Chapter 5 – Brother And Sister (II)

Malenia didn't know what to feel at that moment. Her body, which previously required tremendous effort to move, now felt as light as a feather. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time, almost an eternity to be exact.

Her mind, once tormented by murderous and cold thoughts, now seemed clear and immaculate, devoid of destructive thoughts.

As she slightly opened her eyes, she thought she was dreaming, for the room she was in was exactly like her mother's in Leyndell.

Her pale golden eyes soon fell upon a young man with long golden hair, sitting in the chair next to the bed. He was holding a book and reading with great concentration. There was a gentle smile on his lips.

At that moment, Malenia was sure she was dreaming, reminiscing about the times she spent with her brother. Every time she woke up, he was there, beside her bed, reading. Only his presence allowed her to fall asleep. He was there when she went to sleep and still there when she woke up; it had always been that way since they were little.

"I miss you." A whisper escaped Malenia's lips. She thought she was hallucinating, for her beloved brother looked at her and smiled the same smile he had shown her tens of thousands of times.

"Good morning, my dear princess." He spoke, his voice as beautiful as she remembered.

"Am I dreaming?" Malenia closed her eyes and asked.

If this was a dream or some malicious scheme by an Empyrean, she swore she would destroy everything and everyone.

Suddenly, she felt a face approach her. His forehead touched hers, and almost instantly, she opened her eyes, finding herself looking directly into the most beautiful eyes in the world.

"I know I'm an irresistible dream, but focus on reality, my lovely and sweet sister." He spoke, making Malenia's lips involuntarily curl into a smile.

How long had it been since she last smiled?

Forcing herself to calm down, Malenia sat up in the bed, a bed that had once belonged to her mother, Marika. Her eyes didn't leave the figure of the thirteen-year-old boy for even a moment, as if afraid he would disappear if she looked away.

"I hope you had a good night's sleep, my sleeping princess." He rested his head on his hand and spoke with a warm smile.

Malenia didn't respond for a long time, her eyes fixed on the figure of her brother; without saying anything, she simply brought Miquella into the refuge of her arms and didn't let go, hugging him tightly.

Miquella didn't resist; he allowed her to embrace him, knowing that his sister needed it, needed to know that this was not a dream, but the purest reality.

"I will never let you go again." Breathing in the pleasant aroma of her brother's hair, Malenia spoke in a muffled voice, tightening her embrace to prove her words were true.

"That's bad, I have so much work to do!" Miquella protested loudly, but despite his vehement protest, there was an amused smile playing on his lips. It reminded him of their childhood games, where Malenia never wanted to be separated from him for even a moment.

"Protest denied!" Malenia retorted instantly, refusing to heed any words from her brother.

After a while, she asked again, "Am I dreaming?"

Miquella closed his eyes and gently stroked his sister's hair as he said peacefully, "No, this is not a dream, little sister."

Malenia didn't respond, she just held Miquella in silence.

…

After a long silence between them, Malenia loosened her embrace, allowing Miquella to break free.

"What's going on?" Running her hand through her own crimson hair, Malenia asked, her voice genuinely confused by the whole situation. Her pale golden eyes were still focused on Miquella.

"To make a long story short, we're in another universe, far away from the Lands Between." Miquella lay on the bed with his face buried in the pillow, responding lazily.

"But," looking around her mother's room, Malenia was confused.

Of course, Miquella understood the reason for Malenia's confusion.

"Just know that I created my version of the Lands Between with my powers." Miquella responded, his charismatic smile dispelling any doubts in Malenia's mind.

"You've become strong, brother." Knowing that her brother had created practically an entire continent, Malenia was speechless. At the same time, a feeling of uselessness sprouted in the heart of the crimson-haired goddess, it seemed that Miquella no longer needed her protection.

"Yes, although I am powerful, compared to our parents or other primordial gods, I am not much." Squinting his eyes, Miquella looked at his sister's slightly sad face and spoke. His gentle and calm voice soothed the disturbing feelings in his sister's mind.

"Parents? Primordial gods?" Malenia was even more confused by his words.

Miquella didn't start to explain; instead, a golden light blossomed at the tip of his index finger. He approached Malenia and gently touched her forehead with his finger.

Malenia didn't move an inch, she had absolute trust in Miquella.

Wide-eyed, she was surprised by the amount of information suddenly appearing in her mind.

Closing her eyes, she processed all these memories before opening them again, this time, the confusion had completely disappeared from her gaze.

Caressing her forehead, Malenia looked at Miquella, speechless.

Her brother was a god, that she had known long before being in this universe filled with gods, but she hadn't expected that he would truly become a god, a primordial god to be exact.

"The universe we're in is called the Greek Universe, and its main world is called Greece, located at the center of the universe, being the most powerful gravitational object, where the sun and the moon orbit the planet," Miquella explained. In a universe governed by physical laws, this scenario would be impossible, but unfortunately, this universe wasn't governed by physical laws but by divine beings called gods.

"This world is even more dangerous than the Lands Between." Malenia lay down beside her brother and spoke, her voice slightly animated. The idea of getting stronger and protecting Miquella bubbled in her chest with infinite emotion.

Seeing his sister regain her fighting spirit, Miquella smiled with satisfaction and spoke as he stood up.

He took his sister's metallic hand and pulled her out of bed.

"Let's take a bath!"

Malenia did not refuse and allowed herself to be pulled into a bathroom proportionately made for giant beings.

Floating in the water, Miquella's gaze fell on his sister's naked body, but that was not what concerned him.

"Are you sure you don't want to regenerate your limbs?" He asked with a dissatisfied look.

Bathing, Malenia poured water over her body, looking at the numerous scars on her skin and the golden prosthetics that replaced her limbs.

The curse that once tormented her had completely disappeared. Sometimes she thought this was still a dream, but looking at her brother, she knew it was all true.

Malenia shook her head and replied, her voice tinged with determination. "I want to remember who I was."

Miquella sighed and swam slowly, with only his head visible above the water, his long golden hair floating like a river of shimmering gold strands.

"You are so stubborn." Hugging his sister's naked body, Miquella spoke loudly but gently. "But, I respect your choice."

"You always have." Malenia held his small body and replied in the same tone.

"And your curse?" Moving the golden hair stuck to his face, Malenia asked with concern. Her brother's appearance was exactly as she remembered, even after becoming a god.

"Technically, I'm not cursed, but my body simply stopped aging when it reached a certain age." Miquella swung his feet, splashing a large amount of water away. "But don't worry, little sister, I'm perfectly fine with my appearance."

Miquella didn't lie when she said that. After three lifetimes, he cared little about whether he would grow or not, it was so irrelevant it seemed trivial in the face of truly important things. Seeing his relaxed and free face, Malenia knew he was telling the truth and relaxed her heart.

After that, the two helped clean each other and left the bathroom.

On the bed, Miquella sat in front of Malenia, and behind him, the crimson-haired goddess skillfully braided his soft golden locks into a large braid.

"This reminds me of when we were little; you always loved doing my hair." Feeling Malenia's hands in his hair, Miquella spoke with a nostalgic smile.

Then he laughed as if remembering something funny and let out a low chuckle. "The first time you tried to braid my hair, it ended up looking like the branches of the Erdtree."

Malenia rolled her eyes but also showed a smile.

"By the way, I haven't asked, but what authority did you gain, sister?" Miquella asked without looking back.

Malenia paused braiding his hair for a moment, recalling that she was a goddess, something she had to process for a bit to understand.

Closing her eyes, she calmed herself and focused. Soon, she saw an enormous space within her body, at the center of this space, three lights of different colors revolved around a crystal resembling a polished ruby.

Unconsciously, Malenia knew what that crystal was.

Her authority.

As for which authority, she was very familiar with this power.

Corruption.

She was the Goddess of Corruption and Rot.

"Corruption and Rot." Malenia murmured, a crimson glow blossomed in her hand, appearing like beautiful petals, but she knew how deadly these lovely petals were.

Nothing more fitting for someone like her who had lived her entire life with them.

"Offensive authorities, that's good." Miquella heard her murmur and commented, satisfied with the authorities his sister had gained. In a world governed by strength, having an offensive authority was beneficial.

"You need to train, sister, you are very weak at this moment." Miquella turned and showed a serious expression.

Mortal Thrones, Legendary Thrones, Mythic Thrones, Divine Thrones, and Primordial Thrones.

Malenia was in the stages of the Legendary Thrones, the stage a demigod would reach after condensing their authority and becoming a full god.

Malenia also knew this; she needed power to protect Miquella from any danger.

-

While Malenia trained in Miquella's Realm,

Sitting on the Iron Throne, Miquella himself rested his head on his hand with his eyes closed, furrowing his brows deeply.

"Irrelevant." "The End will come when the Sultan awakens." "Death approaches." "Fighting is futile." "Everything will return to the Beginning of the End." "Your struggle is useless." "I am the key to all doors." "He is the end and the beginning." "Convergence of all things." "His kindness is boundless and his power inexhaustible."

Hearing the murmurs in his mind, reverberating through his immortal soul, Miquella remained indifferent. This was the main drawback of being so close to the Barrier, the whispers and babblings of the Outer Gods could be especially clear and comprehensible.

But a symphony of grotesque and horrendous voices whispering in his ear could be particularly annoying. Miquella had been experiencing this since he created his Realm in the Astral World.

Every moment of the day, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. At every moment, he heard crazy and nonsensical whispers from the Outer Gods.

"Do these Outer Gods have nothing better to do? Don't they have dirty dishes to wash? Bunch of idle gods," Miquella murmured dissatisfied. Hearing so many voices at once containing pollution and madness from countless Outer Gods was something he didn't like, especially because it forced him to control his emotions to the maximum, making him particularly cold.

But these whispers weren't all bad, especially when the Outer Gods revealed some secrets he didn't know. So, although the whispers were annoying and could affect him mentally, there were also some advantages.

"Death is the final destination for all of you."

Ignoring the murmurs that still echoed in his ears, Miquella focused on his main work: balancing Order and Chaos in the Greek Universe.

Using his Realm, Miquella spread his will, penetrating the fabric of reality and disseminating black and golden lights throughout existence. Wherever these lights passed, the fabric of space and time seemed slightly stronger and more resilient. Although the enhancement was tiny and almost imperceptible, over time, the entire universe would become more robust, benefiting Miquella.

At the same time, the power of order allowed chaos to transform everything, shaping an almost perfect Order amidst paradoxical entropy.

As he continued to impose his will through the fabric of reality, Miquella reflected on the duality of Order and Chaos, his own authorities.

Order and Chaos were concepts that Miquella considered contradictory because without Chaos, Order would not exist, and without Order, Chaos would be meaningless. Both needed to exist so they could coexist.

The most recent example of this duality was the enthronement of Zeus as the King of the Third Generation Gods. As the God of Order, Miquella didn't appreciate regime subversion; a son fighting against his father didn't favor order. However, as the God of Chaos, he valued the chaos that preceded the establishment of a new regime and the creation of a new order.

Still, for some reason, in Miquella's eyes, Order and Chaos seemed so perfect despite all the contradictory situations involving both.

A perfect cycle of creation and destruction.

"Very beautiful," Miquella, with closed eyes, murmured to himself as he continued to perform his responsibilities, despite the whispers of madness remaining in his ears.

-

At the end of the day, Miquella was dining with Malenia when he heard a whisper in his ear, but unlike the whispers of the Outer Gods, this one did not carry madness and pollution.

By the voice, he discovered it was his older sister, Hemera.

Allowing her entry, a portal made from particles of black light appeared in the dining hall.

Malenia almost took a fighting stance, ready to fight at any moment.

"It's just my older sister," Miquella laughed at Malenia's reaction and replied, taking a sip of ambrosia from his cup.

Malenia frowned upon hearing this; although she knew this was Miquella's third life, and he had another family, it didn't make her more comfortable. On the contrary, she felt that these gods had stolen her brother from her.

Malenia's pale golden eyes stared at the figure emerging from the portal with a cold gaze.

Hemera, wearing her traditional white toga with a red scarf around her waist, emerged from the portal and soon saw her younger brother smiling at her. But she quickly noticed he was accompanied by a goddess, although she had never seen this goddess before.

"It seems you have a guest, brother," Hemera spoke, her voice sweet and warm, despite the cold glares the goddess was giving her.

Under the cold eyes of the crimson-haired goddess, Hemera approached Miquella and kissed him with a chaste touch of lips.

Malenia showed a murderous look seeing the scene, the bread in her hands was crushed at that moment.

"This is Malenia, my sister." Not noticing the chaotic aura despite being the God of Chaos, Miquella introduced his sister with a happy smile.

This time it was Hemera's turn to be confused; she knew all of her mother's children, but there was no one called Malenia.

"Don't worry about minor details, just know that I entrust my life to Malenia." Perhaps noticing the confusion in the Day Goddess's eyes, Miquella spoke, but did not explain in depth.

Hemera nodded and elegantly sat beside her brother; she would inquire later to her mother about the existence of this unknown goddess. But for now, she would tolerate this goddess.

"Did you come to visit me, or do you have another important matter to discuss?" Drinking his ambrosia, Miquella looked at Hemera curiously and asked.

"Both, actually. I wanted to see you, and I have matters to discuss with my lovely little brother," Hemera laughed and replied, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hand gently caressed Miquella's thigh.

"Speak while we eat," Miquella nodded and smiled.

Seeing the intimacy between the two, especially her hand on her brother's thigh, Malenia connected the dots and quickly realized what was happening; she looked unpleasantly at the woman who probably deflowered her innocent brother.

She had just reunited with her brother, and now she had to see another woman occupying their precious time together.

Biting cruelly into the bread in her hand, Malenia looked at the goddess with a look of disgust. Images of them having relations appeared in her mind, making her even more irritated.

"I have a friend, brother," Hemera began to speak. "She is suitable to be your subordinate Goddess."

"Tell me more." Hemera's purpose with those words was obvious, but Miquella still didn't refuse; he had confidence that his older sister wouldn't bring up this matter on a whim.

Subordinate gods was a term used when one god submitted to another, creating a sacred bond through the Great Will. It was an unbreakable bond that would last until the universe was destroyed. It was one of the most sacred rituals a god could perform.

You gave your life to another god, unable to lie or harm the god you submitted to; it was a symbol of unwavering loyalty.

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Author's Thoughts: If you're wondering why Malenia's personality is so different, remember that this isn't a game. Malenia has personality and feelings, especially towards Miquella, where she shows her true self.

Can anyone guess who this goddess Hemera speaks of is? Honestly, it's not too hard to guess. Hope you enjoyed it. :D

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Next Chapter: Chapter 6 – Saving a Goddess (I), Chapter 7 – Subordinate Goddess (I).