"Desdemona, why don’t you let the child take a seat first?" another woman spoke. She wore dark red armor, and her eyes, as red as her attire, bore a gaze as deep and intense as her emotions were absent. Her black hair, tied in a ponytail, swayed in the breeze, though a few stray locks fell to frame her emotionless face. Despite her outward calm, her eyes held the wisdom of someone who had lived through countless trials and seen many things in her time.


    It took Athena a moment to fully register the name ‘Desdemona.’ In her ten short years of life, she had only ever heard of a woman wearing a white and golden toga, with golden blonde locks and light blue eyes—the fallen goddess of destiny, Desdemona. Athena was still reeling from the realization when she stammered, "You… Aren’t you supposed to be... ahhh... Annihilated after the war back then?"


    A man with dark hair and light brown eyes smirked, his mischievous glint unmistakable. "As Agrona said, take a seat, child."


    Seeing Athena hesitate, the fox spirit gently nudged her toward the seat beside Desdemona. Then, shrinking into a pup, it curled up into a ball in Athena’s lap.


    "You must have been close in your past life for her to be this attached to you," another woman said. She wore deer antlers and a crown made of flowers and vines. Her dark green toga, embroidered with various plant motifs, suggested she was the goddess of nature. "Even back then, she was a prideful little thing who only listened to her master."


    From the way they carried themselves, Athena could tell who they were. The woman was Rowan, the goddess of nature, and the man with light brown eyes had to be Aspen, the god of Mischief, notorious for his pranks.


    There were three other gods present as well. One had snow-white hair and piercing blue eyes, with a thunderbolt symbol etched on his forehead—Phoebe, the God of Thunder and Night. Another was Vesper, the goddess of Destruction and Plague, and beside her stood Adalet, the goddess of Judgment and Justice. Lastly, a little black dragon caught Athena''s attention.


    She stared at the small creature with intense curiosity, but the dragon narrowed its slit eyes at her in response. With a fluid motion, the creature shifted into a form that was half-man, half-dragon. The horns and black scales remained, giving him a fearsome yet regal appearance.


    Among all the gods present, he was the most terrifying to look at. Even the fox in Athena''s lap trembled, curling up into a tighter, rounder furball.


    "How are you all here, and where is this place?" Athena asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and concern.


    Vesper''s chuckle echoed through the air, sending a chill down Athena''s spine. "Child, this is your own mental landscape."


    Athena shook her head in disbelief. "No, that can''t be right. Last time I saw it, it was just a vast ocean—sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent."


    Another chuckle rang out, this time from Phoebe. "Foolish child, do you not realize? The jade pillar you saw before is one of the Grand Pillars—the same kind as those in the Heavenly Palace. The amount of mana and divinity it contains is on par with a lesser god."


    Athena remembered the white pillar that had made her faint. Her mind struggled to comprehend it.


    She asked again, more urgently, "But how did you all get into my mental landscape? Didn’t you disappear?"


    Desdemona sighed, the weight of her words palpable. "We did cease to exist, but before that, our lord, the ONE TRUE BEING, infused a fragment of each of our souls into yours. We are the fallen who now exist only in this place."


    There was a sorrowful ache in her voice, a raw pain that Athena couldn''t ignore. It tugged at her heart. She instinctively felt the urge to offer comfort, as if her brother were here he would do the same.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Without thinking, her small hand stretched toward Desdemona, pulling the goddess into an embrace. It shocked everyone, even the spirit in her lap. The fox had known her master for a long time but had never seen this side of her.


    Desdemona''s eyes widened in surprise, but the shock quickly faded into a soft affection as she gently patted Athena’s head.


    "It''s true," Desdemona said, her voice softening, "that one''s upbringing can bring great change in behavior." She looked down at the child, her voice full of gratitude. "Thank you, princess, for your compassion."


    Athena felt a flush of embarrassment. She never behaved like this, but then again, this must be her brother’s influence rubbing off on her. Suddenly, a low rumble echoed through the air. Adalet’s expression darkened. "We don’t have much time for chit-chat. It’s going to disappear."


    Desdemona looked up, a frown crossing her face. "Little princess, we may not be able to meet again until you grow stronger. But before we return to slumber, we wish to pass on a part of our inheritance to you. It’s earlier than I’d calculated, but it will help you advance."


    The gods placed their hands together in prayer. A bright light emanated from them, enveloping the confused princess in a radiant glow. Athena felt an unknown energy surround her, its presence both foreign and familiar. The fox spirit in her lap stared in shock. Even in her master’s previous life, she had never been this fortunate—survival had always been a struggle.


    "Child," Vesper’s voice broke through the moment, "when you learn skills, try to focus on those that align with our authority. This inheritance will help you unlock those powers fully. But remember—never use these gifts to their fullest until you have awakened."


    Rowan looked at Athena, the weight of so many lives resting on such young shoulders. "We must leave now, child," she said softly. "But don’t worry. We will meet again. Until then, grow stronger."


    As the gods began to fade, Desdemona spoke once more, urgency in her tone. "Little princess, we leave the spirit queen with you. She will aid in your growth. See you soon."


    Before Athena could fully process what was happening, the gods and goddesses vanished, and the beautiful garden disappeared with them. She was once again standing alone in the vast ocean, the familiar feeling of isolation settling over her.


    She watched as the fox spirit transformed back into its original nine-tailed form. The creature howled toward the vacant sky, and in response, the sky cleared, dim light filtering through and casting a gentle glow on the ocean’s surface.


    The fox spirit nuzzled Athena’s forehead. "Master, I will be here. If you need me, just think of me."


    With those words, the fox spirit turned into a ball of light and ascended to the heavens, transforming into the moon that illuminated the ocean below. One by one, the remaining spirits who hadn’t disappeared with the gods followed suit, turning into beams of light that shot up to the sky, adorning it like countless stars.


    Suddenly, Athena heard her father’s voice piercing through her mental landscape. "Cupcake, wake up. Cupcake."


    The next moment, she was jolted awake by her father and Rufus. The Athena who opened her eyes was different. Alexander could immediately feel it—the change in his daughter. The most noticeable difference was the glowing golden lotus symbol on her forehead, the legendary spirit queen’s mark, shining brightly.


    "Kid, don’t tell me that while you were out, you somehow managed to tame the spirit queen?" Alexander asked, his voice filled with disbelief.


    Athena blinked at the two figures in front of her, disoriented. She could already feel the start of a headache forming.


    "Old man, I’m already worn out, so stop yelling at me," she muttered, massaging her temple.


    "Cupcake, what happened? Why did you faint?" her father pressed, his concern evident.


    Athena hesitated for a moment, but then decided to share at least part of what had happened. "I think I met eight different gods." She paused, watching their reactions. "Not just any gods, but the fallen."


    Alexander froze, momentarily stunned. His daughter wasn’t just protected by the ONE TRUE BEING, but by other gods as well.


    Before either of them could fully process that, Athena dropped another bombshell, one that caused Rufus’s hologram to glitch for a moment. "Oh, and apparently in my previous life, I had a soul-bound spirit. She was awakened by all that commotion." Athena paused dramatically. "And it turns out she’s a nine-tailed fox spirit... who happens to be the spirit queen."


    The revelation was enough to make Rufus’s hologram momentarily malfunction and for Alexander to stare at his daughter with wide, disbelieving eyes.