Chapter 38: Sister's Circumstances

"Why can I feel you inside her?"

My sister pointed at the girl she was holding hands with. It was a simple question, but no words came out of my mouth.

The gravity of the moment weighed heavily on me, and I struggled to find the right words to explain the inexplicable.

I can't exactly tell her that we somehow became lovers? After I planned an assault on her right?

'She would imprison me on her realm immediately'

"Sis! I missed you"

I decided to change the topic and immediately hugged her small doll body. She didn't resist and hugged me back; it seemed our feelings were the same.

The embrace was a momentary respite from the strange, unspoken connection she had just pointed out.

"I missed you too, Ian," my sister spoke loving words as she hugged me back. Her doll hands creaked like a broken toy before moving to wrap around my neck to hug me.

In this surreal moment, our sibling bond was a comfort, a reminder of the love we shared despite the bizarre circumstances.

"Everyone is worried about your well-being, Ian. The Goddess of this world is hell-bent on preventing us from influencing it, though we didn't have any plans of influencing it in the first place" Sis explained.

The weight of her words hung in the air, a reminder of the danger that had brought her here.

"Uhm, sis, I appreciate your thoughts, but can you please put up a barrier? My spirit is dying right over there" I said while pointing at Meralda.

She was coughing and breathing heavily, her body cracked with every word that came out of my sisters' mouth, her mind, body and soul was struggling under the pressure of my sister's presence, a higher form of existence.

The pain she was feeling right now was likely immeasurable, for she was a spiritual being herself. Just being in the same space as my sister would probably shatter her existence, akin to an ant attempting to carry an elephant.

The magnitude of the strain she endured was overwhelming, as though the very fabric of her essence was threatened by the mere proximity to Sis.

Fortunately, Sis's aura seemed to have been purposefully restrained, like a tempest held in check, preventing the catastrophic consequences of a full-fledged encounter.

It was unintentional suffering on Meralda's part, and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for her, given that she had been worried about me just moments ago.

'I better give her a reward later'

Sis raised her hands and cast a black, translucent barrier around us, shielding Meralda from the overwhelming aura.

I looked at Meralda once more, feeling a bit of pity, considering she was worried about me moments ago and now she had to suffer like this unintentionally.

I should reward her with something later.

"Sis, can you tell me the whole situation?" I said. I had so many questions to ask.

'Why is she here? What happened? Is everybody okay? How did she come here?

Is the seal broken?'

"Yes, but first..." she replied but trailed off, and pointed at Elena.

"Answer my question"

The weight of her gaze was demanding, insisting that I address her question first.

I gulped; I didn't know what type of reaction she'd give me, but I guess I didn't have a choice. The truth was a heavy burden to carry.

"She's my lover...?" My voice quivered as I confessed, the admission hanging in the air, the unspoken complexities and implications of our relationship now out in the open.

My sister remained silent, perched across my shoulder, her gaze unrelenting as she fixed her unblinking eyes on Elena and me.

Her contemplative silence hung heavily in the air, and it was clear that she was deeply absorbed in her thoughts.

Then, finally, she broke the silence with a pointed question, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and a touch of disapproval,

"Did you do the deed with her?"

My response was a hesitant and almost reluctant, "..Yes."

The disappointment in my sister's voice was palpable as she uttered, "First the maid and now this girl."

My sister's tone was laced with animosity as she replied.

"She's connected to the goddess, you know? And now you're telling me you want her as your potential wife?"

"I didn't say that," I protested, realizing that my earlier statement could easily be interpreted that way.

My sister retorted, "You basically implied it."

While it was true that I had thought about that possibility, I couldn't let my sister harm Elena in front of me, especially when I knew that my sister didn't typically harm humans. I had to find a compromise.

"How about we make her yours or mom's apostle, then?" I suggested.

Sis tilted her head, in thought, it seemed she found my idea intriguing as there were both benefits and disadvantages

by making Elena into their apostle especially considering that the Goddess of this world blesses her with high amounts of her divinity the moment, mom's or sis's authority and influence wash over her the Goddess would surely notice and that's something dangerous right now.

But that doesn't mean there's no way around it, mom and sis can just casually influence and pour their divinities onto Elena before crushing any remaining influence the goddess had over her, before the goddess could even notice.

Although Elena would probably lose her status as a saintess in the church of light, but even if the church abandons her, she still has me.

"Ok" my sister replied, nonchalantly

"Taking away her saint in a sense, would be a blow to that unreasonable goddess" my sister commented.

Now with that out of the way I finally asked her the important question.

"Sis, what exactly happened can you tell me the whole situation?"

"It's a long story but basically..."

.....

It seemed that after the goddess pierced me with her divinity, the authorities she held overwritten the authorities my family provided me with, as such damaging the influence, they had over me, my connection with them also damaged my family members directly resulting in them loosing against the goddess, in the power struggle they had in her realm.

As the fight happened in the goddess's own realm, my family members own divinity was weakened to the point that their divinities became only as strong as mid-level gods, added the bonus damage they received from the severed authority, their loss was only inevitable.

But that didn't mean they didn't do any damage to the goddess herself, after the fight it seemed she got significantly weaker as she proceeded to seal the void crack my mother did, right now she was still reciprocating from their initial fight.

After some time, Mom, being the perennial worrywart that she was, reached her breaking point. In a sudden and uncharacteristic burst of anger, she launched a surprise attack on the goddess.

The fury of her attack was so intense that it momentarily rekindled her severed connection to me.

This reconnection had an immediate and startling consequence, manifesting as the ominous and powerful explosion that had just occurred, filling the air with dark energy moments ago.

I sighed heavily, unable to contain my own frustration, as I pictured the emotional turmoil and bewilderment my mother must have been grappling with.

Her shouts and vulgarity were unleashed directly at the deity's face, and simultaneously, she began to wreak havoc within the goddess's realm. With the goddess and Mom locked in combat, their attention fully absorbed, my sister saw her chance.

Sis seized the opportunity to slip through the open void, sending a fragment of herself into this world. The goddess and Mom, both deeply embroiled in their fierce altercation, remained oblivious to her actions.

My sister had always possessed an uncanny ability to conceal her presence. Whether you were the highest-ranking god in your realm or a mere mortal, if sis wanted to stay hidden, you simply couldn't find her. This elusive skill was precisely why she managed to materialize here undetected.

Even though only a portion of her essence had crossed over, sis was using her divine powers to mask her presence, knowing that the goddess would instantly detect her if she let her guard down.

"So, you're not really here?" I inquired, my voice laced with a mixture of relief and curiosity.

My sister nodded in response, her eyes conveying the depth of her connection with me.

"Yes, my true body still resides within my own realm," she replied. The knowledge that she had taken such a significant risk by sending a part of herself into this world was both comforting and disconcerting.

The stakes were undeniably high. My sister's current incarnation, fragile and vulnerable in this realm, was not just any manifestation.

If, by any unfortunate twist of fate, harm befell her or she were to meet an untimely demise, the consequences would be permanent and far-reaching.

This was not a mere inconvenience or a temporary setback; it held the potential to reshape the very fabric of her existence.

I looked at my sister with worry, but she shook her head and said "Don't worry, Ian. I have my ways, and did you forget that once I hide, no one can find me?" She reassured me, confirming that she could protect herself effectively.

With a heavy sigh, I surveyed my surroundings once again – broken trees, destroyed landscapes, and a sight of pure, utter destruction.

The memory of William's untimely accidental death crossed my mind. I knew that the academy would be in an uproar tomorrow as news of today's events would undoubtedly reach everyone's ears in a matter of days.