"What happened? Everything okay?" Nell flew around Elysia to check the latter's condition.
"Um, everything's fine." Elysia opened her palm for Nell to land.
"Well, one-eighth of my palace has vanished into ashes." Luna was amazed at what had just happened.
The surrounding guards went alert. They rushed to scan the surroundings but were soon relieved upon spotting their Empress and the Goddesses in the sky.
"I'm sorry, Luna. I will repair your palace quickly." Elysia stretched out her hand, about to repair the damage she had caused.
"No, that's not necessary. Just let it be. We can make the dragons obey me without any conditions." Luna put her hand on Elysia's arm and smiled gently.
"We should return to the Nature Realm." Rhea made a suggestion while glancing at the moon.
"Un. Let's go, everyone." Elysia invited everyone back to the Nature Realm. She knew everyone was worried.
"Her Highness Empress!" A bunny girl flew into the sky, following Luna in a hurry.
"Everything's fine, Yusagi. Tell everyone to return to their usual post and lower the security system to normal levels." Luna told her bunny knight calmly.
"But!" Yusagi wasn't feeling at ease yet, but she glanced at the nearby eye-catching Goddesses. She heaved a subtle sigh and then left on the Empress' orders.
By Elysia returned to the Nature Realm, she had sat in a seiza position and closed her eyes. She sent her consciousness into the Nature Realm to reconcile Elena and Lifa.
Meanwhile, the girls were left wondering about Elysia's transformation and the divine energy explosion that had just occurred.
"Nee, is Elysia okay? Why did the previous lady suddenly disappear and Elysia turned into a Goddess?" Dorienne asked in a whisper.
"Master Elysia is indeed a Goddess. She is a Goddess in training. The previous lady is the Goddess of Life. They combined their strength, it seems. However, something went wrong." Vanessa didn't really understand either, but she still explained to the best of her understanding.
"Hmm?" Dorienne rubbed her forehead. She didn't understand what had just happened, but it looked cool. Elysia's current appearance was also absolutely gorgeous.
"Ah, is this what Goddess Aria calls fusion? We can lend our power to Goddess Ely after reaching a certain relationship point." Xentia clasped her hands in awe.
"Fusion?" Fortuna blinked her eyes in surprise. She could see the Goddess of Life whole being merged into Elysia now. Could they do that to combine forces?
"Eh, is that true? I remember that Ely did say she wanted to borrow our strength. That's why she asked if we would be willing to entrust our future and destiny to her. However, for some reason, I feel that she would do something risky with her master. The other Goddesses tried their best to make them not have to bear it all alone." Ai tried to guess based on her conjecture.
"That's right. Even with Elysia and her master combined power, we are still not enough to defeat the last Ruvoid Gods. There is a price for great strength, and we should lighten their load in the final battle. I don't know about you, but as for us... we would be happy to lend them everything." Nell answered from near the portal.
"Purrfect! Is there a condition for lending all of our power to master?" Vanessa wagged her tail in excitement. She would be glad if she found it helpful.
"You already have a spirit connection, so the next one is only- ehm, fusion requires the highest level of trust and faith. It's not the time for you to try it now." Rhea helped to answer.
"Woah..." Evelyn put her hands together as she looked radiantly at Elysia's current appearance.
She couldn't imagine Elysia's final divine form would be like if the other Goddesses had lent their power. The Goddess of Life was probably already in Elysia's unique realm, where the Goddess of Light used to live.
"That's so romantic and amazing. I also want to try the fusion technique. I can call it combining body and soul. Hmm~" Sylvia was smitten to try that technique with Elysia.
The girls then exchanged words with each other. They wanted to know what would happen if everyone combined their power toward one person, Elysia as the host.
While the girls' discussion was getting heated, Elysia had a hard time in the Elysian Realm because Elena was quarreling with Lifa.
"You planned this, right? When I tried to believe you, you were just doing your own thing!" Elena was furious and tried to pounce on Lifa.
"Please understand my situation. I can't wait too long because Elysia is so dense! She didn't realize I was waiting for her to talk to me about my share of duties. Because of your alertness, Ely also became distant to me. When you came to me, you asked and questioned something sensitive. Yet, when I granted it, you blamed me?" Lifa caught Elena's hands and tried to be reasonable.
"Oow, please don't fight. We agreed to shoulder everything together. This absolute spirit connection and fusion won't work if there's no mutual trust in it, right? Lady Lifa has already lent us her power and granted our wish." Elysia intervened and separated the two ladies.
"But, Ely, look. Lifa does things without consulting anymore. I don't like someone going around with us. Look at our palace." Elena glanced at the giant Tree of Life that was near their bed.
Lifa's sudden arrival destroyed part of the palace room, and that massive tree was so out of place!
"Err, I'll be moving my main spirit body somewhere else. Eh? I just realized that we can't use magic here." Lifa looked at her hands as she realized that.
"That's because here is the Elysian Realm. All are considered equal here. Ely is the ruler of this realm, the one capable to handle everything and create anything. You better explain your situation properly. The previous divine punishment really dangerous. If it doesn't vanish, I'm afraid something I can't imagine will happen." Elena snorted in annoyance and folded her arms.
"Well, if my predictions are wrong, we might vanish into cosmic ashes. I'm no match for him, but I know Ely won't be hurt by his punishment." Lifa chuckled as if it was no big deal.
"Lifa! I need to bite and beat you once so you will understand the pain once again!" Elena clenched her fist and lunged at Lifa again, but Elysia hugged her to stop her.
"Please calm down. Everyone has their reasons. Lady Lifa is also included. She thought of many things for our benefit. She just couldn't tell us ahead of time, but she also couldn't be patient when we ignore her." Elysia tries to come up with a plausible reason.
"Oh my, bad Ely. So, you play hard to get. I thought I quite understood you, but you just deliberately ignored me." Lifa put her hand to her forehead.
"What can we do? You play mysterious to approach. You know a lot but can't do much." Elysia shrugged her shoulders.
"Ouch, it kinda hurts because it's true." Lifa held her chest.
"Heh~" Elena was amused. Elysia stabbed Lifa and dealt damage with mere words.
"I have my reasons, and now maybe I can talk about it. Do you still want to know even though we've been warned? He wants you to live happily in a world that is quite safe and peaceful. He doesn't want you to return to your roots." Lifa asked with a solemn expression.
"Hmm, I don't want to dig too deep. I also don't know who you mean by 'him'. We are asking about your situation, Lady Lifa. It no longer matters about us." Elysia took Lifa and Elena's hands. She invited them to sit on the bed.
"Yes, you should also be responsible." Elena sighed as she saw the room she had designed so beautifully was damaged by Lifa.
"What kind of responsibility do you expect? I can do something more~" Lifa put her finger to her lips.
"First of all, we would like to know more about our fusion and some of the things that have just happened. Can you enlighten us?" Elysia waved her hand for attention.
"Sure, sweetie. What do you want to know? I'll transfer everything through our mind sync. Oh my, Rhea is feeling jealous now, hehe~ Ah, please don't access my mind. There are too many bank libraries. You can get lost." Lifa closed her eyes and could see the situation around Elysia's body. Rhea was nearby, waiting impatiently.
Elysia and Elena then had a warm talk with Lifa. This time, Lifa was happy to share her knowledge without hiding anything. Although, there were some things that she chose not to answer because it wasn't good for Elysia or Elena to know right now.
Thus, Elysia and Elena only asked for an explanation regarding Lifa's situation and their current state.
A few minutes later, Elysia returned to her body. The first thing she saw after opening her eyes was Rhea's face. She could see an aura of jealousy radiating clearly in those beautiful turquoise eyes.
"Why did mother do that before me? This should be just an ordinary spirit bonding ritual, not the fusion one. I supposedly be the first..." Rhea complained, feeling dissatisfied.
"She has her own reason. Due to a situation, she decided to speed up her decision for this. Please don't blame her." Elysia shook her head.
"Can fusion take us to the Elysian Realm? My mother is there, right?" Rhea heaved a subtle sigh and sat down in front of Elysia.
"Yes, she is there. My master and Lady Tifa are having a follow-up warm conversation." Elysia nodded in confirmation.
"..." Rhea stared at Elysia's purplish-blue eyes that emitted a greenish hue, then stated her wish. "I wish for the same as my mother."