Happy but Jealous

Vanessa walked back to the Runewalker with a small skip in her step. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for her, going from depressed to exuberant in the span of minutes. Her now established romantic relationship with Kye wasn't as advanced as she wanted it, but knew that if they fostered the feelings between each other then it would eventually reach her. She felt a buzzing at the back of her skull as Alayah began talking to her in her mind.

'While I can't help but be happy at my daughter's relationship success, I also find myself teeming with jealousy that you managed to get him to admit his feelings to you before you told him. I have been with him the longest you know!!'

"You haven't been with him the longest, you've just been stalking him."

'Well, that's how it has to be until he turns 15! Once he gets his crest he'll be able to come visit me once I give him my blessing.'

"Right, but you can't be with him all the time, how will your relationship develop?"

'It's one of the reasons I made you. I can be satisfied seeing you receive his love for the meanwhile but once his soul comes to me after death, I can get to know him alongside his other wives.'

"You plan on bringing all his spouses with him!?"

'Of course, he would be very sad if I didn't! I've always known that I wouldn't be able to keep him to myself. Even from other goddesses..."

Alayah whispered that last part to herself. It wasn't important right now as Kye hadn't reached their eyes as yet but she knew that two of her sisters and a few of her brothers were interested in Kye, although she was unaware of what their feelings towards him were beyond a simple fascination. She knew that her twin sister was just as enamoured with him as her but had remained silent on the issue thus far.

'Anyway, take the time to enjoy your steady relationship with Kye. He'll likely be very busy in the future and might not always have time for you. Since you are not only my daughter but also a piece of my divinity, I know that we can get very lonely. Just don't cause trouble for him, okay!'

"Yes mother, I won't."

'Good girl. Now, I have things to attend to so I'll let you go about your business. Talk to you soon, mwah!'

With that, Alayah severed her connection to Vanessa, leaving her alone with her thoughts on her future together with Kye. With those happy thoughts filling her head, she increased her speed as the walked through the clean and neat streets of Inner Alioth City.

-Alayah's POV-

After cutting her connection with Vanessa, Alayah leant back in her gilded white marble chair and breathed a sigh of resignation. The shimmering screen in front of her was what she used to look upon the greater world and currently, its attention was on Kye, laying in his hospital bed. She gently reached out and stroked the image of him with a loving look in her eyes before flicking her wrist and dispelling the screen.

She turned to a female angel who stood beside her and clapped her hands one, upon when the angel poured her a hot cup of tea into an ornate teacup before handing it to Alayah. She had many angel servants in her residence that dealt with menial tasks such as housekeeping and service tasks. They weren't greater angels like Vanessa, but the lowest tier of angels, petty angels. They were near mindless drones that lacked any facial features, instead having a completely smooth head with no hair. Their bodies were androgynous but at the will of their creator, could appear more feminine or masculine.

Alayah made all her petty angels take a feminine form as it made her feel more comfortable acting naturally around them. Despite, or perhaps because of, having the duty to purvey overall life, she took on many mortal personality tendencies in her behaviour. She always felt uncomfortable around the faceless petty angels but understood that maintaining a large workforce of these servants was another of her duties.

She finished off the tea in the teacup quickly before standing up and stretching sensually, jutting her large chest out as she did so. While her job may have sounded involved, the truth was that much of the day-to-day tasks were handled by her servants so she had a lot of time to herself. Usually, she would be observing Kye, Vanessa or one of her other greater angels to pass the time but today was not a day where she had the luxury of wasting time.

She floated slightly above the floor as she moved at a fast pace out of the main hall of her domain and headed out a corridor to the left of her throne and towards a pair of large doors at the end of the short corridor. She waved an arm and the doors slowly opened for her. Beyond the opening of the door was a large river of a murky yet glowing liquid. There were several petty angels around that bowed to Alayah once they noticed her presence but quickly resumed their work, adding certain liquids and herbs to the river that grew in the surrounds. Alayah bent down and scooped up a bit of the liquid and quickly drank it, letting the liquid slosh around in her mouth for a while before swallowing it.

Satisfied that the properties of the liquid were unaffected from her last test of them a week ago, she stripped off her clothes and immersed her body in the liquid. She felt the emotions of many dead people rush over her, a mixture of intense emotions such as anger, resentment, frustration and futility ran through her mind alongside more mellow feelings such as acceptance, satisfaction and contentedness. They all mixed with one and eventually left her when she opened her eyes to show that the liquid had cleared completely and was now completely transparent. The liquid flowed more quickly and Alayah stood up out of the river, staring at the clear river satisfied with her work.

While to her, it felt as though only moments had passed, hours had flown by in reality. The task she had just done was clear the river of souls so that they could be reformed and reincarnated without the memories of their past lives. She hoped that those that had suffered in their last life would find peace in their new one. It was then she felt a presence with her that was different to those of her servants. She slowly drew her glance to the figure standing at the river bed. It was a woman about as tall as Alayah with a near-identical physical figure as well. The striking difference was the sharper face, indigo eyes and long black hair. She was the goddess of death, Alahay's twin sister.

"Morrigan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"