Ch.5: Goddess Lilith

Rhia felt something soft and squishy bouncing against her face, followed by an annoyed voice nagging and demanding that she wake up. Rhia opened her eyes only to gasp due to what she was seeing. She wiped her eyes to make sure what she was seeing was real.

"Don't tell me I died and somehow landed in heaven! Or is this hell? I really can't tell," said Rhia, only to receive a boke upside the head from Lucia.

"Insolent whelp! Show some respect! You are standing inside our great Lilith's domain!" fussed Luica.

Rhia was in awe at the grandiose palace. The outer layer was glossy black and gothic looking, illuminated by hundreds of glowing skeleton heads. One lone tower in the middle ascended far above into the sky.

The skies were an ash-gray void of clouds which gave it a gloomy feel. Looking down, Rhia saw she was standing on a black bridge that stretched toward the palace, but when she looked behind her, the bridge had no end.

"Come on! Lady Lilith is waiting for you!" ordered Lucia, who floated in front of Rhia. Hearing that one of the three goddesses of this world wanted to meet with her filled Rhia with dread. Unsure of what awaited her.

Once inside, the palace was filled with light. Numerous floating staircases could be seen everywhere, lending to various quarters like a maze. It was very flashy, but also crowded with creatures similar to Lucia floating about everywhere. They were operating like workers at a business company.

"Coming through with papers!"

"What do you mean you're not finished?! The deadline is next week!"

"Man, we need a coffee break."

"Hey, Lucia, are they your siblings or something?" asked Rhia, only to receive a boke against her head again.

"Absolutely not! They, too, are spirits who aid and serve our beloved goddess to make this domain run smoothly and help monitor the section of this world that she governs,"

Lucia explained before leading Rhia onto a random staircase, crossing numerous others before they entered a long dark hallway with floating black lanterns when they were greeted by a pair of gigantic doors that opened automatically.

"Wow! This place is humongous!"

Rhia exclaimed, feeling like an ant who had stumbled inside a giant den. The room appeared to be a glass dome held together by a black frame. Peering outside, Rhia saw nothing but black skies and an endless sea of stars and the four moon phases.

"So we finally meet in person, my adorable little champion."

A familiar voice spoke and Rhia tumbled to her butt when she got a good look at the person.

"T-Titan!"

She pointed a shaky finger at the giant woman sitting on a throne, but when she looked closer, what she thought to be part of the woman's brocade dress was actually a snake tail. Moving her eyes back to the woman's face, Rhia noticed her skin was a grayish tan.

A red veil covered the bottom portion of her face; demon horns stuck out of her head.

"You insolent, rude welp! Prostrate when in the presence of a goddess!"

From out of nowhere, Lucia summoned a fan and repeatedly hit Rhia across the face.

"Lucia, that's enough. Let the girl go. Besides, I believe she has a question to ask me."

On Lilith's order, Lucia dropped the fan and backed away from Rhia. Rubbing her sore cheeks, Rhia got to her feet and nervously bowed before the goddess.

"No need for all of that! Here, so we can better communicate with each other."

Rhia let out a squeak when she was whooshed up in the air and into a floating chair that placed her very close to Lilith's face.

"Umm, so Lucia mentioned something about you choosing me to be your designated champion, b-but why me? Surely others were better fitted!"

Lilith laughed softly.

"Let's say I've had my eye on you for a long time, little one."

"You have?! I mean, it still doesn't answer my question!"

"Sorry, but that's all I can say for now. Onto more important topics. This world is in grave danger. Many of the already existing dungeons are on the verge of a Dungeon Break, and if any more appear, I fear that this world will perish from existence."

With a motion of her hand, Lilith summoned a hologram image of the earth of this world as a bunch of red dots appeared all over the globe.

"There are more red dots than land, " said Rhia in awe and fear.

"And that's not good. Many of these gates have already undergone a Dungeon Break and turned parts of the land into Dungeon Nests."

"Dungeon Nests? What's that?" Though the name sounded familiar, Rhia couldn't remember what it referred to.

"If a dungeon is not stopped or put into suspension, the monsters on the other side will continue breeding and getting stronger. When their numbers exceed a certain limit, a Dungeon Break occurs, and those monsters are released into our world. If not taken care of, monsters expand their territories by occupying parts of our land thus making it a Dungeon Nest."

"This is a big problem! If things continue this way, this world will belong to them." Rhia digested the severity of the issue at hand.

"Honestly, I do know why these dungeons are appearing in this world. But as a goddess, I can not directly interfere. So my sisters and I settled on choosing champions who can fight on our behalf."

Rhia saw the goddess' large eyes settle on her and graced her with an apologetic smile.

"I'm asking a lot of you. Placing a burden on your shoulders that you should not have to carry, but out of the millions I could have chosen, I picked you. Because whether you noticed it or not, you are special, little one."

A punch of emotion hit Rhia. In her past, only her grandmother had said those words to her. She never saw herself as anything special. Just a victim to be beaten up. Yet hearing those words from Lilith brought tears to her eyes.

"Looks like your time here is up. You must go back now, but you won't be alone. Lucia, my trusted advisor, will be accompanying you."

Lucia did not seem pleased with this decision, and neither did Rhia, who spoke on a subject that worried her.

"Goddess Lilith, may I request a favor from you?"

"You insolent whelp! How dare you request a favor from the great goddess Lilith?!" A furious Lucia flapped its little bat wings.

"Can… Can you please keep my identity a secret? I know this goes against the rules, but I would like not to be taken away from my family. I'll do my best and close as many dungeons as I can, but allow me the freedom to be a child surrounded by my loved ones!"

In the background, Lucia continued to fume as Lilith studied Rhia, before a faint smile of acceptance appeared underneath her veil.

"I shall do as you say, but you must keep your part of the deal as well. As I was saying, Lucia will be your guide and aid you on this dangerous path that lies before you. I wish you good luck, little one."

With a snap of her fingers, Rhia was engulfed in a world of darkness and could faintly hear someone calling out her name. An unfamiliar sight greeted Rhia as she opened her eyes again, or maybe it wasn't, as the voice was familiar to her.