Chapter 8: Chapter 8 -The Goddess in Silver Light
Chapter 8 — The Goddess in Silver Light
Meeting a real goddess was not on my schedule today.
Or ever, honestly.
I followed Elena through the quiet morning streets of Erald while trying very hard not to panic visibly.
Villagers moved aside immediately when they saw us.
Some bowed.
Others whispered prayers.
A few children waved excitedly at me.
My accidental religion was growing disturbingly fast.
Elena walked slightly ahead, her silver robes moving gently in the wind.
Unlike yesterday, the silver symbol on her hand now glowed steadily.
Lady Seraphine’s power really had stabilized.
And apparently...
that goddess wanted to see me personally.
Fantastic.
No pressure at all.
I glanced toward Elena.
"You seem nervous."
She didn’t deny it.
"I’ve served Lady Seraphine for seven years," she said quietly.
"And she has never summoned anyone directly before."
That honestly made me feel worse.
We approached the central shrine slowly.
In daylight, the structure looked more beautiful than before.
White stone pillars surrounded a silver statue of a woman holding a sword toward the sky.
Soft divine energy flowed through the air around it.
Warm.
Gentle.
Protective.
Very different from my own authority.
Mine felt sharper.
Restless.
Always changing.
The moment we stepped closer—
the shrine reacted.
Silver light spread across the ground beneath my feet.
Villagers nearby gasped softly.
Elena’s expression tightened.
"She’s responding to you."
Great.
Wonderful.
Exactly the kind of attention I didn’t want.
The shrine doors slowly opened by themselves.
Nobody touched them.
The villagers immediately knelt outside.
Elena lowered her head respectfully before stepping inside.
I followed carefully.
The interior of the shrine was quiet and cold.
Candles flickered softly near the walls while silver symbols covered the floor.
At the center stood another statue of Lady Seraphine.
Smaller than the outside one.
But far more detailed.
Beautiful face.
Long flowing hair.
Armor shaped like silver feathers.
A goddess of protection indeed.
The doors closed behind us automatically.
And suddenly—
the air changed.
Divine pressure filled the room.
Heavy.
Ancient.
My chest tightened immediately.
The blue divine core inside me reacted instinctively.
Warm energy spread through my body defensively.
Then silver light gathered before the statue.
Slowly taking shape.
A woman appeared.
Not physically.
More like a projection made from moonlight.
But even so—
she was breathtaking.
Long silver hair flowed around her glowing body while pale silver eyes looked down at us calmly.
Her presence alone made the entire shrine feel sacred.
Elena immediately fell to one knee.
"Lady Seraphine."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Not fear.
Emotion.
Relief.
I remained standing awkwardly because honestly I had no idea what the correct protocol for meeting goddesses was.
The silver-eyed woman looked toward me.
And smiled faintly.
"You are an unusual existence."
Straight to the point.
I liked her already.
Unfortunately, she was also a literal goddess capable probably of deleting me from reality.
So balance.
I nodded carefully.
"I hear that often."
To my surprise, amusement appeared in her expression.
Interesting.
Not all gods were arrogant apparently.
Lady Seraphine observed me quietly for several seconds.
The divine pressure around us remained gentle.
Not hostile.
Good sign.
Probably.
Finally she spoke again.
"You carry no true divine lineage."
My heartbeat nearly stopped.
Ah.
There it is.
I’m dead.
Wonderful story everyone.
But then she continued calmly—
"Yet faith gathers around you naturally."
I blinked.
Wait.
That wasn’t immediate execution.
Interesting.
Elena looked shocked.
"My lady... he truly isn’t an ancient god?"
Ouch.
Hearing it aloud hurt slightly.
Seraphine shook her head gently.
"No. His authority is newly born."
Her silver eyes narrowed slightly while studying me.
"But unlike anything I have seen before."
The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed softly.
Almost responding to her gaze.
The goddess noticed immediately.
"Technology..."
She spoke the word carefully.
Like someone testing unfamiliar language.
"There is no existing divine domain connected to such authority."
Exactly.
Unused divine niche.
Jackpot.
Seraphine stepped closer slowly.
Even as a spiritual projection, her presence felt overwhelming.
"Where did your authority originate?"
Dangerous question.
Very dangerous.
I couldn’t reveal Earth.
Or the device.
Or the original Technology God.
But complete lies around an actual goddess sounded suicidal.
So once again—
partial truth.
"I came from a distant world," I answered quietly.
Seraphine became silent.
Elena looked stunned beside me.
Then surprisingly—
the goddess nodded slowly.
"I suspected as much."
Wait.
What?
"You did?"
Seraphine turned slightly toward the shrine windows.
"There are ancient records describing travelers between worlds."
Okay.
That was both useful and terrifying information.
Interdimensional travel apparently existed historically.
Interesting.
The goddess continued softly.
"This universe contains countless realms. Some rich with spiritual power. Others nearly dead."
Earth.
She was describing Earth.
A strange sadness crossed Seraphine’s expression.
"Many gods became desperate after the Age of Diminishing began."
Age of Diminishing?
Before I could ask, she looked directly into my eyes again.
"Your world lost its spiritual energy, didn’t it?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Elena stared at me in shock.
And honestly?
For the first time since arriving here...
I felt genuinely homesick.
Earth.
A world abandoned by gods.
A dead spiritual planet surviving only through technology and progress.
Maybe humanity never even realized what it lost.
I answered quietly.
"Yes."
Seraphine’s expression softened slightly.
"Then your people suffered greatly."
I almost laughed.
If only she knew modern humanity.
We absolutely suffered.
But we also adapted frighteningly well.
"We survived," I said simply.
The goddess observed me carefully.
"And now one born from a dead world carries divine authority."
Her silver eyes sharpened slightly.
"How interesting."
That sentence somehow sounded both fascinated and dangerous.
Elena slowly stood beside me.
"My lady... is he truly trustworthy?"
Direct attack.
Again.
Seriously this girl never rests.
Seraphine looked toward her saintess calmly.
"Elena."
The younger woman lowered her head immediately.
"Forgive me."
The goddess smiled faintly.
"Caution is wise."
Then she turned toward me again.
"But he has not lied."
I froze slightly.
Wait.
Not lied?
Technically true.
I’d avoided direct lies carefully.
Mostly.
That suddenly explained why Seraphine wasn’t hostile.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The goddess walked slowly around me.
Silver light flowed behind her movements beautifully.
"You are not a true god yet," she said calmly.
"But faith already recognizes you."
The blue core inside me pulsed stronger.
"As your believers increase," Seraphine continued, "your authority will solidify further."
Yeah.
I figured that much out already.
Still terrifying though.
Then her expression became more serious.
"But new gods are dangerous."
Ah.
There’s the problem.
"Dangerous?" I repeated carefully.
"Because they change the balance."
The shrine became quiet.
Seraphine looked toward the village outside.
"This world’s divine factions compete constantly."
Makes sense.
Religion literally equals power here.
"Some gods nurture humanity," she continued softly.
"Others merely consume faith."
Her eyes returned to mine.
"And some fear anything unfamiliar."
Translation: The moment stronger gods discover me, things could become complicated.
Very complicated.
Elena crossed her arms slightly.
"Especially if his authority continues growing this quickly."
Honestly fair concern.
I’d gained an entire village in two days.
At this rate I’d accidentally start a continent-wide cult by next month.
Seraphine studied me silently for several moments.
Then unexpectedly asked—
"What do you desire?"
The question caught me off guard.
Power?
Survival?
A way home?
Honestly...
I wasn’t fully sure anymore.
After a moment, I answered honestly.
"I want to understand this world."
Not a perfect answer.
But true.
The goddess smiled faintly.
"A safer answer than most gods would give."
Interesting.
Then suddenly her silver light flickered weakly.
Elena’s expression changed instantly.
"My lady—"
Seraphine raised one hand gently.
"I am fine."
But she clearly wasn’t.
The projection around her had dimmed noticeably.
Her power really was unstable.
The goddess noticed me observing her.
"My faith has weakened greatly over the years," she admitted calmly.
"No need to hide it."
Elena lowered her gaze sadly.
Seraphine looked toward her saintess warmly.
"This child has carried my burdens alone for too long."
Elena looked away immediately.
Embarrassed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The goddess turned back toward me.
"You restored hope to this village."
Her silver eyes became thoughtful.
"And somehow... restored part of my strength as well."
The shrine became quiet again.
Then Seraphine asked something unexpected.
"Would you be willing to cooperate with me?"
I blinked.
"...Cooperate?"
Elena looked surprised too.
The goddess nodded slowly.
"Your authority inspires curiosity and innovation."
She looked toward the village outside.
"Those things may help humanity survive the coming era."
Coming era?
That sounded ominous.
Before I could ask, the shrine suddenly trembled violently.
The silver light around Seraphine flickered.
Then—
a cold presence appeared.
Wrong.
That was the only way to describe it.
The warmth inside the shrine vanished instantly.
Elena’s expression changed sharply.
"My lady!"
Dark red energy spread briefly across one wall before disappearing.
Seraphine’s face hardened immediately.
For the first time since meeting her...
the gentle goddess looked genuinely angry.
"Someone is watching."
The pressure inside the shrine intensified.
My divine core reacted instinctively.
Danger.
Real danger.
Seraphine looked toward me seriously.
"You must leave Erald soon."
Ah.
There it is.
The plot complication.
"Why?" I asked.
The goddess’ silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because other gods have begun noticing your existence."
