Intermission – The Expectations of the Abyss (1/2)
She who lived in the underworld, the proud Goddess of Vengeance (Altesia). The master of hundreds and thousands of snakes, the ruler of the underworld. Once, her four strongest subjects followed her in her battle against the world.
The battle of the gods that scorched the heavens, that devoured the land, and that laid waste to the seas.
The ancestor god who had birthed her, Ativ, the mother god that was the goddess of wisdom, Hera. Her younger sisters: the goddess of destiny, Liuryuna, the Goddess of Victory and Glory, Hekaterina, the Goddess of Healing, Zenobia.
And then were the ancient gods who feared her.
All of these gods fought together to banish her into the underworld. To the land where the entirety of the mother god, the late Deetna slept. She was sealed along with her.
She had fought against all of them but was defeated.
Her territories that stretched out from the underworld to the world of man were taken away, while her four subjects had their names and powers taken.
No matter how strong her subjects were, no matter how strong she herself was, it was simply impossible to win against such overwhelming numbers.
But Altesia never gave up.
The fury that burned within her was truly the wrath of a god. Not a day passed when the thunder hammers did not clap in the skies of the underworld, nor did a day pass when the wrathful mountains did not erupt.
But due to the barrier that was erected through the conspiracy of the new gods and the old gods, she could not release herself from the underworld. The power of the gods when united was overwhelming, and no matter how strong Altesia was, she could not break it.
With her and her subjects unable to break free from the underworld, she could only grit her teeth while peeking at the world she once existed in.
The army she had once brought with her was driven by the humans into the borders and could only wait for extermination.
But still, Altesia did not give up. Or perhaps, it would be more apt to say that she could not give up. She was a god. The pride she once carried had all been turned into fury. It was that fury that supported her.
Already, the word ‘persistence’ was not enough to describe her tenacious anger. ‘Grudge’ would be a far better fit. As she hoped and yearned, she thought of a plan. It was difficult for her and her subjects to interfere in that world.
If so, then she should create a pawn in that world.
A pawn that would allow her to stand in that world once more.
She took a lone goblin as her pawn and began a war. That goblin was someone she had picked up purely by coincidence, but she took advantage of that rare opportunity and decided on him as her pawn.
That was the beginning of the war of the representative of the gods.
To the gods who lived in perpetuity, the time that passed was but a moment.
That change happened as if fate itself was being manipulated.
Altesia’s mouth still loosened a little whenever she thought back to that time when that goblin stood in front of her and held his chest up high.
Presently, there was a mirror in front of her. A mirror that showed the events in the world.
The momentum of that goblin was fierce, and in just three years, he had already become able to contest the human forces. If there were any miscalculations, then it would be that the other gods had noticed her scheming.
And among those gods, the interferences of the Goddess of Destiny, Liuryuna, were particularly brazen.
The gods that had won in the last battle could use their powers more brazenly and to a greater degree in the world. That was the privilege they had as the victors, but despite that her pawn was able to magnificently repel their attempts.
Altesia intentionally refrained from interfering and merely watched. Although she was scared of losing the pawn that she had finally acquired, she was also gambling.
It could be said that Liuryuna the Goddess of Destiny, who had grown obsessed with her pawn, has used much of her power due to using the victor’s privilege. The person herself thought she was acting out of vengeance, but everything was dancing atop Altesia’s palms.
Altesia had won in her bet.
“Obsessing over what’s in front of your eyes and losing sight of victory. That’s a bad habit. Liuryuna.”
The words woven by her lips that were redder than blood resounded sweetly in that world. She was in a happy mood and a faint smile could be seen on that flawless face of hers that was perfectly arranged.
One of the chains that cautioned her had broken off.
“My master.”
The red one-eyed snake appeared before her.
The way he submitted himself before her without sound was just like that of someone who has sworn absolute fealty to his master.
At the sound of her subject’s voice, she gave a prompt answer with just a glance.
“The humans are preparing the summoning ceremony.”
Her golden eyes dazzled, and she turned toward the mirror.
“I see… It’s that girl.”
On the mirror was reflected the three towers lined up in the north. The ceremonial sword they treasured so much was currently being surrounded by the elders.
Altesia slid her fingers on that slightly wavy hair that was a blue deeper than the blue sky and smiled.
“If you don’t hurry, something precious will be lost.”
“As you will.”