Goddess

      When the light dissipated, what laid out before us was a grand temple of gold and marble with immaculate, clean white stairs leading from the distant outskirts where we had appeared up to the temple. Beyond the temple’s outskirts, tall pillars of white strung up demons, held up by their limbs with chains, forming a circle of white lines all around. The sound of cracking whips and whimpering apologies and pleas for forgiveness mixed with the harmonious chorus coming from the inner temple grounds.

“Follow the stairs,” The commander spoke, “You’ll find the goddess at the top. Be sure to take every single step, do not skip even a single one. They will serve as your penance.”

With that said, the commander returned to the battle through the teleportation circle. As I turned to the steps, Siti leaned against me, “Carry me.”

“Didn’t he JUST say not to skip any steps?”

“Don’t care, that’s too many steps. Carry me!”

     I sighed. Well, whatever trouble we were bound to get into, we’d just have to deal with it. I crouched down, offering her a piggyback ride, but then she decided to fall right in front of me, leading to me reaching out to catch her. She looked at me with a broad, cheeky smile on her face and I could only sigh again as I rose to my feet, now carrying Siti in a bridal carry as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

     As I began to ascend the stairs, each step truly seemed to weigh on my heart. Each step dredged up memories of something I’d done, grand or minor. Cheating on tests, lying to my parents, getting into childhood fights, even saying insults in small fits of anger. One memory after another struck my mind in surprising clarity and I couldn’t help but reflect on them. Some I tried to justify, others I felt regret for and wished I could apologize, but I wondered if they’d even remember such things.

     I tried gaze around me to distract my mind. After the outskirts, the demons were walking along the clean white roads freely, kneeling to any nearby angels, bowing their heads to each other, and obsessively cleaning every inch of the temple that they were allowed access to. Further in were the angels’ residence. It was mostly an open, featureless courtyard where the angels stood in rank and file like statues. They descended into those ranks from the inner area, which was composed of a series of chambers with glowing stone doors that only opened when an angel was ready to emerge.

     We finally reached the top of the stairs and the innermost part of the temple, a proper enclosed building covered wall to wall in engravings of stone and gold depicting what I could only assume were stories or scriptures, but I was no expert in reading these sorts of things.

     Surprisingly, there were no guards around the building, but perhaps if someone were to get this far, they would’ve had to deal with the hundreds of angels outside just to get here anyway. I set down Siti and we walked into the building where the chorus was at its loudest.

     Inside, a brilliant light radiated from the ceiling, reflecting among hundreds of engraved golden chains that hung down. All along the circular wall stood dozens of angels as they sang, at least until Siti and I arrived, after which they silenced all at once.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice boomed from that radiant light, shaking me to my core, yet not rattling the chains in the slightest, “Demons. Know that you stand in the presence of Venia, goddess of punishment, regret, and redemption. Show respect and kneel!”

     My heart trembled as all of those memories and feelings I experienced along the stairs resurfaced all at once, bringing me to my knees as I clutched my chest. Feelings of guilt overwhelmed me, as if I’d committed the most grave of sins.

Yet Siti did not. There she stood, crossing her arms and tilting her head, “We’re not here to worship you, we’re here on business.”

“Insolence!” The voice roared, emitting what truly felt like weight pressing down on me from all directions. I couldn’t control myself as I began to apologize profusely. I didn’t even know to who or what for, but my apologies flowed as if I didn’t need to breathe. “A mere lord and...you? You feel somewhat familiar. Are you not the Disaster of Lust from the world of Catinas?”

Siti paused for a moment, then perked her eyebrow, “Huh? You mean me? I don’t recognize that title, but I am indeed from Catinas. I am a fragment of Sitiens Meretrix, and I’ve come here in search of someone. Call me Siti though.”

     All at once, the weight on my body and the pressure on my heart vanished, but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to get up or not, fearing that terrible feeling on my heart again.

“Sitie-”

“Just Siti.”

“...Siti. Though a disaster from times passed, I feel some comfort in meeting someone from a familiar place. Pray tell, how have you come here?”

“A portal in the archipelago occupied by demons. I’m actually curious about the same thing. I thought divinities stayed in the Divine Realm and only shared their power, but never descended.”

“That is indeed the case for most. I, too, had no intention of descending, least of all down to this wretched place. Yet, some foul magic from these infernal depths ripped me from the heavens and cast me down here. I do not know who is responsible, only that I was immediately attacked and have been here ever since.”

“Oh! Then you’ve got something in common with this guy then.”

“Him? A Demon Lord? Rise and elaborate on what she speaks.”

     Receiving permission, I rose to my feet and looked up, as least enough that my eyes wouldn’t burn from the light, “My name is James Cassidy. I come from a world called Earth which is, from what I’m told, in a place called the Hidden realm. This suit, this skin was made by Siti to allow me to survive down here. Without it, I would have died almost immediately. But believe me when I say that beneath this skin of demons, I am human.”

“A human! From the Hidden Realm! I had heard tales of such a place, but never had I expected to meet a human from there. I believe you, for the guilt in your heart is not something that a demon could truly feel. Human called James, I wish to make you my champion!”

“Huh? Champion?”

“Woah woah woah! We just came here to talk, not to make him your vessel!”

“Silence! I have been trapped in this infernal den of sin for far too long! I must return to the heavens!”

“Are you unable to do that on your own?”

“Nay, the distance is overwhelmingly vast. But if you return to your realm with me in your company, then perhaps the distance will be navigable.”

“Then, are you able to take me back to my realm?”

“I do not know its location, and the power required would make me unable to return to the heavens for some time. You will have to lead me.”

     I couldn’t hide my disappointment as my gaze lowered towards the ground.

“I sense your sinking heart. Why do you lower your gaze?”

“We were sort of hoping that you might have a way for us to get there...But, I have one more question. If you can’t make the trek back to the Divine Realm, how powerful would one have to be to pull you from there to here? Is a Demon King capable of such a thing?”

“To pull a human from one of the Great Realms, a king would suffice, but to pull from the heavens would be impossible for one of them. To do such a thing while avoiding the eyes of the Creator and the Destroyer, only one of those presumptuously titled ‘Demon Gods’ would be able to perform such a feat.”

     There was silence. I looked over to Siti to see an expression I hadn’t seen on her before. Dread and despair, as if her hopes had been laid to waste.

“Siti?”

     She jumped at the mention of her name, glanced at me, then quickly away, covering her face with her hand and murmuring.

“Wh-what? What is it?”

“Impossible.” She said, her eyes gazing down to the floor, “Going to Earth...might be impossible.”