A Real Goddess Would Let Nobody Die

Suri was still immobilized on the sofa even after the Red Goddess released her.

She groaned, half in pain and half regretfully, as her full consciousness returned to her body.

She had a pounding headache, no doubt partly due to dehydration and hunger, but compounded by less mundane causes. The headache was superimposed on groggy confusion and lingering vertigo from her out-of-body experience. To top it off, her pool was raw, strained by the Red Goddess' magic.

...What language was she even thinking in? Ummm...'pool' was a term that the Goddesses used, instead of 'vessel.' So, she was thinking in the Language of the Goddesses. It felt more like her native language than her real native language--such a strange sensation, and potentially a dangerous one. Suri would need to be careful not to let it slip out in conversations. Zyriko was admirable for slipping as little as he did.

But even worse than the headache and grogginess: Was reality always this drab when not drenched in the Essence of Love?

Ugh.

And, she was back on this disgusting world.

Blegh.

There was also the indescribable sensation of a perfectly vivid memory etched into her mind. The White Goddess had given Suri a tediously thorough, hours-long walkthrough of the White Tunic's structure, and the magical effects stored within, layer-by-layer, stage-by-stage, one flow at a time.

It was as if she had awakened from a prophetic dream in which a divine revelation had been implanted into her mind.

Against the protests of her brain, Suri reviewed that thought. Was that not exactly what had just happened? It was, wasn't it? She had literally just hosted a literal divine spirit--well, a tiny fragment of Her--and been put into a dreamlike trance for hours, in which she had been given a literal divine revelation. She had just received instructions from actual Goddesses for what to do with her life, and the means to do it.

Suri stared at the ceiling. What a day.

She still did not understand much of how the Tunic's magic worked, the complexity was beyond her, but she had been assured that 'all' she had to do was reconstruct it, in exacting detail. And that doing so was tantamount to being a goddess herself.

A toe-curling thought.

On top of the mental strain, Suri's body was aching, too. The meeting had started in the early afternoon, and it was now the middle of the night. A human was not designed to lie almost perfectly motionless for that long. None of the rolling and shifting of normal sleep happened when linked directly to the mind of a deity.

Seriously, what a day.

Suri was impressed that her parents had restrained themselves for the duration of the meeting. Most likely, the red impression given to the area continuously by the Red Goddess' mana had convinced them that everything was going according to plan. They would be here soon, now that those mana flows had stopped.

"Zurrgo?" she called. Bleh. Suri's mouth and throat were sandpaper, with a very un-Heiress-like amount of drool caking the left side of her face, and the sofa beneath. There were dried tears, too. That whole experience had been one emotional blow after another, from the very start, across the whole emotional spectrum.

"Here," Zyriko groaned in reply. "Owwww."

"Nnnnnnnn," Suri agreed.

"Try arms, hands, first," he recommended. Clearly, Zyriko was also a bit out of it, though not so much as Suri. Although he had experience with linking to the Red Goddess, he had never done it for nearly so long.

By the time Suri had progressed to flexing her legs, her parents entered, alone. They were still dressed in their formal blue light armor.

"Suri!" her mother cried. "Are you alright?"

Suri's evident pain, her drool and tears, and the unexpected duration of their meeting with literal deities understandably made for a concerning combination.

"Thirsty," Suri mumbled. "And hungry."

Her father tutted at his own thoughtlessness, and dashed out.

"Zyriko, too! What happened?" Suri's mother shook herself calm, salt-and-pepper ringlets swinging back and forth. "No, never mind. Wait until Immur is back. Is there anything I need to know immediately?"

"Nothing urgent," Zyriko croaked. Suri was grateful that he answered; her head was really pounding. "Don't worry, connecting to the Red Goddess is always..." He waved his hands in a circle. "She's so overpowering, She can't help it. This is normal. All the Goddesses loved Suri. It went well."

Suri's mother sighed and nodded in relief, as she inspected first Suri, then Zyriko. "Don't worry about the sofas," she reassured them.

"Nnnnn," Suri moaned in acknowledgment, while kneading her brow and temples.

Suri's father returned with a tray of biscuits, glasses, and a pitcher, and set it on the table. Zyriko stared in open-mouthed shock, sitting on the sofa opposite Suri's, and the Keyics stared back after noticing.

"I--. My father--he would never...himself," he explained awkwardly. It was adorable how unaccustomed he was to being able to speak his mind.

Suri's father scoffed. "Not only do I carry food for my family," he swung his hand in a circle of his own, pointedly including Zyriko, in unintentional mimicry, "I even make my own armor, and don't you forget it!" Then he frowned. "Huh. Now that you mention it, this is how Tyri fell for me."

"It's how I noticed that you might not be a narcissistic sociopath," Suri's mother corrected dryly. "There's a difference."

"Sure, sure." He turned back to Zyriko. "You see, I walked over to get...what was it?"

"...Fruit pie," Suri's mother reluctantly supplied.

"That's right! Tyri was doing her side-eye thing at the fruit pie, so I went to get some, instead of ordering someone to get it, and she fell for my irresistible charm on the spot!"

"I suspected that you might be trustworthy." Another dry correction.

"And the next thing I knew," he continued, ignoring his wife, "the Keyic Heiress was asking me to marry her!"

"That was months later."

"She even bowed--"

"Don't--You noticed that I was looking at the fruit pie because--"

"Because I spent the whole day staring at the stunning and very eligible Keyic Heiress? Duh?"

While drinking and snacking, Suri tried to tune out her parents' flirting, and thought carefully about what her fiancé had said, as her headache steadily grew less consuming. Once it had dulled enough, she hobbled over to hug her parents, then showed her nails to Zyriko while blushing the same color. It would be a lot easier if her parents weren't right there watching the whole thing, and if she didn't have the dried drool and tears on her face, but it needed to happen--there was no way Suri was going to let her father do more to make Zyriko feel included than she did. Afterward, she excused herself to use the washroom across the hall.

At least some things on this world weren't disgusting.

When Suri returned to the sitting room, Zyriko rose to take his turn. As he passed by, he murmured, "thanks for existing."

...Was copying her own line intended to be a kind of teasing?

The Red Goddess would definitely be giggling at them.

Suri sat back on her original sofa, carefully avoiding her drool stain. Her parents had pulled chairs up to the table, and were waiting for her to speak.

"Before I tell you about the meeting," Suri began, "I want to say thank you. Today specifically, thank you for trusting me to represent our family in a conversation with literal Goddesses. More generally, thank you for having decency."

She had thought about this earlier, after what Zyriko had said, contrasting his parents with hers.

"I try to imagine growing up in an environment like what Zyriko suffered through, getting the same kind of flattery that I've received my whole life, and the possibility of what I might have become horrifies me. How many sets of parents could I have had, in this world, and not become an unforgivable monster?"

She stared at her mother, then her father.

"I think only you two. You treat people like people. You don't have a mote of sadism in you. Around here," Suri joined the club, waving her hands in a circle, "that's precious. It's extraordinary."

It was pathetic and disgusting how true that was.

"The Goddesses pointed out that I could live my life as a villain, without any fear of facing retribution, and praised me for choosing a better path anyway. I have realized that the exact same thing applies to you."

Sure, her parents were not the sort to initiate a crusade in the name of liberation, for its own sake. Even if it weren't dangerous, they still would have opposed Suri marrying a non-mage. They cared a great deal about Keyic's prestige. But, they knew as well as Suri did that the path they followed was more difficult in the here-and-now, that it would lead to no rewards for them personally, and that likewise they themselves would face no punishment if they abandoned it. The same could be said for every Keyic generation that had preceded them, for centuries. So, how different were they all, really, from someone helping others with no expectation of reward? Working for the sake of a reward that they would not personally receive was its own kind of selflessness.

The Goddesses had said repeatedly that being imperfect was synonymous with being a failure only when applying an unreasonable standard, when ignoring strengths while focussing on weaknesses. Suri would stop making that mistake.

"Finally," Suri concluded, "thank you for being so patient with my marriage situation. You always put me first. Never once did you pressure me. You knew that I understood our position, and trusted me to judge the risks and merits myself, at every stage. You've always trusted me, in everything, and I have never properly appreciated that."

She took a breath. "There. That's all."

Suri's mother was the reigning Keyic Matriarch. As such, she held supreme authority over one of the most prestigious blue lineages in the world. Right now, she was Suri's glassy-eyed mom.

"If you had a daughter like we do," she said gently, "you would find it very easy to trust her, too. That introspection, your habit of constantly reflecting on your actions and motives, is not normal. You've had it since you were a child. I know that it comes at least partly from your understanding that we need to maintain careful control of what we say and do in public, but you only have that understanding because of your own intelligence."

Her mother paused, but Suri knew she wasn't finished. After all, Suri had learned her habit of carefully planning her words from her mother.

"I am glad that you think of us as having decency," her mother continued, "and that you credit us with your ethical sensibilities, but you should know that it goes both ways. I have always known which choice would make my daughter proud, and which would cause her to hold me in contempt, and chosen accordingly."

Zyriko returned, and sat on his sofa, across from Suri.

"So, Zyriko explained the extraordinary format of your meeting, and how the Red Goddess linked with you, but we did not yet discuss any of the content. What can you tell us about the Goddesses? Do They know of us? Do They have instructions for us?"

Suri considered how to frame her reply. How could she possibly describe what she had just experienced? Hmmm. Best to do what she could to clarify the nature of the Goddesses, first. The problem was that words would never be adequate.

"Before I say anything else, I can confirm that They are True Goddesses, in the fullest sense of the term. The Black, White, and Red Goddesses are all many millennia old, and each is individually stronger than every false god and goddess on our world combined. It is not close. They are each stronger than all that have ever lived on our world, combined, and it is not close. I cannot estimate how much stronger, exactly, because Their power is beyond what I could measure."

Suri's parents nodded. "An interstellar Red Goddess could be nothing less," her mother stated flatly. "The 'impossibility' of Her, how strong She would need to be, is part of why the other lineages have been in denial of the obvious for so long. The power implied by that range is..." She shook her head slowly, grinning wryly. "Our ancestors adjusted their ideology for a reason."

Despite her mother's easy agreement, Suri still felt like she wasn't conveying it properly. The Goddesses weren't just very strong mages. They were qualitatively different. How could she get it across with words alone?

"Their raw power is not the only thing that makes Them 'so literally deities,' as Zyriko put it. First, They are inhumanly, tirelessly, actively benevolent. They do not sit idle, waiting to be persuaded to act. They seek out people who need help and go to them, every day, for no reward of any kind. They will not lose interest in our world. They will come to help those who need help, as soon as They are able."

That was a fundamental axiom of the Universe.

"But all of that pales in comparison to the way in which They are most transcendent. They are completely disconnected from mortality. They do occupy immortal human bodies, and have for millennia, but that is not what I mean. They are most accurately described as indestructible and omnipotent divine spirits for Whom occupying a physical form is optional. Even if Their bodies are destroyed, They remain fully conscious and active as disembodied divine power, which can incarnate into a new body when it is convenient. The Black Goddess has already moved into a new body once, after Sacrificing Herself to defeat a powerful enemy. That is why She shares the body of the White Goddess."

Suri was satisfied to see her parents staring off into space, as they digested this information. It seemed that the divine spirit bit had succeeded in making them appreciate the Goddesses' nature. They were not merely strong mages. They had passed important thresholds. They were qualitatively different, truly transcendent.

"Between Their raw power and Their total immortality, the Goddesses cannot be defeated."

'The Goddesses cannot be defeated' felt...It was a misuse of words, to connect those concepts in a sentence. 'Stars cannot be used as ingredients in cooking.' Huh? Yes? What was the point of that sentence?

"They will arrive here in no more than two thousand years, possibly much less. Their victory will be swift and comprehensive."

Suri dearly hoped that the Violet Goddess' growth would accelerate, and make that 'much less' possibility a reality.

Her parents thought for a little longer, until her father spoke wistfully.

"I wish I could be here, to watch the delusional fools realize, at last, how completely trivial they truly are."

Suri swallowed. She, too, was looking forward to that moment. Her parents were going to love this part.

"The Red Goddess asked me to pass a message to you both. She said, and this is a direct quote so far as translation allows, 'We very much appreciate the risks that Keyic takes, so much so that We have granted Our Holy Regalia to your incomparable Heiress, so that she and her husband may rule permanently in Keyic's rightful place as the world's most glorious lineage, with Our blessing.'"

The message had the expected effect. Even without knowing what the 'Holy Regalia' was or were, the simple knowledge that the Goddesses recognized and appreciated Keyic's efforts at reform, to the extent that They considered those efforts worthy of a very special reward, was what her parents and generations of Keyics before them had always hoped for. And, this reward sounded like it went even further than what they had imagined. Validation and pride were written on her parents' faces.

"The specific Holy Regalia that They have in mind belongs to the White Goddess. It is a tunic that She wore continuously for millennia, which was altered by exposure to Her divine power. Most notably, anyone who wears it receives an approximation of Her immortality."

Suri empathized with her parents' shock. Yes, their 'incomparable Heiress' had indeed received a gift that could purchase civilizations. Yes, when Zyriko had reported that "All the Goddesses loved Suri. It went well," it had been a massive understatement.

"The Goddesses showed me in detail how it works. They believe that I will be able to produce and power two copies. Since They approve of me and Zyriko very strongly, They want me to use one, and Zyriko to use the other. I am the only one who can charge the tunics, and Zyriko is Their only means of clear communication with our world."

Suri was unsure how her parents would react to this part. They were getting older. How would they feel about having such treasures available, but not being able to use them?

Eventually, Suri's mother replied.

"I had hoped that the Goddesses would acknowledge Keyic's efforts," she said. "I had hoped that Keyic would at least not be lumped in with the idiots, and spared. In the best case, I had hoped that Keyic might even be rewarded, maybe placed in a position of trust."

She took a deep breath.

"This is beyond what I imagined," she exhaled. "I can see that you are worried about how we will take this, and I can guess why. It is true that we are not excited about getting old, no one is, but even if we did not care about Zyriko--"

She turned to look at him. "He's fine, I guess, even though he's not blue," she joked, then turned back to Suri.

"Even if we were that vicious, remember who you are speaking to. If there is one thing that we are not, it is delusional idiots. We will not oppose the wills of Goddesses that we claim to serve, and thus undermine everything that Keyic has done to date, for the sake of living long enough to witness the Goddesses' displeasure in person. And, you have just said that you can only charge one, other than your own. Think about the implications. How could we choose which one of us gets to be immortal? Me, because I'm the Matriarch? Then who would bring me my fruit pie? You and Zyriko are the pair that makes sense. Reality is what it is."

Suri's father stayed silent, nodding to confirm his agreement when appropriate.

Neither of Suri's parents had mana that looked like a crystal-clear lake perfectly mirroring the noontime sky, but neither had mana that looked like toxic ooze, either.

"I really am glad that you are my parents," Suri said sincerely.

"Good. Now, is that all of the most important information? If yes, you should sleep. We can hear the details in the morning, and work out our next steps."

"We are tired," Suri agreed. "There is one more thing. You asked earlier, if the Goddesses have instructions for us. They do. They want us to try to liberate as many people as we can, without taking foolish risks, during the period before They arrive. That is our mission, what is expected of us in return for Their gift. The rest can wait until morning."

Suri hadn't even mentioned the Violet Goddess yet.