"I swear, you're still a perverted goddess," Elaine muttered aloud, tossing the photograph back onto the table.
The world immediately went dark.
Not the simple dark of a room with the lights turned off — this was a void of velvet-black nothingness, an endless, soft abyss. Her feet touched no floor, yet she stood. Her magic flickered instinctively around her body.
And then she wasn't alone.
The Goddess stood before her, exactly as she had appeared in the photograph, but impossibly more radiant in person. Her long hair shimmered like starlight caught in water; her gown was midnight and gold, cut in ways that made it seem simultaneously regal and scandalously revealing. Her lips curved into a knowing smile as she tilted her head.
"Well, well," the Goddess purred, her voice rich and warm. "Call me a pervert again, and I might start thinking you like my attention, my little witch."
Elaine's sharp wit and steel-cold composure faltered for just a moment. Her cheeks burned as she instinctively took a step back, trying to keep her eyes level with the Goddess's and not on the deep, impossible neckline of her gown. "You—You can't just summon me like this without warning," she stammered.
The Goddess took a single step closer. The void rippled under her bare feet, stars blooming with each step. "Of course I can. You're mine, after all. My creation. My darling little experiment." Her fingers brushed a lock of Elaine's hair from her cheek with a teasing gentleness.
A shiver ran down Elaine's spine. Her body reacted before her mind could stop it — her pulse quickened, her face flushed. She wanted to pull back, to snap some cutting remark, but her lips parted helplessly instead.
"You… you're manipulating me." Her voice came out breathy. "You're making me…"
The Goddess's smile widened. "Want me?" she finished smoothly, her thumb grazing Elaine's jaw. "Of course. I made you exactly as you are, my little witch. Strong, brilliant, beautiful… and perfectly attuned to me. It's only natural you'd be drawn to your creator."
Elaine's hands curled into fists at her sides. "I'm not—" She swallowed hard. "I'm not your toy."
The Goddess leaned in close, so close that Elaine could feel the warmth of her breath on her ear. "No," she whispered, "you're my masterpiece. But I do enjoy watching my masterpiece blush."
Her laugh was low and melodic, vibrating through the void. She circled Elaine like a predator circling prey, her gown whispering against nothingness, her eyes glowing with divine mischief. "You're free, little witch. Free to explore, to conquer, to shape my patchwork world. But don't forget…" she paused behind Elaine, fingers trailing just above her shoulder. "…I can come to you anytime. And I'm very good at getting what I want."
Elaine's breath hitched. She forced herself to take a steadying breath, drawing on every ounce of her iron self-control. "I won't be your puppet," she said quietly.
The Goddess chuckled, stepping back at last, giving her space. "Good," she said, eyes glittering. "Fight me. Resist me. It will make our little game far more delicious."
With a snap of her fingers, the void dissolved.
Elaine blinked and found herself back in her cabin, standing in the same spot as before, Mystica staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Mistress?" the cat asked. "Your aura just spiked like a sun going nova. What happened?"
Elaine touched her burning cheek and muttered, "That Goddess is going to be the death of me…"