Once Caelleria was born, each Higher God saw potential so bright and beautiful, they each gave her a gift. Some say it's where she got her elemental affinities. Some say it's a trove full of treasure. She grew loved and protected by the Higher Gods, her smiles brought warmth to the King of the Gods, her beauty inspired Rydas to create paintings about her.
When Cytheria found out that her people needed guidance, she tasked her only daughter to aid the needy. So Caelleria went to Cythera and helped the people and the lands; the people rejoiced knowing that the Gods have listened to their cries of help but as years past, people have grown abusive to the gifts and began gathering the land's resources until it was on the verge of death. They did not heed the warnings Caelleria gave. Caelleria realizing that man would never learn unless drastic measures happen, so she left and this time with a threat looming behind the men's head. Cytherians began to fear her power and they told their children about the Mistress of Cythera and her threat.
Excerpt from The Daughter of Cytheria and Oikos, by Scholar Ilyana
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𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧
𝕭𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖓 and the others gaped at the sleeping form of a beautiful woman. She was clearly naked, nothing but leaves that covered her naked skin. He saw the steady rise of her chest, she was a sight to see. Her shiny auburn hair was nestled back to reveal her slender neck, the leaves did not cover well enough, he could see the tips of her nipples, pink and hard.
Bastien ignored the tightness he felt. He heard the gulping noise from his men. She was still asleep, but he knew she would wake up and wreck havoc. Logic was warring his needs to keep her. She was real.
He hated to be proven wrong. If this woman was the Mistress, it means the Higher Gods were real. Bastien swallowed deeply and his thoughts began to wander.
He needed to kill her before she proves to be a threat. He didn't come looking for her ask for redemption, he came to kill her.
The signs were there, life around her, the golden bird guarding the cave and the ethereal feeling she had. The eagle perched on the spacious spot above her watching them with stern eyes, guarding her.
He felt the power she had, matching his. Dangerous, potent and strong but different. His were dark, hers were bright. He was no God but he knew his power was not the same as his father.
Panthea seemed to be stuck in a daze, no one dared to move; lost to their senses.
Bastien slowly approached the sleeping beauty with intent, fist clenched. Before he could reach her, a loud high pitch whistle echoed in the cave. A strong gust of wind and suddenly, a golden eagle larger than normal stood between him and the sleeping woman. Stopping him from approaching the woman. The eagle stay perched on the woman's makeshift bed.
He heard Panthea falling down to her knees. "Golden One," she greeted. Kepheos and others followed suite, leaving Bastien standing and fuming.
He came with the purpose of killing the threat and his companions were too busy worshipping the ground the sleeping woman resides. To be done with it.
He knew that even sleeping, there was a power play between them. Challenging each other, from the moment they went inside the cave.
Bastien was busying frowning at the impressive eagle. It was bigger than the usual size of an eagle, bigger than Sorine.
He don't usually resort to using his ability, it only widen it's temptations for more but the idea of breaking a majestic animal's mind was not appealing.
"Bas, you better bow because that golden eagle looks hungry to me." Kiran said, their eyes in Bastien all wary and cautious.
He ignored the warning, stared at the eagle's eyes, feeling like he was staring at her.
The eagle gave a a loud screech while it flared its wings, a warning.
Bastien quickly moved, miraculously dodging the eagle's attack to the side and made a grab for the woman's neck but not before getting nicked by the eagle on his side. He already made up his mind, he went to grabbed his hidden blade to slit her throat.
As his hand neared her slender neck, a pale hand grabbed hold of his arm in a tight grip. He heard the group gasped while Panthea choked in her frantic breath.
He felt the tension rising around them. He stared at the hand nearly cutting his circulation, he threw a quick glance to see the woman's eye opened and staring at him with white glowing eyes.
Her eyes were almost burning, smoke emitting from her eyes.
She was awake.
𝐂𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚
Caelleria felt unease on the feeling the blond man gave off, thank Mother for finally letting her control her body.
She was awake.
Yet weak.
Only the threat in front of her gave her the energy and adrenalin to grip the warm hand so tight. The man was a threat, her instincts told her to defend herself. Phenikas let out a shriek and lunged for the man, the eagle and Caelleria was shock to see him dodge the eagle so fast.
Few people can dodge Phenikas's attack.
Her eyes adjusted to the real world, unlike Phenikas' vision, which she gotten used to. Her whole body was stuck in a long sleep that it took her long to gain control of her muscles.
Anger was what fueled her.
She sensed the metal dagger on the man's boots once he gotten closer to her, he had not come here to talk, he had another purpose. To kill her.
She glared at the intruders, even the ones who was gaping at her astonishment. The once bowing group was now standing and alert.
She struggled to sit up but she did not dare to show it to the intruders. The power she had was running through her veins, enhanced by her anger; it grew stronger. Giving her an adrenaline rush.
'Phenikas, leave.' She ordered the eagle, feeling the cold air surrounding the cave, her once leaf covered body was now bare.
Phenikas did not say another word and flew out.
The woman saw the eagle flying to the exit, began pulling the man near her. A black haired man with a very beating heart. "Let's go!"
No, she would not let these fools leave the cave alive.
Trying to kill her in sleep was not a good first impression to Caelleria.
Her hold to the light haired man tighten more than ever and pushed him away from her using the wind to throw him afar from her, giving her a time to jumped off the plinth, her body wobbly from her movement. She almost fell, years from not using her muscles, it made her struggle to stand. The light haired man saw it and Caelleria knew he was strategizing.
Her instincts kicked in and flicked her hand fluidly while the other one gripped the plinth. The water near the pond rose and followed her hand, moving where she beckoned it to move.
She swung her hand towards the idiot who tried to kill her, the idiot was too shock to move and the water soon encased him, slowly swallowing his body until he was drowning. Caelleria was about to freeze the water when someone pushed her to the ground losing her control on the water. It was a black haired man who the woman tried to pull back.
"Kepheos!" Someone shouted, Caelleria saw the man above her gathered the shadows around him, he was trying to envelope the cave in darkness.
When there's darkness, there's light.
Caelleria wrapped her bare legs around his waist and rolled him over until she was above him and glaring at him with intent to kill.
She fisted her hand and fire ignited on it, controlling two elements of wind and fire. She was about to incinerate the man when she felt something...
Something probing.
The disgusting feeling. A familiar one.
Behind her.
In reflex, she jumped off the man, facing the source and stomped on the ground, making a large crack towards her intended target.
It was the stupid man.
He jumped away from the crack she created and ran towards her with murder in his eyes. She saw in his eyes, he could kill her, his eyes held darkness that only men who survive the war usually have.
But this man was still fighting a war.
She heard someone cursed and yelled, "Try to get your weapons! I need your help Kiran!"
"Fuck, Tellias. I don't think I want a death wish."
"You'll be dead if you don't get your damn axe, idiot!"
She had little time before the stupid man reach her and the man below her gain his strength. She stomped one foot on the ground in front of her, then punched the air in front of her and the ground quivered and made a stony wave towards the stupid man. He couldn't dodge it, losing his footing before Caelleria used the rock wall behind him to trap him. The wall behind him sucked him like it was liquid. Only leaving his head and a hand free from the wall.
She controlled the vines near her resting place, wrapping the man on the ground with vines, it wasn't fast enough to cover him entirely but enough to keep him immobilized because her attention was on the duo digging for their weapons.
She spun around her, hands following her movement and the vines from the ground below the two surged and grabbed hold of their hands. She spread her arms to motion the vines on separating the two farther apart until they were hanging in the air, vines wrapped around their bodies as they hung from cave ceiling; leaving only the woman who did not attempted to attack or dug for her weapon.
She waved a hand towards the woman, the water from the pond rose, following the movement as Caelleria let out an exhale and the water froze, making a perfect ice blade heading towards the woman.
Yet, the woman did not move or flinch.
That made her stop her attack inches from her face.
"Mistress." She said, acceptance was coated in her voice. Caelleria realized that the woman already accepted her fate.
Caelleria couldn't help but be intrigued at the woman. No person accepted death, even as death was staring at them.
The probing sensation slowly crept on her but she had experience on that type of ability and built a tall mental wall around her mind. The sensation fading faster than Phenikas.
"Why have you come here?" Caelleria, for the first time in years, have spoke. Her voice echoed, angry and melodic. Her throat was dry but she ignored it.
"For judgement."
"You did not come for judgement, you came to kill me in my sleep." Stupid people thought killing her in her rest was a smart move. It was nothing but cowardice. A strong man would face its enemy in front of them, not struck it down while sleeping.
"I have no reasons for the Narosya's motives. If I were to die today, at least, I saw you." The woman said.
"Flattery will not get you anywhere."
"I do not flatter. I speak of the truth. Skyrias welcomes you, Mistress of Cythera."
Caelleria heard Phenikas shriek outside, signaling daybreak. With a flick of her wrist, she melted the frozen water and splashed the woman's lower body and froze it, trapping the woman.
She didn't have enough strength left, she was already tired and needed her clothes.
She relaxed her shoulders when she realized the threat was subdued. She turned to face the stupid man and said, "Stupid."
With that, she glided her body outside the cave with each slide of her foot, the ground acting as her leverage.
Cythera greeted her as she left the cave.