Chapter 45: The Goddess Returns_Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 45: The Goddess Returns

 Treia enters the dining hall as Daniel is lounging in a chair, drinking something alone. He sits up when he notices her. “Sar-uh, Treia. Doing alright?”

 She smiles, sighing. “Yes. Just… restless.”

 Daniel notices her tail swishing back and forth, and he realizes instantly to remain on guard. “Restless, huh?”

 She nods as she walks, looking at the high ceilings and decorative lights on the walls and arcades. “Yep. Is it alright if I join you?”

 “Sure. Pull up a seat.”

 She takes a seat next to him, which he’s conscious of, but doesn’t remark on. Treia is a little bit more fiery about her thoughts and feelings, and she’ll be embarrassed if she doesn’t already realize her state. “What are you drinking?”

 “This? Oh! Uh… Well, I was… having my own little celebration drink.” He pours a small amount into a ss for Treia, handing it to her. She seems surprised by the small amount, but she lifts the ss, taking a small sniff. She recoils in surprise, asking, “Is… Is this a potation?”

 Daniel cocks his head, a little surprised that’s what she associated it with, but it makes sense. “Not quite. It’s like a potation, but without the magic. Different ingredients, though.”

 She cautiously tries it, sipping just a tiny amount. Again, she recoils, and he chuckles. “You don’t have to drink it. I’ll get you something else if you want.”

 She sets the ss down, blushing a little. “I… Sorry. But, you… celebrate with this?”

 He nods with an amused smile. “Yep. Sometimes. Better than drinking to bury pain.”

 She cocks her head, and he puts a glove on to operate a magic panel. “Anything you’re in the mood for, Treia?”

 “I… Uh, what are the options?”

 “Pretty much anything. A lot of youdies at Peony drink rose milk, right?”

 She confirms with a small nod. “Y-Yes. I like the sweetness…”

 He nods in turn. He taps on the panel, and a few momentster, a golem walks in carrying a pitcher with a clean ss for Treia. She smiles, epting the drink. She nearly coughs, though, murmuring as she covers her mouth to prevent dribbling all over her clothes, “Th-... This isn’t watered down at all…”

 Daniel chuckles. “The Citadel isn’t involved in the war on either side, and Xyreko has arge stockpile avable for all kinds of things. Hopefully, the war will end soon, and production can return to normal.” He takes a sip of his drink, and she ponders his words for a moment, sipping her own. It’s milk of one of the livestock animals of this world, vored with berry juices that give it a taste that reminds Daniel of the smell of roses. He’s not actually sure if the word he defines as ‘rose’ is the same, since rose milk was his first experience with anything he could associate with roses.

 “What’s your drink called, Daniel?”

 “This?” He inspects his dark brown liquor that Xyreko helped him make with the assistance of some willing potation brewers. “It’s a first run of our attempt at a ck spiced [rum].”

 “Rum?” repeats the gatonine sergeant.

 “Yep. A drink from my world made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice or msses. One of theponents of potations is alcohol. I don’t know the mechanism, but the process to make them is simr to making drinks like this one.”

 She nods as she listens, sipping her milk. “I see… And, you like it?”

 “This one’s not my favorite, but it’s a step towards the drink I used to have in my world. In fact, I had enjoyed a solid ss of it before I was summoned in Mornistae. Probably made it a little easier to brush off that I was suddenly exposed to magic and pulled into apletely different world.” He smirks at her, and she chuckles. She swirls her ss a little, murmuring, “What you did… The… Devourer, was it? You really saved the world, didn’t you…?”

 “Doesn’t feel like it, does it?”

 She hesitates, but she replies softly after a moment, “It… I guess it’s hard to believe… I never knew it existed, and now Xyreko and the others say it’s gone… And the Demon Queen… You’re friends with her, and she wants to end the war now because of what you did. If… If it’s all true… You ended the war… and you saved the world to do it.”

 Daniel smirks, staring distantly at his own drink. “In my world, we had fictional stories, where a person would be transported into another world from our own, typically. Often, a god or one of the kingdoms in that world were sending this protagonist to the world to defeat a Demon King or a Demon Lord, or some other evil being or devastating monster. All kinds of reasons for it. A lot of times, they had systems for how the world worked based on, uh, other forms of entertainment that were more interactive. I’ll exin that some other time. Actually, it’s not unlike Hekate; getting stronger when defeating enemies and gaining more power and abilities thanks to this system.” Daniel takes a sip. “The protagonist would be charged with leveling up, defeating increasingly more dangerous enemies, avoiding conspiracies, finding clues and other important items, and then, finally facing off against the final enemy.” He looks at Treia. “In my case, I had to find a reason to want to save the world, not build up my strength to be able to do it. Well, I kinda did, but not in the hero’s journey sense. Made some friends, found some resources to make my abilities possible, and some people I trust to help convince me that it had to be done.” He finishes off his current ss, refilling it with rum. “I bet the demonkin are celebrating. From their perspective, this thing gued them for years. Once the war ends, the Empire and Mornistae and Bromlund, and all of the eastern allied kingdoms will celebrate as well. To me, it was just a thing. A day that came and went, but meant everyone I came to know and care about can smile for a long time toe without worrying about a bogeyman somewhere far away stalking closer to them.” He offers his ss for a toast, and Treia taps her ss to his. He adds with a smile, “It doesn’t feel like it because those who feel the least weren’t directly impacted by the problem that was solved. Until it sinks in, we’ll just have to quietly celebrate that tomorrow wille.” He takes a drink, and Treia mimics him. She sits contentedly in the peaceful moment with Daniel.

 “What do you n to do tomorrow?” asks the gatonine woman gently.

 Daniel nods as he ponders it visibly. “A fair question. Hadn’t thought that far ahead. Didn’t want to waste any brainpower on tomorrow when my biggest enemy was still a threat.” He smiles. “Besides, you know me. I wing it everyday anyways.”

 Treia sighs. “Daniel… Are… Do you have any intention… to have a family?”

 “What do you mean? I have lots of people I consider…”

 “Hekate doesn’t realize it, but you treat her like a daughter, don’t you?”

 Daniel chuckles, swirling his ss for amusement. “Maybe a little. She’s still too young for my tastes.”

 “I-I see… And, the dragons?”

 “Dunno. Haven’t thought about it much. Is there a reason you’re asking, Treia?”

 “W-Well… I was curious.”

 “Curious, huh?”

 “Yes! Curious! What do you think it is?”

 “Nothing.” Daniel stares ahead, sipping from his drink.

 Treia huffs, and she whines, “You’re thinking something! It’s nothing! I swear!”

 “I didn’t say anything…”

 “You’re doing that thing you do! Stop it!”

 “What are you talking about?”

 She grips his shirt chest, pulling him to face her. “I… I just… I was just curious! That’s a-all! S-So don’t ask me anything!”

 Daniel exhales deeply in exasperation. “Fine. I’ll tell you, then. Unless I already knew ahead of time that you wanted it, I’m going to treat you like you’re drunk. You know, that tipsy feeling you get from too many potations. If you’ve ever had any. You’re not in your right state of mind.”

 Treia gasps, her cheeks filling with colors as her tail puffs up and her ears perk up as straight as possible. She whispers sharply, “H-H-How di-did you know that!?”

 With a chuckle, Daniel teases, “I can smell it on you.”

 She gasps and begins smacking him with her fists, whining in embarrassment. He quickly corrects, “Kidding! I’m kidding! Jeez! Rx! It was a joke.”

 She grips his shirt suddenly as she calms down a little, sniffling. “Do you think…?”

 Before she can finish her thought, her ears fold back, and her expression bes harsh as her gaze locks onto something beyond Daniel. He looks, finding Ryukana, the goddess that transferred him to this world, entering the room cautiously. “A-Am I interrupting anything?”

 Daniel replies, “Nah. Just having a drink. Everything alright?”

 “Daniel… I’vee to ask you an extremely important question.”

 “Sure. What is it?”

 “This world… or Earth? Which do you want to live in?”

 Daniel cocks his head. He was pretty sure he expressed himself, but this seems to be the final question. “I’m happy here. If I don’t have to, I don’t want to leave.”

 Treia whispers, “Daniel? Wh-Who is that?”

 He replies, “Lady Ryukana. I’ll exinter.”

 Ryukana nods, asking, “Are you certain, Daniel? I may not be able to transfer you after today.”

 “Is there a reason?”

 She looks away from him, saying softly, “Just in case.”

 “I see… Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Lady Ryukana. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.”

 Sheughs for a moment before sighing. “Daniel… I am sorry for the trouble I caused you. And, you’ve done a great deed for this world that you had no reason to protect. I hope… that we can meet again…”

 Daniel cocks his head, but before he can say anything else, she says tenderly, “Goodbye, Daniel. Thank you.” She fades just as quickly as she appeared, leaving them in a silent dining hall once more.

 Daniel nces at Treia. “That… felt final, didn’t it?”

 She gives an equally surprised nod, a little confused about the whole exchange. “She… She’s a goddess…”

 Daniel ponders the words, finishing his drink. “Yes… But not ‘the’ goddess.”

 This confuses Treia a little more, and she asks softly, “What does that mean?”

 Daniel corks the bottle of rum, standing up and stretching. “Dunno. If you need anything, one of the golems nearby can hear you. Just ask, and they’ll bring it.” He leaves the room, a little light headed, but he needs to focus on the immediate future. Something isn’t right.

 ***

 Ryukana stands before the Divine Tribunal; a collection of those gods and goddesses not currently bestowing divine intervention, as well as Chaos and Order themselves. She is to be judged for her mistake, and a fitting punishment carried out. The gods and goddesses of the Divine Realm are charged with the unparalleled duty of maintaining a bnce between the chaos of nature and the order of the world. When one threatens to overtake another, systems are in ce for the gods to restore the bnce. Some of these include methods of direct intervention that provide minimal risk to the Divine Realm. Others include prophecies and godsent angels. And, in some cases, divine summons, either chosen by the gods or requested by the world in trouble, are carried out.

 All of these methods are sacred and highly controlled mechanisms set to prevent threats to the Divine Realm as much as to protect the worlds threatened by imbnce.

 In this case, Ryukana was negligent. Somehow, her targeting of Earth captured two individuals from near opposite points on the world. It’s unclear how this should have happened, because the targeting should be singr and focused on a small area. Failing that, she could and should have noticed a second soul in the transfer void, waiting to be modified for transfer to the next world. Failing that, she could have observed the arrival, where she would have seen both Rikuto and Daniel arrive.

 Ryukana doesn’t need any reminder that she failed. She is merely waiting on punishment at this point. She won’t be erased from existence, nor will she be banished to a mortal life -though, that’s not off the table for punishments-. She’ll likely be relegated to the Universal Records of the Divine Realm, responsible for monitoring and categorizing all historical events in the universe. It’s clerical work, and a far step down from being one of the celebrity goddesses choosing heroes to save worlds from destruction, or even worse, from giving rise to threats to the Divine Realm.

 “Ryukana, thirty-third goddess of the Divine Realm; you stand before us today having failed the sacred duty of all gods and goddesses to maintain proper positive control over the world bncing doctrines. Have you any excuse or evidence to exin this failure?” Order speaks directly, bluntly, and in a way that could seem almost cruel for its coldness. However, she means nothing by it, save stating the facts. And, the facts are, Ryukana is a failure in this matter.

 “No, Lady Order… I have no excuses or alternative exnations.”

 Chaos, unlike her sister, does not look at the universe as a set fixture upon which her decorations sit. She looks at the universe as an entity in motion, always changing and always out of control. As sheys across her regal sister’sp, she starts, “Ryukana,...”

 Everyone waits for her to continue, though it takes much longer than most would assume.

 “Y-Yes, Lady Chaos?” asks Ryukana nervously.

 “I was thinking! Tell her I was thinking, Sister.” Order simply pets Chaos’s head, saying nothing.

 Chaos finishes her original thought, “Ryukana, you lost a Divine Summon. Worse, you took over a year to find him. Is there a reason you never checked in on the world you were operating on?”

 “Not a good reason, Lady Chaos.”

 “Humor me, then.”

 In spite of her immature appearance, Lady Chaos is an existence that transcends time and reality itself. Even the gods and goddesses that serve the Divine Realm cannotprehend the full truth of Chaos and Order, in spite of their seemingly simple and binary existence.

 Ryukana replies softly, “I believed Sir Rikuto was well-prepared enough andpetent enough to get off to a good start on his own, Lady Chaos. I did not check in otherwise because I waspletely unaware of Daniel’s presence.”

 Order, still petting Chaos’s head gently, says with amanding and sultry voice, “The crime you are guilty of is not one of merely endangering a single life. I hope you understand that. It is the very system that you damaged; the reliability and faith we all and the worlds over which we observe maintain in the system that preserves those worlds and protects the Divine Realm. One mortal life is not why we are here. The system is why we are here.”

 “Of course, Lady Order. But, even so, Daniel managed to…”

 “A trifle of unexpected good fortune,” retorts Chaos quickly. “Or, bad fortune. Depending on your perspective.” She tugs on Order’s cor for a moment, but gains no reaction out of the more disciplined-seeming goddess, save a simple, content smirk. She finally sits up, facing Ryukana, who stands in a circle formed by the tribunal, which is further surrounded by the audience of gods and goddesses who chose to witness the trial.

 “To credit yourself with the actions of your mistaken summon is to credit me with the sess of protecting that world. And, I didn’t do anything.” She points at the desk, speaking ‘officially’ and surprisingly maturely, “Since time immemorial, I have gifted life with the treasure of free will, that they might sow disorder and disrupt my sister’s treasures.”

 Order smiles, saying tenderly, but still with a sultry and matronly tone, “And, I have restored everything to its proper ce since time immemorial in order to provide a foundation for my sister’s treasures to take form.”

 Chaos smiles proudly, suddenly shifting tones, “So, why would you try to take credit for Daniel’s sess? You did not intend it. You should be thanking me, yes?”

 “I… Lady Chaos… Did…? Were…?”

 “Spit it out! ‘Thank you, Lady Chaos. I am forever envious of your great wisdom.’”

 “Chaos…” warns Order softly, but Chaos simply grins cheekily.

 “Thank you… Lady Chaos, for selecting a worthy hero to the world I failed to properly observe.”

 “Bah! I didn’t do anything! I told you that. I told her that, didn’t I Sister? I told her.”

 Order pets Chaos’s head again, saying gently, “Yes, dear Sister.”

 “I…”

 Order speaks to Ryukana again, “You allowed the mistake to ur. Your experience should have prevented it. But, in peace,fort, stability; you becamecent. That is why there is more than just order to the universe. Comcency must be offset by change, or there is no purpose to existence. There would be no challenges to ovee, no triumphs or aplishments, and no love or hate. Things would just be, and there would be no reason for anything to exist.”

 Chaos says rather maturely, seemingly emting Order, “Order is the mother of existence, and Chaos is the mother of purpose. Comcency is the bastard child of Order, as Megalomania is the bastard child of Chaos. No living thing is immune to sumbing tocency or megalomania. Not even you gods and goddesses of the Divine Realm.”

 Ryukana looks down, bowing her head reverently. “Yes. I understand.”

 “Very good, Ryukana. Then, if you have nothing else to say…” A sudden crackle in the air causes Order to stop what she’s saying, and everyone gathered looks. Ryukana has to turn around to find the source of the noise; a small electrical storm hovering in the air near the entrance to the tribunal hall.

 And then, a portal opens. This portal is not an elegant and graceful doorway to a world. It is a hole being punched throughyers uponyers of defensive energy separating the Divine Realm from any of the worlds over which the gods and goddesses observe. The strange phenomenon causes a nervous murmur to fill the audience, though Order and Chaos are surprisingly calm about it, given the surprising interruption.

 What emerges from the distorted and crackling portal are two figures; one very much human and wearing specialized armor that shifts color gradients and a sword in its sheath that can resist the power of the divine. The other figure is a much shorter female with ck hair, triangr, ck ears that rise high from her head, and arge, bushy ck tail. Like the human, her body and head are protected by armor that changes colors with the divine energy around them, swirling in tune with waves of higher concentration. Just given the surge of energy, it’s clear that the girl is the source of the portal, and the human, which Ryukana easily recognizes, is present as a source of wisdom and truth. He is the one most directly affected, but he also witnessed all of the important events himself.

 Daniel kneels politely, saying almost sarcastically, “Forgive the intrusion, Lady goddesses. But, we’re here to testify.”

 Chaos stands up, retorting indignantly, “‘Testify’? This isn’t a human trial, Daniel of Earth. There is no need for witnesses or for ‘OBJECTION!’.” She snickers, though Order sits with an unamused, but also unperturbed expression. Suddenly, Chaos turns serious, saying, “Or, should I say, Daniel Alexander Lawson, thirty three year old maintenance mechanic from Earth?”

 Daniel chuckles as he rises to his feet. “You’re a goddess. I would be more surprised if you didn’t know my full name.”

 Chaos gasps, ncing back and forth between Order and Daniel, though he suspects it’s more for show.

 Order finally cocks her head. “Daniel, your friend, Hekate, seems to present a threat to the Divine Realm. I don’t know how much was exined to you, but by bringing her here, you have demonstrated that the threat you supposedly defeated is not removed from the equation.”

 Hekate states coldly, “Then you should erase all of yourselves from existence as well. Each one of you is powerful enough to threaten this ce, yes? Daniel saved my life and gave me purpose. I stole the Devourer’s power so I could save Daniel, who always knew his purpose.”

 Order states, “If you were here moments before, you would know, Daniel is not the subject of this tribunal.”

 “Aye! But, isn’t he? Aren’t we all? Everything in existence starts with existence. If Daniel was never born, I would have died. If I was never born, the Citadel would never be reimed and the world would have ended. If Ryukana wasn’t the goddess who did what she did, Daniel and I would have never met, and all of you would have failed a world with your illusion of doing things right.” She crosses her arms haughtily, saying a little arrogantly, “I could destroy this ce. I could put up a fight against all of you. After all, you intervened on my world because you were afraid of the Devourer, but it wasn’t present of mind enough to threaten you in actuality. Now, I have the Devourer’s strength, but I am in control. I have Daniel. I have Ryuogriar and Reignleif and Geirahoel. I have Xyreko. And, I want one more person.”

 “You’ve got nerve making demands here, little feldrok girl.” Chaos appears in front of Hekate, and they stand almost the same petite height, facing off against each other like haughty little girls in a rivalry.

 Hekate retorts, “I am the only one who can, little goddess girl.”

 “You can’t evenprehend my being.”

 “And you can’t stop mine.”

 “Hekate, that’s enough.”

 “Daniel!?”

 Daniel says to the two main goddesses, “Lady Goddesses, Hekate speaks the truth. There is only one more piece we would like to request in order to maintain bnce.”

 Order cocks her head, smiling softly with amusement. “Bnce, you say?”

 Daniel nods respectfully. “Yes. I don’t know how the universe works, but it has to have something to do with bnce, or Lady Ryukana would have simply dealt with it directly. The universe moved forward, and by your grace or the grace of life you created, I ended up in that world, better equipped to deal with the threat that was beyond your control. Thus, Hekate and I would like to request Ryukana be forgiven for the mistake that led to everything falling into ce, as it would have been a much more grave failure if I hadn’t been there, and I would be living alone, drinking myself into an early grave if I had my way.”

 This time, Chaos walks over to stand in front of Daniel, looking up at him, and he matches her gaze. “You think a goddess needs your mercy or forgiveness, Daniel Lawson of Earth; mortal human being and but one of trillions on all the worlds that extend beyond your imagining?”

 “Mercy and forgiveness, no. Rather, I would like her to watch over myself and Hekate. I’d like her to continue to be our matron goddess and ensure that Hekate, in particr, is safe from the power that she obtained.”

 “And, why would we allow her to live? She is no different than the Devourer you destroyed, so far as bnce is concerned.” Chaos looks at the feldrok girl, who cocks her head, which is emphasized by her big, fox-like ears.

 “And, I killed it.” Both of them snap their gazes back to Daniel. “I used the fabric of the universe to preserve life in a world that was not my own. Hekate will as well. With Ryukana’s help, we will form a trifecta to bnce each other, should I or Hekate show bias towards each other.”

 Chaos scoffs, and Hekate res at her, though her helmet does hide her actual expression.

 Ryukana finally speaks, “Daniel… Hekate, I… I don’t understand…”

 Daniel looks at her, replying sincerely. “That farewell was a little bit too final, for my tastes, Lady Goddess. It didn’t bode well.”

 “I… I’m not going to die. This was just a brief analysis of what went wrong.”

 “Nothing went wrong. The world’s safe now. Hekate will safeguard the power, and we’ll find a way to safely disperse it back into the world so that another Devourer doesn’t happen again. If possible, your assistance will help us maintain the world.”

 She nces at Chaos, and then at Order, who is still seated gracefully at her table.

 Daniel adds to Chaos, “Lady Chaos; idents and mistakes are born of chaos, are they not? Maybe it happened because of Ryukana, but I am d it happened. I don’t know if I would have agreed the day I was summoned, but I am d I experienced this life, and I wish to keep living it. Allow me to serve alongside Ryukana on behalf of that world.”

 Chaos stares at him, thinking, and Order finally says, “You’re right, Daniel. Though the system utilizes our strengths, it is also susceptible to our weaknesses. Perfection is found in imperfection, after all.” She stands up, walking more calmly and gracefully around the elegant table, approaching the group. She looks at Daniel, and then at Hekate. After sizing them up a bit, she states, “The threat is gone. For now. Just as with all worlds. Threatse. Threats go. We created the Divine Realm to watch over the worlds and ensure these threats are stopped before they can disrupt bnce.” She sighs, looking at Daniel. “Your world possesses a dangerous weapon that should be feared. Once upon a time, we thought of purging your world once it was discovered.”

 Daniel cocks his head, surprised, and she nods grimly. “Yes. To have such power and wield it against one’s own world ismentable. However,... ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’. I suspect you are familiar with this term.” Daniel nods in confirmation, and she smirks. “Sleeping titans. That can be a greater deterrent to tragedy than not having the titans at all.” She looks at Hekate. “Do you understand the gravity of your role, Hekate, daughter of Jolell and Kurenphar,st living feldrok?”

 Hekate is a little more rattled by hearing the names of her parents than Daniel was by the trick, but she nods confidently. “Yes. With Daniel by my side, I have no reason to use my full power. With Ryukana, she can monitor me, and we can spare Daniel from having to do anything terrible to me if I might be the problem. I want nothing more than Daniel. No power, no enemies, and no riches. Just Daniel. Oh, and Ryukana.”

 There’s an awkward quiet. It’s broken by Chaos, who ps her hands together once. “I’m sold. Ryukana, as punishment for your mistake, you’ll serve as advisor and protector of the world Zenkon, watching over and serving alongside Daniel of Earth and Hekate of Zenkon. Right, Sister?”

 Order nods with a smile. “Yes. I feel this will serve as a fitting penitence. Ryukana, I trust you will uphold this duty with greater care and focus than that which allowed us toe to this point?” She looks at Ryukana, who bows. “My Lady Order, My Lady Chaos, you are truly the most gracious and wise. I shall restore my own honor and ensure the world of Zenkon, Hekate, and Daniel all remain safe.”

 “Very good. Go with our blessings and divine purpose, Ryukana.”

 Chaos grins, and she trots over to Daniel, waving him to lean down. He’s a little surprised, but he does as she bids, and she whispers, though the volume is audible to everyone. “Daniel… When we created all of the gods and goddesses of the Divine Realm, we ensured that they could also feel pleasure.” She whispers even more deviously, “And, have children…”

 Daniel sighs. “I have you two to thank, do I?”

 She snickers, backing away as Hekate instantly states, “You can’t have him! He’s mine! We’ll be friends, Ryukana, but no cheating with Daniel! I won’t allow it!”

 Ryukana bows. “I wouldn’t dream of it, dear Hekate.”

 Chaos, throwing kindling on the fire, says jovially, “Let’s not make hasty and final derations. Life will always progress forward.”

 Hekate res at the small, primordial goddess, who grins deviously at her. Order, seemingly ignoring the conversation, states warmly, “Go forth, Ryukana, Daniel, and Hekate. Protect your world and let us see if feldroks can rise again.”

 Daniel bows politely, as well as Ryukana. Hekate returns to Daniel’s side, mimicking his bow. After, the three return through the portal, leaving Order and Chaos with contented and prideful smiles.

 ***

AliNovel

Chapter 45: The Goddess Returns