One would never expect someone as powerful as Legendary Blackflame Twilight and God Devourer to so easily accept playing a subservient role, yet the way Sheira asked her to pretend and to hide her power only made her feel… good.
Her adoptive goddess daughter truly did not aim to exploit her power. Nobody ever went to such an extent to hide my power, despite it being capable of greatly benefiting her.
She had expected both Sheira and Azure to ask her to do them favors constantly, yet she found herself merely asked for such minor things as hiding herself and teaching. They had not tried to trick her into killing their enemies, and did not seek a way for them to ascend.
Although I did force the so-called ascension on Sheira. She couldn't even describe how guilty she felt for forcing her to become a goddess, yet all she could do was offer her support and nourishment.
And for Azure, she could not imagine the white haired elf ever attempting to exploit anyone. With each action the duo made, Aqua's trust in them grew more and more. She told herself that she should not trust them fully, yet it proved difficult.
However, treachery would always come from your closest friends. She bit her lip as she thought about the possibility. Yet she forced herself out of it as she stared at Azure and Sheira, who were in the middle of a discussion.
The duo nodded to each other before they turned to Aqua, "Ok, so I, with my infinite intellect, have constructed this story for you!"
"Aqua used to be one of the villagers near the border of the Red Dawn; however, due to her generosity, she had offered to be a guide in and out of Red Dawn. However, we were ambushed and I was kidnapped while the rest of the guards died." Sheira stopped for a moment. "YET!, Azure could not allow that to happen; she and Aqua, who acted as her guide, ventured deep within Razul and rescued me."
"If it were not for Aqua's guidance, I would have been enslaved, and thus she deserves amazing rewards!" She smugly moved her finger under her nose. "What do you think?"
Azure slowly closed her eyes, "I guess it's fine. I hope you can convince your mother, she is way too good at detecting lies."
"Don't worry! Mom will believe her darling daughter!"
Aqua frowned, "Are you sure that is believable? I have a feeling many would question it."
"It's not the best, I will admit. Yet I can't think of anything better."
"Yet you claim, infinite intellect?" Aqua giggled.
Sheira pouted, "Don't bully me, mommy!"
Azure placed her hand over her mouth as she suppressed her laughter, yet it burst out of her as water through a weak dam. "I can't…. HAHAHAH…. Really… But I still believe in Sheira."
Sheira slumped down, "I tried, Ok?!"
"It's fine, as long as you are confident, you can convince your mother and father." Azure waved her hand dismissively. "Tho, admitting you were kidnapped will make your mom so mad at me."
"Eh, it's fine, we can't lie about it. I can also say they painted my hair before they planned to sell me off, but you arrived just in time." Sheira scratched her chin, "I would like to lie about the whole situation, but then we can't explain what happened to the soldiers and why we brought Golden Rose."
"I guess… I am just afraid…" Azure chuckled.
Aqua crossed her arms. She had explained to Azure that nobody would execute her, yet she still worried. Although she could understand the worry, it irked her that Azure did not feel completely safe by her side.
No, Aqua, you damned Idiot. Not even you feel completely safe. She quickly reprimanded herself as she reassumed her usual smile.
The girls relaxed for a moment as the carriage finally entered the checkpoint. Azure pushed herself up from her seat. "I will handle the checkpoint. Please sit here and relax."
Aqua and Sheira nodded as Azure jumped out of the carriage and approached the guards.
Aqua stretched her legs and arms. "Sheira."
"Yes?" Sheira tilted her head.
"When you practice aether conversion in a populated area… please do not explode, I will try to be around; however, you need to learn to control that on your own."
Sheira shrank back, "What the hell, mommy?! I am not THAT stupid!"
"You already did in that shop, fortunately, the damage was minimal." Aqua leaned back as she mentioned her blunder.
"Ok… ok, I know. But trust me! I will not let it happen again!"
"I know it won't." Aqua smiled as she closed her eyes.
While she enjoyed her conversations with the girls, she needed her meditation to calm her own mind. It was the quickest and most efficient way to clear herself of any worry and paranoia that might have festered.
She inhaled deeply as her thoughts disappeared. She entered a state of clarity where she could fully relax and let her mind rest. The state of clarity is a necessity. She repeated those words as she plunged deeper and deeper within her own mind.
She felt a faint sense of connection to the divine that tried to spy on her, yet it was a trace she could not follow. It's so unlike gods to quit when they see they are outmatched. Her grin widened.
While they were vile creatures, they were also rather humble when it came to divinity. It defied her understanding, yet she could be sure of one thing. They were malicious as divinity demanded.
She wished to speak to them, learn more of their capability, and in the worst case, consume them with the black fire. While she wished to eradicate them so that they would not hurt anyone, it was a horrible idea.
Mortals would struggle without them. They would fall unless they transition into a godless existence with a steady pace. Aqua let out a sigh as she pushed down her thoughts; they had left her alone for now, thus they were not an immediate threat.
Now she had to teach Sheira and Azure, while figuring out how to empower the world soul at the request of Sun God. If anyone else had asked something like that from her, she would have rejected, but for Sun God, she would burn the very stars.
She smiled warmly as she pulled herself out of her meditative state. Last time she had returned, she was Azure crying over her, yet unlike last time, she had not spent hours hunting for the stalker gods.
Aqua's eyes fluttered open just as Azure climbed back into the carriage.
"Everything alright?" Sheira asked.
"Yeah, the officer recognized me, so we are clear." Azure nodded as she leaned back onto the seat.
"Great!" Sheira slumped down as she exhaled. "I just need to convince Mom about Aqua… Gosh, I am very nervous about that."
Azure leaned on Sheira and wrapped her arms gently around the princess, "It will be fine. I believe in you!"
Aqua sighed. The story was clearly full of holes, yet it was not right to crush Sheira's confidence. After all, even the most outrageous lie, when said with confidence, could convince those who didn't know better, "I believe in you, too!"
Sheira's ears slumped down. "Thank you, ladies. You two are treasures."
Aqua waved her hand, and the carriages started moving once again. She truly felt flattered by the treasure comment, but she could not let it soften her up too much. The convoy passed the gates.
Aqua stared at the magnificent stone buildings that towered above them. While they weren't anything particularly impressive, she noticed how proudly Sheira looked at them. "Rather impressive."
"Of course it is! It is a jewel of our kingdom!"
Well, it is pretty at the very least; however, its layout is horrible for defense.
The streets were wide with not many corners for defenders to ambush from. It was made in times of peace, for times of peace alone.
Aqua shook her head as she took on a forced smile. If a force like exterminators were to attack this city, it would fall even faster than many of the old world's elven cities. She slapped herself with both hands as she banished the thoughts of exterminators.
They were dead, and this was a different world. She had come a long way since then and would never allow the same fate to befall the elves of this world.
Aqua looked up at the prideful Sheira, "It's beautiful. Truly majestic city!"
"Aqua knows it, too!" Sheira giggled.
Azure hung her head, "Yeah… not that you need to say it. But it is just so much more advanced than other parts of the elven kingdom, you know? It makes me feel like a leech living here."
Aqua raised her brow, "How high is the discrepancy?"
Azure let out a sigh, "Well, that village you saw earlier… is quite advanced compared to most other regions."
Aqua brought her hand to her chin, "Hmm… Interesting…"
"Well, let's not fret on it right now! We need to go straight to the palace, get Golden Rose into royal custody, and let my parents judge them. I am sure Mom and Dad won't be overly harsh with them if I say they were brainwashed." Sheira sat down and slid close to Azure, "Now… Azu, hypothetically, if you were in a small room with Aqua… all alone… what would you do?"
"SHEIRA!" Azure reeled back in surprise while Aqua merely tilted her head.