Oracle

Scarab follows the corridor at a steady pace. His fist clenches on its own, and thoughts escape his mouth. "This will teach you a lesson, you obnoxious Gods!"

From under his robe, he brings out a glass globe. Holding it in his scrawny palm, the old man stares at it. A faint glow appears and through the clouds trapped in the globe, a familiar scenery emerges. Nox sleeps on the grassy ground, with Mirena by his side while the surrounding town celebrates.

Old Scarab frowns at the sight. "That idiot!"

He looks around him and makes sure no one is following him. He utters with a whispering voice. "Grimoire Artificial Intelligence Adaptive System, hurry and take him to the next one!"

{Loading…}

['Negative! The host needs rest!']

"Fine! When he rests, have him extract another! I'll steer them towards him..."

After a while, Scarab snickers. "Did you get that ward's power?"

{Loading…}

['Affirmative!']

"Ku Ku… Excellent!"

Meanwhile, back in the dining room, they remain silent in their respective seats. Minerva looks at the burly man standing by the door. "Sir, will we release that thing?"

His hoarse voice thunders in their hearts. "Never!"

Celestine protests. "Sir, with all due respect, but Scarab found a soul for that creature's body!"

"I'm aware!"

He looks at the short-haired woman. "Minerva, contact your ward…"

Minerva jumps from her seat. Her pointy ears drop and her brows frown. "But… Sir!"

"Silence! We must not allow Scarab and his Demon to ruin everything we built!"

Lost in thought, Celestine remains silent. A nudge from her earlier sparring partner snaps her back to reality. Her soft voice gets all the attention as it echoes in the room. "How about a reboot?"

Her sparring partner laughs. "Easier said than done! Never mind us, but can you handle it?"

Celestine looks down. She grabs her dress and clenches her small fists. "I have to. My ward perished, and the pain doesn't go away. It's not something I want either of you to experience!"

The burly man closes the massive doors and returns to the table. "Your words carry sincerity Celestine, and we thank you, but still… A Reboot is for the worst-case scenario!"

Minerva understands the situation and jumps into the conversation. "When will that be, sir? After that thing takes out another ward or ten more?"

An intense knocking on the wooden doors interrupts their conversation.

Wasting no words, the burly man speaks. "Enter!"

The huge wooden door creaks open, and a young woman walks in. Her stride is elegant. Accompanying her are two women in white dresses, with golden belts at their slim waists, and swords in their hands.

The young woman walks in the front and slightly bows. While retaining her soft smile, she utters. "Good Evening all, I won't bother you more than I have to!"

Before returning the greeting, and without giving them the chance, the young woman continues. "I believe Lord Scarab came through earlier. In my humble opinion, go for a reboot. Especially now, the success rate of Goddess Celestine's ward of returning is high!"

A young woman they have never seen before appears in front of them in their floating palace. Besides the fact that it's never stagnant, and fairly hard place to find, and yet two people visited them already. They are all wondering that maybe the barrier isn't working properly, or that someone leaked their whereabouts.

Never mind Scarab, who was once one of them. The most mysterious appearance is that of the young woman. Her ethereal demeanor is like that of the Gods, but she isn't one. Long blond hair like gold threads dazzles even the Goddesses present. Blue eyes similar to that of the deep blue ocean, bring about a sense of euphoria and freshness.

Celestine's emerald eyes have their light return to them upon hearing the strange young woman's words. When she raises her head, she's met with a smile.

The burly man walks in the front and stands across from the unknown young woman. Her two guards raise their swords and walk next to her. "Who are you and how do you know about that?"

The woman keeps her smile and takes a bow. "You may call me Oracle!"

This word has them taking a step back. A shivering sensation makes them flinch. It takes a few seconds to recover and change their demeanor towards her in an instant. The burly man determined, takes a couple of steps closer and gently bows. "Madam Oracle, why did you honor us with your presence?"

Oracle, seeing the changed expression on their faces, simply smiles. "As I mentioned earlier. It's prudent you use Reboot, otherwise, it will all be over!"

The young Goddess, Minerva, nudges an older fellow seated next to her. She whispers in a soft tone. "Who's this Oracle and everyone made such a drastic change?"

The old God clicks his tongue. "Che! Gods these days… Completely ignorant!"

Without answering, he gets up from his chair and moves elsewhere while mumbling in an incoherent speech. Minerva keeps staring at him, confused.

"Fu Fu! Don't mind him!"

Minerva turns to the other side and sees a woman close to her age fiddling with the utensils, pouting at the fork for not sitting the way she wants it. Upon noticing Minerva, she drops the fork and knife on the table sits up straight. "You are Minerva, the Goddess of the Elves, right?"

Minerva nods. "And... You are?"

"Pardon me!"

She stands up, and with her slender fingers, slightly pulls her skirt up, using her fingertips. "Nice to meet you. My name is Morgana. Goddess of the witches!"

Minerva checks her out from top to bottom, mesmerized by her charm. Pale skin like snow, ruby eyes, and long silky black hair. A black shirt with a few buttons open close to her cleavage, and it meets a belt with a golden skull on her waist supporting a frilly black skirt.

Minerva shakes herself back to her senses. "N-Nice to meet you!"

"Fu Fu! Don't be so tense!"

Morgana draws her chair closer to her new friend. "Oracle is the high being that can predict the future, and is the only one in the entire universe that can change someone's destiny!"

Minerva, shocked, turns towards the golden-haired woman. "Such a thing is possible...?"

"Fu Fu! You've seen nothing yet!"

Meanwhile, Oracle brings out a glass globe and places it on the table. "Here's a glimpse of the coming future!"

Everyone gasped at the sight.

The burly man covers his mouth with his hand. His hoarse voice, even though it's muffled, is still audible. "Such horror!"

The golden-haired Oracle holds the globe in her hand. "What are your thoughts on Reboot now?"