Warm sunlight poured through the curtains, painting Akari's new room in gold.
For a few blissful moments, she forgot she wasn't on Earth anymore. The bed was soft, the air smelled faintly of fresh bread from somewhere in the house, and the gentle hum of a quiet morning felt… peaceful.
Then she remembered.
"…Right. New world. Goddess mistake. Almost died twice," she mumbled into her pillow.
She groaned softly, rolling out of bed and stretching her arms. Her nightgown slipped slightly off her shoulder as she rubbed her eyes. The faint glimmer she'd seen on her palm last night was gone, but the memory of her conversation with Zilyana was all too clear.
"I accidentally gave you a portion of my power."
Akari sat there for a moment, staring at her hand. "A portion of a goddess's power… and I still can't even boil water without burning it. Great."
A soft knock came at the door.
"Miss Akari?" Elen's calm voice called from the hall. "Breakfast is ready. Lady Lyra is waiting in the dining room."
Akari blinked, then scrambled to her feet. "Ah, coming!"
She quickly changed into the new clothes Lyra had bought for her, a soft white blouse and a short blue skirt, simple but cute. She tied her hair back with a ribbon Elen had left on the vanity and stepped out into the hallway.
Lyra's home was quieter than Akari expected for someone so famous. The walls were lined with bookshelves and a few paintings, and the smell of coffee drifted from the kitchen.
When Akari entered the dining room, Lyra was already seated at the table, sipping from a mug. A plate of buttered bread, eggs, and fruit sat before her.
"Good morning," Lyra said without looking up. "Sleep well?"
Akari sat down across from her, nodding quickly. "Yeah. It's been a while since I've slept that soundly. The bed's really comfy."
Elen appeared, setting a plate in front of Akari. "Please enjoy. If you need more tea or coffee, just ask."
Akari smiled. "Thank you, Elen."
The maid nodded politely and disappeared into the kitchen.
As Akari began to eat, she caught Lyra watching her with those sharp red eyes. "You look deep in thought," Lyra said. "Something wrong?"
Akari froze mid-bite. "Ah, it's nothing, well, actually…"
She hesitated. Should she tell her? Would it sound insane to say she'd talked to the goddess in her dreams?
But Lyra wasn't the type to mock easily.
"…Last night," Akari began quietly, "I saw Zilyana again. The goddess."
Lyra's brows lifted slightly. "In a dream?"
"Yeah. She, uh… apologized again for the whole war thing. And she told me something about my power."
Lyra leaned back in her chair, curious. "Go on."
Akari put down her fork. "She said the reason the adventurer's crystal couldn't measure my abilities… was because she accidentally gave me a portion of her power."
Lyra blinked once. Then twice.
"…She what?"
Akari raised her hands defensively. "I know! I was shocked too! She said the system can't measure divine energy, so to everyone else, it just looks like I have zero skill."
For a long moment, Lyra just stared at her. Then she sighed, setting her mug down. "You do realize that if that's true, it makes you the most dangerous person in the kingdom?"
Akari nearly choked on her tea. "What?! I can barely swing a stick! How am I dangerous?!"
Lyra smirked faintly. "Not by intent. By potential. If you truly carry a goddess's power inside you, you might not even need a weapon to destroy something."
"...That's not comforting."
"I wasn't trying to comfort you," Lyra said calmly, finishing her drink. "I was warning you."
Akari slumped forward, resting her chin on the table. "So let me get this straight. I'm unmeasurable, unpredictable, and possibly unstable. Fantastic. I'm basically a walking accident waiting to happen."
Lyra's smirk softened into something almost kind. "If it makes you feel better, you're not the only one the gods have messed with. This world is full of divine blunders."
Akari peeked up at her. "You're joking, right?"
"Half joking," Lyra said. "But if Zilyana gave you her power, there's a reason. It won't just sit dormant forever."
Akari sighed. "That's what she said, too. Something about it responding to my heart. Which sounds… poetic, but also useless."
Lyra chuckled lightly, the sound rare and warm. "You'll figure it out. I'll help you."
Akari blinked. "You… will?"
Lyra stood, grabbing her sword from beside the chair. "Of course. You're living under my roof now. That makes you my responsibility."
Something in Akari's chest fluttered at those words. It wasn't just the tone, it was the quiet certainty in Lyra's voice, like a promise.
"…Thank you, Lyra."
"Finish your breakfast," Lyra said, heading toward the door. "Then meet me outside. We're going to the Guild again today. If you're going to live here, you'll need to learn how things work."
"Right," Akari said with mock enthusiasm. "Time to become the world's most overpowered errand girl."
Lyra gave her an amused look over her shoulder. "One step at a time, Akari."
The walk to the Guild was calmer than yesterday. The city streets were busier in the daylight, vendors shouting, knights patrolling, carriages rattling over cobblestones.
Akari walked beside Lyra, her mind swirling with everything she'd learned.
"Hey, Lyra," she said after a moment. "You've fought a lot of strong people, right? What do you think… divine power even feels like?"
Lyra thought for a long moment before answering. "It's… overwhelming. Like trying to stare directly into the sun. It's beautiful, but it burns everything it touches if you're not careful."
Akari frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is. Which is why you need to learn control before it wakes up fully."
They reached the Guild, and as the familiar doors swung open, the noise of clinking armor and laughter filled the air.
But this time, Akari didn't shrink away. She straightened her back, took a deep breath, and followed Lyra inside.
Elen's words echoed faintly in her mind."Lady Lyra told me you had quite the adventure today."
She smiled softly to herself. "Yeah," she murmured under her breath. "And I have a feeling it's only just beginning."