions, turning my focus to the fight instead.
Axel and Arthur began their battle, and Axel easily took the upper hand in the fight. He brushed Branchie past the other leg, tripping the shorter warrior. Arthur rolled out of the way, kicking his feet up he managed to hit the other.
Axel staggered away, wiping away the dust that the hit Arthur got on him. He rushed forward, planting his Pedal up and swinging it in the other direction. Arthur ducked, rolling on the ground to evade the hits. He pulled his own Pedal up, clashing against Axel's to delay a deafening sound.
Casper whined, covering his ears. I laughed, petting his ears before looking back up at the fight.
When comparing their strengths, it was clear that Axel had the upper hand. He successfully defeated Arthur's "Pedal to Pedal" defense, knocking aside Arthur's guards. Though Arthur scrambled to regain control, Axel blocked his path with the Branchie. He swung at Arthur's other hand, forcing him back against a few pillars that the shorter warrior quickly jumped on top of.
"Come on, Arthur!" Casey cheered on.
Arthur now had the higher ground against Axel, so he was forced to use his Branchie. He tried to outwit his component, batting at his Branchie with force in an attempt to knock it away.
But Axel had a firm grip on his weapon. The older warrior had had enough of Arthur's high place; he bounced up when he had an opening and spread his wings. A strong source of wings came out, hitting Arthur off balance. Feathers came spreading out, knocking and distracting the angel above.
I could just see the smirk hidden behind Axel's helmet. He pounced on Arthur, swinging his Branchie hard and knocking Arthur down off the pillar. He landed above him, the Branchie pointed right at the shorter angel's chest as he had won.
The cheers came for the winner who helped the small warrior up. Casey grumbled, but clapped himself.
Ballona congratulated the warrior, allowing her to return to her seat, where she could choose the next fighters. Even with my hand raised and itching to go, Ballona passed right by me and chose two other warriors.
I gave up, crossing my arms in a gesture of solidarity.
The session was over. I hopped off the seats to follow Arthur near the sentence where the warriors began to spill out. I was stopped by the familiar sight of angels waiting for me. Arthur noticed them as well. He stood next to me, sharing a glance with me.
He shyly smiled, moving over to Casey, who was waiting for him on top of Kingston. "Guess you're going with them?"
I nodded, waving him off. "Yeah. I'll see you next session." He waved goodbye.
I made my way over to the three, noticing how there were no Cupids with them this time. Rory was the first to greet me, swinging their arms around my shoulder. "Hey, took you long enough."
"This wasn't even our longest session," I smirked, rolling out of their hold.
"Yeah, but we want to get going and see Aleida." Seth laughed, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Let's get going!" Bridget urged, jumping up with her wings spread wide. We followed her, caught up in her excitement, which was contagious for Casper, the pup, who was just as eager and bouncing around energetically. "They should be in Cupid's Cove, in their room. Aleida is occupying most of their time."
"Oh, that makes sense." I laughed, fitting my wings out to keep up with them. "I haven't seen them since the party at Cupids Cove."
"It will make sense why they spend so much time with her when you see the state of their cove." Rory giggled, their wings fluffing up at the thought.
Seth nudged them, causing the redhead to whine, though he didn't appear hurt at all. They pushed against each other, trying to knock one another off balance with their wings. They had done this countless times before, and I just hoped that if one of them emerged victorious, they wouldn't come flying at me or Bridget, who was standing behind them.
As we flew under the clouds, Cupids Cove came into view. I followed the couple who led us to the window instead of the doors. I suppose they preferred this entrance.
Rory jumped through first, pulling Seth along to join him before Bridget and I could follow in. Casper flapped his wings, sending feathers flying around the tiled floor. Bridget shushed him.
I turned to the couple, who were now bickering. I stepped between them, pushing a hand on their chest to separate them, "I don't know where their cove is. Can you stop fighting and lead us there?"
Rory gave a confident smile, whacking Seth before they took the lead. "Of course," they stuck their tongue out at him. "Allow me."
"Goddess, why am I dating you..?" I heard Seth grumble, blushing wildly.
I ignored them and ensured that Bridget and Casper were behind us as we were led to the halls where Orwell's Cove was located. To my surprise, we continued up the steps. There were many more floors than I had anticipated, and we eventually reached the highest point in the castle. Bridget nudged me, and I turned to her with a questioning look.
"The paired cupids share rooms on the top floor. When they have a new cupid to look after, they are granted a bigger cove to house them all." She looked happy, face dusted with a freckled blush.
I giggled, slowing down my steps so the loud pair in front of us could be drowned out. "That's nice. How big are the coves?"
"Oof," Bridget exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. "It's hard to say.. but just know that it's way bigger than our cove!"
"Oh, that's helpful," I joked, earning a laugh from the shorter angel.
"You're gonna find out soon, silly." Bridget stopped, moving to where the couple were perched by a pair of doors.
I took a moment to read the names, which of course included Rue, Brick, and Aleida. I wondered if their room was anything like Orwell's; his room was very nice. Not only did it have a calming scent, but it was also cozy and bright. If they had a younger Cupid with them, I would guess that their space is messy and not the best. Little kids, even if they are Cupids, can be quite a handful.
Instead of just guessing, I would actually get to find out. Rory quickly entered without even bothering to knock, and soon after, we all followed, with Casper close to my side to avoid bumping into anything.