As soon as the order was passed, chaos erupted on Mount Selas.
To the people of Mount Selas, the twelve protectors were a symbol of safety, of assurance. With them around, no evil or danger could fall on them ever. They were the shield who protected their goddesses and their followers. It took everyone by surprise when the protectors were suddenly asked to leave. But none of the supporters of the goddesses objected to this decision.
"Diana, we are now vulnerable to attacks. Without the protectors guarding Mount Selas, anybody can enter the place and harm our people." Hecate stated her worry when the advisors left the three goddesses to themselves after the order was passed.
"Yes, Diana. Now that the year will be changing soon, and it will be time for us to merge into one. Not only do we have to watch over our children, but we will also even have to protect Mount Selas. How are we going to going to handle all of these?"
Luna too could not help but voice out her concerns, especially when she knew how dangerous it could become once the protectors left Mount Selas.
"Nobody is strong enough to take over the protectors' duty in their absence. How are we going to protect our people?"
Diana smiled as soon as she heard Luna and Hecate's concerns. Among the three deities, Hecate was the most powerful and capable while Luna was the wisest. At other times, it was Luna who advised the other two. But this time, Luna was seeking Diana's opinions on this matter and she understood why it was so.
Luna was still in shock to learn about the devil waking up and the possibility of her children being in danger. So, she had handed over the matter for Diana, the strongest one among them to handle it while providing her opinions when required.
"We sure are susceptible to attacks once the protectors leave us. But we can still keep our enemies away using our powers."
"How?" Luna observed Diana's face for a while before it struck her. "Do you want to create a protective shield around Mount Selas?" She stared at her in horror as she voiced out her notion.
"Yes, it is the only way to keep our enemies away from us. Nobody will be able to enter Mount Selas without our permission, and we can focus on our children during this time. They too need us, Luna. Your children need you."
"Diana, we will require a lot of mana to cast the shield. I do not think we will be able to do it." Hecate objected at once. Though she discerned what Diana wanted to do, she was still unwilling to go ahead with it, especially when she realized how weak they would become afterward.
"This is the only way to keep our place safe, Hecate. Given a choice, I would casted the protective shield on our children to keep them safe from the devil. But I cannot do so." Diana pursed her lips as she thought about the cunning man who had destroyed their followers' lives before he was put to sleep.
"But I cannot do so. Our powers cannot keep them protected forever, and they need to fight their own battles. Moreover, our powers will not work on them during the year of the moon." Diana gave Luna a sympathetic look as she revealed all that she had in mind
"Luna's children are the strongest amongst all of ours. But their weakness is the presence of the moon when they become quite vulnerable." Diana continued, and her truthfulness sent Luna thinking for a long time.
"This is the only way we can watch over them without having to worry about the dangers we or our followers in Mount Selas might face in the future."
Hecate, now, had no words to object. It was true that Luna's children were quite strong, stronger than her and Diana's children for they had the ability of the shifting with them. They were blessed to change their form to defend themselves when in danger. But this strength came with weakness and their weakness was the moon.
"I agree with Diana," Luna spoke all of a sudden, breaking the silence that had fallen over them a few moments ago. "This is the only way we can keep everyone protected."
Hecate narrowed her slightly but did not object this time, and Diana took her silence to be her answer. She smiled at her, who only gave her a blank look in return.
The three goddesses held each other hands before they closed their eyes, clearing their minds from all other thoughts. Nothing happened for a few moments. But soon, the air around Mount Selas changed which every single person noticed. All of a sudden, the power around them had increased and it only kept growing as moments passed.
Although they could not comprehend what was happening, they understood that the queens, their goddesses were responsible for it. They silently watched the breathtaking phenomena as they reveled in the powerful and vitalized air around them.
Meanwhile, the three deities continued to cast the protective shield with Diana using all the mana she had cultivated over the days completely. Nobody noticed the brilliant golden sphere of light that had started to spread around them which soon moved forward, consuming other places slowly.
Moments passed, and the sphere had consumed more than half of Mount Selas. But all of a sudden it stopped moving and Diana frowned immediately after. One among them was depleted of energy and she knew who it was.
She clasped Luna's hand tight and forced out all the energy she could muster in her. Even Hecate did not hesitate to let out all her power, and again, the sphere started to stretch.
Diana gritted her teeth when she sensed Luna losing her consciousness. Her body was turning weak, and if this continued, she would faint even before they finished what they intended to do.
"Stay strong, Luna." She whispered in her mind, pleading with her to stay with her until they finished casting the shield, and fortunately for them, Luna listened to her. Forcing herself to stay still, she continued to support Diana and Hecate, and soon, the sphere surrounded Mount Selas.
The three goddesses opened their eyes once the shield had been cast, and the moment they did so, Luna lost her energy completely. If not for Diana and Hecate holding her in time, she would have surely collapsed to the ground.
"We did it, Luna. We did it." Hecate assured her and wiped her drenched forehead. Even though she too felt weak, she at least had the energy to support Luna.
"No evil will be able to enter Mount Selas. We can now focus on our children, on your children, Luna." Diana added with a faint smile. "We can send the paladins to protect our children, and with the competition happening in a few days, it will be easy for the protectors for all our children will be at one place, at Aranill."
Luna was too weak to speak a word. All she could manage was a smile, and that was enough for Diana and Hecate. Without another word, they helped Luna to her room, allowing her to rest and recover.