Tiamat's Understanding

One woman stood at the top of the tower of Babel, overlooking the entire city. Her demeanor was that of a ruler, looking down at peasants. The highest rooms in the tower were only available to the strongest Familias of the city, led by the most affluent among gods and goddesses. Freya was one such being.

She stood at the peak of what this place offered, with the captain of her Familia being the undisputable King of this city. She sat upon her throne, in a room without lighting, and observed the night.

Since her room offered a way to supervise Orario if the one occupying it had sufficiently good enough eyesight—something the beautiful goddess certainly didn't lack—she watched.

She watched everyone in the city.

Her long silver hair shone through the darkest room of Orario. Similarly-colored eyes washed over the city, looking for entertainment. She sighed, but her boredom didn't erase the glint of lust from her gaze. Her appearance was easily above Hestia's or any other goddess—she was beautiful enough to turn even the most loyal man into nothing but an obsessed dog for even the slightest hint of her touch.

She sat upon her throne, as a queen would, and observed the passing adventurers with a bored expression. Their sorrows, their joy, their anger. Nothing missed her eyes.

Even their souls.

Her figure was one that could shock these very souls, the representation of perfection itself.

The curves she displayed freely, with just the right amount of modesty. As if her body was a forbidden fruit too beautiful to hide completely, but also too beautiful to reveal completely, only made her more enticing.

Her aura overwhelmed the room, tainting it with her scent.

She sighed once more, every breath coming out of her mouth sounding extremely erotic.

"Hmmm," she hummed in thought, lifting her eyes from the streets below her. Then, a thought sprung to her mind. "How curious…" she said as if she was talking to the shadows.

"Now that I think about it, this man's soul…" She smiled. "It was unique, wasn't it?"

Her eyes narrowed into slits, zeroing on one part of the city. The Hostess of Fertility.

"The color of embers and metal, mixed with the breath of the wild. I've never seen a dichotomy so pronounced before." She put her finger on her mouth and her eyes flickered to the sky. "No, never have I seen something like this," she whispered. "An impossibility. A mystery I have yet to unveil… How interesting."

"He would be an excellent addition to my collection, don't you think, Ottar? Ah, and that strange snake of his as well." She pronounced the name with more emotion than any other words, and the shadows obeyed her orders, shifting and parting like the red sea…

…Revealing a giant of a man. Standing like a pillar of strength in the room, he approached his goddess. Despite overflowing with muscles, each footstep was silent, and he walked with an untold grace.

"In terms of quality, he's not too far from that golden girl from Loki's little group. Ah, what was her name again?" Freya tapped her finger on her mouth, mimicking the expression of someone in thought.

Her cutesy tone didn't affect Ottar, who kept his impassive gaze on his goddess while bowing to her. "Do you mean Aiz Wallenstein, my goddess?" He said, his deep voice resonating on the walls of the relatively empty room.

"Ah~ Yes, that's her name. I can be so… forgetful sometimes. Children who don't keep my interest slip out of my memory. And souls like Wallenstein's… I've seen too many of them over the years. Ah, if the opportunity comes, I'll still snatch her away from Loki's grasp—it's so fun to see her mad, after all—and it's been too long since we've had any suitable entertainment in this city."

After a short pause, contemplating the current situation, Freya spoke again, "What do you think about a War Game against Loki, Ottar?"

"I believe we shall crush any opposition in our way, my goddess. Whether it's from the outside of the city, or the inside."

"Hmm~ You are completely right, my dear Ottar." She chuckled. "Hiding our strength from the public isn't an effortless task, but it offers us substantial rewards at the end."

"I believe Loki knows about our spies in her Familia."

"Of course she does. If she couldn't identify those, then I would have lost my interest in her a long time ago. But it doesn't matter, not anymore."

"...What would you have me do, my goddess?" Ottar kept his head down, waiting for the moment where her goddess would give him his orders.

"Who would be fit for this operation, other than Allen? We didn't nurture his natural talent for discretion and hiding for nothing. Tell him to learn everything he can about this person," she said, her eyes becoming unfocused for a second. "His name is Tian."

"Would you have Allen bring him here?"

"No, no, no, of course not," she scoffed. "I will not tolerate such… inelegance from my Familia. We have standards and I must be the one welcoming a recruit. I shall meet him once I have the information about him." Something came to her mind. "Our friends from the Far East have arrived today in this city. And they are experts among humans on the matter of the soul—while such a bright contrast is something I have never seen before, mayhaps they might be able to make sense of it."

'I have sensed no other deities blessing upon his soul, after all…'

"Just send Allen as a scout, for now. Tian is currently sleeping at the Hostess of Fertility, so I'm sure that-" Freya smirked. "Allen will be happy to get close to his dear sister."

"Understood." Ottar stood up, ready to carry on his mission. Orders given by his Goddess were not orders to be delayed, after all.

"Ah, wait, my dear Ottar." The sound of a silky cloth gliding down onto the floor pierced through the momentary silence. Ottar paused in his steps, before turning around.

"I can't endure it anymore~" moaned Freya, her body constricting in pleasure. The sight was magnificent. At this moment, all of Freya's beauty was revealed in its full splendor, but only one person could appreciate the view. "I've been feeling very lonely tonight."

Her words were like a whisper slipping past his mental defense, finding the smallest gap and focusing on it.

She smiled when she saw the slightest hint of emotion break through Ottar's natural impassiveness when he witnessed her body. It was gone as soon as it appeared, but Freya had already got what she wanted. 'You deserve a reward for this, my dear Ottar.'

Her breathing sped up, as she disrobed her child, taking in greedily the definition of his muscles. She let out gasps of appreciation each time another article of clothing fell to the ground.

"Will you comfort me tonight?"

Ottar's only answer was a nod.

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Tiah Mat's eyes snapped open. The light of the sun crashed down on her body. She knew now. She had learned. No! Her Good Master had taught her. She had walked the first step, and she now stood closer to the Good Master.

Ah, what a most pleasant feeling!

It was almost enough for her to dismiss the earlier feeling of inadequacy. But she wanted more. She needed more. She had only just started her journey, and she dared already being satisfied?

Tiah Mat felt most ashamed of herself. Her Good Master never rested, always kept his footsteps steady and towards the future. His wisdom allowed him to see and understand matters Tiah Mat wouldn't dare be pretentious enough to even claim a glimpse, but she realized her Good Master was showing her what greatness looked like.

And she shall follow.

Tiah Mat's mind was first sent in disarray when her Good Master meditated under the moon. And then her eyes had been opened. How magnificent! The cycle of the world, the law of qi, of reality. She had been allowed to gaze upon her Good Master's crystalized wisdom and strength, and she wanted to pat herself on the back for being gifted her new power once more?

'No! This would not stand!'

She had been enlightened by the truth of the mysterious energy her Good Master called qi once more, and now, she shall raise to her Good Master's expectation of herself, by her own efforts!

She shall become a worthy being of her Good Master! And what worthiest being was there than Good Master himself? None. She even was graced with a bit of knowledge by the Master: the word her Master uttered—dragon—must be a clue for her to follow in her ascension.

She had been at first struck with grief at the thought of her Master not believing her to be able to rise properly, thinking that in his infinite wisdom he knew she didn't have the talent necessary. However, she realized after further ponderation on her Good Master's words it was not the case.

She didn't know whether her Good Master's kin was called dragons or not, but she concluded these dragons were the only outcome her Good Master would accept below his own. Therefore, she shall adopt a form similar to her Master's and prove her worth!

When she deciphered her Master's intent, she felt joy ripple through her body. She was rewarded with a good head scratch, proving she had taken the correct path.

She was most delighted.

By absorbing the qi leaving her Good Master's body during his meditation, she had grown. And now, she had to grow once more by herself. And she would succeed. For the mighty head pats.

This, she swore!

Master acquired by a mean which escaped her notice a purple stone. Glinting in the sunlight, this stone was bountiful with qi when taking its size into account, something Tiah Mat found most delectable, but Good Master seemed to find in his great wisdom a grander scheme at play.

And then her Good Master met once more with Greasy-Female. He talked to her free of any fear or anticipation, even though Tiah Mat thought Greasy-Female was a threat to her Good Master.

Tiah Mat was confused. She lifted her head, trying to get more information about the surprising turn of events. To no avail at first.

Then, she focused on Greasy-Female, and was shocked. She inwardly nodded, understanding her Good Master's initial apprehension. Though she did not understand why her Master was enterprising to meet the one she shall call Greasy-Female no more, for the warmth Tiah Mat could finally see awarded her with the name of Nesting-Female. She knew one thing, however.

Her Good Master's wisdom knew no bound. And if that was the case, then Tiah Mat was just unable to pierce through the intention behind her Good Master's decision.

It didn't remove the confusion, however. It only brought resignation.

Powerful yes, but annoying still, this female was.

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A/N: The approach with Freya will be a lot more different than what I had planned in the previous version of this fanfic. It won't follow canon at all, even though it will start from the same point.