Chapter 266 Goddess Gossip

"So, what is it like to be a goddess with no power?" Goldy asked, and Elfinia scowled, but Goldy wasn't rude. "I am just curious. I am not really looking to find out personally, but a first-hand account from someone like you would be nice if you don't mind."

"Why are you always so nosy?!" Elfinia growled, but Goldy only shrugged.

"It is in my nature to be curious about things that I don't know. You are long-lived, So I assume that you are similar in that aspect, but maybe in a different way. Anyways, what is it like?" Goldy asked, and Titania sighed as she took a seat on the bed beside Claire, the once Holy Beholder.

"It is like being born without anything. I am a full-grown woman, but I don't think that there is a single person here that could not take me down if they tried. It is like being reduced to nothing!" Elfinia snapped, and Goldy put her hands up but then turned to Claire, who looked up at her with her single large eye that covered the front of her face. "What has it been like for you?"

"Do you really need to pester everyone, Dwarf?" Titania said, turning her nose up at Goldy, making the little golden goddess cross her arms off her impressive chest. "I am sure Claire would rather not discuss her experiences. She has suffered enough, and I think that you are taking up too much of her time."

"No, it is okay," Claire said, and Elfinia groaned because she knew what was coming. "It has been an interesting experience, and it has made me consider if I am really even worthy of my position. I would have killed a lot of people if Galio hadn't stopped me. Even when he barely knew his own name, he summoned the power to protect everyone like it was nothing. That makes me wonder if I could do the same thing if I had been in the same place."

"You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Holy Beholder. Like Galio said, we all have our own ways of fighting, and that is what makes us strong." Goldy told her with a smile on her face as she rubbed Claire's back gently. "I am sure the people will learn to accept you in time because you understand the mistakes that you have made. With more time and guidance from Galio, I am sure that you will regain your confidence."

It was then that Claire realized just how much had changed since the last time she saw Elfinia and Titania. Back before Galio, they had all been in competition, but now she and Elfinia had lost their powers, and even Titania seemed more relaxed. It was almost like Galio had brought them all together in a way that no one else could have ever done.

"Why do you all think so highly of Galio? The creature took my power and then left me at the mercy of my daughter! How could I ever respect... him?!" Elfinia demanded, and Goldy looked back to Claire.

"Has she been like this the entire trip?" She asked, and Claire nodded with a tired look, and Goldy turned back to Elfinia. "You really need to think about why you are here. Being put at your daughter's mercy? You mean the same one that you belittled so much that she ran away from your home? The one that trained tirelessly to do all the things that you can do effortlessly? You deserve this more than you know, and until you understand why, Galio will not give you back your powers. Do you think that we all just follow him because he is strong? I was a follower the moment that I met him and placed all my bets on him because he cares about people; even if he is forceful in his ways sometimes, Galio is what this world needs. The sooner you accept him, the easier your life will get, or continue walking around with that resting bitch face and see how far it will get you."

Goldy's words cracked like a whip in the small room, and silence fell over the room. Elfinia looked away and gritted her teeth, clenching her fists as she was filled with anger, but she had no way to vent it. What Gold had said was true, and any objections at this point would just make her look foolish.

"You all think that you know him so well, but you don't! He is nothing but a liar who will only bring you misery!" Elfinia snapped and then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"I didn't mean to make her so mad," Goldy said with a sigh as she sat on the bed next to Claire. "But sometimes people need to hear the truth even if it isn't what they want to hear."

[Galio]

I checked on the girls and then left Melly with Breya to watch over in the Spatial Lodge. I wanted to go see what the four goddesses were up to. I didn't want the ones with power abusing the other two.

Eliza told me the rooms we had rented, so I headed up the stairs after waving to the cute bartender. On the way up, I heard a door slam, and then when I got to the top of the stairs, Elfinia ran into me.

"Oof!" I exclaimed as she collided with me, and then I caught her before she could fall. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing! Just stay away from me!" She snapped as she tried to push me away, but I didn't let her go. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong," I told her firmly, and she huffed as she looked away. "Come on, you can tell me."

"I am not talking to you, beast! Let go of me!" Elfinia snapped, but she had no power to fight against me, and I had left this thing alone for far too long.

"I am not a beast, and you will talk to me," I said as I looked down at her, and she finally met my eyes. "Now, what is wrong?"

"You really want to know?" She asked, and I nodded because I really did want to know. "Goldy told me that I needed to think about why you took my powers away. I get it, I am a horrible person, but you left me, and you don't get to just come back into my life after reducing me to nothing! I get what I did, and I can't change that!"

I was taken aback by Elfinia's words because they were true. It was just like Goldy had told her, but I had never stopped to think about how much pain Elfinia was in. All this time, she had been living with the guilt of pushing her daughter away, and now she was being forced to confront it head-on with no way to escape it. It must have been absolute torture for her.

"Elfinia...I-"I started, but she cut me off as she buried her face in my chest and started sobbing uncontrollably. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her and just let her cry it out.