The Goddess Solace

Since the beginning of the universe, gods have had to have immense power and life to be gods. As a god, you have to create a world of your own and rule that world. That world would become your sanctuary and home. God sometimes leads a world together. However, every God has a devil. It's a curse of the gods to have their first love, romantic or platonic, become their Devil. However, the gods would only be told that once they made their world. 

To complete a devil ritual and become the Devil yourself, you must kill everything closest to you except the God. The closer you are to anything, the more of a possibility you could destroy or kill them, and the more powerful you get. The gods could not stop the devil ritual and would fall into despair knowing their loved one had become a devil. The Devils are known to be apathetic and cruel, and at the end of the story, they get killed to stop their madness, and the only person who can kill the Devil is the God themselves. 

A Goddess named Solace ruled her world with her wife, Bella. Although Solace created and owns the world, she likes to say that Bella has the right to. After all, they are married, and whatever Solace has, Bella has, and vice versa. Together, they watched over their world that was beginning. There was no time in the world of gods; however, in their worlds, there were. The two goddesses waited 5,000 years, finally deciding to visit their world together. Turning to a human's size, they explore a forest together. They were looking at all the plants that had grown there. 

"Oh my love, isn't this amazing! I wonder what creatures are developing here.", Bella cheerfully said.

"Yes, my dear, this is indeed amazing.", Solace said with a small smile.

"This forest is so full of life, but I feel it's missing some color. There is too much green in this area.", Bella said. 

"It is a forest, baby.", Solace smirked at her. 

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!", Bella pouted a little, then turned her head over when she heard a noise in that direction. 

"Who's there? Reveal yourself immediately.", Solace demanded.

Then, five children came out from behind the trees. Curious eyes locked on the two goddesses, staring at them in awe and wonder. Solace froze as she couldn't believe she had threatened innocent children. Bella looked at them with bright eyes and waved her hand, suggesting they come over to her and Solace.

A child with white hair and blue eyes approached them first, asking them a question, "Who are you two?"

Solace looked at Bella for a second and looked back at the boy. She pondered what to say momentarily, but her wife beat her to it. "We are goddesses, little ones.", Bella said with a kind smile. The children were mesmerized by the smile that Bella had just given them; even Solace was a little dizzy, but she soon got out of her daze, grabbed Bella into her arms, and shoved her face to her chest, feeling a little jealous of the smile Bella gave to the kids. 

The children started whispering among each other, and then the boy who approached them asked another question, "What's a goddess?". Solace raised her eyebrows and realized that her world had not yet been introduced to a god. 

"How about this: introduce yourself to me, and I'll tell you what a goddess is.", Solace said with a playful smile. Bella, who had just escaped Solace's chest, looked at the kids curiously. 

"Okay! I will go first since I'm the oldest. My name is Eliji.", he said in confidence. 

"My name is Skylar.", a girl with purple hair and green eyes said. 

"The names Alec.", a boy with black hair and blue eyes said, pointing his thumb to himself. 

The girl with blonde hair and brown eyes cutely tilted her head and said, "Hi, I'm Lucy!"

The youngest with black hair and black eyes raised her hands and introduced herself, "And I'm Estella! It's nice to meet you two strange people."

Solace explained to them what a god was and how powerful they were. Solace and Bella also explained that they were their creators. The children looked at them with bright eyes as if the knowledge of a god had made them enlightened. 

When they told the children they were their gods playfully, they started to worship them. The goddess Solace decided to give them powers to help this world together. 

Eliji was given the power of Dark magic, Skylar was given the power of wind, Alec was given mind powers, Lucy was given the power of Qi, and Estella was given the power of Creation. With their powers, they spread the word of Solace worldwide, helping the world grow. 

The youngest who, with her power of creations, made new plants and animals. She was most connected with the world overall. Eliji used his dark magic to summon creatures to help people worldwide. Skylar used her power to help creatures fly through the sky, transporting stuff as well. Alec used his power to unite people, loved connecting and reading creatures, and Lucy taught people how to use Qi. 

Once the children returned to their places, they told everyone in their village about the two goddesses they met. As proof, they brought them to the goddess, which would be the start of the religion of Solace. 

As the years go by and the children are now 9-10, the youngest returns home to brag to her brother about her adventures. Estella reached her home and opened the door excitedly. 

"Erin! I'm back from the temple.", Estella said while removing her shoes and putting her bags on the wall. A boy with blonde hair and pink eyes walked towards the front door to greet his sister. 

"Welcome back, Estella. How was your day?", Erin said with a gentle smile. 

"It was amazing! You should've seen it; the goddess was so wise and beautiful today. Also, I made a new creature with the help of Solace!", she said with full enthusiasm. 

"That sounds wonderful; what kind of creature was it?", asked Erin. He led her to the dining room, and they ate as she talked about her day. He listened repeatedly to Estella talking about the goddess in great light. Although he didn't think of anything wrong about Goddess Solace, he didn't think of anything good about her. Erin didn't care for gods in general. He just cared if his sister was safe and happy. Before meeting this goddess, Estella would always go on dangerous adventures with her friends in the forest, so he was grateful to the goddess for making Estella do a less perilous task. 

After dinner, Erin made Estella take a bath and care for herself. Then, when the night rolled, they headed off to bed. 

"Good night, Erin! I love you.", Estella said, hugging him before bed. 

"Night to you as well, Estella. Love you too.", he said, hugging back before heading to his room. 

The following week, the goddess learned how the Devil was created and the curse. At first, Solace tried to deny it, thinking it was a rumor between gods. However, it was confirmed true after talking to another god about it. Solace was in shock. She didn't want her alcoholic-loving wife to be a devil and destroy everything she loved. Solace was raging at the fact that no one had told her. Although she loved her world very much, she would rather have Bella create the world so she could become the goddess and Solace the Devil. Solace went bonkers trying to find an answer to fix it. The youngest, Estella, tried to be positive and lift Solace's spirits and gathered the rest of her siblings to help.

"My goddess, come out here for the festival! Everyone had prepared it just for you.", Estella said.

"I'll come by later, Estella; I still have to check some things.", Solace said, with many books and a magical aura around her. Solace was searching for an answer, just one hope in making sure her wife didn't become a devil. Solace felt more rushed as the days passed; the stress was getting to her. Bella was saddened to see her dear beloved suffer because of her, working day and night to seek answers. Solace's aura suffocated the air as she thought more about her current situation.

Suddenly, a hand reached forward to her and grabbed her hands lightly. "Solace, I know how worried you are right now. I know how much pain you are in; all of us don't want Bella to become a Devil. However, you need a break. We are all worried about you, especially Goddess Bella.", Estella said with a concerned voice. 

Solace's aura calmed a little, but she was still unsure if she wanted to leave her work. What if she had found a clue? What if, at any moment, Bella goes haywire and destroys the things she loves and cherishes with all her heart? 

"How about this, if you go to the festival just this once, I promise that I and the rest of the villagers will help you in your search for an answer; after all, the more, the merrier.", Estella said with a hopeful smile. 

 Solace smiled and nodded, letting Estella lead her to the festival. She had felt better and had more hope than before. After the festival, everyone started researching ways to stop Bella from becoming a Devil. However, as more time passed, everyone started to lose hope. Solace didn't want her alcoholic-loving wife to become a devil. Then, one day, Alec found an answer. The goddess Solace had been teaching him the world of the gods, and upon finding out that there could be any gods, that would mean there would be a god of wishes, but he warned Solace that there might be a great price for that wish. 

Unfortunately, that advice went over Solace's head. Bella had been showing symptoms of becoming a devil. She was starting to space out more and becoming more apathetic. Bella had even tried to destroy one of Estella's creations after it annoyed her. Her aggression and mood swings started to become more apparent, and her mind became more dark. So, Solace's desperation started to get more out of control. 

Bella passed out after having one of her horrible mood swings. Solace could feel the demonic energy entering her soul. Solace picked up Bella and took her to meet the God of wishes. 

Solace had finally arrived in the realm of wishes and was in awe of how wonderful the realm looked. She focused back on Bella and went straight toward the God of wishes. Upon reaching a door, Solace pushed it open and was greeted by a blinding light. She was pulled into the room by force and was met face to face with a being with long dark red-brown hair, a green left eye, and a blue right eye. They were wearing white and gold robes. Solace immediately fell to her knees with Bella in a bridle position in her arms. 

"God of wishes, Aarman. Please grant my wish, I beg of you.", Solace said with desperation in her voice.

"The wish that you want will come with a high price.", Aarman said with a chilling voice. 

Solace hesitated in answering until Bella's soul started to grow darker, and her body was getting more stressed and painful. "I am willing to pay any price, just please!" Solace looked at the eyes of Aarman. Aarman looked deep into her soul and gave in to the wish. 

"As you wish.", Aarman said, moving his hands, and a white aura surrounded Bella. Black smoke began to flow out of her body and into a portal. She woke up and hugged Solace, apologizing for everything she had done. 

In the world of Solace, children play and laugh, adults talk and dance, and the bond fires sizzle and crackle throughout the night. 

"Erin! Come here, have fun with us, you overworking butt.", Estella said, pulling him towards the people dancing near the bond fire. Erin groaned in annoyance and reluctantly danced with her and her friends. Erin was famous around the village, always helping out with anything like helping build or educating people. 

Erin partied and talked with everyone there, enjoying the festival to its fullest, but deep inside his gut, he felt like something was going to happen, something terrible. 

"Erin, are you okay?", said Eliji.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good." Erin returned from his thoughts and focused on his surroundings. 

"Anything bothering you?", Eliji asked, looking at the direction Erin was facing. 

"Not really, just…something feels off.", Eliji gave him a look of questioning, "Well, it's just a gut feeling, but I feel like something bad will happen soon.", Erin said and sighed.

"What do you mean? Like how bad?", Eliji asked. 

"On a scale from 1-10, I'd say 10.", Erin said. 

Eliji looked at Erin's face to see if he was joking, but not a trace of it was on his face. "I…hope nothing bad will happen.". Just then, Alec rushed towards them.

"Have you guys seen Solace or Bella anywhere?", Alec asked in a panic. 

"No…did something happen?", Eliji asked, concerned about why Alec panicked.

"Oh shit, that would mean…", Alec started to mumble off. 

"What happened, Alec?", asked Erin.

"Solace had taken Bella to Aarman, the god of wishes.", Alec said seriously.

"Why is that such a big deal? Shouldn't we be celebrating because Bella will return to normal?", Eliji questioned. 

 "No, this is a bad thing. Every wish comes with consequences. If Solace wishes for Bella not to become the Devil, that would mean someone else will.", Alec said. Eliji and Erin's eyes widened in shock. 

"Do we have any clue who that person could be?", Erin asked Alec, grabbing his shoulders in a panic. 

"As of now, I have no clue, but we have to figure out who the person is and try to figure out everything from there if it's not already too late.", Alec said. 

"What would help us find this person? How would we know they are the next one to turn?", Eliji asked, panic rising in his tone.

"Well, Bella was Solace's most favored person. This means the next to turn would be Solace, second favorite person, probably one of the great five.", Alec said. The Great Five were the children who gained special abilities from Solace, meaning Eliji, Skylar, Alec, Lucy, and Estella were the potential candidates to become the Devil. 

"I'll get my sister. You guys gather the others, and we will meet up in the temple.", Erin said and rushed off to find his sister. Estella played with the little kids in the fountain, splashing water on them. Erin looked at Estella's happy face and felt a rage bubbling up inside of him. 

'How dare Solace risk my sister's happiness with such impulsive actions. Solace said nothing to the great five and ditched us for her wife. Now we have to fight against the Devil until they get back, which we will never know since time works differently in other universes,' Erin thought, getting lost in his thoughts until water splashed on him. 

"Erin! Bahaha, come join us.", Estella laughed and splashed more water on him. 

Erin smiled a bit before remembering what he was initially supposed to do. Erin grabbed Estella's arm and gently pulled her out of the fountain. "Come on, we have to go. A situation has been brought up, and now we all have to gather in the temple.", Erin pulled her along the direction of the temple, not stopping to hear her pleas for an explanation.

"Erin, why are we in a rush to go? And don't you hate going to the temple? Why go now all of a sudden?", Estella whined. 

"Alec will explain it better than me; now stop whining and hurry up. We don't have time for your stubbornness.", Erin said, continuing to go up the stairs to the temple. He was getting annoyed by her constant questions, but he understood she was just concerned about the situation and wanted to learn more about it. Erin barely understood the basics of the Devil situation, and Alec could better explain it in a situation like this. 

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke appeared from a portal and surrounded the two siblings. Estella shoved Erin away and was covered in the black smoke. Erin fell a couple of stairs down and quickly got up again. Erin yelled her name and tried to reach out to her, but the black smoke entered her soul and her mind. Quiet voices started appearing in Estella's head, quickly getting louder as the seconds passed. The power was getting stronger and running through her veins. All she could feel was pain from the power that was continuing to run inside her. 

Estella cried out in agony, falling to her knees and hugging her body tightly. She tried to fight back, but to no use; evil had taken over. She stopped moving, and Erin tried to approach her. However, she lunged straight toward him when he was approximately 2 feet away. Erin didn't know what to do; his instincts told him to run, but he couldn't leave his sister behind. 

She jumped on top of him and started to put her hands around Erin's throat. Erin tried to pry Estella's hand off, but surprisingly, her grip was much more substantial. He was starting to lose energy, but at the last minute, Estella was tackled to the ground and detained by Alec and Eliji's undead soldiers. 

"Geez, breathe in and out slowly, Erin, try to calm yourself down.", Eliji said, patting and soothing Erin's back.

Erin calmed himself enough and thanked Eliji and Alec before looking at his sister, who was struggling to get out of Alec's and the undead soldier's grip. His mind was blank, and he couldn't think of any solution to set her free other than the options that could cause her harm. 

"Estella, please calm down. This isn't like you; please wake up before you cause more damage.", Alec said, struggling to keep Estella. 

Estella relaxed her body, and Alec held her down for a couple more seconds before letting her go. They all gathered in front of Estella. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. They didn't want to hurt her, so they kept their force to a minimum. Estella got up slowly, went to a nearby tree, and broke a branch off. They were confused by her movements, and before one of them could even ask, Estella swung the branch; they all dogged her attack. Her move left a big blade opening across the ground, and she cut some trees down with it. 

Eliji looked towards Estella as she seemed to rush towards him. He was about to brace himself, but she went straight past him, targeting the person behind him. Eliji turned around and saw that she was targeting Erin. Estella forced Erin down to the ground and was about to stab him with the branch until Alec tried to tackle her again. She, however, dodges his attack, making Alec fall next to Erin. Estella raised her branch again, bringing it down at a fast speed. 

Alec whips out a sword and cuts the branch in half. The impact of the branch and sword made the wind clash, almost knocking Alec off his feet. 

Estella looked at the cut branch in her hand, observing it closely. Eliji summoned his dark soldiers and surrounded her once again. He commanded them to pile onto her and hold her down. Estella tried to get away, but the overwhelming forces of the dark army stopped her from doing so. 

Eliji thought he got her, but a white glow appeared under the pile the next second. They knew what it was immediately; it was Estella using her power of Creation. The thing is, what did she create?

A silver sword slashed through the dark army in a second, making Eliji cough up some blood. Alec ran over to Eliji to hold him up as he was. Erin got up from the ground and went by their side a while ago. 

Alec carried Eliji and told Erin to follow him; he planned to try to lead Estella away from the village. Skylar and Lucy were currently evacuating the village to a safer area, away from the commotion. Until Solace can get here, they must keep everyone safe, as it is their duty. 

As they were leading Estella, who was right behind them, Erin had tripped over a branch, crashing to the floor and getting his ankles sprained. He tried to get up as fast as he could, but Estella appeared before him, her sword shining the moon's reflection in his eyes. All he could think was, 'I'm going to die.'.

Blood splattered, and a body could be heard dropping to the ground, an instant kill. Erin could feel his heart stop as he looked at the floor in horror. Alec had taken the hit. 

"Alec!", Eliji yelled, tears threatening to drop. He ran to him and held him in his arms. 

Erin could barely breathe at the moment. His sister, his little sister who loved every living being and could never hurt anyone close to her, had just killed Alec. 

Eliji yelled in frustration and summoned his army once more. He couldn't help but feel anger in his heart. He knows that Estella would have never done this on purpose, but her stone-stoic face showed as if she didn't care about Alec dying because of her hands.

"Subdue her by any means, even if it means she has to be on the brink of death.", Eliji had commanded. His piercing eyes peered into Estella's soul. His soldiers attacked all at once, 

"Argh.", Estella groaned in pain. She held her head and pulled her arm forward in a stop motion. More power started to surge into her as she could feel her friend's blood boil in her hands. In an instant, all of Eliji's soldiers had turned to ash, then nothing. 

Eliji passed out, still holding Alec in his arms. The ground around Estella started to disintegrate, and the world began to shake. Just at that moment, someone had picked up Eliji and Erin. It was Lucy who had them in one arm each. She looked towards Skylar and nodded her head in confirmation. They left Alec's body and fled to a safe place. 

"Hey, Erin, are you conscious?", Skylar asked afar. All she could see was Erin nodding his head. He was terrified of the situation that was happening right now. 

Skylar sighed and looked ahead again, pointing Lucy in another direction. Lucy immediately started to head in that direction and went faster than before.

"What are you doing? Isn't the safe shelter the other way?", Erin asked in a croaked voice. 

"Estella is in the perimeter; we must ensure she doesn't find the shelter. As well as make sure that you don't die.", Lucy said.

"What do you mean by that?", Erin asked, curious as to why they had to ensure he had stayed alive. Curious as to why Alec had jumped in front of him and saved his life. 

"…when", Lucy hesitated a little, "When we were at the library, Eliji, with his dark magic, sensed that Estella had become the devil; as Alec had explained, dark magic and devil magic are closely related to each other." 

Erin had looked at Eliji, who was in a deep sleep in Lucy's arm. He had wondered how he would react when he knew that they had left his body in the area where he died. 

Lucy continued her explanation, "Alec had also explained the Devil ritual would not be complete as long as one person that Estella loved was still alive. We agreed that person would be you. After all, you are the only family she has left; even if we are all gone, you are the only one to comfort her."

Erin couldn't believe what he was hearing. After all this, would he never have the strength to comfort his sister? Even now, he is finding it difficult to understand the situation. 

"Alec…", Lucy sighed, "At first, he wanted to vote on killing Estella."

Erin looked wide-eyed at Lucy, then turned his eyes to the side. "Then, why didn't you? Why did Alec save my life instead of trying to kill her?"

"We had two options: either save you or kill her. The moment Alec had sacrificed his life meant that we had to save you.", Lucy said.

"Why did he do that?", Erin asked, genuinely confused. They were unrelated, so how could he just sacrifice his life like that for his friend? What was his motive to do such a thing? 

"Cause we all love Estella just like you do…", Lucy said with a solemn face.

"Ah…", Erin finally realized that blood doesn't matter regarding familial love. Although he loved his sister, he felt jealous that she had close and loving friends she could rely on. He was also glad that she had them, as he never wanted her to feel as if she was alone. 

Boom! An explosion happened 5 feet behind them. It startled Erin and Lucy a bit. Lucy felt Skylar's soul depleted. Lucy staggered a little bit before moving faster forward. Tears trailed along the air as she ran. 

Lucy felt an energy coming straight towards them. She threw the two boys to the side and got hit with a black energy ball. She flew back and into a tree, violently coughing up blood. 

Erin grabbed Eliji and ran towards Lucy. As he tried to make sure she was alive, she grabbed him by the sleeve and said, "Please, run now. Skylar has died; I have to distract Estella."

"You're barely breathing; how will you even get up? I can run with you.", Erin said while picking her up. He had both Eliji and Lucy in his arms. He struggled a little due to his injuries but tried to ignore it and focused on escaping to a safer place. He heard the bushes rustling and looked at a female figure in the shadow. Lucy gritted her teeth and focused her energy. 

Lucy put energy into her hands and hit Erin's chest, making him fly into the air and out of the forest, leaving behind Lucy and Eliji. Erin ended up falling into a pond. He struggled to get out of the body of water, dragging his body to the dry land. 

He looked around and saw he was in the shelter. The people surrounded him and asked him if he was alright. They led him into the medical room and healed him to the best of their abilities. Erin was just sitting in a camp tent and alone with his thoughts. The townspeople had no idea what was going on right now. All they knew was that the world was in danger, and the Big Five were there to fight it. They had no idea almost all of them had been defeated, while his sister was the perpetrator of the world's danger. 

Erin then heard screaming outside and ran out to see the commotion. Explosions happened left and right, and people scattered across the base. Everything was getting destroyed by the hands of his sister. Erin was so afraid and terrified that he was going to die. 

After a whole day of terror, Solace had finally returned. She returned to a completely destroyed world. With Bella in her hands, she searched for the only living source, Estella. 

"Ah, Solace, you're here…", Estella said in a broken whisper. Estella was sitting on the ground on her knees, a bloody sword in her hands. 

"My child, what have you done?", Solace said, stunned.

"Solace…solace, what have I done?", Estella said, weeping in disbelief. Her tears were a black liquid dripping down her face. The power of the Devil was dripping off her body. 

Estella looked at her hands, which were stained with red. The screams that tore into her, that begged her to stop, haunted her in her mind. She could feel the weight of the ones she killed on her back; their claws lodged into her back, clinging onto her. 

"It's okay, my child, we can fix this.", Solace said, trying to calm her down.

"I can't, i-i can't believe this happened.", Bella said.

"No…you can't fix this. Please, please kill me, my goddess!" Estella sobbed. The power is getting more robust than before. "Please, before this is complete, I can feel it taking my soul away, ugh.", Estella ached in pain.

"I am so sorry, Estella.", with those final words, Solace pierced a sword through Estella's chest, not wanting her to suffer anymore. 

Bella clasped her hands to her mouth. She fell to the ground on her knees and began to sob. Solace gently held the cold body and let it down slowly. Bella hugged her knees together and watched as Solace started to bury her in the ground. 

After Solace was done, she went to Bella and hugged her tightly. Solace clenched Bella's shirt, the wrath growing inside her growing. 'The price of the wish was this? Everything is gone. Nothing is left. Our children have been massacred by their sister, who had no control over her actions, all because of that damn wish, God, Aarman.', Solace thought to herself, a fire starting in her eyes. 

"Solace?", Bella whispered softly. 

Solace went back to her senses and turned her attention to Bella. "Yes, my dear?" Solace said gently, cupping Bella's face with her pale hands. 

"Why did you make a wish to save me from becoming the devil?", Bella asked, her dull eyes looking at Solace for an answer. 

"What do you mean?", Solace asked, baffled on how Bella even thought of that in the first place. 

"The children, this world, it's all gone. If I had become the Devil, at least we would have control over the situation. We could have worked it out. The world would've been fine. After all, the one thing I truly love with my soul is you, and I would do anything for you." Bella said, tears threatening to drip down her face. 

Solace slowly let go of Bella's face, dropping her hands on Bella's shoulder. She was silent for a bit, but after a few seconds, she said, "If I had known that this would happen, I would have never wanted to grant the wish. That damn wish, God, he is to blame for this.", malice dripped from Solace's last sentence. 

Before Bella could say anything, Solace picked her up and went to the God of wishes. 

She barged into the doors of the God's palace, "Aarman! I demand an explanation of this blasphemy!"

"What is there to explain? I would hope you know the consequences of your actions."

"You didn't tell me the price was my children?!", Solace fumed.

"You said you would do anything, am I wrong? For apples to turn yellow, bananas must turn red. For Bella not to become the Devil, one of your children must instead." Aarman looked at Solace indifferently. 

"Not this. I didn't want this.", Solace looked down, whispering in a broken voice. 

Bella clenched her sleeves before getting out of Solace's arms. "Please, take the wish back! Give the curse back to me!" Bella kneeled and pleaded with Aarman. 

"Bella!", Solace tried to get her to stand back up, but Bella stayed firm.

"My condolences, but nothing can be done. The wish has already been completed. What is done is done.", Aarman replied.

"Can I make a wish to undo it?", Bella tried to compromise. 

"Once something darkens, there is no chance of returning it to the light."

"Can't we do anything to fix this?", Solace asked, holding her wife up.

"I believe not.", Aarman shrugged; his voice was monotonous. 

Solace knew he didn't like her attitude or that she had just barged into his palace twice. She took a breath, swallowed her pride, and thought of her kids before kneeling on the floor. 

"Please, Aarman, if I can do anything, please tell me."

Aarman stared at her for a while. Solace was a beginning god and like a rampant toddler to him. He knew the pain and desperation she was feeling, as he, too, is a god who created a world before. Solace's pitiful form pleading for him to save her world brought memories of sorrow for him. He had no choice but to feel sympathy and pity for this young God. He sighed and closed his eyes slowly. "There is a way."

Solace looked up with hope in her eyes.

"Reset your world and reincarnate the souls who have passed. At the very least, you will be able to keep a fragment of your destroyed world."

"Is this the only way?", Solace asked.

"That I know of. As previously mentioned, there is no way to bring back something that has been darkened. So, the child who holds the darkness will forever hold it. The trigger will not open unless the child kills someone.", Aarman said. 

"Thank you, Aarman.", Solace bowed and left the palace. Aarman nodded before sending them off.

When they went back, they felt the presence of a single soul. There was a survivor? However, something jumped at them from the shadows before they could process anything. When the muddy light had hit the shadowy figure, Solace found it to be Erin, Estella's older brother.

 He lunged straight at them with a fierce attack. However, they both dodge easily due to how weakened he was. They were also gods; he was not a match for them at all. Solace knew that she had missed his presence earlier because of the sense of grief she was feeling back then. She could feel Erin's soul burning with rage and resentment, wanting to avenge his sister.

"You were a goddess, but you couldn't stop this. You couldn't do anything! Estella had worshiped you with her all, and you killed her like it was nothing! To you, we're nothing, are we!", Erin yelled as his anger grew more like a fire burning bigger within him. 

"My child, please, let us explain."

But before Athena could speak, he lunged forward again. Solace dodges with Bella in her arms. Solace felt the Devil's power in him as well. 

There were two ways to complete the devil transformation. One was to kill everyone you love and fall into despair, the other was to have everyone you loved killed and fall into great sorrow, and Estella was all he loved in this God-forsaken world; now she's dead. 

The transformation was complete, and as the seconds passed, he became more powerful. Solace stopped him as he was about to attack with his newly found power. 

"I told you to let me explain, child; listen for Estella, please.", Solace said sincerely and looked him in the eyes. He lowered his magic and stood still, looking at her furiously. However, he was willing to listen. Solace explained everything about the conditions of making a world and the conditions for being a devil. 

"My sister became a devil because of your reckless inability to hold yourself together? What a pathetic excuse of a god.", Erin glared at her. Again, he felt ready to attack her at this very moment. 

"I have no excuse for myself. I am solely to blame for what has transpired. I have acknowledged how pathetic I am as a god who cannot even help her people in their time of need.", Solace clenched her fist, enraged and embarrassed with herself. Bella grabbed ahold of her hand and held it gently. Solace kissed the back of her hand and thanked her. She turned back to Erin, whose eyes told her to hurry up and get to the point. She sighed and began explaining how she would recreate the world and reincarnate all the souls that had passed away. 

"What would happen to me?", Erin asked. 

"Well, I have a proposition for you, my child.", Solace said calmly. 

"What is it?", Erin squinted his eyes at her.

"Form a contract with me. I will make sure that you and Estella will become siblings again, at the price of you giving up your devil powers and becoming a high priest for my temple. You will have to make sure that you or Estella do not take any human lives as well. Will you accept?", Solace reached out her hand to Erin. 

Erin reached his hand out without a second thought and completed the contract. Reincarnation would give him and Estella a new start in life. He had hoped there would be a happier future for them, as well as Estella's friends who had tried to protect him. 

Once Erin's hand had reached Solace, a luminous light shone throughout the world, resetting the broken land into a fullness of life. 

"Now that I'm thinking about it, we never named the world, my love?", Bella grabbed her arm and rested her head on her shoulder, looking at the world being reformed. 

"Oh, that must have passed my mind. Have any ideas, my dear?", Solace leaned into Bella. 

"I want our children to obtain the happiness they seek. I don't want them to suffer more than they already have. For our last gift to them, I want the name of this world to bring them a chance.", Bella said.

Solace nodded and smiled, "I have a good idea for the name then; how about Serendipity? Let's hope the path they all take will give them the happiness they want to obtain."

Bella smiled and kissed Solace, "Then it's settled, the world shall be called,"

"Serendipity"