The little goddess had felt the shift in the world happen as soon as the energy had fluxed. She was someone highly attuned to the energy of a place so it was not difficult for her to know what happened - the realm key had been activated.
Naturally, since she knew what had happened, she also knew why it had happened. The realm key was preparing to undergo a host change.
It was something that naturally happened in the world and a lot of lives were impacted as a result. It was something that would also happen in this world soon.
And as much as it was a curse, it was also an opportunity for the others to participate in this race for power. The realm key would be vulnerable right now and anyone could take it with them.
The little goddess was not interested in the realm key’s power but she was interested in its authority.
She was well-liked in her world but what if she helped the next holder of the realm key and became an important figure in this world as well? She would be able to get all the toys she wanted and needed from the ruler.
‘It would be so good if that were to happen. Then, should I push for this? I will need to find the one chosen by the realm key.’
The little goddess planned as she sat down and waited in the resistance’s hallway. And as if the realm had heard her pleas, the chosen one walked into the resistance’s base all on her own.
It was a face familiar to the little goddess. She was sure she had seen this female in the royal court when she was being dragged away as a criminal.
As it happened, this female was the only one who had sympathy for the little goddess. So, she had no problem trying to help this girl out. And it seemed as if this girl needed a lot of guidance. She had no backbone to speak of.
It was quite easy to get Freshia Wells on her side. A little flattery and a little sympathy were enough to get her admiration. And if you knew how to be polite, it was also a plus one for the team.
So overall, the little goddess soon had Freshia in her pocket. And then it was time to further her plan and move toward the zone of influence.
The little goddess would teach Zadkiel because he should not have left her service and betrayed her. She would kill him but not before making him go through the worst pain imaginable in his life. He would be begging the little goddess for death.
………………………………..
It was not tough for Yohan to roam around the royal palace with Zadkiel. Most of the guards did not like him but they also did not stop him when he tried to go somewhere in the castle. It was as if they tried not to care about his presence.
“The queen asked the guards to leave me alone if they saw me. That is why they are behaving as if they did not see me right now. It is a good compromise for me.”
It might seem as if the queen was neglecting Zadkiel but it was an actual power move for him. This way, Zadkiel had a lot of potentials to do things he would otherwise not have been able to do.
Even now, he was moving through the forbidden parts of this castle without any trouble. And no guard had enough authority to stop him from going anywhere.
They soon entered the wing of the queen and it was further away from anything Yohan had ever seen before. It was not decorated lavishly like the other parts of the castle but was styled minimalistic and tastefully.
If Yohan had to say, he would say that this place looked more like a workshop than a royal palace. Even the walls were metallic and had weird wiring all over the place.
“Just what is this queen and why does she have such a weird castle.”
Yohan questioned as he walked after Zadkiel. The weird feeling of being watched came back and his senses went into overdrive. Yohan was surer than ever that he was being looked at from some hidden corner of this place.
But Zadkiel looked to be used to this watching. He did not even bate an eyelash as a shadow dashed past the next corridor.
“This place is so creepy. If this was not a castle, I would have been sure that this was a set for a sci-fi horror story.”
The whole castle gave off this feeling of neglect and gloom. The energy in here was weird as well but Yohan was slowly getting used to it over time. Zadkiel finally stopped in front of a huge door and opened the room.
There was a single large bed in the middle of the room. Everywhere else was empty and there was not even a floor in the room.
“Yohan, welcome to the bed chamber of the realm queen. This is where everyone wants to come. So, can you feel the realm key in this room?”
Yohan sensed around for that great power but the presence of it was faint. This room did not have what he was looking for.
Yohan shook his head in disappointment as he turned around. But he had not taken a single step when he felt something soft and wet touching his feet. He looked down, only to see a slimy tentacle warping itself around Yohan’s leg.
But before he could comment on it, Yohan was pulled down and into the depths of the room. The tentacle was strong and seemed resistant to all of Yohan’s powers and aura. It pulled him down and under the water.
Yohan found it difficult to breath at first but then the tentacle made sure to help him out by entering his mouth and providing him with oxygen and taking out the Carbon dioxide from inside him.
For something intended to kill Yohan, it sure was keeping him alive for a long time. And this contradiction threw Yohan out for a loop.