Chapter 266: The past and the present

For the past few weeks, my life has been a grand adventure of sorts. After Breta's visit, and our sudden reunion, we ended up spending our time exploring the so-called forbidden continent. We traveled together, taking in the breathtaking landscapes of the continent, though we never really strayed too far from our floating mountain.

The massive forest was our main destination, where we spent hours strolling amidst the towering trees, and the rays of the sun filtering through the foliage cast a verdant glow all around us. Occasionally, we would hunt games for sport. Something my goddess friend seemed to enjoy very much.

As we wandered deeper into the forest, we encountered all manner of creatures, some of which she had never seen before. Breta and I would often marvel at their unique traits and quirks, and I would regale her with stories of my previous experiences. With each passing day, our bond grew stronger, and I felt a sense of contentment that I had not known in a long time.

In the evenings, we would retire home, to the floating mountain where I had created a cozy home for her by the edge of the land. Breta and I would spend hours talking about our experiences, and I would listen intently to her tales of the world from the past.

On her end, she often asked me for more details of my 'adventures' in the mortal planes. I happily obliged and described my feats. She often listened with a bemused expression on her face as we sat by the edge of the mountain staring at the stars that illuminated the night sky.

I took the goddess around all the main parts where I usually spent my time before I decided to take her elsewhere.

We stood atop a tall cliff, gazing out at the endless expanse of the forbidden continent. The wind blew through my scales, carrying with it the faint scent of decay and death. It was the smell of the ancient battlefield, where Amanita had taken his last stand against the Gods.

Beside me stood Breta, her expression contemplative as she took in the scene before her. I had debated whether or not to bring her to this place, to show her the remains of my great uncle, Amanita.

Although she tried to hide it, I could still tell that she was affected by the scene. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight, and I could see the inner conflict in her expression. We made our way through the battlefield, stepping through the massive mountain-like swords that lay buried in the ground.

As we walked, Breta remained quiet, lost in her thoughts. I could feel her sadness and pain radiating off of her, and I knew that this place brought back memories of a time long gone.

It did not take us long before we arrived at the spot where Amanita had fallen. His massive skeleton lay surrounded by the corpses of the dead gods. Breta's expression grew more complicated as she gazed at the sight. On one side, we were once enemies, but on another, things have changed, time changed everything.

I cleared my throat and spoke, "This is where Amanita fell. It was here where I had to carry you, to seek his help when you were poisoned," I said.

Breta nodded, her eyes still fixed on the scene before her. After a few seconds, she bowed her head in respect toward the deceased dragon. I could tell that this moment was weighing heavily on her, and so I used my mana to place a comforting 'hand' on her shoulder.

After a moment of silence, Breta finally spoke, "Truly, a meaningless war."

I nodded lightly in agreement, "The past is the past. The best we can do is to learn from it."

****

The trip back home was spent in silence after that. Both of us, lost in our own thoughts. By the time we made it, we were greeted by the presence of my two cute siblings, both of whom were standing around the small hut I'd built with confused expressions as they whispered to each other.

"It does look like what the mortals call, a home," Sidus muttered as he lowered his head to scan the small cabin.

Immy rolled her eyes and pushed him away with her tail before speaking, "That's what I said, now move back, lest you accidentally knock the whole thing down."

Sidus barred his teeth in annoyance and shot back, "So what?"

"Huh-" Immy was about to argue when they both suddenly turned their gazes toward me and Breta, as we slowly flew in the sky.

My siblings exchanged confused looks and took a few steps back. I landed near the hut with a thud, while Breta gracefully landed by my side.

"Brother," Sidus was the first one to greet me. His expression, however, was full of confusion as he scanned Breta.

Immy's eyes on the other hand were shining in a rare light. Curiosity oozed out of her gaze as she struggled to form the words.

"Oh, it is good to see you both again. It's getting harder and harder to come across you guys, with how frequently you go out to train," I spoke with a smile.

Both of my siblings lowered their heads lightly in respect.

"Ah, right! This here is Breta, daughter of Oaris Goddess of light, and Ultarr God of peace. And she is my friend, and guest," I said slowly and studied the expressions of my siblings.

Sidus frowned but refrained from saying anything. His expression quickly turned awkward, as he nodded and turned toward me, "I see... Well, I will be taking my leave first, then," he lightly lowered his head and flew back to the cave.

'Well, that wasn't too bad,' I inwardly thought and turned towards Immy who was still staring at Breta with fascination and curiosity.

She quickly regained her composite, however, after Sidus took his leave. "Pleasure to meet you, Breta. I am Immy."

The goddess gave her a nod of confirmation, "The pleasure is mine," her tone was devoid of emotions, but it oddly reminded me of Immy for some reason. Both of them had a similar aura, of sorts.

"Well, let's sit down first, shall we?" I said and conjured a small earth chair for the tiny goddess. She instead shook her head. Light particles danced around her body, illuminating it before she began to grow in size.

My eyes widened in surprise as the once small goddess, barely tall enough to fit in my palm was now almost as tall as I was.

"You can do that?" I asked in shock.

Breta simply nodded, "This is my original form, I thought you knew that already," she casually spoke.

"Huh, of course I didn't? And how come you never used it in the Astral plane? Wait, why do you even bother shrinking yourself in the first place?"

"My guess would be, for convenience, brother," Immy suddenly answered. Her eyes fixed on Breta as she spoke, "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"