----- Alise POV -----
"What's wrong, you three? You guys seem... out of it." Sirius says from my side.
Having defeated all of the monsters in the plains, our Familia was now walking through the abandoned ruins in small groups, looking for any valuable treasures or artifacts before continuing our journey.
But it was mostly for fun. After all, sitting in a carriage for a month would make anyone quite restless.
We even had the kids coming along, although we ensured they were protected in the centre of the group in case any monsters popped up.
Kaguya had already scouted the area and confirmed there were only a few stragglers that she promptly took care of, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Anyways, as Sirius had said, as soon as we crossed the line of crumbled stones, which was probably a city wall in the past, Ais, Ryuu, and Lefiya had begun to act... odd.
Restless, forlorn, and... confused.
I had never seen such an expression on Ryuu's face since we had given birth and gained maturity from motherhood, so I was similarly concerned about the three's behaviour.
"Nothing, husband. It's just... no. It's nothing." Ryuu says with a grimace.
Yeah... very weird.
Well, I guess if it's a big problem, she'll bring it up later.
Communication is key in our relationship, after all.
Putting the weirdness of the three aside, we continue walking through the roads. The old stone, cracked and littered with overgrowth from years of neglect.
Hearing the sound of rocks and gravel shifting under my feet, I felt oddly comfortable about the whole situation as we got closer to the large castle at the top of the hill.
Perhaps it was the silence?
Or maybe the unification of human creation and nature?
Yes, probably both of those, but what I found most fascinating was filling in the broken buildings with my imagination.
The daily commute as civilians opened their shops, the children wandering the streets with wide smiles... I could almost see it all happening in front of my eyes.
The thought makes me both joyful and... solemn.
Solemn that such a beautiful city had been reduced to this state and the peaceful fantasy I had created was just that... a fantasy.
But I guess that's just how the passage of time goes, huh?
Speaking of time... I had to reach level 7 soon in order to keep up with Ryuu and Sirius' lifespan, because I had no doubt my crazy husband would be levelling up soon.
A level 6 being that strong... how ridiculous.
"Ooh! Look at that, Alea!"
"I know! That must have been where the King and Queen stayed, right?" Alea responds to Stella.
Refocusing on the surroundings, I looked up at the castle which my two daughters were making a fuss about.
Compared to the surrounding houses, it was in relatively good condition, likely due to stone being the main material rather than wood.
But yes, with the overgrowth adding some colour to the grey slabs, it really looked like a castle right out of a storybook.
"Haa~ I wish I could live in a place like that~ Just like a princess~" Alea sighs.
Sirius then cups his chin.
"Hmm. With the prices of the new materials from the dungeon, I could get enough money after a few months. But location is a problem, definitely can't be anywhere in Orario. Maybe outside of it? Yeah, somewhere close to Melen-"
"Husband, enough with your silly delusions. And Alea, the difficulties of living in and maintaining such a place vastly outweigh the benefits. Just ask Lefiya and Ais." Ryuu responds, snapping Sirius out of his dangerous muttering storm.
Ais and Lefiya nod in response to Ryuu's words.
"So... much... walking..." Lefiya says with a distant gaze.
"Yeah..." Ais looks similarly despondent.
Poor girls. I guess I should feel lucky that I live in a mansion rather than a castle like them.
Walking through the various rooms and vast hallways, we continue to search through the castle ruins.
Though 'search' is a bit much... it was more like casual sightseeing.
But it was cool anyway.
"So, now that monsters are gone, do you think people will move in again?" Leo then asks, breaking the silence.
"Hmm... probably not. This region is too cut off to have any settlers come over, and the monsters from Dragon Valley are likely to come back after we leave. But they might explore this place a bit more, who knows." Sirius responds.
"I see..."
"Don't worry about it, you can check it out when you grow up a little-"
A faint click resounds from my left as Sirius disappears in an instant, pulling back Lefiya and whipping out his sword in the next, expertly deflecting an unknown projectile that clamours to the ground.
The air tenses in an instant, the previous joking atmosphere replaced with seriousness.
Everyone takes a short breath as they look down at the arrow lying at my husband's feet.
A trap.
And from the stone near Sirius that was tilted downward, it seemed to be a pressure plate one.
Looking over to Lefiya, still being held by Sirius' hand, I notice how pale her face is, coming to grips with how close she was to dying right then.
...Though there was a bit of red on her cheeks too.
Damn my handsome, unintentional womanizer of a husband.
But Lefiya is not yet 15... so she can't really be called a woman just yet.
Though that just makes me more annoyed.
Sirius, you're jaw will definitely be hurting tomorrow morning, I'll make sure of it.
He seems to catch on to my subtle glare as he lets go of the girl, who stumbles a bit trying to regain her footing.
Walking over to Sirius, I see him pressing down on the pressure plate in question, a confused expression on his face.
"Guess they trapped this place, Sirius. We should be careful." I say.
"Yeah... but it's weird. Not even mentioning how it still works after all this time or how a rogue monster never activated it... wasn't this a city castle? Something like a booby trap you would expect from a military barracks, not from somewhere like this. Unless..."
He then looks down at the hallway, where only one doorway stood, the door itself likely lost to time.
"Unless there's something important over there." Ryuu finishes.
The three of us share a look, seemingly coming to an understanding with just our eyes as Sirius and I step forward.
"Lefiya, Ais. Stay here with Ryuu and the kids. We'll be back in a moment." Sirius says resolutely.
The walk is tense while our eyes wander the surroundings tirelessly.
While it was unlikely for anything to both surprise us and be strong enough to kill us, it was best to always remain vigilant, especially in a place like this.
"Alise. You notice?" He then asks.
"Yeah." I respond.
The floors... they were too clean.
Everywhere else in the castle had scuffed stone, marred with claw marks and cracks from constant stress, evidence of the monsters that had roamed these halls over the ages.
But here... it was nearly pristine.
Aside from the odd weed here and there, it seemed like monsters had never roamed this way, which would explain why the trap had never been activated after all this time.
But... why?
Soon enough, we enter the room, with nothing but a single pedestal in the center holding a key and an old, dulled sword.
"...I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed." Sirius then says, making me giggle slightly.
"Well, they probably took everything of value when they left this place, no? Anyways, do you think these are why monsters didn't come near? Seems like the obvious reason." I say.
"Yeah... or maybe it's something to do with the room, wanting to keep these things safe. Well, only one way to find out."
Nodding my head, I keep my senses sharp as Sirius reaches toward the items.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, his hand reaches out toward the key, and the moment he makes contact... nothing happens.
...I didn't want anything bad to happen to my husband, of course.
It was just a bit anticlimactic.
Inspecting it for a moment, he then pockets the key before picking up the sword.
Again, nothing happened, but I could faintly feel... 'something' shift in the surroundings as he grasped the hilt.
Odd.
Inspecting it, he takes a few test swings, the air whistling with each swing while small gusts fly through the room.
A crazy display of inhuman martial arts technique, but for my amazing husband, this much was casual.
He then stops, his brow creasing in visible confusion.
"What is it?" I ask.
I had never seen such an expression when he wielded a sword.
Frustration? Sure. Elation? Absolutely.
But never confusion.
"It's... weird. This sword... it has no edge, a frayed hilt, a cracked spine yet... it's perfect."
...Huh?
"It's definitely not as strong as Infinite Eclipse. Hell, an average sword in Orario was probably better, but it still feels perfect... How odd."
"Well, after cleaning it up it might be a good sword. In fact... maybe that is what the room was protecting." I say.
"Maybe... but it feels different than that. As if... Nevermind. Let's just take this and leave. This place is starting to give me the heebie jeebies." He says before walking back toward our family.
Giving one last glance around the room, I then start following behind him.
Making our way back, Ryuu gave an inquisitive look at us, or rather, the sword Sirius was holding.
"Find something of interest, husband?" She asks.
"Something like that. Anyways, I think we should start heading back. I'm starting to get some chills with this place." Sirius says while rubbing his arms.
"Aww~! But we just started exploring, Papa!" Alea begs with watery eyes.
"Yeah! Can we stay? Please~?" Stella joins in.
Holding a ground for only a few seconds, Sirius concedes with a sigh.
"Haa... fine. But not for much longer, okay?"
"Alright!"
Stella and Alea then interlace their hands before jumping around in glee.
Chuckling at their cute antics, I give a teasing look over to my husband.
"I guess you're weak to your daughters, eh?"
"Maybe... but c'mon. Are you any better?" He says back.
"Hahaha! No, but you're much worse!" I return.
"She's got you there." Ryuu adds to the teasing.
"Yeah yeah. Keep laughing-"
He's cut off by a low rumble that echoes through the surroundings as dust begins to fall from the ceiling.
His eyes twitching, Sirius looks around with a desperate expression.
"...You don't suppose that's just the wind, do you?"
----- Sirius POV -----
"I hate being right all the fucking time!" I scream in frustration.
"Husband. Do not swear in front of the children." Ryuu scolds me.
Clicking my tongue, I readjust the two bodies I had over my shoulders.
"Whee~!"
"Faster! Faster!"
At least Alea and Stella were having fun.
Either way, it seemed that my intuition was, once again, correct, as shortly after the low rumble we heard, the entire castle began collapsing, leading to the entire hillside crumbling into a giant landslide as a result.
Luckily, we were fast enough to outrun a landslide, as were the rest of the Familia.
...Though Mother Astraea did need to be carried by Kaguya.
I wish they had cameras here, it was quite a funny sight.
Now out of the city and with the carriages, the Familia takes a collective sigh of relief before turning towards us- or rather, to me.
"So? Why in the hell did a ruins site that's been stable for thousands of years become like that just now? I don't think it was a coincidence!"
Wincing lightly, I put down the two girls whose hair was strewn about from the wind, both visibly pouting as I did so.
Ignoring the cuteness, I then reached for the sword I had put into my belt before pulling it out, its unimpressive blade gleaming slightly in the sunlight.
"It may... have been this guy. We came across it in the castle and after taking it out... well, you know..."
The girls look over the blade with unimpressed stares.
"Well, whatever. I guess our excursion got cut off, but we should head back on the road. Haa... all that history, lost. What a shame."
Lyra shakes her head before walking toward the leading carriage, the Familia following behind her.
Just as I began to pick up the kids and move towards them, a voice called out to me.
"Sirius, come here for a second."
Lifting my head, I find myself confused as Mother Astraea is looking at me with an unusually serious expression, with no trace of her usual motherly care.
"Sure... kids, you go on ahead with your mothers."
"'Kay~"
Seeing Alea and Stella waddle off toward Ryuu and Alise, I turn back to Mother Astraea.
"What's up?"
"Where did you find that sword?"
She says, almost... accusingly.
No... it's more like desperation.
"...As I said, it was just in a room in the castle. Though there was a trap before it, and no monsters got near it." I say.
"I see... no wonder no monsters went anywhere near that thing. May I?" She says while holding out her hand.
I repeat the process of taking out the sword before handing it to her.
Grasping the hilt, Mother Astraea releases a gasp before caressing the blade, running her hands almost... lovingly over the battered metal.
"Nike..." She whispers barely loud enough to pick up.
'Nike'... is that the name of the sword, or of a person who wielded it?
Maybe it's from a legend she watched play out in Tenkai?
"Mother Astraea?"
"Ah! My apologies, it's just... been so long." She says wistfully while handing me back the sword.
"Do not lose sight of that thing, Sirius." She then says.
From the glint in her eyes, I could tell she was very serious about this.
"Of course, I will... but why? I feel... something with it, but it's just an old sword, no?" I ask with confusion.
"Fufu, it's indeed an old sword... After all, what else would you expect of a sword wielded by a God."
...
Uh... what?
"Ah- Uhm- Eh-"
"Fufu, you're fun to tease~ I'd forgotten that with how mature you got after the children were born." She says before continuing.
"That sword is the divine weapon once wielded by the Goddess Nike. Although it cannot be used in its current state, if a monster of an acceptable level ever becomes your foe, it may be the only path to victory. So keep it close."
Releasing a sigh, she tucks a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear before turning around.
"Anyways, let us get back on the road. We have a quest to complete, after all." She says before starting toward the carriage.
But that smile... why was it so pained?
So fake and forced?
"Mother. What's wrong?" I ask with worry, not even noticing the lack of 'Astraea' in my calling.
She stops in her tracks before releasing another sigh, this one a bit more honest about the difficult emotions she'd been holding back.
"It's fine, Sirius. Haa... can't even hide this sadness as a Goddess, huh?"
She turns her head to look at me, wearing a forlorn smile.
"Nike... was a dear friend of mine in Tenkai. We were essentially sisters. But years and years ago... long before we Gods descended, she disappeared. And she hasn't been seen since."
----- Alise POV -----
"What's wrong, you three? You guys seem... out of it." Sirius says from my side.
Having defeated all of the monsters in the plains, our Familia was now walking through the abandoned ruins in small groups, looking for any valuable treasures or artifacts before continuing our journey.
But it was mostly for fun. After all, sitting in a carriage for a month would make anyone quite restless.
We even had the kids coming along, although we ensured they were protected in the centre of the group in case any monsters popped up.
Kaguya had already scouted the area and confirmed there were only a few stragglers that she promptly took care of, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Anyways, as Sirius had said, as soon as we crossed the line of crumbled stones, which was probably a city wall in the past, Ais, Ryuu, and Lefiya had begun to act... odd.
Restless, forlorn, and... confused.
I had never seen such an expression on Ryuu's face since we had given birth and gained maturity from motherhood, so I was similarly concerned about the three's behaviour.
"Nothing, husband. It's just... no. It's nothing." Ryuu says with a grimace.
Yeah... very weird.
Well, I guess if it's a big problem, she'll bring it up later.
Communication is key in our relationship, after all.
Putting the weirdness of the three aside, we continue walking through the roads. The old stone, cracked and littered with overgrowth from years of neglect.
Hearing the sound of rocks and gravel shifting under my feet, I felt oddly comfortable about the whole situation as we got closer to the large castle at the top of the hill.
Perhaps it was the silence?
Or maybe the unification of human creation and nature?
Yes, probably both of those, but what I found most fascinating was filling in the broken buildings with my imagination.
The daily commute as civilians opened their shops, the children wandering the streets with wide smiles... I could almost see it all happening in front of my eyes.
The thought makes me both joyful and... solemn.
Solemn that such a beautiful city had been reduced to this state and the peaceful fantasy I had created was just that... a fantasy.
But I guess that's just how the passage of time goes, huh?
Speaking of time... I had to reach level 7 soon in order to keep up with Ryuu and Sirius' lifespan, because I had no doubt my crazy husband would be levelling up soon.
A level 6 being that strong... how ridiculous.
"Ooh! Look at that, Alea!"
"I know! That must have been where the King and Queen stayed, right?" Alea responds to Stella.
Refocusing on the surroundings, I looked up at the castle which my two daughters were making a fuss about.
Compared to the surrounding houses, it was in relatively good condition, likely due to stone being the main material rather than wood.
But yes, with the overgrowth adding some colour to the grey slabs, it really looked like a castle right out of a storybook.
"Haa~ I wish I could live in a place like that~ Just like a princess~" Alea sighs.
Sirius then cups his chin.
"Hmm. With the prices of the new materials from the dungeon, I could get enough money after a few months. But location is a problem, definitely can't be anywhere in Orario. Maybe outside of it? Yeah, somewhere close to Melen-"
"Husband, enough with your silly delusions. And Alea, the difficulties of living in and maintaining such a place vastly outweigh the benefits. Just ask Lefiya and Ais." Ryuu responds, snapping Sirius out of his dangerous muttering storm.
Ais and Lefiya nod in response to Ryuu's words.
"So... much... walking..." Lefiya says with a distant gaze.
"Yeah..." Ais looks similarly despondent.
Poor girls. I guess I should feel lucky that I live in a mansion rather than a castle like them.
Walking through the various rooms and vast hallways, we continue to search through the castle ruins.
Though 'search' is a bit much... it was more like casual sightseeing.
But it was cool anyway.
"So, now that monsters are gone, do you think people will move in again?" Leo then asks, breaking the silence.
"Hmm... probably not. This region is too cut off to have any settlers come over, and the monsters from Dragon Valley are likely to come back after we leave. But they might explore this place a bit more, who knows." Sirius responds.
"I see..."
"Don't worry about it, you can check it out when you grow up a little-"
A faint click resounds from my left as Sirius disappears in an instant, pulling back Lefiya and whipping out his sword in the next, expertly deflecting an unknown projectile that clamours to the ground.
The air tenses in an instant, the previous joking atmosphere replaced with seriousness.
Everyone takes a short breath as they look down at the arrow lying at my husband's feet.
A trap.
And from the stone near Sirius that was tilted downward, it seemed to be a pressure plate one.
Looking over to Lefiya, still being held by Sirius' hand, I notice how pale her face is, coming to grips with how close she was to dying right then.
...Though there was a bit of red on her cheeks too.
Damn my handsome, unintentional womanizer of a husband.
But Lefiya is not yet 15... so she can't really be called a woman just yet.
Though that just makes me more annoyed.
Sirius, you're jaw will definitely be hurting tomorrow morning, I'll make sure of it.
He seems to catch on to my subtle glare as he lets go of the girl, who stumbles a bit trying to regain her footing.
Walking over to Sirius, I see him pressing down on the pressure plate in question, a confused expression on his face.
"Guess they trapped this place, Sirius. We should be careful." I say.
"Yeah... but it's weird. Not even mentioning how it still works after all this time or how a rogue monster never activated it... wasn't this a city castle? Something like a booby trap you would expect from a military barracks, not from somewhere like this. Unless..."
He then looks down at the hallway, where only one doorway stood, the door itself likely lost to time.
"Unless there's something important over there." Ryuu finishes.
The three of us share a look, seemingly coming to an understanding with just our eyes as Sirius and I step forward.
"Lefiya, Ais. Stay here with Ryuu and the kids. We'll be back in a moment." Sirius says resolutely.
The walk is tense while our eyes wander the surroundings tirelessly.
While it was unlikely for anything to both surprise us and be strong enough to kill us, it was best to always remain vigilant, especially in a place like this.
"Alise. You notice?" He then asks.
"Yeah." I respond.
The floors... they were too clean.
Everywhere else in the castle had scuffed stone, marred with claw marks and cracks from constant stress, evidence of the monsters that had roamed these halls over the ages.
But here... it was nearly pristine.
Aside from the odd weed here and there, it seemed like monsters had never roamed this way, which would explain why the trap had never been activated after all this time.
But... why?
Soon enough, we enter the room, with nothing but a single pedestal in the center holding a key and an old, dulled sword.
"...I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed." Sirius then says, making me giggle slightly.
"Well, they probably took everything of value when they left this place, no? Anyways, do you think these are why monsters didn't come near? Seems like the obvious reason." I say.
"Yeah... or maybe it's something to do with the room, wanting to keep these things safe. Well, only one way to find out."
Nodding my head, I keep my senses sharp as Sirius reaches toward the items.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, his hand reaches out toward the key, and the moment he makes contact... nothing happens.
...I didn't want anything bad to happen to my husband, of course.
It was just a bit anticlimactic.
Inspecting it for a moment, he then pockets the key before picking up the sword.
Again, nothing happened, but I could faintly feel... 'something' shift in the surroundings as he grasped the hilt.
Odd.
Inspecting it, he takes a few test swings, the air whistling with each swing while small gusts fly through the room.
A crazy display of inhuman martial arts technique, but for my amazing husband, this much was casual.
He then stops, his brow creasing in visible confusion.
"What is it?" I ask.
I had never seen such an expression when he wielded a sword.
Frustration? Sure. Elation? Absolutely.
But never confusion.
"It's... weird. This sword... it has no edge, a frayed hilt, a cracked spine yet... it's perfect."
...Huh?
"It's definitely not as strong as Infinite Eclipse. Hell, an average sword in Orario was probably better, but it still feels perfect... How odd."
"Well, after cleaning it up it might be a good sword. In fact... maybe that is what the room was protecting." I say.
"Maybe... but it feels different than that. As if... Nevermind. Let's just take this and leave. This place is starting to give me the heebie jeebies." He says before walking back toward our family.
Giving one last glance around the room, I then start following behind him.
Making our way back, Ryuu gave an inquisitive look at us, or rather, the sword Sirius was holding.
"Find something of interest, husband?" She asks.
"Something like that. Anyways, I think we should start heading back. I'm starting to get some chills with this place." Sirius says while rubbing his arms.
"Aww~! But we just started exploring, Papa!" Alea begs with watery eyes.
"Yeah! Can we stay? Please~?" Stella joins in.
Holding a ground for only a few seconds, Sirius concedes with a sigh.
"Haa... fine. But not for much longer, okay?"
"Alright!"
Stella and Alea then interlace their hands before jumping around in glee.
Chuckling at their cute antics, I give a teasing look over to my husband.
"I guess you're weak to your daughters, eh?"
"Maybe... but c'mon. Are you any better?" He says back.
"Hahaha! No, but you're much worse!" I return.
"She's got you there." Ryuu adds to the teasing.
"Yeah yeah. Keep laughing-"
He's cut off by a low rumble that echoes through the surroundings as dust begins to fall from the ceiling.
His eyes twitching, Sirius looks around with a desperate expression.
"...You don't suppose that's just the wind, do you?"
----- Sirius POV -----
"I hate being right all the fucking time!" I scream in frustration.
"Husband. Do not swear in front of the children." Ryuu scolds me.
Clicking my tongue, I readjust the two bodies I had over my shoulders.
"Whee~!"
"Faster! Faster!"
At least Alea and Stella were having fun.
Either way, it seemed that my intuition was, once again, correct, as shortly after the low rumble we heard, the entire castle began collapsing, leading to the entire hillside crumbling into a giant landslide as a result.
Luckily, we were fast enough to outrun a landslide, as were the rest of the Familia.
...Though Mother Astraea did need to be carried by Kaguya.
I wish they had cameras here, it was quite a funny sight.
Now out of the city and with the carriages, the Familia takes a collective sigh of relief before turning towards us- or rather, to me.
"So? Why in the hell did a ruins site that's been stable for thousands of years become like that just now? I don't think it was a coincidence!"
Wincing lightly, I put down the two girls whose hair was strewn about from the wind, both visibly pouting as I did so.
Ignoring the cuteness, I then reached for the sword I had put into my belt before pulling it out, its unimpressive blade gleaming slightly in the sunlight.
"It may... have been this guy. We came across it in the castle and after taking it out... well, you know..."
The girls look over the blade with unimpressed stares.
"Well, whatever. I guess our excursion got cut off, but we should head back on the road. Haa... all that history, lost. What a shame."
Lyra shakes her head before walking toward the leading carriage, the Familia following behind her.
Just as I began to pick up the kids and move towards them, a voice called out to me.
"Sirius, come here for a second."
Lifting my head, I find myself confused as Mother Astraea is looking at me with an unusually serious expression, with no trace of her usual motherly care.
"Sure... kids, you go on ahead with your mothers."
"'Kay~"
Seeing Alea and Stella waddle off toward Ryuu and Alise, I turn back to Mother Astraea.
"What's up?"
"Where did you find that sword?"
She says, almost... accusingly.
No... it's more like desperation.
"...As I said, it was just in a room in the castle. Though there was a trap before it, and no monsters got near it." I say.
"I see... no wonder no monsters went anywhere near that thing. May I?" She says while holding out her hand.
I repeat the process of taking out the sword before handing it to her.
Grasping the hilt, Mother Astraea releases a gasp before caressing the blade, running her hands almost... lovingly over the battered metal.
"Nike..." She whispers barely loud enough to pick up.
'Nike'... is that the name of the sword, or of a person who wielded it?
Maybe it's from a legend she watched play out in Tenkai?
"Mother Astraea?"
"Ah! My apologies, it's just... been so long." She says wistfully while handing me back the sword.
"Do not lose sight of that thing, Sirius." She then says.
From the glint in her eyes, I could tell she was very serious about this.
"Of course, I will... but why? I feel... something with it, but it's just an old sword, no?" I ask with confusion.
"Fufu, it's indeed an old sword... After all, what else would you expect of a sword wielded by a God."
...
Uh... what?
"Ah- Uhm- Eh-"
"Fufu, you're fun to tease~ I'd forgotten that with how mature you got after the children were born." She says before continuing.
"That sword is the divine weapon once wielded by the Goddess Nike. Although it cannot be used in its current state, if a monster of an acceptable level ever becomes your foe, it may be the only path to victory. So keep it close."
Releasing a sigh, she tucks a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear before turning around.
"Anyways, let us get back on the road. We have a quest to complete, after all." She says before starting toward the carriage.
But that smile... why was it so pained?
So fake and forced?
"Mother. What's wrong?" I ask with worry, not even noticing the lack of 'Astraea' in my calling.
She stops in her tracks before releasing another sigh, this one a bit more honest about the difficult emotions she'd been holding back.
"It's fine, Sirius. Haa... can't even hide this sadness as a Goddess, huh?"
She turns her head to look at me, wearing a forlorn smile.
"Nike... was a dear friend of mine in Tenkai. We were essentially sisters. But years and years ago... long before we Gods descended, she disappeared. And she hasn't been seen since."
