Arika, My Dear…

“Oh my… Arika, is that you and your friends? How did you get here?”

We finally arrived at the golden birdcage that looks too far for what it actually is, and that was the words my Grandma spoke out to us. Yes, my Grandma was there— but as a flawless youth beauty known as the Mage Hero Angelica, the form I took in this world. It looks like she doesn’t even have any more power to manifest as her past, actual self from her previous world.

“Yes. Yes we are, Grandma. Thanks to that dragon friend of yours.”

“Oh… So it was Mister after all. Even though I told him not to…”

Before we could have any more exchange, Rana spoke up.

“So she’s the real… Mage Hero Angelica?” Rana asked me, and I nodded slowly. I finally got reminded that Rana hasn't really met her before while Rama already did in a past dream.

“Yes. She is…no, she was my grandmother in my previous world, and now she’s a Goddess of this world.” I gulped as I had a feeling that the twins might’ve not been able to approach closer without the help of Rui. “You two stay on top of Rui and grab tight. I’ll try to do something with that cage.”

“You sure about not needing our help, Arika?”

“We have no other choices. I’ll be damned if you guys suddenly get dragged out of this space and get lost after you two get off Rui.” I sighed as I turned to my Grandma beyond the cage. “Grandma, are you okay?”

Grandma’s sigh was followed by Rui’s meowing as he suddenly approached the cage. Thankfully, the twins held on tight as they were told so the sudden movement didn’t throw them off him.

“My, what a cute calico. Even your pure soul went here….” Grandma commented on Rui and gave him a little caress on his nose, as I tried to do something with the cage physically. Even right now, I’m using my magic in silence to buff myself and pull a way out of the cage forcefully, but it doesn’t work at all and I’m starting to panic.

“Arika, it’s fine. I’m already happy you and your friends come to get me. Get out of this realm now. Mister should know how to bring you guys back. I wouldn’t want to trouble you, your boyfriend and your friend”

Both me and Rama resonated “She’s not my girlfriend!” and “He’s not my boyfriend!” in perfect harmony and it only caused Rana and Grandma to giggle in unison. For a second, it feels like we’re in a fun little situation, except we got reminded of the direness once the fog around us became dark and darker, and I knew from experience that it’s definitely nothing good.

“Oh, look who we have here…. Your beloved granddaughter, I assume.”

A grinning figure emerges from the thick, dark fog. A lady with black dress and a large white hat with a crown on top of it, accompanied by a few women that looked like her ladies in waiting, appeared along with glitching around the fog. Her yellow eyes shine through the darkness of the fog while she has a pair of long elf ears, giving the feel of a devil. To me from that time, she might as well be.

I pointed at her with anger sparking in my eyes.

“Y— You’re that lesser Goddess who’s against my Grandma, aren’t you?!”

“Don’t call me a Lesser Goddess, you rude little mortal child! You surely do not differ much from your careless grandmother, don’t you!”

The lesser Goddess stepped angrily on the ground, her strange little heels clicking with the surface of the realm as the fog grew much more glitchy as the ladies in waiting around her sang a choir of their reassurance of her in such an unpleasant tune. She really does seem dangerous…

“Then at least introduce yourself! We don’t even know who you are!”

I declared as I clenched my fist. Either way, it seems like we have to fight this Goddess eventually, but we don’t have much fighting power unless we can get Rama to get his magic going.

“Fine. I am but sure the sister of the previous Goddess of them all, the one and only L—-”

Boom. Before she could even finish her own introduction, there was a loud sound as she fell into the ground. We all turned our gaze to the male young elf on top of the Cheshire known as Rui— Rama, who seemingly had his wand out. Wait, isn’t his magic limited in this space?!

“Dammit, I could’ve managed with a grander explosion if it was not for the realm’s limitations.”

…Oh, looks like it is indeed limited here, and he’s just attacking with what he could by his own instinct. What kind of wild animal is this elf I happen to have a crush on now?!

“You rude little child of Wizen! Don’t ever think you could go away with this!”

I noticed even such direct injuries meant nothing for the Lesser Goddess in a hat as her wounds closed up quickly. She ended up being mad before she could even introduce herself, too, that I can’t help but just to continue referring to her as a Lesser Goddess.

She seemingly raised her hand as if she were to attack, so I screamed with all my might warning the others.

“Rama, Rana, grab tight! Rui, run!”

Rui complied with my words as he ran away. However, from my sight alone I could see Rui ended up running just in place in the endless space of dark, black fog. This is bad, because the choir of ladies in waiting are trying to catch up with them and attack. I decided to conjure back my staff and cast a protection magic I learned from watching Dellney back in the surface realm to protect them in a magic ball of a barrier, letting them stay safe as I sigh in relief.

“Oh? I guess you still can use your magic well here, Granddaughter.”

“I’m from another world, if you may, Lesser Goddess…”

“Don’t call me that, you little—!”

The angry steps of the Lesser Goddess came closer to me as I was off-guard for just a second, and she grabbed me by the robe. I rebelled against her grip with all my might, but I feel like my mana as well as energy is dragged away by her every grip. Is it just me, or is that I’m turning back to myself from my previous world? My hair is growing even darker in color and my face has changed to my past self…..

At the sight of that, my Grandma screamed in desperation from beneath her cage.

“Enough! Let Arika go! She didn’t do anything wrong!”

The Lesser Goddess clicked her tongue as her grip on me turned even stronger, and all of sudden I couldn’t conjure my wand back. I’m really turning back to just a human without magic and the powers of a Blessed One, aren’t I?

“Shut up, Angelica! You took everything from me, so I’ll take the thing you kept dear the most!” She declared. “If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve… I would’ve become the next Goddess instead of someone like you…!”

“So you were just hungry for power, huh?” I then taunted her. “What a lame motif for a final boss.”

“What did you say, you ____ ?!”

“Arika, no!”

The Lesser Goddess throws me away angrily that I hit the cage. Without the protection of a Blessed One, I could feel the harm of the injury that I screamed in pain. It was the most painful experience I have ever experienced since I stepped into this world.

“Ugh, that hurts a lot…”

“Arika, please just leave… I’ll convince the Goddess and tell Mister to get you all back safely…”

My Grandma, as the Mage Hero Goddess Angelica was teary-eyed as she said so. As I looked around me, my barrier disappeared with all my mana as I realized Rama and Rana were still holding tight to Rui as they dodged each one of the choir’s attacks. Rui is so talented as a cat that I couldn’t help but be in awe despite my pain.

“No!”

“Arika! Don’t be selfish! Especially when you dragged your friends here like that!”

“And who do you think is the most selfish here?!”

“What do you mean by that—”

Grandma gasped at those words. I decided to scream all my feelings before I couldn’t anymore.

“You’re the one who called me out to this world! And then you decided on your own on things just so I could have my own adventure but then you just told me to leave you alone when you’re in trouble?!” I feel like all my feelings bursted out from my chest. I could even care less about the Lesser Goddess stepping closer to us. “I came here only to meet you, and now I can’t even hug you and say sorry for everything I have ever said!”

As I said those words, suddenly there was a shine. A shine that hits the top of the cage. I feel like I heard a voice I am familiar with. It was Dellney— for exact, Dellney’s box of magic stones accompanied with a voice message.

“Welp, I figured out they would’ve needed this more than I do, so go get it for them, okay, lil’ Dragon?”

As the box broke and the collection of stones containing Grandma’s powers scattered around the cage only to be absorbed by Angelica– no, my Grandma, suddenly there was bright light around all of us.

I could see my Grandma out of the golden cage that dissolves into a glitching mess before a blinding light hits everything.

~*~*~*~

“...Huh? Where am I now?!”

I blinked as I looked around. The entirety of the space is empty, except for littlest of white, cloudy fogs that felt warm rather than cold. Suddenly, there was a little glitch-like shine, and an angel-like beauty of a strawberry blonde hair figure stood there.

It was none other than Angelica— my Grandma, who turned to me and then hugged me tight with tears running down her face. Those tears soon turned her back to the Grandma I knew well.

“...I admit the whole ‘putting pieces of my powers down to the surface’ was not well thought out.” She chuckled as she hugged me tight.. “I made the other Goddesses candidate angry thanks to that, too…. Maybe now that a lot of my powers have returned, they will hear what I say about it instead of just one-handedly punishing me?”

“Does that mean you should be safe now? And how about Rama and Rana and Rui—”

“They’re back awake and safe in the Forest of Wizen thanks to Mister.” Grandma chuckled as her hug slightly was let go. “Don’t worry, your boyfriend’s safe”

“He’s not— oh well, he’s still just a crush!” I declared with a blush that only caused my Grandma to laugh it all out. Seeing her smile relieved me, yet I still have many unanswered questions.

“Hey, Grandma.”

“Hm? What is it, Arika, my dear?”

It feels like time has just stopped. In the end, I couldn’t figure out what I should ask first. Whether it’s the true nature of this world and how it relates to ETO, and whether I can speak to my Grandma like this anymore.

“...It’s over, isn’t it?”

“If you wanted to, then yes. I can just send you back to the previous world if you want to.”

I bit my own lips and I shivered as I thought of the world I left behind.

“....I don’t want it to be over, but I don’t want to trouble you further if I’m staying here in this world…”

“Then, what about this?” Grandma smiled gently as she patted my head. “You’ll stay here, have your own adventures to choose from, but this time Grandma won't help you as much as before…”

“Can we talk from time to time, though….?”

“Sure, when you dream of me. It can’t be every time like before, though.”

“I’m fine with that. Then we have a deal.” I smiled happily with a grin on my face “Thanks, Grandma. And I’m sorry for what I said before..”

“You’re already forgiven by the time you stepped into this world, Arika…”

As my eyelids opened back to the reality I am getting used with, a curtain was closed on my adventure to seek my Grandma’s existence in another world. Another page was open for new possibilities, however….